Hidden Truths (Violet Chain Book 2) (16 page)

“Yes. But I don’t think she regrets it at all, she seems very happy.”

“What about you, Violet? Are you happy?”

Chain entered my mind instantly and I grinned. “Yes, Harrison, I’m happy.”

“That smile tells me that you have someone special in your life. Is that true, Violet? Is there a special man in your life?”

“Yes, there is,” a voice answered. I glanced towards the door to see Chain marching towards my desk with fierce determination. I had barely whipped my chair around just as he bent down, cupping his hand behind my head and smashing his mouth against mine. The kiss was so intense, it left me dizzy with passion.

He lifted his head and smiled. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey,” I responded breathlessly. I spun my chair around to face Harrison and saw his eyes locked with Chain’s. Something passed between them and Harrison nodded, stood up with a quick wave and left the room. What was that all about? Was it some sort of man code that included a tilt of the chin and a nod of the head? Before I could ask anything further, Chain lifted me from my chair and took me into his arms.

“So, I was thinking that maybe I could persuade you to come to my office for lunch. I ordered your favorite, Vinio’s,” he said in a voice that a parent would use when offering their child sweets.

But my mind was still on Harrison and him.

“What just happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and Harrison, what was that all about?”

He shrugged. “Just us saying hello.” Why were men so secretive? Why couldn’t he just tell me? Just as I was about to completely lose my mind and demand that Chain tell me what was going on with him and Harrison, he swept me into his arms, kissed me and gave me that panty-wetting smile that made me turn to mush in his arms and made my brain go blank.

“So what do you say? Lunch at my office?”

“Huh?” I was still disoriented from his kiss. If there was one thing Chain did better than any other man, it was kiss. Not that I had anyone but Harrison to compare him to.

He laughed. “Lunch, Violet, at my office.

I regained my composure. “Sure, okay. But I have a meeting at 3:00, so I’ll have to drive separately. Let me just finish what I’m working on and I will be over in twenty minutes.”

He gave me a quick kiss. “See you in a little bit.” Then he turned and left.

***

The doorman opened the door for me as I approached the front of Chain’s building. I couldn’t believe what a little paint and flooring had done for this building. The tattered room I remembered from before had been transformed into a large open lobby with a round dark reception desk dab in the middle. The floors were a black marble, and the walls were swirled in gold Venetian plaster, with large pictures of Chain’s mall attached to them. I sauntered to the receptionist desk. A pretty short-haired redhead smiled at me.

“Hi,” she said pleasantly.

“Hello.” She leaned forward and that’s when I noticed her light lavender silk button-up shirt was opened to the third button, revealing her red bra beneath. I was not one to put a person down for her choice of what to wear beneath her shirt. I myself had been guilty of not matching my lingerie with my shirt, but I would never purposely reveal it. Either this woman needed to wear a cami to hide her bra, or she needed to button up!

I went to walk past the desk when she stood and blocked me. “How can I help you?”

“I am here to see Chain Alexander, I know where his office is, so I will just go down,” I responded pleasantly.

She stood still like a brick building, not moving an inch. “And your name?”

“Violet Townsend,” I answered.

Her face lost all expression and the room suddenly grew silent as her eyes twitched and her face twisted into an angry scowl. “I’m sorry, Mr. Alexander sees people by appointment only,” she muttered, her jaw clenched.

“He’s expecting me.” But she would not falter; she stood in her place, hands on her hips, glaring at me. I decided it would be best if I called Chain.

I rummaged through my purse, grabbing my cell.

He answered on the first ring. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Chain. Look, I’m standing in your reception area.”

“Well come on down, did you forget where my office was?”

“No.” I turned away from the receptionist. “Your receptionist won’t let me by,” I whispered.

He growled. “I’ll be right there.”

Chain walked out minutes later and smiled as he saw me. He gave me a quick hug then took my hand. He stopped at the receptionist desk.

He blinked hard and I could tell he was contemplating what to say to her. “Candace, Violet Townsend can go and come as she pleases and neither you nor anyone else is to ever stop her, do I make myself clear?”

“Of course, sir,” she mumbled. He shook his head and we proceeded down the hall.

Chain’s office was the size of my house. It had a small living space with two couches and a chair, a bar area equipped with a large television and a circular counter. His desk sat behind a large picture window.

He walked us over to one of the couches and sat down.

Displayed on the table were two plates filled with an assortment of my favorites from Vinio’s. Chain lifted one of the plates and a fork. “Linguini with white clam sauce,” he said as he dug the fork in, spinning the noodles around and lifting it to my mouth before handing me my plate and lifting his own.

I ate so much I couldn’t move. I sat back on the couch rubbing my overfull stomach.

Chain lifted a white box. “Dessert?”

I held up my hand. “I have no room. I am so full.”

He placed the box down then grabbed my hand. “How’s your project going?”

“It’s exhausting but getting better. The woman who owns the salons is very nice. And absolutely gorgeous, you should see Vince and Victor, they’re practically tripping over each other to get a piece of her.”

He laughed. “Your brothers are definitely one of a kind.”

I exhaled. “I wish they would find someone special, Chain, a girl to call their own.” Even though my brothers bragged about sleeping with different women, I knew their lives were empty and deep down inside they were looking for that one special person to love them unconditionally.

“They will, Violet, just give them time. When you’re a player, it’s hard to give up the game.”

