“Is that all then, Adam?” I smile, shifting in my seat. He takes me in for a long moment and I am struck by the blue of his eyes. I shrug it off.
“That’s all.” He smiles and it lights up his face, “Oh – I don’t think I’ve congratulated you.” He looks between me and Ellen, “Congratulations on your engagement – both of you. You must be very happy.”
For a moment, I don’t know what to say. Ellen comes to the rescue with a bright smile, “Oh, very.”
“Definitely.” I smile, taking Ellen’s hand as we stand.
Adam follows soon after and we make our way to the office door, “I’ll be in touch then.” He smiles.
“It has been a pleasure to meet you both.” He smiles again and I don’t like the way his eyes linger over Ellen. Her eyes meet his and I can practically feel the chemistry between them. Ellen pulls her gaze away quickly and I feel relief settle within me.
Good. She’s not going to blow everything on a silly attraction. I’m surprised that I don’t feel that much better. I push my emotions down deep and offer Adam my hand. He shakes it firmly, “Good to meet you too.” I fix him with a solid stare, “I look forward to a smooth transaction.”
His grip tightens for just a second and we are locked in the moment, tension running through the both of us like a rod, connecting us together.
Then Ellen clears her throat and the moment is broken. Adam nods politely, “I’m sure it will, Mr. Harlow. I’m sure it will.”
“Call me Cade.” I add, and my voice comes out colder than I intended it to.
Adam smirks, a faint one tugging at the corner of his mouth, “All right, Cade. I’ll call you to arrange another meeting.”
“Perfect.” I turn to leave.
“Goodbye.” Ellen smiles pleasantly as we leave. I can’t fault her. She is doing her job more perfectly than I could have ever dreamed. Yet there is still a bitter sort of feeling in my stomach, one that I just can’t shake.
I don’t know why Adam sets me on edge this much, but I’m not going to let it get to me.
I have to win this round, and I’m not letting anyone stand in my way. I glance at Ellen as we reach the elevator. We make our way down in relative silence. I guess she doesn’t want to break character any more than I do. Keeping this up is far too important to the both of us and messing it up is not an option, not something that we should even be considering.
When the elevator doors open, I hear Ellen gasp. She looked dismayed and annoyed, “I can’t believe it! I left my purse upstairs.”
I bite back the annoyance that rises in my throat and instead nod in sympathy, “Want me to go and get it?”
She shakes her head, “I’ll do it. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
She gets back in the elevator and I watch as she disappears behind closed doors. She’ll be alone with Adam and I only hope she keeps up the game.
CHAPTER NINE
ADAM JONES
The moment they walk out my office, I breathe a sigh of relief. I sink down onto the couch in the waiting room and take a deep breath. My body feels like it is sizzling with tension and I don’t know what I should be doing first. I usually feel quite focused, but at the moment, I feel almost at a loss.
I should feel triumphant – there are definitely gaps in their relationship, things I can use to slowly pull apart the fabric of their lie. I’m happy about that – happy to know that I will undo a lying bastard like Cade and put him in his place where he belongs.
The triumph is still dulled by the burning anger that has lodged itself in my heart. I don’t usually feel this way, but everything about that man has turned my anger up to full blast. His arrogance, the way he looked at his fiancée, the way he treated me with contempt.
I want to put him in his place and I cannot wait to do it. I swear nothing would give me more pleasure right now. Nothing that is, except for Ellen.
She looked gorgeous in that dress. It was cut just right and fit her body like it was tailor made. It hugged all the right curves and the subtle sparkle on her neck was just right. The way she moved, her hair shimmering down her back. Her eyes meeting mine, locking and not wanting to let go.
I can feel a stirring below my belt and I bite my lip. This is not the time. The intelligent sparking behind her eyes and her naive act, the way she sauntered out of the room, her hand in Cade’s. The way she had looked at me when she should have been looking at Cade.
I have all the ammunition in the world to bring the two of them down, but the only one I want to hurt is Cade. I have a whole different list for what I want to do with Ellen.