A Kiss in the Dark (17 page)

He’d called her Sedona. He typically only ever addressed her as “ma’am.” He’d called their meeting a date, but that was definitely just an expression.

He’d said she looked good.

Sedona expelled her breath in a whoosh. What did that mean? Good could mean anything. He hadn’t said she looked great. Or gorgeous. Just…good.

She glanced down at her khaki slacks and plain white blouse. Nothing overly exciting there. She didn’t have a bad shape, but she certainly wasn’t under any illusions about her appearance. Her hair was nice, but she usually kept the thick, auburn mass neatly clipped up on the back of her head. She had her mother’s green eyes, and while she privately thought they were her best feature, she admittedly did little to enhance them. She was reasonably slender, although her butt was bigger than she would have liked, despite the fact she worked out on a regular basis.

Still, there wasn’t anything about her that would make a man like Angel take a second look. He was probably just being nice. All part of the officer-and-a-gentleman protocol.

Sighing, Sedona pushed to her feet. She’d go pull the drawings they would need for their meeting, and reacquaint herself with the details of the engine changes. If she couldn’t dazzle Lieutenant Commander Torres with her beauty, at least she could impress him with her brilliance.

The room where they kept the thousands of blueprints and drawings was aptly named the Drawing Room. It comprised row after row of tall cabinets with long, shallow drawers containing specific drawings, cataloged by number. After compiling a list of the ones she would require, Sedona walked among the cabinets until she found the corresponding drawer. It was close to the floor, so she pulled up a low, rolling footstool and sat down on it as she leafed through the contents.

“Hey, looks like that trip to San Diego really paid off, huh?”

Startled, Sedona looked up. There was nobody in sight. She recognized that the voice belonged to Mike Sullivan, one of her fellow engineers, and realized he must have entered the Drawing Room after her.

She groaned inwardly, dreading any confrontation with him. He was nicknamed Hound Dog for his daily practice of strolling through the office to check out what the women were wearing. If that wasn’t bad enough, it was common knowledge he sent emails to his male colleagues entitled Hound Dog’s Pick of the Day, and identified the woman he considered the hottest that day. While Sedona was pretty sure she’d never been one of Hound Dog’s top picks, the complaints she’d lodged against the alleged practice went unheeded.

She was about to stand up and reveal herself when a second voice, belonging to the latest promotee, Bob Lewis, chimed in.

“I’m telling you, man, if I’d known how easy it was to get promoted, I’d have been banging chicks left and right a long time ago.”

Sedona blinked.
Excuse me?

“Yeah, it’s a pretty great system. Why do you think we volunteer to do so much business travel?” Mike Sullivan chuckled. “Get laid, get promoted. All you have to do is bring back the proof. Speaking of which, those photos were amazing. I mean, I’ve gotta hand it to you, not just one babe in your bed, but two! I think you actually put the other members to shame.”

Sedona’s mouth fell open.

“Well,” Bob drawled, “it was all in a day’s work, so to speak. You can tell the Membership I was happy to oblige.”

“You can tell them yourself,” Mike replied. “We’re going to have a quick meeting at two o’clock today in the East Wing men’s room. You know, to officially celebrate your promotion.” There was the sound of a high-five hand slap. “Good job, my man.”

Sedona listened to their laughter fade as they left the room. She forced herself to remain seated despite the fact that she wanted to leap up, chase after them and confront them. She could scarcely believe what she had heard. She didn’t know what was more shocking, the discovery of a secret club that promoted men based on their sexual exploits, or the fact that dorky Bob Lewis had actually gotten it on with two babes.

She didn’t consider herself to be a prude, but this was completely off the charts. It was one thing to have an affair. It was another thing altogether to deliberately use sex as a means of career advancement. Worse, Sedona had been part of the team that had traveled to San Diego with Bob, and she hadn’t had a clue about his extracurricular activities. She shuddered. Not that she wanted to. But it drove home the fact that she spent way too much time alone.

Her sister Ana had inherited the sultry good looks and the feminine wiles. Sedona had inherited the brains. Ana viewed guys in terms of their potential as bed partners. Sedona’s only interest in the men she worked with was whether they would help or hinder her job performance, and how much competition they might pose for the next promotion.

