CardsNeverLie (23 page)

Rob’s clean-shaven face glided against hers as they tangled
together. Melanie suddenly realized she didn’t feel his hands on her and
grabbed for his arm, then pulled it to her breast. What she really wanted was
to be wearing that corset like the woman in the picture, to feel him behind
her, running his hands down her tightly encased body. She wanted to be held,
explored.

Rob put his other hand to her breast and squeezed. Melanie
arched her back against his hands as her head fell back. Who needed arms around
her if she could have his hands on her breasts?

“Wow,” she breathed. “That feels really good.” She pulled
her blouse out from her skirt and with clumsy hands, started to undo the
buttons at the neck.

Her eyes refocused as she felt hands pulling her fingers off
the buttons. “What are you doing?” she asked, pushing his hands away with a
frantic movement. “I want this.”

Rob nuzzled against her cheek. “Me too.” He pushed his groin
against her stomach just long enough for her to feel the turgid, pulsing heat
hidden under his slacks. Melanie reached her hand down between his legs and
caressed him as he moved away.

Rob thrust himself into her palm. “Please, Melanie.” He
grasped her hand with his slightly shaking one and pulled away.

“Why not?” She grinned naughtily. Wild Melanie was being
taken for one last spin. “Would you turn me down if I offered you some very
personal attention?”

She pulled her hand from his and ran her hands down the
front of his body until she found his zipper. She felt moisture pooling between
her thighs as her body softened to embrace him, but if it took some preliminary
oral consideration to blow his mind, she was more than willing. Melanie wanted
to view his package and she wanted her showing now.

“Look,” he said.

“I’m looking and I like what I see.”

“No, really.” He stepped back. “I’ve got a couch right over
there. We don’t have to stand.”

“Is it leather?” Melanie pulled down his zipper with a quick
motion that surprised even her. The ripping sound as the zipper separated into
two sides made her crazy.

“Oh shit,” he breathed. “Of course it’s leather.”

He grabbed for her. “Come here, you hussy.”

She leaned back, giggling and checked out the slightly
gaping front of his pants. “I don’t know. I can’t see the goods.”

Rob lunged at her, pushing her against the wall, rubbing his
groin against her. “Screw this,” he muttered and tugged her skirt up. “You’re
tall enough to take me on.”

He pushed her panties sideways with one hand and pulled up
her thigh with the other arm until she was standing on her tiptoes. He moved
his hand away for a second and as she put her arms around his neck, he tucked
his under her bottom and pulled her off her feet. As she locked her legs around
him, he thrust into her.

She cried out before she buried her face against his
shoulder, distantly afraid that someone might hear. Then Melanie threw herself
into the delicious motions, the amazing friction that hit in just the right
places.

Desperate for the completion that was so quickly near, she
angled her pelvis against his thrusts and dug her feet into his legs. Once, twice,
three times and she felt the sun explode in her head as she came. Her heart
pounded in her chest, her pulse thundered in her temples, as she quivered
convulsively, tightly, around his penis.

“Oh Melanie, Melanie, Melanie,” Rob chanted into her ear as
he continued to thrust. It didn’t take much longer for him to finish. His grip
loosened for a second as his head dropped against the wall, but he caught her
before she fell.

Melanie pushed against his chest and he released her. She
breathed hard as she uncradled him and slid down to the floor. Leaning against
the wall, she panted.

“I’m not sure I could have made it to the couch.” She was
little more than a puddle of happy liquid.

“It’s already too late.” He put his arms around her and his
head on hers.

“Do you think anyone heard us?” Melanie asked, suddenly
worried.

“I couldn’t care less.” He licked her temple. “I felt you
come.”

“And how.” Melanie’s smile of satisfaction crept across her
face. “Every time I’ve seen you I’ve walked away wet.” She felt his breath
catch.

“That’s quite a compliment.”

