“The man wasn’t a sociopath. He was a hired killer who wouldn’t go after you without being paid. So, we need to find out who wants you dead.”
“I hope that scowl isn’t directed at me,” she said quietly.
He chuckled. Sage was falling in love with the sound of his voice as well as his touch, his arrogance, and his protective nature. The fact was, she was fast losing her heart to her own creation. Was he right? Had she created him to fulfill her own fantasies?
“Not unless you played with yourself in the shower.”
She leaned across the table. “No, I was Daddy’s good girl.”
“The scowl is because when I was in the book, I could directly connect with other systems. I’m going to go back through your emails and financials. Now I have to either use your laptop or print them out.”
“What do you mean, back through?”
He stood up and kissed the top of her head. “Baby girl, there isn’t much about your life I don’t already know. If it’s ever been electronic, I’ve seen it. Besides, keeping secrets from me will get you spanked so fast, it’ll spin your head around.”
She laughed. “I have written so many scenes where you said that to heroines, and the mere words made butterflies go off in their bellies. I never thought it was true. I mean, I read the literature, and I’ve been to a couple of clubs, but…”
“You, my sweet girl, have always wanted to be submissive.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head, “I haven’t. I’ve always been a feminist, never wanted to answer to anyone.”
“That’s what you tell the world, but when you pleasure yourself, you long for a dominant man to take charge, to watch over you, to care for you, to demand the best of you, to enforce his will over yours…”
“No,” she whispered, frightened it might be true.
“Then why, oh why, little girl, did you write me to fulfill every fantasy you’ve ever had? It’s all right, Sage. I’m here now.”
“But what happens if you disappear just as quickly?” she asked, acknowledging her true fear.
“That won’t happen,” he said with confidence backed by a will of iron. “And if it did, I would move heaven and earth to return to you in the flesh. I’ve been with you many times. I’ve spent more than one night between your legs, having you to my heart’s content.”
“No… you mean those dreams…”
“Were the mere remnants of the time we spent together. I was as much a captive of my fate as you. I had planned to try to come through last night when I knew the veils between the two worlds would be at its thinnest. So, when your life was in peril, the need to protect and save you from your own foolishness gave me the strength to break free. Now that I have had a taste of the reality that is you, can you not imagine what I would do to remain with you? To revel in the exquisite carnal and other pleasures I find in your arms and between your thighs? As I was able to do so before, believe me when I tell you… nothing will keep me from your side.”
“Promise?” she said in a small voice filled with longing and need.
He smiled. “I do indeed, and neither the badass Roark nor Daddies ever break their promises. While I’m reviewing things, why don’t you start your next novel?”
“What do I write? I mean, you, at least as Roark, don’t exist anymore, and I don’t know if I’m going to like the guy who replaced you. Even if I could write you, I don’t think I could write you with other women,” she said, knowing she was babbling.
“That makes me happy to hear that. I like your idea about the wolf shifters who have packs with vineyards all along the Pacific Coast of the States. Why don’t you write that?”
He made himself comfortable at the desk, spreading out a great many papers to study while Sage set herself up with her laptop.
Roark poured over all the financial data available. He looked over to see Sage frantically pounding the keyboard in a way she hadn’t in years.
“Having fun, Pet?”
She looked up, grinning. “Yes. My readers are going to love this.”
“I’m going down to chat with Felix. I’d like to get Eddy working on this and see if he knows a more efficient way to go over all this financial data.”
“Do you think there’s something wrong with it?”
“Yes, but I can’t tell you why. It just seems off. I’m not a finance man for the most part, but I keep thinking I should be able to make the numbers add up… and they don’t. I’m hoping Eddy or The Yard’s forensic accounting unit can get a better handle on them. I’d also like a word with Gabriel Waverly.”
Sage smiled. “Jealous?”
“Not really. I know how you feel about me, but I also know you were very attracted to Waverly. I just want to thank him for his help and ensure he knows you are most definitely not available.” He started toward the door and then stopped and turned back. “Sage?”
“Yes?”
“How acrimonious was your split from Gail Vincent?”
“She wasn’t happy, but she wouldn’t let me write anything but you.”
“Was that the only reason you left?”
“Mostly. Why do you ask?” she said, closing the laptop and swiveling in the chair.
“It comes back to the financials. As I say, I can’t really put my finger on it, but it doesn’t seem to add up the way I think it should.”
“You know, I asked her about that once and she told me the formulas were too complicated.”
“Nothing about financials should be complicated unless it’s set up that way to deliberately confuse and deceive someone looking at them. Go back to work, take a nap, or watch television. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Ok,” she said absently and turned back to her laptop. “I
