Scandalous-nook (17 page)

With a guttural sound he started to move her, dragging her up and down his shaft.
She cried out, moving one hand from her aching breast to rub her clit, knowing he
was as close as she was. Wanting them to come together.

Their shouts mingled in the steamy air. She could feel the waves of their shared orgasm
crashing between them, drowning them in the pleasure they could only find together.

Mine.

After they’d recovered enough to wash each other and climb into bed in a tangled heap,
she couldn’t stop her concern from creeping back in.

Mine…for the moment.

***

Tasha liked to think she understood Phil Burke. So far he’d reacted exactly the way
she’d imagined he would—to her, to Stephen’s interactions with her, to their disagreement
at dinner.

But she was surprised when he asked her to join him in his office.

Stephen had told her to occupy herself with Wendi and Brady, and even with Ken, so
that he could be available if Burke wanted to talk to him privately and perhaps request
a favor in exchange for his silence about Natasha.

She wasn’t sure what room he was in, but it wasn’t this one. She glanced around with
false curiosity, having seen the study when Ken and Brady were having their impromptu
spy-versus-spy make out session.

Burke leaned against his desk, a cup of coffee in his hand and a thoughtful smile
on his lips.

She didn’t have to fake her nerves, just the reason for them. “I feel like I’ve been
called to the principal’s office.”

“Nonsense. I just wanted a chance to talk to you in private.”

She bit her lip and clasped her hands together. “If this is about kissing Wendi—”

He laughed, exactly the way she expected him to, and shook his head. “That? I enjoyed
that thoroughly. In fact, if you hadn’t suggested it I’d been planning to. I’m not
a jealous man, Miss Rivera. A fact that pained my last three wives to no end. And
let’s be honest, a fact that is already worrying my sweet young bride.”

“Women like to feel wanted. Special.”

He nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. “And men like to think that their lover has
never seen a bigger penis. We both know how often
that’s
true.”

She smiled in silence and he sighed, setting down his cup. “You are a singular woman,
Miss Rivera. Smart, independent, unapologetically sexual…and your physical appeal
is undeniable.”

“Thank you. That’s nice of you to say.”

He met her gaze with his smart brown eyes. “The truth isn’t nice. It just is. I’m
being honest with you, and I’d appreciate some honesty in return.”

Sorry, Charlie.
“Of course, Mr. Burke.”

“You’re a valued member of the fetish club my guests frequent, so I don’t doubt you
knew what to expect before you arrived.”

“Yes, I did.”

“You never joined us before.”

She shrugged. “You never invited Stephen before. I know the others sign something
before they arrive so they’ll keep whatever they see here to themselves. The temptation
to spend four days with him where we didn’t have to sneak around and wouldn’t have
to worry about consequences was impossible to resist.”

He nodded, pleased with her answer. “It bothers you? Being his dirty little secret?”

She lifted her chin. “More than it used to. Why are you so interested?”

“Well, because I want to work with him, of course.” He pushed out a laugh. “Or to
be more precise, I want him to work with me.”

She sent him a confused frown and he waved it away. “The innocent is one card you
can’t play, Natasha. You’re far too savvy. The way the world works isn’t lost on someone
like you. Not with your background.”

Fine. She placed a hand on her hip. “Which background exactly? Black? Puerto Rican?
Immigrant’s daughter?”

He reached behind him for a file and slapped it against his leg; not needing to open
it for Tasha to know it was all about her. “Father’s family connected to known Irish
terrorists, mother a perpetual victim moving from one abusive man to another, cousins
in and out of jail or victims of an unfairly slanted economic system. And you a struggling
business owner trying to find her own sweet slice of the American dream. Basically,
you’re Finn’s constituency wrapped up in one curvy package.” He picked up his cup
again. “You’re also a problem.”

“I would ask how you know so much about me, but you do have a building full of reporters
at your beck and call.”

He smiled. “I do. But I had to spend time with you to find out whether or not we could
work together.”

Now her confusion was real. “I thought you said you wanted to work with Stephen.”

“Before I respond to that, tell me honestly, how long have you been in love with him?”

