––––––––

I THOUGHT IT WAS ODD that Emma’s office door wasn’t locked, but it made things easier to get into. I toggled her mouse and then searched for the computer tower when the screen didn’t come on. Great. Now I would have to fucking figure out what this woman’s password was on her computer just to get in so I could see things.

It shouldn’t have shocked me at all when I booted up the computer, and it logged me right in.

No passwords on her work computer meant anyone could come in here and snoop around. I made a mental note to tell Derek that she wasn’t keeping his sensitive information under wraps. Her having an open computer like this meant anyone could stroll in here and get shit on him. His schedule. His emails. Tap into his records. The fucking works.

All of this made my job that much more complicated.

“Well, hello there.”

I whipped my gaze up and saw Jacob standing in the doorway. What the fuck was he doing here? Hadn’t Derek sent him home?

“Mr. Carl, how are you feeling?” I asked.

“Eh, could be better. Got a big burly man following me around everywhere. It really ruins my game,” Jacob said.

“Does Derek know you’re here? I could go get him. I’m sure he would want to see you,” I said.

“No, no. He actually sent me home. I left my wallet in my office earlier, and I sort of need that around.”

“I can only imagine,” I said with a sigh.

“I saw the door open and thought Emma might’ve been here. I was gonna pop in and let her know I was okay. I haven’t seen her since the accident.”

“Did you see her that day?” I asked.

“I mean, she was around at work, but I figured she was the one who notified Derek about what was going on. I wanted her to know I was up and about, but I see her desk is occupied by something a bit more interesting.”

I had no idea how the hell I was going to get out of this one. Did Derek not hear Jacob’s voice? I was just down the hall by the elevator. Surely Derek would come out of his office and see Jacob standing around like he wasn’t supposed to be.

“So, whatcha looking for?” Jacob asked.

“Nothing. Just trying to find something interesting to do,” I said.

“I didn’t realize you were here with Derek.”

“I just got here a few minutes ago, but he’s not ready to go to dinner yet.”

“You’re going to dinner dressed like that?” he asked.

I looked down at my clothing and tried to force a giggle. Fuck. I was in my jeans and a T-shirt with my leather jacket on. How the hell was I gonna play that shit off?

“I know exactly what’s going on, Miss Samantha.”

The way his voice dropped made me nervous.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I know what you’re doing. Why you’re here, in Emma’s office. Why you keep asking me all sorts of questions about her. Why you’re dressed the way you are.”

My heart started pounding in my chest as I moved my hand toward my pocket. I was ready for anything this man threw at me. I didn’t have any reason to suspect Jacob of anything like this, especially since he was attacked, but with the look in his eye and the way his voice changed, there was something off about the whole thing.

“Enlighten me,” I said.

A grin tugged across his cheeks as he leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

“You’re checking out the competition, aren’t you?”

“What?” I asked.

“The competition. Emma. You’re checking up on her.”

“Why would I be doing that?” I asked as I slid my knife back into my pocket.

“Because we both see the looks that girl gives Derek. You want to make sure she can’t take him away from you, and I get that. Derek’s a great catch. Always has been. And Emma’s had a crush on him for years now. Probably as long as she’s been here.”

“I didn’t realize those looks had gone on this long,” I said.

“Yep. And it’s fine. I get it. Emma does have a bit of that crazy-eyed stare to her at times. And she’s not a fan of yours. I hear her talking around the corners sometimes, bitching about the exotic slut on his arm.”

“Exotic slut,” I said.

“You didn’t hear it from me, but she’s not a fan of yours. And you should be worried about her going after Derek romantically. She’s been trying for years.”

I sighed as I leaned back in Emma’s chair, my eyes staring at her entire personnel file.

“Don’t tell Derek, okay? He doesn’t like self-conscious women,” I said.

“Don’t worry, beautiful. It’s our little secret. But coming from me? You don’t have to worry about Derek going after Emma. He’ll never pursue her romantically.”

“How do you know?” I asked. “Men do all sorts of weird things.”

“Putting aside the fact that they have official paperwork in HR stating this fact so Emma could keep her job, I see the way he looks at you. You’re very different from a lot of the other women he’s had in his life, but I see the effect you have on him. You’re good for him, and I’d venture to bet he’s good for you too.”

I smiled and nodded as Jacob’s words spun around in my head.

“Anyway, I’m off to get my wallet, but make whatever you’re doing quick. I hear Derek shuffling around in his office.”

I watched Jacob walk away as I scanned the file in front of me.

Her personnel file didn’t have much, but it was odd that it was downloaded directly to her home screen. There wasn’t much in there that shocked me. Everything from her prior employment to the date and time she was interviewed and hired for the job all confirmed my suspicions. Quit after her father was fired. Interviewed for this job two weeks later. Hired a week after that. She had wasted no time in hopping companies, and that flew a red flag for me.

