One Sizzling Touch
Page 37
Wade kept his voice low when he replied, “Quite a lot. Appears that Leech is up to his eyeballs in debt.”
“Leech? That’s not possible. He’s such a cheapskate and never takes any risks. How could he possibly have gotten into debt?”
Wade lifted one shoulder. “Apparently he has an affair that’s costing him.”
Zach shook his head. “No affair can cost that much.”
“In his case it does. Turns out he’s got something with a man. And somebody found out.”
“His wife found out he’s seeing a man and cut him off?”
Wade shook his head. “His wife has no idea, and it’s going to stay that way as long as he pays his blackmailer.”
Surprised, Zach rocked back on his heels. “He’s being blackmailed?”
His friend swept his gaze around the store, while motioning him to be quiet. “Not so loud. Not everybody in Manhattan needs to know. But, yeah, the stingy and risk-averse Leech is fucking a guy. And he can’t afford for his wife to find out. From what I know, most of the money they have is from her family. She brought it into the marriage.”
“But what would Leech gain from forcing me out of the board?”
Wade shrugged. “No idea. Unless he’s fabricated some sort of evidence against you and is trying to blackmail you with it.”
Zach shook his head, not wanting to believe that. “As much as I can’t stand Leech, I can’t imagine him doing that. He’s not as unscrupulous as that.”
“Well, I just wanted to tell you. You said to check up on all of them.”
“Thanks. And the others? Did you find anything?”
“Not much. Davenport’s businesses are doing well. No disagreements with his family. No strange incidences. Oh, but Hunter reported that he heard from somebody sitting on the board of the opera that Emily Grover is apparently going to get married again. No idea if that’s important.”
Zach furrowed his forehead. Had he interpreted Emily’s behavior wrongly the last time they’d met? Had she not come on to him after all? “Who’s the lucky guy?”
Wade made a face. “He didn’t know.”
“Anything else?”
“One thing from one of my contacts at the stock exchange: apparently two weeks ago a large trade in Ivers International stock went down.”
“Who made the trade?”
Wade scratched the back of his head. “Well, if only we knew. But the transaction went through several broker accounts and then landed at the Inter Commerce and Trade Bank.”
“That’s a private bank here in New York.”
“Correct. And before you ask me who the account belongs to, I don’t know.”
“Damn. Guess we can’t just walk into the bank and ask, can we?”
“Nope. Did you need anything else?”
Zach was about to shake his head when he remembered something. “About the guy I asked you to check up on for me. Have you done that already?”
Wade grinned and patted his jacket pocket, then pulled a piece of paper from it. “Nothing easier than that. Here’s the address. Do you need anything else?”
Zach took the piece of paper. “That’s all. Thanks again, Wade.”
“No problem.” For a moment, he seemed to hesitate, then he came out with it. “The guys wanted to know whether you’re really trying to seduce the SEC agent.”
“Do you really think I’m that stupid?” The denial rolled off his lips as smoothly as water.
Slowly Wade nodded. “Well, that’s good then.”
Before Wade could discover his lie, Zach turned around to leave. “Gotta go. See ya.”
Then he rushed outside. He hated having to lie to his friends, but they wouldn’t understand him when it came to Rochelle. They couldn’t know how she got under his skin and how it was impossible to resist her. They would call him an idiot and rightly so, but that didn’t change the fact that he was falling for Rochelle, falling hard and fast.
~ ~ ~
Two days had passed since his walk with Rochelle in the East Village and she still hadn’t given him an answer. Zach hadn’t imagined that waiting would be this torturous, but with each hour that passed, he grew more impatient.
Frustrated Zach marched through the entrance hall of his office building and headed for the elevators. Several employees squeezed into the already full elevator. He stepped back.
“I’ll wait for the next one.”
A young woman he knew from the accounting department rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna have to wait a while, Mr. Ivers. All the other elevators are out of order.” She motioned to him encouragingly. “There’s still space for one more.”
“Leech? That’s not possible. He’s such a cheapskate and never takes any risks. How could he possibly have gotten into debt?”
Wade lifted one shoulder. “Apparently he has an affair that’s costing him.”
Zach shook his head. “No affair can cost that much.”
“In his case it does. Turns out he’s got something with a man. And somebody found out.”
“His wife found out he’s seeing a man and cut him off?”
Wade shook his head. “His wife has no idea, and it’s going to stay that way as long as he pays his blackmailer.”
Surprised, Zach rocked back on his heels. “He’s being blackmailed?”
His friend swept his gaze around the store, while motioning him to be quiet. “Not so loud. Not everybody in Manhattan needs to know. But, yeah, the stingy and risk-averse Leech is fucking a guy. And he can’t afford for his wife to find out. From what I know, most of the money they have is from her family. She brought it into the marriage.”
“But what would Leech gain from forcing me out of the board?”
Wade shrugged. “No idea. Unless he’s fabricated some sort of evidence against you and is trying to blackmail you with it.”
Zach shook his head, not wanting to believe that. “As much as I can’t stand Leech, I can’t imagine him doing that. He’s not as unscrupulous as that.”
“Well, I just wanted to tell you. You said to check up on all of them.”
“Thanks. And the others? Did you find anything?”
“Not much. Davenport’s businesses are doing well. No disagreements with his family. No strange incidences. Oh, but Hunter reported that he heard from somebody sitting on the board of the opera that Emily Grover is apparently going to get married again. No idea if that’s important.”
Zach furrowed his forehead. Had he interpreted Emily’s behavior wrongly the last time they’d met? Had she not come on to him after all? “Who’s the lucky guy?”
Wade made a face. “He didn’t know.”
“Anything else?”
“One thing from one of my contacts at the stock exchange: apparently two weeks ago a large trade in Ivers International stock went down.”
“Who made the trade?”
Wade scratched the back of his head. “Well, if only we knew. But the transaction went through several broker accounts and then landed at the Inter Commerce and Trade Bank.”
“That’s a private bank here in New York.”
“Correct. And before you ask me who the account belongs to, I don’t know.”
“Damn. Guess we can’t just walk into the bank and ask, can we?”
“Nope. Did you need anything else?”
Zach was about to shake his head when he remembered something. “About the guy I asked you to check up on for me. Have you done that already?”
Wade grinned and patted his jacket pocket, then pulled a piece of paper from it. “Nothing easier than that. Here’s the address. Do you need anything else?”
Zach took the piece of paper. “That’s all. Thanks again, Wade.”
“No problem.” For a moment, he seemed to hesitate, then he came out with it. “The guys wanted to know whether you’re really trying to seduce the SEC agent.”
“Do you really think I’m that stupid?” The denial rolled off his lips as smoothly as water.
Slowly Wade nodded. “Well, that’s good then.”
Before Wade could discover his lie, Zach turned around to leave. “Gotta go. See ya.”
Then he rushed outside. He hated having to lie to his friends, but they wouldn’t understand him when it came to Rochelle. They couldn’t know how she got under his skin and how it was impossible to resist her. They would call him an idiot and rightly so, but that didn’t change the fact that he was falling for Rochelle, falling hard and fast.
~ ~ ~
Two days had passed since his walk with Rochelle in the East Village and she still hadn’t given him an answer. Zach hadn’t imagined that waiting would be this torturous, but with each hour that passed, he grew more impatient.
Frustrated Zach marched through the entrance hall of his office building and headed for the elevators. Several employees squeezed into the already full elevator. He stepped back.
“I’ll wait for the next one.”
A young woman he knew from the accounting department rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna have to wait a while, Mr. Ivers. All the other elevators are out of order.” She motioned to him encouragingly. “There’s still space for one more.”
