The Perfect Frame Read online

  The evil intent in his eyes chilled her to the bone. Was he the one her boss had been talking to that night? Toni let out a weary breath, shifting her thoughts back to Mack. She dreaded talking to him. She could leave, but if she did, it would only be putting off the inevitable, and besides, not only was she not a coward, but she had nothing to hide.

  Fifteen minutes later Mack came out of the CEO’s office, and then the man himself followed.

  “You can use my office if you need to speak individually with my staff, Jessup,” he offered. “I have a lunch appointment with a prospective client.” He pushed up the sleeve of his suit coat and glanced at his watch. “If you will all excuse me…” With that he hurried out of the office.

  Toni waited expectantly, her nerves taunt, stretched to the breaking point. What would Mack ask Pat? And more to the point what would he ask Hank Warren? And what would that lying snake say against her?

  CHAPTER SIX

  Toni gazed at the computer screen, trying her best to get involved in her work, but it was no use. Her concentration was shot to hell because of Mack’s presence in the office, and the subject he was discussing and the people with whom he was discussing it.

  She glanced at the clock. Mack had been talking to Pat a long time. Why? When Toni had talked with her a few days ago, Pat had denied knowing anything about any discrepancies.

  At the sound of the door opening, Toni looked up. She read Pat’s expression as one of unease when she came out of the office. Her gaze avoided Toni’s. And her manner was evasive, guilty even. And that was definitely not like her friend. Why should Pat look guilty? What had Mack asked her?

  “Warren, you can come in now,” Mack instructed.

  The calculating smile on Hank’s face when he looked at Toni set her teeth on edge. Anything bad he could think of to say about her she was sure he would relate to Mack with relish. How she despised the man.

  * * *

  “Sit down, Warren,” Mack said, striving to keep his tone neutral.

  “If you want to know what I think, our Ms. Carlton is as guilty as sin.”

  Mack’s eyes narrowed. “What makes you think so?”

  “It’s obvious. She had access to the accounts and the authority to act on them. Stands to reason she’s the one responsible for the irregularities.”

  The man’s arrogance irritated Mack to no end. What bothered him even more was the venom in his voice when he bashed Toni. Was he a jealous ex-lover seeking revenge because she had dumped him? Just what was the relationship between him and Toni?

  “You have proof to substantiate your allegations? And I don’t mean an opinion; I’m talking about hard evidence.”

  “Well no, but—”

  “All I want from you are the facts as you know them, not your suspicions, not your opinions. You got that?” Mack relished the look of angry hostility his words brought to Warren’s face. He couldn’t help wondering if he was the one Clifford had been talking to on the phone the night Toni ran into his office. What also interested Mack was finding out why he had called Toni Friday night.

  “I got it, all right. You’d like to get your hands on Toni’s luscious little body. Or maybe you’ve already sampled the merchandise and you’re eager to post a no-trespassing sign.”

  Mack gritted his teeth, calling on every ounce of control he could summon to keep from smashing his fist into Warren’s face. But in the end he found the temptation to do something too great and grabbed the man by his jacket lapels, jerking him up from the chair.

  Hank laughed. “I see you’re going to get primitive.”

  Mack let him go.

  “Don’t back down now, Jessup. Things were just beginning to get interesting. I can understand how you feel, man. I’ve seen the effect she has on men often enough. Maybe she and Clifford are getting it on.”

  Mack felt a jerking in his stomach at those words. “As I said before, if you don’t have proof to back up what you say…”

  “Old Frank and our little Toni work late together almost every night, and have done so for the last year and a half. I’d say they have the perfect setup, not to mention the perfect opportunity to steal. Wouldn’t you say?”

  “That’ll be all,” Mack ground out. “You can go back to your work.”

  “But don’t you want to know—”

  “I said you can go.”

  With a smirk on his face that made Mack feel like punching his lights out, Hank Warren left the office. Mack slammed his fist down on the desk, wishing it was the jerk’s gut. What he wasn’t looking forward to was questioning Toni. But it wasn’t as though he had a choice. He straightened his shoulders and headed for the door.

  * * *

  When Toni thought she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, the door to the CEO’s office opened and Hank walked out. After flashing her a smug smile, he stepped behind his office cubicle.

  Mack observed the byplay, wondering again if anything was going on between them. “You can come in, Toni—Ms. Carlton,” Mack corrected himself, striving to ease back into a professional persona.

  Toni rose and smoothing down her skirt, coolly started toward the office door. Inside, her nerves were rioting, but on the outside she projected a cool, calm front.

  Mack moved back, allowing her passing room. Once she stepped inside, he closed the door.

  Toni felt a moment of trepidation at the ominous click.

  For a brief few seconds all Mack did was stare before asking Toni to sit down. He perched a lean hip on the corner of the desk, then crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I get the impression from your boss that you’re quite an ambitious lady.”

  She lifted her chin proudly. “Anything wrong with that?”

  “On the surface, no.”

  Toni frowned. What did he mean ‘on the surface’? What was he implying?

