Stranded Temptation: A Flaming Romance Read online

  “Oh, Max, Max, Max…” She whimpered while her body unraveled in pleasure.

  She rode the wave of ecstasy and was enthralled when he gripped her hips and continued to rock her over his cock. Her vaginal walls were still fluttering and sucking his cock deeply into her cunt. He lifted his hips until his cock was so deep inside her, she was sure they had fused into one being. His fingers bit into her hips while he held on. He jerked, wrapped his arms around her waist in a tight hug, and came hard. His lower body shook under her from the force of his release.

  Both gulped in air and lay limp inside the warm bubbling water. Her head was draped over his shoulder while his hands caressed up and down her spine. She closed her eyes and wallowed in the joy of being in his arms.

  27

  “You’re not going to believe this.” After Meghan walked into Kara’s office, she slammed the door and started pacing in front of her desk.

  “What’s wrong?” Kara stopped dissecting the report in front of her and looked up at her friend. First day back in the office after her accident, and already shit was hitting the fan. Max refused to go anywhere without her. Not to mention there was always a group of security with them. She loved being with Max, but she had not seen the inside of her house in over a week. There were things she’d been neglecting and crap that needed cleaning.

  Meghan stopped, pulled a chair back, and sat down. “Has Max told you about the mental evaluation someone is pushing the board to request after your accident in the tropics?”

  “Yes. I think it’s complete bullshit. Why?”

  “Because I’m still pissed they’re doing that to him. Still, I went ahead and set it up. He’s there now. I just don’t understand what the hell is going on in this place anymore.” Frustration and anger were clear in her face.

  Kara frowned and leaned forward on her desk. Her arms ended up crossed on the paper-littered surface. “We need to calm down and figure out who is pushing all these requests. It never happened before, so something must have motivated this.”

  Meghan ran a hand through her curls and sighed. “You’re right, but what?”

  When she opened her mouth to speak, the building speakers came on. “This is an emergency. We are requesting all personnel leave the building at this time. Please follow your fire safety evacuation procedures. This is not a drill.”

  “What now?” Kara stood, grabbed her bag and the new office phone given to her since hers was destroyed when the car was under water, locked her drawers and office door, and then followed Meghan down the stairs.

  “Who knows? I hate when they do this shit when I’ve got a busy day,” Meghan grumbled and walked along with the crowd.

  Immediately upon reaching the lobby, they saw a group of detectives and emergency service personnel looking for Kara Masters.

  Both women headed straight for them and stopped in front of one of the detectives. “I’m Kara Masters, Officer.”

  The older man gave her a head-to-toe perusal, as if looking for something. “Ms. Masters, you look much better than the last time I saw you. My name is Detective Ortiz. Could you please come outside with me?”

  Once they were in front of the building, Kara followed him to a quiet spot where fewer people were gathered. Kara and Meghan watched a person being wheeled out on a gurney. It was clearly a female from the dress and pumps, not to mention the ruffled pink top hiding her voluptuous breasts. The woman’s face was covered in bandages, and she lay motionless on the bed.

  “What happened?” Kara asked in shock.

  The older detective grimaced when he saw the gurney and shook his head with a sigh. “Someone opened a package not meant for them.”

  Kara’s mind was in a panic. She took a breath and asked, “Who was the package meant for? What was in it?”

  He looked her straight in the eye. “It was meant for you, Ms. Masters.”

  “What?” Meghan shrieked.

  “Ladies, someone wants Ms. Masters out of the way, and I need to know who this person is. That woman,” he pointed to the gurney, “her name is Cora Mastens. The package got delivered to her by mistake. She opened it without looking at the name, and a homemade bomb exploded in her face. Acid sprayed her. She’s got horrible burns and loss of skin.

  “So what I need for you to do is think real hard, Ms. Masters. And after you do, I want the names of any person that could be angry at you for any reason. Doesn’t matter how small. I want a list to go through right away.” The detective’s tense voice made Kara’s hair stand on end.

