Flawlessly Executed (Dark Horse Guardians Book 3) (12 page)

~ Lara ~

The next morning Lara arrived at Stone and Associates early. Only Eleanor, the receptionist, was there before her. It was quiet today as she slipped off her shoes and padded up the grand staircase to her office. Unlocking the door, she switched on her computer and started the coffee brewing. As she waited, she brought up the local newspaper on-line and scanned through the first few national stories.

Next she scanned the local stories and there was a piece introducing the new staff members at the university. She almost scrolled past a photograph of Abigail Roth, the new freshman mathematics professor. Lara zoomed the photo and studied Abby’s face. She
was
beautiful, there was no denying that fact. Her big dark eyes and lovely features would melt any man’s heart. Lara just wished Abby wasn’t working so closely to Ben; her office was a few doors away from him.
And, she still wondered how and why Abby ended up in Portland Maine of all places.

She quickly switched her attention to business. There were multiple reports to prepare for a lengthy meeting and she ran interference for Finn Murphy. The entire morning was spent on the phone with one client after another. Many of them were newcomers to Stone and Associates and Lara wanted to make a good first impression. She was compiling a list of potential clients who hadn’t committed yet to a contract, hoping to come up with an idea to bring them to the point of putting their money and trust into the coffers of the firm.

Even though the phone was ringing off the hook all morning, she told Betty she’d be going to the university for lunch today. Betty arrived late morning with the deli lunch and Lara drove across town to the university. Several professors smiled and waved at her as she parked the car and walked toward Ben’s office. It seemed as if they were laughing, but maybe it was her imagination.

When she entered the main entrance she faced an electronic bulletin board running a photo loop. She froze as she saw a photo of Ben with Abby sitting on his desk with her skirt hiked up to the top of her thighs.
A sick feeling swept over her.
She stood and watched the photo loop on the sixty-inch screen again, to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. And, sure enough, there were several photos of Ben with Abby in his office in high definition.

Definition
was exactly what she wanted at this point. The definition of dignity for one thing. As she walked down the hallway to Ben’s office, she heard a dog barking, but it wasn’t Einstein. As Lara rounded the corner and poked her head in the doorway, there was Einstein and another English Bull Terrier playing on Ben’s office floor. The two canines were having a tug-of-war over a dog toy made of rope. Ben and Abby were laughing so hard they hadn’t noticed Lara standing there.
A feeling of Deja vu came over Lara.

She noticed the look of surprise on Ben’s face as he ran to the doorway. “Lara, I didn’t expect you. Abby brought Lola to play with Einstein and, well, as you can see – they are having a great time!”

Lara forced a smile, “Oh, that’s great! I’ll watch, too. I brought lunch for you, Ben, darlin.” Lara felt Abby’s eyes burning through her. “Oh, hi Abby. How old is Lola?”

“She’s four now.” Abby flatly replied.

“She’s just a year older than Einstein.” Lara forced the smile again. She put the lunch on Ben’s desk and pulled up a chair and proceeded to eat.

Abby seemed uncomfortable and pulled Lola away. “I think it’s time for us to leave. I have a class to teach in a few minutes. See you later, Ben.” Lara watched as Abby pranced out of the room with Lola on the leash.

The moment Abby’s footsteps receded down the hallway, Lara’s eyes were on Ben. She smiled, “Lola is adorable, isn’t she?” She had promised herself she wouldn’t ask about Abby, but arriving to view that cozy scene was just too much.

Trying to appear poised, Lara blurted out what was on her mind and instantly regretted it, “Nice photos on the campus electronic screen…you know, of Abby sitting on your desk.” She felt her face flush with anger and hated the feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach. Feeling the fury building inside of her was frightening, but she couldn’t seem to stop it. She stuffed food into her mouth so she couldn’t say something she would regret.

