True Deceptions (True Lies) (20 page)

She couldn’t help but laugh. Nothing stopped Simon from getting what he wanted.

He pointed to the bathroom. “Go, we have a lot to do to prepare for our trip.”

She left the room and enjoyed a warm shower.

His unique way of caring for her made her feel competent and strong, not dependent and helpless. And although Dane had helped her, he acted more like a shoulder to cry on. Simon offered his shoulder for only a moment and then sent her back into the world. His confidence in her bolstered her own beliefs that she could handle the job assigned.

After the shower, she put on a salmon colored dress that fell to mid calf and located Simon in the office working on his laptop. She walked over to him and sat on his lap, certain he wanted her there. His hand slid up her dress an inch, stopping on her knee. The tease.

“So what’s my task, boss?”

His hand remained on her leg, caressing her thigh. “In order to reprogram the drones, you need the security codes. And Dane has them.”

A
week later, Cassie stood in the suite at the Fairmount hotel and stared out the window. The million dollar view overlooked San Francisco and, in the distance, the Golden Gate Bridge. When the bedroom door opened, she turned to see an even more amazing view. Simon.

“Nice outfit.”

“Thanks.” She spun around in her black high-heeled sandals. The black and white floral dress swooshed out from her legs. Black fit her mood. It also matched the remaining black and blue marks all over her body.

“Too bad you can’t join me on my date,” she said.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” He raised his eyebrows. “If you need more time, I can arrange it. I’ll hire someone Dane’s type who can pull him away from his desk for a few hours.”

“What’s the likelihood he’ll choose this week to date this random woman during normal office hours and not figure out she was a paid escort?”

“Slim.” His hand balled into a fist, and he paced around the room for a few minutes. “It’ll be quicker and easier if you pull him away, but you are
not
dating him. You’re going for lunch and to speak with him about your future. That’s all.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe we should delay for a few days, and I can think of another plan.”

“We need to get back to work. If you want to hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya,’ find someone else. I’m not interested.”

He rubbed his hand over his face as though thinking up a new strategy for getting his partner in line. “You call me if, at any time, you feel overwhelmed. Is that clear?”

“Perfectly. What do I need to do?”

“One of us has to infiltrate Dane’s office. He must store the security information on the drones somewhere near there. You keep him at the restaurant, and I’ll try to gain access to his desk. If I can’t, we’ll have to call the whole operation off.”

Part of her felt uncomfortable with the assignment. The other part wanted to dive head first into the information she needed to gather.

“Why would we call it off?” she asked.

“Without knowing the security codes, we won’t be able to redo the software.”

“I could bypass a few security codes.”

“I doubt it. Not these.”

“What if
I
go into Dane’s office?” she asked.

“Impossible. He won’t be leaving your side today. He’s waiting for the opportunity to comfort you in bed. You’re not ready for that. You never will be, because after this, you’re retiring from the field. Just grab a bite to eat, talk, and make him think he stands a chance.”

“Let me try. I can find the codes.”

“Sneaking into an office building without being caught is not in your skill set. The only way we could get you inside is with Dane next to you. And then he’ll have you alone in his office. A man tried to rape you. You need time and perspective. And Dane’s not a bad guy, but given the opportunity, he will make a move on you. And I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let that happen.”

Another strike against her? “No. I can do this. I will not let that jerk at the prison rule my life. And who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?” she demanded.

“You’re hurting. You need time. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“Would Nicola or Alex have retrieved the codes for you?”

“One of them is dead. The other is happily married and would never feign attraction to another man to complete a task, at the risk of alienating her husband.”

“Then I guess I’m your only option.”

Simon stared out the window for a few moments. Tension showed in his stiff posture. His focus then shifted entirely to Cassie. “If you get into the building, you’ll probably end up on a video feed.”

“How will I know if there are cameras around?”

“You won’t. So don’t do anything that makes you look guilty.” He sat on a fancy chair in the living room, dwarfing it. “And you can back out at anytime. I’m serious. Just get up and walk out of wherever you are.”

