The Perfect Frame Read online

  Minutes later a waiter arrived with the menus. Pat ordered lasagna; Toni decided on the pasta salad. The waiter had taken their orders and left when Toni saw Mr. Townsend, his wife Nina, and Frank Clifford being shown to a table in the restaurant’s VIP section.

  Toni’s eyes narrowed in barely contained dislike as she studied Nina Townsend’s long, brassy-blond, thickly weaved hairstyle, heavy makeup, and the way she dressed, as though she were a twenty-year-old hoochie mama instead of a forty-something wife of a wealthy black businessman. The overly long fire-engine red nails reminded Toni of dragon claws. And the way the woman flirted shamelessly with Mr. Clifford, with her husband sitting right there, turned Toni’s stomach.

  “It’s enough to make you lose your appetite, isn’t it?” Pat wrinkled her nose.

  “Poor Mr. Townsend. I wonder how he could have ever married a woman like that.”

  “Isn’t that the way it usually happens? There’s just no accounting for taste.”

  * * *

  After finishing their lunch, Toni and Pat returned to the office. Toni picked up the report she’d started working on before lunch and was deep into studying it when Hank Warren came storming out of the CEO’s office and stalked past her. In his hurry to leave, he just missed colliding with Pat Davis. Toni wondered what had happened between him and the boss.

  “What did you say to piss him off this time?” Pat asked.

  “Not a thing, I swear,” Toni answered. “Forget about Hank. Listen, Pat, I need to talk to you about the Harper account.”

  “The Harper account?” She frowned.

  Toni swivelled her chair around to face the computer screen and accessed the Harper account, but when she did, she noticed that some of the facts and figures had been altered. What had happened to the mistakes? Who had changed them?

  Could it have been Hank? And Mr. Clifford had found out and that was reason he’d stormed out?

  “I found some mistakes the other day, but now they seemed to have vanished.”

  “Mistakes? What kind of mistakes?” Pat glanced over Toni’s shoulder at the computer screen, then gave her a confused sidelong look.

  “They were there, Pat. I swear to you they were.”

  “Well, they’re gone now.” Pat gave her a sympathetic smile. “I think you’ve been working too hard, girl. Look, I’ve got a lot to do before I go home. Joe is liable to go postal if I have to work overtime the way I used to. He was really bent out of shape about that.”

  Toni noticed that a distressed look came into her friend’s eyes. Pat let out a definitely strained sigh and added, “I wasn’t too crazy about that either.” A bitter edge tinged her voice. “Anyway, it only added to our shared opinion that Mr. Clifford is a Simon Legree or worse. And of course everybody knows he works you like a slave.”

  “But he doesn’t, actually.”

  “Try convincing Joe of that. Ever since I got promoted to executive secretary, he’s been impossible to live with.”

  “That’s because Mr. Clifford passed him over for mail room manager when he had assumed that it was in the bag. I’m sure Joe still resents it.”

  “But why should I have to suffer? My promotion has nothing to do with him not getting his.”

  “Evidently to Joe’s way of thinking it does. I also think he’s jealous.”

  “Joe? Jealous!” Pat made a derisive choking sound. “Of Mr. Clifford? Yeah, right.”

  “It’s possible, you know. You’re a pretty girl, Pat,” Toni observed, looking her friend over. Pat had huge hazel eyes and wore her short, brown hair in a cute pixie cut. Although petite, she had a curvy figure and looked a lot like the actress Jada Pinkett-Smith.

  Pat grinned. “You do wonders for a girl’s vanity.”

  After Pat had gone back to her desk, Toni thought about her friend’s reaction to what she’d said about Joe being jealous of their boss, and before that the crack about overtime. At other times there was something in the tone of her voice when her name and Mr. Clifford’s were linked in any conversation. Toni wondered what her attitude about that was all about. She shook her head and recalled the look of pure unadulterated murder on Hank Warren’s face when he came tearing out of the CEO’s office.