But with her office door not being locked and her computer not having a passcode, it didn’t exactly scream “mastermind” to me. More like “ignorantly blissful.” Bobble-headed. Ditzy.

Like Emma came off as.

I clicked through a few more files and found nothing exponential. Her personal hookup to his calendar. Some notes from some meetings. Random pictures of her and a cat and Derek’s work email logged into automatically. Things I would expect to find on a personal assistant’s desktop work computer.

Fuck.

I left her office, closing the door behind me. If it wasn’t locked before, I wasn’t going to lock it now. The last thing I needed was to throw flags like that. Jacob walked past me again and nodded in my direction. Then, he sent me a little wink like we were somehow friends now.

I started for Derek’s office as a light began to flash. Red and white. Red and white. The piercing sound of the alarm roared through the hallway as I dashed into Derek’s office, shutting the door quickly behind me.

“Fire alarm,” Derek said. “We have to vacate the building.”

“Hold on,” I said. “Give me a second.”

I took Derek’s hand and tugged him into the washroom. I pulled up all the camera feeds around the office as they displayed themselves on the wall. My eyes darted around, looking for any signs of fire as people trickled from the building.

“No smoke,” Derek said.

“No flames,” I said. “It’s not a fire. It’s a distraction.”

“A distraction? From what?” he asked.

“Don’t know, don’t care, don’t have the time to figure it out. Go lock your office door and get back in here. We’re taking the private elevator.”

I shut down all the security protocol I was running. Derek ran to his door and locked it, barricading us into the office. This was all a stunt to get him away from his desk or to get him out in the open to take a shot at him. Either way, we weren’t giving this asshole what he wanted.

He wouldn’t get him outside nor would he get into Derek’s office.

“Come on. Elevator time,” I said.

I took Derek’s hand and pulled him into the private elevator that backed up to his washroom. We stepped in and the doors closed, sealing us in as the number pad flashed at us. I hit the emergency button and the elevator locked down, which meant the only way we would get out was by a fireman’s key from the outside.

“Jacob came back into the building,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

“He said he left his wallet up here, and he poked his head into Emma’s office. Said he thought she was here.”

“He found you at Emma’s computer? What happened?” Derek asked.

“He said he was onto me, and then he proceeded to joke about how I was trying to spy on Emma.”

“Why the hell would you spy on Emma?”

“Because to him, I’m your girlfriend posing at your personal assistant to keep our relationship under wraps from the media. To him, I was checking out the competition, making sure Emma wasn’t trying to steal you romantically from me.”

“Are you serious?” he asked.

Derek’s chuckle filled the elevator as the alarm continued to blare.

“Is that something I should be concerned about?” I asked.

“Emma stealing you from me, or me sleeping with my PA?”

“Either one. Stuff like that could really complicate things, especially since she’s still a suspect.”

“Come on. Get off it. You know it’s not Emma,” he said.

“And your constant defense of her makes me wonder if the two of you don’t already have something going on,” I said.

“I’m not interested in Emma.”

“I didn’t ask if you were interested. I asked if you had any plans on screwing around with her during this investigation.”

“Are we really talking about this investigation?” he asked.

“What else would we be talking about?”

I looked up at Derek, and I found his penetrative gaze staring back at me. The air in the elevator crackled with electricity, and I felt like he was peeling back my layers. I felt vulnerable. Cornered. Like a wild animal in heat trying to get away from a predator ready to strike.

“Answer me this and I’ll leave it alone,” Derek said. “Are you asking me these questions as my security guard, or are you asking me these questions as Sam?”

“They’re one and the same,” I said.

“No. They’re not. I know that firsthand.”

I swallowed thickly as I backed into the elevator wall. Derek’s body followed me, his hand rising to plant beside my head. His face was getting closer. His lips were puffing breaths against mine. I felt my knees growing weak as my hands pressed into the cold metal of the elevator the two of us were trapped in.

“I’m not interested in Emma. Is that answer clear enough?” Derek asked.

I shot my lips forward, encompassing his with mine. His hand dropped from the wall, wrapping around my waist tightly. I pressed my body into him as my arms snaked around his neck. I could feel his cock growing against me as his arms wrapped around my back.

“You said no to this,” Derek said into my lips. “You said this was a bad thing.”

“But it’s just so relaxing,” I said with a grin. “And this is a pretty stressful situation.”

My nose played along the tip of his as his breath tickled my lips. I fluttered my eyes open and found him staring at me with those predatory eyes. He pinned me back against the wall again, but this time, his hands were on my hips. His fingers were hooked in the belt loops of my pants, and I could feel his fingertips tracing the hem of my jeans.

“Ever had sex in an elevator?” Derek asked.

I shook my head as his lips captured mine again.

“Neither have I,” he said as he whispered into my lips.

Then, I felt his fingers fly to my button and pop the top of my jeans open.