Touching The Boss

Mallory Crowe

written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Fonts used with permission from Microsoft.

Mallory Crowe (2015-09-10). Touching The Boss (Billionaires in the City Book Five)

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CHAPTER ONE

Porn. So much porn.

Lori deleted file after file on the laptop in front of her. Kyle Drum apparently had quite the

collection of adult videos. And, hey, Lori was all for letting off steam once in a while and getting to

know one’s hand a bit better. But this collection was on a work computer. And it had caused at least

two different viruses and countless malware programs to be installed.

Hell, with the amount of time it would take her to clean up this damn thing, they might as well

toss the stupid computer and buy a new one.

She let out a sigh and clicked on the control panel, but a pop-up suddenly appeared and a

woman with more plastic on her body than fat appeared and started to pull off her shirt.

“Oh, for the love of—”

“Is this how you normally spend your days?”

Lori twisted around in her chair and her eyes went wide at the sight of the man who stood at the

entrance of her cubicle.

Not just any man. Michael Freakin’ Devereaux. Her jaw dropped, but no sound managed to

come out.

“Are you just going to let her keep going then? I think she’s about two seconds away from

putting that cucumber—”

Lori reached behind her and slammed the laptop shut without even glancing behind her. She

plastered on a smile and tried to pretend everything was normal. “That’s not my computer. Just

cleaning off some viruses.”

He nodded but didn’t look the slightest bit convinced. “Ms. Briggs, do you mind coming

upstairs with me?”

Upstairs? What the heck was upstairs? He couldn’t be firing her for this. She could explain. If

he would only listen for a few seconds, she could clarify everything. Tell him that Kyle had been let

go and she was trying to get the computer back to factory specs. Everything had a perfectly reasonable

explanation! “Okay,” was all that came out as she pushed herself up on shaky legs.

In the three months she’d worked at DevX Tech, she’d never once seen anyone called upstairs.

For that matter, she’d never even seen the VP of IT on her floor, let alone personally asking

employees to come up.

Maybe he’d just been walking by and seen the screen of the bimbo and on the spot decided she

needed to go? But he couldn’t think she was really stupid enough to watch that crap in a cubicle!

Michael turned and led the way to the elevator. Instead of defending herself like she should

have, Lori kept her mouth shut.

From all the stories she’d heard about the brothers who led the company, she didn’t expect

Michael to jump to conclusions. All the gossip painted Luke, the CEO, as the hothead who was the

fire first and ask questions later kind. Michael was supposedly the brains behind Luke’s brawn.

Though, judging by the way his shoulders stretched out the suit jacket in front of her, he had a

fair amount of brawn himself. She’d only seen the brothers from a distance and never realized quite

how… big Michael was. She could only imagine how his back would look once his jacket and shirt

were off and there was just pure muscle in front of her eyes. Muscle that wasn’t moving anymore…

Lori was able to get herself to stop before she slammed into his back. He pressed the up button

next to the elevator and she tried to look as innocent as possible. Great. First he caught her looking at

porn and now she was imagining him shirtless. She was supposed to be defending herself, not digging

a bigger hole.

The elevator doors opened and she realized Michael hadn’t said anything since they left her

cube. She should say something. Small talk. Damn it, she sucked at small talk. “I don’t normally

watch people doing it at work,” she blurted out as they got on the elevator.

Michael’s gaze jerked in her direction and the faintest smile tugged at his lips. He looked as if

he was about to say something, but the doors slid closed.

“Top floor?” Lori reached for the buttons. He nodded and she hit the button for the executive

level.

“So you only occasionally visit X-rated websites at the office?” Now he was full-on grinning at

her.

“What? No! I firmly believe porn is for the comfort of your own home.”

“So you only watch porn at home then?”

“Yes!” Blood rush to Lori’s face as she realized she just told one of the owners of the company

that she watched porn at home. “No! I meant—” She broke off as she heard his soft chuckle. Great.

Now he was laughing at her. She rubbed her temples and tried to think of ways to not die from

embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Briggs. We all have…personal hobbies.”

She glanced up and met his golden brown eyes. Huh. She’d always thought he had blue eyes like

all the photos she’d seen of Luke. And then his words clicked in her mind. Oh. He was saying he had

personal hobbies too. Oh God. And now she was imagining Michael Devereaux in some overpriced

penthouse, sitting behind a laptop and looking at some crazy assortment of xxx websites. But he

wouldn’t be looking at the crap that Kyle had on his hard drive. “You’d have better taste than Kyle

though.”

The doors slid open and for a moment, neither of them moved. Lori was mortified at her own

traitorous mouth, and for the life of her, she couldn’t get a read on Michael. If he wasn’t going to fire

her before, he definitely was going to now. That had to qualify as sexual harassment, right? Oh no…

she was going to be blackballed. No one in the city would ever hire her. She’d have to move back to

California and explain to all her family why she accosted one of the richest men in the city in an

elevator.

“You’re right,” he finally said. “I have much better taste than Kyle.”

Lori’s jaw dropped at his admission. What the hell had she—

“Mr. Devereaux, your ten a.m. is downstairs. Luke is already in the main conference room,”

said Cali from the hallway.

Lori jumped at Cali’s voice and looked between Michael and the executive assistant he shared

with his brother. Could she tell something was going on? Was something going on? Wait. Michael had

a ten a.m. meeting? But why would he be calling her up with him at nine fifty-five?

“Thanks Cali.” Michael stepped off the elevator.

Lori followed and nodded at the assistant as Michael led the way to the main conference room.

Which was good, because she had no idea where she was going. She’d never once been to this floor,

and judging from the eerie quiet surrounding her, she didn’t want to start frequenting it. But the farther

he led her through a row of oversized offices, the more certain she became of something. He wasn’t

going to fire her.

This wasn’t HR. This wasn’t walking her to the front door and kicking her out. He wanted her in

some sort of meeting. Which was fine and all, but would it be so hard to clue her in on what he

needed from her?

At the realization that she wasn’t going to suddenly be homeless in the biggest city in the

country, Lori was able to work up just enough confidence to ask a completely normal question.

“Umm…what’s going on?”

Michael came to a halt in front of the main conference room. His hand rested on the door

handle, but he left it closed as he looked back to her. “We have some new potential clients coming in

for a preliminary meeting. At the last minute, they requested we have some technical support on hand,

but they didn’t go into detail about what they needed. So if you can sit in with us until I know more

about what they want, I’d appreciate it.”

“Like to set up the projector? I don’t really think—”

“That’s not the kind of tech support they wanted on hand. I think they’re talking more along the

lines of a demonstration of what we can do.”

Lori glanced down to her sneakers, blue jeans, and buttoned-up shirt that hadn’t seen an iron

since she’d moved here three months ago. In most corporate offices, the casual attire would be

frowned upon, but tech companies were known for being laid-back. But that was downstairs. Not

upstairs where million-dollar deals were being made. “I’m not dressed—”

“I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t think you were the perfect person for this. Please join us

for the meeting. They’re already on their way up.”

Lori glanced back in the direction they’d just come from. She wasn’t qualified for this. She’d

only been working at DevX for a few months and had never once talked to either of the Devereaux

brothers. So what the hell made them think she was the best candidate to assist on high importance,

last-minute meetings?

Michael raised a questioning brow and she knew he was well aware she couldn’t say no. When

your boss’s boss’s boss asks you for a favor, there’s only one answer. “Where do you want me to

sit?”

He smiled in victory as he held the door for her. The conference room was much more

professional than the lounge-like meeting areas of the lower levels. The ornate, long wooden table,

polished so smooth Lori bet she could probably see her reflection, was the focus of the room. One

side of the room was all windows that overlooked the breathtaking view of the city, and the tops of

the windows were fitted with high-tech shades that would block out all light so the projector or big

screen TVs on the other long wall could be used.

Luke Devereaux was already seated at the table, and he glared up at her before he quickly

turned all his attention to Michael. “Cali said they’re here.”

Michael gently shut the door behind him. “They’re probably going to get in any minute. Is

Evelyn still around?”

Lori eyed the twenty or so empty chairs that surrounded the table. Was there a place she should

be sitting? Better yet, was there somewhere she was not supposed to sit? She didn’t know the

etiquette involved in these sorts of things. Luke turned his glare back to her and she knew with

absolute certainty she didn’t want to sit next to him.

Lori scooched around to the side of the table that faced the door and took a seat three chair

lengths away from Luke. She must’ve chosen well since Michael pulled two waters out of the mini

fridge and leaned across the table to set one in front of her and one in the empty spot next to her.

She wished she’d been able to get a pen and notebook. Something to keep her occupied or

distracted for however long this was going to take. For that matter, she probably should’ve asked for

a time estimate, not that Michael would’ve answered. He seemed rather cagey about the entire thing,

which didn’t fill her with confidence.

And then the door was opened and in walked two men, each in suits. Neither of them looked

nearly as irritated as Luke and Michael. The first one to enter was tall, but still a few inches shy of

the Devereaux brothers, and he probably had an extra fifty or so pounds around his stomach. Behind

him was a shorter man, probably around five seven, like Lori. However, this guy looked as if he went

to the gym every day.

“I’m so glad you agreed to meet with us.” The larger man held out a hand and leaned across the

table.

Lori eyed the brothers and stood as they pushed themselves up. If it were a truly important

meeting, wouldn’t they walk around the table to greet their guests? Instead, they leaned forward and

shook hands.

Although it was all well and good for the six-foot-three Devereaux brothers to lean over, she

was way too short for that. Lori settled on giving a smile and nod as a way of greeting. An awkward

silence stretched as the four men stood across from one another, the big man with a grin on his face,

the other three all dead serious.

She bit her lip to keep herself from her compulsive need to break the silence. Not my circus,

not my monkeys, she repeated to herself.

“I have to say, I was surprised to get your call,” said the big man. “I didn’t think you and your

cousin ran in the same circles.”

Michael clenched his jaw, but Luke shot him a quick look before he said, “There’s a lot of

things about our family dynamics that aren’t common knowledge.”

The big man nodded. “Hey, every family has skeletons. I get that. And, as we discussed on the

phone, we’d love to clear up this whole mess, but there are some steps we need to take before that.”

Luke and Michael both looked to Lori, and she had to fight the urge to step back. Okay, this was

definitely not a sales meeting.

The big man and his companion now looked at her too. “How rude of me. I forgot

introductions.” He held a hand to his chest. “I’m Ken Kemmerling and this is my associate Hunter.

We’re in need of some assistance, and Michael and Luke said you could help out with a little

problem.”

She tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes at Michael. This whole thing gave her a bad

feeling, but she couldn’t exactly walk out. “At your service.”

Michael relaxed just the tiniest bit, and she tried not to get nervous about whatever was making

one of the most powerful men in the city uneasy. The man next to Ken, Hunter, pulled a computer bag

off his arm and unzipped it. He pulled out the laptop and leaned over the table to set it in front of Lori.

She eyed the thin, older-looking model. Was this some sort of trick question? “Is it broken?”

“It’s locked.” Hunter spoke for the first time. “We need it unlocked.”

Cold realization finally dawned on her. They wanted her to hack it. Which meant Michael

Devereaux somehow knew a hell of a lot more about her past than she’d put on her resume. Her heart

beat faster in her chest, and she forced herself to take a deep breath in and out. It was okay. She

would do what they wanted and then get the hell out. All she needed to do was give them what they

wanted and she could deal with the fallout later.

Finally, she was able to bring her gaze up and met Michael’s eyes. “I’m going to need a few

supplies.”

CHAPTER TWO

Michael forced himself to gently shut the door behind him before he made a beeline for the

elevator. Evelyn must’ve heard him practically running, because she appeared next to him as he

repeatedly jammed his finger into the down arrow on the elevator.

“Where are you going?” she asked in her calm, collected tone she always seemed to have, no

matter what.

He hit the button again. “The test is that they want us to hack into some computer for them. Lori

looks like she’s about to bolt any minute, so I said I’d get the stuff she needs from her cubicle to get

the job done.”

No, bolt wasn’t the right word. She looked scared, confused, and as though she knew she was

being backed into a corner and had no choice but to do what they wanted her to do or risk losing her

job.

“It’s just a test,” assured Evelyn as the elevator doors opened. “Once you prove that you’re not

squeaky clean, they’ll let you in.”

“Assuming Lori does what they ask. What if she goes to the police?”

“I am the police.”

He glared at her as the elevator started its descent. “You’re the FBI. I’m all for

interdepartmental cooperation, but if she goes to the NYPD first, who knows how many alarms will

be raised before you and your people can put out the fires. We should’ve pulled in Josh like I said.”

She tightened her lips but managed to keep most of the annoyance she probably felt off her face.

Michael didn’t care whether he annoyed her at this point. It was his family who was threatened, and

he would question every single damn order she gave him until it made sense.

“Josh wouldn’t work. He has family. Friends. A massive support group in the city. You want to

know who Lori will talk to about all this when she goes home tonight? No one.”

The reminder that they’d picked the most defenseless person in the office to do their dirty work

didn’t make him feel better. When he’d arranged to make this deal with the devil, he’d assumed it was

only him and Luke who would be at risk. But at the last minute, Ken had called to say there was one

favor they required.

Evelyn had plenty of contacts she could’ve called in to help from the New York FBI field

office, but none who could be there with a reliable cover within an hour. So he’d had to pull from his

pool of employees, and Evelyn had already had dossiers pulled on his newer employees to go

through.

