Heated Secrets (Rose Garden Apartments Book 1) Read online

  The pounding resumed and he sat up, irritated at the interruption of his afternoon nap.

  “All right!” he bellowed. There was a pulling sensation on his bare thighs as he levered his body out of the chair. He’d used duct tape to cover the holes in the fabric chair. But he finally got to his feet and hauled on a tattered velour robe of indeterminate age and indistinguishable color due to the numerous stains.

  As he padded towards the door, he scratched his groin and adjusted himself, glancing down to make sure that nothing was hanging out of his frayed boxers, then yanked the door open.

  “What the hell do you…?!” he started to bellow, only to freeze at the tall, terrifying man standing in his doorway.

  “Are you Henry Pulawski?” The mountain in his doorway asked, the guy’s accent making Henry’s last name sound almost…elegant.

  Henry rubbed the back of his hand under his nose. “Yeah, what do you want? We’re full up. No available apartments.”

  The man rolled his eyes. Almost. Something in his expression conveyed he wished to.

  “In point of fact,” the stranger said, stepping deliberately into Henry’s personal space, forcing him back several paces and looking pointedly around, “this apartment complex has been running at twenty-five percent capacity for the past year.”

  Henry jumped back, infuriated anyone would dare to enter his humble abode. “What the hell! You can’t just come in here! This is private property!”

  “Actually, I can. I’m the new owner of this property.” He eyed the nineteen fifties style television with disdain. “As your new boss, I wanted to go over a few new operating procedures with you, immediately.” The man glanced down at Henry’s boxers, now visible since the tie on the robe had come undone. “Perhaps a pair of pants would be appropriate at this time, Mr. Pulawksi.”

  Henry’s mouth fell open. “You’re the new owner?” he demanded, forgetting to close his robe. “Says who?”

  Drako pulled a sheaf of papers out of his jacket pocket and handed them over. “This should be sufficient.”

  Henry skimmed quickly through the pages, swallowing hard as he realized that this was the deed to the property. Signed today! Holy crap!

  After wiping a filthy hand down the front of his equally filthy robe, he extended it. “Well, it’s an honor to meet you,” Henry muttered, not sure what to do now. The stranger really was the size of a small mountain, needing to duck slightly as he walked through to the kitchen. Henry gulped nervously, wondering how many days’ worth of dirty dishes were piled in the sink. He didn’t remember, but it was probably a lot, considering he’d been eating a lot of take-out lately, simply to avoid the dish situation entirely. He knew for sure he hadn’t taken the trash out lately…hell, he probably should have cleaned up a bit over the past few weeks.

  “I’m not much for housekeeping,” he mumbled, following the man. He found his sneakers and slipped them on, feeling moderately more presentable despite his socks being black and the shoes…well, they used to be white. At least the sneakers hid the holes in his socks. He also re-tied the belt on his robe, blushing at the way his limp johnson had peeked through the opening of his boxers.

  The big guy’s eyes moved over the mess, then turned away, no longer looking disdainful. Henry suspected that that blank expression meant it was worse than he thought.

  “I’d like to see the maintenance records for the past six months, please.”

  Henry glanced guiltily at the kitchen table. Scattered across the table and underneath several greasy takeout boxes were letters from residents. Maintenance requests that…hell, he probably should have done some of the smaller fixes.

  “Well, yeah,” he said, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. That’s when he noticed that there was a hole in the bottom of his shoe. “I guess I’m a little behind on the maintenance requests,” he admitted. He gave a weak chuckle. “The maintenance budget is pretty small.”

  “On the contrary,” the stranger countered. “You’ve requested several thousand dollars in maintenance supplies over the past several months.”

  The guy pulled out several of the letters, glancing quickly through them.

  “It appears that you’ve been pocketing the money the previous owner provided for maintenance.”

  Henry gulped again, scrambling for an excuse. Unfortunately, he’d had a bit too much bourbon last night and his head ached. It always ached around this time of the day, which was why he was usually asleep.

  “Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it pocketing the money.”

  The man turned the full force of his gaze on Henry. “What would you call it?”

  Henry felt sick, but wasn’t sure if it was from the hangover or because he realized that he might be in trouble.

  “I bought the supplies. I just haven’t gotten around to replacing some of the items.”

  “Really?” the guy asked. “Where are these supplies?” He looked around curiously.

  “I don’t keep them here,” he said, adding in a chuckle as if the idea was ludicrous. “I keep them locked up. The residents here would steal them if I didn’t.”

  “You mean, the residents who are asking for things to be repaired, might actually take the supplies and do the repairs on their own?”

  Henry scratched his head, but stopped when he felt the dirt from his scalp accumulate under his fingernails. Even he knew that was a pretty bad sign when it came to personal hygiene. Wiping his fingertips down his filthy robe, he shuffled again, inching towards the exit.

  “Well, that’s not exactly….”

  The man stared for a long moment, then moved back towards the kitchen doorway. “Your services will no longer be needed.” Henry moved out of the way as the man passed him. “Please vacate the premises within the next twenty-four hours.”

  And with that, the stranger left.

