Chapter 7
Zoe was running on fumes after endless interview sessions with the police. Then, Ellen found her and tried to make her go home, but it was out of the question. The older woman finally gave in and agreed to carry on with the work at hand. It was extraordinary how Ellen bounced back from the morning’s ordeal, but she was seriously worried about Cynthia.
“Poor thing, I hope she’s alright and that they get those awful men. Why would they grab her?”
Zoe’s mind whirled but reminded her to be cautious. “And here I thought that working in the corporate world would be safer than following soldiers in Iraq.”
Ellen shook her head, very serious. “I wouldn’t let your guard down, my dear. The corporate world is cutthroat. It takes a strong person to survive, let alone succeed. I’ve heard horrid stories of murder, kidnapping, extortion back in the day and I foolishly thought they were exaggerated, or that time was long gone.”
“Could this be related to the sale? Would someone be greedy enough to use Cynthia? For leverage against Mr. Blackwood?”
Ellen seemed to ponder that. “I suppose that people would go to great lengths to acquire Archer’s company. But why kidnap poor Cynthia?”
And that was the question. Something still nagged at her though, but she needed to speak to Gabrielle about it. It may be a faulty radar, but there was a detail she couldn’t put her finger on.
“How long has Cynthia been working for the Blackwood Corporation?”
“I hired her when we moved to Chicago for the sale. Five months if I remember right. This office was leased six months ago, but it took two weeks to remodel everything and there were two weeks of interviews for all the clerical positions. All the necessary upper management positions relocated from our London office for the duration of the sale.”
“And she’s only the receptionist.” It didn’t make sense. And her head hurt.
“You should head home, dear. We’ve made strides this afternoon and you need a clear head. There’s less than one week left. It has been a trying day. I can’t believe you smashed that madman’s head. You know you saved us all. Imagine if he’d made his way in. With a gun!” Ellen shook her head.
Zoe pushed herself up and winced at her bruised muscles. “I need to start working out more, if I have to defend the entire Blackwood Corporation.”
Ellen giggled and started gathering the files scattered over her desk. “I doubt Archer will allow that. And personally, I would rather have one of our fine new bodyguards guarding my body. No offense intended, but when Mr. Jones ordered me to unlock my door and barged into my office, I was near having a fainting spell. And maybe I should have so he could catch me in his big arms.”
“I think you read too many romance novels, Ellen. But when I next talk to Mr. Jones, I’ll see what I can do for you.”
Ellen’s eyes lit up. “Instead, if you can arrange for me, Mr. Sorenson or Mr. Jones and some whipped cream, I would be your eternal slave.”
Zoe winked and closed her door. Because she was beginning to really like Ellen, and interested in annoying Kai, she might very well be telling him he was the main star in Ellen’s little creamy fantasy.
Back in her office, she noted that night had fallen over the city. When she let herself fall on her chair, Zoe again noticed the state of her dress. What a mess. Looking at her hands, there were thin red lines marring her white skin. Removing her eyeglasses, she pressed the heel of her hands to her eyes, trying to calm her pulsing temples and straighten out the facts.
Less than a week before the sale event, unidentified strangers kidnapped the receptionist. Why? There were at least five executives in-house who would have made more sense to kidnap. And the grand prize, Archer Blackwood, was there too. Why not try to get him? He would be the ultimate button to push, but Zoe suspected that he wouldn’t break easily. It would take leverage. The receptionist was leverage? Was there something between the two of them she hadn’t seen?
She remembered how he’d treated her, especially after the coffee incident, and he’d almost ignored her. Or was it a front? Maybe they were together but keeping it hidden from everybody else.
Uneasy about that idea, and not sure why, Zoe removed her shoes and stretched her legs. Her mind reverted back to how he’d carried her in his arms, and took care of her in his office, almost moving to kiss her. Had it been real or a figment of her overzealous imagination?
Zoe pushed herself away from the desk, making her chair twirl on itself. It had been too long since she had been with a man, and she’d always been fascinated with puzzles. And Archer Blackwood was exactly that. A mouth-watering, orgasm-promising puzzle.
Deciding to push that thought out of her mind, and focus on work again, she saw something by the door. Garment covers hanging on wall hooks.
Curious, she wondered if someone had delivered Blackwood’s suits to her office by mistake. When she unzipped the first one, a gasp escaped her lips. It was her cream dress. The exact same size she was wearing right now. How on earth... And it wasn’t the sole dress inside. There was the same design but in forest green and a lovely purple color.
Stunned, she checked out the other bags and saw a skirt and pantsuit, a few colorful blouses, two cocktail dresses and two evening gowns, all in her size, in a cut she knew fit her well and in beautiful hues. Looking at them all, she was torn between gratitude and kicking his butt for being so controlling and ignoring her request. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, one she wasn’t used to. Normally, her instincts were spot on, but with Blackwood, she couldn’t figure out his intentions. He appeared so cold, detached, and a megalomaniac that she couldn’t work out if he was sincere deep down or just domineering by nature.
Shoeless, she walked through the office. At this hour, most employees were long gone, and she suspected it was also the case for her boss, but with the light coming from his partly open door, it seemed she would have to add workaholic to his string of qualities. About to knock, she saw him at his desk.
He was poring over a file. Gone were the jacket, the vest, and the tie. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up again over his arms. With the vest gone, Zoe could see how the fabric stretched over his body, defining more of his muscles. His hair was now a mess of dark strands, as if he had raked them relentlessly. He played with a pen in his right hand, a fidgety motion that made her smile. His face was so serious, and from her vantage point, his eyes now appeared almost black. How strange. His face was fascinating, rugged, hard, handsome with a sophisticated air, all wrapped up in one. A paradox.
Reminding herself why she was here, she pushed the door wider without knocking. The man reacted immediately, his body tensing, ready for action, his hand reaching for his back, probably where he kept his gun. What a strange businessman he was. Of all the suits she had known, he was the only one who would run into danger instead of fleeing from it.
When his brain caught up, and he realized it was only her, Blackwood lowered himself back in his chair. “Knock next time you come in here.”
Another order. At first, she thought he would dismiss her presence, but instead, he leaned back in his chair, in full ‘businessman mode’. “Ellen just called me to say she was leaving. I thought you were long gone, too.”
