Sweet Seduction Sacrifice (5 page)

I concentrated on not tripping or bumping into any of the randomly placed furniture in the shop, berating my choice of placement and realising just how higgledy-piggledy everything was. I had been going for casual/comfortable, it now seemed more like torturous/mine field. I made it through, just and without raising my eyes to any of them started rattling off one drink after another, as I lifted them from the tray and placed them on the low table before them. It meant I had to bend over and it was only on the last cup that I realised my blouse had tipped forward and down, providing, I was
so
sure, a nice view of my white lacy bra set. Christ, could I be any more ridiculous!

I jumped back upright feeling the blush I dreaded sweep up my cheeks.

"Ms Cain," Finn Drake said softly. My eyes automatically flicked to him, there was that warmth in his own eyes again, as though he was genuinely pleased to see me. Maybe it was to see me make a fool of myself, but that didn't seem his style.

"Mr Drake," I replied, not quite as warmly, but I did try.

"Please call me Finn," he answered immediately, surprising me at the familiarity and perhaps inappropriateness of his suggestion. I was his client after all. I also wasn't the only one surprised, Mr Anscombe's head swivelled to shoot a glare directly at his partner. He agreed with my assessment, lawyers and their clients should always stick to formal titles, it just seemed a little too much to call him Finn.

I decided to not mention that and just forced a smile on my lips. His face fell slightly, but he recovered quickly and indicated the gentlemen at his sides.

"Please let me introduce my colleagues." He pointed towards Anscombe. "This is Dominic Anscombe, senior partner at ADK."

There was nothing for it, I had to acknowledge the introduction and look him in the eye. I turned stiffly towards god-like Anscombe with the sexiest smile and name I'd ever heard in my life and offered a half smile. He shot his hand out immediately to shake. Damn. I took it, hesitating only for a second or two and hopefully not showing my distaste at touching him too much. It wasn't distaste, it was outright fear. Touching him seemed like a very bad move.

I wasn't wrong. A shock of electricity shot up my arm, from where he touched me. His large, smooth hand engulfing mine, to the point where his fingers curved around my wrist. He flexed them against the sensitive skin there, making me go instantly weak at the knees. I felt a breath of air escape me and forced myself not to close my eyes or collapse to the floor before him. A lazy smile spread across his lips, this one different from the others I had received. I decided I liked it, then quickly decided it was the worst smile in the history of smiles and so frowned. His smile only widened further.

"Pleased to officially meet you, Ms Cain," he replied, not offering for me to call him Dominic.

I pulled my hand back and used every ounce of strength I had not to rub it against my trousers, but I did flex it. His eyes shot down to the movement then back up to me, then he leaned back on his chair and took a sip of one of the coffees, completely at ease and relaxed.

"Not bad," he said with a cock of his head. "Delicious, in fact." For some reason I got the impression he wasn't talking about the coffee.

I blinked and turned back to Finn, who was watching Anscombe with a strange look on his face, contemplative and if I wasn't mistaken, a little peeved. He turned to face me and the warm smile replaced the slight frown of before. Then he began introductions to the rest of the top of the hot-rush brigade.

"This is Nick Anscombe of Anscombe Securities and Investigations," he pointed to a dark haired, military cut, buffed man, who had to be closely related to god-like Anscombe of the senior partner persuasion. He was maybe a couple of years younger and definitely a little more rugged than his doppelgänger, and dressed all in bad-boy black. Black jeans, black long-sleeved Tee, thick black belt with several devices attached, including, to my horror, what looked like a gun, and thick soled black biker boots on his feet.

"Are you related to each other?" I blurted, runaway mouth engaging and it would seem brain disconnecting at the same time. "Aside from the name, of course, you look kind of alike. Except you're a little more relaxed looking than Mr Anscombe," I added, then cringed at Anscombe's harsh cough-which-could-have-been-a-laugh to the side. "Not that your suit's not nice," I felt compelled to add, turning to Anscombe. Jeez Louise, shut up! "It's just not very relaxed looking." Oh dear God, kill me now. I pursed my lips tightly together.

