Читать книгу: «Seductive Fantasy»

1

“DAMN THAT Alexis Baylor,” Jackson Witt muttered beneath his breath.

Four years ago, Jackson vowed he’d never allow another woman to dupe him. That Alexis Baylor, a complete stranger, had managed to accomplish that feat not only made him feel like a fool, but also incensed him beyond reason. He was certain that sensation wouldn’t abate until this whole aggravating mess was over. And it would be…just as soon as he discovered Alexis Baylor’s greatest weakness and used it against her. Just as she’d used him.

The woman’s underhandedness had hit him professionally as well as personally—right at the heart of his company, Extreme Software. He was still reeling from the knowledge that Fred Hobson, a man he’d hired on as part of his design team, had been a plant to steal the secret technology Jackson had spent years perfecting. The man had abruptly quit nine months ago and was conveniently and immediately picked up by Gametek, the company Fred had previously worked for before hiring on with Jackson’s firm. Gametek had obviously wasted no time utilizing Extreme Software’s design.

In Jackson’s opinion, and with the facts he had at his disposal, it was no coincidence that the proprietary code Gametek had used in their new, revolutionary gaming software matched his exactly, or that Alexis Baylor, owner of Gametek, was a ruthless businesswoman who’d stooped to piracy to obtain success.

With a disgusted grunt, Jackson tossed aside the Business Wire he’d printed from the Internet a week ago—his first shocking insight into Gametek’s violation. The company’s press release announced that their innovative action-adventure game, Zantoid, compliments of his technology, was scheduled for market introduction that fall. Seemingly overnight, Gametek, a San Diego-based gaming software company Jackson had never heard of before this fiasco, was suddenly a big competitor. After Gametek’s public statement, their stock shot to an all-time high and was holding steady…and would plummet to an all-time low by the time Jackson was done with Gametek, and Alexis Baylor.

The stakes were personal, an unwelcome reminder of how women always wanted something from him, from his own mother to the ladies he dated. Usually it was his money and what it could buy that women found so attractive, and while Alexis Baylor didn’t have a direct hand in his wallet, she sure as hell had a direct source to his financial gain. He’d worked too damned hard to build his company, struggled through too many lean years to allow this woman to reap the benefits of something that was his.

Glancing at the clock on the wall in his office, he noted the time of 8:50 a.m. He had another ten minutes before Mike Mansel arrived. Mike was his best friend, as well as the private investigator Jackson had hired for an in-depth, confidential report on Alexis Baylor. He wanted specific details on the woman, from what she ate for breakfast, to whom she was seeing, to what she did in her leisure time, and every idiosyncrasy, no matter how mundane, Mike could discover.

Feeling edgy and impatient, Jackson pushed away from his desk and stood. He paced in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows dominating one entire wall in his Atlanta high-rise office, but the movement did little to burn his restless energy.

He’d already discussed with his attorneys about filing a complaint alleging copyright infringement, unfair competition, trade secret violations, and a bunch of other legal mumbo jumbo, which included seeking an injunction against Gametek to keep their software from hitting the market while they battled specifics in court. While his lawyers explored all legal possibilities against Gametek, Jackson craved personal compensation—a way of evening the score between himself and Alexis Baylor.

He wanted to take something from her, just as she’d stolen from him, something private and emotional that would never allow her to forget who he was, and what she’d done. He refused to let yet another woman use him for her own gain and get away with the deed. The type of information Mike unearthed on Alexis would determine Jackson’s plan.

“Mr. Witt,” his young secretary’s lilting voice drifted through the intercom on his desk, “Mike Mansel is here to see you.”

Anticipation swelled within Jackson, chasing away the more frustrating emotions that had been his constant companions for the past week. “Thank you, Rachel. Send him back to my office and hold my calls until he leaves.”

“Yes, sir.”

The line disconnected, and less than a minute later Mike, dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt, sauntered into Jackson’s office in his normal, easygoing manner. Despite his carefree attitude, Mike was a highly respected P.I. Jackson had not only trusted him implicitly as a friend since their college days, but regarded him as a discreet businessman as well.

Mike set his scuffed leather briefcase on a clear spot on the corner of the solid oak desk, and Jackson reached across the distance to shake his friend’s hand in greeting before sitting down in his chair.

“Thanks for making this case a priority,” he said, knowing how abrupt his request for Mike’s services had been.

The other man shrugged off his gratitude. “You can express your appreciation by buying me a cold beer sometime. Seems I owe you for all the business you’ve sent my way.”

Mike was one of the few people who didn’t expect anything from him but friendship, so it was extremely easy to promote him and his P.I. agency. “You don’t owe me anything, Mike, and your fee will be in the mail by the end of the day. Now, what’ve you got for me on Alexis Baylor?”

