James, sitting up.
“Sorry, boss. I had something I needed to show you.”
He patted the mattress and she took a seat next to him. Even in the low light, she looked stunning – the snug fabric of her clothes accentuating all the right places.
“What is it?” he asked, catching the scent of her perfume.
“You got anything to drink?”
He nodded toward the chest of drawers against the far wall. “There’s a bottle of Mount Gay in there and some glasses.”
Rose set the laptop on the bed and fetched the rum. She poured two measures of the amber liquor and handed one to James. They both took a sip.
“Cheers,” she said, and they clinked glasses.
“So what did you have to show me that requires a toast?”
“I wouldn’t say we needed to toast anything, I was just desperate for a drink.” She smiled. “Although I do have some more dirt on this Blake guy. Wanna see?”
James raised his glass in the affirmative.
“Here, take a look at this.” She opened the laptop and the system sprang into life. “According to the records I pulled from the European Business Register, Blake’s company has been buying up dying corporations throughout the EU, especially in the west. They strip the businesses down to the bone, selling off everything until the company is essentially just a name on a piece of paper.”
James leaned forward. “This guy just gets more and more interesting, doesn’t he?”
“After that, the trail went cold. So I asked one of the guys in the programming lab to follow the money trail and look where it led.” She pointed to something on the screen.
“What the hell is that?”
“Something Blake Industries wanted to keep off the books. Some kind of research facility, apparently set up under the guise of a non-profit.”
“They went to a lot of trouble to hide this.”
“Understatement of the year. With over a dozen parent companies and umbrella corporations, you’d need to know exactly where to look to even find a mention of these guys.”
“And Blake kept his name out of it?”
“Yeah, look at this.” She scrolled through the document. “A few years ago he resigned as director and appointed a trustee to run everything for him. He even gave up all the voting rights his shares carried. For all intents and purposes, he has absolutely zero legal liability for this place.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning if anyone starts sniffing around, he has plausible deniability.”
“I’m starting to see what the Director sees in this guy.” He finished his drink, feeling the warmth spread through his chest. “What did you tell your friend?”
“Huh?”
“The programming guy.”
“I just said I was following a lead for something.”
“You trust him?”
Rose drained her own glass. “Yeah, of course. Don’t worry,” she put down her drink and moved toward him. “I’ve got us covered.”
James felt his heart thump against his chest as Rose came closer. The scent of her perfume intensified. “You’d better,” he said, smiling.
“You giving me my orders now, boss?” She rested one hand on his thigh.
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Just as well, you’d have your work cut out.”
“You sure about that?”
She repositioned herself on the bed, resting on her hands and knees. James felt her hand move up his leg.
“How about we find out?” she said.
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
“Stop trying to be chivalrous and come here.” She grabbed hold of his t-shirt and pulled him forward.
Obliging, James leaned into her, one hand against the small of her back. As his lips met hers, he felt her spine arch and the hairs on his arms stood on end. She tasted like rum: dark and sweet, intoxicating. Her breathing was heavy, forcing her chest up and down in rhythm with her heartbeat. He pulled off his t-shirt and forced her in closer, feeling the warmth of her body against his skin.
Rose broke away for a brief moment and turned off the light. “I’ve been wanting to do that
“Sorry, boss. I had something I needed to show you.”
He patted the mattress and she took a seat next to him. Even in the low light, she looked stunning – the snug fabric of her clothes accentuating all the right places.
“What is it?” he asked, catching the scent of her perfume.
“You got anything to drink?”
He nodded toward the chest of drawers against the far wall. “There’s a bottle of Mount Gay in there and some glasses.”
Rose set the laptop on the bed and fetched the rum. She poured two measures of the amber liquor and handed one to James. They both took a sip.
“Cheers,” she said, and they clinked glasses.
“So what did you have to show me that requires a toast?”
“I wouldn’t say we needed to toast anything, I was just desperate for a drink.” She smiled. “Although I do have some more dirt on this Blake guy. Wanna see?”
James raised his glass in the affirmative.
“Here, take a look at this.” She opened the laptop and the system sprang into life. “According to the records I pulled from the European Business Register, Blake’s company has been buying up dying corporations throughout the EU, especially in the west. They strip the businesses down to the bone, selling off everything until the company is essentially just a name on a piece of paper.”
James leaned forward. “This guy just gets more and more interesting, doesn’t he?”
“After that, the trail went cold. So I asked one of the guys in the programming lab to follow the money trail and look where it led.” She pointed to something on the screen.
“What the hell is that?”
“Something Blake Industries wanted to keep off the books. Some kind of research facility, apparently set up under the guise of a non-profit.”
“They went to a lot of trouble to hide this.”
“Understatement of the year. With over a dozen parent companies and umbrella corporations, you’d need to know exactly where to look to even find a mention of these guys.”
“And Blake kept his name out of it?”
“Yeah, look at this.” She scrolled through the document. “A few years ago he resigned as director and appointed a trustee to run everything for him. He even gave up all the voting rights his shares carried. For all intents and purposes, he has absolutely zero legal liability for this place.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning if anyone starts sniffing around, he has plausible deniability.”
“I’m starting to see what the Director sees in this guy.” He finished his drink, feeling the warmth spread through his chest. “What did you tell your friend?”
“Huh?”
“The programming guy.”
“I just said I was following a lead for something.”
“You trust him?”
Rose drained her own glass. “Yeah, of course. Don’t worry,” she put down her drink and moved toward him. “I’ve got us covered.”
James felt his heart thump against his chest as Rose came closer. The scent of her perfume intensified. “You’d better,” he said, smiling.
“You giving me my orders now, boss?” She rested one hand on his thigh.
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Just as well, you’d have your work cut out.”
“You sure about that?”
She repositioned herself on the bed, resting on her hands and knees. James felt her hand move up his leg.
“How about we find out?” she said.
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
“Stop trying to be chivalrous and come here.” She grabbed hold of his t-shirt and pulled him forward.
Obliging, James leaned into her, one hand against the small of her back. As his lips met hers, he felt her spine arch and the hairs on his arms stood on end. She tasted like rum: dark and sweet, intoxicating. Her breathing was heavy, forcing her chest up and down in rhythm with her heartbeat. He pulled off his t-shirt and forced her in closer, feeling the warmth of her body against his skin.
Rose broke away for a brief moment and turned off the light. “I’ve been wanting to do that
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