Layers Deep (25 page)

“No,” I shook
my head. “He just wanted me to come to the office. My official
return date is in two weeks, when the doctor clears me for
work.”

“Then why get
dressed up so fancy?” She looked at her watch. “Aren’t you going to
be late?”

There was
something odd about the way Laura was behaving today. As if she
couldn’t wait for me to leave. Was she expecting a new boy toy on
her day off while I was gone?

“I’m going
into Cross Enterprises.” And that should have been enough of an
explanation.

“Right. Well,
you slept with the boss. That ought to get you to the top,” she
winked. Laura seemed nervous this morning. Either she had a new
fling she wanted to talk about or some other secret I wasn’t privy
to just yet.

Before I got a
chance to ask her, someone knocked on the door. Biting my lip, I
opened it wide, expecting Tristan to greet me with his sexy dimple
and that lopsided smile when his scar lifted. Instead, a
middle-aged gentleman stood in the door wearing a suit. My phone
buzzed. A text from Tristan flashed on the screen.

T.
Cross:
Charlie works for me. He’ll take you to the office
this morning.

I frowned. It
wasn’t like Tristan to be so impersonal.

“Good morning,
Ms. Green.”

“Charlie, I
presume?” I shook his hand.

“Yes, ma’am.
Are you ready?”

I turned to
look back at Laura and mouthed, “‘Ma’am’?”

She
giggled.

“Yes, thank
you.”

After the
formalities, it took thirty minutes to get to Tristan’s office.
Charlie was an experienced driver, and the traffic world I lived in
didn’t exist for him.

“Have a good
day.” He held the car door open for me.

“Thank you,
Charlie.”

The Cross
Enterprises lobby reminded me more of a hotel than an
investigations firm. White leather couches and tables filled with
magazines were spread in between green plants and trees. The
sleek-cut side-tables were suitable for a doctor’s office, yet
fitted this room just as well. Soft music played overhead. It was
as if the company wanted to camouflage its existence, and I had to
say it accomplished the task. After registering downstairs, I took
the elevator up to the thirty-third floor.

Upstairs, the
single receptionist pointed down the hall. “Mr. Cross is waiting
for you, Ms. Green,” she said to me as soon as I stepped off the
elevator. “The double door at the end of the hall.”

I took a deep
breath in, hugged my purse under my arm, and aimed a confidant walk
down the hall. Exactly how confidant I felt was another
question.

In my purse I
had packed a small box with tiny white booties. I’d leave it on
Tristan’s desk and let him figure it out. It’d probably be much
easier than telling him because I was sure my voice would not
cooperate today. It was now or never. I’d gotten myself ready for
any reaction. I’d practiced my speech over and over again. Once he
opened the package, I’d tell him I could do this on my own and
understand if he wanted to wash his hands clean of any
responsibility.

I was ready to
raise this little bean that grew in my tummy on my own if I had to.
My purse felt heavier and heavier as I approached his office. I
stood in front of the frosted glass door for a few seconds before
knocking quietly.

“Come in,”
Tristan called out. He sat behind an oak desk, it’s dark stain
glistening in the sunlight. Covering the receiver of the phone, he
said, “I’ll be done in a minute,” and pointed to the cream leather
couch.

Gosh, did he
ever look sexy. I’d seen him every day yet each time he stilled my
breath. Broad muscular shoulders and ripened arms stood out
underneath his charcoal ensemble. Even if he didn’t like wearing
suits, he sported them like a pro. I hoped this little baby would
inherit the genes from his side of the family more than mine.

The moment I
sat down I felt the nerve I’d worked up leave me. I was about to
share with Tristan one of the biggest pieces of news of my
lifetime. I wanted to turn around and dart out the door, yet if I
didn’t do this now, I’d never be able to do it.

When he stood
up and turned to face the window, I tiptoed to his desk and placed
the square package wrapped in white paper on his desk. Then I went
back to the couch. He turned just as I sat down and his gaze caught
the little gift.

His brows rose
and he smiled, finishing off the conversation. “Two minutes,” he
said to the receiver.

Okay, this was
good. He was interested.

“Hello,
Allie,” he said, lowering the phone. The deep rumble in his voice
just reminded me how much I’d missed being close to him. He hadn’t
touched me since the shooting, and it had been almost a month since
we’d been intimate. That was four weeks! Thirty days. No, seven
hundred and twenty desperate hours.

I stood
up.

“It should be
me showering you with gifts. I can never thank you enough for
saving Kendra.”

“This is
something different. But maybe you can tell me first why you needed
me here? I’ve pretty much recovered, so if there’s another job you
need me for...”

“Allie,” he
interrupted, “We both know you can’t work in the field for a while.
Not after everything you’ve been through. The doctors were clear it
will be months before you’re back to your physical strength. I
can’t have you working on the cases I needed you for. For that
reason, Allie, you’re fired.”

* * *

Dear Reader:

I’m sorry to
leave you with this cliff-hanger but Tristan shocked me as well. It
took a while for the news to sink in. Tristan promised me he’ll
redeem himself. I’ve been privileged to know what happens to Allie
and Tristan before anyone, and I wish I could share their story
with you right away but I signed an NDA. One thing they did allow
me to tell you is that they are happy and together at the end of
book 2,
Layers Peeled
, available early 2014.

Kindly,

Lacey Silks

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Author of
Erotic Romance, Lacey Silks writes her stories from life
experiences, dreams and fantasies. She likes a pinkish shade on a
woman’s cheeks, men with large feet and sexy lingerie, especially
when it’s torn off the body. Her favorite piece of clothing is a
‘birthday suit’.

When she’s not
thinking about writing steamy stories, which is a rare occasion,
Lacey enjoys camping and skiing with her family (not at the same
time of course). She’s a happily married wife blessed with two kids
who adore going to the library. She’s an early bird by nature, but
loves the nightly adventures with her hubby which provide good
content for her books.

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Work by Lacey Silks:

Short Stories

My First, My Last (Free eBook)

Dance With Me

Teacher’s Pet

Over The Limit

Bossy Request (Free eBook)

My Neighbor’s Will

Fantasy in Each Reality (Erotic Shorts 1-3)
Collection

Fantasy in Each Reality (Erotic Shorts 4-6)
Collection

Mistresses Series: Meet Claire, Casey, Lexie, Paige
and Amber in 5 connected shorts in the “My Reason To Cheat”
Series.

Dazzled By Silver (a prequel to the Layers
Trilogy)

Layers Deep

Layers Peeled

Layers Off

No More Regrets

My First, My Last: A Novel

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Acknowledgments

My publishing
journey has been the most amazing experience I could have asked
for. There were tears, laughs and many sleepless nights. I truly
don’t know where the adrenaline comes from, but I’m glad it flows
through my veins when I need it the most.