The Commitment by Unknown Page B

The feeling of possessing her had crept over him last night when they at last finished making love. He'd held her while she slept. She was his now in every sense. Nobody took what was his. One way or another he'd bind her to him.
    A flash of light on his computer screen stopped his introspection. A small window opened. Finally. Someone was accessing the company stock portfolio program.
    Since it was privately held stock only employees and their families were allowed to buy and sell it. There had been more shares traded than usual of late. Someone was buying a lot of stock.
    If he had a disgruntled employee manipulating stock in an effort to have more leverage on the board, Drake needed to know about it. Millennium Tech was his brainchild, his company. Every employee benefited from the new patents his or her discoveries brought in. Drake was determined to hold onto the control that brought them that measure of security.
    A few keystrokes later had Drake gritting his teeth in frustration. Whoever had logged onto the stock portfolio program, logged off before Drake could track him. It could be a her, he mused.
    Miranda marched in without knocking. A driven, forceful executive in a suit had replaced the soft, passionate woman of last night. He put away his disappointment and prepared for battle.
    Her question surprised him.
    "Why did you fire Jack?"
    A flash of heat shot through him. Had she left their bed to run to Jack? "It's no longer your concern." He struggled to keep his voice cool, controlled.
    She placed her hands palm down on his desk and glared at him. "It is my concern if he called off our engagement because you fired him."
    Rage settled over Drake in the guise of icy calm. He had to make her forget Jack. He stood and cradled her face between his hands. Her eyes opened wide. When his lips crushed down on hers a satisfying shaft of desire and conquest rushed through him. He claimed his woman.
    Her sweet mouth gave in to his as if it had no choice. Then she pushed him hard enough to break his hold.
    "That's not going to work this time," she spat out as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. Her hand trembled.
    "It was worth a try," Drake answered. His rage was replaced by gratification of her reaction.
    "If you're done proving your manhood, answer my question," she shot back at him.
    Her single-mindedness both pleased and irritated Drake. He had first hand knowledge that she applied that trait to her personal life. It made for intense intimacy. Right now he wished he could distract her. But maybe this should be dealt with without further delay.
    "Sit."
    She crossed her arms, more glaring.
    "Please sit," he amended.
    She did so, but kept her arms crossed.
    "I caught Jack stealing technology. He didn't know that I'd installed those nifty new cameras. You remember those little cameras? Like the one you pilfered from our honeymoon suite?"
    Miranda refused to rise to the bait. "Jack had no reason to steal from Millennium Tech. Why would he? This was the best job he ever had."
    Her defense of Jack grated on Drake. "Maybe he got greedy. Money is the biggest motivator when an employee steals. The second biggest is desire for power. Take your pick."
    "What does that have to do with Lucy?" Miranda's voice was close to a whisper, like she was talking to herself.
    "Unless they've suddenly become partners, I don't see that it has anything to do with your sister."
    Miranda started pacing, a sure sign that her brain was working overtime trying to put pieces of a puzzle together. "Did you sign over any stock to Lucy as part of your divorce settlement?"
    "My lawyer worked out most of the details." Ugly suspicion began to grow. His mind worked out the possibilities. He didn't like them.
    "While you were married did she take much interest in the company--how it worked, who it hired, that kind of stuff?"
    "At first she didn't seem to care much as long as it brought in lots of money." Drake fought to keep the long buried bitterness