No Stranger to Scandal - By Rachel Bailey Page 0,53

and brightness streamed out, but it was still fairly dark under the desk. Hayden’s fingers stroked along her arm, and even through the fabric the caress gave her goose bumps. She glanced up and found him looking languorously down at her, a devilish gleam in his eyes. She shivered.

“I want you,” he silently mouthed.

“You’re crazy,” she mouthed back. His grin showed he was pleased with that pronouncement, and he undid her top button. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or melt. Then when his mouth covered hers, she didn’t have to think at all. His hand inched inside her shirt just seconds before he froze, his mouth now a hairsbreadth from hers.

Another set of footsteps was coming down the corridor.

As they heard the footsteps turn in to Angelica’s office, Hayden’s hand moved away from Lucy’s skin, and he redid her top button. “Later,” he murmured in her ear.

She bit down on her lip. Later seemed an eternity away.

“Thank you for coming down,” Angelica said. With the door open, the words were as clear as if Lucy and Hayden were standing right beside her. Hayden pulled his phone from his pocket and thumbed a button that she assumed started a recording program.

“What the hell couldn’t wait for tomorrow morning?”

Lucy jerked as she recognized Graham’s voice, but Hayden held her close against his chest, keeping her immobile. Meeting Angelica in the middle of the night didn’t look good, but Graham worked crazy hours. There would be an innocent explanation.

“Something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time,” Angelica said, clearly relishing the words.

“Well, spit it out. I don’t have all night.” Lucy could imagine Graham checking his watch as he spoke.

“No?” Angelica asked, her voice silky smooth. “Not even for your daughter?”

“What the hell—” Silence filled the air as strongly as the voices had. “Are you telling me...?”

Hayden tipped Lucy’s chin up, a question in his eyes, but she shrugged tight shoulders. She didn’t know any more than he did, but whatever it was, she didn’t like the sound of it.

“Mom always said I had your chin.” Angelica’s voice was casual, as if she was chatting in a café about the color of her nails. “Surely you’ve noticed that before?”

“Madeline?”

“Madeline,” Angelica said, chuckling. “Now there’s a blast from the past. I haven’t used that name in a long time.”

“Five years you’ve worked here. Five years without mentioning a thing. Why didn’t you tell me it was you?” Graham demanded.

“And give you the chance to reject me a second time?”

“I did not reject you! I paid child support. I paid your tuition. I made sure you had everything you needed.”

Nausea filled Lucy’s stomach, threatening to rise. The only thing keeping her together was Hayden’s soothing hand stroking her hair. Angelica was Graham’s daughter? They were stepsisters? No wonder Angelica had always hated her—Lucy had Graham’s love, affection and public acknowledgment.

“Oh, yes, I had everything,” Angelica said. “Except for that small matter of a father. Seems you were saving up all that fatherly affection for your precious Lucy.”

Hayden held her more firmly against him. A part of her felt sympathy for Angelica—assuming her story was true—but still, she desperately wanted to run into that office and save Graham from the poison inside his so-called daughter. No matter what he’d done, Graham was worth a hundred Angelicas.

“This has nothing to do with Lucy,” Graham growled.

“You’re right,” Angelica said brightly. “It’s all about you. In fact, you’re the whole reason I’m here at ANS.”

“What are you talking about? Of course you’re here because of me—I headhunted you from NCN.”

“I’ve heard you’re having some trouble with the congressional hearings. You know, I don’t think arresting Brandon Ames and Troy Hall is enough to appease them. They’re after the mastermind.”

There was a beat of silence, then Graham’s voice was incredulous. “It was you.”

Angelica chuckled again. “There’s no evidence for that theory.”

“You manipulated Ames and Hall. Brought out the worst in them.”

“I think you have me confused with someone else. But whoever it was wouldn’t have had any trouble bringing out the worst in those two sniveling hacks.”

“And Marnie? You’re the one who brought her in, as well.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she was involved,” Angelica said, her tone clearly saying she knew Marnie was. “She’s so desperate to make her mark. To shoot to the top.”

“And you manipulated that to get her to bring the scheme to me for my approval.”

“Not me. She must have done that all on her own.”

Graham let out a sigh that sounded