Before this morning, he’d never heard of Lori Briggs. Sometimes he dealt with the software

developers face to face, but she was lower-level tech support. When Evelyn explained that they’d

pull up an antisocial, friendless tech employee to sit in, it had sounded great. But he’d expected a

surly, unpleasant, frumpy woman. Lori Briggs was…well, he didn’t know what the hell she was.

Her dark hair was in a high ponytail, and even though she was dressed in the same casual

clothes pretty much everyone except the executives wore, they were clean and coordinated. But more

than being presentable, she was fucking cute.

She had crystal-clear blue eyes, a pert nose, and lips that immediately had him thinking thoughts

that were probably dirty enough to be grounds for several sexual harassment lawsuits. And this was

their antisocial key to getting into the Thirteen Stars?

Michael forced himself to stop thinking about her lips as they reached her cube. It was too late

to turn back now. This deal needed to be done as soon as possible, and after what happened at

Emma’s home last night, it was more urgent than ever. “She needs her laptop and some type of cable

that can hook it into the one we’re trying to get into. It should be in the top right drawer.”

Evelyn pulled the drawer open as Michael unplugged Lori’s computer. “Who did Ken bring

with him?”

“Some guy named Hunter. I can’t tell if he’s hired muscle or a bigger part.”

She pulled a cord out of the drawer and shut it. “The name doesn’t sound familiar. I’ll have to

look through the case files and see if he’s been involved in anything before this.”

“So for the time being, I just do whatever they say and act like their bitch? Fantastic. Joslyn is

lucky she’s in jail because if she ever gets out, I’m going to kill her,” he said between clenched teeth

as they made their way back to the elevator.

As the elevator headed up to the executive level, Evelyn looked him over. “I am sorry you have

to go through this. If you just trust me and stick to the plan, we’re going to get everything we want.

Emma will be safe, criminals will be behind bars. All we need to do is find out who all the players in

the Thirteen Stars are. Once they accept you and Luke as members, it shouldn’t be long before we can

make arrests. And once they’re in jail, they will be the bitch, okay?”

“You give strangely motivating pep talks,” he admitted as they reached the executive level.

Evelyn handed the cord to him. “I’m your handler. It’s my job. Now go and play the good bitch.

Save your cousin. Beat the bad guys. Those are your orders.”

He sighed and left Evelyn there as he strode back to the conference room. Everyone seemed to

be in the same position they’d been in when he’d left. Three men in suits and little Lori sitting off to

the side in blue jeans and a surly expression as she looked up at him. He set her laptop next to the one

she was supposed to unlock and handed her the cord. Without saying a word to him, she hooked the

two computers together and got to work.

“If this is going to take a while, maybe we can set her up in my office and we can continue

talking?” suggested Michael. Anything to keep Lori out of family business.

“I’m sure Ms. Briggs over there is more than qualified to get us access. If not, this is a software

firm, right? I’m sure we can call in more hands if needed,” said Ken

Because more people knowing about this was better. To make it worse, Ken had learned Lori’s

name at some point while he’d been gone. “I’m sure if Lori wants us to call in help, she’ll let us

know.”

“Hunter and I don’t mind waiting,” assured Ken.

Of course they didn’t.

Lori sat back as she waited for the mystery computer to power up. “I doubt this will take that

long.”

Michael met Luke’s gaze from behind her as they both let out a small sigh of relief. Until that

one little affirmation, he hadn’t really been sure she could do this.

Hunter raised a brow. “What makes you think it will be easy?”

Lori leaned forward and opened up some technical-looking program on the screen of her work

computer and rapidly moved her fingers over the keyboard. “Because the human race is utterly

unoriginal.”

Everyone was quiet, waiting for her to explain, but she continued to input a series of commands

into her laptop before she sat back again as whatever program she’d just fiddled with started to input

a series of passwords into the security software on the mystery computer.

“We all know that password requirements are getting more and more complicated these days. A

lot of security systems at this level require eight characters, capital and lowercase letters, and

symbols. Which leads to billions of possible combinations that would take days to crack. But people

are not nearly that complicated. I picked up this code a few months back that starts out with the most

likely combinations. A six-letter word or two three-letter words, first letter capitalized, and then the

number and symbol keys being the same key.”

Luke turned to grin at Ken and Hunter. “Like she said. Easy.”

Even though Lori never seemed the slightest bit nervous as she monitored the program and

periodically entered in new prompts, Michael couldn’t stop staring at the screen, willing this whole

ordeal to get over with.

After an hour of waiting, the screen on the mystery laptop finally flashed before the normal-

looking PC desktop was revealed. “Got it.” Lori met Michael’s gaze with a mixture of pride and

nervousness. “Are we all set here?”

“Should I walk Ms. Briggs to the elevator?”

She pushed the computer across to Ken and Hunter so they could look over their prize. “You can

change the password from there to something that you can use from now on.”

Ken moved his hands over the keyboard, but from his vantage point, Michael couldn’t tell what

he was looking for. After a few moments, a large grin filled his face. “This is perfect, Ms. Briggs. I

appreciate your time.”

“Happy to help.” She pushed herself out of the chair and headed around the table. “I hope you

all have a great day.”

Michael stood, too, and made it to the door the same time as her, but by that time, Ken was also

standing and still beaming at Lori.

“It was a pleasure meeting you.” He held out a hand.

She returned his smile and reached out tentatively to meet his handshake. Michael could

practically feel the tension coming from her, and he fought back the urge to break the contact where

their hands touched. It was bad enough he’d pulled her in to this meeting. She shouldn’t have to touch

the son of a bitch.

But in just seconds, the whole exchange was over. Michael reached for the door and held it

open as she slipped through.

As soon as the door was shut, she speed-walked to the elevator. Michael kept pace with her. “I

appreciate your help today.”

She shook her head but didn’t say anything. Damn it. That wasn’t good enough. He needed to

have some idea of what she was going to do. After her quick performance in there, he assumed she

wasn’t a total moron and knew that what was happening in that room wasn’t completely legit.

“Lori,” he said, but she still ignored him. Before they reached the elevator bay where there

were more people, he set a hand on her arm and stopped her.

She twisted around to face him. “What more could you possibly want from me?”

“As I said, I want you to know how grateful I am for your help.”

“You mean grateful I didn’t walk out in the first thirty seconds and call the cops?”

Not a good sign. “I don’t think—”

“Do you have any idea who that computer belonged to?”

He frowned. There hadn’t been any identifiable information he had seen and he’d been sitting

right next to her the entire time. “Did they tell you while I was gone?”

“No, I recognized the security system I hacked. It’s FBI, which means I can’t even count how

many laws I just broke.”

Michael took a deep breath and thought back to what Evelyn told him. Just play along for a little

bit and everything would work out. Emma’s life was on the line. He inched closer to Lori until she

took a step back. “What happened in there is going to stay between us, understand?”

Her breath caught. For a moment she stood stock-still and stared up at him with those big blue

eyes. Damn it, she looked like a cornered, injured bunny, and he was the big bad wolf threatening her

to keep her mouth shut.

She averted her gaze down. “I got it. Can I go now?”

He started to apologize for his outright bullying, but stopped himself. If she had to hate him, so

be it. She wouldn’t be the first woman he pissed off and probably wouldn’t be the last. He stepped

back and watched her as she scrambled away from him and down the hall. She was a definite wild

card in this whole scheme, but he’d have to trust Evelyn’s opinion that she wouldn’t cause trouble

because there was nothing he could do about it now.

He tried to shake his scowl as he went back to the conference room. Hopefully now that

whatever little test they gave them was over, the rest of the meeting would go by fast. He wasn’t sure

what the point of having the computer broken into was. On one hand, Luke and Michael’s hands were

dirty now too, so it would prevent any last-minute second-guessing. Also, it gave Ken a good idea of

which direction their moral compass pointed.

Michael took his seat next to Luke, who took a deep swig of water. Ken and Hunter didn’t have

any papers or notes in front of them. Normally in investment deals, the person who wanted the buy-in

came prepared with charts and graphs and anything that could possibly convince more investors to

sign on.

Apparently Thirteen Stars didn’t need a big sales pitch.

Luke set his bottle down. “So let’s get down to business.”

Ken smiled and Michael had to clench his fists to keep from saying something to wipe that smug

grin off his face. If he stuck with the plan, Ken’s associates would go down with him and all his

savings would be seized by the government. He just needed to play the long con in the meantime.

Luckily, Luke was better at hiding disdain than Michael. “Joslyn said that in her time with your

group, she’d heard there were some very profitable ventures that only you had access to. We’d like to

get in.”

“We have a very simple sales pitch. You give us a minimum of fifty million dollars and we

guarantee a return of twenty percent over the next year. The earnings are considered capital gains and

the statements we provide will pass any IRS audit.”

Michael and Luke exchanged a look, but there wasn’t much to say. The deal sounded fishy as

hell, but they didn’t have much of a choice. The whole thing screamed Ponzi scheme, but if it would

convince them to call off the contract on Emma, he’d give them whatever they wanted.

“That’s a pretty attractive number. How are you able to get twenty percent?”

Ken raised a brow. “The nice thing about getting returns like this is that we can be selective in

our investors. If you don’t want to take the deal, that’s fine.”

“My brother and I are in the business of making money,” said Luke. “I’m more than happy to

take a chance with your…firm. But you know there’s one more item we need to sort out beforehand?”

Ken nodded. “Emma Devereaux. Once you send the wire, it will be our firm. Whatever

evidence Joslyn gave to Emma will work against you just as much as us. So we will leave it to you to

make sure that we are all protected.”

“And we can trust there won’t be another Emma situation?” asked Michael. “We just avoided

having our company dragged through the mud with Joslyn. We are all for making money, but we don’t

want another scandal.” He couldn’t care less about another scandal. He just wanted Emma safe. They

wanted some sort of evidence that Joslyn had supposedly stolen, but Michael knew the truth. Joslyn

had faked it. She blackmailed the man in charge of Thirteen Stars for almost a year, getting over a

million out of him in that time, and now that she was behind bars, the outfit was on damage control.

And everything of Joslyn’s was in her sister’s possession, so they were convinced Emma now had the

damning evidence.

Except Emma didn’t have anything to hand over. They’d already approached her on the street

with threats and trashed her home to look for it. He wasn’t going to let them get any closer to hurting

his family. Well, his sane family. They could do whatever they wanted with Joslyn.

“The Joslyn situation was…unique,” assured Ken.

Luke snorted. “Tell me about it.”

Okay, it was time to get this over with. Michael leaned forward. “Where do we sign?”

CHAPTER THREE

“Earth to Lori…” said Quinn from behind her.

Lori jumped at the unexpected voice and twisted around to face her roommate. “Sorry, did you

say something?”

Quinn narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “No… You were just sitting there in front of your

computer like a zombie. It looks like the Internet is out again.” She pointed to the buffering screen in

front of Lori. “Are you okay there?”

Lori exited out of the Internet browser. There went her plans of relaxing with cute animal

videos from her crazy ass day. “I’m fine. It was just a strange day.”

Quinn shook her head at Lori and sat on the other recliner in the apartment. Seating was limited

in the open living area. A majority of the rent-controlled space they shared was taken up by the two

bedrooms, so the living area and kitchen barely had enough room for the two seats, let alone a couch.

There was also a television that came with the place, but to save money, Lori didn’t pay for cable.

Her neighbors above her were, ahem, nice enough to have unsecured wireless Internet, but the signal

wasn’t the strongest.

“So are you staying in tonight?” Quinn strapped on a high heel shoe that was half the height of

Lori.

Lori couldn’t decide whether Quinn was being nice or snarky by asking. Lori stayed in every

Friday night. She went clubbing with her ultra-trendy roommate one time and it might qualify for the

worst night of her life. Yes, she knew she needed to get out at some point if she didn’t want to turn

into a complete hermit, but the loud blaring music and bodies pressing on every side of her on the

dance floor were enough to send her into a full-blown panic attack. And taking shots had seemed like

a great idea to calm her nerves until she puked all over a few of the dancers.

So, no, she was not planning to go out with Quinn. “I think I’m going to have a quiet night in.”

Quinn shrugged and stood, smoothing her form-fitting bandage dress down her body. “Are you

sure? There’s a new place opening in SoHo. It’s supposed to be crazy.”

“Oh, I’m sure. But thanks for asking.” Even if hell did freeze over and Lori did want to go out

clubbing, it was probably best for her to save some money. It would be hard to cover her half of the

rent after quitting. Or getting fired. For the sake of her resume, she should really quit before she got

fired. Or quit purely on ethics.

Ethics were good and all, but not getting evicted was even better. She could probably stick

around at DevX Tech for a bit while looking for a new job. That wasn’t bad, right? That was just

survival.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re doing your spacey stare-y thing.”

Damn it. Lori forgot how perceptive Quinn could be. When Lori moved in, Quinn had seemed

like such an airhead. High, squeaky voice, worked in the fashion industry, wore a constant parade of

shoes that were sure to be destroying her feet for life. But apparently this airhead had a bachelors in

fashion design and a masters in business. After her internship was over, she would have her choice of

magazines and designers to work for.

“It was just a stressful day at work. I’ll be fine after I relax for a bit.” And find a new job. But

Quinn didn’t need to know about her possible financial insecurity. How long would it take to find a

new job? Plenty of companies these days were looking for workers who knew their way around a

computer, but she’d only worked for DevX Tech for three months. What was she going to say when

they all asked why she was leaving so soon?

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I’m meeting your boss next week.”

The laptop started to slide off Lori’s lap and she scrambled to catch it. “What? Why?”

Quinn let out a small laugh. “It’s an eligible bachelor article. You’ve seen him, right? He’s

flipping gorgeous. They’re already working ways to sneak him in for his photo shoot so all the girls

won’t mob him as soon as he’s in the building.”