She’d learned early on that most of her male colleagues didn’t take women seriously. They made insinuating remarks and casual suggestions with impunity, and it still amazed her that the women in question didn’t slap the bastards with sexual harassment suits. While she suspected her male coworkers considered her something of a bitch, it didn’t bother her. They might actively dislike her, but at least they respected her.

She couldn’t envision any man enticing her into having a one-night stand. The very thought of being intimate with a complete stranger made her go cold inside. There were just way too many risks involved to even consider the idea.

She took a deep breath. What to do? Go to Human Resources and report them? She snorted. Yeah, right. Like anybody would believe her. She’d be laughed out of the office. With his lank hair, oily skin and seventies-something wardrobe, Bob Lewis was hardly the picture of animal magnetism. And since she had just been passed over for promotion—for the third time—her story would no doubt be viewed as the malicious rantings of a disgruntled employee. Never mind that the reason she’d been passed over was apparently because she wasn’t getting any on the road.

She pressed her fingers against her eyelids and tried to think rationally about how to handle the situation. The government had a merit promotion system specifically designed to prevent favoritism or unfair advancement practices, but there was no denying they did, in fact, exist. Sedona understood office politics accounted for many of the recent promotions, but she’d have never guessed they might be based on sexual prowess. It was almost too unreal to be believed. More important, why would anyone risk their job—their very career—by taking part in such activity? What was the point? It made no sense.

But one thing was certain; there was no way she could continue working for this particular government agency, not after what she’d just heard. She had to find another job, and didn’t that just suck? Because Lieutenant Commander Torres had finally returned, and leaving was suddenly the last thing she wanted to do.

Grabbing the drawings she would need for tomorrow’s meeting with Angel, she pushed herself to her feet. There was really only one thing to do.

She would find a way to expose the members of the secret club. Once the truth came out, the agency would have to admit they had a real problem and deal with it accordingly. She had no idea how many men were involved, but she was going to put a stop to it.

All she needed was proof.

2

A
NGEL
GLANCED
UP
from his paperwork in time to see Sedona Stewart stride out of the Drawing Room and come to a jerky halt in the corridor, as if debating which direction to go. She didn’t seem to notice him sitting in the small conference room just across the hallway.

The Drawing Room appeared to be a popular place this morning. He’d gone in and pulled several drawings of the redesigned tail section, and had taken them across the hall to spread them out on the table in the conference room. He’d watched Sedona go in, followed several minutes later by Mike Sullivan and Bob Lewis. The two men had left after a few minutes, but Sedona remained inside. Angel had refocused his attention on the drawings, but to his mild annoyance, found himself waiting for Sedona to reappear.

When she finally did, she was visibly upset. Twin patches of bright color rode high on her cheekbones, and he didn’t miss how she fisted her hands at her sides. He was halfway to his feet when she spotted him.

Their eyes locked.

Hers shimmered with anger. They stared at each other for a full minute. Angel knew the instant she became aware of him, as the fury in her eyes clouded and became softer. The color in her cheeks slowly spread, until her entire neck and face were rosy. She blinked, like a child coming awake after a disturbing dream, and for a moment she looked confused, disoriented.

Angel was already pushing his chair back when she made an incoherent sound of distress, accompanied by a vague gesture of dismissal. Before he could stop her, she turned and fled in the direction of the administration offices, head bent and one hand pressed against her temple.

Curious, he stepped out of the conference room and watched as she hurried down the corridor and stopped outside the Human Resources office. She hesitated, and Angel was certain she was going to turn and walk away. But then she squared her shoulders and he knew if he was closer, he would hear her indrawn breath of resolve. As he watched, she pushed the door open, entered and closed it firmly behind her.

Slowly, Angel turned back to his drawings. Sedona Stewart was considered unflappable. Cool and levelheaded, she approached every issue with a calm, almost Vulcan-like rationality that infuriated her coworkers as much as it amazed them.

So what had caused her uncharacteristic display of emotion? Of course, he reminded himself, she hadn’t known he was watching her. Otherwise, he was pretty sure she’d have controlled her expression before she left the Drawing Room.

He lowered himself back into the chair and drummed his fingers on the table, considering. It had to have been some dumb-ass, chauvinistic thing Mike Sullivan had said to her in the few minutes he and Bob Lewis had been in the room with her. Mike had a reputation for being a prick where women were concerned, and Angel could definitely picture the guy saying something completely inappropriate to Sedona, just to see her reaction.