“Not much other than a normal, predictable, everyday schedule and some background facts that don’t add up to anything illegal or disreputable, personally or professionally.” Mike sprawled his long, lean body into one of the beige leather chairs in front of the desk. “Sorry to disappoint you, Jackson. The woman is so damn clean she squeaks.”

Jackson knew better than to believe Alexis was completely guileless and led an exemplary life free of any infractions or misdeeds. Not after he’d discovered she’d used one of her own as a mole to unearth secret information from his company.

A wry smile tipped the corner of his mouth. “Maybe that’s because she depends on someone else to do her dirty work.”

“That may be,” Mike conceded, “but I spent five solid days of surveillance and gathering information on her, trying to find something to lend credence to your claim that this woman is ruthless, and I’m telling you, there’s nothing remotely unscrupulous about her that I could discover.”

“Consider her a good actress, because I have Gametek’s press release that states otherwise. She stole my technology through Fred Hobson, and I want to even the score.” He tapped his pen on his blotter impatiently and rerouted them back to the business at hand before his friend could argue further. “Tell me what you did find on her.”

Mike stared at him for a long moment, then opened his briefcase, pulled out a file folder and withdrew a sheaf of papers stapled neatly together. “It’s all in my report, but I’ll give you a brief rundown.”

He tossed the typed summary in front of Jackson to read while he went on to recite the facts by memory. “Alexis Baylor’s parents died when she was ten, and her uncle, being the only family she had, raised her. Martin Baylor never married and devoted his time to his company, Gametek, which never took off while he was alive. From all accounts, Alexis was a quiet, shy girl and followed in her uncle’s line of work. She attended San Diego State University, majored in Computer Science, and graduated at the top of her class. She went straight to work for her uncle designing basic computer games. When he died three years ago, she inherited the company.”

Jackson dragged a hand over his clean shaven jaw. “How convenient,” he drawled.

Mike shrugged off his comment. “Alexis was Martin’s only family, too, so there really was no one else to take over the business. She didn’t inherit much in the way of wealth, considering the company was near bankruptcy. From what I learned from other sources she’s been working on Zantoid for the past four years, but hadn’t been able to market the software because it was lacking a specific proprietary code to make the game run smoother, faster, and make the graphics more vibrant and real.”

“My proprietary code,” Jackson interjected through gritted teeth.

“Yes,” Mike admitted with a pained half-smile. “There’s no denying that the code is yours, or that she’s reaping the benefits of your technology. She’s received hundreds of thousands of orders for the software since announcing its release.”

Jackson’s gut twisted with aggravation. Exhaling a taut breath, he waved a hand in the air between them, as if the gesture alone could dismiss that disturbing news just as easily. “Go on with your report,” he said, desperately needing to grasp onto something concrete about the woman he could use to his advantage. “What do you know about Alexis’s personal life?”

Reclining in his chair in a deceptively lazy stretch, Mike folded his hands over his stomach and rested one sneakered foot over the opposite knee. “She actually goes by the name of Alex. She just turned twenty-eight and has never been married. She dates occasionally, but hasn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years. Though Dennis Merrick, the man she promoted to vice president of the company after her uncle’s death, seems very fond of her.”

The woman hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years? Jackson frowned, wondering why, and latched onto the most plausible explanation. “Is there something going on between her and her VP?”

Mike shook his head. “No. From what I could find out, he’s been with the company for over ten years and was her uncle’s right-hand man so it was a logical promotion to VP. She seems to depend on him for support and decision making and while he appears to be a good friend she spends occasional time with outside of the office, the interest is very one-sided.”

Nothing to exploit there, Jackson thought in growing dissatisfaction.

“She’s very plain and unassuming,” Mike continued with his findings. “She spends her days at the office, goes out to a nearby deli for lunch, usually alone and with a book. She reads romantic suspense, in case you’re wondering,” he added with a grin. “She orders the same thing every day, a chicken salad sandwich, a side compote of fresh fruit and an iced tea with two lemons. She works at the office until nine or ten at night, and when she leaves for the evening she heads straight home to her two-bedroom condo in San Diego. Always alone.”

Jackson winced at the woman’s dull and boring social life. Mike’s profile of Alexis didn’t even come close to matching the vixen-like vision he’d conjured in his mind. “Are we talking about the same woman here?”

Mike laughed, but his humor quickly faded away. “I don’t know what to tell you, Jackson. If the woman has an unscrupulous side, immoral habits or condemning fetishes, she hides them well. Her two biggest indulgences in the week that I had her under surveillance were a box of Amaretto truffles, and a few silky, lacy underthings she bought for herself at a lingerie boutique. Other than that, the woman is as straight as an arrow.”