  Kara’s blood turned to ice while she watched the other woman being placed in the ambulance. That was supposed to be her. Holy shit! Whoever wanted her dead was not giving up. She had no clue why someone would want to hurt her. Never in a million years had she ever experienced anything like that before.

  Guilt over the other woman’s injuries swarmed her. That was meant to hurt her. Who would do that? Why?

  “What’s going on?” Brian joined their group while Meghan continued to ask the detective questions. Kara thought hard, but not a single name came to mind. She wasn’t the type of person to get into arguments with anyone. Sure, she had disagreements with people, but nothing that would make them want her dead.

  Meghan filled him in. “That was a homemade acid bomb meant for Kara. It got delivered to the wrong floor.”

  Everyone turned to look at Kara while they waited for her to give up names of anyone out to get her.

  “I’m sorry, Detective Ortiz, but I have no idea why anyone would want to hurt me.” Frustration made her want to hit something.

  Meghan tapped her toe impatiently. “So how long are we supposed to stay out here, Detective? I’ve got a ton of work I need to get to.”

  “Look, ladies, we’re going to sweep your floor and the mail rooms for any more of these packages. They should be done shortly. Why don’t you both sit in one of our patrol cars, and we’ll let you know when it’s safe to go back inside?” the detective suggested.

  Brian shook his head. “I think we’ll all sit in my car if you don’t mind. We can brainstorm about the probable culprit. Besides, Max would have my head if I leave Kara alone for a second outside the building while he’s gone.”

  Detective Ortiz didn’t seem very happy with the suggestion but nodded and motioned to a guy in uniform. “I’ll have this officer stand guard outside the vehicle. Once it’s all clear to go back inside, we’ll let you know.”

  They argued over who would want to hurt Kara. The entire conversation turned into comedy hour when Brian mentioned nonexistent baby daddies. Adding to the humor, Meghan suggested ex-lovers who couldn’t deal with having been dumped.

  The reality was Kara only had a handful of exes. They were all such mild-mannered men. It made her laugh to think of Barry, the thin, wiry accountant who was afraid of the dark, looking for revenge. He was the one who dumped her to begin with. By the end of the conversation, Kara was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her cheeks. At least her friends knew how to help make light out of a stressful situation. Her thoughts strayed to Max, and she wondered how he was faring.

  Kara turned to Brian. “Brian, have you heard from him at all after he got to his meeting?”

  “No, but he was supposed to meet with two different specialists. I’m sure he’s fine.”

  Concern for Max made her stomach knot. His own board was out to get him. And there was some sick freak that wanted her dead. What a pair they made. A few minutes later, her cell phone rang. Max’s name showed up on her screen.

  Slapping the phone to her ear, she answered breathlessly. “Max?”

  “Are you okay?” His concern came through the line and wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

  Her brows lifted, wondering what he’d heard. “Yes, why?”

  “I called your office but got no response. Where are you?”

  Shit. How to explain? “Oh, there was an incident. It’s not important.” Her heart had been racing inside her chest and now slowed to a normal gallop.
It was so soothing for her to hear his voice. “What happened with you?” she rushed to ask.

  “Exactly what we expected. Both medical professionals feel I’m fine and should continue in my role as chief and CEO without any need for medical intervention. A report should be sent to Meghan sometime in the next few hours. I’m heading back now. So stop stalling and tell me what happened.”

  She nibbled on her lip and glanced around the inside of the car. Brian and Meghan stared at her intently with raised brows. It took her a moment to realize they were waiting to hear what had been Max’s outcome.

  She smiled and gave them a thumbs-up. “He’s fine to continue being head, and Meghan should get their recommendations in a report sometime this afternoon.”

  Both Meghan and Brian cheered, and Kara laughed at their enthusiasm.

  “Kara.” Max’s deep voice in her ear made her heart speed up.

  “I’m here,” she answered softly.

