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“Rand, it’s Nic. I know who sent the note and who broke into the office.” I give him a list of hotels I think my brother might be staying at, along with a physical description. “His name is Barry Pendergrass. Call me when you get this.”
25
NATALIE
“We’ve been over this, Nic.”
“It’s not safe.”
“Isn’t that the whole point of having Finn here?” I wave a hand and Finn raises his eyebrows at me. “Oh, hush. You know what I mean. It’s why Nic hired you in the first place.”
He grins. I’m pretty sure it means he’s on my side on this, but he hasn’t actually said so yet.
“Finn is one man,” says Captain Obvious. “One man is adequate security for one small office containing only two people. He is not adequate security for a major event featuring the press and dozens of celebrities.”
“You’re going to give me a complex,” says Finn, his eyebrows going even higher.
“Sizzle provides plenty of security for the event,” I point out. “You remember how it was last year.”
Considering how much effort it took to show my face at the Sizzle HQ Ball last year, I’m not about to miss it this time. Not now, not after all this.
“In addition to the security provided by the company, we’ll have our very own personal bodyguard,” I point out. “I have it on good authority that he’s very good at his job.”
“He is sitting right here,” gripes Finn.
“One bodyguard for two people in a crowd like that?” Nic runs his hands through his hair, a sign of stress I’ve only rarely seen him use.
I close the door to his office, come around to his side of the desk, and sit in his lap. He starts to object, but I cover his mouth with the palm of my hand.
“You are wonderfully considerate,” I say. “I appreciate how well you think these things through. And I love that you are so concerned for our safety.” Nic stills under my hand, and it occurs to me that maybe I shouldn’t be using the L-word in conversation right now.
Tough. He’ll have to deal with it.
“But unless you tell me you really think your brother is a threat to my physical safety and unless you can give me a compelling reason why you think any one of us in this room is in actual physical danger, we are going to that ball. All of us.”
His thighs flex under me. He’s getting hard. Even though that wasn’t my intention when I came over here, my body can’t help but respond.
But we’re working. And arguing. So I pull my hand away from his mouth.
“We’re going to have to continue this conversation later,” he says, his voice rough. His hips shift up ever so slightly.
“If I might interject,” says Finn, approaching the chair. He braces one arm along the back of the chair, the other on the desk behind me, leaning down close to whisper in Nic’s ear. “Natalie’s right.”
Nic’s glare is half-hearted at best, his erection thicker now underneath me. Finn nips lightly at his neck.
“I’ll see what I can find out from their security director.”
“You think they just give that information away?” asks Nic, making an effort to stay stern, unable to hide his arousal. We are absolutely going to have to try this at home later.
Home. Don’t ask me when Nic’s apartment became home.
“I know a guy,” says Finn obliquely. He lays tiny bites up the side of Nic’s neck, then kisses his cheek loudly one time before holding out a hand to me. With his help, I stand, right my skirt, and go back to my desk, Nic glaring daggers at us both all the while.
I would never in my life have considered myself a tease, but God, they make playing so much fun. Finn grins at me, adjusting the bulge behind his zipper, and I find myself checking the clock every five minutes the rest of that afternoon, wishing we could close up for the day and spend the rest of the time in bed.
Nic told us about his brother as soon as he found out. I find it hard to believe, but then again, I never met the man. And I know better than anybody than to doubt Nic.
For all my anticipation of getting home and getting my men naked, tonight is the Sizzle HQ Ball. Moira and I found a killer dress, and hokey as it sounds, I keep picturing tonight as my Cinderella moment—the big reveal, weeks and months and even years in the making, all my hard work on display. And beyond the stares and whispers of my former colleagues and so-called friends, more than anything else in the world, I want to see the looks on Nic’s and Finn’s faces when they see me.
