“It’s true,” Wade persisted. “All the women at the company want you. The secretaries, the managers, every one of them! As long as I worked there, I never saw anything like it. The female corporate employees are usually so reserved, all buttoned-up businesswomen. Kelsey was the only one who ever paid me any mind. The rest pretty much ignored me. But they all gawk at you, and whisper behind their hands. Even Laura Neil, which is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Why do you say that?” Dillon was aware of Laura’s attention, but it had never felt particularly complimentary. More like wary curiosity.
“Since Cliff took notice of her, she hasn’t left his side. She acts like a lapdog.”
Dillon scowled at his brother’s insulting reference to a lady. “Maybe she’s just dedicated.”
Wade snorted. “We used to have a thing going, you know. Before I met Kelsey. After we broke up, Cliff promoted Laura to personal assistant. I know he’s not really interested. For him, her new position is just a convenience, keeping her close at hand.” Wade said it with a sneer, emphasizing his dislike of Cliff Johnson. “Laura hopes he’ll marry her, but it’ll never happen. Maybe she’s realized it, and that’s why she’s looking at you now. But then, as I said, all the women look at you that way. Kelsey told me some of the women even made bets about who would get you first.”
Dillon could only stare. “I don’t know about any bets.”
“Trust me, the women know.” Wade frowned in thought. “It’s strange that Virginia is totally immune.”
“She’s not immune.”
“Maybe Virginia’s just not…you know.” He bobbed his eyebrows suggestively. “Maybe she doesn’t prefer men.”
Anger surged through him, but he managed to restrain it. The explosive reaction didn’t make sense, and he buried it deep, along with all the other confusing emotions he’d experienced tonight, thanks to one Virginia Johnson. “She likes men. There’s nothing wrong with Virginia except that she’s been given free rein too long. That and too many men wanting her money and not her.”
“Not exactly a tough one to figure out.” Wade’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Her money is the only appealing thing about her. My position in accounting only put me in direct contact with her a few times, thank God. She scared the hell out of me. With that razor-sharp tongue of hers, she could shred a man to pieces. Besides, she behaves like a dictator.”
Actually, Dillon thought, fighting the urge to strangle his brother, Virginia’s tongue was soft and tentative and inquisitive. At least when a man took the time to kiss her properly. He had the impression not many men had, and that caused him to feel a certain degree of possessiveness toward her, when he had no right to feel anything at all.
“So what are you going to do now, Dillon?”
“I’m going to wait. She said she’d make a decision this week sometime.”
“Kelsey is going to be so disappointed if I don’t get this settled soon. She’s anxious to move out of the house, to get away from Cliff. She’s been biding her time with school and volunteer organizations, but she’s miserable.”
Dillon shook his head. He’d met Kelsey several times at the company and because of Wade’s infatuation he’d paid attention. In Dillon’s opinion the woman was a spoiled brat. From what he’d learned of her through subtle queries, both Virginia and Cliff doted on her and tried to protect her from the world. Being the youngest, she’d taken the deaths of her parents the hardest. She was the type of woman Dillon avoided, the type who expected to be coddled and catered to. She knew nothing about coping with real life.
But then, Wade wasn’t exactly a model of maturity himself. “You sure this is what you want, Wade? We could still try to fight this in court.”
Wade shook his head, frustration apparent in his every feature. “There’s no way to get Cliff to drop the embezzlement charges. He’s set me up for a reason, and he’ll have no qualms about putting me away for good. I don’t know what evidence he’ll come up with, so there’s no way I can fight it, but Kelsey said he’s really confident, bragging about nailing me red-handed. So whatever it is, it’ll be solid. He’ll be sure of that.”
Many times, Dillon had considered just beating the hell out of Cliff. It would give him no end of pleasure, yet it wouldn’t solve the problem in the long run. Dillon needed to find out what trumped-up evidence Cliff planned to use against Wade. Short of that, he had to find a way to force Cliff to drop the supposed “investigation.” If it hadn’t been for Kelsey, Wade wouldn’t have known of the setup until it was too late. Thankfully, Kelsey had learned of her brother’s plan and told Wade.
As yet, no legal charges had been filed, but Wade had been discharged from his position without pay or benefits while Cliff gathered together his evidence. Once the officials got involved, it would be too late. Time was running out.
Cliff was a powerful man and diffusing this situation wouldn’t be easy. Dillon had to pull off a tricky unauthorized private investigation. He had to go through files he had no right to see, search records that weren’t his to search and still find a way to keep his own butt out of jail. To do it, he needed Virginia. He didn’t want her hurt, but she’d have to be the sacrificial lamb; it couldn’t be helped. There was no way to switch course now.
He’d ridden some tricky fences in his day, but this was turning out to be the worst.
Though he already knew the answer, Dillon couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Are you sure Cliff wouldn’t change his mind if he knew Kelsey was pregnant?”
“Ha! Are you kidding? He’d probably forget handling things ‘legally’ and just take out a contract on me. He thinks she’s way too young to get married.”
Dillon hesitated, then leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “You know, Wade, he wouldn’t be entirely wrong. Kelsey is only twenty-two, and you’re not much older. Marriage isn’t something to be rushed into.”
Wade stiffened and his hands fisted. “She’s pregnant, Dillon. Am I supposed to abandon her now? I know from experience that a woman raising a child alone doesn’t have an easy time of it. The baby deserves a father, and Kelsey deserves a husband.”
“There is that, I suppose.” Actually, Dillon wished they’d both shown a little more responsibility and not gotten into the situation in the first place, but rehashing that issue wouldn’t help now.
Wade began to pace. “It’s not like Kelsey is a child. It’s just that she’s the only family Cliff has. He’s very protective of her, and you know my background isn’t something to excite a prospective brother-in-law. No man is good enough for Kelsey, but I want a chance to try.”
Dillon made a sound of disgust. He hated hearing Wade harp on his unfortunate childhood. So he and their mother hadn’t been rich. Dillon and his dad hadn’t exactly lived a life of luxury, either. If anything, they’d lived a life of stealth.
None of that came out of his mouth, though. Instead, he heard himself say, “Cliff has Virginia, too.”
Wade shook his head in dismissal. “They’re not at all close. Virginia is too damn difficult. You know how she always bosses Cliff around. After their parents died, Virginia just took over. He despises her for it.”
Dillon suspected that Virginia had taken charge because no one else could. Cliff certainly wouldn’t have had the smarts to keep things together. And Kelsey had been a mere teenager. Gritting his teeth, Dillon snarled, “If Virginia means so little to him, then why does he worry so much about who she sees?”
Wade shrugged. “I should think he’d be glad to be rid of her. Most men would be. I suppose Cliff worries about someone marrying Virginia for her money—and her shares in the company. From what I’ve heard, a few men have tried that tactic, but Cliff doesn’t want to take any chances