Falling For The Enemy

Accomplishing something worthwhile. Paige turned his words over in her mind. Was his definition of worthwhile based on how much money it made him? “What do you believe makes an accomplishment worthwhile? Is it based on ethical considerations or monetary results? What criteria do you use for judging it?”

He leveled a serious gaze at her. “That sounds like a loaded question. Why don’t you tell me what’s really on your mind?”

An uncomfortable shiver moved through Paige’s body. Bryce seemed to be reading her mind. She should never have said anything about ethics. The words had just sort of slipped out before she could stop them. She took a deep breath and slowly expelled it before responding, but it didn’t stop the nervous tingle.

“I didn’t have anything particular on my mind,” she said. “I guess I must have worded my question badly. I was only wondering if you were talking about your business activities or your charitable concerns.”

“Why do you think there would be any difference in the way the two areas are handled?” he asked. “Ethics apply to both circumstances, and monetary results are simply a way of measuring business success, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of everything. I like to think that I treat all situations with the same consideration, the same rules applying regardless of the type of project.”

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to imply that—”

“Forget it, Bradford.” He clipped his words. “No harm done.” Bryce rose from his chair and took two dinner trays from the refrigerator and put them into the microwave.

When Paige had gotten up this morning from a good night’s sleep, she’d had no idea that she would be on her way to London in a private jet before the day was through with the very man who had been the focus of all her energy for the past six months—the man she had sworn would pay for what he had done to her father.

She sipped her wine while she watched Bryce locate the silverware and napkins and some place mats for the table. He seemed to be pure nonstop energy. Paige couldn’t imagine how many things must be going around inside his mind at one time. She considered that maybe she could just ask him about what happened between him and her father, but immediately dismissed it as being a totally unacceptable idea. There was no way that she trusted him to be honest with her in spite of his little speech about handling all things in an ethical manner. Maybe that speech fooled some people, but not her.

She knew if she even alluded to who she was, it would put him on his guard, then she would never be able to dig out the truth. He might even end up destroying some of the evidence she needed. She had maneuvered herself into an excellent position to find out what had really happened. It was better to simply continue with the plan that was already in place.

The image of her father slumped over his desk with the gun still in his hand had been burned into her memory. He had left a hand-written note that said:

I’m sorry, Paige. There was no other way. Please forgive my weakness.

She had found a partially destroyed file folder smoldering in the fireplace. What remained of the file made no more sense to her than her father’s suicide note, but she had saved it anyway. She was shocked to find that her father’s company was in such deep financial trouble. That he had long ago cashed in his life insurance. That even his house was mortgaged to the hilt. She sold the house and what little money that remained was barely enough to pay for his funeral.

Everything would have been all right if Bryce Lexington hadn’t suddenly cut off negotiations with her father for the purchase of Franklin Industries. The worst part, and the thing that had aroused her suspicions, was that he managed to gain control of her father’s company anyway and at a fraction of the original price—literally pennies on the dollar. What would happen to the people who depended on Franklin Industries to support their families? Would he throw them out like yesterday’s newspaper? The fate of her father’s employees was a situation that bothered her a great deal. So far the company was still in operation, but for how long? Somehow she had to find a way to ensure that their jobs were protected, but she didn’t have a clue how…yet.

Since then Paige had made finding out everything about Bryce Lexington her number-one priority. He was thirty-eight years old and stood six-one. He possessed a genius IQ, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen. By the time he turned twenty-one he had earned a bachelor’s degree in history, a second bachelor’s degree in fine art and a master’s degree in business administration. Certainly an unusual combination of educational interests and pursuits. He spoke fluent French, German, Italian and Spanish. What she had not found was any record of him ever being married, something she thought very odd.

Bryce seemed to have fooled everyone into believing he was quite a remarkable man, but she knew better. One way or another she intended to get the proof she needed and prove his responsibility in her father’s suicide.

Paige slowly shook her head from side to side. In spite of all the information she had gathered about him, he was not what she had expected. She caught herself just in time. For a moment she had been about to admit that she was impressed, that there was a little bit of admiration on her part, but that would never do. She needed to keep herself focused on her true purpose. She had to find proof that his unethical business practices were responsible for ruining her father and do what she could to protect the jobs of his employees. She took another sip of wine as her gaze wandered back to Bryce.