“He’s doing a photo shoot? How does he even have time for that? He has a business to run.”

And computers to hack into. And employees to threaten. And shady meetings to attend.

“It’s hardly the first magazine Luke Devereaux has been on, Lori.”

“Oh! You meant Luke.” Why would she think Michael would be there? Luke was the CEO and

had final say-so in everything. “I thought you were talking about Michael.” The brother so fresh on

her mind.

Quinn started to head to grab her purse but stopped mid-step. “Michael…I forgot there were

two of them.”

Lori’s eyes widened. What had she done? “Yeah, but…”

Quinn twirled around. “We can get them both. Double the pleasure type spread, you know?”

“No…I really don’t.”

“Women love sexy brothers, Lori.” She tapped her palm against her forehead. “I can’t believe I

didn’t think of this sooner! You don’t see them or anything, do you? Like pass him in the halls?”

“I’ve never once passed the Devereauxs in the hallway! I just started working there.” Even if

she did get some quality one-on-one intimidation time with Michael earlier that day, Quinn didn’t

need to know.

Quinn sighed. “Worth a shot. I’ll have to call the editor tonight and see if we can work on

getting Michael Devereaux to be on our list.”

“Wouldn’t that mean you have to bump someone else off?”

Quinn gave her a sympathetic look. “Honey, for brothers who look like that, a woman needs to

be flexible.”

Lori couldn’t stop the smile as Quinn winked and made her exit from the apartment. As uneasy

as he made her, even she couldn’t deny how handsome Michael was. He would undoubtedly be a

great addition to Quinn’s article. Even with their strange, scary time together, Lori couldn’t stop

picturing his back as he led her from her cubicle to the elevator. Would they photograph him in a suit?

It was his natural element, so it only made sense.

But if they put him in a t-shirt, they could show off his muscles so much better. Maybe if it was a

black-and-white shot, the shadows would fall in the ridges and planes of his arms and face just right.

But then the readers couldn’t see his beautiful golden eyes.

Lori pushed all thoughts of Michael Devereaux’s muscles and eyes out of her mind. It was the

weekend. She needed to run errands, update her resume apparently and, most important, relax.

Considering her Internet was on the fritz, it looked as if her companion for the night would be a good

book. She set her computer on the coffee table and stood. After she put a preservative and chemical

filled frozen dinner in the microwave, she padded to her room and traded her jeans for pajama shorts.

By the time she’d put her hair up, the microwave beeped to signal her food was ready.

As she pulled the plastic covering all the way off the serving tray, she grimaced. Maybe she

should go out with Quinn again. At least now that she knew how panicky she got around crowds, she

could prepare for it.

Just as she pulled out a fork, a knock sounded behind her. She twisted around and narrowed her

eyes at the door. Damn solicitors. No one was supposed to let them in the building but somehow they

always managed to get in. And because Quinn was always gone and Lori was a homebody, she was

the one who always had to deal with them.

Not tonight, though. She was too tired and had dealt with enough already. They could knock on

her door all they wanted, but she wasn’t answering. She was crawling into bed with her e-reader and

staying there until exhaustion took over.

The knock came again and Lori glared at the door. Nope. She wasn’t doing it.

“Ms. Briggs? Do you have a moment?”

Her heart leapt into her throat at the familiar voice. It couldn’t be…

He knocked again. “Ms. Briggs?”

She finally forced her feet to move and she crossed to the door. Keeping the chain in place, she

opened the door the few inches before the chain pulled taut. “Hunter?”

He tilted his head to see her through the crack she’d opened the door. “Hello. Do you mind if I

come in?”

She raised a brow and tried not to laugh right in his face. “Yes I mind. I mind very much. What

are you doing here? How did you find out where I lived?”

“Believe it or not, I used someone like you. I don’t mean to make you uneasy.”

She looked him up and down. Instead of the pristine suit he’d worn earlier, he wore a leather

jacket and black t-shirt. Funny. In her mind, Michael would be smoking hot in casual clothes, but

Hunter just looked like a serial killer. All of the individual parts were great. Thick, dusty brown hair.

Deep brown eyes. The tan of a man who spent more time outside than the suit he wore earlier

suggested. But added all together, Lori couldn’t shake the idea that he was nothing but bad news. “I’ll

feel better once you tell me what was so important that you tracked my home address.”

He held up a manila folder she hadn’t noticed before. “Special delivery.”

She eyed the folder, not sure whether she wanted to take any chances. “Is that from Ken?”

Hunter smiled at her. “It’s a job offer.”

“Are you serious?”

He let out a laugh. “After what you did today? I’m surprised they let you get out of the building

before making this offer. Ken and I thought we’d be there all day but you seemed to know exactly

what you were doing, didn’t you?”

Lori kept her face expressionless. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” As far as she was

concerned, that afternoon never happened. And that was the story she would stick to if anyone ever

asked about it. Namely the police.

Hunter nodded. “I understand. Either way, take the offer. Look it over. Think about your future

and what you see for yourself. I can guarantee we can offer you a better life than,” he looked past her

to the tiny apartment, “this.” He slid the envelope through the door.

Every instinct in Lori told her to shove the thing back in his face, but her first priority was to get

him away from her apartment. She had a feeling that this would all be over quicker if she pretended to

consider his offer. She grabbed the folder and pulled it through. “Thanks for the offer. You can leave

now.”

He narrowed his eyes as though considering whether he should leave or press the issue further.

“My phone number is in there. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call. Or if you’d

like someone to pass a Friday night with.”

She blinked a few times as she tried to digest his words. Was he hitting on her? “What could

possibly make you think I’d want to spend my Friday night with you?” She winced, realizing that the

words sounded meaner than she’d intended. But she was honestly curious what made him possibly

think she’d be open to dating him. Or sleeping with him. She really wasn’t sure what he was asking.

He shrugged. “Why not? You’re pretty. Single. Obviously not doing anything,” he emphasized by

glancing down at her pajamas, “and you’re smarter than at least eighty percent of the people in this

city and I’m guessing I’m underestimating that number. So my question to you is why wouldn’t I ask

you out?”

Great. Her first time being asked out since she’d moved to the city and she was pretty sure the

guy was some sort of criminal. She had no idea what kind of criminal, but some kind that would get

her in trouble.

“Um….no, but thanks for the offer.” Well, that was a horrible way to turn someone down.

Should she have been gentler? Considering what she’d done for him and Ken that afternoon, maybe

she should’ve been meaner.

But he didn’t seem to be too upset by her refusal. “Worth a shot.” He smiled. “Look over our

offer. I can promise you’ll get everything you ever wanted if you’re on the right side.”

“The right side?”

“My side,” he clarified.

“What happens to people who aren’t on your side?” No. She should’ve ended it there. Why did

she have to keep on talking?

His face got deadly serious. “They don’t get everything they want.”

Well, that was a sign it was time to end this conversation. “Thanks for dropping this off in

person.”

“No problem.” He gave her another once-over. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Not gonna happen. “Have a nice night.” She pushed the door shut, the folder clutched to her

chest. So she was now so good at breaking the law that she was getting job offers to break the law

more often. Fantastic.

Lori slammed the folder down on the counter next to her meal—which was probably cold by

now—and turned away, but stopped before she took more than two steps. No. She needed to throw

the thing away and push this entire day out of her life.

But…what if it wasn’t a job for a criminal organization? What if it was a run-of-the-mill tech

job like she’d just been thinking about updating her resume for? Of course, the only reason she was

thinking about updating her resume was because of Ken and Hunter. And Michael, who’d pushed her

into this whole thing. No. She didn’t care about anything these people had to offer.

She snatched the folder up and held it over the bin, but found herself unable to drop it. She

could still look inside. Looking didn’t mean she was accepting anything.

Sighing, she plopped down on the sofa and held up the folder. She wasn’t sure what she was

expecting when she opened it, but it wasn’t one single sheet of paper. With a dollar figure and a phone

number.

A five-hundred-thousand-dollar figure.

Lori slammed the folder shut. No. Hell no. This was Michael’s fault. He dragged her into that

room and now she was on…somebody’s radar. She grabbed her laptop and threw it in her computer

bag. After she slipped into her shoes, she headed for the door.

She was going to find Michael Devereaux and she was going to tell him exactly where he could

shove it.

CHAPTER FOUR

“So it worked?” asked Michael into his cell phone.

“Yep. Emma said that the guy was called off and told to stand down. He didn’t, but at least Jace

was there to take care of that,” said Luke with the not-so-subtle mark of disapproval.

Michael wasn’t Jace’s biggest fan either, but if his cousin’s new boyfriend saved her life, he

was just grateful he’d been around. “So it was worth it then.”

“It’s not over yet. But Emma is safe, so for now we can breathe easy.”

“Have you talked to Evelyn after the meeting today?”

Luke’s groan was audible through the cell phone speaker. “No, thank God. The less of that

woman we have to deal with, the better.”

Michael smiled. He knew Luke and Evelyn hadn’t hit it off, but he hadn’t realized how much

Luke didn’t like her. He’d let it go for now. As long as they worked together, they could hate each

other all they wanted. “I have to catch up on a few things. We can regroup and talk to Evelyn

tomorrow.”

“You can talk to her tomorrow. I’m going to be in LA.”

“What the hell is in California?” Sixty percent of their business was government contracts, so a

majority of the travel they did was to Washington DC.

“I’m meeting…ah, fuck. Someone important. Cali has it written in my phone. Maybe a senator?”

“Sounds fascinating.” There was a reason Luke was CEO. That way, he would have to go to all

the meetings and parties and Michael could sit back and actually enjoy the few hours he wasn’t

working on weekends.

“Hey, it’s California. Can’t be all bad. You should see these women, Michael. On second

thought, maybe you should come with me.”

“There are plenty of women in New York.” For some reason, Lori’s clear blue eyes flashed in

his mind. He blinked and forced her out of his mind.

“But at least in LA you have a built-in excuse not to call.”

“As ever, a wonderful representative of our gender.”

“It’s not like I don’t tell them up front. And don’t go playing good brother on me. I know what

happened with Kaylee and Kylee.”

Michael definitely wasn’t going there. “Call me when your flight gets in. We’ll talk then.”

“You’re telling me that all I need to do to get you to shut up is bring up the—”

“Yep,” muttered Michael as he ended the call. Damn Cali. She had to be the one who told Luke

about the twins. His own fault. If he’d asked her to keep quiet, she would’ve without question. He just

didn’t think she’d know. Of course she would, though. Cali had a way of finding things out. It was

why she was one of the highest-paid employees at DevX Tech.

His phone buzzed in his hand and he bit back a curse. “Damn it, Luke.” He turned the screen.

Not Luke. He was about to let the unknown number go to voicemail, but at the last minute, hit the

button to answer.

“This is Michael.”

“You son of a bitch,” said a familiar female voice. “What did you get me into?”

“Lori Briggs?”

“Hunter just showed up at my apartment, thanks to you. I don’t like random guys knowing where

I live. How would you like it if I blasted your address to anyone who wanted it?”

He sat up straighter and rubbed his temple. “I didn’t give him any of your information.”

“I know that! But they wouldn’t even know who I am if it weren’t for you! This is all your

fault.”

“Hunter came to your apartment and threatened you?”

“Not exactly…but that’s not the point.”

He clenched his jaw. He knew her point. Hell, he probably got her need for privacy more than

most. Thanks to his high profile in the city, his cell number and address were things that very few

people knew. Which brought up the question… “How did you get my number?”

“Oh, you have no idea how much I could find out about you if I really wanted to. All I need is

some Wi-Fi and a computer.”

“Hold on. Don’t do anything rash.” The last thing he needed was some crazy woman who knew

her way around firewalls with a vendetta against him. Funny, since he hadn’t gotten the crazy vibe

from Lori. She’d seemed more innocent and freaked out by what he was asking her to do.

“Rash like accepting a job offer from an international crime syndicate? Or rash like setting up a

dating profile for you with your private cell number and address listed?”

Mother fucker. “Are you serious?”

“So it is an international crime syndicate? I was taking a shot in the dark there…”

“No, it’s not an intern—” He cursed under his breath. This wasn’t going anywhere. “Where are

you? This would be better discussed in person.”

“So you can threaten me again?”

“So I can talk some sense into you. I can explain everything that happened today.”

There was a pause on the line. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Michael was already up and grabbing his keys and wallet from the table in the foyer and

heading out the door. “Where are you? I’m already on my way.”

“You can’t come here. I’m in my pajamas.”

He frowned. “I’m sure you’ll have time to change.”

“But I’m not home.”

She was in pajamas and not home? “Are you at your boyfriend’s place?”

She snorted through the phone. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

A rush of satisfaction shot through him at her admission, but he didn’t let himself dwell on the

unexpected feeling. “I’m officially confused.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re not coming here.”

“Fine. You can come to me then. You know my address already, right?”

“I can’t go to your place like this! I know that building! The doorman will laugh me right out of

the lobby!”

He rolled his eyes. Why was this so difficult? “The doormen are paid lots of money to not laugh

at anyone. Just come over and we can sort this all out. I’ll pay your cab fare.”

“I’m not meeting you alone somewhere. You could kill me.”

Michael paced in front of the elevator, still not sure whether he was leaving or not. “I promise

I’m not going to kill you.”

“That sounds like something a murderer would say.”

And now he had the sudden urge to hit a wall. “Lori! There will be at least three people who

see you coming into the building. You’ll be safe.” There was another pause and Michael held his

breath. Was he finally getting through to her?

“Okay, but you better not judge me for wearing pajamas over.”

