Boss: Romantic Thriller Read online

  “We need to talk. I have come into some information that—”

  “Be quiet and watch.”

  Kassidy shrugged off her blazer and adjusted the plump rise of her breasts to the front of her dress. She eased out of the booth. Daniel looked as if he would stop her so she moved away from the table quickly. There was a bar toward the front lounge area to the restaurant. No one sat there. The bartender polished his glasses and took drink orders from the wait staff. She trained her sights on him and with her drink in hand started toward him.

  ***

  “Tarek, I, ah we, didn’t. I was only agreeing with Dale to see father. What we did, we did for father, and the family. Dale is right. You can’t keep us from him. He’s our father.”

  “Stop your whining,” Dale mumbled and ate his salad. “Henry isn’t your puppet. We are all his sons. And you won’t fucking keep me from him.”

  “Dale. Don’t.” Henry warned.

  Dale smirked.

  Henry sighed.

  The plates of food were set before them. Dale sat back with a Cheshire cat smile. “Mom says dad is improving. The stroke hasn’t erased his mind. You may have father’s proxy but that will mean nothing when dad gets out of that hospital you stuck him in. Henry has been very helpful in telling me what you’ve been up too lately, brother.”

  “He’s not listening,” Henry said after he cut-off Dale's taunting. “We’ve made our move it’s time for him to make his. C’mon guys we’re family. We shouldn’t be fighting. We need to find a way to work together... help father.”

  “Eat your fucking salad and stop your bitching,” Dale mumbled. Henry lowered his gaze. “Tarek and I understand each other. Don’t we little brother?”

  Tarek took down a hard toss of scotch from his tumbler. He and Dale were only six months apart in age difference. But of course Dale considered himself the older brother. Tarek set the glass down and his attention was averted from the table conversation. He narrowed his sights on a woman approaching the bar. He didn’t see her face. He didn’t lift his gaze in time. Instead his attention was riveted to her narrow waist, and shapely hips and backside. The sway of her hips wasn’t exaggerated, it was slight and suggestive. He watched her and felt that tug in his dick he often felt when a beauty caught his eye. She leaned in a bit to speak to the bartender. Her left foot went up like that of a damsel in need. The bartender gave her the sly smile most men gave when they saw someone appetizing. Without seeing her face, that hour glass figure of hers that gave her perfectly shaped ass a suggestive lift from her lean made it clear that she was indeed someone he’d want featured on the menu. Sex was a release. Boxing was a release. Drinking was a release. He needed these releases, to contain the rage that festered in his gut for two decades. A rage he never really understood, but always lived with him. And that was part of his vice—releasing rage through these escapes instead of dealing with what was so fucked up with his family. Yes, he was a man who loved his scotch and loved pussy. But even more he loved punishing those that betrayed him. Henry had betrayed him.

  “Tarek don’t be angry. I’m tired of being caught between you and Dale,” Henry said.

  He cut his gaze over to Henry and his brows lowered. The salad he didn’t touch was cleared away and the entree was served. Dale looked on quite amused but Henry had the look of fear. He was nothing but a weakling, unworthy of his time.

  “Dale’s right,” Tarek said. “Stop your fucking bitching and finish your salad.”

  ***

  “Did he look?” Kassidy asked when she returned to the leather booth. Daniel stared at her in disbelief.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he asked.

  “I told you. I can do this. I just went to the bar and the man is drooling. Stop fighting me. Tonight is the night.”

  “He’s not alone tonight Kassidy, that’s the point. Don’t you see his brothers over there?”

  “That’s not a problem—”

  “Walking past him and shaking your ass is ridiculous. It’s time we got to the truth. The real reason you want to get close to Tarek Marshall.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Daniel opened the laptop. He turned it around so the screen faced Kassidy and she could read what had him so deep in thought when she arrived. It was an old news article. One she kept in her scrapbook and read so many times she knew the words in the article by heart.

  “Is this your family?” he asked.

  “Are you investigating me?”

  “Carmen had concerns,” Daniel replied.

