Mr. Buff: A Flaming Romance Read online

  Famous last words, they were so clichéd she was unable to stop rolling her eyes. She might have kept her cool if he hadn’t said that.

  Giving a short, bitter laugh, she narrowed her eyes. “No. Now it’s your turn to shut up! You don’t get to say anything to me anymore. Don’t come near me, or I swear, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” She smiled at the model. “You can have him, but I’d be wary of leaving town, he might just replace you with something new.” Alex walked out of the bathroom just when the blonde grabbed Andrew by the arm.

  Opening the office door going to Jen’s desk and reception, Alex froze in her tracks then whipped her head around to them. The other three dragged through the room behind her. Jen with death-ray eyes aimed at a naked Leslie and Andrew’s fixed on Alex.

  She turned back to the new visitor, who happened to be her ex-boyfriend. “What are you doing here, Jack?”

  Jack’s astonished expression glanced up from her to the group behind. When his eye held a sparkle, she figured he’d spotted Leslie, all of her.

  Eyes still on Leslie, he said, “What are you doing here?”

  “Mr. Masterson,” Jen cried out. “You’re early.”

  “If you want the naked bitch,” Alex said with a thumb pointing over her shoulder, “she’s yours. You are made for each other.” Alex then turned to Jen. “Mr. Masterson?”

  Over the chaos, Andrew’s voice rang out. “Jack, thanks for coming over so quickly.”

  Alex shot shocked eyes to Andrew. “You know this jerk?”

  Jen sputtered, “Alex, hush. He’s Andrew’s partner in business.” Jen stepped around Alex to get to Jack. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

  “Partner?” Alex mumbled. “Seriously?”

  Leslie stopped trying to get to Andrew and slithered up to Jack’s side. “Are you rich?” she asked, rubbing her bare chest against his arm. Jen slapped at her to get away.

  “Oh, for God’s sake.” Alex shook her head.

  “Jack,” Andrew said, “if you would give us a minute.” He reached out to her, but she anticipated it and had moved to put the group between her and Andrew.

  “I have nothing to say to you.” Then she remembered the phone call Jack had at the restaurant just before she dumped him. He was trying to screw someone over. He said the name Carter. She thought it was a first name, but could it have been a last name? As in Andrew Carter?

  She flashed anger-filled eyes at Jack. As if he knew what she was thinking, he returned the glare. “No,” Alex said, “that’s not true. I have one more thing to say.” She pointed at Jack. “This asshole intends to screw you over as much as he can. Read carefully whatever you sign, Andrew.” With that she stomped out the door into the hall.

  She heard Andrew call after her. She glanced over her shoulder to see him step into the hall with just his towel around him. Jack grabbed his arm and Jen shrieked, “Andrew, you can’t go out there You’re naked.” He disappeared back into the office with a jerk from Jack.

  She shoved her way through a group of men in the hall gawking and ran into the elevator. Standing there, she saw Andrew try to get through the same group of men to reach her. Jack and Jen stopped him. Leslie leaned out the office door, a smug look on her face. Andrew yelling her name, his furious face was the last thing she saw when the doors closed.

  Holding back tears, she got back to her office in record time. She closed the blinds so she wouldn’t see him if he re-opened his.

  Head in her hands, the tears flowed. Her desk was covered in three-ring binders and files. To reach the tissues, she pushed everything out of the way, which shoved the box the account manager had put there over the front side of her desk.

  Next she knew, she was lying on the floor, ears ringing, head spinning, and the smell of something burnt wafting in the air before her world went dark.

  14

  At his desk, Andrew slammed the phone down for the hundredth time. Alexandra wasn’t taking his calls. Tired of leaving messages, he hung up whenever the answering machine came on. When she’d left his office, he tried to follow her, but had been covered in nothing but a towel. By the time he would’ve gotten dressed and to the lobby, she would’ve been long gone.