“But you did.”

“Because I found the right girl and they will too, I promise.”

“Do you miss it?”

He stared at my hand, playing with my fingers. “Miss what?”

“Sleeping with different women.”

“Sometimes.”

I gasped. “Sometimes!”

“I’m only kidding. Of course I don’t. They only reason why I slept with different women was because they fulfilled my desires. You more than satisfy all my needs.”

“I see.”

He leaned closer to me. “Give me a kiss.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “That was random.”

“Random? Because I want a kiss from my girlfriend?”

“You don’t ask for a kiss.”

“What?”

“Kissing should be something spontaneous. Asking just takes all the fun out of it.”

He chuckled. “Spontaneous, huh?”

“Yeah,” I answered. “You—” Before I could finish I felt my body being whipped around and he laid me across the couch, sliding on top of me, then smashed his lips to mine. The kiss was perfect, soft yet hard, leaving that lingering sensation that always made my body tingle.

He lifted his head, staring into my eyes. “Spontaneous enough for you?”

“Mhm,” I moaned.

He nuzzled his nose in my hair. “Your smell is like no other.”

“I smell?”

He laughed. “Yes. Like violets.”

I hit his chest playfully. “Whatever.”

He pushed me back down as he slid on top of me, pressing his hardness against my stomach. “I want nothing more than to take you on this couch. That would be a memory that I could relive every day when I walk into my office,” he whispered as he nipped at my earlobe. “Your naked body against the leather, you screaming my name…that would definitely be a reason for me to come to work every day,” he continued.

My body was screaming yes, please. “What’s stopping you?” I asked him as I rubbed myself against him.

He gave me a quick kiss and stood. “You have a three o’clock meeting and it is already two forty-five.” It was the first time I regretted being on this project.

I grumbled as I took his hand and we made our way out of the office.

I could feel the air getting thick with tension as Chain and I walked hand in hand past the receptionist desk, a heavy silence filling the room. I flickered my eyes up at Chain and could tell he felt it too. He stopped near the front doors.

“What was that all about?”

“That woman doesn’t like me and it concerns me, because I know she likes you more than she should.”

He rubbed my arms gently. “You have no reason to be concerned, Violet, I would never do anything to ruin what we have.”

“It’s not you that I’m concerned about, it’s her,” I said, pointing toward the receptionist desk. “I know she wants you and women like that, when they want something, will do whatever it takes to get it.” I knew women like Candace very well, gold digging leeches that would do anything to get their hands on a rich, handsome man.

“I told you I would not allow it.”

I shook my head. “You just don’t get it,” I mumbled as I looked down.

“Would you feel more comfortable if I fired her? You just say the word and she’s gone.”

“No, Chain, I don’t want you to fire her because of me. I’ll just deal with it.”

I didn’t want to be that girlfriend who went around having women fired because of my own insecurities. I trusted Chain and even though Candace made me uneasy, the last thing I would do is demand that she be fired.

He curled his arms around my waist. “You’re an amazing woman, Violet Townsend.”

I poked my finger in his stomach. “I know that.”

Chapter 5.0 – Chain

I strolled into the office building, waving a quick hello to an employee walking by, then made my way up to the receptionist desk. As I drew closer, I saw Candace with her head down and I could hear small whimpering sounds coming from her. I moved to the side of the desk and could see she was crying. I was a sucker for a woman in tears.

I plucked a few tissues from the container on her desk and knelt down, placing the tissue in her hand. “Candace, are you alright?”

She looked up at me, tears still hanging from her lashes. “No, Chain, I’m not.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

She blinked, blew her nose, then lunged at me, knocking me to the ground. Before I could even think her lips came crashing down on mine. Her limbs entwined with mine as I tried hard to get her off. I wanted to throw her, but she was a woman and never would I harm a woman intentionally.

Something slammed down on the desk and Candace lifted her head. I twisted my neck, tilting my eyes sideways to see David standing next to the desk, his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. My first thought was that he thought I wanted this, I was a willing participant. I had been known to mess around with our receptionists in the past, but I had Violet now. I would never risk her for some quick romp.

He offered his hand to Candace, helping her up, and I bolted to my feet.

“David, I, um—” He stilled me with his hand and then turned to Candace, smiling.

“You’re fired.” Relief soared through me; he didn’t think it was me, he knew it was her.

She shook her head. “You can’t fire me. I did nothing wrong.”

He reached into his briefcase that was sitting on the counter, opening it up and pulling a piece of paper from it.

“This says I can,” he said as he handed it to her. “It is the contract you signed when we hired you. I have highlighted the area you need to read.

Her eyes moved across the paper. “This says that fraternizing with other employees is reason for dismissal. But Chain isn’t an employee, he’s the owner.”

“Actually this is a corporation. Do you know what that is, Candace?” She shook her head. “A corporation is an entity, a business that is made up of shareholders, who all own a certain percentage. Chain does own the highest amount of shares, which gives him the upper hand on decision making. However, he receives a salary like the rest of us, which makes him an employee, not an owner. Do you understand?”

“I think so.”

“Good. Now please clear your desk out, I have a dinner date with my wife and need to go soon.”

“Now? You want me to leave now?”

“Yes.” David took his position seriously and was the best at doing his job. He was also very stubborn, which at that time was an advantage for me. I wanted Candace as far away from me as possible.