Nefarious, p.1
Nefarious, page 1
Praise for Mary Ann Marlowe’s Some Kind of Magic
“Marlowe makes a name for herself in this hilarious and sexy debut. . . . It’s filled with frisky sexy scenes set to the backdrop of rock music . . .”
—Booklist STARRED REVIEW
“Fun, flirty read about a magical romance . . . a lighthearted pick me up. Eden and Adam’s chemistry was so electric, I rooted for them the whole way!”
—FIRST for Women
“This love potion romance, which pairs up the lead singer for a rock band with a biochemist who’s also an amateur singer/songwriter, is light and fluffy.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The chemistry between Adam and Eden is instant and electric, and watching them bring out the best in each other gives the story warmth along with the heat. . . . ”
—RT Book Reviews
“Frisky, Flirty Fun!”
—Stephanie Evanovich, New York Times bestselling author of The Total Package
“Sexy, engaging and original. I completely fell in love with Eden and Adam. An amazing first novel.”
—Sydney Landon, New York Times bestselling author of Wishing For Us
“Marlowe is a deft, compelling writer with a modern, confident voice . . . A smartly-written, entertaining debut!”
—Robinne Lee, author of The Idea of You
Books by Mary Ann Marlowe
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Some Kind of Magic
A Crazy Kind of Love
Dating by the Book
Crushing It
(written as Lorelei Parker)
Published by Mary Ann Marlowe
Kind of Famous
Kind of a Big Deal
Falling in Luck
Nefarious
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by Mary Ann Marlowe
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Published by Mary Ann Marlowe
www.maryannmarlowe.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-7334018-6-9 (Paperback)
First Paperback Edition: July 2021
Printed in the United States of America
To Jen Hawkins
When the night was cloudy
You were the light that shined on me
Dane sat in his office, hiding from the gaggle of pimply new interns invading the trading floor. On the task bar of his open laptop, the IM program flashed continually. There was no point clicking on it; the instant he acknowledged the message, someone else would vie for his attention.
I oughta just shut that down and make them knock on my door.
As if he’d conjured it, a light tap brought his gaze up. The door opened a crack, and he caught the backside of Val as she turned and walked away.
He slid open the bottom drawer of his desk and rummaged for the crumpled pack of cigarettes. He’d let it be known he was trying to quit so nobody would question why he rarely smoked. Out of sympathy, they never questioned him when he did. Not that he ever did. The cigarettes were nothing more than a prop, a means to an end. He’d bought the current pack a year ago. The half-empty pint of Maker’s Mark lying under the cigarettes, however, had only been there a day.
As he left his office, he deliberately lifted the pack and slid it into his suit coat pocket for all the world to see him slinking down for a secret smoke. He glanced furtively but conspicuously from side to side until he’d left the trading floor. Once in the first-floor lobby, he resumed his natural confident gait, lending him an air of aristocracy.
Out in the smoking area, Val waited, arms crossed, cigarette hand resting on her elbow. Juxtaposed to the warping picnic table and patchy, trash-strewn grass, Val glittered like fool’s gold. Her perfectly coiffed blond hair shone in the sun but didn’t budge despite a mild June wind. Everything about Val was anchored, moored, unyielding. Only Dane knew how to make that rock bend. And only sometimes.
Val faced the four-story structure but kept her eyes trained on Dane and nodded once in greeting. The temptation to look up at the office windows for observers might overwhelm anyone else, despite the inability to penetrate the glass. Whoever might be watching them would see nothing but a casual encounter.
Dane passed her and sat on top of the picnic table, faced at an angle away from the building, feet on the bench. He hunched over and focused on the unlit cigarette in his hand. “You know we can’t meet here again for at least two weeks.”
She turned a quarter of the way toward him, enough to appear to be conversing as one would expect of two people sharing the same space. Not enough to show interest in the topic. “I did message you, but you were ignoring me.”
“Don’t take it so personally. I ignore everyone.”
She took a long drag and exhaled. “We only have a minute before they start to show up.”
“Right. Interns.” If any of the new kids saw them out there alone together, they’d scrounge up a cigarette just to come and cozy up. It’s what I would have done in their place. Admirable, but irritating. “So get to the point.”
“Selena Valencia. Have you met her?”
He rubbed his chin and tried to place the name. “Valencia? Any relation to Geraldo?”
“It’s Geraldo’s daughter. She took an internship here under me. Isn’t that delicious?”
“Geraldo sent his daughter here?”
“No, that’s the delightful part. He doesn’t know she came here. Apparently, he’s occupied with some business in Germany and told his daughter to find an internship, probably expecting her to stay in the city at one of the obvious financial firms. But she’s apparently eager. She wants to learn from the best.”