This woman couldn’t be serious. “This is a joke, right? Is Luke behind this?”

“Do I sound like I’m laughing?”

“Just…get over here.” He ran a hand through his hair as the call disconnected. He supposed that

meant she was coming over? Damn it, why was she so hard to get a read on? He had no idea where

she was coming from or how long it would take her to get here and he wasn’t used to not knowing

things.

But there was one thing he needed to take care of before she came over. If he was going to tell

her the truth, Evelyn would have to know. It was Evelyn’s fault the poor girl was involved in this

anyway.

Evelyn answered on the first ring. “Is everything okay?”

“No, everything isn’t okay. Lori Briggs just called and threatened me.”

“The same Lori from today?”

“How many do you know?”

“Smart ass,” she muttered.

“She’s on her way over now. I’m going to tell her what’s going on.”

“What is she threatening? It’s not like she knows anything and she sure as hell can’t prove it.”

“One of the men from today, Hunter, came to her apartment and offered her a job. She was

spooked that they knew so much about her and I can’t blame her for being pissed.”

“So you’re going to tell a woman who might be working with Thirteen Stars that you’re working

with the FBI to get them all arrested?”

Well, when she put it like that… “She’s not working with them.”

“You didn’t even know her before today. You have no idea what she’s capable of.”

“I might not trust her, but I trust my gut. All my instincts tell me I can trust her.”

Evelyn scoffed. “You know how that sounds to me, right?”

“I don’t really give a damn how it sounds to you.”

“Well, you should. This is my operation and I’m in charge of not only bringing charges on every

one of the sons of bitches involved in this ring, but protecting you. I can’t do that if you’re not

working with me.”

“I will take that into consideration.” He hung up on her. He didn’t know what annoyed him

more. Evelyn Price giving him orders or the fact that he agreed with her reasoning.

But now Lori was on her way over and he’d promised her the truth. Damn, he hated lying.

Bending, twisting, and omitting the truth was one thing, but lying just made things complicated. He

could handle her, though.

He’d talked Luke through his worst rages. He could handle one hysterical woman, albeit one

too smart for her own good. And wearing pajamas.

Well, he had until she got there to think up a damn convincing lie. He actually felt more than

prepared to deal with Lori Briggs until the moment he opened his door and saw her standing in front

of him.

She seemed so embarrassed at the idea that he’d see her in her night clothes that he never

stopped to consider they would make her sexy. But there was something so intimate about seeing her

in the clothes she’d wear lounging around the house. Clothes that would take him less than half a

second to strip completely off her.

He held the door open wider. “Come on in.”

She glanced over his shoulder and stood still a moment, as though considering whether she

should turn tail and run. Eying him warily, she took a step over the threshold.

He shut the door as he looked her over once more. She wore a loose-fitting, purple hooded

sweatshirt, which would’ve been perfectly modest if it wasn’t unzipped enough for him to see just

how low cut her shirt beneath fell. The soft-looking shorts she wore might’ve been called baggy if

they didn’t hug the curves of her ass in all the right ways.

He forced his eyes back to her face. He’d wanted her to come to him to reassure her, and that

wouldn’t work if he leered at her the entire time.

Before he could say anything, she slung her backpack over her shoulder, set it on the floor and

knelt next to it. She unzipped the bag and pulled out a manila folder. “Take a look at this.” She stood

and pressed the folder into his chest.

He did as she said and let out a whistle. “Well. That’s a lot of money.”

“That’s not an offer for honest employment. That’s an offer that will end up with me behind

bars.”

“You don’t think you’re good enough to not get caught?”

“I think that when you take up an offer like that, greed eventually takes over. And greed is what

gets good criminals caught.”

“Good criminals?”

She grabbed the file back. “You know what I mean.” Tucking it back into her bag, she tightened

her lips. “Makes me wonder what you’re doing with people like that. It’s not like you’re wanting for

money.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and considered her. She talked a good game, but it would be

hard for most people to turn that much money down. “How much do you know about my family?” He

moved past her and led her through the entryway and into the living room. He took a seat on the

leather recliner, but Lori remained standing.

“Not much. The orientation talked about your father starting the company and the transition

when you and Luke took over after his death.”

“That’s my immediate family. But I have cousins. Emma and Joslyn. Have you heard of them?”

She took a nervous gulp. “Well, everyone’s heard of Joslyn.”

His lip curled. After Joslyn tried to murder Victoria Green, every tabloid in the country became

ravenous for details on his family. “Luke and I knew she was a plague on the family. For the sake of

Emma, we tried to play nice. But once she was arrested, other details came out. Other people she’d

been involved with.”

“Like our friends Ken and Hunter?”

“Them and more. She blackmailed their organization, claiming she had damning information on

their group. They threatened Emma if they didn’t get it back. Except it was all a lie. Joslyn had

nothing they wanted and there was only one way to convince them we could be trusted.”

“By going into business with them.”

“Today was a test of our loyalty, which we passed.”

Lori pushed a tendril of dark hair behind her ear as she eyed him. “You’d risk millions of

dollars to protect your cousin.”

Michael pushed himself out of his chair and moved to stand in front of Lori. “You have no idea

what I’d do to protect my family.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Lori forced herself to hold her ground as she stared up at Michael’s intense gaze. It was a good

story. The poor, innocent protector. Left with no choice but to get involved with the devil. Assuming

anything he was saying was true.

“So tell me,” he said. “Are you still going to wage war with me?”

She frowned. “I never wanted a war.”

He raised a brow. “Really? You call me on my private number. You threaten me. What exactly

is it that you wanted?”

For the briefest moment, she thought his gaze dropped to her lips, but in a flash, it was right

back to her eyes. “I want…” She broke off as she realized she had no idea what she expected to gain

by coming here. By confronting him. “I want to be left out of this. I don’t like being a pawn in your

little game and I don’t like being used.” And she wanted him to look like a normal freakin’ person and

not some model who stepped out of an overly sexy perfume ad.

She’d thought he looked good when she’d first seen him at the office, but that was nothing

compared to seeing him in his home. On his territory.

Michael still wore his dress slacks and white buttoned-down shirt, but the tie and suit jacket

were gone. Instead, his sleeves were now rolled up and exposed the bottom of his forearms, strong

wrists and hands that made Lori’s mind trail off in a much dirtier direction….

“I didn’t know what they were going to do. They said they’d need someone with a technical

background right before they showed up and didn’t tell me anything else.”

“It’s a tech company. There are literally hundreds of people who you know much better than me

who you could’ve called up to that room.” She held her breath as she waited for some plausible

reasoning.

He clenched his jaw tightly before he finally answered. “I picked you because you’re so

isolated.”

She took a step back. “Isolated?”

“I don’t mean—”

“I know what you meant.” No one to run to. No one to confide in. He knew they wouldn’t call

someone in at the last minute unless it was to do something questionable. And, hell, he was right. She

was all alone… “But how did you know? As far as I knew, before today you didn’t realize I existed.”

“I realized—”

“Please stop lying to me. You promised the truth.”

“One of Luke’s people told me to ask for you.”

“Which one?”

“I didn’t ask. It was a busy morning.”

He was lying. She didn’t know much about Michael, but she could tell he was the questioning

sort. Especially when it came to something as important to him as family. Unless he was lying about

that too. “I think we’re done here.” She turned on her heel and reached down to grab her bag.

“Wait,” he called from behind her. Or ordered.

It didn’t matter. She was done listening to him. She grabbed her bag and headed for the door, but

before she made it, his hand was on her arm and he twisted her around to look at him.

“Lori, I need to know what you’re going to do.”

She stared intently at the ground, unable to meet his gaze. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

He tilted her head up to face him and she practically jumped at the unexpected touch of his fingers on

the bottom of her chin.

“You can’t go to the police, Lori. These people, whoever they are, can’t be given any reason to

doubt me. If they do, I’ll be given more tests and more innocents just like you will be pulled into my

mess.”

She finally forced herself to meet his gaze. “They showed up at my apartment, Michael. What

am I supposed to do?”

“Go home. Forget it happened. Don’t accept their offer. They’ll leave you alone and you can

forget all this.”

It all sounded so reasonable and logical, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t be

that easy. “And if they don’t leave me alone?”

“Then come to me. If you keep quiet, I’ll consider that a favor, and I always repay favors.”

A favor owed to her by Michael Devereaux? That was no small thing. If she played her cards

right, that would be worth much more than any big payday offered by whoever the hell Hunter worked

for. They made a mistake by offering her piles of cash and expecting her to compromise her morals.

She knew enough about hacking that she could get much more money on her own than she could

working with someone who would probably end up getting her arrested.

But Michael had connections to places no Internet port could ever get her to. In reality, there

wasn’t a choice. She couldn’t go to the police because she had nothing to offer. There was no

physical evidence to prove she was forced to do anything illegal, and it would be her word against

some very powerful people. “Fine. My silence in exchange for a favor.”

He smiled down at her and she had to force herself to look away from those hypnotizing golden

brown eyes. “You don’t have to look so happy about it,” she muttered as she took a step back.

“I always look this happy when I get what I want.”

“And I’m guessing you always get what you want?”

He moved ahead to open the door for her. “Not always. But most of the time,” he admitted.

She stopped in front of the door. “Then I suppose you’re a good one to have on my side.”

“Consider yourself family. And you know how I feel about family.”

CHAPTER SIX

Lori frowned at the dark green dress laid out on her bed. She knew she could be flighty, but she

definitely hadn’t left that there before she went grocery shopping that morning. “Quinn? What are you

up to?” she called from her room.

Quinn appeared in the doorway, mischievous grin on her face. “I was digging through my closet

and saw that. I thought it would look fantastic on you.”

Lori picked up the tiny, tiny dress and held it up to herself. “This made you think of me?”

“Don’t give me that look. You have to try it on before you judge. Besides, your blue eyes with

that green will look amazing.”

“The color is nice,” conceded Lori. “But I know you didn’t just randomly decide to take pity on

me and give me clothes. What’s going on?”

“Well, I do have a favor to ask. But the dress is a gift and is in no way, shape, or form a bribe,

okay?”

Oh great, More favors. “What did you have in mind?”

“My date for the cocktail party tonight at the magazine canceled. I was hoping you’d come with

me.”

“You’re one of the most confident women I’ve ever met,” said Lori honestly. “Why do you feel

like you need a date?”

Quinn looked as though she was about to argue, but at the last second she smiled. “You’re right.

I thought this might be a good chance for you to get out there and meet a few people, but I will be fine

on my own. But do keep the dress. I really think it will look amazing on you.”

Michael’s words came back to her in a rush. Isolated. No friends. No family. Just her and a

roommate who she had nothing in common with. And that wouldn’t change if she kept on doing the

same thing. The closest thing she’d had to a date was her short conversation with Michael Devereaux

the night before, and if that was all it took to fuel a restless night of X-rated dreams about a man who

she really should be hating, it was a definite indicator that she needed to get out more.

“Is this, like, a big party?” She ran the material of the dress through her hands.

A spark of victory lit in Quinn’s eyes, but she still played coy. “No. Not big at all. It’s a day

thing, will be over by seven or eight, no loud music, no crowds. It’s perfect for you. All you have to

do is be my arm candy.”

Lori shot her a skeptical look. “You know ‘arm candy’ isn’t exactly my specialty, right?”

“Don’t worry about me! This is about you, okay? Getting out there. Dressing up. Having fun.

You can talk to as many or as few people as you want, get some free drinks.”

Well, when she put it like that, it was hard to refuse. “What is this really about?”

Quinn was a master manipulator and even she couldn’t hide the momentary guilt that flitted

across her face. “I saw your resume. On your computer. I snooped.”

Damn it. “Quinn, I swear I’m good for my half of the rent. I’m just sending a few feelers out

there.”

Quinn shook her head. “No, no, no. I’m not mad or anything. It just sucks that we live together,

but I know hardly anything about you. If you’re having trouble at work, you should be able to talk to

me about it. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be closer. We’re both young. Both hot. Both single.

We should own this city by now, not just be sharing space. Girl power, you know?”

Lori snorted. “You think I’m hot?” Sure, she was pretty enough, but Quinn’s killer body

combined with amazing fashion sense and the willingness to suffer unimaginable pain for beauty put

her leagues ahead of Lori.

“You have the basic foundation of a hot girl, okay?” Quinn giggled. “Come on. Party with

meeeeee.” She put on a pout. “You’ll have fun. If you don’t, I promise I’ll do something you want to

do next weekend.”

That was all well and good if there was anything Lori liked to do besides binge watch TV on

the computer. And with that depressing thought, it was decided. “How long do I have to get ready?”

“Yay!” Quinn squealed. “I’m so excited! I have a cab coming to pick us up in two hours, so that

should be enough time.”

“Plenty. It will only take fifteen minutes or so.”

“Normally it would only take you fifteen minutes. Today it’s going to take you two hours.”

As though Quinn had timed it down to the minute, Lori was only just finishing looking at herself

in the mirror when the cab called to say they were waiting.

All in all, the makeover wasn’t quite as terrifying as Lori expected it to be. Namely, she was

ecstatic that Quinn didn’t try to get her into the five-inch heels the petite blonde always seemed to

wear. Instead, she dug out some ankle boots from the back of Lori’s closet. They weren’t super fancy,

but they did give her an extra inch or two and made her legs look longer.

Though it was really the super short skirt that made her legs look twice their normal length. Lori

seemed to recall that the dress code in high school required shorts and skirts to go below the middle

finger when hands were held straight down at the sides. Well, this dress didn’t even make it past her

pinky. The only saving grace for her modesty was that it wasn’t a tight fit. A belt cinched the fabric

around her waist and the skirt flowed out over her hips. When Lori voiced her concern that a strong

wind would show everything to everyone, Quinn recommended she wear boyshort-style underwear.