“You are deserving of all compliments. But,” she paused, not
wanting to sound so practical at such an intimate moment, but already taken out
of the moment by her fear of discovery, “I’d like to clean up now.”

“Okay.” He led her into his ensuite bathroom then left her
alone. As Melanie came back to herself, she thought ruefully of her plans of
extreme professionalism. It hadn’t a chance against Rob’s magnetism. She felt
like a fly attracted to his light, even as it destroyed her.

An affair with an authority figure, she thought to herself
as she stared into the bathroom mirror, was exactly what she had tried to
avoid. Melanie had no idea what prompted her to continue to be attracted to
them. Maybe having been attracted to Gerald meant she’d always be attracted to
men like him. Rob hadn’t left her with the energy to figure out what to do
next.

She heard a knock. “Why are you taking so long, beautiful?”
Rob asked.

“I’ll be right out.” She blinked at herself in the mirror.
Why couldn’t she duplicate this hairstyle? She looked wild and free with her
hair in thick, vibrant waves. No styling product could mimic the magic of a
man’s loving hands. Such silly thoughts and yet they brought her further back
to herself. She could relive the amazing passion when she was out of danger.

She opened the door and smiled nervously at Rob.

“Everything okay?”

“Everything is where it should be,” she said, blushing. Rob
stared at her until she felt a little nervous. The intensity this time was dark
instead of sensual.

“No condom,” Rob said.

“I know.” She bit her lip. “I’m safe, I mean, I got tested
after the divorce.”

“Haven’t there been men since? You seemed awfully eager to
me, first with that other guy, then me, in Vegas. I can’t figure you out.”

Melanie looked down, hurt. “I admit to a bit of divorcee
fever, but you’re only my third ever, I swear.”

Rob raised an eyebrow. “I can’t say that, but I am safe.”

“Good.” Melanie twisted her hands and went to sit on the
couch. Rob leaned back on his desk, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“I spoke to Drew Huntley, following our game plan.”

“Really?” Melanie patted the seat next to her. She was glad
to change the subject though it increased the surreal nature of this encounter.
Rob came to her and sat down, entwining their fingers. Melanie leaned back. He
seemed calm enough so the call couldn’t have been a disaster, even though she
could see from the rapid rise of his chest that he hadn’t quite gotten his
breath back yet from their erotic encounter.

“It’s going to be okay. He’s got no interest in Ethan.” Rob
tilted his head.

“I’m glad Brisa was right.”

“You know, I wouldn’t feel the same way.”

“You aren’t a low life.”

“Some might think I was. In this business.”

Melanie shook her head. “No way. All anyone would have to do
is talk to you for five minutes. Then they’d know you were a decent person.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to keep a family business together, even if
it’s not exactly a mainstream society business.”

Rob grinned and kissed her hand. “Thank you.” He stroked his
thumb up her wrist. “Why don’t you come over to my house for a while and play?”

“Play?”

“Sure. I’m rusty with this whole dating thing, but how about
pizza and a massage?”

Melanie turned her head to him. “I’m pretty relaxed,” she
said with a smile, “but it never hurts to rub a few kinks out.”

Rob winced. “I created a few holding you against that wall.”

Melanie punched him. “You’re saying I’m heavy?”

“Never,” Rob grinned.

He leaned in for a kiss. Melanie let him take her lips. Her hands
stole into his hair, his thick, dark blond hair. The tarot came to mind for a
minute, but she dismissed it. His hair would darken as the summer blue skies
dimmed to Seattle gray.

After a moment, Melanie allowed Rob to pull her up from the
couch and they left his office. They made their way down the hallway slowly,
stopping every so often to kiss. A plan to jump away was in the back of
Melanie’s head if someone went by, but no one bothered them and she relaxed.

Rob’s house was a cheerful little bungalow in the Wedgewood
neighborhood. With one thing only on his mind, he pulled her up the steps and
into his bedroom.

“Are you hungry?” Melanie asked.

