God, I hated him. “You can never have me. That’s final.”

  He sighed into the phone, and his arrogance waned. “Please don’t make me do this, Clementine. If you think I’m bluffing, you’re wrong.”

  “I’m not calling you out on a bluff. I’m just begging you not to do this to me. You claim you love me but you have an odd way of showing it.”

  “Like I said to Ward, people do crazy things for love.”

  “This isn’t crazy,” I argued. “This is just malicious.”

  He paused for a long time. “Come back to me.”

  “No.”

  “Clementine, this secret could ruin every relationship you have.”

  “And I’d risk all of that to be with the man I love.”

  He released a quiet growl. “Tomorrow morning, the files will be sent to your father, mother, and brother. They’ve already been ordered. Only I have the power to stop them.”

  I just wanted this to go away but I refused to give into him. Stripping was terrible and something to be ashamed of, but choosing to be with Jeremy just so he would keep my secret would be worse. That would really make me a whore. “Do what you must.” I hung up.

  Ward watched me with sad eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  I tossed my phone on the counter then moved into his chest, releasing a depressed sigh. “My life is going to end tomorrow.”

  He kissed my forehead then rubbed my back. “This won’t be easy to get through. I’m not going to lie to you. But we will manage. We will put this behind us and move forward. I promise.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I whispered into his chest.

  “I’ll make sure I’m right.”

  Chapter Ten

  Ward

  Speaking to Jeremy directly didn’t work.

  And I couldn’t beat the shit out of him.

  And I obviously couldn’t murder him.

  But that didn’t mean I couldn’t go around his plan.

  I couldn’t let the woman I love suffer like this. She didn’t deserve to be ridiculed for some of the things she did in her life. While I hated the fact she stripped, I didn’t think less of her.

  But who knows what everyone else will think.

  I had to stop Jeremy before those pictures got to the wrong people. Her family would treat her differently for the rest of her life. I couldn’t let the mother of my children be forever haunted by her past.

  It wasn’t right.

  I headed to Cortland’s office and tried to act casual. My hands were in my pockets as I approached his secretary’s desk. Cortland’s office door was closed so I assumed he was working.

  Matilda looked up at me. “Yes?”

  “How are you today?” I gave her my most dashing smile.

  “Fine…” Suspicion moved into her eyes. “Can I help you with something?”

  “Has the mail come in today?” I tried to act casual.

  “For you?” she asked incredulously. “No…none of your things are sent down here, Ward.”

  How did I play this off? “I meant for Cortland. You see, I sent him something special and I’m just curious if he got it.”

  “What did you send?”

  “Uh…a large envelope.” Did he print out the pictures or was it on a drive?

  “I haven’t seen anything.”

  “Well, have you checked the mail today?”

  She gave me an irritated look. “I’m a secretary—not a mail clerk.”

  If the mail hadn’t arrived that meant it was downstairs. “Thank you, Matilda.” I left his office then headed to the mailroom a few floors down. I felt like I was on a wild goose chase but I had to track this package down. It was stupid for Jeremy to say it was in the mail. I would get that motherfucker.

  I made it to the mailroom then approached the desk. “Excuse me, can I have the mail for Cortland Thompson?”

  The woman looked me up and down. “You aren’t Cortland.”

  Dammit. “He asked me to pick it up while I was down here.”

  She studied me for a moment before she walked into the back. A few moments later, she returned. “The mail clerk has already left for delivery.”

  I couldn’t catch a break. “Thank you.” I immediately left the office and tried not to run. Instead of taking the elevator I took the stairs two at a time. When I reached his floor I burst into the room. “Matilda, has the mail been delivered?”

  “I just got it.” It was in a pile on her desk, right in front of her.

  I rubbed the back of my neck as I tried to think. “Uh, can I take a quick look?”

  Matilda was onto me. “Ward, go back to work.”

  “Just let me take a look.”

  “No.” She stacked it nicely before she stood up and headed to Cortland’s door.

  I started to panic. “I’ll give you two-hundred dollars right now if you let me look at that pile.”

  That stopped her in her tracks. She turned and looked at me. “Ward, what are you looking for?”

  I tried to handle this right. “There’s a letter in that pile that contains pictures I don’t want him to see. I’m being blackmailed. Just, please let me look.”

  She returned to her desk. “Let me see the cash.”

  I opened my wallet then handed the money over.

  She counted it before she pocketed it. “Knock yourself out.”

  Thank god. I sorted through the male until I found a thick white envelope that seemed to have thick paper inside. Judging the way it would bend, it seemed to be photographs. There was no return label.

  I ripped open the envelope and looked inside.

  Sure enough, they were there.

  “Thank fucking god.”

  Matilda cocked an eyebrow while she looked at me.

  “Pardon my language.” I shoved the pictures back inside. “Thank you, Matilda.”

  “If he asks me about this, I’ll claim ignorance.”

  “As will I.”