It didn’t make Lori feel better.

She tugged the hemline down farther and took a moment to appreciate the manicure Quinn had

given her. The color was the same dark green as the dress. Really, it wasn’t the most feminine color

palette, but the short skirt and painted nails were unmistakably womanly.

“Shouldn’t we be going?” called Lori to the noticeably missing Quinn.

“Hold on! I’m just looking for…” She trailed off even as her footsteps came closer. “Here. Put

this on and then we can go.”

Lori took the shining gold necklace from her and slipped it over her head. “A fake claw?”

“It’s a horn,” said Quinn.

Lori twirled the curving pendant in her fingers. “So a fake horn then?”

Quinn rolled her eyes, but smiled. “It’s edgy! You’re doing edgy today. That’s your look. Own

it.”

“I feel like I’m playing dress-up.”

Quinn let out a laugh. “You are. This is what I do every day. I pick a personality—edgy,

eccentric, romantic, classic—and then I dress up for the part. Every day, I’m whoever I want to be.”

Lori grinned. “That almost makes it sound worth all the effort you go through.”

Quinn took one second to fluff Lori’s straight hair around her face. Lori had been worried Quinn

was going to try some sort of curling experiment, and those always ended in failure. Lori’s stock-

straight hair only curled if a metric ton of hair spray was poured on, and then she felt as if her head

had been transformed into a lethal weapon. But all Quinn did was blow dry while she brushed it out

to give extra volume and spray it with something that gave the black locks an extra amount of shine.

To be honest, it probably looked better than any salon style she’d ever gotten done.

But she supposed there was a reason Quinn was getting job offers thrown at her left and right.

“You look amazing,” she gushed.

Lori wasn’t sure whether it was a compliment toward her or Quinn taking pride in her hard

work, but she still smiled. “You did good.”

“Hell yeah I did. Now come on. The cabbie is going to kill us if we wait another second.”

Lori grabbed her bag and followed Quinn downstairs. It was a completely different experience

walking down the streets like this. Instead of fading into the background, heads actually turned for

their short walk from the building to where the cab waited.

Sure, those looks were probably for Quinn, whose skintight neon pink dress and bright green

heels were designed to get attention, but it was still different than Lori walking the streets in ill-fitting

jeans and a hoodie.

The cab came to a halt in front of an older-looking building. Even though the brick was aged

and there were a few cracks in the detail work along the sculptures along the ledges, once Quinn and

Lori were inside, it was obvious the place was well maintained and that preserving historical

accuracy was a priority. Lori bet that most of the fixtures and details she was passing as Quinn led her

to the elevator were originals.

“Where are we going?” asked Lori as Quinn hit the button for the top level.

“It’s a rooftop thing. The magazine is throwing a networking party. It’s how we rope in new

advertisers. Our current clients are invited to enjoy free drinks and enjoy the company of a few

models, and if they bring guests who might do business with us, they get a deal on their next promo

they run with us.”

“So why are you here? Last I heard, you weren’t in marketing.”

Quinn gave her a sympathetic look. “Everyone is in marketing these days. Believe me. But it’s a

requirement that interns go to at least three of these corporate events. It ups the pretty girl quota, but

really they’d have to pay me to keep away. The networking opportunity is too important to pass up.”

The elevator doors opened and Lori couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy for her roommate.

Quinn seemed excited and eager to go put herself out there, whereas even thinking the word

“networking” made Lori feel sick to her stomach. “I’m assuming you’ll put this whole friendship thing

on hold if I end up throwing up on the guests, right?” she whispered as they followed the short

hallway that led to the rooftop.

Of course, the wind immediately whipped around Lori’s bare legs, but the material of her skirt

miraculously stayed in place.

“Told you so,” whispered Quinn with a smirk.

Lori scanned the room and took in the guests. The models stood out fairly obviously, mainly

because they towered over the rest of their guests. But most of the rooftop was dominated by middle-

aged men. “Why are all the men completely covered while the women are half-naked?” Even she had

almost all her leg exposed while the guys wore suit jackets over casual shirts and slacks.

“Because you have nicer legs than them.” Quinn winked.

Lori let out a laugh. Okay. She could do this. “So you want to start making the rounds and I can

follow you around like a lost puppy?”

“Come on, Lori. Remember, this is about you. Not pleasing anyone else. If someone interests

you, talk to them. If they don’t, say you have to use the little girls’ room and leave.”

“What if no one here interests me?”

“Then you’re not trying hard enough.” Right then, a waiter walked by and Quinn snatched two

drinks from his tray. “Or drinking enough.”

Lori frowned at the pink, fruity-looking thing in her hand. “What is this?”

Quinn took a drink and narrowed her eyes. “Sugar. Pure sugar with a side of alcohol.”

Something over Lori’s shoulder caught Quinn’s attention. “My editor is calling me over. I’ll be back

in just a minute.”

Before Lori could say anything, Quinn strutted across the rooftop to an elegant woman in a

flowing black dress and stark black hair. Quinn had a bit too much muscle and was too petite to be

mistaken for a model, but she was still one of the prettiest women there, and Lori smiled as a few of

the heads turned to follow her progression.

“Should I be worried?” asked a familiar voice from behind her.

Lori whipped around to see Michael Devereaux right in front of her. “What—I mean— Why—”

He tilted his head and smiled down at her. “So I’m guessing this wasn’t planned?”

“Oh, no. It was planned all right.” Without another word to him, Lori turned and headed straight

for Quinn. The scheming, evil, conniving, overambitious Quinn.

Her editor was mid-sentence when Lori tapped Quinn on the shoulder. “Excuse me, I need to

talk to you right now.”

Quinn glanced over at Lori. “Can it wait?”

“Not really. I have a few questions.”

Suddenly, a huge grin broke out over Quinn’s face. Lori had a sinking feeling that he was right

behind her.

“Oh, my gosh, Michael Devereaux, right?” Quinn stepped to the side and held out her hand. The

editor put on an equally charming expression and took a step forward. Lori really didn’t want to turn

around. Maybe if she just closed her eyes and imagined the safety of her apartment, she’d magically

appear there. Safe and sound and far away from her scheming boss and roommate.

But when she opened her eyes, she was still on the damn rooftop and was probably about to

embarrass the hell out of herself if she didn’t act like an adult and turn around.

She bit her lip and turned on her heel to find Michael staring right at her. Fantastic. This would

be a great time for a freak thunderstorm. Or roof collapse.

“Mr. Devereaux. I’m so happy you could stop by on such short notice,” said the editor.

“My pleasure.” He finally took his eyes off Lori and allowed her to take a breath she didn’t

realize she was holding. “I probably would’ve come sooner if I’d realized the pleasant company I’d

be keeping.”

His gaze once again fell to Lori, but she knew he had to be talking about all the pretty women

around them.

Of course, Quinn had to be too observant for her own good as she noticed the tension between

Lori and Michael. “Michael, did you know that Lori here works with you? She just started at DevX

Tech a few months ago.”

Lori shot Quinn daggers with her eyes. “Actually, Mr. Devereaux and I just met on Friday

briefly. Besides that, I don’t think he knew I existed.”

“I have to admit, I’m not able to get acquainted with all the new hires. But now that I know your

skills, I think I’ll be calling you up a lot more often.”

Nope. Not happening. “Excuse me. I have to use the little girls’ room.” Lori pushed past Quinn

and headed for the door. Ugh. She was so stupid. Here she thought Quinn was taking pity on her and

helping out of the kindness of her heart. No. This was all to help her damn career.

But when she finally made it to the door that led inside, she saw Michael’s reflection in the

glass. “Can you please give me a moment of privacy?”

“That depends. Are you planning on taking your drink into the restroom with you?”

Lori looked down and saw the pink fruity thing was still in her hand. She faced Michael again.

“You’re following me. Why are you following me?”

“Well, you were running from me. I didn’t want to make a scene.”

“You flirted with me. I don’t want you flirting with me. People will think…”

“I wasn’t flirting with you.” She narrowed her eyes with him and he clarified, “I wasn’t flirting

with you on purpose.”

“Great. An accidental flirt. Much better.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. His big, muscular chest that his black sweater seemed to

drape over in just the right way to accentuate his muscles. Good grief, where did this guy find time to

go to the gym? “What are you even doing here?” she asked.

“It was a last-minute invitation. Luke is having an article in the magazine next month and he

wanted me to make an appearance for him since he’s out of town. What exactly brings you here?”

Lori scoffed at the memory of how she was tricked into coming. “Treachery. My roommate, the

one in the pink dress, wants to get you in the article too. Something about hot billionaire brothers. I

think she had the idea that since I work with you, I would help sway your opinion.”

“I do owe you a favor…”

“She is not on my list of people to please right now. She told me she was bringing me here to

meet people and be social. Not get her where she wants to go.”

A knowing look crossed his face. “So this is about last night.”

“No. This is about me having fun.”

“And are you having fun?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”

“Then do you want to get out of here?”

“Huh?” Did she hear that right?

“If you’re not having fun, why don’t you leave?”

“Okay, so maybe this is about last night,” she admitted. “If I leave, I’ll just end up going home,

which defeats the entire purpose of going out. But if I stay, I have to deal with you.”

“Ouch.” He held a hand over his heart. “I didn’t realize I was that toxic.”

“You’re a criminal, okay? I don’t associate with criminals.”

“Hey, I’m doing it for my family, remember. That kind of makes me a martyr.”

“An arrogant criminal.”

He leaned in closer. “Why don’t we not mention that, okay?”

“Trust me, I don’t want to mention it. I’m just going to force myself to have fun and pretend you

don’t exist.”

Michael moved to stand beside her as he gazed out at the other partygoers. “You’re going to

have fun with these people?”

She tensed as his shoulder brushed hers. “What’s so wrong with that?”

“If I’m understanding this right, you know exactly two people here and you’re pissed at both of

them.”

“I just have to walk up and say hi, right? Find some common interest? I hear it’s actually easy.”

Michael scoffed. “There’s nothing easy about it. That’s why Luke normally does these things

and I stay in the comfort of the office.”

Lori frowned and looked him over. He hadn’t seemed introverted at all the few times she’d

talked to him. “So you’re only here for Luke? It has nothing to do with all the beautiful women

around?”

He raised a brow and glanced at her. “It might be what convinced me to come out. But if I

wanted to be talking to one of them right now, I would be.”

A rush of heat shot through Lori at his words, and she inched away from him, unsure whether

she was more disturbed by his words or her reaction to him. That’s what happened when she was

starved for human interaction. Any pretty, rich, smart guy could walk off the street and make her

swoon. Okay, so maybe Michael was the whole package except for that one teensy criminal thing, but

that was definitely a deal-breaker. “What did I say about flirting?”

“Fine,” he conceded. “That one was on purpose, but can you blame me?”

Yes. She could blame him a lot. “Just…go hit on a model or something.”

“I’m officially much more interested in you by now. Besides, I’m mad at the magazine.”

“Mad? What did they do?”

“They were using you to get to me.”

She snorted. “I think you used me first.”

“And by the laws of nature, that means I’m the only one allowed to use you.”

She jerked her gaze down and closed her eyes. She knew it wasn’t a sexual comment, but for

some stupid reason, that was exactly where her mind went. “You’re a jerk,” she muttered, not sure

whether she was talking more to him or her own dirty mind.

He chuckled. “Probably. But I’m probably your favorite person here, so…there’s that.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his unfortunately correct assumption. “You’re definitely a jerk.”

“So what are you going to do?” he asked.

“About what?”

“You going to stay and mingle? Run back home and keep doing what you’ve been doing? Or do

you want to get out of here?”

Good grief, this was shaping up to be the strangest day of her life. “I’m not going out with you.”

“As friends, I swear. That way you get a chance to get out and actually enjoy yourself. I can

convince you I’m not a complete tool. Win-win, right?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Michael held his breath as he waited for Lori to answer. This was a bad idea. Evelyn would

probably kill him if she knew he was spending more time with her. But wouldn’t this be better?

Instead of blindly hoping she wouldn’t mess everything up, he could keep an eye on her. Maybe even

get her to like him enough so that she’d believe him when he told her he wasn’t the bad guy.

This newfound offer of friendship had nothing to do with the way her legs seemed endless in

that short skirt or how damn sexy she was as she constantly chewed on her bottom lip.

“Just as friends?” she asked, as though she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Damn it. He had to get his mind out of the gutter. “My intentions are pure,” he promised. It was

true. He didn’t intend to think about throwing her down on his bed, slowly stripping her panties down

her legs, and sliding into her in one hard thrust.

But just because he didn’t intend to think it didn’t mean the thoughts weren’t there.

“Where would we even go?”

He shrugged. “Anywhere.”

The corner of her mouth turned up. “Anywhere? It’s a big city.”

“Hopefully somewhere I can use my money and power to impress you.” He had instant access at

all of the most prestigious restaurants and clubs in the city. All she had to do was snap her fingers and

he would get her anywhere.

“This isn’t some way to trick me into using my favor, is it?”

He held his hands up. “No favors used, promise. No matter what you ask, I’ll still owe you one

after today.” She tightened her lips and he could tell she was about to say no, so he stopped her. “Why

not? What could possibly make you rather spend the day with these strangers than me?”

She glanced around the room. “Well, for one, I still consider you a stranger. And two, I don’t

think any of these people are likely to get me arrested.”

He shook his head. “Come on. You’re not going to get arrested for spending the day with me.”

“Maybe, but I still don’t like you.”