The intensity of his eyes and the concentrated energy of his stare startled her. Her swallow of wine went down the wrong way, causing a choking cough.

He took the wineglass from her hand and set it on the table, a look of genuine concern crossing his face. “Are you all right?”

“Yes…” She pulled in a deep breath, then another. “I’m…I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes…thank you. I guess the wine just went down the wrong way.” Why had he been staring at her like that? Had she done something wrong? Had her thoughts somehow managed to slip out as spoken words? Was he suspicious of her? If he was on to her real intentions, she would never be able to find the answers she needed.

The timer on the microwave signaled that the meals were ready. He took out the trays and placed them on the table. “Dinner is served.”

“It smells good.” Paige picked up her fork and took a bite of the baked chicken.

Bryce explained the details of his business to his new assistant while they ate, making a concentrated effort to keep his tone and manner impersonal and not stray to other topics. It took more diligence than he had originally anticipated. Paige had managed to capture his senses and captivate his desire quicker than any woman he had ever met. He desperately wanted to reach out and stroke her hair, touch her flawless skin…and taste her lips. It was an urge he fought off. It would never do, putting himself at risk that way when there was so much at stake.

Her comments about ethics and money continued to nag at his consciousness. It had been an odd exchange of words, almost as if she had been challenging him based on some hidden information. Could that have been part of her agenda, what she had been searching for? But for what purpose? He forced his mind back to the business at hand, choosing to save his speculation for later.

“We have four projects that require my personal attention in London. First we have a buyout of a small London publishing company. Next is the merger of my leather-goods factory with a string of small exclusive boutiques in London and Paris where my company will retain an overall fifty-one percent ownership. Then there’s a contract for my public relations firm in New York to represent a British import-export company in the United States. The last project is a proposal to provide original works of art from new and promising artists in the States to one of the most prestigious art galleries in London.”

As soon as they finished eating, Bryce handed her four file folders. Their hands touched for the briefest of moments, sending a seductive warmth through his body. He abruptly jumped to his feet, clipping his words as he spoke. “I have several things to dictate into my recorder, so while I’m doing that I want you to familiarize yourself with the contents of these files. They’ll give you details about the four projects I mentioned.”

With that, he turned and hurried to the back of the plane and disappeared into the back cabin. He had to get away from Paige, from the sensual reaction he had to her proximity. He leaned against the closed door and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He was accustomed to being in charge of everything that went on around him. He did not like this lack of control that jittered around inside him—a feeling he knew was directly attributable to the sudden presence of Paige Bradford in his life. He took another deep breath, but it didn’t help. It did nothing to calm his inner turmoil.

He picked up the small recorder and turned his thoughts to the speech he would be making at an upcoming charity event.

Paige stared at the closed cabin door where Bryce had disappeared from sight. He had certainly managed to skillfully sidestep her questions about ethical behavior. She felt a tightening in her throat and an unsettled stirring in the pit of her stomach. She did not know if it was a result of her irritation over his abrupt departure and rude manner or something far more personal.

All of his actions were abrupt. He was obviously a very busy man who simply did not have time for long-drawn-out explanations and conversations, but that did not excuse his curt manner. She allowed herself a huff of indignation. A little common courtesy was not asking too much, even of a busy man.

Her jaw involuntarily clenched for a moment as she tried to banish the strange feelings that had been churning inside her for the past hour. She seemed to be caught between what she knew about the Bryce Lexington who hid behind that too-good-to-be-true image he projected to the public and the reality of the dynamic man who had invaded her life like an unstoppable force of nature.

She took a calming breath. It did not help. She took another deep breath, held it for several seconds, then slowly exhaled. Paige picked up a file folder and tried to concentrate on the documents. She read the first page, then realized she hadn’t a clue as to what she had just read. Instead of seeing the words on the page, she saw a vivid likeness of Bryce Lexington. He had managed to have a disruptive effect on her without even being in the same room.

There were several things she did not know about Bryce Lexington the man rather than Bryce Lexington the corporate giant, things she wanted to know—things she needed to know. And none of them had anything to do with her father, her need to protect the jobs of her father’s employees or her chosen mission to expose the unethical side of Bryce Lexington’s business practices.