~ Ben ~

Abby had arrived with Lola two minutes before Lara walked into his office, but Lara would never believe that judging by the look on her face. She was asking questions and Ben did not know what to say.

He stuttered and stammered, “Ah, it isn’t what you’re thinking…I mean
really
…she just walked in here a minute ago…” He felt like a drowning man and couldn’t seem to pull himself out of the whirlpool.

“The photos are….um… amazing!” Lara remained calm but seemed serious.

He gazed at her for a moment and back-pedaled, “I haven’t even
seen
the electronic bulletin board. I’ve been in class and meeting with new students.” Immediately, Ben remembered Lucy Adams and explained the situation to Lara. “It was the first day of classes. Lucy Adams took those photos. I waved the two of them out of here.” His case didn’t seem to be convincing her. Lara’s green eyes were focused on his face at the moment and he felt perspiration forming on his forehead.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Ben? Lara motioned to the lunch on his desk.

He paused for a moment and said, “I’ll be right back.” He strode through the hallway quickly to the main entrance of the campus. There on the sixty-inch screen were pictures of him with Abby on his desk. It appeared he was looking at her red dress which was revealing way too much of her leg.
Not good
. When he got back to his office, he didn’t know what he was going to say to Lara.

She was finishing up lunch when he returned and reapplying her lipstick. “Well, I’ve got to get back to the firm. I have a meeting with Hawk.” He didn’t want her to leave without some sort of further explanation, but she was on her way. Ben ran after her but she seemed to be in a hurry. She waved to him, “Later, darlin.”

Ben yelled her name in an attempt to stop her, “Lara, please…”

Then he saw Abby at the end of the hallway hovering near her office door. She had a smug smile plastered on her face as if she had accomplished her mission. Ben went back into his office and slammed the door.

Moshe was on the Dark Horse site again with more details about the mission and he completely forgot about Abby. He gathered his materials for the afternoon class and walked toward the classroom with the beginning of a headache. He regretted not eating lunch with Lara.

~ Abby ~

Abby had managed to manipulate quite a bit of information from Hawk in the grocery store. Actually, it was pretty easy. The guy’s tongue was practically hanging out when he talked with her and his eyes swept over her body as if he couldn’t wait to sample the goods. She knew all about Grant Hawkins and his connection to Ben’s wife.

Lara seemed very interested in helping Hawk and Abby was beginning to see
why
. Hawk was handsome, not in an obvious kind of way. But he had a raw sex appeal that was undeniable. His deep set hazel eyes and full lips instantly attracted her. And that cute cleft dimple in his chin. She also noticed his rock hard body. He had to be six foot four and the landscaping work hardened his rugged masculine form making him a treat to behold.

Preoccupied with the thought of Grant Hawkins, she set about to learn everything she could. Googling his Secret Gardens website, she learned that he had recently joined Stone and Associates, so now he worked for Lara. Hmm. Lara was really making an effort to
help
this guy. According to the background check Abby ran on Hawk, he came from nothing and had a drug conviction and served time. Maybe Lara was into picking up strays and taking them under her wing.

Abby wondered if Ben knew about all of the time and effort his wife invested in Grant Hawkins – or “Hawk” as he liked to be called. Abby stared at Hawk’s handsome photo on the website of Stone and Associates. Gosh, Lara had managed to get him into a suit for that photograph, probably no easy task. She noticed his place of business was now the bungalow on the avenue just a short walk from Abby’s apartment and the university. A plan was formulating in her mind. She slipped into a cut-off top that showed her trim midriff and yoga pants and put Lola on the leash. It would be a good time to walk past the bungalow to see if Hawk’s truck was still there. He seemed like he would be the dedicated workaholic type.

~ Lara ~

Her phone vibrated and she looked at the number recognizing Bettencourt. “Hey, how are you?” she answered.

His deep voice boomed over the speaker on her phone, “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been waiting for you to show up at the dojo for an ass kicking!”