He clenched his jaw. Why did her low opinion of him bother him so much? It wasn’t as if he

gave a damn what anyone else thought. “You really don’t know me.”

“I know enough.”

“Then maybe you should learn more.”

“There is one place I like to go.”

“Somewhere you’ve never been?” Helicopter ride over the city? Renting the entire top of the

Empire State Building? All she had to do was say the word and he’d make it happen.

“No, I’ve been there a few times already. But it’s my favorite place in the city. The Natural

History Museum.”

“The museum? Why?” Or rather, why with him?

She shrugged. “Hey, you said we could do whatever I wanted.”

“If you want it, you got it. Let me call my driver and he’ll be here in the next five minutes.”

She raised a brow. “Your driver?”

“Are you judging me?”

“No judgment here,” she said, even as a smile curled her lips. “If you’re too good for a regular

old cab, that’s your problem.”

He laughed even as he dialed the number for his car company.

“I’m going to let Quinn know I’m bailing on her.”

“Will she be upset?” he asked as he waited for someone to answer his call.

“She’ll probably be ecstatic I’m leaving with you. I’ll be right back.”

He watched her move as he instructed the driver where to meet them. Even if this wasn’t her

normal crowd, she seemed to fit right in. Her long black hair blew in the wind and his heart seemed

to catch in his throat as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

Why the hell was he so attracted to her? It wasn’t as though she was the prettiest woman he’d

ever seen, but she wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes either. And the features that had caught his attention

last night were now highlighted on full display. Those crystal-blue eyes with such a unique color they

almost looked fake. The perfect legs that were bare to the world. Not even stockings. If he moved his

hand along her thigh, there would be bare skin against bare skin up to where her skirt flopped in the

wind.

If she hit just the right updraft, he could see a hell of a lot more than leg…

She turned away from Quinn and walked back to him. He couldn’t help the predatory grin as she

approached him. This was nothing like how he planned on this day going, but for once he was happy

about things not going according to plan.

She held up her drink as she approached. “I’m just going to leave this unless you want it.”

Michael shook his head. He had a feeling that he’d want to be on high alert the entire time Lori

was nearby. “You sure you don’t want to finish it?”

“Definitely.” She set it down on an empty table and led the way to the elevator.

Michael wasn’t normally the following sort, but he enjoyed hanging back a few feet to enjoy the

sway of her hips. He held the door open for her and pretended to be the gentlemen as she moved

inside.

“One of my secrets, and probably why I’m so boring to be around, is I can’t drink.”

He hit the down button at the elevator and eyed her skeptically. “Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t. I get sick before I ever get buzzed. Headache, nauseous, the whole nine yards.”

“Well, that sounds…depressing.” Considering a few of the boring as hell events he’d been to in

the past few years, alcohol might be the only thing that got him through.

“It’s not that bad. I don’t exactly know what I’m missing. And I’ve tried. With mixed drinks,

beer, vodka, whiskey. Believe me, I tried. But the last straw, no pun intended, was when I went

drinking with Quinn a few months ago and got sick on people. Not a night I want to repeat.”

He grimaced. “Remind me not to get you drunk.”

The elevator hit the bottom level and Lori pressed her palm to her forehead. “I can’t believe I

just told you that. I guess it’s a good thing this isn’t a date, right? The puking discussion normally isn’t

first-date material.”

“Still better than talking about how you’re over your ex for an hour straight. Trust me.” The

doors opened and Michael set a hand on her arm to lead her to where he’d told the driver to meet

him. He half expected her to pull away, but she seemed willing to go with the flow.

“Oh no. Did that actually happen?”

“Yep. The last date I went on. She was so over him, she wouldn’t stop reminding me about it. It

almost felt like I was a third wheel.”

They reached the door, and Lori pulled it open before he could do it for her. “That’s so strange.

I’d think most women would be on their best behavior with you.”

“I think you’re overestimating my appeal.”

“I doubt that,” she muttered as they reached the car.

The driver was already ready and opened the door for then. Michael motioned for her to enter

first and he noticed her glance between her legs and the seat. With just a glance, he told the driver to

go back to the driver’s side. “I won’t look,” he whispered behind her.

She glared at him. “This is why I wear jeans all the time, you know?”

“That’s a damn shame.” He set a hand on her waist without even thinking about it. Touching her

just seemed so right. It was hard to imagine how he would keep the entire day platonic. Actually,

screw that. She didn’t exactly push his hand off her. He’d noticed her gaze following him…the way

she’d stared just a bit too long. No. His little obsession wasn’t one-sided.

So if he was attracted to her, and she was attracted to him, why the hell wouldn’t he touch her?

Then again, maybe she was unnerved by his touch, because it finally gave her the motivation to

slide into the backseat, keeping her knees firmly together the entire time. “Not going to look, huh?”

she called from the backseat once she was in.

He blinked and realized he’d been caught staring. Well, so much for gaining her trust. He

followed her in and gave the driver directions for the museum. “That was also accidental.”

The car pulled away from the curb. Lori settled into the corner of the backseat and gave him a

knowing look. “Hate to break it to you, but I’m wearing shorts under this dress. So you were out of

luck either way.”

Way to crush all of his dreams with just one sentence. “I suppose I’ll have to control myself

better then.”

“Mmmm-hmmm. I’m starting to think you don’t have much self-control.”

He had to stop himself from laughing at that one. “You have no idea. I thought everyone knew. I

am the controlled one.”

“Lord have mercy on this city if you’re the good one. I can only imagine how bad Luke is.”

“Luke and Rourke. There’s two more of us.”

“Good grief, that’s terrifying. Does Rourke work for DevX too?”

He shook his head. On second thought, he probably shouldn’t have brought up Rourke. The

wound was still too fresh and the whole story a bit too personal. But Lori seemed so…trustworthy.

Maybe it had more to do with how honest she was with him. As if the knowledge they shared about

what he was up to, no matter how misguided her ideas were, somehow bound them. Most people at

her level could barely say hello without stuttering, yet she had barged into his apartment and ordered

him to leave her alone.

“Rourke is a partial owner. The company was started by my father and uncle. After they died, it

was split evenly between Luke, Rourke, Emma, and I.”

“Not Joslyn?”

“Joslyn was disqualified from her inheritance.” Because she’d probably killed his aunt and

uncle, her parents, but Lori didn’t know exactly how fucked up his family was.

“I didn’t even know that was possible. But I’ve never actually inherited anything.”

He jumped on the chance to turn the subject back to her. “Not much family then?”

“Oh, no. Plenty of family. They’re just all alive.”

“Any reason why you moved away from them?”

Lori ran a hand through her hair. “Not a particularly good one. It just got to the point where I

didn’t feel…right staying there. My sisters all have kids and husbands now. Every family gathering

made me feel more like a babysitter than member of the family. So if I’m going to be the alternative,

nontraditional one, why not move to the city and really do it, you know?”

“I suppose I can see that. I don’t think there is one nontraditional one in my family. We’re all

pretty much fucked.”

“As long as it’s working for you.”

He scoffed, thinking of how non-functional his family was at the moment. A cousin who’d

murdered her parents, another cousin who’d almost been killed just days ago, a brother who wouldn’t

speak to him, and Luke was…Luke. “That depends on what you mean by working.”

“By working, I suppose I meant mass amounts of wealth, power, and good looks.”

He’d caught her finally. “So you do think I’m attractive.”

“Come on. I’ve always thought you were attractive. I also happen to think you’re an evil

mastermind.”

And they were back to that. Couldn’t she spend more time talking about how attractive he was?

“I’m not an evil mastermind. Promise.”

“Well, I still hate you, I’m still convinced you’re evil, and yet somehow we’re going sightseeing

together right now. There has to be some masterminding going on there.”

“Well, yeah. Just not the evil kind.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Lori let out a deep sigh of joy as she walked into her favorite exhibit. The Milstein Family Hall

was a beautiful two-story room filled with hundreds of models of current and long since extinct ocean

life. She didn’t know what exactly calmed her so much about the room. Maybe it was all the relaxing

blues and open skylights on the ceiling or just the reminder of how truly big the world was.

“You’re so funny,” said Michael from beside her. He hadn’t hid his amusement well. As they

made their way through the massive museum, he always seemed to be watching her, and the more

excited she got about certain displays, the wider his smile got. Which was stupid, because there were

so many more interesting things to be looking at than her.

“My love of history amuses you? Do you think I’m crazy now?”

“I think you’re interesting,” he clarified as he glanced up to the massive, life-size recreation of

a whale that hung from the ceiling in the humongous atrium.

She smiled as she looked up at the large model too. “I suppose that’s better than crazy.”

“Much better.”

She walked around the perimeter of the room, where most of the displays were set up. “You’ve

probably been here tons of times considering how long you’ve been in the city.”

“A few. But never really as a tourist. My family has made quite a few donations, so we get

invited to a lot of fundraisers here.”

Her eyes glazed over as she imagined the huge hall filled with men and women in their finest,

sipping wine as they perused the museum. “That would be amazing.”

“I think this might be my favorite visit though.”

She then remembered him saying how he preferred Luke to deal with those events. “Because

those sorts of parties annoy you?”

“Because of the company.”

Damn it, he was flirting again. Well, not again. That would imply that he’d ever stopped. It just

wasn’t fair. Everything the man said seemed to drip with charm. What happened to the intimidating,

terrifying man who’d snuck up behind her in her cubicle? Under any other circumstance, she’d be all

over him. Handsome beyond belief, rich beyond imagination. Why did he have to go and screw

everything up by being a greedy moron?

Sure, her spending the day with him wouldn’t reflect badly on her, but who knew what she’d get

sucked into if she entertained the idea of a relationship with him? Not that he’d asked for a

relationship. Hell, he hadn’t even tried to kiss her or anything. Maybe he was just naturally flirty. And

then there was the other option of why he was being so nice… She knew for certain that he wanted

something from her. He’d even admitted that part of the reason he was being so nice was so she

would think better of him.

Was he just gritting his teeth and trying to get through the day? Maybe this was torture for him...

pretending to like her to make sure she stayed quiet.

“Whoa, what’s going on?” Michael came around to stand in front of her. “You went from

looking like a kid in a candy store to a kicked puppy.”

“I suppose I need to work on my poker face.”

“Or you can work on getting back to the candy store. What happened? Did you see something

that upset you?” He glanced to the display plaque next to the lifelike diorama in front of them. “Did

the Green Bubble Algae piss you off? Because I think I can take them in a fight. I’m bigger.”

She set her palms on his hard chest and tried to push him away, attempting to hide the laughter

that bubbled up. “You’re ridiculous.”

He didn’t budge. “Hey, I promised you a good time. And when you make promises in business,

you deliver. So tell me what bothered you.”

It bothered her that this wasn’t a real date. It bothered her that, aside from an attraction that may

or may not be mutual, they had nothing in common. It bothered her that he wanted something from her

and she couldn’t tell how much was an act. It bothered her that she was absolutely dreading the idea

of going home and having this wonderful day be over. And most of all, it bothered her how great it

felt to have her hands on his warm chest… “My feet hurt. I’m normally here in sneakers, not heels.”

“Do you want to sit down?”

“I think maybe you should call your driver back,” she admitted. She took a step back and let her

hands fall away.

He clenched his jaw and she half expected him to argue. But instead he ended up nodding.

“Sure.” He pulled out his phone and his fingers moved over the screen before he slid it back into his

pocket. Then he reached over and grabbed Lori’s hand, entwining his fingers with hers as he led her

to the exit of the museum.

She couldn’t help but stare at where their hands were joined. This was bad. This was the

opposite of the distance she was looking for when she said they should leave. This…felt amazing.

Good grief, was she really that starved for human contact?

“What are you doing?” she asked as she kept up with his pace.

“What I want to.” He squeezed her hand a bit tighter. “It’s not like you’ll agree to go out with

me again, so I might as well take advantage while I can.”

She tightened her lips. “This isn’t a date.”

“It feels like a date.”

“I don’t think—”

Without warning, Michael ducked into a small hallway off the main route and pulled her in with

him. She stumbled in and slammed into his front before he twisted with her in his arms until her back

was to the wall.

“We need to set something straight,” he said, his mouth just inches from hers.

Lori struggled to catch her breath. He was too close and way too much of him touched her and

really this was highly inappropriate. What if someone saw them? And why wasn’t she pushing him

away? “Are we going to clarify the employer-employee touching boundaries? Because I think those

have been crossed.”

He tilted his head as he considered her. “Do you want me to let you go?”

She opened her mouth to say no, but for some stupid reason, nothing came out.

“So I’m going to take you home. I’m going to walk you up to your apartment. And somehow,

someway, I’m going to convince myself not to follow you inside and take you on the nearest surface

we can find. But please don’t say this isn’t a date. For the rest of your life, if you are ever out with a

man and don’t feel this way, you can rest assured that is not a date.” As he talked, he leaned in even

closer until she could feel every inch of him in one particular area. This was so not appropriate for

her to be doing with her boss…. And yet all she wanted to do was rub up against him and demand

even more.

She forced herself out of his spell and pushed him away. Sure, he was big enough to have held

his ground, but he stepped aside for her. “Don’t give me that,” she bit out. “This is all your fault.”

Without waiting for him to respond, she left the hallway and kept going toward the exit.

But he was never too far away. She could hear his steps behind her and he caught the door as

she opened it to hold it for her. “Did you ever consider that we could have something?”

“Oh yeah.” She gazed over the street to see where his car was. “And then I immediately

disregarded the idea of sleeping with a criminal.”

