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Lina

A text came in from Emily: “The footage is deleted. I’ve got it safely stored. You can access it on your USB. “Embarrassment squirmed through me as I wondered whether Emily had watched it. I supposed she had to watch it to know she’d gotten the incriminating evidence I’d asked her to delete.

As soon as I’d gotten to my car after leaving Blackthorn, I’d texted Emily about how I needed her to delete all security footage from the elevator camera from the last hour.

I opened up my laptop, the cool light of the screen bathing my face as I sat on the edge of my bed in the luxurious guest suite at Blackthorn Villa. After thoroughly inspecting the room for any suspicious surveillance devices the moment I moved in, I felt confident in being able to make calls to my friends without hesitation.

My heart still skipped with what had happened, and I desperately wanted something to ground me. If I’d been home, I’d have wrapped my arms around Betty’s soft little body, inhaling her earthy scent, and been instantly calmed.

So far, since arriving here, I’d only managed a handful of calls home. With it already being a couple of weeks since I’d left, I missed her terribly.

Feeling lonely, I video-called home.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Betty screeched, radiant with excitement.

I had the volume low, and I allowed myself to beam at her, my voice quiet compared to hers.

A smile blossomed across my lips, melting away the lingering tension I’d carried all day. I leaned forward, the warmth of her joy igniting a deep happiness within me.

“Hi, sweetheart! How’s my little ballerina?”

“Good! I’s practicing!” she moved back, twirling around. My heart swelled as she spun. “You’re doing so well. I miss you, baby.”

“Yes!” she giggled. “Look, look!” She exploded into a series of spins, wobbling a little as she laughed.

“My teacher says I’s the best!” she insisted, and I caught a glimpse of Matt on the sofa, his grin warm as he added. “Miss Hutton awarded you a prize, didn’t she?”

Betty nodded so vigorously that her black waves bounced. “I got a star.”

“Well done, sweetie,” I cooed.

“Mommy, you coming home?” Betty asked, her face suddenly earnest.

My stomach tightened. “As soon as I can, baby,” I promised, already wishing I could reach through the screen and scoop her into my arms.

“I got a secret show,” she said, clapping her hands delightedly, even as Matthew put a finger to his lips, trying to shush her. “Remember, it’s a secret show, isn’t it, Betty?” For the next five minutes, she delightedly showed me snippets of the top-secret dance routine she was working on for my homecoming.

Too soon Matthew left to take Betty up to bed. But with the way she was yawning, I could see she’d had another fulfilling and stimulating day, one I tried not to feel too guilty about missing. A wave of longing washed over me, and I turned my attention to Emily, who was framed on Matt’s laptop.

She was on the other end of the couch, typing away on her own laptop. “I’ve still not been able to work out which of the Blackthorn buildings this footage came from,” Emily said, her dark braid swinging as she typed.

I knew she was working, even as she spoke to me. Once Em put her mind to a task, she’d keep at it until she cracked it. Her persistence when it came to her work was both the best thing and the worst thing about Em.

I’d lost count of the number of times I’d found her passed out with keyboard prints imprinted onto her face. Both Emily and Matthew had been my friends since my late teens. Matthew had been on the same business course as me at Harvard; Emily was a friend of his from high school and had studied Computer Science at Boston University. The three of us hung out often in Boston throughout our university years.

When my parents died, both my friends had already graduated and moved back to Philly for jobs. I’d stayed with Matt those first confusing months of mourning my parents and piecing together my suspicions that Magnus was behind the attack, but Emily had been there for me just as much. We had tried in those early months to access my family’s funds, but she hadn’t been skilled enough then to liberate them without the Blackthorn security team’s notice.

“I appreciate everything you’re doing, Em,” I said, not just meaning for what she was doing now, diligently working away day and night to find my mom, but for the past, too. But I made a mental note to check with Matt about when Em’s last bedtime had been, never mind Betty’s.

Em waved me off, never being great at accepting affection. But then she looked up—footsteps sounded, and I realized Matthew had come back.

Matthew took a seat on the couch beside Emily.

Em’s eyebrows drew together as her brown gaze found me. “We found signs earlier that Magnus has begun digging into your past.”

I blinked, my heart thumping. “But how?” I exclaimed. “We’ve been so careful. Has he linked me to Betty White?”

Em shook her head. “No, he’s not onto Luna Remedies in any way.”

I hadn’t opened my company of Luna Remedies under my own name but with an alias—Betty White, my daughter’s name paired with Emily’s surname. It had been my new identity these last five years. After the attack in New York, Lina Silvermoon had to disappear. So, the idea that Magnus had found anything on me was perplexing.

Em continued, “When his men investigated the power plant and the other buildings you mentioned, Magnus began digging around.

Matthew said, “The solicitors have had various requests for the deeds to those buildings. Magnus’s team is trying to track down ownership. He’s also run credit checks on your name. He’s trying to connect you to our shadow company.”

