In Bed with the Boss

Chapter Six

Lockwood Corduroy observed as her cheeks' hue faded as the daylight streamed in through the windows.

He muttered to himself, "Your game's up, beauty," wondering how she could have been so foolish as to believe he wouldn't find out what was happening in her presence. Not that she had not been intelligent; she was. The sums made sense. The majority of people would not have seen what he had.

Most individuals didn't share his lack of confidence in the goodness of humanity.

Her account first seemed to show little more than a startup company struggling to get off the ground. She also seemed to want to be sociable and talkative, which is a tactic that would have worked better with a man who wasn't as sceptical and had more prior experience with her s*x than he did. Maria struck me as personable, upbeat, and unusually open.

Her admittance of dissatisfaction that her business ought to be profitable by now may have impressed a different man.

A different man may have been able to accept her innocence.

She was a selfish, unscrupulous woman, which was fortunate for him and tragic for her. If that hadn't been the case, he might never have had reason to suspect that Café Brazil wasn't what it purported to be and that Maria wasn't nearly the compassionate, forgiving boss she claimed to be.

She dared to come here and urge him to keep funding her little scheme, which is simply another example of her greed and lack of morality.

In normal circumstances, he would have assigned one of his employees to solve the issue, but in Maria's case, he had decided to deal with her directly.

A simmering, smouldering rage began to fester within him as he observed her well-maintained hair and fingernails. She appeared spoiled and secure, and it was clear that she didn't understand what adversity meant. Did she have any idea what it was like to be hungry and cold? Did she have any idea how it would have felt to try to sleep without a roof over her pretty little head?

No, of course, she didn’t. Why would she?

He was prepared to wager that choosing which heels to pair with which clothing had been her hardest challenge to date in life.

He initially rejected her request for a meeting when she first contacted him. Why waste his time on her? But later, he had chosen a different strategy.

Retribution.

Maria had shattered lives and was about to shatter more.

She should be compelled to bear the costs of her dishonest actions. She should be made to suffer. Although he hadn't made up his mind yet, he was working on it.

He could tell he had made the right choice as he looked at her now, expecting him to extend his financing in her firm, dressed in a suit that had probably cost an outrageous amount of money and sporting shoes that screamed of sensuality.

He quietly pondered how far she was willing to go to convince him as he observed her delicate ankles and the gentle curve of her calf. She regretted that he never allowed his personal and professional lives to mix because there had been a strong spark between them from the time she grabbed her heel on the walkway. She had squatted to remove her shoe, and that movement had given him a seductive glimpse of a lacy white bra and creamy cleavage. Her softly parted lips formed a quiet gasp as her silky blonde sheet of hair swept forward over her face as she battled to maintain balance.

For a brief period, the fury that had been building within him had been smothered by a burst of intensely passionate masculine want.

And then she noticed him. and had held onto her briefcase like it was a lifebelt. His libido had been satisfied and he had been reminded of her presence just by that gesture.

Money.

Except for her glossy hair, alluring cleavage, and long legs, Maria was just another avaricious woman.

Thoughts of John raced around in the back of his mind, but he resisted them with deadly tenacity, directing all of his rages instead toward Maria.

No wonder her father hadn’t come, he thought bitterly. They certainly didn't want anything to mar the immaculate, virginal image she projected in her white shirt and her gleaming, well-groomed hair. If she had been in front of a court and jury, they would have found her not guilty of murder.

She was frozen in place and looked appropriately perplexed as she thought about his inquiry.‘Why would I have trouble sleeping at night?’ She had a kind demeanour, a flawless complexion, and was as English as clotted cream.

He was willing to bet she’d had a traditional English upbringing. She had probably gone to one of those starched ladies' boarding schools where they taught the basic life lesson of how to separate a man from his money.

The typical strategy was to get married to a wealthy man, divorce him, and then take him to task. The three female money makers are Reel in a rich guy, Rip him off, and Retire.

He wondered why Maria hadn’t taken that route. Maybe she thought it was too much trouble.

He resisted the urge to confront her with the knowledge he had and get the meeting over with as soon as possible.

That approach made it all a bit too easy for her, didn’t it? She would probably initially argue somewhat, bluster, and deny everything until she realised how much he knew, and then she would probably use tears or s*x to convince him not to marry Maria. In either case, she would take a flight back to London without the loan, and the situation would be over.

And he didn’t want it to be the end.

She was going to suffer. He wanted her to experience some of the anxiety and apprehension that she had caused in others. She was also anxious, and he could see it in her eyes. Despite the act, Maria was nervous.

‘Why would you think I might not be able to sleep at night?’ Her eyes were blue and big. Do you mean that I'm concerned about how we'll pay off our bills if you cancel your loan?

No, he hadn’t meant that, but he decided to go along with her. "Are you concerned?"

‘Of course.’ She gave him a timid grin, but it was cut short by his stern gaze."So many people depend on me, but you just have to push that out of your head, don't you, or you'd go crazy,"

Leaning back in his chair, he observed her while looking for imperfections. Any sign that she had a human streak. Any sign of remorse. However, nothing was there. There was only the slightest hint of suspicion that he was being unreasonable. So you don't consider other people?

She frowned slightly. 'Well, it's hard not to when you're in charge of their income, but you mustn't let emotion affect what needs to be done otherwise everyone suffers,' the speaker said.

This time, he could not stop the evil and fatal memories from entering his brain.

Suddenly he was eight years old again. Eight years old and alone. Starving hungry. Frightened. Lost in the John. surrounded by strange and ominous noises that all indicated danger. He struggled to escape the John tentacles of his past as freezing sweat covered his body and Maria Blake sprang up and paced toward the window.

He stopped moving for a second to calm his breathing, and then he turned to face her without displaying any emotion."So, would you say that you're ruthless?"