“Only for you,” Rob said, his eyes dark with passion. Her
jacket had been left behind in his office, so all he had to do was remove her
blouse and unhook her sadly sensible bra. She expected his hands to drop to her
waistband next, but instead he cupped her neck and tilted up her chin with his
thumbs and kissed her until her knees buckled. Luckily, they were close to the
bed and she fell back with him on top of her.

“Ooof,” she gasped. Rob rubbed his face in her neck for a
second and pulled back until he kneeled on the floor.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, I just had the wind knocked out of me for a
second there.” Melanie decided she had far too much clothing on and wriggled
out of her skirt as Rob took his shirt off.

Rob looked down at her panties. “You can take those off too,
Melanie. You’re too self-conscious for the wild woman I made love to this
afternoon.” Rob’s hand snuck to her breast and fondled her nipple.

“I’d like to be crazy and wild, but maybe I’m conservative
at heart,” she gasped.

“Nah,” Rob said. “I don’t believe you.” He ducked his head
to her breast.

Melanie felt her eyes roll back in her head. After a few
moments of the most pleasurable tongue action she had ever experienced, Rob
released her torso. She lay back, panting.

“You want dinner?” Rob asked. “I could order a pizza.”

Melanie opened one eye. “You have got to be kidding.” When
he didn’t respond, she opened the other. He was fumbling in a drawer. “It’s a
little late for a condom, don’t you think?”

Rob held up a bottle. Melanie frowned. It looked familiar,
like…oh good grief! It looked like the bottle of massage oil that Tommy Joe had
stolen that night in Las Vegas!

“Where did you get that?” she asked, leveraging herself up
on her elbows.

“There’s no need to get up,” Rob said. “Why don’t you turn
over?”

Melanie obliged.

“Remember the day we met? You were at Shari’s booth at the
trade show. This is one of her products.”

“Oh?” Melanie said, her voice muffled by the pillow under
her cheek.

“Yeah. It’s supposed to be edible. I don’t know about that.”
He waved the stopper of the bottle under her nose. “What do you think?”

“It smells good.”

He leaned forward until his breath tickled her ears. “Does
it smell good enough to lick off me?”

Melanie rolled over. Feeling mischievous, she took the
slender bottle from Rob’s hand and tilted it until a single drop fell to the
back of his hand. She bent her head and touched the tip of her tongue to the
stray droplet.

“Mmmm,” she whispered. “Yummy.”

In the fading light, she could see his chest still as his
breath caught. “‘I start the fire I suffer’,” he quoted as he reached for her.

“What?”

“The massage oil was my idea and you’re killing me with it,”
Rob said in a throaty, earnest tone. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“I think I’m ready for that pizza now,” Melanie teased.

“No,” Rob said, pushing her back and putting his leg over
hers as he leaned forward. “You’ll just have to sup on me.”

“I can live with that,” she moaned as Rob’s lips took hers.
“I may not be so eloquent, but I feel exactly the same way.”

“What’s that?” he asked, raising his head.

“Crazy.” She put her arms around his neck to pull him back
to her. “Crazy for you.”

“It works.” Rob lowered his head back to hers and didn’t
raise it again until she had seen stars on the insides of her eyelids.

Chapter Sixteen

Melanie dreamed over her embossing tool the next afternoon
as she imprinted the K of the word BLACK on a square scrap of black leather.
Her idea involved matching the names of colors to that color of leather, such
as BLUE on blue leather and then turning the scraps into pillows for the teen
set. But now, looking at her sample, she decided she had simply envisioned the
idea to play with Rob’s name. What a lush, erotic night they had spent. Rob had
made no promises for another night of the same. He had even suggested she leave
for her own sake if she was so worried about being caught if they drove in
together the next day. She had left at one a.m. In fact, their last moments had
been an uncomfortable reminder of their situation, instead of a romantic or
erotic goodbye full of promise.

The phone rang next to her and she jerked her head up.
Dropping her tool, she hit the speaker button.