Jackson snorted at that, remembering how he’d totally and completely misjudged his fiancée, too. How easily she’d deceived him with outward appearances and practiced affection. On the surface she’d presented the facade of a devoted and loving woman who catered to his every need and made him believe they were matched physically as well as intellectually. The kind of lifetime mate he could trust and build a life with. And then he’d discovered the deeper, scheming motivations she’d had for wanting to marry him. It had been a very nasty, public breakup four years ago, one that had made him keep women at arm’s length ever since.

Looking back on the relationship, Jackson now realized he’d played right into Lindsay’s ploy. He’d wanted to believe she’d share in the kind of emotional intimacy and trust that had always been missing from his life, things he’d secretly desired for years but had come to accept he’d never have. His own mother had never provided emotional nurturing and unconditional love, then had completely abandoned him when he’d been a teenager. She’d traipsed back into his life years later when he’d become a successful businessman, pretending love and adoration and begging forgiveness. The little boy in him wanted so badly to believe that she’d changed that he’d allowed her back into his life, until it became painfully apparent that she, too, was only interested in his money. He was merely another person in a long line of fools she’d used for her own purposes.

He wasn’t one to hold onto grudges, yet every time he tried to let go of the past and let down his guard enough to trust someone and build a relationship, he was blindsided by ulterior motives and betrayal. It was safer, easier and less painful not to allow another woman that close.

Jackson rubbed his thumb along his chin, trying to ignore the churning in his belly those memories evoked. “What does Alexis look like?” he asked, tossing aside the thoughts of those two self-centered women for the current one wreaking havoc with his life.

“I was wondering when you were going to ask that question.” A slow grin eased up the corners of Mike’s mouth. “She’s certainly nothing spectacular or anything like the sophisticated beauties you’re used to dealing with. Definitely not the kind of woman who’d turn your head twice if you passed her on the street. Her features are pretty, but plain, and while she wears loose, unfitted clothing it’s fairly obvious that she has real womanly curves beneath all that camouflage.”

Leaning forward, Mike rifled through the contents of his briefcase and pulled out a manila envelope. From that, he withdrew an 8x10 glossy photograph and held the snapshot across the desk for Jackson to take. “I used my zoom lens to get a close-up of her for you. There are other shots in the envelope you can look through later.”

Jackson examined the candid picture through critical eyes. The photograph had been taken as she was leaving her office building midday, accompanied by a thirty-something, brown-haired man with wire-rimmed glasses. First, Jackson focused on Alexis. As Mike had divulged, her looks and appearance were plain and unassuming and nothing remotely close to what Jackson had imagined. Minimal makeup enhanced her features and her glossy black hair was pulled back into one of those French braids. She wore an untucked, loose navy blue blouse that hinted at generous breasts but didn’t fully display them, and a flowing patterned skirt that swirled around her legs and ankles.

Despite the unflattering clothing, he couldn’t stop himself from envisioning the satiny, lacy under-things she might be wearing beneath the practical, unflattering outfit. He imagined warm, soft skin against cool silk, and a flush of unexpected heat infused him. Annoyed with his response, he immediately shook those unbidden thoughts right out of his head.

Sophisticated and extraordinarily beautiful, she wasn’t. But he didn’t doubt Alexis’s intelligence. She was laughing at something the other man must have said, and her eyes, a pale but sparkling shade of blue, seemed to say “I’m at the top of the world“.

Of course she was sitting pretty…she was in the position to make millions from all his hard work.

“Who is the guy with her?” Jackson asked curiously.

“That’s Dennis Merrick.”

Jackson looked once more. No, they didn’t seem like lovers in the picture. Alexis appeared more amused by the man than enamored. But there was no denying the wistfulness in the other man’s expression as he gazed at her.

Setting the photo aside, Jackson indicated the report and pinned his friend with an unrelenting stare. “You do realize, don’t you, that you’ve given me nothing substantial to work with here.”

“What can I say, other than sometimes that happens.” Mike’s tone held a silent apology as he stood and closed his briefcase. “I can only give you information that’s available. I dug as deep as I could on Alexis Baylor, and while I have no doubt she stole your design, I couldn’t find anything personally incriminating on her.”

And that put Jackson back on square one and without a way of exacting personal retribution from Alexis as he’d hoped. “I know you did your best,” he acknowledged, still confident in Mike’s abilities, but disappointed nonetheless. “Thanks for your time and work on this case. I’ll catch you later for that cold beer.”