She took a step back, scrambling. “I…”

“You’ve been friends with his younger brother since high school. You both attended
the same college. You hang out at his father’s pub and recently brought his baby sister
to the club and helped her become an official member.”

Shit. Shitshitshit.

He didn’t give her a chance to deny it. “All of this and yet there isn’t a whisper
of a rumor about you and Stephen Finn being a couple—aside from that idiot young Jennifer
was engaged to, who told us he saw you together in the backseat of a car.”

“Scott?”

“Yes, that was his name. He said he had something for me but he accidentally erased
the video on his phone. I refuse to pay for information I can’t verify.”

Burke stood and slid his hands into his pockets. “Everyone under this roof can see
what’s between you. You didn’t have to hide it from us. But you do hide it, every
day, even from the people you’re closest to. I might be one of the few people who
truly understands how difficult it is to keep that kind of secret for so long. And
you do that for him, don’t you? For his reputation. His career. That says love to
me. The kind that wouldn’t accept a generous check to go public with your illicit
affair, giving my reporters the exclusive, of course.”

Shock made her honest. “Never.”

He nodded, sighing again. “I thought not. Though you don’t strike me as a woman comfortable
in the shadows, either. But that’s where you’ll have to stay if you want to keep him.”

She winced and he offered her a look of pity. “You’re right to be worried about people
finding out about you. I’ve seen it before. You’re not exactly the right type for
this rodeo, are you? You’re too sexual, too outspoken. Strong women are intimidating,
and when people are intimidated, they attack. They’ll start with your fashion and
your diet, they’ll pick apart every word you say and follow you wherever you go.”

She knew that. She’d always known that.

“Your friends will be understanding at first, but that won’t last under the onslaught.
The owner of the club you cherish will request your absence, for the good of the other
members, and I’d lay money on the odds that at least two of your relatives, including
your mother, will come forward with an interview or tell-all of their own to cash
in on your new status. Meanwhile, the man you were protecting will lose his credibility
story by embarrassing story. He won’t thank you for that. If the illicit affair is
ripping off the Band-Aid, that way is more like torture. And not the kind anyone enjoys.”

“You say all this like it’s a given. You don’t give people enough credit to make up
their own minds.” But every word he said sounded true.

His laugh held no humor. “They get all the credit. I’ve hit a level of wealth I didn’t
even know existed when I started, and it’s all because of
people
. They want a scandal. The more upstanding the individual? The more savory their downfall
will be. People’s lives are full of suffering and struggle. The daily grind has done
its job and all they want at the end of the day is to see someone’s sex tape, look
at celebrity mug shots and watch a politician get caught with his pants down in a
bathroom, on social media, or in the home of an anonymous friend.”

The picture he was painting was unattractive and harsh. “And what do you want, Mr.
Burke? Why are you telling me this?”

“It isn’t out of the goodness of my heart or because Wendi wants to take you to Italy.”
He turned his back on her and moved toward his desk. “I want you to play or go away.
If you play, you’ll make money and I’ll make money, but maybe you won’t be invited
over to the Finns for a family Christmas.”

He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a stack of pictures. “If you go away,
that is, end things with the senator and stay away from him and his family, I won’t
plaster these pictures on the front page of my newspaper or anyone else’s.”

Tasha stumbled a little as she moved closer. She was bent over Stephen’s bed, handcuffed,
and his hand was fisted in her hair as he took her. His house. This was Stephen’s
house the night before they came here. But Brady had swept… No he hadn’t. She’d distracted
him and embarrassed him into rushing out the door. “How?”

“His cleaning lady let someone in to fix a clogged toilet that morning. Honestly,
I’m not sure how those little wireless cameras work, but they do. Good, clear picture.
Not grainy or blurry at all.”

It
was
blurry. Or maybe that was just her eyes. “Why do you want me to go away?”

“I’m a simple man, Miss Rivera. I like pieces on the board I can control. The added
benefit is that the senator will be less willing to have his reputation ruined by
a woman who broke things off and hurt—if not his heart, then his pride.”

