Chapter Six
As I got dressed the next morning, I still couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night.
When Chance found me in his office, he looked livid, yet there was something else in his eyes. Something that didn't look good on Chance Burke.
In his eyes was fear. Fear at realizing someone had been looking for one of his files.
But, what was so special about the stupid file? I'm sure there were many copies of the paper that talked of 'Platinum'. I didn't get what the big fuss was. After all, there were always doubles of receipts for tax and insurance purposes.
Shaking my head, I dismissed my thoughts of last night and focused instead on getting ready for work.
As I pulled on a navy pencil skirt that was on the shorter side, and my favorite white blouse, I reconsidered what Chance had asked me last night.
I didn't want to go to Starbucks with Chance, but at the same time, I felt like it was the only way to get some answers.
So, taking out my phone, I took a deep breath and sent Chance a text. It hurt my dignity to reconsider and change my mind.
Which Starbucks?
His reply was instant. I knew you'd cave.
I scoffed. Only Chance could make his text messages sound smug.
Whatever. Now tell me which Starbucks you want to meet at.
The one two blocks north of the building. It's not as crowded as the one next to the Tower.
I sighed and texted him back, telling him that I'd be there in twenty minutes.
~
I swore when I tripped again, cursing the fact that I'd worn heels. They weren't even that high, but with my poor coordination I'd already tripped three times.
Thankfully, they were surprisingly comfortable. Kate said that since they were wedges, it wouldn't feel so bad to walk in them for long periods of time.
But, then again, this advice was coming from the girl who wore six inch stilettos daily.
So, you could imagine my happiness when the green awnings of Starbucks came into view. I sped walked the last couple of steps, only managing to trip in my heel one more time.
The strong scent of coffee hit my nose as I entered the café. The noise of the coffee machines going rang in my ears, but it was better than the constant car horns from outside.
I scanned the shop, looking for Chance. He wasn't here. The only people in here were a couple of older men and a young woman with her two kids.
The smell of chocolate wafted through my nose. Unable to resist my growling stomach, I went up to the counter and ordered my personal cup of joy.
While I waited for the barista to make my mocha, I sat down at a table by the window.
Still, no sign of Chance.
The dark haired barista called my name. I got up to retrieve my order. Just as I sat back down, the bell above the door rang.
A young man stepped through the door. His black hair was spiked up with gel, and black shades covered his eyes. He was wearing a simple black suit with a white shirt and black tie.
I almost dropped my coffee cup.
Chance Burke looked smoking hot.
He scanned the room until his gaze landed on me. Even though his eyes were covered by Ray Bans, it still felt as if he was looking right through me. A smirk tugged at his lips when he noticed me openly staring at him.
"Well, good morning."
He took his shades off, exposing his striking blue eyes. They were lit with amusement, but there was no disguising the hard edge deep in their depths.
"Morning," I greeted, taking a sip of my coffee.
However it was too hot and I ended up spiting it back out in the cup. I chocked and started coughing. Chance rolled his eyes, his smirk widening even further.
He took a seat across from me, and stretched his legs out like he owned the place. Granted, he probably could if he wanted too.
It was silent for a moment as Chance studied me with a deep, thoughtful expression. I returned his stare, eyes never wavering or blinking. He seemed to realize what I was doing and finally, he spoke up.
"Look, I know what happened last night must have scared you."
"Damn right it did. Who was the man in your office? Do you know him? Did you call the cops?" I grilled. I came here for answers and I wasn't leaving until knew the whole story behind last night.
"Look right now that's not important. But to answer your question—no I'd don't know who he was. I didn't get a chance to look at him. And no, I didn't call the police."
"Why not? Do you expect to keep quiet about the fact that someone broke into Burke Industries?"
That's the part I didn't get. If someone had broken into my office, I would have called the police and started a formal investigation. Not cover up. But then again, I'd never been in this situation so I didn't know how to handle things like this.
I was actually surprised that Chance's office had gotten broken into considering how secure Burke Industries was.
The security was top notch and I knew for a fact that the Tower had night guards. Someone had to have really wanted whatever was in Chance's filing cabinet to risk breaking into one of the most secure buildings in New York.
Or it was an inside job...
"Yes, please don't say anything. I'll even pay you to keep quiet if that's what it takes."
My mouth sagged. Never in a million years did I expect to have Chance Burke asking me for a favor. Let alone paying me to keep my mouth shut.
This stuff just didn't happen to me. I was a normal girl who wanted a summer internship at Burke Industries so it would look good on my college resume. I didn't ask or even want to be thrown into anything dangerous.
