Mistress to the Magnate

“What?”

“That’s more the reaction I was hoping for.”

“Where did you hear this?”

“I have an acquaintance over at Brady and she clued me in. She said it was even suggested that Maddox was stealing pitch ideas.”

“Are we?”

The question seemed to surprise Brock. “Hell, no! That was our idea.”

“So, how did Golden Gate manage to pitch the same thing? Coincidence?”

“Highly unlikely. The only explanation is that someone here leaked it.”

If that was true, they had a serious problem. “What does Flynn think of this?”

“I didn’t tell him yet.”

As vice president, Flynn should have been told about this immediately. “You don’t think he needs to know?”

“I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Why? As CFO, this really isn’t my area of expertise.”

“Look, Ash, I’m not sure how to say this, so I’m just going to say it. You know that I’ve always liked Melody, but is it possible that she could have had anything to do with this?”

The question was so jarring, so out-of-the-blue unexpected, it actually knocked Ash back a step or two. “Melody? What would she have to do with this?”

“It just seems coincidental that right around the time we started laying out the framework for the pitch, meetings you were in on, she disappeared. I would understand completely if maybe you went home and mentioned things to her, never suspecting that she would leak it to our competitor. Maybe they made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

Ash’s hands curled into fists at his sides, and had he been standing within arm’s reach, he might have actually slugged Brock. “The idea that you would accuse Melody of all people of corporate espionage is the most ridiculous, not to mention insulting, thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Considering the way she took off, it just seemed a plausible scenario.”

“Yeah, well, you are way off base,” Ash said, taking a step toward him, all but daring him to disagree.

Brock put his hands up in a defensive posture and said, “Whoa, take it easy, Ash. I apologize for offending you, but put yourself in my position for a minute. Like I said, I had to ask. There’s a rumor that she didn’t leave on the best of terms, so I figured—”

“So we’re listening to rumors now? So should I assume that you’re screwing your assistant?”

Brock’s brow dipped in anger and Ash had the distinct feeling he’d taken this argument a step too far, then Brock’s attention shifted to the door.

“Mother, would it really be too much for you to knock before you enter a room?”

Ash turned to see Carol Maddox standing in the now-open doorway. Small and emaciated but a force to be reckoned with nonetheless. And oh, man, she didn’t look pleased. Of course, as long as Ash had known her, disappointment and contempt were the only two expressions that had ever made it through the Botox. In fact, he couldn’t recall a single incidence when he’d seen her smile. She was probably one of the unhappiest, nastiest people he’d ever met, and seemed hell-bent on taking everyone else down with her.

“I need to have a word with you, dear,” she said through gritted teeth, or maybe the Botox had frozen her jaw. Either way, she looked royally pissed off and Ash was in no mood to get caught in the crosshairs.

“I take it we’re finished here,” he said, and Brock nodded curtly.

As Ash sidestepped around Mrs. Maddox to get to the door, he almost felt guilty. The remark about Brock sleeping with Elle didn’t seem to go over well with good ol’ mom. But that was what he got for accusing Melody of all people of leaking company secrets.

Even if Ash had told her about the campaign—which he definitely hadn’t—she was not the type to go selling the information to Maddox’s rival. And somewhere deep down he would always resent Brock for even suggesting that she would.

Wait a minute …

He gave himself a mental shake. Wasn’t he being a touch hypocritical? Why was he so dead set on defending the honor of a woman he planned to use, then viciously dump? This was the evil Mel they were talking about, right?

Because, although she may have betrayed Ash’s trust, it would be against everything he believed to castigate someone for something they didn’t do. And for this, she was completely innocent.

When he reached his office Rachel greeted him anxiously. “Oh, there you are. I’ve been calling you. Miss Trent called.”

“Sorry, I forgot my cell in my desk. What did she want?”

“She said she needed to talk to you and she sounded frantic. Completely unlike herself. She asked to have you call her immediately on her cell phone.”

Melody wasn’t the frantic type, and that alone alarmed him. “Did she say why?”

“No. But I’m worried. She acted as if she’d never spoken to me before.”

That was because, as far as she knew, she never had. “I’ll call her right away.”

He stepped into his office, shut the door and dialed her cell. She answered before it even had time to ring on his end, and the stark fear in her voice made his heart drop.

“Ash?”

“It’s me. What’s wrong?”

“I need you to come get me,” she said, her voice quivering so hard he could barely understand her. His first thought was that maybe something had happened and she needed to be taken to the hospital.

“Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?”

“No, I just need a ride,” she said, then he heard the sound of traffic in the background and realized that she must not be at home. She’d said something about taking a walk when he left for work. Had she maybe walked too far and couldn’t make it back on her own?

“Mel, where are you?”

“The Hyde Street Pier.”

The Hyde Street Pier? That was way the hell across town from their condo. There was no way she could have walked that far. “How did you get over there?”

“Can you just come?” she asked, sounding desperate.

“Of course. I’m leaving right now. I’m ten minutes away.”

“I’ll be in front of the Maritime store right on the corner.”

Ash hung up the phone, grabbed his keys from his desk drawer, and as he passed Rachel’s desk he said, “I have to run out for a while. I’ll try to make it back this afternoon.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked, looking concerned.

“I’m not sure.” But he was about to find out.

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