  “Why aren’t any of you in your offices?” The question was tense, and his voice sounded panicked.

  “Well…”

  Meghan pulled the phone out of her hand and immediately started talking. “Some freak sent an acid bomb to Kara only it got delivered to the wrong floor and ended up burning some poor woman’s face!”

  Kara listened while Meghan spilled the entire sick story to Max. His loud, angry yell let her know what he thought of the entire bomb scare. And he wasn’t even on speaker. Meghan nodded, smiled nervously, and passed the phone back to Kara.

  She placed the phone back over her ear. “Max, listen, I wasn’t really in any danger—”

  “No. You listen.” Icicles came through the line when he spoke. “You’re going to sit your ass in that car, and you’re not going anywhere without Brian and Meghan. Once all is clear, go back to your office, and I’ll meet you there. Then, we’ll go home together. You’re not doing anything alone, and no going off anywhere, understand?” While she knew he was worried, him telling her what to do didn’t sit well with her.

  “Max, I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to go off looking for whoever it is that wants me dead. Calm down. I’m going back to my desk. I’ve got a call I’m waiting for from a bank in the Caymans. I’m so close to finding out who owns that fake CalTek, I can’t sit still.” Her change in subject wasn’t entirely to calm him, but more because she’d been dying to share her news.

  “That’s great, baby, but you need to be careful.” He sighed. “My father’s on the other line. I’ll see you soon.” His voice softened to the churned gravel that made her panties wet.

  “I’ll see you later then.”

  “Kara? Sweetheart?”

  Her finger froze over the button that would disconnect them, and her heart beat double-time at his raspy tone. “Yes?”

  “Be careful. Please?”

  She smiled. Love for the wonderful man filled her heart. “I will.”

  28

  After she’d gone back to her office, the only thing she could do was wait for Max and the bank to contact her with the account information.

  When she finally got call, she was surprised with what she was told. She printed the email attachment the bank sent giving her the proof she needed.

  “Are you sure?” Her gut clenched when she heard the name recited once again on the other end of the line. Oh God. She needed to talk to Max right away.

  Right when she hung up the phone, someone walked into her office.

  She frowned when she saw Jane Roberts, Max’s stepmother. “Jane. What are you doing in the office? I wasn’t aware there was a board meeting today.”

  Younger than Kara’s thirty, Jane seemed to be a quiet wallflower. It wasn’t Kara’s business to ask why Max’s father married a woman that would probably be better off dating someone his son’s age. If they were happy then that’s all that mattered, right? Jane appeared to be upset for some reason.

  “Kara, this would be a great time to do coffee. Do you have a moment?” Jane asked.

  Kara wondered if this woman had any idea normal people had to work eight plus hours a day and couldn’t just “do coffee” at any time.

  “I don’t have a lot of time. I’m waiting on—”

  “This will be super quick. I promise. I just need to talk with someone.” And that lucky someone was her. Yee-haw. Kara grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk and dropped in her new phone.

  She put on a totally fake smile. “Let’s go.” God, this should be fun. She’d rather have her nails pulled out than sit with this woman.

  “I’ll drive,” she said. “It’s the least I could do to say thank you.” Jane sniffled and glanced away. Maybe something really was wrong.

  Jane turned for the elevator and walked along the hall swishing her hips like a kid on a swing. It was almost mesmerizing.

  After a silent elevator ride and walk through the lobby, they arrived at Jane’s car, parked outside the front door in a No Parking Zone.

  Of course. What did she expect? For Jane to fucking walk on the same concrete everyone else did? She really didn’t like the girl.

  And of course, the inside of the Bugatti had every gadget made for a vehicle. The engine roared to life like a lion, and they were off to the races.

  After a few more minutes of quietness, she decided she’d start the conversation. Finally, the girl spoke.

  “Kara, is it true that Max has lost his mind?” Jane’s voice trembled when she spoke.

  Kara turned in her seat. “What? Who said that? Of course not! Max got medical clearance just today. Who is saying those horrible things?”