  ***

  I headed to Cayson’s floor then looked for his secretary. There was a desk but there was no one manning it. Judging the lack of activity and the thin layer of dust, no one had been working there for a long time.

  He must not have a secretary.

  Then who retrieved his mail? I headed to his office then knocked. “Cayson?”

  “Come in.” Cayson looked up from his desk, and surprise came into his eyes when he saw me. “What are you doing here?”

  I shut the door behind me then approached his desk. “Just wanted to see what you were up to…”

  Cayson gave me the same look Matilda did.

  I ran my fingers across his desk while I discreetly looked for his pile of mail. “Nice wood. What is this? Cherry?” I kept glancing around for the letter identical to the one I already had.

  “Mahogany,” he answered. “And why are you being weird?”

  “I’m not,” I blurted. “Just wanted to see if you wanted to get lunch.”

  “Me?” he asked in surprise. “It’s nine in the morning.”

  “I mean, breakfast. Whatever.”

  He wasn’t buying it. “Ward, why aren’t you at work?”

  “There’s not much to do at the office so I thought I’d stop by here.”

  “Why don’t you stop by the house and see Clementine?” he asked.

  “She likes to sleep in.”

  “She never sleeps in.”

  Cayson was being a pain in the ass. “Well, things are different now that she’s pregnant.” That was a good save. “So, breakfast?”

  “Uh…I got a lot of stuff to do, Ward. Ask Skye.”

  “She’s busy,” I blurted. “Come on. Just some coffee.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Dude, are you hitting on me?”

  I cringed. “Absolutely not. A guy can’t ask out another guy?”

  “Not like that,” he said.

  “Believe me, Clementine is—” I stopped talking when I realized I was referring to his sister. “Is good enough.”

  Cayson checked the clock on his desk then sighed. “I guess I can take a short break. Just let me check my mail first.” He grabbed the pile on the table behind him. Then he looked through the envelopes.

  Motherfucker. “Hey, can I see that?”

  He looked up. “What?”

  “The mail.”

  He stared at me like I was crazy. “Why the hell would you want to see my mail?”

  I spotted the blackmail envelope. It was third in the pile. “Just curious.”

  “As to what?” he snapped. “My credit card bill?”

  I lost my patience. “Let me see the fucking mail.”

  Cayson narrowed his eyes at me. “Seriously, what the hell is going on?”

  Think, Ward. Cayson was too shrewd for his own good. I decided to go with honesty. I didn’t have much of a choice at this point. He already thought I was high on something. “I know this is going to sound weird, but please just listen to me.”

  “You’re freaking me out, man…”

  “That third envelope in the pile, I need it.”

  “Why?”

  “No questions asked.”

  He lowered the mail while he watched me. “You want me to give you a piece of my mail without asking why you want it?”

  “Just believe me when I say you don’t want to see what’s inside.”

  Cayson just stared at me.

  “Please.” I wasn’t above begging at this point. “There’s something in there I don’t want you to see. It’s for your own good. Trust me.”

  “You know how I am about trusting people.” The threat was in his eyes.

  “I’m not covering my own ass,” I said. “It’s something about Clementine, and we both don’t want you to see what’s inside.”

  “Why is someone mailing me something about Clementine?” he asked.

  “It’s a long story,” I said with a sigh. “But she’s basically being blackmailed. She really doesn’t want anyone to see what’s inside that envelope. Please hand it over.”

  Cayson pulled the letter out of the stack and stared at it.

  “Please.”

  “Why am I being sent this?”

  “It was sent to your dad too. But I got that one.” I pulled the letter out of my pocket and showed him. Then I returned it to my pocket.

  He eyed the envelope for a moment longer before he handed it over. “Clementine deserves her privacy.”

  I wanted to scream in triumph as I snatched the letter from his grasp. “Thank you.”

  “Who’s blackmailing her?” he asked, his voice full of threat.

  “Her ex.”

  “Why?”

  “He thinks he’ll get her back because of it,” I said. “It’s really stupid.”

  “Do you need my help taking care of this?”

  “No, I got it.” I shoved the envelope into my pocket. “Thank you for handing it over.”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his chin while he looked at me.

  “Well, I’ve got to go.” I headed to the door. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Ward?”

  I turned around before I walked out. “Yeah?”

  He smirked. “I’m glad you weren’t hitting on me.”

  I rolled my eyes and laughed at the same time. “In your dreams, man.”

  ***

  Getting the final letter was easy. I headed to the house in Connecticut and waited for the mailman. After he dropped everything inside the box, I got out and took everything out. I kept eyeing the house to make sure Monnique didn’t spot me going through her mail.

  That would be an awkward situation.

  I found the final letter then shoved everything else inside. With a grin on my face, I got back in the car and drove to the city. The three letters were sitting in the passenger seat and I kept eyeing them like they were a prize I just won.

  Clementine would be so happy when I told her the news. She wouldn’t be stressed out anymore and we could return to our normal lives. She would be happy, and so would I.

