A Clandestine Corporate Affair (8 page)

When time started moving again, he looked down at Ana lying beneath him, eyes closed, breathing hard, her hair fanned like crimson flames against the blanket. The woman was pure sex.

“You okay?” he asked.

Her eyes slowly opened, filled not with tears this time, but a satisfaction he was pretty damn sure she could see mirrored back in his own gaze. She nodded and said breathlessly, “I know we probably shouldn't have done that, and it's going to complicate the hell out of things, but…damn…it was
so
worth it.”

 

Sex with Nathan had always been out-of-this-world fantastic. But tonight he shot her clear to a different
galaxy
.

She wasn't sure if it was so good because it had been so long, or because it was the first time after having Max. Or if Nathan was just really, really good at making her crazy. Whatever the reason, it was a shame that they could never do it again.

Nathan must have been thinking the same thing. He rolled onto his back, sighed slow and deep, and said, “I guess we should have the talk now.”

She threw an arm over her eyes and groaned. “Do we have to? Can't we just enjoy the afterglow for a while?” She looked over at him. “In fact, could we just not talk at all?”

He rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. She wondered if he had the slightest clue how sexy he looked like that. How difficult it would be to keep her hands to herself now. “You want to wait till later?”

“No, I mean
never
. I have no expectations of this being anything but one time, and I'm assuming you don't either. So, it happened, it's over, end of story. Let's not ruin it by having a conversation.”

His this-is-too-good-to-be-real look made her smile. “You're sure about this?”

“It is what it is. Analyzing it to death isn't going to change anything. In fact, it would probably just make
things even more complicated. At this point my only concern is Max.”

“If that's how you feel.”

She really did, for the most part anyway. Did she want more? Of course. Sentiments of love would be nice, and she certainly wouldn't balk at a marriage proposal. Hell, at this point she'd be happy with a semipermanent, exclusive sexual relationship. But she knew that wasn't smart, because ultimately it was going to end, and she refused to put herself in a position to get her heart stomped on again.

There was someone else out there for her. He probably wouldn't be as wonderful as Nathan, or as good in bed. And she would probably never love him the way she loved Nathan, but loving someone too much wasn't such a great thing, either.

“It is,” she told him. “I mean, it was probably just something we needed to get out of our systems. You know?”

“Well then, there's a problem.”

She frowned. “What problem?”

He lowered his eyes and she followed his gaze down to his crotch.

Oh boy. He clearly hadn't gotten it out of his system yet.

Okay. This was not a big deal. They were already lying here naked, so she couldn't really see the harm in doing it one more time. Or heck, two more times if that's what it took. And since Nathan used to have the libido of an eighteen-year-old, and that probably hadn't changed, it was a distinct possibility.

But after tonight, it was definitely over.

N
athan sat in his office the next morning, feeling more relaxed and all around happier than he had in a very long time. Eighteen months, to be exact.

Only problem was, that happiness never lasted.

His life would be going really well, and he would start to think that things were different, that her love had changed him, then something would happen to flare his temper and he would realize that nothing had changed. Wasn't it better to get out while it was still good? Because the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Ana. This situation, their relationship, was supposed to be about Max and what was best for him, yet lately it seemed to be more about Ana and Nathan. Letting this go any further would be a mistake. So, the next time she tried to put the moves on him—and knowing Ana, there would probably be a next time—he would nip it in the bud. He would be the rational one.
Whether she wanted to believe it or not, he knew what was best for her.

His secretary buzzed him. “Mr. Blair needs to see you in his office.”

He shoved himself up from his chair and headed down the hall to Adam's office.

“They're waiting for you,” Adam's secretary said, gesturing him through the open office door.

They?
Had he forgotten a meeting? His mind hadn't exactly been in the game the last few days, but that was what his secretary was for, and she hadn't said anything.

Adam sat behind his desk, and Nathan was surprised to see Emilio standing by the window. If it was a scheduled meeting, Jordan wasn't there yet.

“Shut the door.” Adam said.

“What about Jordan?”

“I sent him to the refinery.”

There was only one reason why Jordan would be excluded from a meeting. There had been some sort of news about the explosion.

He shut the door and took a seat across from Adam's desk. “So I take it there's been a development.”

Adam and Emilio exchanged a look, and Emilio said, “Something like that.”

He wasn't sure he appreciated the fact that Adam would discuss it with Emilio before him. Until the CEO position was filled, they were supposed to be on a level playing ground.

Nathan sat straighter in the chair, looking from one to the other. “Whatever it is, I see you've already discussed it without me.”

“We have a few questions for you,” Adam said, looking so solemn that Nathan had to wonder if he'd done
something wrong. They couldn't possibly know about Max and Ana.