  Henry stared at the now-closed door, too stunned to react. But finally, the man’s words filtered into his alcohol-muddled brain.

  Rushing through the doorway, he caught up with the guy just as he was opening the door to a very expensive sedan.

  “Wait just a minute!” Henry roared. “You can’t do that! I have rights! You can’t just kick me out without cause.”

  The man paused, those dark eyes of his moving up and down Henry’s body. Henry looked down, the robe had come open during his sprint to the parking lot. He was exposed to the passing traffic. Hurriedly, he pulled the robe closed and tied the frayed sash.

  The stranger slammed the car door and stalked up to Henry.

  “The woman who lives in apartment three B requested that her bedroom door be fixed. Did you fix it yet?”

  Henry shrugged. “I haven’t gotten to it.”

  “Well, she submitted the request a month ago. According to the receipts you submitted to your previous employer, the task had been accomplished. Care to explain?”

  Henry sneered and gave a dismissive shrug. “She’s a pain in the ass! She’s always getting in my business!”

  “Your business is fixing things, Henry. What’s more, you’ve created a fire hazard by not fixing the door. Your lack of action caused the renter in that apartment to be injured.”

  Henry had thought that the man was emotionless. But when the guy leaned in, he recognized his mistake. The look of fury burning in the taller man’s eyes was…terrifying!

  “I’m sure I will uncover more violations. If you’d like to stick around tomorrow, I’ll be happy to go through your records with a fine-toothed comb. We can have the fire marshal and the police standing by. I’m sure they’d be interested in my findings as well.” The guy shrugged and turned back toward his car. “But then again, if you’re gone by then, I won’t know where to find you to press charges.” He paused, looking thoughtfully off into the distance. Then those terrifying eyes turned back to Henry. “I’m almost positive embezzlement charges would be appropriate as well. You’ve taken money from your previous employer under false pretenses.” He nodded and Henry felt bile rise in his th
roat. “Yes, I think it would be a much better idea if you were to stick around during the investigation.”

  A moment later, the guy slipped into his luxury sedan and drove away. Henry stood there for a long time, wondering what he should do.

  “I think you should take his advice and get out of town,” a female voice muttered.

  Henry turned to find Louise and Nora standing behind him, arms linked as usual, as they watched Henry.

  “No,” Nora countered. “I want him to stay around. I’d like to see what he’s done with all the money he’s stolen.”

  Henry panicked. His one and only thought was to get the hell out of town as soon as possible.

  He rushed into his apartment and grabbed his old Army duffel bag, stuffing his clothes in it as quickly as he could. He didn’t waste any time tossing the bag into his old, beat up pickup truck. He backed out of the parking lot and drove off so quickly his tires shrieked, feeling a sense of triumph that he’d gotten away. Henry had no idea how much prison time one would receive for embezzlement, but he wasn’t going to hang around to find out.

  Drako watched with satisfaction as the man sped off. He made another call. “Are you ready?” He listened, his lips compressed with irritation. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  An hour later, Drako was disgusted, and ready to be done with the temp agency. The woman had told him that she had several candidates ready for him to interview. But the six people that he’d spoken with so far hadn’t been right.

  “No!” he snapped, handing the resume to the employment coordinator. “He’s not right for the job either. I need…”

  He was interrupted by a woman’s voice echoing through the doorway.

  “I did it!” the woman exploded into the lobby outside the conference room. She slapped something down on the receptionist’s desk. “Another letter of recommendation.” She leaned forward and whispered. “How about something more challenging next time?”

  Drako almost laughed at the woman’s triumphant smile. He saw the intelligence in her blue eyes as well. She was a cute little thing. Full of energy and spunk.

  Instinctively, he eyed the woman more closely, his eyes narrowing as he assessed her. His gut knew. “What’s her name?”

  The coordinator glanced through the window of the conference room. “That’s Margaret Beauchamp. She’s quite extraordinary. She’s a dynamo with a college degree in business. We’ve sent her on ten interviews, but no one has considered her for a permanent job. But she’s gone out on several two and three day jobs and the clients always rave about her.”

  Drako nodded, watching as the receptionist laughed at whatever Margaret had said. “Hire her. Give her whatever salary will get her in my building by eight o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ll send details about who she’s to report to.”

  With that, he left the office, confident that the woman in charge of the agency would handle everything expeditiously.

  Chapter 4

  “Mother, I don’t really–” Lilly stopped, listening as her mother continued on as if she hadn’t spoken at all.

  “It’s just lunch, darling. Only an hour out of your day.”

  Lilly rubbed her forehead. “I really can’t…”

  “Lilly, you can’t spend all of your time working. I am your mother! I demand that you meet me for lunch so that we can catch up. You’ve avoided family meals for the past three weeks!”

  Lilly sighed, feeling a headache beginning. “Right. Okay. Fine. What time and where?”

  Her mother named the expensive restaurant on K Street in Georgetown. Lilly knew the place well; she’d been there many times with her family. It was one of the upscale places that was trendy, but not too trendy. Expensive enough to be exclusive, but quaint enough that anyone passing by wouldn’t think that it was elitist.

  In other words, it was a “politically correct” restaurant in which to see and be seen.

