The Perfect Frame Page 4

  “Here you go,” Mack said, walking into the room and handing her towels and a T-shirt she assumed belonged to him. “Sorry, I couldn’t find any of my sister’s nightshirts. I think when she was here last she must have taken them with her.”

  “It’s all right. I’ll manage.” She took the proffered items.

  “If you need anything, I’ll be down the hall.”

  After Mack left, Toni ran water for a bath, sprinkling in some of the bath beads she’d found on a rack. She removed her clothes and underwear, rinsed out her bra and panties, then towel-dried and draped them over the top of the sliding glass door enclosing the tub.

  Minutes later Toni eased her exhausted body into the water and soaked until the water cooled. By the time she put on the makeshift nightshirt and slipped into bed, she was so relaxed she drifted right off to sleep.

  * * *

  “You thought you could escape me, didn’t you, Toni? No, don’t get up. From where I stand, I can see you just fine.” Frank Clifford came away from the window swinging her purse tauntingly on his fingers. “Did you think anyone could keep me from getting to you?”

  He came closer. Toni gulped in fear and terror and pulled the comforter closer while at the same time inching away from him until she felt the headboard against her back.

  “You aren’t a bad looking woman. If I didn’t need you for cover I might cut you in for a share. But as it is I have to—”

  She swallowed hard. “I’ll go away and no one will know.”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  He came closer still. Every nerve in her body seemed to riot and her muscles screamed with tension, urging her to run, to escape.

  “Please, I—”

  Smiling, he said, “You plead so prettily, Toni.”

  The next second he pounced on her. She screamed and screamed, struggling wildly with all her strength to get away.

  She had to get away!

  * * *

  Mack lay in his bed, hands locked behind his head as thoughts of his houseguest filled his mind. He could imagine how she looked in his T-shirt. Considering the difference in their sizes, he knew it would be way too big on her.

  He could visualize the way her wavy black hair looked spread loosely around her shoulders like a silk veil, the way her voluptuous breasts with aroused nipples pushed against the soft clingy material of his T-shirt, the way the T-shirt exposed her firm, shapely thighs and long, slender legs. The thought of it all made the lower part of his anatomy harden uncomfortably.

  Mack closed his eyes, mentally tamping down the desire building inside him. He had to stop this! Raising himself onto his elbow, he thumped his pillow, then lay back down. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was almost two a.m. He had to get some sleep. Just as he finally fell asleep, a now familiar scream rent the air. He jumped out of bed and ran from the room.

  Mack wrenched Toni’s bedroom door open and turned on the light. “Toni, are you all right? I heard you scream.”

  Toni sprang upright and gazed wildly around her.

  “Oh, Mack. He was here!” she cried, struggling to escape the tangle of bed covers. “Frank Clifford was here! He came in through the window and…” Her voice faded into a shudder.

  Mack strode over to the bed and sank down beside her, taking her in his arms. “Shh, Toni. Calm down.” When she did, he went to the window and checked it out, only to find it securely locked with no sign of tampering.

  He returned to the bed and pulled her trembling body into his arms. This was getting to be a habit. And since it brought her soft body into such intimate contact with his, he was finding it increasingly difficult to resist her. All his male instincts to offer protection and comfort threatened to give way to another feeling entirely.

  Toni raised her tear-wet face and looked into Mack’s eyes.

  He smiled reassuringly and kissed her forehead. “I’m afraid you had another nightmare. Now, do you want to tell me the real reason you were running from your boss?”

  “You didn’t believe the answer I gave you!” she accused.

  “No. I just gave you the out you needed because I could see you didn’t trust me with the truth.”

  “You were right about my being afraid of him. I am, and with good reason. I heard him admit to framing me.”

  Mack frowned. “Framing you? Framing you for what?”

  “Considering my job, I’m sure it’s embezzlement. I happened to overhear him discussing his plans with someone on the phone. He said he was ready to implement his plans, but I got the feeling he hadn’t yet.”