“Jack O’Brien here,” said an annoyed man’s voice.

Melanie clenched her fist. The last person she wanted to
hear from was another man as rotten as Drew Huntley. “How may I help you?” she
asked in her best formal manner.

“I need to see you in my office. Now.”

She grimaced. This guy had swept Jill off her feet?
Certainly not with his conversational abilities. “What would you like me to
bring?”

“Nothing. We’re just going to chat.”

Jerk. She couldn’t believe this guy was Rob’s best friend.
Maybe he behaved himself when he wasn’t talking to a mere employee, but he
certainly hadn’t done well by his lover either.

She left her office and walked slowly up the stairs and down
the hall to Jack’s office. Deep in thought, she opened Jack’s door without
thinking.

“Excuse me?” a man said nastily from behind his desk. The
man was conventionally handsome, the type of rugged guy who would look good in
a ski ad, but if he had been photographed with an expression like that on his
face, the resort he modeled for would soon go out of business.

Melanie shrank back into the hallway. She had expected a
secretary but found Jack O’Brien in the flesh and worse, had caught him with a
bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand and a glass in the other. “I’m so sorry. I
thought you’d have an anteroom, like Rob does.”

Judging from the expression on his face, the vein jumping in
his forehead, she had said exactly the wrong thing.

“Sit down, Melanie,” he said with a nasty emphasis on her
name and an even creepier smirk. “You and I are going to have a little talk.”

“Fine.” This wasn’t going to turn out well. She had made an
enemy without even realizing it. Not that she’d want this conniving, immoral
crook for a friend. She sat, glad she had worn her new calf-length red a-line
skirt. Melanie didn’t want to expose any part of herself to this man.

Jack set his glass down and tucked the bottle into a drawer.
Then he leaned back in his butter tan leather executive chair and crossed his
hands over his stomach. He had decided he was in charge. “I know about you.”

Melanie closed her eyes. She knew about him too, after all.
He didn’t have any power over her, did he? “What do you mean?” she said coolly.

He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes until the center of
his forehead bent into vertical lines. “Don’t think you can fuck the boss and
take over around here, bitch.”

Uh oh. Melanie sat up even straighter in her chair and
clasped her hands together tightly, holding back any defensive words. Sick to
her stomach on the walk up here simply from the tone of his voice, she had
imagined bad, but this was worse.

He laughed, a rasping sound that made her flesh crawl. “Give
it up, Mel. I can ruin you. I’ll tell Dick Porter you were the saboteur at
Professional Massage. You think firing is the worst that can happen to you? You
wouldn’t like to get arrested.”

“You can do nothing of the sort,” she managed to say, though
not in as strong a voice as she would have liked. What a monster. How could he
try to pin Jill’s acts on her?

“That’s what you think. I’ve got a memo from your lover
telling me to do whatever I must to make sure the sale with Professional
Massage gets cancelled. I’m sure he must have had the same conversation with
you. And don’t think John Black will keep his grandson around when he hears
what Rob has been up to.”

Rob had certainly felt passionate about saving his company,
but how could he have ever trusted this man? “Rob would never have hurt
Professional Massage to save LeatherWorks. His grandfather will never believe
you.”

“Yes he will.” Jack pulled his bottle of liquor out of the
drawer and poured another drink. “When he hears the woman Rob is sleeping with
is none other than porn star Honey Luscious, poor Grandfather will cut Rob out
of his life. This will push all his buttons.”

“I’m not Honey Luscious,” Melanie said, standing up. “You’re
crazy!”

Jack grinned over his glass. “Rob told me the truth
himself.”

Melanie took a deep breath. “Rob knows the truth now. He had
some bad information before.”

“I don’t care about the truth! I’m not going to let you take
what’s mine!” Jack shouted, standing too, with one fist against the desk and
the other clutching his glass. “This is my company, my father’s company. He
could have been CEO, would have been if he hadn’t died. It’s my turn, dammit.”