Instantly, Lara laughed. “You’re so perceptive. How did you know I needed to kick someone’s ass, preferably yours?

“Okay, lady. When can you meet me at the dojo?” Bettencourt retorted.

She glanced at the time, “How about five minutes?”

He chuckled, “Perfect, I’m finishing my shift right now. See you there.” He clicked off and Lara nearly flew past Finn Murphy on the staircase on her way to meet Bettencourt.

Finn laughed, “I’ll call you.” Lara waved and was in her vehicle.

Bettencourt’s cruiser was already there and Lara rushed in to change in the locker room. When she strode by the juice bar there was Bettencourt, all six foot four of him, and he had a wicked smile.

“It’s about time!” he joked with her. At that moment she realized how much she missed the big oaf. The last few weeks were a blur of chaotic activity and she missed her old routine.

They stepped into the small private room and she dropped her leather sack onto the floor. She noticed he had tossed his leather sack on the floor nearby. Since he had been a target for terrorists, Lara noticed Bettencourt carried his loaded weapon constantly. Ironic that she had to convince him to do so.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall…Bettencourt!” Lara goaded him into a mixed martial arts smack down.

Bettencourt smiled and the match was on. Thank God she had a bottle of water because he pushed her physically to the point of dehydration. And, she thought
she
had stress to work off! He must have been
really
wound up to go that long on the mat with her. He usually gave up after an hour.

~ Bettencourt ~

He was pleased that Lara took him up on his offer. He sensed she probably needed the chance to burn off some of the tension she carried from running Stone and Associates. He had kept close tabs on her since the funeral of Eliot Stone and knew she was suffering from depression. The best tonic for her would be to get back to a normal routine. Being a combat vet and suffering from depression himself, Bettencourt was all too familiar with how things could spiral out of control.

Lara took advantage of his wandering thoughts and took him off his feet. She hadn’t lost her skills, even though she’d been away for a few weeks. He got back up and charged toward her. She was quick on her feet and managed to avoid him. She spun around and smacked him with a well-placed kick to the side of his head and he felt his body lurch. He staggered and she had him on the floor in a matter of minutes before he tapped out. After ninety minutes of sweaty, grueling spins, kicks and holds, Bettencourt was spent.

The pair sat side by side on the floor drinking bottled water and gasping for oxygen. “That…was…great!” Lara said breathlessly.

Bettencourt touched her hand. “I want to talk with you for a few minutes. See you at the juice bar?” Lara nodded.

He quickly showered and stood at the juice bar waiting for Lara. He heard her voice in the back room talking with Don Henderson, the owner of the dojo. She was giving him hell for something.

Then she sidled up to the bar and smiled at him. “Admit it, Bettencourt. I kicked your ass in rare form today!”

He laughed. She always made him laugh when she talked like that. She was strong for a woman and cocky, too. But he loved it. Her friendship meant the world to him. That’s why he had to talk with her about his love life.

“Lara, I want to ask you a very important question…” Bettencourt began.

“Shoot.” She sucked on a smoothie and shot him a sidelong glance.

Bettencourt inhaled and whispered, “I want to ask Monique to marry me.”

Instantly Lara blew the smoothie out of her mouth spattering some on him. She squealed, “That’s
great
…when are you going to propose?” she asked eagerly.

“That’s what I need
you
for – ideas – do you have any?” he spoke softly.

Lara smiled with mischief in her eyes, “Oh yes, I have lots of ideas!” And, the two of them talked for twenty minutes about all the ways to ask a woman to get married.

Before parting, Lara turned to him and leaned in, “Hey, Bett, there’s a favor I need to ask of you. It’s a big one.”

“Shoot.” He replied, narrowing his eyes.

“There’s this woman,” Lara began, “Her name is Abigail Roth. She grew up in the Boston area. She’s an old flame of Ben’s. I want you to give me all of the information you can on her, and I mean
everything
~ but I don’t want Ben to know.”