Conflicted (Secrets and Lies) (38 page)

His brow crinkled and his face darkened. My throat tightened preparing for a blowback.

"I see," he said, giving me a calculated stare that sent shivers up my spine.

I should've never believed anything that this man had to offer me.

"I'm very sorry. I don't think I'll raise any flags by leaving their company. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone that is better qualified to get what you need."

My palms started to sweat as the anxiety surged forward through every nerve ending.

"You being sorry doesn't really matter. I can't force you to stay but I'll remind you that I've been privy to everything you've been up to while you were there. It would be a shame for that information to fall into the wrong hands," he threatened.

"What are you exactly saying? Are you going to blow the cover if I walk away?"

Harrison smiled smugly. "You're a smart individual. It's a shame you threw that intelligence out the window when you got involved with one of the more prominent people within that company."

"You're blackmailing me," I concluded.

I shook my head at my own stupidity. Harrison drummed his fingers against each other.

"I wouldn't call it blackmail. Every good executive has insurance Mia. I've had more than one set of eyes and ears there for me. It's been curious the things that you've withheld from me."

"I haven't withheld anything from you," I snapped.

My stomach turned to ice. I hated every ounce of myself for thinking that jumping into cahoots with him would benefit me. The hard look in his eyes ran through me making the ice in my stomach spread throughout my entire body.

"I find it interesting that you didn't admit to spending an exponential amount of time with the senior vice president," Harrison seethed.

"The time I've spent with him outside of that place has nothing to do with me wanting to step out," I said, curling my hands into tight fists.

My nerves were wavering as my anger started to rise. Harrison raised an all too knowing eyebrow sending a combination of rage and fear up my spine.

"I think it has everything to do with it," he argued.

He knows too much about my personal life. How?

"I want to leave because I can't do it. I told you from the beginning that I wasn't sure if I could do it. This isn't anything new," I disputed.

My anger dissipated as terror replaced it in waves. I considered the things Harrison was capable of. He was more deceitful than I imagined. I didn't trust him from the start. I should've gone with that feeling.

"You can't bullshit a bullshitter. This has everything to do with Ethan," he rebutted.

"It has nothing to do with him," I shot back.

"If it had nothing to do with him, you would've mentioned several weeks ago that you overheard a very important conversation. I do believe that we are on the precipice of the owners delivering a certain amount of retribution soon are we not," Harrison challenged.

How the hell does he know that I overheard conversation?!

"I didn't say anything about that because it was a circumstantial conversation. I couldn't even bring into context whether it had anything to do with their company. It could've been them talking about the weather as far as I was concerned."

"I'm not going to sit here and debate this with you Mia. I'll give you a new deal."

"I'm done making deals with you," I said evenly.

Harrison rolled his fingers together with an amused expression on his face. My chest tightened even more and I narrowed my eyes to maintain my composure.

"Oh, I think you'll want to make this deal with me. If you know what's good for you and the people you care about anyway," he warned.

His tone was similar to a high-pitched laugh like you saw in the movies. Just the mention of my friends being in danger tweaked my fear higher than I thought it could go. It was my worst fears slapping me across my face. My subconscious began poking at every part of my brain screaming obscenities at me for not listening to my inner self from the get go.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I want you at this exchange. I feel that it is the last piece of the puzzle. After that meeting occurs, your obligation to me will be over. I won't interfere in your life again and I won't expose what you were doing for me." Harrison paused, giving me a hard stare. "Should you decide to go against this offer, you'll find that your life will become more miserable than anything that happened to you last year including having your pathetic boyfriend leave you after he destroyed your academic reputation."

Well, done Mia. You aligned yourself with someone who is the devil incarnate and he's nailed you to the wall to get what he wants. Great job!

"You're telling me that if I don't do this that you'll start hurting the people around me. Do you have any more threats for me or is that it?"

My heart dropped to my knees as my stomach began to churn. Harrison rolled his eyes.

"I know you're recording this so you can just hit stop. Do you really think you stand a chance against a powerful man like me? Your efforts are admirable but you'll never be able to take me down so you should stop trying to fight me now," Harrison cautioned.

His eyes came together in a squint exhibiting how very evil he really was on the inside. I pulled my phone from my purse and pressed stop. I flashed it at him so he ceased the threats.

"You've been using me this entire time. Why?"

He chuckled in a high maniacal tone. "You have the quality that I needed to get me what I want that no other person will ever be able to do for me."

"And what's that special quality?" I asked, irritated.

"Desperation. It's a powerful thing. I offered you something that I knew you couldn't refuse. You sit here now with the same desperation. Only this time, you're desperate for those around you rather than yourself."

I glared at him. "What if I just walk away all together? What are you saying?"

"You'll be sorry you ever crossed me. If you think that where you're at is dangerous, you'll think again after I'm through with you," he advised.

He gave me a heinous look to drive his point home and it left me trembling in my seat.

"If I make sure I'm at this meeting, you swear you won't hurt anyone. You'll go your way and I'll go mine," I said, twisting my fingers to prevent myself from having a meltdown.

"Yes, you finish this out for me, we'll part ways, and you'll never hear from me again," Harrison replied amicably.

"Fine you have a deal," I agreed, fighting the rising vomit.

The old saying is true. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

"Oh and Mia, please thank your boyfriend for giving me such a wonderful piece to work with when he approached me to help him take down his father's company," Harrison goaded.

His eyes twinkled at the pot he was stirring by bringing up Ethan. My hearted dropped completely taken aback at the idea of Ethan being involved with Harrison.

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't ask for those kinds of details from my sources. If you want those closest to you to remain safe, I'd keep this entire meeting between us."