Melanie turned to the door. Surely someone in a neighboring
office could hear them, but it was late, after five p.m. “I won’t listen to
this.”

“Yes, you will,” he said softly, malevolently. “You’re
taking Rob Black down for me. You’re going to march over to John Black’s house
and tell him my version of the story. He’ll fire you both. Maybe if you do
that, I won’t give Dick Porter a call. He’ll probably want to prosecute, but I
might feel merciful. Here.” He thrust a copy of the Rob’s email at her.

Melanie’s stomach tensed. She took the piece of paper and
ripped it up. “You’re crazy. This email proves nothing. John Black knows Rob is
against the sale. Jill caused the damage because she loved you.”

“And she’ll back me up.” He clapped his hands to his face. “I
was so worried. I saw my boss changing the temperature, but I didn’t know whom
to tell. I need my job.”

Melanie matched his evil smile. “You aren’t seeing each
other anymore.”

Jack pulled down the collar of his white shirt. An ugly
purple bruise showed there. “Check this out, bitch. We’re back together.” He
licked his lips. “And you know Jilly girl will do anything for me.”

Melanie felt her entire torso begin to shake. She couldn’t
think straight. She’d only had four hours of sleep the night before, it didn’t
help.

“The company is going to be sold,” she protested. “You won’t
end up with the job anyway.”

Jack shook his head. “John Black is dying. Once he’s dead,
I’ll stop the sale. LeatherWorks will be mine.”

“You’re sick!” How could this be happening? She had to
think.

“I’m smart,” he contradicted. “Now get out of here and get
busy, bitch.” He said the foul word with such pleasure it made her stomach
ache. Without looking at him again, she left the office.

After she shut his door, she leaned against the wall a few
feet away and knocked her head against a sharp object. Holding her cry of pain
to a whimper, she rubbed her hand against her head.

She’d hit her head against one of the photographs of
LeatherWorks products, a black and white shot of a beautiful catsuit
photographed on a slim brunette wearing a mask. She tipped the picture into
place, knowing she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t let Jack destroy this company,
destroy Rob. But in doing so, she would also protect the truth about Honey
Luscious’s identity. Ethan was too young to learn about his mother’s troubled
past.

Surely, the truth about the sabotage would come out. She
wasn’t the saboteur. Jill had already been acting like a wreck, she would break
down during questioning, wouldn’t she?

Melanie sagged against an empty part of the wall. She
winced, clutching her stomach and ran for the bathroom.

A few minutes later she stood in front of the bathroom
mirror, attempting to finger comb her hair. Her mouth felt sour and her head
ached, but she couldn’t worry about that now. What could she do to protect
everyone? She thought over several options, but she could see only one plan of
attack. She had to tell Rob and end their relationship. Even if she beat Jack
in the end, Brisa could still get hurt in the crossfire.

Tim nodded to her as she stepped into Rob’s suite. “Is he
in?” she asked.

“Yes, he just got back from the company softball team’s
game.”

“Can I see him?” Melanie’s voice cracked a little.

Tim stood, the chain on his belt clanking. He put his hand
on her shoulder. “Melanie, are you okay? Maybe you should talk to my mother
Dagmar. She has a bunch of homeopathic remedies in her workroom if you feel
sick.”

She shook her head. “It’s not that kind of sick.”

Melanie’s throat went dry when she saw the tableau before
her in the inner office. Rob bent over a file cabinet in tight jeans. It
couldn’t be legal for him to be dressed like that. It shouldn’t be. He had the
backside of a soccer player and the powerful thighs to match. And yes, she knew
after the previous night that the muscle was all real.

“Rob?” she said, already feeling the nostalgic pang of
separation through her fear and grief.

He turned. Melanie was genuinely touched by the brilliant
smile that greeted her, but it was a smile meant for lovers and she had already
lost him. Melanie heard her own sharp intake of breath.