I fought back a shudder. I’d sensed he’d been regarding me with a sharper focus in the handful of meetings over the last week. But I’d been telling myself that I was overthinking things.

But the last thing I needed was for him to find evidence that I was the owner of the shadow company that was the saboteur to much of his business—leaking information and swooping in ahead of him to make deals with clients that Blackthorn was interested in.

“I promise, I’ll be careful,” I reassured them, grateful for the skilled team I had watching my back.

Emily said, “What happened in the elevator didn’t look careful, Lina.” My heart ricocheted in my chest, and I hoped that in the low light of the bedroom, it wasn’t too obvious how flushed my cheeks were growing. But I knew how little Em liked to talk about this touchy-feely shit and was moved that she cared enough to push through her discomfort.

“It was a mistake. It won’t happen again,” I reassured her.

Matt’s expression became serious, though. “Emily told me about the footage, Lina.” He frowned. “I know it must be tricky to be around Stephen, but you need to be careful. If Magnus found out about you two, this whole rescue mission would be over.”

From the look of concern on his face, he didn’t need to say that my life would be at risk and that Betty would be without a mother. I let out a sigh. It had been a stupid moment of weakness.

I finally said what I’d called to say to them. “I miss you guys. I wish I could be home with you and Betty instead of here.”

Matthew’s kind eyes softened. “We miss you, too, Lina. And although Betty’s been great, I know she misses you so much.”

“Thanks, Matt,” I gushed. “She looked so happy. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You know we love spending time with her. It’s no trouble.”

Matt’s easy friendship was something I was so grateful for. The fact that he and Emily had always been such a big part of Betty’s life made me so thankful. When I’d had her, both Matt and Em had been even more supportive. They’d basically lived at my apartment in the first two years of Betty’s life. When Luna Remedies had taken off a couple of years later, we’d decided to relocate to the villa, renovate it, and make it our main office as well as mine and Betty’s home.

Emily went back to typing. “Keep your head in the game, and you’ll be back before you know it.” My lips twitched. Always the tough love approach with Em.

“Em’s right, the better you play your role, the sooner you’ll be home with us,” Matt agreed.

“Hang on, what was that?” Em stopped typing. “Did he just say I’m right? Fuck, I wish I’d gotten that on tape.”

Matt’s mouth quirked for a moment, and I wondered if this time away from my favorite duo might at least help Matt make his move. Emily didn’t do the touchy-feely shit, but they’d been into each other for so many years. Maybe some time alone together was exactly what they needed.

“Besides,” Matt said. “Betty’s still not nearly rehearsed enough for your homecoming show. And you can’t rush good art.”

Finally, I wished them both goodnight and told them I’d check in with them whenever I could.

As the quiet of the room pressed in on me, my thoughts strayed to the elevator surveillance footage. I settled into my pillows with the laptop on my stomach and slid a USB drive into the port.

The seconds dragged by with anticipation as I clicked open the file, the whisper of anticipation thrumming through me like an echo of what I’d felt in that dark space with Stephen. I was barely breathing as I watched Stephen and me enter the elevator. The lurch and the darkness made our silhouettes hard to see, but they were still visible on the CCTV, far more than they had been to us in the dark.

The footage played out, and I heard my panicked gasps filling the elevator in a way I’d been too out of it to notice. Stephen’s reassuring voice came through my speakers, “You’re okay, Lina. Just breathe.” My fear reverberated in my short, shallow breaths, and the memory made my heart race.

I watched in a trance as Stephen’s figure approached me in the video. I couldn’t see him gripping my hands, but as my breathing calmed, the ghost of his touch lingered on my palms, igniting a warmth that spread through me. His voice, low and commanding yet gentle, whispered through the playback, “Breathe in… and out…” Each word felt like a caress, pebbling my skin and awakening an unexpected rush of desire that I couldn’t ignore.

Instinctively, my fingers traced my collarbone, moving slowly down toward my breast. My breath caught as I imagined it was Stephen’s hand on my body. I circled my breast, teasing my nipple through the fabric of my shirt, feeling a thrill ripple through me with each brush. The heat pooled low in my belly as my hand trailed lower, across the plane of my stomach, descending farther, where I was already growing slick.

As my fingers strayed beneath the band of my pants and into my lace knickers, I felt each of Stephen’s intentional words echo in my mind, “Breathe in…and out…” Every repetition filled me with an aching need. I envisioned it was Stephen stroking me, and as I touched myself, electric sparks raced through my body. I gasped, my skin alive with sensation, my world narrowing to this moment of forbidden pleasure, imagining Stephen was here with me, touching me in the way I wished he had in the elevator.

But it was the sound of my own voice echoing from the audio—“Stephen”—that jolted me back to reality. Shock flooded through me as I realized what I was doing, the intensity of my longing for him overwhelming. How had I let myself slip so easily into such desire so deep it left me breathless?