This protective side of Simon comforted her, although she wouldn’t tell him that. And the jealous side? It was nice to not be the only possessive person in the relationship. With his support, she’d be able to handle the assignment. Partly for her country, but mostly for herself.

With him seated, she towered over him with the three-inch heels. He looked up at her. Such a masculine face. No one would ever call him a pretty boy, even when he smiled and those dimples appeared and a boyish laughter reflected in his blue eyes. She leaned down, completely aware that her low-cut dress exposed a tad bit too much of her breasts, and placed her hands on his knees. His eyes dropped to her chest, as she’d predicted. She could do this job. How hard would it be to convince Dane that she was attracted to him?

“Thanks for the heads-up.” She turned to leave the hotel suite.

“Cassie.”

She looked back at him over her shoulder, still with a newfound confidence in her role. “Simon.”

“Be careful, not everything is what it seems.”

“Whatever that means.”

He stood up and walked over to her. “It means I can’t tell you everything, but I need you on your guard.”

“Fine.” She sent him a quick wave and left him standing in the doorway as she headed to the lobby to meet her date.

Wearing navy pants and a pale yellow golf shirt, Dane strolled into the hotel like a cover model for a golf magazine.

He greeted her with a friendly hug and a soft kiss on her cheek. “Wow. You look amazing.”

She hugged him back and plastered on a casual smile. He’d taken such good care of her in Jordan. One of the good guys. It was clear he wanted her. Although he was gorgeous and sweet, and a strong shoulder to cry on, she didn’t want him, because her heart belonged to the stubborn guy up in their hotel room.

Her hand remained around Dane’s waist. “You look ready to take on the links.”

“My plan is for a casual day in Sausalito. Simon isn’t begging to come with us? I’m surprised.”

“He’s busy with work stuff. He’s keeping me close, but giving me space too. Does that make any sense? I don’t want to be pushed in any direction yet. And that sort of goes for you, too. I need to take things slow.”

His eyes perused her outfit, and he smiled as though he’d won a prize. “I can take all the time you need, beautiful.”

A resort area on the far side of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito catered to affluent crowds and tourists. Seeing Dane’s car, a new red BMW M4 convertible, Cassie placed him with the affluent crowd and not the tourists. The car, designed to be noticed and admired, fit him just as the rugged black Range Rover suited Simon.

He left the car with the valet at a waterfront restaurant.

“Care for a stroll before lunch?” he asked.

“Sure.”

They walked in silence along the marina and past houseboats decorated with colorful planters full of flowers in bloom. Cassie allowed the salt air to calm her soul. The ocean had always been therapeutic. When Dane slipped his hand into hers, she took it. Simon’s hands overwhelmed hers, but Dane’s felt comfortable. He wasn’t as complicated as Simon. He wanted sex, and she wanted information. A simple transaction as long as she could retrieve the information and bail before the sex.

“Are you still living with Simon in London?”

“Yes.” Dane’s piercing eyes did nothing to calm her nerves, but she’d get through.
Think like a professional. Get rid of all emotions.

“Are you going back?”

What could she say? That she had to because she worked there? “I don’t know.”

A few months ago, Dane would have been the man of her dreams. But Simon was it for her. Complicated. Difficult. It didn’t matter. There would be no other man for her. But she was playing a part today. She was every bit as competent as his former partners.

“Stay. If only for an extra week or two. Give me a chance to win your heart. You’ve already won mine.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned toward the city skyline across the bay so that the kiss landed on her cheek.

Dane’s phone rang. He pulled the cell out of his pocket, his hand gripping hers close to his chest.

“What?” He spoke as though he wanted to kill the person on the other line. “I can get them for you this afternoon. What’s the rush?”

She couldn’t hear the person on the other end, but whoever it was clearly had the power to push all of Dane’s buttons. He sent a half smile and a wink toward Cassie, but his frustration was clear.

“Fine. I’ll have the pricing to you by noon. Gotta run. I have my hands full.”

