Susan Mallery - Lip Service

Trisha gave her a small smile. “They can’t be. I found a check to myself. I never authorized that. I’m the one who signs the checks and I know I didn’t sign it and it sure never showed up in my bank account.”

“That’s a relief. But don’t you sign all the checks?”

“Yes, but I review only a percentage of them. Otherwise that would be a full-time job. Payroll is computerized, as are payments to the local food banks and shelters we fund.”

“So we don’t know if the other questionable checks got through or not.”

“I’m pulling all bank statements and reconciling them specifically with those checks. Unfortunately the rule of thumb is if a business is keeping two sets of books, that company also has multiple bank accounts. The money could come from anywhere.”

This was a nightmare, Skye thought grimly. She hated that it was happening and didn’t know how to make it stop.

“You’re going to lose good people over this,” Trisha told her. “I’m hearing rumors that people are looking.”

“Are you?” Skye asked bluntly.

“Not yet.”

She couldn’t tell the world what was going on. Not only wouldn’t it help their cause but she had a feeling that blabbing about Garth would only make him happy. Still, she could tell Trisha.

She leaned forward. “You know a little about my family. You’ve met my father.”

“A couple of times. He’s an interesting man.”

“That’s one way of putting it. About thirty-five years ago, he had an affair with a young woman named Kathy and she ended up pregnant. Jed wasn’t interested in marrying her, which is where this all started.”

Skye explained what she knew about Garth and his mother. While she didn’t go into detail, she explained that Garth had been targeting the family from every angle.

“Someone sued my sister and her spa,” Skye said. “This woman used to work for Garth. From what we can tell, he paid her to file a false suit. When Lexi confronted her, she dropped the suit and moved away. Garth will do anything to get us. He poisoned my guests at a cocktail party a few days ago.”

Trisha looked shocked. “I heard about that. They said on the news that it was a frat prank.”

“Garth admitted he’d done it,” Skye said, “but when I told the police, they didn’t believe me. Why would they? A man in Garth’s position, with his money and clout, poisoning guests at a party? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Unless you know he wants the family taken down.” Trisha sighed. “So he’s coming after the foundation?”

“Apparently. He was behind the tip to the D.A. about money laundering. While we were cleared of all charges, think of the money wasted. We could have put our resources into feeding kids. Instead we were hiring lawyers and defending our reputation.”

“I know why this needs to stay private,” Trisha said, “but you have to brace yourself, Skye. People aren’t going to understand and they’re going to start leaving. For the senior staff, their reputation is their most important asset. If they think the foundation is going down, they won’t want to sink with the ship.”

IZZY WALKED through the high-rise condo. The tall ceilings and big windows gave the place an airy feeling. The decor was mostly black and gray with a few bright colors as accents.

She liked the ebony stained hardwood floor and the big fireplace in the corner. She wouldn’t necessarily want to live here, but the place seemed right for T.J.

“Comments? Criticisms?” he asked as he went behind the bar and began fixing cocktails.

“You slept with your decorator,” she said.

He opened a bottle of vodka. “That’s it? You don’t want to mention the view or that it seems so masculine. Just that I slept with my decorator?”

“Am I wrong?”

He laughed. “No. You’re not wrong.”

She slid onto one of the bar stools and rested her elbows on the granite surface.

“You’re a player,” she said.

“Is that bad?”

“Not in theory. I’m just not sure of your game. With me.”

He pushed a martini toward her. “Do we need to have a game?”

Izzy thought about Skye. “We don’t have to-that was your choice. How far are you taking this?”

His blue eyes brightened with humor. “I’m open to suggestions.”

Izzy didn’t have any. She wasn’t completely interested in T.J., but she also seemed unwilling to walk away. He confused her and that didn’t happen all that often. But how much of this was genuine interest on her part and how much of it was to prove a point to Skye? Although right now she wasn’t sure what that point was.

“If you went to school with my sister Lexi,” Izzy said. “You must also know Dana Birch.”

“Oh, yeah. She was intriguing. Hot in a totally different way than Lexi, but I don’t know anyone who was brave enough to ask her out. She made it clear no one was getting close.”

Interesting, Izzy thought, knowing how Dana loved to date quiet, unassuming men she could boss around. The only problem was she easily got bored with them.

“Do you know why?” Izzy asked. T.J. raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding, right? I’m a guy. I don’t do motive.”

“Or talk about your feelings?”

He shuddered. “No, thanks.”

She laughed. “Fair enough.”

“When do you go back to work?”

“In a few days. Then I’ll be gone for almost two months.”

“That’s a long time.”

“It goes fast,” she said. “They keep me busy. Last time I was working on installing a new rig. This time I’ll be repairing an older one.”

“You’re really a welder?”

“Didn’t you see Flashdance? Welders can be sexy.”

“No one is questioning your sex appeal. But welding?”

“It’s fun. Being underwater gives it an extra punch.”

“Which is important to you?”

“Of course. It’s all about the thrill. Next time I’m off, I’m going cave diving.”

“Seriously?”

“Want to come?”

“I’ll do one or the other. Not both.”

“Chicken.”

“I don’t have a death wish.”

“Neither do I.” T.J. didn’t look convinced. “Cave diving is a dangerous sport.”

“That’s what makes it exciting.”

“So you’re in it for the thrill?”

“I’m in everything for the thrill.”

Their eyes locked.

“Why are you so fearless?” he asked.

A question she wasn’t going to answer honestly. “Because it looks good on me.”

