“Well, as long as you finish by Monday. Chase and Robert want a full report.” He locked his office door. “Have a good night.”
He disappeared down the hall. She breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing left and right down the hallway to ensure no one was watching, she picked up the last document she’d been working on.
After working through tons of documents with Martin Morrison’s signature and handwriting, she was confident she recognized his writing. Paul Alan, an extra, had similar handwriting and had been paid in cash per Mr. Morrison’s instructions.
So had another extra, Jan Robbins. The handwriting is what caught her attention. Both Jan and Paul had eerily similar handwriting, and it bore a strong resemblance to Mr. Morrison’s.
She needed to know how cash payments were handled. Glancing over her shoulder at the closed door, she knew she couldn’t ask Mr. Morrison even if he were here. If he were guilty of fraud, he’d know she was onto him, and she’d get fired. If she told him what she suspected and she was wrong, she’d still end up fired. Being fired a month into her first job would look really bad on her résumé.
It was after five-thirty on Thursday, which meant the office was practically empty with the exception of her. And possibly Chase. The office staff left early on Thursdays for happy hour.
She hadn’t been alone much with Chase this week. Even though she felt relieved, that little part of her couldn’t help being disappointed. The past few nights, Robert Addler had walked out with her and Chase, which was perfect for her. Chase couldn’t bring up lunch again if they weren’t alone. Unless it was purely business. So if he hadn’t brought it up, did that mean it was personal?
Robert wasn’t here today. She stood and stretched her stiff muscles. Maybe she could just root through the files and figure it out. She stared at the large filing cabinets that stored this year’s bills. Four long drawers filled with paperwork sorted by vendor.
Maybe if she knew the rules on picking up cash and how it was given to the extras… She heaved a sigh. Walking around her desk, she stared down the hallway to the only light left on in the office. Her heart thudded against her chest. He would know how the process worked. Besides, she’d have to tell someone sometime. Someone above Mr. Morrison.
Wondering if she was making a huge mistake, she headed to Chase’s office. Even with the little trill of anticipation to see him again, she walked slowly down the hall. Not only was she going to accuse the CFO, who had been here a lot longer than herself, of embezzling, but she had to make sure she didn’t make a fool out of herself over Chase and her little attraction.
Every time she was near him, her body responded as if she were a cat in heat, and her brain went on vacation. She hadn’t figured out how to control it yet.
Natalie paused outside the slightly open door.
His low voice reached her ears, freezing her hand in mid-knock. “Alexis, I don’t think so… No… I know how important this is to you, but I just… Yes… Have you tried Robert?… No, I’m not saying… If you would just… Sure, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
The phone click, as it was returned to the cradle, barely penetrated the fog in her brain. What did it mean? Were they back together? She rolled back on her heels and tried to slip back before he noticed her.
One step. She stopped at a rustling in the office, followed by footsteps. She squeezed her eyes shut. Oh, yeah, like that really hid her. She opened her eyes. A blue shirt filled her view. Oops.
Tentatively she raised her eyes to his bemused expression. As always, heat flushed through her and her heart slammed against her chest.
“Eavesdropping?”
“No, of course not. I was coming to ask you a question. Just a question. I didn’t mean to overhear… Not that I heard anything… I mean…” Oh, God, someone stop her.
His grin seemed to increase the further she dug herself into the ground. Seriously, someone needed to make an emergency escape hatch one could fall into after one embarrassed oneself sufficiently.
“It’s okay, Natalie. Come on in.” He stepped back into his office.
He gestured to the leather guest chair before sitting behind the desk. She slid into the chair, and her eyes darted around the room. She crossed her legs and clasped her hands in her lap.
She’d never been in here before. The tiled floor from the hallway flowed into the nice-size office, not huge but bigger than Mr. Morrison’s. Beige paint and framed movie posters covered the walls.
Finally her eyes rested on the man behind the desk. Somehow he seemed closer than when he’d walked her to her car. Maybe it was his uninterrupted attention on her. A low thrum of energy sizzled through her body, and she involuntarily shivered.
“What was your question?”
Question? Oh, yeah, question. She’d had one. Things seemed to flit out of her brain when he was around. What had she been doing?
“Yes, umm…”
His mouth turned into a soft smile. “Take your time.”
“Well…” She chewed on her bottom lip. Mr. Morrison. “When extras are paid in cash where does the cash come from?”
The smile faded from Chase’s face, and he came to attention behind his desk. “We don’t typically pay extras in cash.”
Her hands tightened. “These are for expenses. You know, expense reports turned in and instead of a check they request cash?”
“Where are these expense reports?” Suspicion lurked in Chase’s eyes.
She recrossed her legs and swallowed. “On my desk. I just noticed it today. Isn’t that the way it’s typically done?”
Chase stood and ran a hand through his hair. “Get the reports and meet me in the conference room. We need to figure this out.”
“We?” she squeaked out.
He walked around the desk and gripped her elbow, helping her out of the chair and steering her toward the door. “Yes, we. Now, go get the documents, and I’ll order us some Chinese.”
“But I should go home soon.” The conference room wasn’t very big, so he’d be close, which made that little piece in her trill again. But if she were alone with him, she was sure to make a fool of herself. His hand on her elbow burned through the silk of her blouse. Why had she taken off her jacket? She’d definitely make a fool out of herself if left alone with this man for any length of time. But she did want to get to the bottom of this.
“Hot date?” Chase’s voice sounded slightly gruff.
A fresh wave of heat swallowed her face. “No, but-”
His green eyes settled on hers. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
Chapter Five
By the time they were settled into the conference room, only two chairs weren’t covered in papers. However, the chairs were right next to each other. If Natalie moved that stack…
Before she could move anything, Chase spoke up.
“Sit down and we’ll discuss what you’ve found while we eat.” His tone was all business. Maybe she’d read too much into their earlier conversations.
She could be businesslike, too. Relieved, she breathed deep and slid into the chair. When he sat down his denim-clad leg brushed against her cotton skirt. She sucked in a breath, but covered it by opening one of the takeout bags. She crossed her legs away from his.
“I wasn’t sure what to get, so I got a couple of different things. We can share,” he said.
She picked up the containers and opened them. The rich sauce filled the air with the aroma of ginger and garlic. Settling on beef with broccoli, she found one of the rice boxes.
“What have you found so far?” Chase said. His leg brushed against hers again. Her body tensed. She wondered if he did it on purpose. His warmth radiated to her side. The woodsy smell of his cologne wafted over her.