He set the file down on the seat next to him, contemplating the small amount he knew. A wedding reporter. Interesting choice of careers. Probably not the most lucrative. And if she were reporting on the society weddings, she most likely wanted a big, elaborate affair herself when she finally found the right man.
So she wanted to get married, eh? Not to him, he told himself firmly as he stormed into his house a half hour later. His tie was uncaringly tossed into his closet as his irritation increased once again. She was probably tired of being on the sidelines reporting about all the fabulous affairs and wanted to snag a man who could give her the whole shebang.
She’d have to keep on looking, but he was more than willing to give her the honeymoon. He glanced at the file folder that contained her cell phone number and work number. He wasn’t going to call her, he told himself. He had work to do and she would eventually get around to hitting him up for whatever she had in mind soon enough.
As he stared up at the ceiling that night, he hoped that she would make her move soon! Hell, he wanted her here, in his bed and in his arms. He should have gone home with one of the lovely ladies tonight who had been more than willing to take Brianna’s place. But they’d left him cold, every one of them. None had Brianna’s sweet smile or her shy glances that turned him on so much. And none had that crazy, honest response when he kissed her. Of course, he hadn’t bothered to kiss any of the women on display tonight, but he didn’t have to kiss them to know. It was just a gut feeling that none of the women tonight would have had the same impact.
And Rocco was never one to settle for less than the best.
Chapter 3
Brianna’s hands shivered as she read the words again. Sitting at her desk, she wondered if anyone suspected she was doing something clandestine. She peered around at her co-workers, making sure no one was watching. She’d been too nervous last night to take a good picture of the letter, but she had some of the words and, if what she suspected was true, Rocco Antoniv was into some seriously illegal stuff.
Although what that illegal stuff was, she couldn’t quite decipher. Yet.
She dialed Rachel’s number, hoping she might be able to tell her what was going on. Rachel used to work as a stock broker and could always figure out anything to do with markets.
But Rachel wasn’t answering her phone. Bri left a message but in the back of her mind, she was hoping Rachel’s new husband was occupying her time. Rachel worked way too many hours!
She e-mailed the picture to Nikki with the subject, “Any ideas on what this is?”
Her cell phone camera had not only captured words, but also an emblem on the upper left hand corner. The letters underneath were foreign and she couldn’t remember where, but she’d seen that emblem somewhere. It was important, of that she was sure. But she couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Only the words “freeze the oil supply”, “cut off funds so they had no option” and “stage the protest” were visible on her picture. If she’d been a more experienced journalist, her hands wouldn’t have been shaking so badly and she would have gotten a better picture. She also could have gone in to her editor and made a case for time to investigate. But if she brought this in to Drew, he would laugh her out of his office. But only after he demanded to know how she’d gotten the picture. She couldn’t tell him about that night or her early morning race home. Some things a journalist just had to keep private, she told herself grimly.
She’d gotten maybe an hour or two of sleep last night, preceded by a passion and desire so intense, she still felt dizzy just thinking about it. And she actually felt like she was walking awkwardly today. She’d been so tender last night in the most intimate part of her, but now, she only felt….different.
Stop thinking about him! She’d reprimanded herself over and over today, trying to keep the man’s touch and the way he’d….well, the things they’d….
She sighed and dropped her head onto her open palm. She had to stop thinking about Rocco Antoniv as the ultimate lover and remember that he was doing something extremely wrong. Something seriously illegal like price fixing or manipulating markets. Those two things might be the same thing for all she knew!
She looked around, biting her lip as she tried to figure out a way to identify the mysterious emblem. She knew she’d seen it somewhere, but couldn’t place it for the life of her.
“Hey, Brianna, weren’t you asking about that billionaire guy the other day? Antoniv?”
Brianna swung around, stuffing her cell phone into her purse with a guilty flush. “Yes. Why?” she asked, wondering if her night of passion with the man in question was written all over her face.
Leslie, another reporter who worked the police beat walked up to Brianna’s desk. Leslie was one of the nice reporters, never looking down at Brianna’s assignments. “I heard through the grapevine that he’s off to his winter lodge. You should look it up on the internet. It’s an amazing house deep in the forests of Pennsylvania. Has just about every luxury a guy could want.”
She smiled wanly, not wanting to think of Rocco as being that wealthy. She didn’t mind thinking of him as a criminal. Somehow, that made him more human. Not more attainable, she told herself as her co-worker walked away to her own desk. No, there was no way Rocco Antoniv could ever be thought of as attainable. But she’d like to think of him as more human, more approachable.
She sighed and focused on her computer screen. She had to get her latest assignment in fast. Drew had given her the job of reporting on the latest events coming up at the botanical gardens and their winter schedule. She was already past her own personal deadline and the official news deadline was approaching. She’d always taken pride in the fact that she’d never missed a target. She was organized and efficient, good with words and the turn of a phrase. But after last night, her world seemed different and her fingers were frozen over the keys. She wasn’t able to form coherent sentences like she normally pushed out.
Her editor appeared by her side, his eyes concerned and his mouth turned down to a frown. “What’s going on?” Drew said as he rested a heavy hip on the corner of her desk.
Brianna’s startled eyes lifted to his, not sure what she’d done or said that would give her inner turmoil away. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
His eyes narrowed even more at her uncharacteristic response as well as the forced smile. “You’re acting all jumpy today and you’re late getting your report in,” he said in a fatherly voice with concern in his eyes.