Quickly, I withdrew my hand from beneath my knickers, taking a deep, steadying breath before forcing myself to close the video. I stifled the memory of his gentle lips, the caress of his fingertips against my jaw. Then, with a trembling finger, I clicked delete on the video.

I reminded myself that what was between us was just the result of chemistry, the result of pheromones bringing about that delicious heat that made me ache for…

Nope, nope. I’m not doing this.

Closing the laptop, I decided to go for a shower and wash away the lingering scent of him. It was just a physiological reaction and nothing else. With the weekend to get my head in the game, I decided to have some retail therapy. I’d only brought a handful of business outfits with me, so I went shopping at Macy’s for some new work outfits. On Monday, I doubled down on keeping focused at work. By the end of the week, I couldn’t believe it had already been three weeks that I’d been at Blackthorn Corporation, which was the completion of my probationary period.

Toward the end of the day, Magnus called me into his office. I’d been trying to keep my head down this week, too, on account of the news that Magnus was digging into my shadow company and looking for a connection to me. I’d gone about my work as diligently as possible.

“I wanted to congratulate you on your work the last few weeks,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “It goes without saying that you passed your probation period with flying colors.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” I said. “I’m very happy with how it’s been going, too.”

Magnus’s dark brown stare brushed over me, and I got the usual uncomfortable feeling I did during our meals at Blackthorn Villa on the weekends when we were both there, and he continued to slip in questions about the past five years as if still trying to trip me up. “Stephen has had nothing but praise for you,” he added.

The usual undertow of anxiety thrummed through my veins at the mention of Stephen. My palms grew clammy in my lap, but I forced the calm I’d been trying to keep over myself. “I appreciate everything he’s done in showing me the ropes, too.”

“Now for the best part,” Magnus said, buzzing his intercom and saying, “Would you join us in here, Stephen?”

When Stephen joined us, keeping my cool wasn’t as easy. Already, my thoughts were skipping over what Magnus could have to say that would involve us both. And the memory of our kiss loomed like a hidden crevasse that I was in danger of falling into all too swiftly.

“I’ve decided to send you both on a business trip on Monday,” Magnus informed us. “Stephen is familiar with Haldon Limited in California. They recently absconded to one of our competitors. I’ve set up a pitch with them for you on Tuesday.”

Anxiety bubbled up within me. Of all the clients that Magnus could have chosen, of course, it would be the client my shadow company had recently poached. We’d struck solid gold by poaching this key client from Blackthorn, and I fought to keep my expression solemn as triumph sizzled through me.

“Sounds exciting,” I said, carefully schooling my features to convey neutrality.

However, the thought of the client wasn’t the only thing that had my heart quickening. A business trip away with Stephen was the last thing I needed. It had been a week since the moment we’d shared in the elevator, and we had successfully kept our distance in the office. But how much harder would that be on a plane, journey, and worse still, over two nights away together? There would be nowhere to hide and no distractions to pull me away from the weight of what lingered between us.

“Stephen, you’ll take the lead on the presentation,” Magnus continued, his attention thankfully on my traveling companion. Stephen nodded, but I had the distinct impression, based on the quiet intensity blanketing his strong features, that he was feeling similarly unsettled by this news.

“But Lina, I want you to be closely involved in the discussions,” Magnus said. “Your perspective on the market will be invaluable to resecuring Haldon.”

“Of course,” I managed to say, my voice steady despite the tumult of thoughts swirling within me.

I heard Emily’s words from our call playing in my head, “Keep your head in the game.” I wouldn’t let anything—especially not my feelings toward Stephen—undermine my efforts to keep my cover.

“Let’s get this client back in the fold,” Magnus said.

I nodded again, forcing a lightness in my tone. “We won’t disappoint you.”

Once the meeting concluded, I left Magnus’s office, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Worry knotted my stomach as I contemplated the need to put my all into a pitch to secure a client that my shadow company had just acquired. But what if this was an opportunity—one I could use to divert suspicion away from myself?

Just as I was packing up my things and formulating a plan, Stephen rejoined me in our office.

“Congrats on the probation period,” he said as he returned to his desk. “I owe you a drink in California. The flight’s not until one, so we can work on the pitch in the morning.”

His tone was amicable and just the right level of professionalism we’d been keeping to all week. But I was suddenly picturing us in a hotel bar, leaning in close to one another. Just like that, my heart was thumping, my mouth was moistening, and my legs were feeling weak.

I shook the thought away. If my plans came to fruition, we wouldn’t even be making that pitch in California. I had to be strategic. The stakes were too high for mistakes. But whatever happened, I needed to maintain the facade that I was just another employee eager to impress Magnus, so I quickly agreed. “Thanks. Let’s get an early start Monday—8 a.m. so we have most of it ironed out before the flight.”

Stephen nodded his agreement. But as I left the office, the determined glint in my eye wasn’t for the pitch but for the plan I was formulating. With an impending business trip on the horizon, it was time to make a move before the walls closed in around me.