Dane yawned. “And so she came here. Fascinating. You dragged me out here to gossip.”
“Of course not.” She snapped at him but then slicked her gold hair back and smiled at him, adjusting her tone to match. “Of course not. I have a favor to ask of you.”
Across the yard, a young man had opened the door and paced in a narrow circle, gathering his courage to approach the infamous pair.
“You’d better spit it out. We’ve got company.”
Val’s smile twisted wickedly. She sat on the picnic bench, beside Dane’s feet, and ran a finger under the hem of his slacks, lightly brushing along the edge of his sock. “Do you ever think about when we started together? The exhilarating risks we took?” She inched up the inside of his calf. “Do you ever think about that one night? Do you even remember it?”
Dane shifted, but left his foot firmly planted. He knew what she was up to, but he wanted to know why. “Of course I remember.” He remembered waking up to find her gone. “Is that why we’re here? Do you want to take me home, Val?”
She withdrew her hand. “When it comes time to decide which intern you’ll mentor, I want you to pick Selena.”
“To what end?”
“To train her to bend rules and skirt the law. I want her to leave here an expert in ethical violations, without even knowing how amoral she’s become. I want to send her back to her daddy with an appetite for corruption.”
“Why would I want to do that?” Dane watched the awkward boy make up his mind. He’d taken a few hesitant steps toward the picnic table, still out of earshot.
“You have as much cause for vengeance as I do. If it weren’t for Geraldo, we’d still have our company.” She snarled. “R&M was our company.”
He knew he ought to feel touched she’d taken his ouster to heart, but he’d spent the past three years moving on. Val was never as forgiving.
Dane rested his elbows on his knees. “You could have stayed on without me. I hope you don’t think I’m to blame for your current situation. I shudder to think of how you’d punish me.”
“Very funny. You know I’m only loyal to you, Dane.”
He doubted she was loyal to anyone, but she had left their company to follow him to the Midwest, and he couldn’t forget that. “And I’m forever grateful. Truly, I’m humbled.”
Val narrowed an eye as though she could parse his bullshit enough to detect the sincerity behind his sarcastic tone. “Then you’ll help me set the girl on a ruinous path?”
Dane slid the unlit cigarette back in the pack. “I’m afraid I’m going to be distracted with another endeavor for some time.”
“Let me guess. Seducing the head of accounting? She seems like your type.”
He gave Val one long look. “No. I plan to seduce our new CEO.”
“Noelle?” Val scoffed. “How is that any kind of challenge? You could do that this morning and spend the rest of your summer with Selena.”
“You seem to forget history.”
“Oh, are you still nursing that wound? Or is this about Dane’s ego? She spurned you before you could bed her, and you’ll never rest until you check that box. Is that it?”
Dane clenched a fist. “I was so close. Until she shot me down with no explanation.”
Val frowned. “And publicly, too. Yes. How humiliating. If I’d known you carried a torch, I might not have insisted the board offer her the job.”
“Why did you? You never cared for her.”
“Perhaps not, but she might prove useful to me. There’s a story to her sudden resignation from R&M, and I intend to find out what it is. Maybe she holds a grudge against Geraldo as well. I could exploit that.” She dropped her cigarette and ground it out. “If you don’t spook her. What do you have planned?”
“What I failed to do last time.” He leaned forward to whisper in Val’s ear. “I’m going to seduce her before she realizes what happened. I want her to think she’s resisting me only to find she can’t.”
Val rolled her eyes. “Pedestrian. Let me guess. Was Noelle the last person to break your heart?”
“No.” Dane stepped off the table and tilted his head toward Val. “You were.”
The corner of Val’s mouth curled up slightly. “I believe I’ve rectified that.”
“Right. And then substituted rejection with betrayal.” He enjoyed seeing the color drain from her face.
She recovered enough to whisper harshly, “Let it go, Dane.”
He pushed the knife in another inch. “I already have.”
The awkward boy had circled around them and made his approach. Val regained the beneficent facade she reserved for the rest of the world. A strand of hair had escaped her tight control, and she tucked it behind her ear, head held high. She shot one more calculated glance at Dane. “Hurry along. This one looks ripe for the picking.”
Dane popped the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket and left Val to her games.
Email recovered from the corporate hard drive.
Sophie,
Guess where I am? Did you notice my new Fleetwood Capital email address? I’m here! I don’t know if I’m supposed to be writing personal emails from here, but I couldn’t resist breaking in my brand-new account!
I’m sitting in my cube! I have my own cube!! Okay, so it’s more like a shallow desk, but there is a small partition between computers. I don’t have anything to do here just yet but swivel in my office chair. We’ll be in training for a week before (I hope) they place us with mentors. Two more before we get to even touch the system. But then six weeks working in a real trading environment!