She couldn’t believe this was happening. Or that she could still function this well
when her heart was breaking. “You said you wouldn’t use these pictures.”

“And I won’t.” He stuck them back in his drawer and slid it shut. “I have enough on
you both without being that obvious. And now that I know his type, I could find someone
similar to help him recover from the pain of losing you. Someone I’ve got control
of from the start. Though that would take time I’m not sure I’m willing to spend.
I suppose the quickest way to bring him to my side would be Seamus.”

Her hands were fists at her sides. “You need to leave his family out of this.”

Burke’s laugh was genuine. “See? You are a fighter. Loyal. I was right about you.
I will say I hope it doesn’t come to that. The child’s mother isn’t fit to bear the
title, but still, with our help and all the bad publicity we can muster, little Sean
will be taken from the quiet, single man who collects children like baseball cards
and returned to his biological parent. And Seamus will be facing charges for abduction.”

She felt like she was going to be sick. Who was this man, playing with people’s lives
as if they meant nothing? As if they
were
nothing? And Seamus… All Seamus had ever been was kindness and love incarnate. He
was the best father she’d ever known.

Burke needed to rot in jail. But she was no longer in any position to help make that
happen. Not for the moment, anyway. “Away.”

“Excuse me?”

He’d heard her. “I’ll go away.”

He nodded. “Then so will those pictures. But only if you leave right now. Don’t talk
to him. Don’t answer his calls. Do you need me to send for my car?”

“No. I’ll find a ride.”

“If he catches you before you leave my house, tell him this trip made you realize
you deserve someone who can give you more. Someone better.”

She glared at him with so much disdain he frowned. “Stephen is worth a thousand of
you. You may be able to use the people he loves against him and send me away, but
you’ll never bring him down to your level. There is no one better than Stephen Finn,
and you know it. Isn’t that why you’re doing this?”

She turned on her heel and left the room as if the devil were chasing her. She took
the stairs two at a time, trying to hold in her tears.

Go. Go now. Don’t think. No choice.

“Tasha?”

Shit. Brady and Ken were standing in the hall in front of her room. Did that mean
Stephen was here? Shit.

Ken frowned in concern, moving toward her cautiously. “Tasha, what’s happened?”

“Can you take me home, Ken? Right now? We need to leave right now.”

Brady was by her side, his hand cupping her shoulder. “Tasha, just tell me who did
this to you? Who do I have to kill?”

“I can’t tell you, Brady. I need Ken to take me out of here. I can’t see Stephen.”

Ever again.
Jesus, was this happening? Had she laughed at Scott’s failed attempt at blackmail?
He had nothing on Burke. Was that all politics was now—wealthy assholes and self-important
pricks who thought they could twist the world to suit them?

“Let’s get your things together and talk about this.” Brady was thinking of hunting
for Stephen. She could see it.

“There’s no time. Ken? Still scrambled?” she asked him.

He knew what she meant. “Yes. All clear.”

She took Brady’s hand off her arm and held it tight. “Listen to me, Brady. I have
to leave right now and you can’t tell him anything. Other people are at stake here.
The family… Just promise me.”

“Damn it. I swear.” Brady looked grim. “What the fuck did Burke threaten you with?”

“There’s a camera in Stephen’s bedroom. His house. Get rid of it before he sees it.
You can tell him I was upset and left, but not why. If you tell him why, Burke will
print the pictures.”

“Fuck,” Ken muttered. “I hate that motherfucker. I swear I’m going to get him for
this. I’ll grab my keys.”

Tasha pushed Brady away from the door and ran in the bedroom to grab her purse. He
was watching her. “Can you bring me my things? And Ken’s? I don’t have time to pack.”

“Of course. Tasha, this isn’t right. There has to be another way.”

She wiped her cheeks and clutched her purse to her chest. “There isn’t. We lost. I…
I’ll tell Ken what he wants to use on Stephen. About Seamus. Answer your phone when
he calls you. And thank you, Brady.” She kissed his cheek and then ran out the door
and down the stairs. She didn’t stop until she was standing by Ken’s car.