Recalling the distress in her green eyes, the Cuban part of him—that traditional, old-fashioned part that demanded all women be treated with respect—wanted to hunt Mike down and kick his ass. But the military part of him said that would be a poor decision, especially given his own recent misconduct. It would be an excuse for his commanding officer to bust him back down to lieutenant and stick him behind a desk to push paper for the rest of his career.

He took a deep breath and flattened his hands on the surface of the table. He needed to put Sedona out of his thoughts. She was an adult. Whatever shortcomings she might have, he was pretty sure sticking up for herself wasn’t one of them. Hadn’t he seen her go into the Human Resources office? He smiled wryly. It wasn’t Sedona he should be worried about; it was Mike Sullivan.

* * *

“W
HAT
DO
YOU
MEAN
you can’t do anything?” Sedona stared at the woman on the other side of the desk. She’d figured Human Resources would be skeptical, but where else could she turn? “I’m telling you, these guys have been getting promoted based on how many
babes
they bang when they go on business travel.”

Gladys Drummond smiled, apparently in sympathy, but Sedona could see it didn’t reach the older woman’s eyes. Sedona wanted to scream with frustration.

“I’m sure what you overheard was nothing more than a joke. A bad joke, in very bad taste, but a joke nonetheless.” The director of Human Resources sat back in her chair and considered Sedona. “I understand how you might be feeling put out about Bob Lewis getting this latest promotion, but I can promise you it had nothing to do with his—his male prowess. All promotions have to be approved by the Promotion Selection Board.”

Sedona blew out her breath in frustration. “But they seemed so sure of themselves. This—this ‘club’ must have influence at higher levels. If they say the promotion goes through, then it does.”

Gladys tented her fingers together. “Do you know who the other members are?”

“I have no idea.”

“Then we’re back where we started, Sedona. You can’t make these kinds of accusations without substantial evidence.”

Sedona leaned forward eagerly. “I can get evidence. The members are supposed to get together this afternoon for a secret meeting. I could…I could sneak into the room and spy on them. Or…I could record what they say! That would be proof, wouldn’t it?”

Gladys smiled, a patently false smile. “I believe there are laws against recording people without their knowledge. Even if it’s permissible, it’s not something I have the authority to approve. In truth, this whole issue is more or less beyond my purview. I’m only the director of Human Resources.”

Sedona shook her head in disbelief. “So you’re saying there’s nothing you can do?” When the other woman didn’t answer, Sedona gave a huff of defeat. “I’m sorry to hear that, I really am. I feel as if you’re not leaving me any choice but to resign.” She shrugged helplessly. “Consider this my two weeks’ notice.”

The other woman’s eyebrows shot up. “Really, Sedona. Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

Was she kidding? “No, quite the opposite. How can I even contemplate working for an agency that condones this kind of behavior?”

Whatever Gladys believed, Sedona knew what she’d overheard hadn’t been a joke. It had been all too disgustingly real. She watched as Gladys picked up her PDA and consulted it. After a moment, she scribbled a number down on a piece of paper.

“This is the number for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. They can put you in touch with an agent who might be able to help you.” She handed the paper to Sedona. “I’m sure you’ll find this whole thing is just a misunderstanding. I hope you’ll reconsider leaving.”

Sedona took the slip of paper. Fat chance. As expected, Human Resources didn’t believe her, and it was unlikely DCIS would, either. Like HR, they’d probably decide she was just trying to get even with her male coworkers. And they’d be right, to a certain degree. Exposing and putting an end to the Membership would be her last effort to level the gender playing field.

“Thanks,” she muttered, and pushed the slip into the pocket of her pants.

Leaving the director’s office, she determined she
would
contact DCIS. She’d already declared her intent to resign, and she wasn’t going to change her mind about it. Therefore, she had nothing to lose. She strode toward her office to make the phone call. As she passed the Drawing Room, her footsteps faltered, recalling that moment when she’d realized Angel had been sitting in the room directly across the hall.

Watching her.

And for just a moment, she’d been so completely flustered, she’d all but abandoned the idea of exposing the Membership. For one brief, crazy instant, the thought of leaving the agency just when Angel had finally returned seemed too high a price to pay.

Now, as she passed the conference room, her gaze was drawn irresistibly toward the chair where he’d been sitting. She shouldn’t have been surprised to find it empty, but there was no denying the disappointment that surged through her. In every way that counted, he was so gone from her life.