"Did Ethan know all along why I'm there?"

My stomach squelched and my throat tightened making each breath a struggle. My body was ready to explode between the fear and anger within me.

"No, Ethan believes you're there to work for him. The other individual I placed within the company is who he believes is there to collect information for me. He happened to take notice to what was going on with you and Ethan. He kept me abreast of the situation as well as all the other details you were neglecting to report."

"Why would you put two people there and not tell him? It doesn't make any sense. What sick and twisted game are you playing?"

"I'm deliberate in everything that I do as I work for the outcome I envision," Harrison said with a calculated swipe of the hand across his desk.

"All I heard is that you manipulate people in the worst ways to get what you want. Since you are the master manipulator, how do you suggest I get an invitation to this meeting without tipping off why I want it," I snapped through gritted teeth.

"I'm sure you'll figure out a way."

"It sounds like you know more about this meeting than what you're telling me."

I hated this man with every fiber of my being. My hate for myself was a close second. It was beyond stupid to think that something as shady as spying from the inside would benefit me. Apparently, I sucked at it more than I thought. I missed the fact that someone else was snooping around too.

"Just make sure you're at this meeting," he barked.

I sat stock still staring at the artful asshole trying to understand his motives. Harrison was up to something and his overly cocky stature backed up my thoughts. There was something that I was missing. I clenched my jaw and grabbed my purse. I wasn't about to get any more answers so getting out of this corner of hell was my last lucid thought.

"Goodbye Harrison."

"Always a pleasure Mia."

I opened his door looking back at the evil bastard with so much hate for myself that I could barely breathe. I hit the hallway and started running straight to the bathrooms. My sweaty hands barely managed to open the door. I dropped my purse as my knees crashed to the floor. I lost my entire stomach contents in a matter of seconds. My entire body was shaking as sweat trickled across my brow. The hollowness in my chest squeezed tight. It made each breath that came out a painful reminder of the severity of my poor decisions. I rested my head against the cool porcelain as the pain coursed through every vein slicing me apart. My body trembled as the terror for the people I loved slashed through my chest following the same path as the pain.

I made another deal with the devil. What have I done? This isn't part of the plan.

~

I was standing in front of yet another door staring at it. I brought my hand up and down several times but refrained from knocking on it. I started pacing back and forth in front of the closed door. I tried to find the will within myself to act normal around Ethan so that he didn't see that anything was wrong. I stopped pacing and let my head lightly fall against his door. I fought the nausea creeping inside of me along with the self-disgust that grew stronger by the minute. As I forced my hand into a fist to knock, a flash of heat spread across my back.

Ethan shuffled us inside. Shutting the door, he pulled me into him. He made no move to kiss me and it surprised me considering the precocious approach to entering his office. He brought his forehead to mine staring deeply into my eyes. I wrapped my arms tight around his waist needing his comfort. The sickening feelings started to recede. The disgust I had in myself was still strong but it moved to another part of my brain as a soothing feeling coursed throughout me. The smooth pads of his fingers continued to move along my back in light strokes as his eyes sucked me into every part of him. It made me want so much more from him.

"Hey," Ethan whispered.

"Hi," I answered.

I rested my head against his chest listening to his heart as everything inside of me started to burn at a hotter temperature.

"Why were you pacing outside my door?"

"I'm a little scatterbrained this morning."

Ethan continued to gaze at me with doubt in his eyes. I wanted to wipe away any confusion about us from his thoughts. As his eyes pierced me searching for what was troubling my aching soul, every part of me ran rampant with sensation and desire in demand for him. My mouth attacked his with a powerful force and demanded for him to meet every lick I executed upon his lips. Ethan stepped away but I took a step closer. I needed him just to make it to the next cataclysmic event that was about to unfold around us.

I traced my tongue along his luscious lips. After what seemed like forever, he parted his lips granting me further access. I took every part of him into my mouth while reaching for his tie to unfasten it. Bringing my hands back to his chest, my nails began to outline every inch of his chest before running down to his waistline. I tugged at his shirt so I could feel his skin on mine. I yearned for the heady current inside of me to grow and take away everything else. Ethan moaned biting down against my bottom lip. Listening to his soft moans sent an intense burn between my legs.

With each swipe and nip, my breath shortened as my heart fluttered a mile a minute. I ran my hands up his neck to his hair. I let my fingers appreciate every part of his hair before yanking it increasing the heat that begged for more of him. Ethan hissed stepping away. He looked confused but shrugged it off. He slowly moved us further into his office. He brought his lips back to mine with an intensity that matched the force I was using with him. He sauntered us over to a section of the bookshelves on the right side of his office. His mouth never left mine as his hand parted from my side and went up to pull down a book. The section of the wall separated from the rest of the bookshelf and opened to an empty hallway. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him. The door closed behind us and he dragged his lips down to my neck. He nibbled at every exposed spot he could find. I leaned my head against the door and banged it as every part of me begged to be inside of him.

"Oh God," I moaned loudly.

Ethan raised a hand to cover my mouth. Every part of me was on fire with a need for him. I ran my hands down to his slacks unbuttoning the fly along with the buttons of his shirt. My tongue traced the marvelous tattoos that covered his chest. I outlined one of the patterns before grazing my teeth across his nipple. Ethan purred squeezing me tighter to him. His hardness pressed between my thighs and increased the throbbing that cried for us to shed our clothes.

Ethan took several more steps into a nook that further dumped us into an empty room. He shut the door behind us and pressed me into the wall next to it. He brought his hand to the inside of my thigh and tore my panties from my body. His long fingers traced along the insides of my thighs until he hit my hot spot deftly sliding in and out.