  “That’s a serious accusation. Are you sure you—”

  She pushed out of his arms. “You don’t believe me?”

  “It’s not important what I believe.”

  Toni was disappointed and more than a little hurt by his lack of faith in her because what he thought was important to her, although she knew it shouldn’t be.

  “Why did you help me?”

  Mack ran his fingers through his hair. “Damned if I know. Something about you…”

  Toni suddenly realized he only had on pajama bottoms which were riding dangerously low on his hips. Heat seemed to emanate from his hard-muscled chest. She was captivated by the V of dark body hair arrowing down, disappearing inside the waistband of his pajamas. She didn’t remember ever being as drawn to any other man as she was to this one.

  Mack moved to leave the bed.

  Toni looked at the window, remembering her nightmare in vivid detail. “Don’t leave me, Mack,” she pleaded, her eyes dark with fear.

  She sounded and looked so forlorn, he thought.

  “You afraid the dream will become a reality?”

  Toni nodded.

  Mack went to turn off the light. When he returned to the bed, he eased Toni between the covers, then went around to the other side of the bed and got in next to her, being careful to leave a layer of top sheet separating them. He drew her into his arms, then pulled the comforter over them.

  A sigh of relief eased from her like the purr of a contented cat when the warmth of Mack’s arms and upper body wrapped around her.

  After a few minutes the hypnotic thudding of his heartbeat beneath her ear lulled Toni to sleep. When Mack moved to make himself more comfortable, she stayed the motion by tightening her arm around his waist. Mack groaned inwardly at his predicament, knowing the thin layer of sheet, his T-shirt and his pajama bottoms were the only barriers keeping her naked body from making skin-to-skin contact with his. God, he was glad she had fallen asleep. The obvious hardening of his manhood would be impossible to hide and quite embarrassing.

  As he thought about what Toni had revealed, sleep eluded him. Could he believe her? He had to admit that he did, just a tiny bit, or else he wouldn’t have insisted that she come home with him. Would he?

  Mack felt dangerously close to compromising his position where Townsend’s was concerned, not to mention his own sense of professional and personal pride. Once before he’d laid both on the line for a woman and paid a high price, a price he refused to pay again.

  He ran his fingers through Toni’s hair, sweeping the silky, errant strands away from her face, reveling in the feel of her soft skin. If what she said about Frank Clifford was true, he could make her life at work hell. More importantly, she was in real danger.

  On the other hand, if Toni was lying and in partnership with the man, threatening to betray him would be reason enough for him to come after her. Self-preservation always won out in the end. He knew this firsthand from his past experiences working as a detective in the L.A. Police Department.

  What was he going to do about Toni Carlton? When he could not come up with one single satisfactory answer, he finally closed his tired eyes and slept.

  * * *

  The smell of coffee woke Toni the next morning. As she stretched and yawned, she realized she was definitely not at her place. There there would be no one to make coffee but herself. Then everything came back to her. Glancing at the closet,
she wondered if Mack’s sister had left something behind she could wear.

  Toni swept the covers back and climbed out of bed and padded across the room to investigate. She found a pair of gray slacks and a white blouse hanging in the closet. Luckily, they were close to her size. She hoped Mack’s sister wouldn’t mind her borrowing them. Toni showered quickly and dressed. Before leaving the bedroom, she looked in the mirror. She could stand a dash of makeup, but that couldn’t be helped; Frank Clifford had her purse and keys, damn him. She headed for the kitchen.

  “That coffee sure smells good.”

  Mack looked up, instantly recognizing the familiar gray slacks. They’d never fit his sister Mariah the way they hugged Toni’s curvy figure. “Sit down and pour yourself a cup. The cream and sugar are on the counter.”

  “No thanks, I take it black. If your sister gets this kind of star treatment I’m surprised she hasn’t taken up permanent residence.”

  “I don’t spoil her. When she’s here we take turns being domestic drudges.”

  “You don’t have a trace of male chauvinism in your body, do you?”