  “He said you’ve been more than helpful, volunteering above and beyond the call of duty.”

  “What are you trying to say, that you believe I’m a thief?”

  “Don’t put words in my mouth. According to your personnel record you—”

  “My personnel record!” She felt so exposed. Those records were supposed to be confidential. “When did you see them, before or after you took me to bed?”

  Mack moved off the desk and walked over to the window and thrust his hands into his pockets. Then he turned to look at Toni and answered, “Before.”

  “Then you knew about the discrepancies the night we met.”

  “Yes, I did.” He cleared his throat. “I knew that your name appeared on the authorizations to buy and sell on several of the company’s major accounts.”

  “Of course they would. It isn’t unusual since I was put in charge of them by the CEO. I am his PA.”

  “Don’t get defensive with me.” Mack felt the easy rapport they’d shared from the start slipping away, and he didn’t like it. “I’m just stating a fact. Where is the paperwork that goes with those accounts, explaining the action you took?”

  “The originals go to the client and the copies are kept on file.”

  Mack shook his head. “They’re missing from the files and several clients didn’t receive them.”

  “Well, I can’t explain it. I didn’t deliberately misplace or destroy them.”

  “I think we need to start from when Mr. Townsend first suspected there were, as he put it, irregularities with the sale of certain stocks and securities. According to him, they began to show up five months ago, when his father was still president.”

  “Five months ago?” Toni thought back to that time. It was when Mr. Townsend Sr. began to scrutinize her work and everything having to do with her. Had he been suspicious of her? Was that the reason he’d called her into his office?

  “From what I could gather it was when the elder Townsend, who was a naturally suspicious man, began to notice the shifts and discrepancies in the accounts. He hadn’t gone so far as to accuse anyone, but if he hadn’t died I’m sure he would have do
ne so.”

  Toni watched the blank expression on Mack’s face. Was he trying to say that Townsend’s death went beyond coincidence? And because she had been with him when he died she was suspect? That was ridiculous. No one could possibly blame her for his death, could they? He’d died from a stroke, hadn’t he?

  Mack studied Toni for a few seconds. “You can go, but don’t leave the office. I have something else I need to discuss with you.”

  Toni sat worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, wondering why Mack had changed the subject so abruptly. The look in his eyes told her the other subject he wanted to discuss was one he considered of equal importance. After all that had happened today, she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to him about anything else, personal or otherwise.

  This was Mack, the man who had made such tender love to her, the man she had trusted with not only her life and her body, but her vulnerable emotions.

  “You’re telling me you need to talk to me about something else, yet giving me my walking papers? Can’t you simply tell me what you think?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Why isn’t it? Either you believe what I’ve told you or you don’t.”

  Mack ran his fingers through his hair. “Damn it, Toni, right now I’m not sure of anything, okay?” He inhaled a deep breath. “I need to check out a few things before I can begin to form an opinion.”

  “And you’re not going to tell me what those things are, right?”

  “I can’t. Don’t you see—”

  “Oh, I see all right.” She got up and started for the door.

  Mack reached it first and clamped a hand around her wrist, swinging her around to face him. He gazed into her eyes for a moment before lowering his mouth to hers.

  The doorknob rattled and they broke apart.

  Frank Clifford strode inside. He glanced at Toni’s flushed face and Mack’s discomfited look and smiled knowingly.

  “I assume you’re done ‘questioning’ my staff—to, ah, your satisfaction?”

  Mack cleared his throat. “For now I am, yes, although I’ll probably be questioning all of you again as the investigation progresses.”

  “We’ll make ourselves available.”

  Toni put her hand on the doorknob.

  “Won’t we, Toni? Don’t leave, I need to discuss a few things with you,” Clifford said to her, giving Mack a dismissive look.

  The intimacy his words suggested angered Mack. Had Clifford intended to give the impression that something was going on between him and Toni? Mack glanced at Toni, and then Clifford, before exiting the office.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Now, Ms. Carlton,” Clifford said from his perch on the edge of his desk, “come over here and sit down.” He indicated the chair in front of his desk.

  Toni didn’t want to be alone with this man, let alone that close to him, but decided that if she wanted to find out what he had to say she would have to do as he suggested. She sank down on the chair.

  “I know you’re probably wondering why I haven’t come after you since the other night. Well, I’ve had time to rethink the situation. I was a bit premature in resorting to threats of violence.

  “The net is very close to hopelessly entangling you.” He laughed. “I don’t know what you hope to accomplish by cultivating a relationship with Mackinsey Jessup. It won’t do you any good, you know. He can’t save you. My plan has already been set into motion, and there is nothing you can do to stop or alter its progression.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough. It was unfortunate that you found out about things when you did. Soon your Mr. Jessup will discover more evidence against you. And believe me, despite whatever is going on between you two, he will begin to doubt your claim of innocence. When that happens, I won’t have to do anything. He’ll do it for me.

  “Until then, you can do one of two things: You can continue to work the same as usual and try to vindicate yourself, or you can cut and run. It’s that simple. You may go now, Toni. I have a lot of work to do. Oh, and be sure to close the door on your way out.”

