Filthy Rich Alpha - Virna DePaul Page 0,54

show. “Because I didn’t send that and I don’t know who did. Therefore, there is no way I could possibly explain it. Would you like me to make something up?”

“No. I’d like the truth, however. I’ll have to take this to Mr. Duke.”

“That’s fine,” Cara said. “I’d like it on the record that I’m not happy about you saying that like it’s a threat. I have every confidence that Branden—Mr. Duke—will believe me when I say I didn’t send it.”

Gaunt raised an eyebrow, which indicated loud and clear that he’d heard the rumors about Cara and Branden. In his defense, they were no longer just rumors, but it still pissed her off that he was sitting there thinking she would get special treatment. She didn’t need special treatment. She did her job to the very best of her abilities, and she hadn’t sent that report to someone other than the people she was supposed to.

“That will bode well for you, then,” Gaunt said. “And as for what’s on the record, I’m not threatening you. Mr. Duke hired me to do a certain job and that’s what’s I’m doing.”

“Good for you,” Cara said. It probably wasn’t wise to be so snippety. Gaunt seemed like the type who would hold a grudge, but he had very effectively ruined her entire day with his false accusations.

He stood and started to go, but at the door he turned around and said, “For what it’s worth, Ms. Michal, I do believe you. Unfortunately, my opinion doesn’t really count for much around here.”

Somehow she found that hard to believe. She figured anyone who worked for Branden was the best for the job, and therefore his opinions would hold a huge amount of weight. Still, Cara now felt bad for having cursed Gaunt under her breath. “Thank you,” she said as he went out and closed the door.

She picked up the phone to call Branden, then hesitated.

It was exactly what Gaunt and others would expect her to do. Exactly what she’d told herself she wouldn’t do.

Run to her boss. Her lover.

She put the phone back in its cradle. She would let Mike Gaunt do whatever he needed, and when Branden asked her about it, she would state her case. She couldn’t mix business and the pleasure Branden gave her after hours.

Cara returned to what she’d been doing before Mike interrupted her, but the numbers swam in front of her face. Something bad was going on at D&M, and somehow she’d become involved.

Less than a half hour later, there was another knock on her door. She debated not answering, even hiding under her desk, but eventually called, “Come in.”

The door opened and Gail stepped inside. “Sushi? Or Thai? We’re going out to lunch today and wanted to see if you’d take time away from your precious numbers to join us.”

Tammie appeared behind Gail, all smiles. “I vote Chinese, actually. And there’s a new mani-pedi place that has a lunchtime special. We can bring in boxes of lo mein and eat at the same time.”

Cara pursed her lips. She didn’t get out much, and with Iris out of town, she’d missed female companionship. Maybe lunch today would be a good idea—Tammie tended to talk nonstop, which could be a nice distraction.

Suddenly, Deena Raj appeared in the doorway. She was dressed in a white Chanel suit with a perfectly tailored A-line skirt and a red silk camisole just peeking out from underneath her jacket. Both the white and the red looked stunning with her olive skin and raven hair. She smelled like Chanel No. 5.

Cara stood up. “Hi, Deena,” she said, forcing a smile.

“Hello, Cara,” the woman said, and smiled pleasantly at Gail and Tammie.

“Um, lunch another time?” Gail asked, obviously nervous to have the other woman suddenly appear.

With a smile, Cara tipped her head, then gave a quick farewell wave as her two coworkers exited her office. She turned her attention back to Deena Raj.

“Please sit,” the woman said.

Cara did so, and Deena sat in the same seat Mike had occupied less than an hour ago. Actually, she didn’t sit so much as melted into it. Everything she did seemed to be done with such grace. Against Cara’s will, jealousy spiked through her spine.

“Cara?”

She suddenly realized that Deena had been talking and she hadn’t heard a word.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

Deena raised one perfectly designed eyebrow and said, “I asked who else has the password to your D&M email account.”

“No one. This is about the report Mike showed