"I don't always wear a suit," Anscombe replied, his eyes flicking over my not-sexy-at-all work uniform. Yeah, I deserved that obvious assessment. I nodded, accepting the reprimand as it was given and turned back to Nick Anscombe of Anscombe Securities and Investigations.

He was smiling at me, it was stunning to say the least.

"My brother is a little stuck up in the dress department," he offered and Anscombe made that coughing sound again to my side. I didn't turn my attention to him, but kept it locked on Anscombe junior. "Although he has been known to wear black at night," he added and this time the cough was definitely a laugh, but I couldn't see why.

Finn interrupted the conversation, thankfully, introducing the man sitting next to Nick. He was well built, broad shouldered and had scruffy short brown hair and chocolate brown eyes and skin. He was hot, as in bad-ass hot, more so than Nick, if that was possible. His jeans were tattered and faded, his T-shirt, again faded, had an ACDC logo across the front. His belt had more gadgets, but all of the pouches and holsters holding them were well worn and looked well used. He had obvious dark stubble along his jawline, which just made the bad-boy image intensify and his grin jaw droppingly gorgeous.

"This is Ben Tamati, who works at ASI." I guessed, ASI meant Anscombe Securities and Investigations. I nodded, noting that neither Nick or Ben had offered to shake my hand, I wondered if that was just the done thing in the circles they ran in, or whether they had been scared off by Anscombe senior's efforts and my embarrassingly bizarre reaction to them. I somehow knew I was an open book to these people, they seemed to be seeing right through me.

"Nice to meet you all," I answered, trying to remember my manners and the fact they were drinking coffee in my establishment. "I hope you enjoy your coffees," I added, picking up the tray, belatedly realising I'd flashed them with my top again, and pulling myself upright and getting ready to run. I was so redesigning our uniforms this weekend.

"We actually came in to see you, the coffee is a bonus," Finn was saying, forcing me to turn my body back to face them all. I had already taken the first step to freedom, but at his words felt trapped and the beginnings of panic to set in.

"Why?" I asked rather bluntly, but couldn't find the wherewithal to temper my words or form full sentences at all.

"Dominic has agreed for us to take on your case as discussed, so no time like the present than to get the ball rolling," Finn answered easily.

Holy crap, Anscombe senior,
Dominic sexy smile and name
, had
agreed
to take on my case as pro bono. My eyes closed briefly, my hands gripping the tray tightly in front of my body as though it could protect me from their judgement. They all knew my story. My embarrassing, weak-willed story. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole, or maybe Rangitoto Island to erupt and cover all of Auckland in molten lava and spewing rocks. Anything was better than standing before these top of the hot-rush hotties and know they
knew
what Brett had done and I had forgiven him - four times.

I swallowed and opened my eyes again. All of them were silently watching me, I couldn't read their facial expressions, one and all had them closed off.

"Thank you," was all I managed to get out. Then after another deep breath I added, "Is there anything you need from me?"

Nick was the one to reply. "I have my men already investigating Elliott, if there are any details we need your input on we'll be in touch. We do know he is a person of interest."

"A person of interest?" I asked a little confused.

"He's on radar," he added, just as confusing. He must have realised I didn't understand a word, so clarified again, "His name is known to the police and certain people in the underworld have had dealings with him."

My legs did collapse at that. All four men stood abruptly and reached for me, but it was Dominic who made it to my side and helped me into a chair that he dragged over one handed and with the tip of his highly polished shoe. His hand holding my right arm didn't let go, even when my butt was firmly placed on the seat. The others slowly sat, various looks of concern on their faces, but Dominic loomed over me, hand firmly holding my arm.

The tray was in my lap, one set of fingers white knuckled around the rim, my other hand covering my mouth.