  * * *

  Toni was asked to work overtime on Thursday; Mr. Clifford had a meeting in Chicago and was scheduled to catch the red-eye flight, and needed a last-minute analysis done to take with him.

  Hank hadn’t been back to work since the day he stormed out, which left all the urgent work on her shoulders. Toni had found out at lunch the day before, from Mazie in personnel, that the CEO had “urged” Hank to take a few days off. Anxious curiosity worked through Toni’s system. She wondered what was going on and what effect it might have on her getting the promotion.

  She finished her work and headed for the elevators. As she got out on the parking lot level and started toward her car, she saw Bill Watkins, head of parking security.

  “Been working late again, I see.”

  “It’s becoming an occupational hazard, I’m afraid.” Toni laughed, continuing to her car.

  “Good night, now,” Bill called after her.

  Toni stopped in front of her car, setting her purse on the hood, to rummage inside for her keys. She sighed in frustration when she couldn’t find them. They had to be there somewhere. After making a more thorough search and still no keys, Toni concluded that they had fallen out of her purse into her bottom desk drawer. Damn it, she would have to go back upstairs to get them.

  She saw the knowing smile on Bill Watkins’ face when she headed back to the elevator.

  “Left your keys upstairs, huh?”

  “You guessed it. I should have checked to make sure I had them before leaving the office. Oh well.”

  The thought of going back upstairs was not in the least appealing to Toni, considering how dead tired she felt. During the ride to the seventh floor, she grumbled, scolding herself for her stupidity. According to the self-defense course she had recently enrolled in, every time a woman left home or work, she should have her keys in her hand with the two longest ones protruding between her fingers to use as a weapon against a possible attacker. Ms. Kymoto, her instructress, would be far from pleased by her carelessness.

  Toni stepped off the elevator and strode into the office. Once inside, she made a beeline for her desk. Slipping her purse off her shoulder, she tossed it onto the desk, then pushing her chair back, opened the bottom drawer. She didn’t have to search for the keys. They were in plain sight, gleaming up at her like the mocking grin of a lighted jack-o-lantern.

  Toni’s shoulders slumped and she groaned tiredly. She grabbed her keys and was ready to leave when her boss’s voice snagged her attention. Maybe the business trip wasn’t that urgent after all and he would be catching an early morning flight. She wondered who was with him. When she didn’t hear any answering replies, she assumed he must be on the phone. His next words not only confirmed the fact, but stopped her cold.

  “She’s finally left for the day. Our Miss Carlton is thorough, I’ll give her that. Yes, we have almost everything we need. It’s a good thing, too, because I think she’s getting suspicious.” A short pause. “No, not if we’re careful. When the time comes everyone will believe our hard-working Miss Carlton is a clever, over-confident thief. The trail of evidence I’ve set up will lead right to the ambitious little lady’s desk. The net will drop on her, completely entangling her.” He laughed. “It’s the perfect frame, don’t you agree?”

  He laughed again. “I am becoming eloquent in my prime, aren’t I? You know, the gullible little bitch hasn’t a clue why she’s been singled out to work overtime all these months. She thinks it’s because of the wholehearted confidence I have in her abilities. Isn’t that a hoot?”

  Toni swallowed around the lump in her throat and blinked several times. Mired in shock, she lost the rest of the conversation. This just couldn’t be happening to her. All this time her boss had been using her to steal from the company. A
nd was setting her up royally to take the blame! A hot anger came to life inside her and began to build in her blood. As she started shaking with the intensity of it, the keys slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a loud clink, alerting her boss that he was not alone.

  Toni heard the phone receiver crash down on its cradle and seconds later her boss came rushing into the outer office. He stalked over to her desk and stood glaring at her.

  “Little girls who have big ears hear things they really shouldn’t.”

  Toni’s anger dissolved into stomach-knotting fear and her heart started pounding furiously in her chest. Every self-protective instinct she possessed screamed at her to take to her heels and run, but the numbing effect of shock slowed down her reaction time.