“I’m not a—”

“Please don’t lie to me. I made a choice years ago to never get involved in all that. You know

why I didn’t take that job your friends offered, right?”

“Because you’re more morally upstanding than me?”

“Because if I wanted that kind of money, I could get it myself. If I’m not going to put my ethics

in question to better my own life, I’m sure as hell not going to bend them for a relationship, or

whatever the hell it is you want from me, with you.” She finally spotted the familiar shiny black sedan

and rushed toward it. How had everything gone downhill so quickly? Actually, the problem was that

everything was too nice. He was too pretty and too funny and too damn big. Seriously, how often did

he go to the gym?

The driver already had the back door open for her as she approached, and this time she climbed

in without hesitation. The sooner she got home and pretended she’d never embarrassed herself so

much in front of Michael, the better. She rolled her eyes as she randomly thought about her weekly

phone call with her mother. She’d always ask whether Lori had met any nice boys and Lori would

always say no and change the subject. What would she say this week? I met a great guy, Mom! He’s

totally into me and disgustingly rich, but I shot him down and basically told him he was scum. But

I have my morals. Aren’t you proud?

She stayed as far away from Michael in the backseat that the car would allow, and he didn’t

seem to be interested in pushing her buttons any further. Maybe she’d finally gotten through to him that

this wasn’t happening. Or maybe he’d never really been that into her and was enjoying the game.

The ride back to her place was quiet. Lori felt mentally and physically drained from the entire

day, and she hoped like hell that Quinn wasn’t home yet. She didn’t want to have to deal with an

interrogation about her date/not a date, and considering she couldn’t tell anyone her true reasons for

not wanting to be with Michael, she would come off sounding insane.

Knowing Quinn, she’d probably think Lori was insane even if she knew the truth. “I have a

friend in prison,” she blurted out.

Michael skeptically eyed her. “Oh yeah?”

She nodded. “Terrorism. He was hired to find some information. Didn’t know the guy who hired

him, but the money was good enough that he didn’t ask questions. The feds didn’t care. Ignorance

wasn’t a defense. Top-level MIT student one minute, convict the next. All it takes is one mistake for

even the brightest to fall.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning.” The car came to a stop in front of her building and she met Michael’s gaze. “I

don’t enjoy seeing people I like fall.”

He didn’t say anything. Just opened his door and climbed out, because he was on the side closer

to the sidewalk.

Lori slid over and climbed out, but he caught her wrist in his hand.

He leaned in close and whispered, “I know what I’m doing.”

“I completely believe you think that,” she admitted. “But you’re not as in control as you think

you are.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, unless this is all part of your grand plan, I’m assuming you didn’t know that Hunter

would be sitting outside my apartment right now.”

CHAPTER NINE

Michael saw red as he abruptly dropped Lori’s wrist and stormed over to where Hunter stood

nonchalantly against the wall. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded as soon as he was in

hearing range. Hunter raised a brow but didn’t look all that concerned. Michael had to clench his fists

to keep from hitting that smug gaze right off his face.

“I was just in the neighborhood. I didn’t realize you and Lori had such a…close relationship.”

“Oh, we’re not together,” said Lori from behind him. “Like, at all. This isn’t what it looks like.”

He glared at her over his shoulder. Now wasn’t the time to remind him just how uninterested

she was in him.

“Relax,” said Hunter. “Your girlfriend is safe. I just wanted to stop by and see if she’d had a

chance to look over Ken’s offer. From what I could tell, it was very generous.”

“She already has a job, and even if she didn’t, that doesn’t give you the right to loiter outside

her apartment half the day.”

Hunter pushed away from the wall and narrowed his eyes. Michael had a good three inches on

the man and could more than handle himself in a fight, but something about the way Hunter moved set

him on edge.

“I simply wanted to give the girl a better life. Have you seen her apartment? Your bathroom is

probably bigger than that entire hole, and you obviously don’t pay her enough to get what she

deserves.”

Michael stepped forward, but Lori’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“I happen to like my apartment, okay? And if I was interested in your offer, I would’ve called.

Until that happens, though, I would appreciate it if you’d go away.” Her voice was firm and steady,

which was a pleasant surprise considering how freaked she’d been when she called Michael the night

before.

Hunter looked past Michael and focused on Lori instead. “Well, when you want someone to

treat you the way you deserve to be treated, you just give us a call, okay, Lori?”

Michael had to clench his fists. For some reason, just hearing Hunter say her name sent his rage

spiraling.

But then Lori set a hand on his arm as she slid between Hunter and him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Hunter nodded at her and shot Michael one more threatening glance before he turned to walk

down the street.

“What the hell was that?” asked Michael as soon as the other man was gone.

Lori twisted to face him. “That is what you got me into. I told you they offered me a job. I just

don’t know why they’re so insistent about it. I know I’m good at what I do, but not that good.”

“It’s because he wants you,” muttered Michael. And who could blame Hunter? Michael was

half obsessed with her by this point too. Hell, he’d be throwing job offers her way if she didn’t

already work for him.

She scoffed and stepped away. “Is that what you think? No. It’s because you offered me up to

them. Even if they did want me as their whore, they wouldn’t offer me that much money.”

She headed into her building and Michael followed after her. “Lori, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes you did. It’s not like you know anything about my abilities as a worker anyway. You didn’t

even know I existed until yesterday.”

Well, that was true. But he also didn’t think the only reason anyone would be throwing job

offers her way was because of one good performance at the office or because of her looks. This

whole damn thing smelled fishy. “Is there anything you aren’t telling me?”

She pulled the door open and turned to glare at him, making it clear he wasn’t invited inside.

“There’s plenty I’m not telling you. I only met you yesterday.”

“Is there something they know that I don’t?”

Her gaze darted to the ground but just as quick, it was back to his. “I don’t know. They’re your

friends. Why don’t you ask them? Now, if you’re done with me for the day, I’m going to go back to my

reclusive life. I really think it works best for me.”

He clenched his jaw and stepped closer. “Lori, I think we need to figure this out.”

“I think the two of us don’t mix…and the less time I spend with you, the better.”

She couldn’t leave him like this. They needed to talk. They needed to make sure she was safe.

But instead of saying any of that, Michael did the only thing he could think of. He closed the distance

between them, rested his palms on either side of her face and kissed her.

She immediately tensed in his arms, but she didn’t push him away, and that was the only

encouragement he needed.

He let his hands slide down to lightly cup her neck as he angled his mouth for better access, just

teasing the seam of her lips with his tongue. She let out a small, worried moan right before she

opened for him, and he growled his victory.

And then her fingers twisted in the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer as she kissed him

back. Damn, she felt good against him. She didn’t kiss as if she knew exactly what she wanted and

was doing her best to get it. She kissed as if she needed to. As if she was just as perplexed at their

strange connection as he was.

“Ahem,” said someone from behind them.

Michael forced himself to pull away from Lori and glared at the stranger behind them.

“You mind moving that somewhere else so I can get into my building?” said the guy with an

annoyed expression.

Yes. Michael minded more than this stranger would ever know.

“I’m so sorry,” blurted Lori as she pushed Michael away from the door to let the man through.

Her face was a bright shade of red and he wished like hell he knew how much of the bright shade was

due to embarrassment and what was attributable to her desire. Namely her desire for him to carry her

up to her apartment and fuck her against the nearest wall, counter, couch or, hell, floor they could find.

“That did not happen.”

Immediately, all his fantasies were crushed.

“That did happen.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up against him. “In

fact, it should happen more. Like right now. And then continue for much longer.”

She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. For a split second, he even thought she

was going to lean in and kiss him again. But she just sighed and leaned away. “Nope. I’m going home.

Alone.”

“You don’t want to,” he insisted as he bent down for another kiss.

She ducked away and he let her go. Damn it. As long as she thought he was really in business

with the Thirteen Stars, he would never stand a chance. And considering he’d only just met her, that

shouldn’t bother him as much as it did.

“I’m going home,” she repeated, and he wasn’t sure whether she was saying it more to him or to

herself. As she reached the door, she paused again. “Tell you what. If you break all your, um,

questionable ties, you call me, okay?”

“I’m going to remember you said that,” he called, but she didn’t say anything else as she crossed

into the building and the door shut behind her. He fell back against the cool brick and tried to find his

normal calm, but he just couldn’t settle the disquiet that swirled within him. He was frustrated. Horny.

And most of all, he was confused, and that sure as hell wasn’t a feeling he was used to.

He forced himself to cross the street and head back to his car. If he stayed out there much longer,

he’d be no better than the creepy Hunter. He climbed into the backseat before the driver could get the

door for him and told the driver to take him home. As the car pulled away from the curb, he pulled out

his phone and dialed Evelyn’s number.

As always, she answered on the first ring. “Evelyn here.”

“I think it’s time you tell me exactly what you know about Lori Briggs and spill the real reason

you handpicked her.”

CHAPTER TEN

Lori looked over her shoulder for the sixteen-thousandth time that day. Even though she hadn’t

had any indication that Michael would come back down to her floor, she couldn’t shake the feeling

that he could pop up at any minute.

She’d spent all of Sunday peeking out of her windows, half expecting to see Hunter or Michael

in front of her building, staring up at her all broodingly. To think, just a few days ago she’d been all

alone and wishing there was a guy in her life. Now she had two. Both had asked her out and both

wanted things from her. Not that she was into Hunter at all, but it was strange to think of all he had in

common with Michael.

Maybe she should just go to the police anyway. Sure, she didn’t have much in the way of

evidence, but it would be better than sitting around and waiting, which was all she did on Sunday.

After she sent her resume out to ten different promising companies, she’d done everything possible to

distract herself. The apartment was spotless, the pantry was stocked, laundry was done, and she’d

even worked out for the first time in forever.

But somehow everything led back to Michael. What would happen when he got caught? Would

anything circle back to her somehow? She’d used her own computer to hack into the FBI one Hunter

and Ken had brought to the meeting, but it was doubtful that anything else would lead back to her. She

was probably safe from legal scrutiny, but Michael was already in much too deep.

A knock sounded from behind her. Lori twirled around in her chair to see Cali with her knuckles

against the metal of the cube. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully.

Lori eyed the blonde skeptically. She couldn’t recall even one time that the assistant who sort of

ran the company had come down to her level. Michael one day, Cali the next…her cubicle was

becoming the place to be.

“Morning to you too. Computer trouble?” Please let it just be a virus that Lori could fix and

nothing to do with whatever the hell happened over the weekend.

“I actually had a few computer-related questions to ask. It shouldn’t take long. Want to grab a

coffee from downstairs and talk it over?”

No. She really, really didn’t want to get coffee with Cali. “I actually have a lot of work to do.”

“That’s kind of the purpose of coffee. Come on. It’s on me.”

Lori was very aware that Cali wasn’t actually asking a question, so she gave up. If she resisted,

it would cause a scene, and at this point, that was exactly what she didn’t want. “Sure. Let’s go.”

Once they were downstairs in the lobby and out of earshot of Lori’s less privacy inclined co-

workers, she asked the questions she’d been biting back. “Michael didn’t send you here to talk to me,

did he? Because I have nothing to say to him.”

Cali narrowed her eyes and looked Lori over. “No, he didn’t send me. But I wanted to let you

know that whatever happened on Friday, I’m here to talk to if you need someone.”

Well, that was…suspicious. Cali hadn’t given two shits about Lori before Friday and now she

wanted to be supportive and buddy-buddy? “What’s your angle?”

Cali smiled but didn’t deny that she had ulterior motives. “I was hoping we could help each

other. Sometimes it’s such a boys’ club up top, it’s hard to keep my friends and enemies straight.”

“Are you trying to decide which of those camps I fit in?”

“I’m trying to figure out why Luke and Michael are having secret meetings and not putting them

on my calendar or telling me about them. More specifically, why they’d have a sales meeting that

obviously wasn’t about sales and why you would be there.”

Coffee with a side of interrogation. Great. “They just had a computer issue they needed help

with on Friday.”

“Funny. Normally when they have a computer issue, they ask me to call your department and

they send Josh up. Like, don’t get me wrong. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you so far, but

you’ve only been here three months. Techs who’ve only been here three months don’t work on Luke

and Michael’s computers.”

Lori held up her hands. “Hey, I didn’t ask questions. Michael showed up at my cube and asked

for help and I did. If there’s tension between the three of you, I don’t want to get in the middle of it.”

Cali scoffed. “Tension? No. There’s no tension. I’m just confused and I’m not used to being in

the dark about anything.”

Actually, if Lori worked this right, she might be able to use Cali to her advantage. “Are you

worried they’re doing something bad?”

Cali tightened her lips and was quiet for a moment. “That family has never once done anything

to make me question their judgment. So I don’t think they’d do anything to mess up their reputations

now.”

Nice answer. But even if Cali did suspect something, it wasn’t as if she’d tell Lori to her face.

She decided to try a different tactic instead. “You’re a woman I’d consider ambitious.”

She scoffed. “I’m what I’d call ambitious too. What’s your point?”

“If you were asked to do something you considered…unethical, what would you do?”

The blonde narrowed her eyes. Lori tried to keep her expression blank so Cali couldn’t see

through her.

Cali took a sip of coffee before she leaned in. “I’ve been paying attention. You know all those

big scandals lately? Tyco, Enron, and thousands of other cases that never made the national news?

I’ve watched countless interviews and gone to the lectures given by these guys once they get out of

prison and colleges throw money at them to hear even the tiniest bit about how they did what they did.

Why they put their companies and friends on the line. You know how many hundreds or thousands of

employees had to know something was wrong and didn’t say or do anything about it? You think all

those little folk were crooks and criminals just laughing evilly as the stock price went up and up?