He came around the bar and turned the stool so she was facing him. He put down his drink, set hers on the bar, then cupped her face and kissed her.

His mouth was warming and tempting. The kiss teased and promised. It was the kind of kiss that said sex was very much on the table.

She drew back. “Aren’t you still seeing Skye?”

“Don’t you know?”

“We’ve agreed not to discuss you. The conversation was getting awkward.”

“We’re having dinner.”

Izzy didn’t know how she felt about that. She and T.J. didn’t have a relationship. They weren’t dating. They were hanging out. She never asked the other men she saw if they had other women, mostly because she didn’t care. She wouldn’t care now except she knew Skye wouldn’t get the game. She would look at T.J. as a potential husband, just the way Jed wanted her to.

“What are you thinking?” T.J. asked.

“That I can’t figure you out. You can’t have us both.”

He leaned in and kissed her again. “That’s okay with me.”

Then his mouth was on hers again. The kiss was insistent, taking and giving with equal passion. Izzy wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her lips.

He deepened the kiss. He used his hands to roam her body, then he discovered the side zip on her strapless sundress.

She felt the tug. Acting on instinct, she stood so when he pulled down the zipper, the dress fell, leaving her wearing nothing but a thong and high heels.

T.J. didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed her hand and led her into his bedroom. While she pulled down the covers, he quickly removed his clothing. Then they were naked.

He pulled her to him and they fell onto the bed. His hands were everywhere, touching, teasing, pushing. He made love with an intensity that left her breathless. He drove her to the edge and pushed in right as she began to climax.

When they were done, he stared down into her eyes and smiled.

“I knew you’d be good,” he told her.

“Yeah?”

But instead of contentment, she felt awkward and dirty. As if she’d done something wrong. Figuring out why didn’t take an advanced degree in psychology. This had a whole lot to do with her competition with Skye. In theory, she’d just won the round. So why did she feel so much like throwing up?

SKYE EASED her horse west, heading for the larger herd of Cassidy cattle. Fidela had said Mitch was checking on them this afternoon. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his visit that morning and thought if she saw him and talked to him and maybe he pissed her off, she could clear her head. She had enough going on that she didn’t need to be mentally preoccupied with him, too.

She saw him on the north side of the herd. One of the dogs caught her scent, spun and barked. Mitch reined in his horse before turning toward her. She watched him ride closer.

He moved easily in the saddle, despite the loss of his leg and his time away from the ranch. Maybe that was something the body didn’t forget. Maybe the movement was so familiar it was ingrained in the muscles. Like making love.

He looked good-like something out of a movie. Tall and straight. Powerful.

Sexy.

She didn’t want to think about his body or touching him or how he made her feel things no one else had, but the images were there, along with the memories. The feel of his hands on her body haunted her.

He rode up to her, his cowboy hat shading his eyes.

“You’re getting around,” she said, motioning to the horse.

“He’s trained special so he doesn’t expect anything from my left foot. I can mount on the other side, as well. Which makes it easier.”

“They can do that?”

He grinned. “A horse isn’t born expecting a rider at all, Skye.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way. Arturo find him for you?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s a good man. You’re lucky to have him.”

“I know.”

She felt a little awkward and not sure what to say. She wanted to know more about how Mitch was doing with his leg. He was off crutches, which was good. But was he allowing himself to continue to heal? Was he pushing too much? Then she reminded herself it wasn’t her business. That they weren’t together. In fact, a case could be made that Mitch was the enemy.

“What’s going on, Skye?” he asked. “You came looking for me for a reason.”

There were a thousand things she could say, but she settled on the truth. “I thought we could fight.”

“What?”

“I’m having a bad day. No. Make that a bad quarter. The foundation is still shaky. We’ve confirmed the second set of books were loaded remotely, which means Garth has been able to break through our computer security. I have staff members who are thinking of quitting. I told my CFO what’s happening and, while she’s sympathetic, I don’t know how long she’s going to stay. As she pointed out, in this business, reputation is everything. People think I’m dishonest. I can’t stand that.”

“No one who knows you thinks that.”

“What about the grandmother in Indiana who sent in five dollars? What does she think? Or the kid in Reno who goes to bed hungry because instead of sending the food bank a check we had to pay lawyers and computer experts? What will they think of me?”

He moved his horse closer and touched her arm. “They don’t know who you are,” he said gently.

“Not specifically. But they’ll hear that someone in the foundation took a bunch of money. They’ll believe I did that to them.”

“You can only fight the battle you’re in. The others have to wait.”

He was being reasonable. Talk about annoying. “I hate Garth. I swear, if I get the chance, I’m going to crush him like a bug.”

“I’ll help.”

She looked at him. “I want to believe you.”

“Give it time. You will.”

She smiled. “Such confidence.”

“You know me, Skye. Am I wrong?”

She shook her head. Given time and motivation, Mitch could do anything he wanted-especially where she was concerned.

“Besides,” he said. “I owe you. You were there for me when my parents died. That was a hard summer. You made it bearable.”

She wasn’t sure she wanted to think about that summer when Mitch had suffered and she’d tried to help and they’d fallen in love.

“Anyone else would have done the same,” she said.

“But it wasn’t anyone. It was you.”

“I wanted to help,” she said. “Which isn’t exactly a selfless reason, so don’t make too much of it. I felt so trapped and spineless back then. Once I got home from finishing school, Jed started talking about me getting married. I felt like it was the 1800s and I was the plantation owner’s daughter.”