  “Carmen is a jealous witch Who never liked me. I've been working with you since 2012. Now you don't trust me?” Kassidy voice elevated unintentionally.

  “I trust you. I know you believe in what I believe in. But Carmen thought the Tarek Marshall job is personal for you. Now I know she’s right. Kassidy, I'm sorry for your loss. For the pain that monster caused. But I am not taking on a personal vendetta. Our fight is more important than that.”

  “Oh stop with your bullshit!” Kassidy said in a clenched teeth whisper. “Don't feed me fake concern. Yes, that is my family. The Turners and the Garcias. A tragic story that binds us always. It’s none of your business what happened in my past.”

  “Do you blame Tarek Marshall? Is this personal for you?”

  “I blame Tarek Marshall for many things. So what?”

  “You were dishonest Kassidy.”

  “My personal issues are your gain. Because with or without you I am going to take him down. You can either help me or get the hell out of my way.”

  Daniel removed his eyeglasses. “You're young, you're driven, I get it. You go into his world and he finds out who you are, how he knows you, it could destroy everything I've worked for. Because we are tied together.”

  “Then step back. This is on me. I only ask that you let me try. Don't upload your vlog. We aren’t ready to expose him and his family. You know that.”

  “I don’t like it.” Daniel insisted.

  “How about this? If I get close to him and learn anything of use to you, it’s yours 100% to do with as you decide. And if I get caught, that story of my past is my reason. Not your organization. I’m a lone wolf, with a childhood vendetta. And you can make that your by-line.”

  Daniel stared at her. He glanced over to the brothers sharing a meal. Kassidy gaze followed. Tarek looked her way. He chewed. He stared at her. His eyes were even darker in the distance. They looked as black as his soul.

  “Fuck. He's seen us together,” Daniel said.

  Kassidy smiled. “Then there's no turning back. Is there? You set this up Daniel. At least have the balls to see it through.”

  Daniel closed his laptop. He put it in his satchel. “I can’t stay. If he figures out who I am the game is up. I'm heading back to Texas tonight. I have a plane ticket for you on Delta. The flight leaves at nine out of Midway.”

  She watched Daniel wrap his scarf around his neck and ease out of the booth. He gave her a half-smile. “You're probably as dangerous as him aren’t you? Just don’t be reckless Kassidy. You need to trust us so we can trust you.”

  Kassidy shrugged. Daniel shook his head and walked away. Alone, Kassidy was served a fresh martini and kale salad. She switched seats at her table. She needed to face Tarek and his brothers without having to be caught staring. The men ate but none of them spoke or smiled. And then the first brother said a few words, got up, and left. The other two didn't glance his way.

  If Daniel was right and Tarek finished his meal and left with his brother she’d have to come up with another plan to get close to him. Ideas began to form. All of them felt desperate. And she was.

  The second brother, soon after finishing his wine spoke to Tarek. He seemed to be upset about something. Tarek barely shrugged off the comment and kept eating. After a tense moment between the two, the man got up and left. The waiter cleaned away the plates. He used a silver scraper to wipe off any crumbs left upon the white linen. He then served Tarek Marshall
another drink.

  Kassidy closed her eyes and the catalogue of memories flashed like an old picture show. She fast-forwarded past the girlhood dreams of unicorns and her father scaling a tall tower to rescue her from a fire breathing dragon. She recalled him speaking to Jesus Garcia about the Marshalls, and offering to help. The day the Turners and the Garcias became united.

  She shuddered. She tried to calm her nerves. After all she had rehearsed this moment for years. The day she would stand before Tarek Marshall as a woman not a child. Once her nervous energy calmed and she opened her eyes and focused on her mission.

  “Excuse me,” she said to a passing hostess.

  “Yes mam?”

  “Is that Tarek Marshall over there?”

  The hostess glanced over. “Why yes. That's Mr. Marshall.”

  “Can you give him this, and ask him if he'd mind if I join him for a drink?”

  She handed over her business card. The hostess looked at it and frowned. She seemed hesitant. “He doesn't like to be disturbed,” the woman said.

  “I understand. If he says no, I won't approach him. I'd like you to ask,” Kassidy insisted.