I hadn’t seen Val Montgomery since she and my father had their falling out years ago. I was nervous to speak to her considering, but she was so sweet. She complimented me on my glasses. I just stood there half stuttering and half rambling on about what an honor it was to be here.
I’ve yet to meet Dane Russ. But I did see him going into his office earlier. I cannot believe I’m going to be working under them. They were so young when they founded their company, and I know if I pay attention, I can learn so much. Maybe I’ll even be able to pick their brains and find out how they managed to get so successful so fast.
We have our first meeting with Val in a few minutes. The other interns look about as nervous and eager as me. I hope I’m not the worst one here. They’re probably all top of their classes, too.
Write me back and tell me about summer school. I don’t envy you stuck in class while I’m getting first-hand knowledge in the real world.
Much love,
Selena
Val surveyed the room. Fifteen interns squeezed around the long table. Every chair was occupied. Not a single one of these kids exuded the boredom she felt. They watched her as if they were in the bear exhibit at the zoo. Will she come out of the cave? Will she attack? They thought they were as safe as if they were on the other side of the barricades. And they normally would be. The innocent ones no longer interested her. Except one.
Selena wore a smart new suit. Crisp. Probably purchased a month ago in anticipation of this day. She had a fresh-scrubbed glow about her. With her pen poised above a perfectly blank notepad, she clearly expected to leave this room with her mind expanded. As if it were so easy. It would take all summer to mold her brain the way Val planned.
She scanned the other interns, chess pieces on her board, sizing up their value to her. So far, the only one with the chutzpah to approach her sat at the far corner of the table. Anthony. He stood out in the way he sat. Leaning back in his chair, one foot crossed on his knee. Val raised an eyebrow at him, and he straightened up and put his forearms on the table. Now they were all a neat row of matching pawns.
The screen behind her came to life with the first of many PowerPoint slides. She could give this speech in her sleep, but she’d learned that the interns would try to write down her every word. The slides would at least help them get it right. The pens flew across the notebooks already, and she saw the words Welcome to Fleetwood Capital in fifteen different sets of handwriting.
She sighed. “Good morning and welcome to Fleetwood. We’re so glad to have all of you here today. I trust you’ve settled into your new desks. If you have any remaining issues, please contact Rosamund Shirley. She’ll make sure you have everything you need. Now, for the next hour, I’ll be taking you through some basics about our company, who we are, what we stand for, how we stand in the market today, and of course what we are aiming to achieve.”
The door swung open, and Dane waltzed in. Fifteen intern heads swiveled away from Val and gawked at him. Anthony vacated his chair with alacrity, as though he feared someone else might beat him to it. He gestured for Dane to sit, but Dane’s lip curled up on one side in disdain, and he simply leaned against the back wall, languidly pushing a stir stick around his Styrofoam coffee cup. Dane never sat at meetings. These kids will learn.
Anthony sheepishly pulled his chair back and returned to his place at the table.
As Val waited for order to return, she let her gaze linger on Dane, draped against the wall in all his languorous beauty. She knew he’d spent a fortune to look like he did, but knowing it didn’t make her appreciate it less. Of course, she’d seen him before he’d learned to groom himself so handsomely. She’d taught him after all. But he’d been born with those dark sultry eyes and that decadent luscious mouth. Fully aware she was drinking in her fill, he puckered his lips like he might blow her a kiss.
She inhaled, searching for a hint of his scent. If it wouldn’t be considered unseemly, she might be tempted to cross the room and take him up on his implied offer.
Instead she turned her attention to the interns, now waiting for her lead.
“This company,” she continued, “was founded by Martin Fleetwood in 1957 with a specialization in mortgage trading.” Val clicked through the slides, expanding on the historical events that nobody wanted or needed to know. Martin Fleetwood had died years ago. Besides Rosamund Shirley, nobody currently here had ever worked under that scrupulous man. He’d roll over in his grave if he knew the stewardship had passed on to the likes of Dane Russ. And Val, though her reputation was spotless. The only stain on her record was her connection with Dane. But as the worshipful faces in the room could attest, she couldn’t be blamed for following him into exile.
The subject of the slides moved on to the current state of the company. “Have any of you researched the company’s stock position?”
Anthony raised his hand. “Yes, ma’am. Stocks are trading at thirty-eight as of this morning.”
Val glanced at Dane. “Are we up or down?”
Anthony opened his mouth, but Dane’s voice commanded the room’s attention. “The market’s hot, and our stock is rising.”
Val controlled her expression, but the corner of her mouth rose slightly. “What do you make of our throughput?”
Dane lifted his shoulders from the wall, engaged now. “I like our position with regard to market penetration.”
The interns had stopped taking notes, and their heads followed the volley as though they were spectators at a tennis match.
