Martha Kennerson - Seducing The Heiress

Farrah released a wistful sigh and turned back to the documents that required more of her attention than her lack of a love life did at the moment. “Is everything set for New York?”

Paul scowled and picked up his cup. “I can take a hint. Of course everything’s all set. Do you think you’ll find what you need when you get there?”

“I hope so. We’re running out of leads and we’ve got to find evidence that Ted Jefferson Jr.—or whoever hired Alexia—planted those bogus documents in the first place.”

Ted had presented the court with twenty-year-old drawings nearly identical to the ones Robert had developed and filed their patent on. An investigation revealed a set of those same drawings had been buried in the Blake & Montgomery archived records—which presumably had been planted there by their former employee, Alexia. Everyone with system access passed the polygraphs with flying colors.

“How did she even manage to plant the documents in the first place?” Paul asked, frowning.

“That’s just it. We haven’t been able to figure that out.” Farrah slammed her fist against the desk. “We have records of everything in the archived database and while there was a listing for a new system authored by Ted Jefferson during the year in question, the records directed us back to the bogus files we found.”

“Wait, those documents are what...at least twenty years old?” he asked, his frown deepening.

“Yeah, and Dad was leading the company then. He knew everything that Ted worked on, and he approved his budget. He’s certain that with the technology they were dealing with back then, there’s no way Ted could have created anything that Robert could have used to help develop the type of complicated technological designs that he has now.”

“So there’s no evidence that the system was tampered with?”

“Not that we’ve been able to find yet.” Farrah sat back in her chair.

“What kind of proof will you need exactly?” Paul asked with a deep scowl.

“Mainly, we need to show that Robert’s designs were his own and weren’t based off anything that anyone else started a million years ago.”

“Too bad Senior’s no longer in the land of the living. I bet your dad could get the truth out of him. He owes him.”

Ignoring Paul, Farrah continued her rant. “And I don’t give a damn what Ted Jefferson Jr. thinks. Both he and that traitorous little witch can kiss my—”

Paul sucked in a quick breath. “Calm down, girlfriend.”

“It makes me furious that we have to keep defending ourselves over such crap, like we’d stoop to something so low—not to mention hang on to the incriminating evidence. We all know what a brilliant mind Robert has, especially when it comes to computer systems. He doesn’t need some old fart’s road map to come up with his amazingly innovative design ideas. How dare they try and tarnish his reputation!”

Paul’s smiled widened. “Man, you’ve got it bad...his reputation.”

“I said our reputation.” Farrah checked her desktop clock and picked up a set of files that sat in the center of her desk. “I don’t have time for this. I have to get over to the law library and check on the Plan B options that Trey and his team sent over.”

“Plan B?” Paul asked, his slim lips pulling into a frown.

“In case we can’t find a way to prove our innocence.”

“Hell, we don’t need a Plan B. We’re going to find whoever is trying to screw us and put a stop to this madness,” Paul stated.

“I agree, but we have to be prepared. We all have a lot of time and money riding on the outcome of this case. Including you, mister. Last time I checked, you had a great deal of stock in the company, too.”

“Yeah, well, remember, I already have the best thing that money could never buy—the ability and the guts to marry the love of my life.” Paul snapped two fingers on his right hand before walking out the door.

Unable to fight back the overwhelming feeling of loss in that moment, Farrah simply whispered, “Something I’ll never have...not with Robert, anyway.”

Farrah blinked back the sting of tears in her eyes.

Chapter 5

Robert had finally pulled into the garage of his office building after having made several stops to visit clients on his way back. He’d parked his black Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe in his spot, only a few short spaces away from the empty location where its white twin usually held ground, when his cell phone rang. Robert smiled, recognizing the number of the only woman he’d ever really trusted—his foster mother, Penny Hilton—but it faded quickly. He pushed the button to activate his car’s Bluetooth.

“Momma Penny, everything all right?” he asked, nervous for her response.

“Of course. You worry about me too much,” she said with a small laugh.

Penny Hilton, or Momma Penny as Robert called her, had become Robert’s foster mother after his parents died in a boating accident when he was ten years old. The African-American widow had happily taken young Robert in when no other relative had come forward. Momma Penny had been his nanny since the day he was born and later the family’s housekeeper when he’d started school. She was his only family and he her only child. They adored each other. Robert’s parents’ unique approach to child rearing, followed by their sudden deaths, made it difficult for him to connect and trust people. Momma Penny helped him to find some semblance of security.

“Only because you’ve recently been released from the hospital. Pneumonia is nothing to play with at your age, so take your medicine and follow the doctor’s instructions.”

“At my age,” she huffed.

“You know what I’m saying. How’s the new nurse working out?” he asked, hoping she’d let that reference to her growing years slide past.

“He’s just fine, although having a male nurse still seems strange to me, you know.”

“Yes, I know.” Robert grinned, checked his watch and settled into his seat. This conversation was going to take a few minutes and he didn’t want to risk losing the connection by leaving the car and going into the building. “But he comes highly recommended.”

“So did the last one. What happened to that lovely nurse the agency sent over, anyway? Sonya something. She was very pretty and I liked her. I know she really liked you, too,” she said with a smile in her voice that he couldn’t miss.

“And that was the problem—she liked me too much,” he murmured, more to himself than to his mother. Robert thought back to the night he’d returned home from a late business appointment only to find lovely Nurse Sonya waiting for him at his townhouse. A major problem since she was supposed to be stationed at his mother’s place over forty miles away.

“What are you doing here and how the hell did you get in?” Robert demanded as he stood in the doorway of his bedroom.

“I got the address and key from Momma Penny. I waited for your housekeeper to leave and I let myself in,” Sonya explained, batting her eyes and playing with her hair. “Momma Penny’s fine. Sound asleep, in fact, so I thought I’d come take care of you. Tuck you in, so to speak.”

Sonya had stolen Momma Penny’s copy of the key to his house and evidently had snooped around to find the security code to his system and let herself in. She was waiting in his bed wearing a short and very sexy nurse costume. Had that happened a few years earlier, Robert would have loved playing games with the pretty nurse—even if she had been duplicitous in her attempt to gain his attention—but these days he had no interest in such behavior. He’d fired her on the spot.