Chapter 100 Sweet

Chapter 100 Sweet
“Thank you.” I turned and walked to the chairs that sat across from Annie’s desk. So far, so good. I’d hoped Howard wouldn’t be in this early and I’d been right. I picked up one of the magazines and pretended to read it while I scanned the room, looking for any way I could get into that office before Howard showed up. At least I had a cover story. He had asked me to come to his office this morning to discuss his job offer. Obviously, there was no way in hell I was even considering it, but it would at least keep him from being suspicious as to why I was there.
I was starting to get concerned that I’d never find a way in when Annie stood and walked away from her desk. I didn’t know where she was going, but that wasn’t my concern. Before I could talk myself out of it, I got up and hurried over to the door. For a moment, I was afraid it was going to be locked, but it wasn’t. The doorknob turned easily and I pushed the door open. I glanced behind me and didn’t see Annie, so I slipped inside.
The office was just as neat as the one in his mansion, though I doubted this one had a side room with a bed. Then again, maybe it did. Not that I was eager to find out. I just wanted that briefcase. Fortunately, it was sitting on the desk... right next to a stack of files. Forgetting that I wasn’t supposed to be here, that I was trying to find evidence to incriminate the man I’d been falling in love with, I crossed to the desk with only one thing on my mind: Patricia. If I didn’t have anything else, I needed her file. Her father deserved to know that he was right about her not running off, and the file would at least give the police somewhere to start looking again.
I started going through the pile. I planned on taking all of them, but I had to make sure hers was there first. A wave of relief went through me when I saw it. I picked it up and opened it to make sure that the contents were there.
That was when I heard noise behind me.
An arm wrapped around me.
A cloth came towards my face, the sickly sweet chemical smell telling me this wasn’t going to end well.
Before I could scream or move or fight back, my vision grayed, then the darkness swallowed me.



My head was pounding before I was even fully aware that I was waking up. My tongue felt thick, my mouth dry, filled with a cloying medicinal taste. I almost gagged as the darkness that had enveloped me started to recede. I managed to stop myself from making any noise. I couldn’t remember what had happened, but I knew it hadn’t been anything good. I searched my memory for clues and it all came back to me in a rush.
Files at Howard’s office.
Someone grabbing me from behind.
Fuck.
Now I wanted to know if it had been Howard or Gavin who’d grabbed me.
Before I opened my eyes, though, I needed to further assess my situation. I didn’t feel any pain other than in my head, and that was fading. At least that was good. As I continued to take my inventory, I realized that I was lying on my back. My arms and legs were spread out and I felt something around my wrists and ankles.
Panic flooded through me. I was tied up, spread-eagle, and since the surface beneath me was soft, I was willing to bet I was in a bed.
Shit.
I tried to stay calm by telling myself that at least I was wearing clothes, but it wasn’t working. I just kept thinking about how I was tied up and all of the horrible things it could mean.
I heard a soft chuckle and tensed. It wasn’t Gavin. I knew that now. That meant it had to be Howard. A flare of anger burned through the panic, and I let it. I thought of all of the things Howard had done and let myself get more and more angry. Then, when all of the fear had been replaced, I opened my eyes.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at me with a cold smile and colder eyes. I quickly looked around and saw that we were in the members’ room at club Privé. He hadn’t taken me back to his place, which was good. Being here was bad, but not as bad as it would’ve been if I’d been someplace completely unfamiliar. I knew the layout of the club and if I could get free, I could escape.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t take you long to wake up,” he said. He reached out and brushed the back of his knuckles across my cheek. I jerked my head away, half-expecting him to hit me. Instead, he just laughed. “This is going to be fun.”
I swallowed hard and tried not to let him see how much his words freaked me out.
“I knew you were there, by the way,” he continued in a conversational tone. “Back at my mansion, in my office.”
I couldn’t stop the look of surprise. He’d known? Why hadn’t he done something then? I’d obviously been somewhere I didn’t have permission to be. He could have easily thrown me out.
That was it, I realized. He hadn’t wanted to make me leave the party. He’d wanted me here, like this. What I didn’t understand was why he hadn’t just tied me up back at his place. No one would’ve noticed that I was gone, and it could’ve been an easy excuse that I was sick. Why wait the whole weekend and let me come back to the city?
“I can see those wheels turning in that pretty little head of yours,” Howard said.
Now he didn’t just look like one of those old-time movie stars. He sounded like he was spouting some of their cheesy dialogue. How did he get women this way?
“Did you really think I wouldn’t have cameras outside my office and that my security staff wouldn’t let me know the moment someone went inside?”