  “I’ll be there,” she replied, feeling as if she’d just been hit by a truck. But that was pretty much the norm with her family. Anytime she got together for the required family dinners, Lilly felt as if she were on the defensive from the moment she stepped into the family home.

  “Everything okay?” Drako asked as he walked into her office, handing her another file.

  Lilly looked up and forced her lips into a smile. “Everything is wonderful,” she replied, taking the file and flipping it open.

  “Did your bedroom door get fixed?” he asked, surreptitiously glancing at her arm.

  Lilly perked up and her smile was genuine this time. “Yes! Oh my gosh, yes!” Lilly’s entire demeanor changed and her headache vanished. “Apparently, the previous building manager was fired and left the premises immediately. It was all very mysterious. And yesterday, a new woman came in to look around. Her name is Maggie and she hired a carpenter, electrician, and a plumber. She and the contractors spent yesterday going through each apartment, fixing any and all issues. Even my lights were working properly by the time I got home!”

  Drako nodded. “That’s good. What happened with the old property manager?”

  Lilly laughed, then lifted her hands up. “According to Norma and Louise, he just tossed his bag into the back of his truck and left.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “He left a horrific mess in his apartment though. We all pitched in to help Maggie clean it up last night. Thankfully, she hasn’t moved in yet, since the lease on her previous apartment doesn’t end for another two months. She can stay there until the manager’s apartment is fit for human habitation.”

  “That bad, huh?” he asked, chuckling.

  Lilly’s heart warmed at the sound of his laughter. “Yes. It was really that bad.”

  “Well, I’m glad that your door is fixed. And everything else. I didn’t know your lights weren’t working.”

  Lilly shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t know either. They’ve been broken since before I moved in. But the electrician fixed the switches so the lights turn on when I flip the switch. I used to have to walk over and turn them on manually.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t know that your light switches didn’t work?”

  Lilly laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Don’t get all huffy, Drako,” she warned as she stood up. “I didn’t miss the convenience because I’d never had it. But it’s all fixed now.”

  And with that, she headed to the accounting department to give the chief financial officer Drako’s new projections.

  Drako watched her leave, wondering what it was about her that tugged at his…attention. She was beautiful, but he’d been with many beautiful women over the years since his wife’s death. Sophia had been more glamorously beautiful than Lilly.

  Lilly was…cute, he thought. Cute in a sexy way though. Sort of like a butterfly. Which made absolutely no sense since butterflies had never turned him on. But every moment in Lilly’s company was an exercise in restraining his desire to make love to her and explore every inch of her pale, white skin.

  But Drako also knew his desire was far beyond just sexual. When he walked into the office to see Lilly sitting primly behind her desk, he felt…centered. Balanced. Warmed.

  Did that mean that he thought of her as comfortable?

  He almost laughed at the idea! Lilly stepped into the elevators and the doors closed, hiding her from his view. As soon as that happened, he felt it. Just as he had every time he wasn’t around her. It wasn’t a sadness so much as…well, it was almost as if his mind and body were on hold, waiting for her to reappear. Waiting for her to come back and warm him up again.

  Comfortable? When Lilly was around, Drako was about as uncomfortable as a bull in heat! He wanted her. Every moment she was within fifteen feet of him, he wanted to pull her into his arms and make love to her.

  Unfortunately, that couldn’t ever happen. He wouldn’t allow it to happen. Lilly was more than just a tumble in bed or a distraction for a few hours. The other women he met were like that, but…hell, when was the last time he’d had a woman so
utterly distract him?

  Drako walked back into his office, trying to recall the last time he’d had sex. There had been plenty of offers, he mused, sitting down and pulling the contracts closer for his review. But Lilly had always been close by.

  He tossed the contract away in disgust. He hadn’t ignored the other women’s provocative overtures because Lilly had been present. He’d ignored them because he hadn’t been interested. No woman had interested him since the moment Lilly had stepped into his office for an interview more than three years ago.

  It just hadn’t occurred to him until this moment. Perhaps it was time to do something about this situation, he thought.

  Chapter 5

  Lilly took a deep breath before she stepped into the restaurant, trying to calm herself. “It’s just lunch,” she whispered. “Just a meal. A simple meal. I can get through this!”

  With that mantra echoing through her head, she pulled open the elaborate door to the restaurant and stepped inside. The cool air immediately surrounded and soothed her. The heat and humidity in Washington, DC during the summer really was oppressive. She wondered what it would be like during the summer in places like…oh…Phoenix, Arizona. Or maybe Cheyenne, Wyoming? Was it this oppressively hot and humid? Or was the “dry heat” hotter than one could handle? She’d heard that Arizona temperatures got up into the triple digits. Surely, temperatures that high weren’t bearable.

  And yet, millions of people lived there. So, it couldn’t be all that bad.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Von Deuch,” the Maître d’ said as soon as Lilly stepped up to the podium. Lilly cringed at the formal name, but didn’t bother to correct him. She’d been born Lilliane Hamilton Von Deuch, but several years ago, she’d started using her middle name as her last name, not wanting to capitalize on her family name to further her career. She’d wanted to make it on her own merit.