  “What are you doing back here?” he demanded. “Were you by any chance spying on me?”

  When she could answer, her voice came out sounding like a rusty hinge “No, I came back because I left my keys.”

  He shook his head. “That’s unfortunate. Too much is involved to let you mess things up at this late date. If you happen to have an accident…”

  Fear for her safety propelled Toni into action. She pushed her chair into Clifford and made a mad dash for the door.

  “Why you—” He growled, then angrily thrust the chair aside and started after her. Moments before she could make it to the door, he grabbed her arms.

  Toni tried to twist out of his grasp, but he was too strong for her. Then her self-defense training kicked in. Glad she had mastered at least a few basic moves, she ground the heel of her pump into his instep, then jabbed her elbow into his ribs with all her strength. When his grip loosened and she heard him groan in pain, it was all the opportunity she needed, and she wasted no time in fleeing from the office.

  Toni ran to the elevator and pounded frantically, desperately, on the down button.

  “Come on,” she cried in mounting agitation and fear.

  As luck would have it, all four elevators were downstairs in the lobby. She didn’t have time to wait for them to come back up. Frank Clifford had recovered and was coming after her. Toni darted toward the stair exit.

  He was hot on her heels!

  “You might as well stop this, Toni. You can’t hope to get away from me. It’s going to be my word against yours. Can you guess who’ll be believed?” he taunted.

  Chest heaving and her breaths coming in hard jerky gasps, Toni ignored his words and sped down one flight of stairs, then the next. Clifford’s long, menacing strides cut in half the distance her shorter, frightened ones made.

  Toni stepped up the pace, but by the time she reached the third floor she could barely catch her breath. She could hear Clifford’s labored breathing, but it seemed far away. Maybe he was tiring. She could only hope. He was, after all, a middle-aged man. She wrenched open the door leading to the floor of offices. If she could only find a place to hide. The hall lights had been dimmed, which meant that all the offices were probably closed. The dismal thought doused her hope of escaping Clifford. Could the cleaning people have left a door open?

  “Oh, God, please, let them have forgotten to lock one. Please,” she prayed.

  Toni raced down the hall, trying one door after another, finding each one locked. When she’d given up hope of finding an unlocked door, the last one at the end of the hall opened and she rushed inside.

  Toni turned the lock and leaned back against the door, allowing her breathing time to slow down to normal. She was safe for the moment.

  The door to Toni’s left eased open and the shadowed silhouette of a man filled the space.

  “Oh, God, no!” she cried and slid to the floor as everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWO

  As Toni regained consciousness, she felt something cold and damp resting on her forehead. When she opened her eyes, it was to find a pair of concerned brown eyes intently watching her. When the rest of the man’s face came into clear focus, she studied it.

  His eyes were a shade of brown she’d never seen before, honey on brown velvet. He had an average-sized nose with a slight bump that made it fall short of perfection. His mouth had a firm, yet sensual, fullness. Add to that a head of short-cropped, curly black hair and a five-o’clock shadow and you had a ruggedly handsome man. Judging from the caramel color of his skin, she’d say he was a mixture of Spanish and black. A very handsome mixture, she might add.

  The moment her mind jolted back to reality, she remembered how she happened to be there and why. Where was Mr. Clifford? She tried to get up from the couch.

  “Hey, take it easy. You’d better lie back for a few minutes until you get your bearings.”

  The man eased off the couch, grabbed a chair, pulled it over to her and sat down.

  “What’s your name?” he asked. “Mine is Mackinsey Jessup, but you can call me Mack.”

  Should she tell him her name? For all she knew, he could be one of Frank Clifford’s cohorts.

  “Antonia Carlton,” she reluctantly answered.

  Mack noted her warm, golden-brown coloring and near-black eyes. Other then in skin tone, this woman reminded him of the actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. Her perfectly arched, midnight-black brows gave her face an exotic look. He’d say she was part Indian, or maybe Italian, and the rest black. The name she gave was familiar to him, but he didn’t let on. He was curious to know why she’d run into his office, and what had frightened her to the point of passing out when she’d seen him.