She tried to get rid of those errant bits of curiosity. She already knew quite a bit about him, but she still lacked the proof of his culpability in her father’s death. If she could find that proof she could use it to force him to do something honorable, to secure the jobs of her father’s employees rather than tossing them out on the street.

She certainly couldn’t trust Bryce to do it on his own. She had learned all about trust from her ex-husband…trusting anyone was something that no longer came easily for her. Once trust had been destroyed, rebuilding it was a long process. And it was a process that she hadn’t really started to investigate, one that had not been necessary. She had no need to place that type of trust in anyone else. She could take care of herself.

She breathed a little bit easier as she regained control of her wandering emotions. It had only been a fleeting lapse of judgment and she would not allow it to happen again. She had initially been thrown off balance by the overwhelming magnitude of his dynamic presence, the way he had dominated the large office where they met. After all, she was only human, and even though he was the enemy, that did not negate that he was an undeniably sexy and desirable man.

But Paige had it under control now. No doubt about it. From this moment on their relationship would be business only. No more errant thoughts or idle musings for her. Bryce had given her a great deal of material to look over and she was not about to give him any reason to be dissatisfied with her work. This job was the perfect place for her to carry out her plan and she was determined to go through with it. One way or the other, she would make Bryce Lexington pay for what he’d done.

She stared at the file folders he had given her to study. Then the idea popped into her head. At first it was only an inkling, then it exploded into a full-blown plan. One of these files could give her solid proof of his wrongdoing. Four different projects—surely at least one of them would disclose some underhanded dealings on his part? It would give her written evidence of his ethics and what wasn’t in the files would be something she could observe firsthand since she would be present at the meetings. It would be a big step in proving Bryce’s duplicity.

Her excitement grew as she picked up the folder and began to search the contents for the proof she needed.

Two

Bryce stayed in the rear cabin and continued his dictation—reports, letters, memos. He finished the last letter then clicked off the recorder as he glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight Los Angeles time. He left the cabin and walked through the plane, coming to a halt next to the table. Paige’s head rested on top of the opened file, her eyes closed. Her slow, even breathing told him she was asleep. He stared at her for a moment. The hard edge he had put on his feelings softened as he continued to gaze at her. She was truly lovely. If only he could figure out what was on her hidden agenda.

He carefully picked her up and carried her to the back cabin. She stirred, but only snuggled farther into his arms without waking. It was a small thing, but the intimate gesture touched off a rush of excitement deep inside him. He held her in his arms a moment longer than necessary before gently placing her on the bed. He removed her shoes, then pulled a blanket over her and left the cabin.

Bryce poured himself a glass of wine, then sat at the table, his forehead creased in deep concentration as his thoughts turned to the situation at hand. He pictured the beautiful woman who had snuggled so enticingly in his arms and thought back to her comments about ethical behavior and monetary results. I don’t know what you’re up to, Paige Franklin Bradford, but I think finding out is going to be a very interesting adventure.

An image of Paige appeared in his mind’s eye. An uncomfortable shiver made its way up his spine. He wanted to rid himself of the image and everything implied that went with it. He wanted to, but he didn’t seem to be able to force himself to do it. The delightful image played over and over in his mind.

He knew he needed to be very careful in how he proceeded. If she did, indeed, have some sort of hidden agenda as Joe had suggested, then any misstep on his part would only provide her with more fuel. Bryce had to make sure everything was totally proper and aboveboard—a thought that led him back to his curiosity over her comment about business ethics.

He leaned back in the recliner, closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He needed to get some sleep. A few minutes later his conscious thoughts were replaced by the subconscious workings of his mind.

The private jet streaked its way eastward through the night sky, eventually traveling into daylight.

Paige woke with a start as the morning sun shone through the window and landed on her face. She sat up abruptly and looked around, trying to get her bearings. She knew she was still on the jet, but did not recall leaving the main cabin. Nor did she remember exactly when she fell asleep, other than the fact that it was somewhere during file number three. Her suitcase sat on the floor by the bed and her shoes were next to it. She took a quick shower. As soon as she finished dressing she went to the main cabin.