Deserted Desire

Chapter 12

“How was France?” Sandra asked as Alec strolled into the office, still nursing his persistent headache. He simply grunted in response and headed straight into his room. He flopped down on his chair and powered up his computer. Before it was even up and running, there was a quick knock on the door and Sandra stepped inside with a bottle of water and a bottle of aspirins.

“How’d you know?” he muttered as he took the two bottles from her.

“Please, like I haven’t seen you hung over or jetlagged a hundred times before,” she rolled her eyes. “You have a meeting at 10 am. You want me to push it back?”

“Who with?”

“Jack Steele.”

Alec groaned. “Could you cancel it altogether?”

“Ah. I take it Mrs. Steele wasn’t as cooperative as you’d hoped?” Sandra noted.

“Something like that,” he muttered and took a swig of water to chase down the aspirin.

“I’ll cancel the meeting then. When do you want to reschedule for?”

“No, keep the meeting,” Alec said, rubbing his temples. “I’ve still got two hours to fix this.”

“I’ll hold your calls,” Sandra said and headed out.

Alec sighed. Desirée Grimaud was refusing to sell. He would need leverage to convince her otherwise, and to be honest, he really didn’t want to try digging up dirt on her. How do you go about blackmailing and intimidating a woman you’ve… Alec stopped himself before his mind could make up stories about him falling for Desirée. He most certainly hadn’t.

Their night together had been great, a break from the outside world and all its responsibilities, but he was back in the real world now. He just needed to keep that in mind.

-

“Mr. Steele,” Alec greeted the businessman, “Have a seat,” he said and gestured to one of the chairs in the conference room. His own room was a mess, having pored over all the documents relating to Jack’s case again.

“How did your meeting with my ex-wife go?” Jack asked as he sat down.

“It was a first step in what looks to be a long process,” Alec said diplomatically.

“In other words, you failed,” Jack said, his jaw set.

“Mr. Steele,” Alec said tersely, “You came to me because I’m the best at what I do. I will get you the results you desire, provided I’m awarded full disclosure.”

“What does that mean?” Jack practically barked.

“That means, Mr. Steele, that I can’t have clients lying to me or leaving anything out. This is the time you put all the cards on the table.”

“I don’t like your tone, Mr. Grayson,” Jack said icily.

“Forgive me, I’m jetlagged,” Alec quipped. “And I don’t really care what you think of my tone, Mr. Steele. My job is to deliver results, not coddle your ego. Now, tell me about your wife. Who were her friends? What were her hobbies? What was the reason for your divorce?”

“Those are some very personal questions, Mr. Grayson.”

“And the answers will help you get what you want,” Alec said simply. “I need information on your wife – personal information – for the next phase of the negotiations.”

“You mean you need something to threaten her with?” Jack said, his lips quirking into a devious grin. “Some sordid details she might not want exposed?”