  “He what?”

  Kara was taken aback by the shock in the other woman’s face. Like there’d been any doubt that Max wouldn’t be competent to do his job.

  “He was given medical clearance just today. The board should hear all about it tomorrow. He’s good to continue being corporate head. Why?” She narrowed her eyes, watching the other woman carefully.

  “Have you gotten any closer to finding out about that strange vendor?” Jane asked.

  Kara remembered the papers on her desk and then raised her eyes to the petite brunette. How did she know anything about that? She sucked at lying, but she’d give it a shot. “No, not really. Why?”

  Jane smiled. Not the soft, hesitant smile Kara was used to. This was a cold, calculating smile Kara had never seen before on the timid woman.

  Jane’s phone rang. She picked it up quickly.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she asked. “Everything is good here.” She paused. “Today. Really?” She paused again. “All right, fine. You owe me one for this.” She hung up and laid the phone in the console between the seats.

  “Where were we?” Jane asked.

  “Talking about the contracts.”

  “That’s right,” the woman said.

  No shit, Sherlock, Kara thought, but kept her mouth closed.

  “Oh, do you mind if we make a pit stop on the way? I have to pick up drugs for a friend.”

  The mention of “drugs” brought back the island memories, like PTSD. She must have paled or looked sickly. “No, honey,” Jane said, “legal drugs. Prescription.”

  Kara took a breath and relaxed into the seat. “That’s good. Where are we going, anyway? There are several coffee shops close to the office.”

  “This is a special shop. It has quiet corners.” When they stopped at a light, Kara saw water from the bay between buildings.

  There weren't many inlets on this side of the city. What little she knew about this waterfront wasn’t good. Most of the trash along the water ended up in there. And most of the crabs stayed in this inlet searching for food from the trash.

  She’d also heard that the crabs went after humans because they had gotten a taste of human blood and wanted it now. That was probably BS. One of the guys in the office told her that. Trying to prank her. She wasn’t an idiot.

  Next, she knew, Jane pulled into a concrete-crumbled abandoned warehouse. The building used to be a point of
distribution for this part of Manhattan. But with the rise of overnight carriers, they couldn’t compete. For being defunct, it had a lot of stuff on the back lot. Disintegrating semi-trucks, tires with grass growing up the middle, and several metal shipping containers.

  “What are we doing here?” Kara asked.

  From a pocket in her door, Jane pulled out a pink gun. The woman had a pink gun!

  “Kara. I expected honesty from you. With the CFO out on leave, we’ve come to depend on you for answers.”

  She knew she looked shocked, but there was no stopping it. She’d never seen Jane look anything but scared at being surrounded by people. “Jane? What are you doing with a gun?”

  “Kara, I have a problem.” Her voice was strong and clear.

  “Jane, whatever it is, we can work it out. Does Dan know you’re here?” Did he know his wife was crazy, was more like it.

  “I realize this may be a complete shock to you, but I only married Dan for his money.”

  “Okaaaay?”

  The gun was steady in Jane’s grip, and she pointed straight at Kara’s chest.

  Jane’s face creased in a frown. “But I’m sick of his touches, and I feel so disgusted whenever he wants to have sex that I have to plead a headache. Apparently, I’m not really good at handling sex with an old man.” Her voice rose until her anger exploded, and she screeched out the words. “Do you know who Frank Thomas is?”

  Kara’s heart raced a sickening gallop in her chest when Jane mentioned the son of one of the board members. The same name the funds to the fake vendor had been transferred to as she’d been informed by the bank.

  “Of course. He’s Paul Thomas’s son. Both are on the board.”

  Jane smiled in true happiness. Her features turned almost beautiful when she did. “Yes, he is. He is also the man I love.” Jane grinned and waved the hand holding the gun. “I see you’ve realized what this all means.”

  “Jane, I get that you and Frank are obviously having an affair. I get that he’s the one getting the money, but what does that all have to do with me?”