  The woman nodded. Kassidy watched the hostess as she walked over to Tarek's table. When the woman placed the card before him and then pointed at her, Kassidy raised her glass to him. Tarek stared at her. Kassidy made sure never to lower her gaze. His face wasn't welcoming. He said two words to the hostess then finished his drink. If Tarek declined, then Kassidy would have over played her hand. She’d meet Daniel and catch that flight back to Texas. But deep in her gut she believed he'd take the bait. She'd come too far and waited too long for this moment.

  “Ma’am, he asked that I escort you over.”

  Kassidy’s heart leaped. She grabbed her purse and scarf, and left her seat. For her first face to face meeting with Tarek Kassidy wore a dark blue fitted strapless dress with a short waist blazer. Kassidy had a figure like her mother, or so she was told. She was trim at her waistline but curvy in the hips and breasts. She felt the stares of other men whether she wore sweat pants or yoga pants. And in this dress the simple sway of her hips made half the restaurant silent, and watchful. Tarek glanced up at her and his gaze meshed with hers. The midnight darkness of his stare refused to release her. She drew close. His hardened features didn’t look as menacing. She absorbed the impact of his handsomeness. Tarek had a squared jawline, perfectly sculpted bone structure, and high cheekbones. His mouth was wide and sensual. A slight tilt to the corner and awareness seeped through her veins. It made her body tingle with a deep yearning that she would never admit too.

  Kassidy put on a sweet smile for him before taking her seat. “Mr. Marshall, I'm Angela Brown. I'm so pleased to finally meet you.”

  Tarek stood. He grew in height before her. She remembered him to be tall when she was younger, but often attributed that memory to her youth. He was exceptionally tall, sheathed in an expertly cut dark grey suit. He had a woodsy, spice aftershave smell with a tinge of something akin to cider.

  Kassidy extended her hand to him to keep the formality in place. He looked at her fingers and then his gaze lifted to level on her eyes. She stood stark still and kept her hand extended and waited. This only occurred in a matter of seconds, but for her it felt like hours. Never in her life had she been this nervous. Tarek’s large hand closed over her palm and fingers with gentle pressure and he accepted her handshake. His calloused palm glided slow and easy across hers as their hands parted. Instantly she felt an almost sensual welcoming—but she would not trust it. The darkness never left his eyes. He gestured for her to sit. She handed her things to the hostess and joined him. A wine glass was put before Kassidy. Whatever he was drinking with his dinner, before his scotch was poured from the bottle for her.

  “You're a financial consultant?” he asked and flipped her business card back and forth between his three middle fingers as a magician would do a coin that he’d make disappear. Even though the chair he occupied was straight-back he sat with a leaned posture and his gaze trained on her.

  “I am one of many consultants you've met at this convention I'm sure. But yes, I specialize in asset management, capital markets, mining, oil and gas industries. When I heard that this year MGS (Marshall Global Solutions) would be hosting The Natural Gas and Energy Expo I was excited to attend. Your company has an impressive global footprint.”

  “And we have more consultants than we need,” he said.

  “I like to consider myself more than just a consultant. Actually I disavow the word.”

  “Disavow?” Tarek chuckled.

  Kassidy smiled for him. “Consulting is a very broad, and misleading term. I'm more of an advisory. I work directly with my clients to give them guidance in their blind spots.”

  “You think my company has blind spots?” Tarek asked. The tension in her stomach radiated out. Its heat weakened her limbs and her tongue. The gleam in his eyes was his only warning. He was reading her, really probing, and she felt almost like he could pry into her mind. Was that his magic trick?

  “I think your company continues to win in the industry because you know oil. But if you really want to get the drilling up through the Midwest, you will need to know congress. And I can help,” she hurried through her line like that of a robot. And she knew it sounded rehearsed. Damn him. Would he stop with the flipping of her business card between his three fingers?

  “Who have you lobbied for?” he replied in a dull uninterested manner. He wasn’t taking her seriously. But he was staring into her eyes.

