one behind closed doors. Shondra couldn’t deny that she had a new vested interest in that outcome.
Glancing up at the clock, she realized she only had fifteen minutes to grab a sandwich at the corner deli before her next meeting. She was in the process of grabbing her purse when her desk phone started ringing.
She picked it up, secretly hoping it was her boss. “Shondra Braddock,” she said into the receiver.
“Shawnie.”
Shondra winced at her childhood nickname. No matter how often she told her brothers not to call her that anymore, the habit was so ingrained that they’d probably never change it.
“Malcolm? What’s up? I was just on my way out to grab some lunch.”
“What’s up is exactly what I’d like to know. I’m still trying to figure out what possessed you to take a job at Stewart Industries.”
Rolling her eyes, Shondra told her brother to hold on while she closed her office door. She was located only a few feet away from the quadrant of cubicles where the secretaries sat. If gossip traveled through this office the way it had in her previous ones, all of her business would be the late-breaking news within the hour.
Returning to her desk, Shondra resigned herself to missing lunch. Appeasing her oldest brother could take a while. He saw himself as the family protector, now more than ever.
“Okay, I’m back. And as for my new job, I’ve already spoken to Tyson about this. I thought he’d filled you in.”
“I spoke to him, but I’m interested in hearing it from you. What exactly do you hope to accomplish?”
“Well, I’m their new CCO, so I’m in the process of designing new internal controls for—”
“Stop it. You know what I’m talking about.”
Wincing, Shondra could scarcely believe this was the more laid-back version of her oldest brother. He’d mellowed quite a bit since he’d begun dating Gloria Kingsley.
Just not quite enough to stop checking up on her as though she were still twelve instead of twenty-eight.
“You and Tyson wanted to know what Dad had to do with SI. Now I’m in the perfect position to find out.”
“Don’t you think taking a job there is a bit rash? Why didn’t you discuss it with us before you took such a prominent position within the company?”
Shondra stared out her window, wishing she could climb out of it. “Because everything moved so fast. And because I don’t need your permission to change jobs.”
“Shawnie, you have no idea where this could lead. What if someone working there was involved with Dad’s death? Don’t you think the Braddock name will stand out? It’s entirely possible that you’re putting yourself at risk.”
“Don’t worry, Malcolm. I’m an expert at risk management.” She’d hoped to lighten the mood, but her brother wasn’t having any of it.
“Don’t get cute. I’m just trying to make sure you’ve thought this through and that you’re being cautious.”
Shondra had taken into consideration that if someone at SI had been involved with her father’s death, her family name could put her in danger, as well. But she felt that was a chance she had to take.
To her way of thinking, it was much more significant that the anonymous warning had come from SI. She hoped that her presence would encourage that person to make contact again with more information.
“What you should be asking—” she was hoping to rush through the rest of this conversation “—is if I’ve found anything.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line, as though Malcolm was trying to decide whether or not to encourage her. “Did you find anything?” he asked with obvious reluctance.
“I spent a good bit of time looking through contracts today. I still have more to do, but I’m getting the feeling that if Dad had dealings with someone here, it wasn’t related to oil.”
Malcolm blew out is breath. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
Shondra finally got off the phone five minutes before her next meeting. Her stomach was grumbling loudly, which was the last thing she needed before tying herself up in a conference room for a couple of hours.
She knew the fifth floor had a snack machine. At least she could suck down a few chips and quiet her stomach. She was in the process of deciding between corn chips and pretzels when she heard someone come up behind her.
“A snack-machine lunch? I thought you were some kind of health nut.”
The back of her neck tingled as she turned to face Connor. “It wasn’t my first choice, but it’s been a busy day. At this point, it’s either junk food or office supplies.”
Connor shook his head. “I’ve tasted the pencils. I can’t recommend them.”
Shondra laughed, feeling nervous now that she knew what his lips tasted like. And it was hard not to focus on those lips right now. He looked great today in his dark gray suit.
Feeling her skin heat, she realized she was staring. Grateful for something to do, she spun away, thrust her coins into the machine and punched J5 for the pretzels.
And, of course, they got stuck on the coil. She slammed her palm into the glass to no avail.
“Here, let me help you with that.”
Shondra started to move aside, but Connor had already trapped her against the machine with his body. He was now close enough for her to smell the clean, fresh scent of his soap. Her heartbeat sped up, and she hoped she wasn’t perspiring, because she was feeling really hot.
Gripping both sides of the vending machine, Connor gave it a vigorous shake, bringing his body into contact with hers. Shondra sucked in her breath. The whole exercise took less than thirty seconds but she felt as if time had been moving in slow motion.
Without stepping back from her, he reached down and plucked the bag from the tray. “Here you go,” he said, placing it into her hand while his other hand slipped down to rest on her waist.
Shondra turned in his arms and for a split second she was tempted to let him kiss her.
But her sanity returned as she realized they were standing in the alcove of a busy corridor. Someone could pass through at any moment.
Face flaming, Shondra eased out from between Connor and the machine. “Thanks,” she squeaked, and rushed down the hall to the elevator.
Connor laughed to himself as he watched Shondra run off. Good. She had it as bad as he did. If he didn’t have a meeting himself, he’d go after her and really make her squirm.
She’d been on his mind all weekend. They had agreed not to get involved, but Connor didn’t think she wanted that any more than he did. And if they both wanted it, why should they both suffer?
Connor walked into his office whistling. He loved the chase. After gathering
