Cade's office
"What can I do for you, Warren?" Erin heard Cade talk on the phone in the next room. She had left the lunchroom early in order to see Cade and ask him if he wanted to have dinner with her that evening. He had left his door open and she could not help herself from listening to Cade's deep and pleasant voice. She didn't want to intrude on the conversation so she sat down at her desk and started to locate the papers Cade needed for his next meeting.
"Yes, I have heard about the take-over attempt. So what will you do about it?" She heard Cade continuing on with the business talk and she shut off the sound until suddenly she heard her own name being mentioned. She stopped working and listened.
"Yes, Erin is doing fine, as I said." He laughed at something Warren said on the other end.
"All right so she's more than fine. I see you have a spy planted in the building. Otherwise you would never have known about our nightly escapades." The short pause that followed declared Warren was saying something. Erin blushed. If Warren only knew how they spent their nights he would surely freak out. And who could be spying on them and reporting to Warren? She had thought she was the only spy Warren had placed here. If not, why would he even give her the assignment if someone else was already in place? There was something strange about this.
"Sure, I'm more than pleased with her, uncle. Finally you decided to use some common sense before dumping another woman on me. The last one you sent me was as flat-chested as a wall. And the one before that was a real bitch once I got to know her. But this one, well...I'm not giving you any details but she's really something."
Cade laughed at something Warren said.
"I
am
using my upper brain, uncle," he said loudly.
Erin almost stumbled. Something was not right here. They knew each other. That she had known in advance. They were partners. But,
uncle
. Cade had called Warren
uncle
. They were
family
? Now wait a minute? Warren had said he wanted her to have a close look at the man he suspected of fraud. Didn't he trust his own nephew, was that it? But she hadn't found anything wrong even though she had kept a close eye on the,
Mr. Mason
, Warren suspected to be the ringleader of the fraud.
Oh well, maybe she had kept a closer eye on him than Warren expected her to. Still, Warren had actually sent her to spy on his own
nephew
, his partner in this business and told her she should keep a close eye on him. And still he had not bothered to tell her that they were related. Something was definitely wrong here. And what was that about dumping women on him?
"Who said anything about grandchildren?" Cade exclaimed. "My parents are bugging me about that already so don't you start as well. Look, a fellow need to spread his seed before settling down. Although you do your best to trap me with any woman that comes your way."
That was it! That was the reason for this secret assignment. The real reason why she was stuck here in the wilderness dressed as a prostitute. Erin practically stopped breathing. Suddenly everything made sense. Chilling, breathtaking sense, but the logic was indisputable.
There was no fraud. No case. No promotion. She was
bait
. Pure and simple. Bait for a man that didn't want to settle down. So his family decided to team up and introduce him to new women. And that also explained why Warren insisted on her dressing like a tramp for this assignment. He wanted her to attract the male victim with the oldest trick in the book -- naked skin and large breasts.
Damn. And dumb, as she was she had thought this was her big chance for promotion, for doing something important and even believed she had gained Warren's trust when he would entrust her with such an important assignment.
Important
, my ass, she thought. Important as in being good enough to fuck his precious nephew - that was how much he trusted her. He probably thought his uptight little analyst would never have any bad diseases that would ruin the family line or something. Thinking her useful in trying to goad his Casanova-nephew into settling down with a nice woman.
And she had acted like the perfect little idiot she was and swallowed bait, hook and even the entire line. She had believed she had a job to do. An important job to do. Believed that the clothes and the bared cleavage were only a part of her cover. Even worse, she had fallen head over heels in love with the man. She realised that now. She could not be this attracted to a man without some serious feeling involved. And in the last few days she had started to hope for something more. Something lasting. She had started to think they had a future together and that they enjoyed being together. How wrong she had been?
"But I enjoy this one really well," Cade said smugly in the other office. "It's good to see you've developed some taste in your old days, uncle."
How could she have given him so much in such a short time? So much that she had forgotten her usual reluctance for relationships and given herself so heartily to him. And he had simply taken what was so gladly offered and contended himself with her for the time being, or at least until someone better was thrown his way. How could she have been so stupid?
"Tell me, how did you manage to find this one for me?" Cade continued talking to his uncle.
Erin wanted to shut the door so she didn't have to hear any more, but she did not want him to see her right now. How could she not have noticed that she was being used by two males at the same time? Lured into thinking her being in control of her own destiny and enjoying the males that came her way? Thinking her brainpower had anything to do with her landing this assignment. She cursed inwardly.
Instead it was her boob-size and body that had landed her this job. Warren had probably had a notion of his nephew preferring blondes in skimpy clothes and moulded her into that exact form with the help of Stella. And did she have any indication that Cade thought her to be more than an ordinary one-night-stand? They had spent several nights together but he had stopped nagging her about marriage. That should have told her something. Why pay for something he got for free, he was probably thinking.
She cursed herself for acting like a moron and given in to his advances - for not seeing through this plan of Warren's. Well, this farce was stopping right now. She was not going to dance to any man's flute any longer. Now she was taking command over her own life, and starting right now. She slammed the few personal items she had on her desk into her bag, reached for her coat and walked briskly out the door.
Tears were threatening to stream down her face but she kept them back with a force of will -- not wanting to let anyone know of the pain that was breaking her body into pieces. She just needed to get to the rented apartment, pack her bags and head back to her own home. There she could finally let the tears stream freely. After that she would return to Warren and demand the promotion or he would have her resignation. It was the least he could do after using her like this.
***
"So the rumours I've heard about you and your ladylove are true, then? You simply can't stand to stay apart?" Warren asked smugly.
"Who told you that?"
Warren chuckled at the other end of the line. "Perhaps I
do
