Stolen:The Billionaire Deception(8)

Grant was practically pacing the floor when I got back to our apartment   that night. When I walked in the door and hung up my coat he looked at   the clock and said, "Eight-thirty? What are these Hunters …  slave  driving  ogres?"



I laughed and went to pour myself a glass of juice. As I drank it I told him about my day. He was quiet until I'd finished.



"Be careful," Grant said.



"I will."



"No, I'm not talking about your quest. I'm talking about your boss."



Confused, I asked, "What about him?"



"You should put a mirror in front of you when you talk about him so that you can see your face. It lights up like a firefly."



I felt my face go hot. "It does not. It's the reflection off of my red hair."



Grant came over and kissed the top of my head. "I left the rest of my   Chinese Food in the fridge for you. I'm meeting a co-worker for drinks.   And you're full-of-it …  I've been looking at the reflection of your   beautiful hair for a long time and that's not it. Please be careful. I   don't want you to get your heart broken."



I didn't say anything else, I just watched him go. I had to admit that   there was definitely a sexual energy that surrounded Seth. He was one of   those kinds of men that just carried it around with him, I think. I   doubted that his interactions with me were any different than the ones   he had with any of his female employees …  well, except maybe Bev. She   seemed really intimidated by him.



I ate the Chinese food and picked out my clothes for the next morning   before getting ready for bed. When I finally looked in the mirror that   night I said, "Seth Hunter," out loud to the empty room. My face didn't   change at all. "See there Grant," I said, again to an empty room,   "Nothing." I washed my face and took down my hair. As I brushed it I   heard Seth's voice asking, "Is it curly like that all over?" and then   again, "I'd like to see it down sometime." I glanced up at myself in the   mirror. I was slightly flushed and I was smiling. Damn you, Grant!         

     



 





***





After Grant brought to my attention what I already knew but didn't want   to admit, that I was physically attracted to a man I couldn't stand, at   least I couldn't stand the idea of him, I did my best to do my work   while avoiding him at all costs. I found that was going to be easier   said than done. Seth seemed to be one of those "hands-on" bosses that   were everywhere yet he still gave his employees the autonomy to make   decisions on their own, based on whatever their particular expertise   might be. When I was forced to be alone with him, I did my best to just   ignore his flirtations or act like I didn't get it at all. I noticed   that by the end of the second week he seemed to be toning it down.



I worked hard during the day and then in the evening when things were   quiet and I knew that Seth had left for the day, I did my snooping. I   snooped through the computer files that it would make sense for me to be   accessing, but I worried about leaving a trail in places that I wasn't   supposed to be. I really doubted there would be computer records of it   all anyways. I was convinced that finding the old books or the legal   paperwork was what I needed to do. Where they might be hiding was   another story. I couldn't just go digging around in the CEO's office, or   in the records department downstairs. I would need a legitimate reason   to be in either of those places.



I was confident in the fact that once I set my mind to something it was   unlikely that I wouldn't succeed. I just needed to be patient until the   opportunities I needed arose and be ready to take advantage of them  when  they did. Part of accomplishing my goals meant that I needed to  become a  valuable employee at Hunter Corp. That would be hard to do if I  got  caught snooping and got fired.









CHAPTER SIX









On the Thursday of my second week with the company, I decided that once   Seth and the other executives were gone for the day, I was going to  have  a go at the oversized file cabinet that sat behind his assistant's   desk. I had no idea what was in it, but if I could even find legal   documents related to the take-over, it would be a start. The legal   documents would have to have some of the financial information I was   looking for in them. I had tried to access those through the courts, but   since Hunter Corp. was a private corporation that had never taken  their  stock public, the documents were sealed.



I did a couple of casual strolls through the hall, each time glancing   into the long window that framed each door. I also left my door open so   that I could hear who was leaving. I heard Charles leave around five.   Michael was still left at his desk then. Sometimes he didn't leave until   after I did. Besides Seth, his assistant and I, they were the only  ones  on this floor. I hoped that Michael left soon, along with Seth and  his  assistant. I absolutely did not want to get caught in the building  after  hours …  that would be a hard one to explain.



I heard Michael say good-night to Seth's assistant around seven. Then at   seven-thirty, I heard her knock on Seth's door and stick her head in  to  say good-night. I could hear the smooth silk of Seth's voice reply  to  her, but I didn't hear what he said. Delving back into the report I  was  finishing for him this week, another half hour passed before I  realized  it. I was shocked when I looked up at the clock and saw that  it was  already close to eight p.m. My neck was aching and as I sat  there and  pondered what I should do, I took the braid out of my heavy  hair and ran  my fingers through it. My hair grew like a weed. It had  ever since I  was a little girl. I couldn't wear it short because of the  curl, the  shorter I went, the curlier it seemed to get and then I  looked like one  of those girls from the eighties with a bad perm.  Instead, I wore it  long and did my best to style it so it was always  out of my face.  Sometimes the weight of it wore on my neck and  shoulders though and  tonight was one of those times.



After de-tangling my wild mane with my fingers, I got up from my desk   and glanced down the hallway. Seth's door was still closed, but it would   be whether he was here or not. I left my office and snuck quietly down   the hall. I double checked that all the other lights were off and the   offices were empty. I didn't know what time the cleaning crew came in,   but if they caught me going through files they wouldn't have any idea   that I wasn't supposed to be.



I knew if Seth was gone, his door would be locked. My not so brilliant   plan was to gently touch it and if it was locked I could have a go at   the files behind me. As I reached for the brass handle it suddenly   turned. That was my first clue that I should have thought my plan   through a little better. I jumped and in spite of myself I let out a   squeaky little noise. I realized I was staring right at his chest and I   could feel the blue eyes boring down at me. I swallowed hard and looked   up at him, doing my best to offer what I thought was my most dazzling   smile.         

     



 



"Hi there," I said.



"Hi, did you need something?"



"No, I was just getting ready to leave for the night. I was about to knock when you opened the door. It startled me."



Seth was looking at me strangely and I imagined him calling me a liar   straight to my face. My office door was still wide open and the light   was on. I didn't have my bag with me and I never went to his office to   say goodnight, but then again, I was usually still here when he left.



He finally flashed me what had to be his most dazzling smile and said, "I love it."



He loved that I was coming to say goodnight? Genuinely confused I said, "Excuse me?"



"The hair. I like it a lot. It reminds me of my mother's. Hers was brown, but long and curly like that."



I felt the heat of the blush as it rose from my chest to my face,   "Um … thanks. It was getting heavy so I took it down. I'm sure it's a mess   now … "



He reached out and touched it as I was talking. Suddenly my tongue felt   twice as thick as usual, and definitely drier. I took a step back   without even thinking and he dropped his hand to his side quickly.



"I'm sorry," he said, suddenly. "Touching your hair is extremely   inappropriate and that's not the first time I've done that is it?" I   thought that was a redundant question so I didn't answer it. Then   something happened to his face and the arrogant, self-assured look that   he always wore there slipped as he said, "It just fascinates me so that  I  hardly realize what I'm doing. I'm sorry if I made you  uncomfortable."