  He kicked out both Jack and Leslie, telling Jack to forget their deal. Whatever he was going to sign, he decided not to, based on Alexandra’s advice. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he believed her.

  He never really liked Jack that much to begin with. The man seemed to always be hiding something, or not telling the entire truth. There was only one reason Andrew agreed to work with Jack.

  Alexandra had just started working in the office across the way and he’d fallen hard for her. When his investigator told Andrew that she was in a relationship with Masterson, he pulled out a relatively new project proposal with Masterson’s name on it. After reviewing the paperwork, he decided since Alexandra trusted him, so would he.

  After meeting with Masterson at Come Again to finalize things, they were to sign contracts today. That was the night Andrew was with Alexandra. The best night of his life.

  When she said she broke up with her jerk boyfriend, he should’ve taken that as a clue to ditch Masterson. But the dots didn’t connect in his mind with Alexandra naked and under him. And bent over in front of him. And spread out in the chair. And...

  Damn. His pants were tightening around his enlarging dick. He got up from his desk. It wasn’t like he was getting anything done. He couldn’t get his mind off Alexandra.

  He looked out the window toward her office. All he could see was the damaged blinds on the side opposite her desk. He didn’t remember seeing that before, but he wasn’t even sure he’d seen her blinds closed before.

  Running fingers through his hair, he glanced at his watch. Alexandra usually left around noon for lunch. If he went over now, he could catch her and make her listen to him. How this was all a stupid mistake and Leslie’s doing, not his.

  At least he’d been smart in one sense. He’d informed security about Leslie, telling them never to allow her past the lobby again. Talk about shutting the stable door after the damn horse had bolted.

  He rushed out the door into reception. A startled Jen asked where he was off to.

  “I’m going to get back the woman I love.” He saw her confused face and laughed. His heart felt lighter knowing this would all work out. They’d go to lunch, talk, and see how silly that all had been. They would go back to his place and have sex, and he’d never let her leave again. Okay, that was a little possessive and creepy. He’d keep it to himself.

  When he stepped onto the sidewalk outside, a large police presence was in front of her building. After making it to the front door, the guard there told him the building was closed for the rest of the day.

  How could the building be closed? It was a semi-public place with several businesses within its confines. When he argued and tried to push his way in, he was escorted by a squad of uniforms out of the cordoned-off area and told if he persisted, he could spend the rest of the day in jail.

  He stomped back to his office, not knowing what else to do. He remembered seeing his secretary with Alexandra and her friend that night at the lounge.

  “Jen.” He flew into the office, startling her. “What all do you know about Alexandra?”

  Her brows drew down. “Why? You going to fuck her again?”

  He was shocked in silence. She’d never spoken like this before. He didn’t know what to say, but he really didn’t want to acknowledge the question with a “you bet your life I am.” Especially after going through her divorce.

  He then realized that he’d been so wrapped up in Alexandra that he hadn’t asked Jen about her personal life.

  They used to talk all the time, until Leslie, then Alexandra came into the picture. For a while, Jen was the only female in his life. They had gone out to lunch a few times, just to get out of the office. She was a tremendous assistant and he’d pay her whatever necessary to keep her happy and in his emp
loy. Sometimes things got so hectic, he would’ve forgotten his ass if it weren’t attached and she’d saved him.

  Jen’s face flooded dark red. “I’m so sorry—”

  He held up a hand. “No. It’s okay. Things did get out of hand this morning. I want to thank you for helping with it. Leslie needs to stay away.”

  “And Alexandra?” she asked. “You ran out saying you loved her. Do you?”

  He felt like a boy in high school being quizzed by a date’s father. “I believe I do. I’ve never felt these feelings for anyone before. I can’t stop thinking about her. She makes me laugh and I feel happy just seeing her beautiful face.”

  Jen nodded, glancing down at her desk. “Yes, that sounds like love.” Her last couple words were wobbly, on the verge of tears. Damn, he was being an insensitive jerk. Talking about him finding love when she was now alone.