  “You work in the building?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Would you like a glass of water?”

  “Yes, please,” Toni answered, licking her dry lips.

  Mack walked over to the water dispenser, pulled down a paper cup, filled it and handed it to his unexpected visitor. She was certainly no fountain spilling over with information. He wondered what she was trying so hard to keep from revealing.

  “Were you—” he began.

  The sound of voices intruded. Toni’s eyes widened in fear and when she made to scramble to her feet, she swayed. Mack caught her.”What’s wrong?”

  “Please, let me go. I…” As her voice faded, the others grew louder.

  He could see she was frightened out of her mind. “You want to step into my private office and wait while I see who it is?”

  She nodded.

  Mack helped her into a chair in his office, then left, closing the door behind him. He moved the chair he’d occupied moments earlier back where it belonged. Just as he threw the paper towel and cup into the trash, he heard a knock at the door.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s Jeff Andrews, head of security.”

  Mack opened the door.

  “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Jessup, but I’m looking for Miss Antonia Carlton. I have her boss, Mr. Clifford, with me.” He indicated the man standing next to him. “He’s worried that something may have happened to her.” The head of security held up a small, black purse and a ring of keys with a brass sunflower ornament dangling from it.

  “Mr. Clifford found these on the floor by her desk and, recognizing that they belonged to Ms. Carlton, he called down to the parking lot. Bill Watkins, parking security, said she’d gone upstairs half an hour ago to get her keys, but hadn’t come back down. No one has seen her since. Have you?”

  “What does she look like?” Mack directed his question to Clifford.

  He cleared his throat. “She’s average height, slender, with wavy-black hair, golden-brown skin and dark brown eyes, very attractive.”

  Mack shook his head. “If I’d seen anyone who looked like that, I definitely wouldn’t forget her.” Glancing at his watch, he said, “I thought I was the only one burning the midnight oil this evening.”

  Frank Clifford glanced past Mack to the closed inner office door, then gave Mack a look. “Miss Carlton often works late. You see, she’s a very conscientious employee. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her. Good workers are hard to find.”

  “Have you checked the ladie
s’ room? She may have taken ill and gone in there,” Mack suggested.

  “Didn’t think of that,” Jeff Andrews answered, embarrassed at not having thought of it himself. “Sorry to have disturbed you, Mr. Jessup. Good night, sir.”

  Frank Clifford took the keys and the purse from Andrews.

  “I’ll wait in the office for her to return. Surely she’ll come back for these.”

  Mack walked the two men out. As soon as he heard the elevator, he opened the door to his private office and walked in, sat on the edge of his desk and looked at Toni.”Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  She rose from her chair. “Thanks for all your help, Mr. Jessup. I’d better be going.”

  “Without your keys and your purse?”

  A panicked look flashed across her face.

  “Is there something you should tell me, Miss Carlton? Maybe I could be of more help to you.” When her silence continued, he studied her for a moment. “You’re afraid of someone or something, aren’t you?”

  Toni’s heart lurched and she lowered her gaze to her hands, clenched tightly in her lap. Could she trust this man? Other than his name, she knew next to nothing about Mackinsey Jessup. As she looked around the room, searching for something reassuring, her attention snagged on the plaques of credentials on the wall. She also recalled seeing the name Jessup on the lobby directory and returned her gaze to the man sitting on the edge of the huge mahogany desk in front of her.

  “I work for Townsend’s Stock Brokerage and Investments and Frank Clifford is my boss.”

  “Was he trying to be more than friendly? Did his actions send you running?”

  Mackinsey Jessup had given her the excuse she needed to keep Mr. Clifford at bay, at least temporarily, and she relaxed.

  “He threatened to make things impossible for me if I didn’t—you know.”

  “I take it this isn’t the first time he’s tried to come on to you. You should have reported him to your personnel department and had him charged with sexual harassment.”