Yet, here I was. A witness to a break in.
"I don't need your money. I just want answers."
Chance slammed his hand down on the table, knocking my coffee on the floor. I jumped in fright. People all around us gaped and the café became silent.
"What are you looking at?" Chance growled when he noticed people's curious stares
The workers and customers in the shop looked taken aback, but returned to what they had been doing before Chance's outburst.
"Look, Piper. I already told you that I can't tell you."
"I'll just go tell your father about what happened last night then," I smirked.
I rose from my chair, taking care to not step in my spilled mocha. I'd make Chance reimburse me for my coffee later. Right now, I had a task at hand.
However, as soon as I took two steps, a hand enclosed around my arm. I spun around and smiled sweetly.
"Yes?" I asked innocently.
Chance looked pissed. His jaw was clenched. His irises had darkened three shades. Eyes wide, I swallowed back my rapidly rising fear. I couldn't let my confident façade crumble.
"I wouldn't tell anyone if I were you. I think you're forgetting who I am," he growled and started escorting me out of the café. His grip was tight. Not tight enough to bruise, but tight enough to give me no hope of escaping.
He dragged into an alley, completely ignoring the curious glances from bystanders. The alley was dark and dank, reflecting the fear tightening in my chest. Despite it being summer, I started to shiver.
Chance continued to pull me further into the alley until my back was pushed up against the cold, brick wall. In a fluid motion, he placed his hands on either side of my head and leaned forward until his chest pushed against mine.
There was no escaping now. I was trapped.
Chance leaned in closer. His forehead was inches from mine now. I could smell the lingering scent of mint on his breath and the tang of his cologne and aftershave.
"Piper," I shook as he rolled my name across his tongue, "I'm done trying to play nice guy. I was willing to offer you a nice sum of money to keep quiet, but you were too stubborn to shut up and take it."
He paused, his deep, even breaths a complete opposite to my fast, uneven ones. A bead of cold sweat trailed along the back of my neck.
Until now, my gaze had been fixed on the alley floor. Deep down, I knew that everything inside me would crumble if I looked into Chance's eyes.
Chance seemed to realize that too, because a second later he placed a surprisingly gentle finger under my chin and lifted my gaze to his.
And like that, my walls came crashing down. His midnight blue irises smoldered with unknown emotions. I had no choice to but to keep my eyes level with his as Chance continued his speech.
"If you tell anyone about what happened last night, I'll make your life a living hell. I'll make sure you never get into college. I will wreck all your hopes of getting a job one day. I'm one of the most powerful people in the world. I can ruin you, Piper."
He spoke to me very slowly, enunciating each word carefully in his deep, yet eerily soft voice.
I wanted to say something in return. I wanted to yell at Chance Burke for threatening me. Hell, I wanted to hurt him for dragging me into this situation. Yet, I knew that all three of those things would only get me in more trouble.
Besides, even if I wanted to say something, I knew I wouldn't be able to. It was as if I'd lost control of my movements.
My mouth felt dry, as if someone had stuffed it with cotton. My brain seemed to have stopped working and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with anything to say to Chance.
Right then, I blamed it on my impaired motor skills, but deep down I knew that Chance was right.
He was rich, famous, and without a doubt one of the most powerful people in the word when it came to business. He could wreck all my hopes and dreams with the snap of his fingers.
"Fine, you win. Now will you please get off me?" I ground my teeth to control my volume. It seemed that all of my pent up emotions had morphed into one—anger.
Smirking at my defeat, Chance stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked me up and down, while wearing his trademark smug look.
Ignoring his scrutiny, I stepped away. I attempted to straighten my blouse and hair before facing Chance once more.
"I'm going to work now," I replied, trying to keep my voice as even as possible, "Oh, and I thought I'd let you know that you owe me a coffee." I'd paid almost five bucks for my mocha. He better reimburse me for it.
Chance rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, ready to retort with some smart ass comment.
But suddenly there was a buzzing sound filling the alley. Chance frowned and took his iphone out of his pocket.
Looking over his shoulder, I saw that the caller ID read Unknown. He answered it anyway.
"Burke," Chance snapped. I winced at his tone.
There was a deep voice on the other line. I watched as Chance seemed to grow more and more irritated as the voice on the other line continued to say something.
A second later, Chance let out a string of curses. He took one last look at me before running out of the alley, heading in the direction of Burke Industries.
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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please make sure to vote/comment!
-Katherine