“So ask,” Nathan said.

“I know you and Jordan aren't very close,” Emilio said. “But do you know anything about his personal finances?”

“We don't exactly share stock tips. Why?”

“Are you aware of any reason he would have to deposit or withdraw any large sums of cash?”

They were looking into Jordan's personal finances? Had they been checking Nathan out, too? Despite all the animosity he had toward Jordan, that ages-old instinct to defend his brother worked its way to the surface. “Are you accusing my brother of something?”

“A week before the accident someone deposited two hundred thousand dollars into Jordan's account, and a few days later he wired thirty thousand dollars out.”

“To whom?”

“I'm afraid we don't have access to that information,” Emilio said.

“But what you're saying is, you think he's responsible for the sabotage?”

“You can't deny it looks suspicious.”

He looked from Adam to Emilio. “You think that someone paid him, and he paid someone else to tamper with the equipment?”

“That's one possibility,” Adam said.

“Why?”

“Jordan is ambitious,” Emilio said. “It happened before everyone learned the CEO position was opening up. Maybe he felt he'd hit a ceiling.”

“His commitment to this company and his dedication to the men at the refinery has been exemplary,” Nathan reminded them. In fact, it was truly remarkable, despite the social and economic differences, how deeply the workers
at the refinery respected and trusted Jordan. Not only was he the man in charge, but when he was among the workers, he was one of them.

“Maybe someone made him an offer he couldn't refuse,” Emilio said. “But expected something in return first.”

“Ambitious or not, I can't see him putting anyone's life in danger to further his career.”

“Maybe no one was meant to get hurt, but something went wrong,” Adam suggested. “You have to admit, he was the one hit hardest by this. Maybe he feels guilty.”

“If he got a better offer, why is he still here?”

“To avoid suspicion? Or maybe now that the CEO position is opening up, he has a reason to stay.”

“Or maybe,” Emilio offered, “since there were injuries, it killed the deal.”

“Look, you know that my brother and I don't have the best relationship, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this.” Or maybe he just didn't want to believe that his own brother could be responsible, that he could be that self-serving. Maybe he didn't like that what they were suggesting had credibility.

“Believe me, we don't like it either,” Adam said. “But we can't ignore the possibility. If he were involved somehow, and it came out later that we had proof and did nothing about it—”

“You could confront him,” Nathan said.

Emilio laughed. “This is Jordan we're talking about. If he's guilty, do you honestly think he'll admit it?”

Good point. Jordan would just as soon slice off a limb than admit he'd made a mistake.

“His secretary will be starting her maternity leave in a few weeks and the investigation firm has suggested we place an undercover operative directly into Jordan's office,” Adam said. “He'll just think she's a temp.”

“If he finds out, he's going to be
pissed
.”

“So we have to make sure he doesn't find out,” Adam said. “And we have until then to find another way. Maybe you could try talking to him. Maybe he'll let something slip.”

“Honestly, I'm the last person he would confide in. We don't talk. Ever. If nothing else, that would only raise his suspicions.”

“If not for Jordan, this company wouldn't be where it is today,” Adam said. “If he's innocent, I don't want to risk losing him.”

“We took a chance trusting you with this,” Emilio said. “I have brothers, so I know it's a lot to ask. But we can only do this if you're behind it one hundred percent.”

He knew they were right, and he hated that underneath the need to defend his brother, there was a nagging suspicion that maybe it was true. Either way, they needed to know.

“I'm in,” he said.

He knew he was doing the right thing. Still, it felt like a betrayal. But with Jordan's career on the line, maybe this was the best thing he could do for his brother.

Although it got him wondering, as he headed back to his office, if they were investigating Jordan, did that mean he was under investigation as well? But why would he be? He could count on one hand how many times he had actually been in the refinery, and the men who worked there were strangers to him. But if his relationship to Ana and Max were to get out, it could not only hurt his chances at the CEO position but cast doubt over him as well.

He was leaning toward the idea of making Max a permanent part of his life, but at this point it would undoubtedly complicate things. Ana hadn't been pushing him to make any decisions, but he knew it was only a matter
of time before she would expect an answer from him. They couldn't go on living in limbo this way. Especially after what happened last night. Which, the more he thought about it, the more he realized what a mistake it probably was. It was clouding his judgement. Making him forget that there were other issues to think about, like whether or not he even deserved to be someone's parent. What if he was destined to repeat his own parents' mistakes? What if he turned out to be like his father, harsh and judgmental? Or, even worse, like his mother? Too absorbed in his own life to care that he had a vulnerable and confused kid desperate for his attention. And if he did lose the CEO position over this, or even his job, would he end up resentful and bitter?