  “Jen,” he started, “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through with your divorce and all. Are you all right?”

  She nodded, grabbing a tissue and wiping at her eyes. “I’m fine. Life isn’t how I thought it would be when I filed for the separation—”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  She waved away his question. “Nothing. The only thing that’s important is that I pursue the plans I’ve had.”

  “Yes,” Andrew agreed. “Never give up your dreams,” he thought about that for a second, “unless they take you away from me. I don’t want that.” Good God, he’d be so lost, he wouldn’t know how to sharpen a pencil. He glanced around for a sharpener. How did they sharpen pencils?

  She smiled and gave a little laugh, looking more like the Jen he was used to. Whew, that was close. A crying woman was every man’s nightmare. He didn’t know the first thing about comforting a female. Seemed men always said the wrong things. He’d gotten good at keeping his mouth closed during those times.

  He really wanted to get back to his original question about what Jen knew about Alexandra. If he asked a second time, would she go off again? She stared at him, the silence stretching.

  “Oh,” she said. “You wanted to know...” She pulled out her cell phone. “I have Nina’s number. You can try her if Alexandra isn’t picking up. Maybe she’ll talk to you.” She wrote on a sticky note and handed it over.

  Andrew thankfully took it. “Take off the rest of the day, Jen.”

  She looked up, surprised. “Really?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I don’t plan on being here much longer. Put the phones over to the answering service and head on out. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Sure. Thanks, Andrew.”

  “Anything for you.” And, boy, did he mean it. He wondered how she would feel about Alexandra working with them. He’d create a position for her full-time, in his office, so he could look at her all day.

  Was that a sappy, romantic gesture or what?

  15

  “I don’t know,” Alex heard her cousin say. Everything was dark, but the room’s smell stung her nose with the smell of strong antiseptics and disinfectants. “No, I’m not telling you until after I speak with her.”

  Speak with whom? Her eyes opened to a too bright light. She turned her head to the side and groaned.

  “I got to go. We’ll talk in a little bit.” Nina hung up and took her hand. “Alex. Alex, are you okay?”

  Her eyes watered, and she tried to blink them open. “Why would you ask me that? Of course, I’m okay.” When she looked up again with clear vision, her brows raised. “Why am I in the hospital?” She glanced down at herself. “What happened?”

  Nina grabbed her hand. “Shh, Alex. You’re going to be fine. They brought you in only because you were unconscious. You didn’t look injured.”

  Memories slowly trickled in. “I was grabbing for a tissue when the box of backordered stuff fell off my desk—”

  “What backordered stuff?” Nina asked. The door opened, and two big men walked in. One wore a jacket with ATF—Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Oh shit.

  “Ms. Berte. Glad you’re awake. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  She swallowed, glancing at Nina. “Sure, if you’d mind telling me who ‘we’ are.”

  The lead man blushed. “I apologize, Ms. Berte. I’m Detective Wallis and this is Agent Matthews with the feds.” The second man gave her a nod. “Do you have any idea who might’ve sent the box to you?”

  The only box she knew of was of the ordered office items. “Whoever the supply company was? You can get that from accounting if it’s not on the address label.”

  The detective asked, “Do you know anyone who works at such a company?”

  She didn’t think so. She’d never done temp work for anyone like that. Why would it matter anyway? Why were they here? She hadn’t done anything wrong. “Excuse, me men. Could I have a moment with Nina?” They looked at her with narrowed eyes.

  “Sure,” the detective finally said after giving her cousin the third-degree eye job.

  As soon as the door closed, she turned to Nina. “What the hell is going on?”

  “I didn’t have time to tell you yet. A bomb went off in your office.”

  “A bomb?” she blurted, louder than she intended. “What the fuck? Who would send me a bomb?” She laid her head back. She recalled Jack saying he’d kill her if she told his secrets, which she lied about knowing. Of course, Leslie wanted to get rid of her so Andrew would be hers.