  “Brown and Associates, L&Y, Tristan Entities,” she said. “I interned for Congressman Nathan Dixon while in undergrad, and went in my lobbyist role soon after.”

  An awkward silence followed her answer. And then the card stopped flipping. He set it flat to the surface of the table and pinned it there with his pointer finger. And then he began to tap it. Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap.

  Tarek’s gaze swept down to her breasts then up to her face once again. It was not an appropriate appraisal. She felt his visual undressing and her stomach clenched. She made sure not to unlock their connection.

  “Who are you here representing today?” His voice seemed to drop several degrees and his coolness sent a shiver of dread up her spine.

  “Myself,” Kassidy said. “It's why I wanted to meet. I just came back from a sabbatical to South Africa. I’m testing the waters, looking to make new connections.”

  “Angela.” He rolled her name over his tongue as if he were savoring a fine wine. And then Tarek made a decision. It wasn’t something he said. It was in his manner. Daniel didn't think he'd take the bait. Kassidy saw in that moment that Tarek was nibbling at the hook.

  “You lost your dinner companion earlier,” he gave a nod to the window seat she left unoccupied.

  “Yes, a friend I knew in Chicago who decided to join me for dinner. Unfortunately, he had to leave. That's when my luck improved and I saw you.”

  “How old are you?” Tarek leaned forward and asked in his sinfully Texan accented voice. There wasn't a hint of amusement in his voice. The purpose of his question could be seen in the dark swirls of his pupils. So penetrating was his stare she almost slipped in her response and confessed.

  “I'm twenty-eight,” she lied. Every muscle in her body tensed over the spoken lie. He shook his head smiling in disbelief.

  “Would you like to see some identification?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  The answer through her. But thanks to Daniel she was prepared. She reached for her purse and opened it. She removed her wallet and located her driver’s license. She handed it over. He gave it a cursory glance and passed it back. She wasn’t even sure if he read the date.

  Tarek nodded to someone behind her. A waiter appeared from out of nowhere. Tarek reached inside his blazer and removed his bill fold. He handed the waiter a black card. The man gave a curt nod and walked away.

  “What is it you want Ms. Brown?”

  “I was hoping for an inte
rview,” Kassidy quickly spoke up.

  “You just had one,” he informed her.

  “Am I hired?” she asked.

  “You think it’s that easy?” Tarek asked and smiled for the first time. His smile did strange things to her insides.

  “Easy? No. I wouldn’t call you easy Mr. Marshall,” she said. Underneath the surface of his hard veneer she saw a glimpse of the charming young man who rode her on his motorcycle through Crystal Beach. Or maybe that was just a childhood memory that she couldn’t trust.

  “Contact my secretary and she will put you in touch with H.R.,” Tarek said. “It was my pleasure Angela Brown.” He accepted the silver tray with his bill and his credit card. He signed it. He was leaving.

  “Ah, Mr. Marshall. I'm sorry if I was too forward in asking for this meeting.”

  “Why would you think you were?” he asked.

  “Well, you've dismissed me.” Kassidy smiled.

  “Typically I'm not rejected so soon by a prospective client.”

  “Ms. Brown, I'm sure you did your homework. There is nothing typical about me.”

  “Okay, I guess the direct approach doesn't work with you. Maybe I should put together some proposals for your team. For you to consider. How's that?”

  Tarek once again stared at her. Kassidy felt the nervous twitch in her gut that made her want too. Could it be possible that he recognized her? Could he know who she was?

  He reached inside his blazer and withdrew his billfold. Inside he plucked a card. He handed it to her. But when she reached for it, his finger flipped up to keep her from taking it. “Be careful approaching men in bars in that dress. You might not be taken seriously,” he said.

  The smack to her pride made her mouth gape in surprise. Kassidy fumed. She wanted to toss her wine into his face. Instead she pressed her lips to a firm line and held back from responding. He then flipped the card to her and she took it from his two fingers. He picked up her card and put it in his billfold, which was a surprise.

  “If you do want to be taken seriously. Present something worth my time.” Tarek stood. “Enjoy your stay in Chicago Ms. Brown.”