“I’m holding you to it.” Lifting his briefcase from the desk, Mike turned to go, then swung back around, his head tipped to the side. “I forgot to mention something. It’s in my report, but just so you know, Alexis is leaving this Saturday for a weeklong vacation.”

That snagged Jackson’s attention and he shuffled past the photo of Alexis and her VP to the summary Mike had given him. “To where?” he asked as he thumbed anxiously through the pages for the information he was sure Mike would supply.

“A place called Seductive Fantasy.”

Jackson glanced up sharply, certain his expression reflected his incredulity. “What the hell is Seductive Fantasy?”

“Believe it or not, it’s one of four island resorts off the Florida Keys that caters to people’s fantasies—for a price, of course.”

Jackson’s jaw opened, snapped shut, then he shook his head in disbelief. “You’re joking, right?” Mike had to be. He’d never heard of anything so ridiculous. So intriguing.

“I checked it out. Fantasies, Inc. is legit, and so is Alexis Baylor’s reservation.”

Which put a whole different spin on Jackson’s quest for personal revenge. “What’s Alexis’s fantasy?”

“All fantasies are confidential.”

“There has to be some way to find out—”

Mike held up a hand, stopping his tirade. “I called the resort directly. Trust me, Merrilee Schaefer-Weston, the woman who owns the place, is a stickler about confidentiality. And I can’t blame her, considering that she’s dealing with people’s deepest, most private secrets and desires. But it is a fascinating concept, don’t you think?”

“Very fascinating,” Jackson murmured, feeling a rush of excitement as he realized how Alexis’s fantasy vacation could work to his advantage as well. Anonymity. Close proximity. His fantasy. Could getting to Alexis truly be as easy as filling out paperwork, paying a fee and stepping into a role that would enable him to walk away the victor this time?

He managed, just barely, to tamp his exhilaration. “Is she going to this island with anyone?”

Mike shifted on his feet and reluctantly divulged more. “It’s a single seat reservation, so I’m assuming she’s going alone.”

“Perfect.”

Understanding dawned across Mike’s face. “I take it you have a fantasy of your own to request from Ms. Weston?”

Jackson gave him a smug smile. “I believe I do.”

Mike frowned. “I know you’re upset, but doing something like this is so unlike you.”

“What can I say?” Jackson said without a trace of an apology. “Alexis Baylor put my business and livelihood at stake. I’m tired of being used by women with agendas. This time I’m doing something about it.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Jackson,” he said in a low, cautioning tone of voice.

Jackson’s deep laughter filled his office. “Why? Because I might just get what I ask for?”

“Exactly. For as intriguing as I find this fantasy stuff, I can’t help but think that there are things and outcomes a person can’t factor in when they wish and pay for something that doesn’t come naturally.” He shrugged. “It’s like messing with fate.”

Or maybe this whole setup was fate. Jackson rocked back in his chair, refusing to allow his friend’s warning to deter him, no matter how logical Mike’s comment was. “That’s your suspicious P.I. nature talking, Mansel.” After all, what could go wrong?

“Maybe,” he acknowledged, but clearly wasn’t done expressing his concern. “You’ll probably get your revenge against Alexis Baylor in the guise of some other fantasy, but you might want to consider that the cost could be a personal one for you, too.”

Jackson rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the premonition of doom Mike was conjuring up. He’d already paid personally because of Alexis Baylor, and couldn’t imagine walking away from that fantasy resort after a week’s time any worse off than he already was. “That’s a risk I’m more than willing to take.” His tone rang with finality.

“Well, good luck, then.” Mike’s chest expanded as he inhaled a slow, deep breath. Then one of his easygoing smiles graced his mouth. “Call me when you get back, and we’ll have that beer together.”

“And celebrate the success of my fantasy,” Jackson added.

Once Mike was gone and Jackson was alone, he contemplated the situation and what had so unexpectedly fallen into his lap. Before he called Fantasies, Inc., he needed to figure out what kind of revenge he wanted against Alexis—not that he’d give Merrilee Schaeffer-Weston any insight to his real fantasy. The other woman would ban him from her resort if she knew his true intentions, and rightly so. No, it was imperative that Merrilee believed his motivations for requesting a fantasy were sincere.

He only had a few days to put his plans into motion. Once his fantasy was set up, Jackson decided he would give his attorneys permission to go forward with the lawsuit, the day before Alexis was due to leave on her vacation to Seductive Fantasy. Alexis would be aware of the impending lawsuit as well as the name of Extreme Software, but most likely wouldn’t have the time to uncover specifics, such as who Jackson was, until he divulged the truth at the end of his fantasy. In a week’s time, when he returned, he could follow through with court dates and appearances. And every time she’d see him during the trial he’d accumulate another personal victory, because she’d have to face him day after day.