Rock pressed the button to tilt his seat back, his mind clearing itself of the work before him, his focus only on Dana. He was in trouble, he knew that much. Because the problem was, his feelings for this woman were not just physical. That was how it had started that first day he’d seen her so many months ago but now things had gone far beyond that. He’d come to know another side of her and she was not just a pretty face. Dana was warm and affectionate and kind, and she could be damn funny, too. A woman with a sense of humor. Now that was special.
Rock drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly and it was then that he came to a very serious conclusion. He wanted Dana Daniels in his life, and not as an executive assistant. No, he wanted far more than that. He’d been looking for a long time and now something had clicked, telling him the search was over. This was the woman he wanted as his wife.
Rock almost chuckled to himself. His family would think he’d gone nuts. They’d been pushing bachelorettes on him for years and he’d tried a few but had always moved on. And now, not only had he found his ideal mate himself, he’d done it in a matter of months. He knew his family, and especially his older brother would not believe it, not until he walked Dana down the aisle.
And now that his heart had spoken he intended to do just that.
For now, though, he would keep it to himself. He would wait until he was back in New York and could see her face to face.
He had to do things properly. He would do this when the time and place were just right.
**
Well, this was it. Her debut as a private investigator. Dana chuckled as a cheeky thought crossed her mind. Maybe she should try out for the role of the next Bond Girl?
As she strolled into the Eden Restaurant she saw Jason seated in the waiting area, frowning as he focused on the iPhone in his hand. She approached and as he looked up and saw her his face cleared and a broad smile lightened his face.
“Dana, I’ve got the perfect spot. I reserved a table for two in a private lounge so we can talk without any distractions.”
Dana smiled. Jason didn’t know what a big favor he’d just done her. Perfect. Now she could grill him without any risk of being overheard.
Within minutes she and Jason were seated in an intimate little alcove, separated from the other side of the restaurant by potted palms and a Chinese screen. Not totally private, but it would do.
As soon as they’d settled down and placed their orders Dana engaged Jason in friendly conversation. In fact, she was a lot friendlier this evening than she’d ever been with him. She wanted to loosen him up, make him feel comfortable, make him think she really liked him. His beaming face told her that her strategy was working beautifully.
“You know, Dana,” he gushed, “I never knew we’d ever get together like this.” He gave her a sly look. “You were just playing hard to get, I see. Good trick. It certainly got me interested.”
“Yeah, hard to get,” she said, chuckling. “That’s me.”
And then she wondered how she was going to go from that topic to the one she really wanted to tackle Jason on - his new spending habits.
She needn’t have worried. Jason was such a talker, hopping from one topic to another, but then always circling back to himself, that before long he’d gone back to his old habit of trying to impress her.
“I’m glad you finally came around to going out with me, Dana. See, I’m not that bad.” He held his arms wide as if asking her to examine him. “Lookin’ good, right?”
Dana raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly as if in true admiration. “Nice suit.”
“I got it at Macy’s.” He grinned. “A good step up from Sears, right?”
“Nice,” she said again then gave a seductive smile. “You know I meant to tell you, you have been looking good lately. What gives? Old Aunt Mable died and left you her millions?”
Jason laughed out loud at that. “I wish. I wouldn’t be working at Premier Holdings if I’d had that kind of luck.” Then he leaned forward and in a conspiratorial whisper he said, “I just know how to get around.” Then he gave her a wink and she didn’t know if it was meant to make him look sexy or smart. He succeeded in neither.
“I guess I need to hang with someone like you,” she said slowly, watching his face intently. “You look like someone who knows a thing or two.”
“Now you’re talkin’.” Jason practically smacked his lips in satisfaction. “Hang with me, babe, and you can forget about pinching the pennies, just like me.”
Now if that wasn’t grounds for suspicion, Dana didn’t know what was. Although Jason hadn’t come out and said anything incriminating – so far – she could guess it would be a matter of time…especially if she got super friendly with him.
And that was what she resolved to do. Over the next couple of days she’d be so nice to Jason he’d soon take her into his confidence…hopefully. But even if he didn’t, she had a Plan B. She could see what information she could dig out of Sean Johnson. Discreetly, of course.
But Dana soon came to realize that Sean was not an easy nut to crack. The man was as tight as a drum, giving up not one ounce of information. The day following her dinner with Jason she went to see Sean, telling him she was doing an analysis for Rock and just needed a little help from him. Then, among her generic questions, she slipped in some that would give her an idea of how much he knew about the embezzlement. He didn’t take the bait, totally ignoring those questions not directly related to what she’d told him she’d come about. Darn.
Then Dana tried a different tactic. She would pick the brain of Sean’s second – trusty Mr. Terrence Trust.
And that was how Dana found out how guilty Jason really was.
“Isn’t it a nice coincidence, Dana?” Terrence said as he pushed his thick glasses back up his nose and gave her a gap-toothed smile. “There seems to be a growing interest in the field of accounting in this corporation. You know, young Mr. Blake came and sat with me last year and had a similar conversation.”
“Really?” Dana raised her eyebrows in surprise but then she softened her expression with a smile. “Asking these same sorts of questions, about how to read a financial statement?”