  When I got home, I walked through the door like I just won a super bowl. I strutted inside like I owned the place and I couldn’t stop grinning.

  Clementine sat on the couch, and she looked at me with her eyebrows scrunched up. “What are you so happy about?”

  I pulled the letters out of my pocket then handed them over. “This.”

  She took them then gave me a confused look. “What is it?”

  “Open them.”

  She ripped the first one then pulled the picture out. Her eyes widened then she turned to me for confirmation. “You stole them?”

  “Yep.” I couldn’t stop smiling. I loved knowing how happy I made her. “I went to every place and tracked them down. No one in your family has any idea.”

  She dropped the picture on the ground and her mouth fell open. “Seriously?”

  I nodded. “Seriously.”

  “You did that?” Her eyes contained her surprise.

  “Of course I did.”

  “Oh my god.” She slowly rose to her feet and cupped her cheeks. “I can’t believe this. My parents don’t know.”

  “And they’ll never know. If Jeremy calls, act like they got the pictures.”

  She paced the living room, her excitement evident. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Well, you better start.”

  Her eyes watered while she looked at me. “You did this for me…”

  My smile dropped. “You know I would do anything for you.”

  She moved into my chest and hugged me fiercely. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome, darling.” I rested my chin on her head and wrapped one arm around her.

  “My life was about to be ruined but you saved it. You saved me.”

  I kissed her forehead. “I did what I could. Fortunately, it worked.”

  “It was stupid of him to tell me he was going to mail them.”

  “It worked in our favor.” I held her close and felt myself beam with pride.

  “I love you, Ward.” She squeezed my waist.

  “Love you too, darling.”

  She pulled away and smiled at me. “You deserve so much. I’m going to make your favorite dinner and then I’m going to give you the best head of your life.”

  I chuckled. “That sounds nice. But can I make a request?”

  “Anything you want, Ward.” She was practically hopping on her toes.

  “How about we go out to dinner, and then you let me make love to you?”

  Her eyes softened. “A smart guy would go with the first option.”

  “But a man in love will always go with the second.”

  ***

  Life was good.

  I averted a major disaster and Clementine looked at me like I was a superhero. I spared her reputation and made her fall more in love with me. The sex we had last night was satisfying and beautiful, and then we had another round this morning. I spent the day grinning like an idiot. Even when I sat at my desk and checked my email I smiled.

  The phone on the desk rang and I picked up immediately. “Ward.” I skimmed through the email I was reading and tried to get the major points.

  “Hello, Ward.” Jeremy’s voice came over the phone.

  I immediately forgot about the email I was reading. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to give anything away. I wasn’t sure why he was calling.

  “You’re awfully quiet.”

  “What do you want?” As far as he knew, his plan succeeded. And I had to keep up the act.

  “I wasn’t happy with the little stunt you pulled yesterday.”

  Fuck.

  “Actually, it really irritated me.”

  God fucking dammit.

  “You really thought I wouldn’t figure it out?” he asked, clearly annoyed. “So, now I’m going to do something even worse. You shouldn’t have fucked with me, Ward.”

  This couldn’t be happening. “I didn’t do anything. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Save my time,” he said. “Look at your computer.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Are you looking?”

  “What am I looking for?”

  “Wait for it…5…4…3…2…1”

  My screen immediately changed into a collage of pictures of Clementine. She was spinning on a pole, either wearing a slutty outfit or being completely topless. At the top of the screen was her name written in bold.

  Kill. Me. Now.

  “Everyone in the office is looking at the exact same thing as you—including Cortland.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Trinity

  I’d averted the crisis with my father, and since he didn’t call me after he left I assumed he hadn’t noticed my black eye. He examined my face closely when we were together, but perhaps he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Either way, the situation was resolved.

  I was sitting at my desk when Clarissa came into my office. “We have the models here. Want to give your two cents?”

  “Sure.” I finished typing an email then hit send. “How many are there?”

  “Three. They are decent but not amazing.”

  That didn’t sound good.

  Together, we walked to the photography department. When we entered, I saw three guys talking quietly together. They were decked out in my clothes, and their sleeves of tattoos were revealed. One of the guys had ink that stretched up onto his neck. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. The other one was massive, and he looked like a wrestler. The last one only had a few tattoos on his arms, definitely not worthy of being called sleeves.

  “So, which one do you like?” Clarissa asked.

  “Uh…are there more?”

  She pressed her lips tightly together and shook her head. “This is all we got, Trinity. It’s difficult to find models under your specifications, especially with tattoos that aren’t offensive.”

  I grabbed her elbow and pulled her aside. “They aren’t right. You need to get someone else.”

  She sighed like she wanted to tell me off but thought the better of it. “Trinity, I’ve looked everywhere. I’m not exaggerating. I think we should abandon the tattoo idea. It would be easier if we just had them wear fake sleeves.”

  “No,” I said immediately. “Authenticity is important.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I hate to say it but your husband is the only model that can pull this off.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15