"What does that actually mean?" I whispered, and despite Bic still pounding out of the speakers and Lucas banging the portafilter to empty the grounds, they all seemed to hear every word.

Again it was Nick who answered. "It means he's into more than just gambling and he's racked up some serious debt around town. We have knowledge of two groups interested in his whereabouts. These are two groups you do not want to piss off, but somehow your boyfriend..."

"Ex-boyfriend," I interrupted and received an arm squeeze from Dominic still at my side.

"Ex-boyfriend," Nick corrected, "has managed to do just that. Piss them off," he added, unnecessarily.

I sat there quite numb, unable to wrap my head around any of this. I knew Brett gambled, I'd been slow to cotton on to that fact, it wasn't until one-hundred and fifty thousand dollars disappeared from our bank account that I woke up to a new and disturbing world. But, I hadn't once thought that Brett would have anything to do with an
underworld
or be on a
persons of interest
list with the police. To say I was shocked was an understatement. Just who the hell was the man I lived with for the past seven years?

Nobody said anything for several seconds, they all somehow knew I wasn't up to carrying the conversation right now, they just sat there letting me attempt to get my head around the repercussions of what Nick had said. I wasn't sure if their patience and time would make a difference. The bottom line was I didn't know Brett at all.

Just then Kelly appeared at my other side, the side not being held - for some inexplicable reason he was still holding the other side - by Dominic Anscombe. Her eyes flicked over the top of the hot-rush hotties and then settled with a huge dollop of concern on me.

"Sweetie," she said, ducking down to crouch beside me. "We've got a slight problem."

I blinked back at her and then followed the direction of her gaze back towards the counters. Standing on the floor, in a huge silver bucket with oversized silver bow tied to its side, was another six dozen red roses. I shot to my feet, the tray clattering to the floor loudly, Dominic not letting go of my arm and growled. Actually growled, it was quite impressive.

"Oh, hell no," I said ominously and then wrenched out of Dominic's hold and rushed to the enormous bouquet on the floor. I stared at it for a split second and then bent down, flashing the roses with my bra this time, and scooped the entire lot up. It wasn't easy, it was well oversized for my two arms, but I was determined to get the blasted things out of my shop, to prevent them from tainting my dream. They had to go. Now.

The double doors at the front of the shop proved a difficulty and I cursed under my breath about my choice of not going for flash automatic soulless ones, but finally after much grunting and banging of the silver bucket against the frame, I managed to get the damn things open. I stumbled out onto the paved footpath, almost bowling over a group of middle aged ladies out shopping and then stomped over to a park bench on the far side of the pavement. A rubbish bin sat next to the seating area, so I started to thrust rose stem after rose stem inside the bin intermittently exclaiming to all and sundry that I hated red roses and hated my ex-boyfriend and hated my life.

By the time the bin was overflowing and I'd only managed to trash a third of the bouquet I felt a heat behind me and then firm hands wrapped around my upper arms and pulled me back against a hard chest.

"Stop," Dominic instructed softly. I struggled for a moment with the rose in my hand, trying to get it into the bin before me, then Nick and Ben appeared and the roses were all gone. Vanished, just like that. There one minute, gone the next.

I realised I was breathing heavily and tears were streaming down my cheeks, but Dominic had not let me go. We stood there for several seconds and then Nick appeared in front of my face.

"Ben's going to be following you, he'll be your shadow from here on in." I had no idea why Nick would suggest that, then had reality crash in to me on his next words. "Elliott has just announced publicly that you are his. This won't have been missed by the groups interested in finding him. You have now become a target, so you'll have a bodyguard with you wherever you go, until this is sorted once and for all." His voice had been quiet, but firm. No argument, he'd decided and that was that.

"I don't want a bodyguard," I declared, stupidly it would seem.

The hands on my upper arms tightened and Nick flicked a glance up to Dominic at my back. Something passed between them, something unspoken that I didn't understand. Then he said softly, eyes back on me, "Too bad, you've got one." And then disappeared again.