When he replaced the phone in his pocket, he returned his attention to Cassie.

“Sorry about that, some of my customers are more demanding than necessary. I need to run over to work for a few minutes. Do you mind coming with me?”

Getting into his office without even having to ask. Perfect.

“Will you let play me with the little helicopter again? That was the most fun I had in Jordan.” She’d hated flying the UAV with him. He’d wrested control of it from her because he thought she’d crash it.

“Absolutely. Maybe I can teach you a few tricks.”

She smiled at his ignorance. “I’d like that.”

Chapter Sixteen

P
elican Industries was headquartered in a large, modern building wi
th palm trees lining the parking lot and a fenced-in area the size of a college stadium for demonstrations and research and development. The place was a hive of activity. People dressed in casual business attire, holding coffee cups and tapping on electronic tablets, crowded the lobby.

A perky young redhead sat at the reception desk, waving to the employees and greeting visitors as they arrived. Dane spoke to her the way a politician greeted a potential voter, all smiles and artifice. It unnerved Cassie. He seemed too good to be true, too perfect in his world, too good at his job, too smooth an operator. Without the rose colored glasses she’d always worn to paint the world in a rainbow of good intentions, Cassie saw duplicity as clearly as she could see the ambition in the twenty-somethings milling about in the hallway. Dane was not simply a salesman.

He led Cassie down a maze of corridors and into his small office. With its floor to ceiling glass and stainless steel furniture, it was the perfect design for a high tech salesperson. Functional, organized, cold. He had nothing personal in the space except a coffee cup from the Carnegie Deli. Cassie had eaten there once when she’d visited New York.

“Are you a native of San Francisco?” she asked, hoping to get a better glimpse at the real Dane.

“No. I’m an East Coast transplant.” He eyed the coffee cup and then sat at his desk and began typing on his computer, complete with an HD flatscreen monitor. She wanted to get a better view of what he was typing, but didn’t want to approach that side of the desk yet.

“Where did you go to school?” She strolled to the window and looked out at the parking lot full of electric and hybrid cars.

“MIT. Computer science major, although I prefer sales. And you?” His eyes strayed from the screen to glance at her face, but he wouldn’t see a reaction to the question. Without emotions to deal with, she could be anyone she wanted to be. She decided to be a surfer girl.

She embraced her new identity. “I was homeschooled and then tried college, but it wasn’t really for me.”

“So you hang out with Simon.”

“Not all the time. I’m a receptionist at the Sainsbury’s headquarters. It’s a grocery store chain in England.” She shrugged, all while scanning the contents of the room for information on the drones Simon wanted to purchase.

“I’ve heard of it. I’m sure we could find you a better job over here. You’re going to have more fun hanging around me.” He continued to type into his computer, as though her leaving Simon was a done deal. He didn’t even know her. Why would he try to steal her away from Simon?

“I’m not sure I’m ready for a big change. I’ve had enough excitement to last a lifetime.”

He stopped typing and gazed at her. “Do you really think Simon can provide you with a stable life? The man travels more than anyone I know.”

“How do you know Simon so well?” She watched him formulate his answer.

He shrugged, revealing no emotion. “He just seems like the type that travels around, making deals and never settling.”

“I’m not looking for forever. For now, Simon seems nice.” And all consuming and terrifying. But still, he held her heart.

“Come here. I can help you decide.” He waved her to his side of the desk. When she arrived at his side, he patted his lap.

The thought of kissing Dane again didn’t appeal to her, but she needed information on the security codes for the drones. She smiled and pretended she was an actress. This was only a scene in a movie. Nothing real. She sat and placed an arm around his neck to stabilize her tall body. Her long limbs stretched out under his desk, and her chin rested on the top of his head. A completely awkward position.

She giggled. “I’m a bit too big for you.”

“Never. You’re perfect.” He stayed away from her face, which was for the best. She had too many black and blue marks to avoid, from her chin to her forehead. Instead, he touched her neck with his lips and continued toward her ear. She focused on her job, ignoring the knots forming in her stomach.