‘Honestly?’ The corners of her soft mouth lifted. ‘No, I’m not. But I don't think being vicious is a must for corporate success.

‘What about deceitful and manipulative?’ Lockwood spoke impartially. Are those characteristics, in your opinion, vital for business advancement?

She stared at him. "I don't know where this conversation is going," you say.

‘No?’ But she was wondering, she had to be.

And suddenly he decided on a course of action.

He was going to show her the consequences of her actions. Personally. And, in doing so, he was going to make sure that she suffered. struggled. His gaze was drawn to the cute little suit and beautiful shoes with the high, thin heel. Oh, yes, she was going to suffer.

In general, the removal procedure was the only aspect of women's apparel that piqued his curiosity, but he was aware that four-inch heels and the jungle weren't the best matches.‘Did you pack a bag, Miss Bella?’

‘For what?’

‘I want you to stay for a few days, as my guest.’ He forced himself to ignore the unsettlingly vivid vision of her naked body curled up in his luxurious guest bedroom and instead imagined her making her way through a gnarly forest in a pair of heels intended for a quick trip around a glittering shopping centre.‘You’ve come all this way. While you're here, there are a few things I'd like to show you.

Like snakes, spiders, and more jungle than you’ve ever dreamed of.

The wariness in her eyes grew. "Just a moment ago, you told me I only had ten minutes. Why would you suddenly invite me to stay?’

Because he was going to drive her tension levels into outer space. He was going to make her regret it after that. Really, sorry.

He muttered, trying to hide the cynicism in his tone, "Miss Bella, I'm always impressed by determination.‘You’ve earned yourself extra time.’

There was a flicker of hope in her eyes. "You're willing to extend my time?"

‘Provided you agree to let me show you the magic of our rainforest.’ She gave him a warm, trusting grin, as though his smooth tone hadn't raised any red flags.

‘Thank you so much.’ She clasped her hands in front of her. "You won't be sorry, "We can chat on the journey.’

Chat? Lockwood gave her an astonished look and debated whether to point out that the phrase didn't exist in his lexicon before realising that she had no idea what was in store for her.

When he was done with her, she was more likely to be screaming than conversing.

He sighed, "I look forward to showing you some of the rare and beautiful sights of my country."I would love the chance to take you to some areas that I think would be interesting."

While observing the hue that touched her cheeks, he lazily speculated that one of them might very well be his bedroom. It was true that he preferred to keep his personal and professional lives separate, but Maria Bella couldn't be considered a business because he would personally see to it that her business was done. Which allowed him to legitimately focus on enjoying himself.

‘I hadn’t planned on sightseeing.’

‘I’m talking about visiting the fazenda. the farm that provides your chain with coffee. It's appropriate for you to be more knowledgeable about the goods you sell. He closely observed her, but all she did was smile, which gave her cheeks dimples and made her appear much younger.

‘I couldn’t agree more. I’d love to visit the coffee growers. When we first set up the agreement, my father insisted on doing that part. What a fantastic idea.

Lockwood wanted to chuckle at the spur of the moment while ignoring the dimples and the instant fire in his loins.

For the sheer bald front, you couldn’t fault her. She had to be wondering by this point how much he knew about her, but she showed no sign of guilt. Or worry over his suggestion to take her far into the jungle. She simply stood there wearing a superbly tailored Armani suit and balancing on four-inch heels, as if she had packed for and routinely engaged in leisure activities such as hiking through the Brazilian rainforest.

She had no notion what it was like to traverse the bush in the heat and humidity.

Five minutes, he said to himself with grim satisfaction. It would just take five minutes for her to start yelling about snakes and insects and start clinging to him.

Without the heels, the clothing, and the lip gloss, she would be defenceless.

And she’d turn to him.

And then he’d move in for the kill.

‘Then I will arrange it for tomorrow.’ Maria Blake rose to her feet."While you wait, one of the staff members will lead you to a room where you can change into something cosy."

‘Staff?’

‘Of course, staff.’ He raised an eyebrow in mockery. You believed this to be a one-man band, right? Do you suppose I eat pineapples while swinging through the trees in a loincloth?

‘Pineapples don’t grow in the Atlantic rainforest.’

She knew that much, then. Which was more than the previous woman he had brought, who had been doing her nails throughout all of her geography lessons.

‘I keep a team of staff in all my houses. My professional life is more productive as a result. Your bag has already been taken up. I’ll see you at dinner. Maria will prepare some local delicacies.’ He was expecting her to tremble with fear, but all she did was smile. ‘Delicious. Thank you. You’re very kind.’ Kind?

Over the years women had called him many things but never that. Lockwood looked for irony, but all he could see was a straightforward, clever smile.

The smile raked at his nerves. If she was worried, she wasn't showing it, and now he was even more eager to seriously damage her composure.

By the time he’d finished with her, she wouldn’t be smiling. Her feet would be blistered, her skin would be covered with mosquito bites, and she would be cold and miserable. She would also think twice before she took advantage of someone else again.

But if she played her cards right, he might be willing to give her some physical comfort.

As soon as he felt in complete control of the circumstance, he returned his focus to the long list of phone calls that were waiting for him.

After their conversation, Maria walked the housekeeper, Maria, up the narrow wooden stairs to her bedroom feeling a little uneasy. She wasn't sure if she should be happy that her original deadline of ten minutes had been extended or concerned that she would now have to spend more time with Lockwood Corduroy.

She’d expected him to be tough and ruthless. After all, wasn't that his reputation? She just didn't anticipate him to be nearly as threatening and chilly.

But it was probably her fault, she thought gloomily. There was no denying that her company's financial statements were anything but stellar. And he wasn't the kind of man to overlook youth and inexperience. He wasn’t a man who made allowances for anything.