“You look tired,” he said. “Tonight we should give each
other those massages.” He rolled back his shoulders, biceps bulging under a
fitted black T-shirt. “I could stand to work some kinks out.” He reached out
and ran a strong-fingered hand down her hip.

Melanie blinked back tears. “I can’t, Rob. I’m sorry.”

He grinned and danced his fingers along her cheeks. “Don’t
wimp out on me now, honey.” He misinterpreted her expression and said, “Oops, I
didn’t mean to call you that.”

She stepped back until she felt his desk hit the backs of
her thighs. “I know. You wouldn’t hurt me deliberately.”

“Let me touch you. The door is shut and no one is
listening.”

Melanie swallowed. “The walls have ears.”

“I see.” Rob walked slowly behind his desk. Melanie was
certain he had made sure to give her a full view of his assets, the tight ass,
the perfectly cupped masculine equipment. LeatherWorks’ advertising had shown
he knew how to showcase a hot body.

She watched him, feeling her resentment at Jack bubble and
burn as Rob sat down and steepled his hands under his chin.

“Are you having second thoughts because you think we were
overheard yesterday?” he asked.

She wasn’t expecting that. “You were the one worried last
night.”

“I was trying to be sensitive.”

“Thank you. But you were right to worry, Rob.”

He shook his head. “Sweetheart, tell me what’s wrong.” He
held out his arms to her, but Melanie stayed on the other side of the desk. For
all she knew Jack would walk in on them. With a shudder, she remembered the
camera filming that night in Vegas. Before, she had remembered the good part,
the part with Rob. But what if Jack got his hands on the tape with Tommy Joe in
the LeatherWorks booth? She’d be unable to defend herself without exposing
Brisa for sure.

“I was a fool. You were a devil to entice me.” Melanie
swallowed. “I need this job. You don’t bounce right back when you get fired. It
marks you. People think you’re capable of any number of bad things.”

“Aren’t I worth the risk?” Rob asked in a low voice.

“Circumstances change,” Melanie said, feeling like she would
cry. But she pursed her lips and told herself to be professional. “I respect
you and our working relationship too much to undermine it.”

“So you want to forget last night ever happened.”

Melanie nodded.

Rob stood in a blur of motion and slammed his palms onto his
desk. Melanie jumped back.

“You’re a coward! I can have relationships outside of work
and still be professional. We work well together and we can play together too.”

“Rob, calm down. It’s not what you think. Someone who
overheard us threatened me. He’s going to tell Dick Porter I was the
Professional Massage saboteur unless I tell your grandfather you were behind
the damage,” Melanie’s voice caught, “and he might tell him I’m Honey Luscious
too, just to make your grandfather more upset.”

Rob’s face went white. “Me, behind the sabotage? That’s
insane!”

Tears welled up her eyes. “I won’t do it, Rob. I can’t.”

“Of course not. Who is doing this?”

Melanie knew there were few things more cruel than telling
him the truth. She walked around the side of his desk and put her hand on his
arm. “Jack. He called me into his office a little while ago.”

“No,” Rob said in a low voice.

“I’m sorry,” Melanie said. “I truly am.”

“But he wouldn’t,” Rob said quietly, turning his face away.

“Jack is behind the sabotage at Professional Massage. He was
sleeping with my assistant.” Melanie spoke slowly, trying to stop her voice
from trembling. “He talked her into heating the storerooms to destroy the stock
of oils.”

Rob gave her a hard stare. “Why would she do that?”

“Because Jack said he would lose his job if LeatherWorks was
sold. And it meant so much to him.” Her lip curled. “But he didn’t keep his
promises, so Jill stopped keeping hers. And after,” she paused as her voice
cracked, “and after I was fired,” her voice trembled on the word, “she told me
what she’d done.”

“Shit,” Rob said and bowed his head.

“He thinks he can destroy you, Rob. You can’t trust him. I
wish you hadn’t told him I was Honey Luscious, but I’m not going to tell him
the truth either, no matter what your grandfather will think of your taste.”