Exposing the Billionaire (Corporate Affairs, Book #1) Read Online Free Page A

clients. They were listed by last name: Hashimoto, Barineau, Bastian, Fredricksen, and on the list went. Kate took out her smart phone and snapped a few quick pictures of the file headers, planning on looking them up later that night.
    Kate took the time to pick one of the other locks, but found that it was the same thing. File folders with labels and nothing in them. Suddenly, she had the sinking suspicion that Blaine had recently gotten rid of a lot of his documentation—and fast. The question then became, why?
    Moving away from the file cabinets, Kate went to Blaine’s desk. She started opening desk drawers, searching for anything that might be useful.
    “Come on, come on ,” she muttered as she looked through paper after paper.
    Her hands finally drifted over a large folder titled Mortensen Merger. Mortensen was an old man now who had built an empire in the shipping industry. His son was in line to take over within the next five years, but hadn’t shown much devotion as far as work was concerned. His playboy attitude was all over the papers on a regular basis, though.
    It was impossible to say whether or not this deal was dirty, but Mortensen Sr. would never merge or sell his company, and Mortensen Jr. was a hot mess with too many Ferraris at his disposal. The file was heavy enough that Kate wanted a more thorough look at least. Especially since it was the only one she’d come across thus far that wasn’t missing altogether.
    She started flipping through it and snapping photos, realizing that there was no way she could take this out of his office without him noticing. And if it turned out to be a bust, she would be fired with no way to continue her investigation.
    Kate was about half-way through the file when she heard the doorknob turn. Eyes wide, she flipped the file closed and straightened up just as Lucas Blaine walked into his office.
    The moment his eyes laid on her, he froze. “Ms. Kaufmann, what are you doing here?”
    Clearing her throat, she indicated the file she had brought in with her, haphazardly thrown down on his desk. “I... I just came across a document that required your signature, that’s all.”
    He began to slowly walk farther into his office, graceful and predatory. “And you thought to wait until I had left the office to bring me this document?”
    Kate did her best to keep her cool, to not let him intimidate her. “I was leaving when I found the papers,” she answered smoothly. “I knew you had already left, so I thought I would leave them on your desk for you to address in the morning.”
    Blaine continues to move steadily closer to her. He comes around the desk, eyes never leaving her face, and comes to stand only inches from her when he asks, “If these papers were so urgent, you could have called my cell. If they could wait until morning, why bring them to my office while I was gone?”
    Panic filters into Kate, but it isn’t the only thing she’s feeling. With Blaine this close, she can feel the heat emanating from him. She can sense the tautness of his muscles. She can smell the light scent of his cologne, a musky aroma that mixed with his personal scent to become heady and full.
    And his eyes. They were so intense, she could feel electricity course through her body.
    “I—” Kate tried to explain from within the haze of sensation that swept through her.
    But she ended up not having to explain anything. Before she could give him any kind of answer, Blaine’s large, strong hands reached out and grabbed her shoulders, slamming her soft body against his hard one, and pressing his full lips to hers.
    Oh god, she thought, and then her eyes flickered closed and she didn’t think anything. She could only feel.
    Even through the material of his expensive suit, the man felt hard and hot. His lips were the only thing soft about him. His left hand moved up from her shoulder to cup the back of her neck, while his right hand moved down to the small of her back, determined to hold her