That night she lay in her bed for a few hours listening to the sounds of the city around her. She missed the sounds of the jungle and of Alex sleeping beside her. She missed his warmth, his smell, his touch.
She knew she was going to have a hard time falling back into a pattern. How could she ever go back to a normal life after what they’d been through? Did she want to? More importantly, did she want to do it all alone? Even though they’d only known each other a few weeks,she couldn’t stop thinking about him.The shadows on her ceiling did little to soothe her as the light hit the leaves that were starting to fall from the large tree outside her window. She turned and hit her pillow a few times, trying to get comfortable. She’d had no problem sleeping in the dirt or wet sand last week. Why was her pillow-top mattress that she’d spent a fortune on so uncomfortable now?Damn him for making her feel like she wasn’t good enough. Damn him for wal
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Risen To The Top CHAPTER 33
The next morning Joanne marched into her company with her shoulders high. There was no way she was going to let Michelle fire at her. She walked out of the elevators and past the security with her head held high. She avoided talking to anyone; she just wanted to make it into her office. She was so focused on getting there, she didn’t see the new man sitting behind her desk until after she’d closed the door, leaned back on it, and released a sigh of relief.“Was it that bad?” Dory asked from her chair. She couldn’t help it, she squealed. She’d only met Dory Reno once before, on the day he’d been hired almost five years ago. He was an older gentlemen with silver hair. His suits always looked pressed and he never had a hair out of place. He had a reputation for being a hard-ass and she’d done everything she could to avoid dealing with him in her special team.“Oh,” she stood up straight and ran her hands over her skirt, trying to make sure she look
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 34
Joanne was bored. Since returning home, she’d gone to work, gone to the grocery store. Her kitchen was now fully stocked with groceries. When she’d arrived home last night she had realized there wasn’t anything to eat since she’d left for a long journey. She’d visited her friends and done other boring everyday tasks, but was still bored out of her mind. How could she ever get back in the swing of a normal life after what she’d gone through with Alex?She’d been happily surprised to see Marshall yesterday at the store. When they’d come back to her place, he’d come in and installed several small cameras throughout her place. She’d talked to him and had found out that he’d had to quit his job and leave Columbia on account of helping them escape. She felt bad, but was happy that he was going to be helping Alex out now.She was in the middle of watching the evening news, when the doorbell rang. She hadn’t even heard a word the announcer said since she’d been too busy thinkin
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 35
He had left a note for her before sneaking out again in the middle of the night to his apartment, it had read he'd be back at nine, since this was going to be his first day accompanying her to the office, she had put him in charge of her security anything else would set an alarm among her workers.**The knock on her main door came at exactly nine the next morning. Alex was punctual, that was for sure. She liked that he cared about attention to detail.Joanne strode over to answer the door, took a deep breath to quell the butterflies flitting around in her stomach before pulling it open. Apart from the crazy sex, She and Alex hadn’t gotten off on the best footing yesterday, and it was her fault. She was glad he didn't think she was a total bitch or hated the thought of being near her for the next week but still she was determined to make amends for any damage she’d caused and smooth things over.She pulled the door open. Alex stood there with his hair still damp
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 36
Alex leaned back, and she couldn’t help but admire all the muscles shifting beneath that black collared shirt, ground rules and clearly stated boundaries notwithstanding. “Now, not to scare you, but in case there’s a threat or things go sideways, you need to know about our emergency contingencies. Everyone on this team I out together is charged with protecting you if the need arises. If something happens to me, Marshall will take over, then the others. Michelle’s team will even step in if necessary. If something happens to all of us, you need to find a way to get to the police station, that's if they aren't corrupted and contact Dory or anyone back at the company immediately. He’ll take care of things from there. All right?”All right? Not really, but she nodded anyway, swallowing past the sudden restriction in her throat. She squeezed her fingers together in her lap. “What about security at the place? How will you—”“Both teams have already been going over that. N
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 37
****The men didn’t talk beyond the occasional comment or question about traffic or alternate routes. Joanne stayed quiet in the back but it felt weird to be driven around without speaking to the other people in the vehicle. Like she was a VIP being chauffeured across the city or something. Though she wanted to initiate conversation she resisted the urge, remembering Alex’s warning. He’d made it clear they weren’t going to be friends on this trip they had to act like strangers, it was hard but she knew that was the only way they'd survive, she really needed the backing of some of the notable Cuban and Russians to do deals with her company.she felt lonely at the back seat but it didn’t feel right to talk to Marshall while ignoring him. Instead she used the time it took to reach the first meeting location to review her notes and talking points she’d laid out.By the time they reached the house of the mogul, the huge building, nerves were once again jum
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 38
She followed closely in Alex’s walk across the street through the snarled lanes of traffic, stretching out her strides to keep up with him. He kept careful tabs on her, checking on her position every few seconds.On the far side of the four lane road they hit the sidewalk and headed east toward the government buildings a few blocks away. Here it was less crowded, the pedestrians moving in opposite directions on the thin strip of pavement without any problem. She noticed Alex’s head moving constantly and knew he was cataloguing everything going on around them. Hired security or not, he was out here guarding her back. She found that sexy as hell.By the time they were a block away from their destination, sweat had gathered beneath her arms and breasts and across her face. She couldn’t wait to get inside the building and cool off, maybe duck into the ladies room to take off her thin sweater and scarf. They passed groups of business people talking on cell phones and throngs
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 39
*******A hard hand cupped her jaw, turned her head. She blinked up into Alex’s concerned face. He was saying something to her, frowning.“I’m okay,” she managed shakily, and got to her hands and knees. He grabbed her beneath the arms and hauled her upright as though she weighed nothing. When she was on her feet he kept hold of one upper arm and she was thankful because her legs wobbled. All around them people crowded into groups, gawking at the awful spectacle before them. As she watched, the first victims start to pour out of the ruined building, covered with blood and soot.Two men emerged carrying another and laid him down on the sidewalk away from the falling glass and debris. It took a moment for Joanne to realize the man was missing his right arm at the shoulder. She stared in horror at the lump of glistening bloody flesh sticking out of the sleeve, the blood pulsing out of him while someone tore off their shirt and frantically w
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 40
Joanne somehow managed to put one sore bare foot in front of the other despite the rigidity in her muscles as Alex steered her into her hotel room. The lock clicked into place behind them, sounding overly loud to her heightened senses. Her heart rate still hadn’t normalized. She took slow, deep breaths to calm herself. It wasn’t working.“Let’s take a look at you,” he said, ushering her into the bathroom with a solid hand on the small of her back. The warmth of his touch registered more than his voice did. She winced when he flipped a switch and bright white lights flooded the room. With a nudge forward he settled her on the closed toiled lid and grabbed a facecloth from the rack above it. He ran the tap and moistened it before turning back to her. “Here. Clean up your cheek while I check your feet.”Feeling stiff all over, Joanne turned her head to look at herself in the wide rectangular mirror above the vanity. Her eyes looked huge in her too pale face