  Toni sat staring at him for a moment, too stunned to say anything, much less move to leave. “You can’t—”

  “I already have.” He grinned triumphantly. “You are dismissed.”

  When Toni rose from her chair, her legs felt weak and she stumbled slightly. He reached out to steady her, but she jerked away.

  “I’m going to stop you.”

  “You’ll try, but you won’t succeed.”

  Toni left his office with a renewed determination to save herself and thwart his plans. Somehow she’d find a way. There had to be something he’d overlooked or neglected to do, she told herself, but fear that he might not have made her shiver despite her new found confidence.

  Mack was right; they did need to talk. Toni returned to her desk and looked up the number for Jessup Investigations.

  “Jessup Investigations. Daphne speaking.”

  “Is Mack Jessup in?”

  “He’s in a meeting at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?”

  “No, I’ll call back.”

  “If you’ll leave your name and number, I—”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Are you Toni Carlton?”

  “Yes, but how did you know?”

  “Hold on and I’ll let him know you’re on the line.”

  Had Mack left word to put her calls through no matter what? He had to believe in her a little to do that, didn’t he?

  “Toni, what is it? Did Clifford try to hurt or threaten you?”

  “Yes. I need to see you right away, Mack.”

  “Come down now. I’ll be waiting.”

  Toni gazed at Pat. She had some questions she wanted to ask but she decided to wait until a better time.

  “Pat, I’m leaving the office for a few minutes.”

  “Toni.”

  “Yes?”

  “I didn’t want to say anything to hurt your relationship with Mack.”

  “What does my relationship with Mack have to do with the investigation?”

  “I can tell that he’s crazy about you, and I didn’t want to mess things up.”

  “Don’t worry about Mack and me. What did he ask you?”

  “What I knew about the irregularities in the accounts, and I had to tell him the truth.”

  “What truth?”

  “Toni, I had to tell him that you said some sales confirmations were wrong, but that when I went into the files, I didn’t find the kind of errors you mentioned.”

  “It probably looks like a cover-up to Mack. The errors were there, Pat. I’m being set up.”

  “Set up! Oh, my God! I thought you were just tired from overwork when you mentioned them. I never dreamed that anything could be really wrong. I’m sorry if I made you look bad.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Toni said, staring at the CEO’s closed office door. “I’ve got to leave now.”

  “Are you coming back to work later?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you want me to tell Mr. Clifford?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Pat, I’ll do the honors.” Toni noted the relief on her friend’s face and shook her head and walked back to her desk and picked up the phone and punched the com button to her boss’s office.

  “Yes, Toni.”

  “I’ll be out of the office for a few minutes.”

  “Going down to Jessup to plot and plan your strategy? Like I said, it won’t do you any good. No one can save you. But knowing you and that clever capable mind of yours, you’ll try.”

  He laughed, then severed the connection.

  “The arrogance of the man.”

  “Have a fight with your sugar daddy?” Hank inquired, leaning against the compartment separation wall. “Did he not do as you wanted?”

  “Why don’t you slither back into your hole and pull the ground over you.”

  “Now if I d
id that, I wouldn’t get that promotion when you’re exposed as the thief.”

  “It’s unwise to count your chickens, Hanky.” She rose in one fluid motion and, grabbing up her purse, walked around him and out of the office.

  On the way down in the elevator Toni wondered what she could say to Mack. Would he believe her if she told him everything Clifford had said? When the elevator door opened, she stepped out and headed for Mack’s office.

  “You must be Toni Carlton. I’m Daphne, Mack’s secretary and girl Friday.” She smiled. “Go right in, he’s waiting for you.”

  Mack opened the door to his private office. “Come in, Toni.” He closed the door on Daphne’s curious gaze.

  Mack took Toni in his arms and kissed her. Her response was immediate and hot as she returned it with ardor.

  “Wow, you are one dangerous woman. Now what prompted this visit? I sensed by your voice that something must have happened.” His eyes darkened. “He didn’t touch you, did he?”

  “No, not literally.”

  “What did he say? Did he threaten you?”

  “Not precisely. It was more a prediction of my doom. Oh, Mack, I’m scared.”

  “If you’re innocent—”

  She pulled away. “If?”

  “Sorry, bad choice of words. I believe what you’ve told me.”

  “Believe, or want to believe?”

  “You’re not a thief. The thing is how to prove it.”

  “But what if we can’t?”

  He pulled her back into his arms and eased her head onto his shoulder and stroked her hair. “Together we can do anything, sweet Toni.” Toni rubbed her cheek against his chest and tightened her hold around his waist. How she wanted to believe that. Mack was saying all the right words, but she got the feeling he wasn’t as confident as he would have her believe.

  * * *

  After Toni had gone Mack called Marcus into his office.

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  “Did you track down the cancelled checks for the accounts I gave you?”

  “Sure did.”

  “And?”

  “All of them were dated on the fifteenth.”

  “What dates were they cashed?”