  Then she recalled the box being given to her. Robert, the accounting manager. “Oh my god,” she moaned.

  “What?” Nina replied.

  “Robert tried to kill me.”

  Nina straightened. “Robert the accounting manager? Why would he want to kill you?”

  “It’s a long story,” she said. “Basically, I discovered that he’d stolen over $2 million from the company.”

  “Holy shit,” Nina said. “How’d you find that?”

  The door opened. “Can we come back in now?”

  “Yeah.” Alex waved them in. Now she understood what they were after. “I think our accounting manager tried to kill me because I exposed his fraud to the company’s president several days ago.”

  “Fraud?” the ATF asked.

  “Yeah, talk to Mr. Sholes. He’ll tell you everything.”

  “And why do you think the manager would kill for that?” Wallis asked.

  Alex rolled her eyes. She was in the hospital, but she wasn’t stupid. “For one, the money amount was in the millions. Second, he gave the box to me.”

  “He handed it to you?” the ATF asked with brows raised. She thought back to that time. It felt like minutes ago.

  “No. I was stepping out of the office and had him set it on my desk. I guess he did because it was there when I got back.” She looked at her arms with a few scrapes. “It must not have been very big. I’m not hurt that bad.”

  The two men glanced at each other. “Ms. Berte, if your desk hadn’t been between you and the explosive, we would’ve been picking up pieces of you from the office next door.”

  She and Nina gasped. “So, if I had opened it...”

  The men nodded. “Opening it would have been very different than it falling and blowing up. We wouldn’t be at the hospital if you had.” She caught his meaning. They would be at the morgue.

  Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Bile rose from her throat, choking her breath. The men stepped closer. “You okay, ma’am?”

  Stupid question, but she’d answer anyway. “I’m fine. Thank you.” No need to be rude about it. Besides, these men were trying to help.

  “Anything else you can tell us?” ATF said.

  She ran through the scene in her head. “I don’t think so. Robert thanked me for outing him and said the box was probably backordered items purchased before I started. It had been sitting up front, he said, and brought it to me.” She snorted. “Sitting up front, my ass. More like the front seat of his car on the drive to the office.”

  The detective pulled his phone as the ATF wrote in a sm
all notepad. “Thank you, Ms. Berte. Give me a call if you remember anything else.” He handed her a card. “Do you have a place that most people don’t know about, like a cabin somewhere else or an aunt who lives out of town?”

  Alex shook her head. “No.”

  “We have a cabin out by the state park,” Nina said. “Why do you ask?”

  The detective shrugged. “Might be good to get away for a bit. Get some rest and let our labs analyze the evidence for clues to the culprit.”

  “You will go to the cabin tonight,” Nina answered with a look that said just try to tell me no.

  “That decision is yours, but I think it would be wise to keep that to yourselves.” With that, the ATF and detective left.

  16

  After the detective and ATF agent left Alex’s hospital room, she raised a brow at her cousin. “I have to work tomorrow, Nina. I can’t take off.”

  Nina, standing beside her, popped a fist on her hip. “Your office is destroyed, girlfriend. Payroll was due last week, and you have someone trying to kill you. You will take time off.”

  Damn, when she put it like that, it did sound rather bad. “All right. Maybe a couple days. To let my aches and pains work themselves out.”

  “I’ll tell Mr. Sholes, but nobody else, where you’re going,” Nina replied. Alex thought that was a good idea. She wondered if he’d discovered anything from the info she gave him last week. Had Robert put a bomb in his office, too?

  “Nina,” she asked. “Call and make sure there’s no boxes on Sholes’s desk or office. Robert could’ve done the same to him.”

  Nina whipped her phone from her purse and made the call.

  Alex sat quietly realizing she could be dead at this second. If not for reaching for the tissues, who knew what would’ve happened. She was getting a tissue because she was crying because...the rest of the morning filled her mind. She laid her head back and let out a sigh.