  “Don’t fool yourself. The right circumstance hasn’t presented itself.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Don’t you believe that?”

  “I have my doubts.” Toni’s expression turned serious. “What should I do, Mack? Should I go to the office and act like nothing has happened?”

  “You should definitely go in. If you don’t, it’ll look suspicious. You don’t want to give him any more ammunition to use against you.”

  Toni thought it over and decided that Mack was right. She would have to go to work, if for no other reason than to throw the CEO off balance. Besides, she had to get her keys and purse from him. But she wasn’t looking forward to the prospect.

  Mack watched Toni as she ate breakfast. For a slender girl she certainly had a healthy appetite. He could only imagine what was going through her mind. His gaze narrowed. Either she was an Oscar-winning actress or she had been telling him the truth.

  “I’ll return your sister’s clothes as soon as I can.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. Ready to leave for work?”

  “Not really, but I know I have to go.” Toni excused herself to go to the bathroom. When she came out, she made up the bed and neatly folded her clothes, then laid them across the arm of a chair. She’d come back for them later and return his sister’s clothes at the same time.

  * * *

  During the ride to the office, Toni tried to keep her mind occupied, but it didn’t work; instead it raced ahead to the coming encounter with her boss.

  Mack occasionally glanced at Toni. She was very quiet, contemplative, he would have to say. “I’ll go up with you if you want me to.”

  “It’s kind of you to offer, Mack, but this is something I have to do. He can’t do anything to me with witnesses around. I don’t think he will anyway, once he realizes we’re at a stalemate, although a somewhat tenuous one.”

  The brave, yet frightened, sound in her voice made Mack feel an urgent need to ease her distress. Minutes later he parked the car and they took the elevator up. When it stopped on his floor, Mack was reluctant to get out.

  Toni looked at him. “I’ll be all right. I can do this.”

  “If you need any help—”

  She gave him a bright smile. “I know who to come to for it.”

  He stepped out of the elevator and as he turned the doors closed.Toni looked at her watch, then took several deep, calming breaths. It was only 8:45. She suddenly remembered that her boss wouldn’t be in until late in the afternoon since he had to attend a meeting this morning in San Diego. That should give her plenty of time to search his office for something to help prove her innocence.

  When the elevator stopped on her floor and the doors opened, Toni mentally pumped herself up to go into the office. When she walked in, Pat Davis was about to turn on her computer.

  “How are you feeling? Bill told me what happened last night. You look a little ragged. Maybe you shouldn’t have come in to work today.”

  She shrugged. “I’m fine, Pat. I’ve got a lot to do and I need to get cracking so I don’t fall behind.”

  “You work too hard, Toni. What you need is a man in your life, girlfriend.”

  “How do you know I don’t already have one?”

  Pat lifted curious brows. “Do you have one? Is he anyone I know?”

  “You’re priceless.”

  “Does that mean you’re not going to tell me who this mystery man is?”

  “I’ve got work to do and so do you. Talk to you later,” she answered and walked away.

  Once inside her office cubicle, Toni let out an anxious breath. This cloak and dagger stuff just wasn’t conducive to calm nerves. She needed to get into Frank Clifford’s office, but she would have to be careful not to let Pat, or anyone else, see her go in.

  Toni checked her in-basket and smiled. She’d found several things she could have Pat do that would require her to leave the office.

  After Pat had left, Toni checked the office. Hank’s cubicle was empty. She smiled, remembering that he was still off on his “vacation.” Toni tried the door and, finding it locked, swore under her breath. Usually the boss’s office door was left unlocked. Toni, Pat and Hank had keys to the outer door, but only the CEO had a key to his private office.

  Her body tensed. It meant that whatever he was up to was reason enough for him to lock his personal office. She had to think. How was she going to get in there?

  Toni walked back to her desk. Her eyes lit on a box of mini paper clips and the light of an idea turned on in her head. Taking one out, she unbent it and stepped over to his door, then inserted it in the lock, turning and twisting. When the clip wouldn’t unlock the door, she chewed her bottom lip in frustration.