If he could hold Ana off just another few months, until he'd had time to really consider what he was doing, at least until the CEO decision was made…

He'd left his cell phone on his desk, and when he got back to his office there were two missed calls. One from a number he didn't recognize, and one from Ana. Neither left a message. Maybe Ana had decided that they needed to have that talk after all. He was half-tempted to wait and call her back later, until he considered the possibility that her call may have had something to do with their son. What if he was sick or injured? His pulse skipped at the thought.

He dialed her number and she answered on the second ring. In the background he could hear Max babbling happily, and the sudden gush of relief he experienced nearly knocked him back in his chair. In barely over a week, the little runt had managed to weasel his way into Nathan's heart.

The question was, did he deserve Max's love?

“You called?” he asked Ana.

“Yeah. Sorry to bother you while you're working, but
I had something I wanted to ask you. Have you got a minute?”

“Sure.”

“I sort of need a favor, but I want to say right up front that you are under absolutely no obligation to do this. I can ask Jenny. I just thought maybe you would want to do it instead.”

“Do what?”

“Babysit Max Saturday night. I was invited for a girls' night out with Beth and some of our friends.”

“Babysit as in just him and me?”

“Yeah. I thought you might like to get some quality time together. I wouldn't be leaving till seven-thirty, and he goes to bed at eight-thirty, so he'll be asleep most of the time.”

The fact that she trusted him to be alone with Max rendered him speechless for several seconds.

“If you don't want to—”

“It's not that I don't want to. I just…I'm a little surprised that you would ask me, considering my vast lack of experience with kids.”

“Well, Max adores you, and you know his bedtime routine. Besides, he's pretty easygoing. I can't imagine that he'll give you any trouble. And if you do decide to be a permanent part of his life, you can't keep coming over here and just visiting him forever. You'll have to get used to being alone with him. Sometimes overnight.”

The idea both intrigued and made him nervous as hell. He would have to baby-proof his apartment, buy toys and baby furniture. With two extra bedrooms he definitely had the space. These just weren't things he'd taken into consideration before.

“But like I said, if you're not comfortable watching him,
it's okay. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to push you into something you're not ready for.”

“No, I'd like to do it,” he said, and realized, for all his doubts, he really did.

“Great! Can you be over at my place around seven-fifteen? That will give me time to show you where everything is before Beth picks me up.”

“I can do that.”

“I don't know what you're doing tonight, but Max and I were going to decorate the tree around seven.”

With a dinner meeting scheduled for six-thirty with his team, there was no way he was getting out of work before eight tonight. So he might see him for ten minutes before he went to bed. Meaning he would be going over there to see
her
, not Max, which he didn't think was a good idea after last night.

“I just can't swing it tonight, but maybe I can stop by around lunchtime tomorrow.”

“Sure. That would be great.” She paused, then asked, “By the way, did you get anything in the mail from Beth and Leo yet?”

“I don't know.” He'd brought a pile of mail with him to work this morning but hadn't had time to go through it yet. “Hold on, let me look.”

He grabbed the pile and rifled through it until he saw the greeting-card-sized envelope with Beth and Leo's return address. He tore it open, but it wasn't a card. It was an invitation to their annual New Years Eve party. Nathan went every year, except last year, and only because he figured he would run into Ana there. He'd known she was expecting, and the idea of seeing her, pregnant with another man's baby…hell, for all he knew she would bring the father with her. Had he known it was his kid, he might have felt differently.

“I take it you got an invitation too?” Nathan said.

“Yeah. I wondered if you were planning to go. I wanted to, but with us both there…well, it might be a little weird having to pretend we don't like each other.”

“We can't stop socializing just because we'll run into each other. That's not fair to either of us.”

“I guess not. So you're going to go?”

If only to prove that this thing between them didn't have to be a big deal. “Yeah, I'm going.”

“Then I am too,” she said.

They talked for a few more minutes about Max, and though Ana never once mentioned what had happened last night, it hung between them unspoken. He could hardly believe he was thinking this, but maybe not talking about it hadn't been such a hot idea after all. Not if it was going to make things awkward. He would probably feel worse if he had been the one to make the first move. Not that he couldn't have told her no. But that would have left her feeling dejected and hurt.

In other words, he slept with her to spare her feelings? How philanthropic of him. Why couldn't he just be honest with himself and admit that he slept with Ana because he wanted to? He
still
wanted to. It would take a hell of a lot more than one night to get her out of his system. Maybe a lifetime of nights. And if she came on to him again, good idea or not, he wouldn't be pushing her away.

He would just have to hope that she didn't.