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“Um…” So much for hardening up. I came here braced for Bishops, but I never expected to get weird goosebumps from their overly friendly receptionist. “Theo.”
“Theo.” She purrs – she fuckingpurrsmy name – and meets me in the middle of the waiting area, then circles me as though I were a cow at show. “You’re handsome as hell, Theo. You go to the gym often?”
My brows shoot high when her hand slides over the small of my back.
What is this security system they have in the way of a three-hundred-pound woman? She wasn’t Griffin-supplied, but she’s far and away the best anti-terror device I’ve ever seen.
“Theo?”
“Um…” I clear my throat. “I like to work out.”
Finishing her revolution and stopping in front of me, she looks up and flashes a pearly white grin. “You do the squats, don’t you, sugar? Your butt is like a shelf.”
“Um…”
“Dolly!”
My heart spins out of control when the pregnant twin I’ve spent all week studying steps around the corner and scowls at the heavy receptionist. She – Jessica – walks with a kind of waddle, has a hand permanently attached to her back, and her hair tied up in a high ponytail that isn’t nearly as sleek as it was in all of the images that have slid across my screens.
She’s normally so high-market and perfect, but in person, she’s just super pregnant and a little tired. No fancy heels, no designer jeans, she wears sweatpants and sneakers. The sweats are hers, at least. As in, they fit her well, show off sexy thighs, stop above a pair of Nikes, and the thick waistband rests below her swollen stomach. She wears a form-fitting, three-quarter-sleeved shirt, so front on, she looks pretty fucking sexy, but when she turns a little to the side, you see the real picture.
There are definitely two in there; perhaps twelve.
“You leave this nice man alone, Dolly. Jesus. Why do you have to terrorize every penis that walks through here?”
“Because he’s so damn handsome.” Dolly takes Jessica’s hand as though the girl needs the help to stand. “Look at his jaw, Miss Fancy. Look at his eyes. He’s so pretty.”
“And you’re edging toward a sexual harassment charge.” Jessica rolls her eyes and stops just three feet in front of me. As in, her face is three feet away, but her stomach is much closer. “Hello.” She extends a hand and smiles. “My name is Jess Lenaghan, welcome to Checkmate.”
I take her hand and wait for the electric shock. I’ve walked into the lion’s den, but no one knows me here. I’ve walked into enemy territory, and everyone is so relaxed that the most vulnerable one, the pregnant one, greets me.
“Hi, Jess. My name’s Theo.”
She gives my hand a fast pump that assures me she’s not shy. Stepping back when we disconnect, she leans against Dolly’s tall desk and practically pants, as though she just ran a race. “This is our place – we specialize in home security using the very best technology on the market,”Yeah, Griffin technology, “and we have the very best men to install and monitor it. I’m not actually employed here, but I’m slowing down at my real job as we prep forthis.” She points at her belly. “Our guys are out back, screwing around with a new system that arrived, so here I am doing their damn job. Maybe I can help you find what you need?”
She flashes a dazzling smile and proves how she brought Kane Bishop to his knees. She’s beautiful, and her kind greeting fucks with my head.
These people are the enemy, and maybe they haven’t sent their most vulnerable out at all. Maybe she’s their weapon; she seduces the enemy with her smile, and then the rest come up and take a man out.
The back of my neck tingles, and I swing my head around to check. But no one stands behind me. Turning back, I meet Jess’ eyes as she watches me with a lifted brow. She’s not impatient, just curious.
“It’s faulty!” a deep voice booms from the back. “It’s a piece of shit prototype bullshit thing. Just send it back, get them to replace it. If they don’t, we’ll shop elsewhere.”
Jess blushes when our eyes meet. “Our security tech rep told us about his company’s new system they’re looking to roll out onto the market. He sent one out for us to try, but I guess our guys aren’t smart enough to figure it out. They say it’s faulty, but I’m saying they didn’t read the instructions properly.”
A part of me wants to go back there, to walk among the murderers and thieves. I want to see their faces as my tech outsmarts them, and while they’re busy reading the upside-down manual, take them out and end this war. But then a second beautiful woman steps into the reception space. A face I recognize.
She moves to Jess’ side, but her eyes remain on me. “Hey there, big chief. You need something?”
“Sophia Solomon,” Jess waves from the new face to me. “This is Theo. So far, he’s been solicited by Dolly, learned of our incompetence while the idiots out back cry about how dumb they are, and hasn’t asked to touch my belly once.”
“Keeps looking at it though, doesn’t he?”
“Sophia Solomon?” My mind races past the hours and hours of data I’ve scanned the past week. Her name has popped far too often for her not to be important.
Dance studio. Millions in profits in just a year of teaching toddlers. Is she a threat to me? Physically, no. She looks the part of a ballet teacher; tiny, thin,waifish. But she’s not clean, no matter how cute she thinks she looks in tight jeans and glossy lips.
She walked through the back to get here. She’s banked money that doesn’t belong to her. That makes her one of them, andthatmakes her the enemy. It makes her someone I desperately want to speak to. I want to know her secrets. I want to know who she’s working for at a ground level.