  “Damn,” she swore. She let out a defeated groan and went back to her desk, sat down and rifled though the drawer, trying to find something else she could use. Then she remembered there was an emergency key in case the CEO misplaced his. Now the question was, where did Mr. Clifford keep it? She glanced around the room, first at the coffee machine cart, then the wall clock. Her gaze locked on the supply cabinet. Could the key possibly be stashed in there?

  Toni walked over to the cabinet and checked every shelf. Then ran her hand underneath the last shelf. Bingo! She’d found it! Her lips quirked into a triumphant smile.

  She unlocked the CEO’s office door, slipped inside and went straight to the desk. She searched it thoroughly, but didn’t find anything. Just as Toni started to open one of the drawers in the file cabinet, she heard the doorknob turn. Her heartbeat quickened. Surely her boss hadn’t cancelled his meeting!

  Her mouth went dry.

  The door opened.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  After the elevator doors closed, Mack hesitated for a moment, tamping down the overpowering urge to get right back on and ride up to Townsend’s to be by Toni’s side when she faced Frank Clifford. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he strode down the hall to his office.

  “Good morning, boss.” Daphne Frazier, Mack’s secretary, cheerfully greeted him.

  Mack’s reply consisted of an absent-minded grunt. He didn’t look up, just headed for his private office.

  “Who had the nerve to mess with your head so early in the morning?” Daphne asked.

  Mack stopped and glanced back at his secretary. “What did you say, Daffy?”

  Daphne frowned, her expression curious, her huge brown eyes sparkling with interest. “All right, who is she?”

  “She?”

  “The woman you can’t keep your mind off of.”

  Mack quirked an eyebrow, ignoring her words. “Has my brother come in yet?

  “Ah ha! Changing the subject. She must really be something.”

  “Daffy!”

  “All right, boss. No, he hasn’t. He has an early appointment with Phelps Electronics and won’t be in until ten o’clock. Don’t you re
member?”

  “Oh, yes.” He cleared his throat. “If a Toni Carlton calls, I don’t care what I’m doing, put her call through.”

  “What if you’re—”

  “Daffy, just do as I said. Okay?” he snapped.

  “All right. But you don’t have to bite my head off.”

  Mack blew out a weary breath. Hunching his shoulders, he muttered, “Sorry.” Then he went into his office and closed the door. Taking off his jacket, he glanced at his desk. He had a thick stack of papers awaiting his attention. Ignoring them for the moment, he sat down and checked his desk calendar. He had several afternoon appointments scheduled.

  After a few minutes of trying to concentrate on his work, he stopped and loosened his tie. Fifteen more minutes passed before he gave up the fight, rose from his chair, walked over to the window and looked out.

  How had Toni’s confrontation with Clifford gone? He wondered, raking his fingers through his hair. Had he simply handed her her things? Or had he tried to…

  Mack strode over to his investigations file cabinet, retrieved the Townsend personnel file, and then pulled out Toni’s information. He wondered how she’d feel when she found out he would in all likelihood be investigating her? Would she still want his help?

  The more he thought about Toni and what could be happening with Clifford, the more anxious he became. Finally unable to stand it anymore, Mack decided to go up to the seventh floor.

  “Daffy, if Marcus gets back before I do, tell him I’ve gone up to Townsend’s.” Mack didn’t wait for an answer, just left the office and sprinted to the elevator.

  Anxious impatience clawed at Mack’s nerves as he waited for a car to come. He imagined how Toni must have felt when she ran for the elevator to escape Frank Clifford and it didn’t come. Because he understood this didn’t mean he believed her story, however.

  “Oh, come on,” he cursed, furiously stabbing the up button. It was taking the damned elevator forever to get to his floor. Maybe he should have taken the stairs. At last the elevator came. As soon as the doors opened, he rushed inside and punched the seventh floor button.