“No. The reason they were all working to screw the overall economy is because these aren’t

people being asked by their boss to do something horrid. These are people being asked by their

friends to help save the company. To help their fellow co-workers. And they’re not thinking of one

month or one year down the line when the SEC starts asking questions. They’re living in the moment.

Like when you’ve got a delicious cake sitting right in front of you. You know every single calorie is

going right to your ass, but for some reason you eat that slice anyway. Because all you can think about

is the now. When you’re faced with an ethical dilemma, you have to consider the now, the laters, and

the what-ifs.”

“So I’m assuming you wouldn’t do anything you think would get you in trouble?”

Cali raised a brow. “Have you seen my body? I don’t eat cake.”

Lori sighed. This wasn’t getting her anywhere. She had a feeling Cali had no clue what was

going on, and as much as Lori would love to help her, she couldn’t go spilling all Michael’s secrets to

a virtual stranger. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to pass on the coffee. I don’t think there’s

anything down here that can help you.”

Right as she turned to go, Cali reached out and grabbed her arm. “Do I need to be worried?”

Lori pulled her arm away. “I think that you know Luke and Michael much better than I do.” And

if Cali had a bad feeling, then everyone should probably be scared. “Thanks for inviting me out.” Lori

twisted away and headed back to the elevators.

Luckily, Cali didn’t follow her, so she was able to get on the elevator alone and not face any

more of her prying questions. She just needed a break and a few days where she didn’t have to deal

with any of Michael’s drama.

Yet for some reason, she found herself hitting the button for the executive level. Fantastic. Her

subconscious was now taking over her body. But as much as she wanted nothing to do with Michael,

he had a right to know his right-hand man…er, woman was suspicious.

It was only when the doors opened that Lori realized she didn’t actually know where Michael

sat. But, logically, he was one step down from the CEO, and the building was square-shaped. So

considering she knew he was on this floor, there were only four possible corner offices. So all she

had to do was walk the perimeter.

When she got to the second corner, she saw the nameplate she was looking for. Michael

Devereaux. And, just her luck, when she glanced through the open door, no one was there. Well, she’d

tried. It wasn’t her fault Michael wasn’t there when she wanted to warn him about his overachieving

assistant who wasn’t really an assistant.

For a moment, she didn’t move, instead taking in Michael’s massive office. Even though she’d

never been up there before, it was on par with what she’d expect from a CEO of a multi-billion dollar

company. The desk looked expensive and ornate, with a latest edition monitor and laptop sitting in the

middle. Behind the desk were a few bookshelves littered with awards and various technical manuals

and leadership books.

But that was just the one half. The other half of the office stretched out. There was a table with

enough room to sit six people, and a big screen television was set up against the far wall with a few

cords hanging down that could hook up to computers if necessary. Lori wondered whether it got cable

too. Would be nice to have some quality TV on during the especially late nights she was sure Michael

had to pull.

Though the true star of the office wasn’t the television or desk of gross amounts of space. The

focal point was the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked Manhattan. Good grief. Lori wouldn’t

be able to get any work done if she had those windows. She’d just stare in awe at the city for hours

and hours on end.

But she didn’t have time to stare out in awe. She had work to do, and Michael obviously wasn’t

here. She’d tried, though. That deserved a pat on the back. Satisfied with the effort she’d put in, Lori

turned to leave.

“Not exactly who I expected to see when I came back here,” said Michael from the doorway.

She gasped in shock and set a hand over her heart. Damn, he looked just as good as she’d

remembered. She’d kind of hoped that her memories of his attractiveness had been clouded by how

strange the weekend had been. “I was just leaving,” she muttered.

He stepped in and pushed the door shut behind him. “I actually was hoping to get a chance to

talk to you today. I’m assuming since you came up here, you have a few minutes.”

“I really don’t. I just thought you should know Cali was asking questions that I didn’t have the

answer to. It seemed like you should know. That’s it. Have a nice day.” She made a beeline for the

exit.

“Lori, take a seat,” he said.

Would it be rude if she ignored him and ran back to her cube? Maybe it would be rude, but

definitely understandable. And cowardly. She still turned around and took a seat in the blue chair on

the other side of his desk. “I really do have a lot of work to do and I’d hate for my boss to get upset.”

“I am your boss.” He took a seat. But not in his computer chair. Instead, he sat in the chair next

to hers.

“I meant my boss boss. Not my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss…or however high up you go on that

chain.”

“This is important. I think you have a right to know the entire story.”

A bolt of dread shot through her. “I don’t think that’s necessary. At this point, I think I already

know too much of the story. And you know how the saying goes. Less is more.”

“I’m working with the FBI.”

Her gaze jerked up and met his. His golden eyes didn’t hold any trace of a joke. Maybe he was

lying, but she had a feeling she’d never be able to crack his poker face. “Oh really?”

“They threatened to kill my cousin. I didn’t know what to do. My handler was the one who

recommend Luke and I join the Thirteen Stars in order to find out who their leader is and take them all

down.”

Lori nodded slowly as she digested this new information. “Thirteen Stars? What the hell is

that?”

“It’s an…organization. Thirteen men from some of the most prominent families in the world

formed it back in the fifties. It started as a sort of good ol’ boys club. Rich guys working together to

get richer. Except after a few decades, the stock market crashed in the eighties. After that, they

decided to get creative about keeping their money. They pass along trade secrets at just the right time

and set up hard to broker deals for each other.”

“Insider trading and stuff?” She was so in over her head. None of those financial crime stories

made any sense to her.

“And stuff. One of these guys once set up a fund for all of the employees of his firm to put their

401(k)s in. He sent all the money overseas to illegal investments with massive returns and told

everyone it was just in the stock market. He made millions off the extra returns they were getting.

When the feds found out about it, all the employees lost all their savings and he was halfway across

the world with billions in his savings account. As long as he’s relaxing on that beach, the government

is never going to be able to punish him and those people will never get their money back.”

“And these are the people who tried to kill your cousin?”

“You’d be amazed what people will do to protect their money.” She really wouldn’t be as

surprised as he suspected, but he didn’t stop there. “But there’s more.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course there is. How could this possibly get worse?”

“I didn’t pick your name out of a hat, Lori.”

“I thought you picked me because I was isolated.”

“I did. Well, I thought I did. In reality, I didn’t pick you. My FBI handler had been going through

the employee files, and when the Thirteen Stars demanded I have someone who knew computers in

the meeting, she was the one who said I should pull you in. Except when Hunter was suddenly hanging

around outside your apartment, I got suspicious. Wondering if there was more than my handler was

letting on.”

Lori tilted her head. “More about me than she was letting on?”

He nodded. “You have an uncle. Your mother’s brother.”

“Uncle Grayson? Yeah, my mom hates him. I haven’t seen him in years.”

“Well, apparently he’s the main accountant for Thirteen Stars.”

Her jaw dropped and she pushed herself out of the chair. “What? That’s insane.”

“You said yourself that you haven’t seen him in years.”

“Yeah. That doesn’t mean I think he’s working for some financial terrorist organization. He got

me dolls at Christmas, for crying out loud!”

Michael remained seated, but looked as though he was poised to jump up if she ran for the door.

“I’m telling you what the FBI told me. The guy is apparently a recluse. No wife. No kids. Like you

said, isn’t in contact with his family. I suppose Evelyn thought that bringing you in might give us the

opportunity to get him to testify.”

Lori crossed to the windows and turned back around. When she ran out of room again, she

realized she was pacing. Damn it, she didn’t pace. She wasn’t a pacer. She was calm and collected

under pressure. “So, what? You expected me to call this guy up out of the blue and say ‘Hey! Want to

give up all your money and maybe face a jail sentence in order to do me a solid?’”

Michael finally stood. “No. I don’t want you involved in this at all. But I do think you have a

right to know.”

“I’m supposed to just go back to work and pretend like this never happened? How could you

possibly think I’d be okay with that?”

“Would you rather I kept this to myself?”

“No! I’d rather my uncle not be a criminal mastermind and I go back to not knowing anything

about you.”

His face immediately hardened and she realized what she’d said. But she didn’t take it back

either. She meant what she said. She just wanted to go back to Friday morning when none of this had

happened.

“So does that mean that our date’s off?”

She frowned and racked her brain as she tried to think of what he was talking about. “Huh?”

“I told you I’m not one of the bad guys and you said you couldn’t be with me as long as I was.

So does this mean you’ve changed your mind?”

“You’re seriously asking me out right now?”

“This weekend, you said there was only one barrier to you agreeing to be with me. I removed

that barrier.”

“You brought me all the way up here to hit on me?”

“You came to me, remember?”

Lori ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “And maybe that was a mistake. I thought I was

doing you a favor, but every time I do you a favor, I seem to have my entire life rocked. So I think

staying away is my best option.”

He took a step closer. “Or you’re making excuses now.”

“Maybe, but they’re valid excuses.”

Another step. “Maybe. But let me ask you something. Did you think about me yesterday?”

Her eyes widened. Seriously, wasn’t there any other question he could ask her? “I didn’t think

of you at all.”

Another step. “Making excuses is one thing. Outright lying is another.”

“That doesn’t mean anything, though! You’re,” she gestured toward him with a hand, “gorgeous

and I’m fairly certain every woman in the city thought about you at some point yesterday.”

His mouth curled up as he took another step, bringing him right in front of her. She should take a

step back. Why wasn’t she taking a step back?

“Then go out with me. I’ll show you a good time.” His gaze dropped to her lips. “I promise.”

“You’re not playing fair,” she whispered.

“I—”

She stood on her toes and kissed him. She didn’t know why she did it. Didn’t really care either.

He was right. She was totally into him and was making up excuses all over the place to stay away.

But why bother?

Even though she kissed him, he took over immediately. His hands gripped her waist and hauled

her so tightly against him that her toes almost lifted off the ground. She wrapped her arms around his

neck and let her eyes drift shut as she let the sensations guide her.

As she opened her mouth to him and his tongue just passed the entrance to her lips, his entire

body stiffened in her arms and he pulled away. She frowned and looked up at him, only to realize his

gaze was over her shoulder.

Lori looked behind her and was horrified to see Cali in the doorway. “This isn’t what it looks

like,” blurted Lori.

Cali shot Lori a skeptical look and nodded. “Really? Because it looks like you’re making out

with Michael in his office.”

Lori’s mouth fell open, but no words came out.

“Cali, I’m assuming there’s a good reason you didn’t knock.”

Suddenly realizing she was still holding onto Michael, Lori started to pull away and, after a

moment of resistance, he let her go.

Cali only smiled wickedly. “Oh, I did knock. You just happened to not hear me.”

Even Michael was quiet to that one. But then he smiled and looked to Lori. “Well, I guess I

can’t blame you for that one.”

“As much fun as this was, and rest assured I do intend to hold this over your head for many,

many years, your ten thirty appointment is here. Unless you want me to tell them you have better things

to do…”

Lori slapped a palm over her eyes. “Oh my God.”

“I’m kidding!” said Cali. “No judgment. Unless you blow off this meeting to be with your

girlfriend. Then I might judge you.”

Lori backed farther away from Michael and shook her head. “Not his girlfriend. This was a

one-time thing. We’re done. No missed meetings.”

Michael and Cali both regarded her with the same skeptical expression as Cali moved out of the

way. “Don’t worry,” said Cali. “While you two figure that out, your secret is safe with me.”

Was Cali a gossip? Lori had never heard that she was a talker, but before that morning, they’d

never run in the same circles. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She’d just have to take

the woman’s word for it.

As she practically ran for the exit, Michael called out, “We’ll talk later.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“We’ll still talk later.”

Lori didn’t look back as she headed down the hallway. She was too busy trying to decide

whether Michael was making a promise or a threat.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“You’re joking, right? Please tell me that you have a horrible sense of humor and this is a

hideously unfunny joke.”

Michael grimaced at Evelyn’s tone. He knew she would be mad, but it wasn’t as though she

could really do anything. His lawyers already had the paperwork to guarantee none of his

involvement in this little operation would land him in jail, and now that Emma was safe, he was

doing Evelyn a favor she had no way of doing herself. So from here on out, if he wanted to do

something crazy like, say, open up to Lori about what he was really doing with Thirteen Stars, Evelyn

had no right to bitch at him for it.

“I used my judgment to decide that our little deal would be safer if a talented computer hacker

had all the cards on the table.”

Evelyn leaned forward and rested her arms on the cloth-covered table in the private corner of

the restaurant they were meeting in. “Even if you thought this was the best course of action, why

didn’t you call me first?” Before he could answer, she continued, “Because you knew I’d say no. I’m

not your fucking mother, Michael. You can’t sneak behind my back and think nothing will happen.

What you’re doing is important. We need to be careful.”

“You’re right. You’re not my mother. My mother’s dead. You brought Lori into this, so don’t get

pissed at me for not using a completely innocent girl to catch your crooks.”

Evelyn leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Completely innocent? Is that what

she told you? Or is that just what makes her so attractive to you?”

“Do you really think I got this far without being a good judge of character?”

She scoffed. “Please. If you knew the places I’ve been. The crap I’ve seen. If I weren’t a good

judge of character, I wouldn’t even be alive. So don’t talk down to me, Devereaux.”

He clenched his jaw and glanced out over the busy crowd at his favorite lunch meeting spot, but

the familiar sight didn’t ease him at all. If anything, he felt more on edge than he had to begin with.

He’d been like this all morning, since the very moment Lori walked out of his office. It had taken

everything in him to keep from heading back to her workspace and asking her out again. Sure, she’d

turned him down multiple times. But then she’d kissed him.

Not a chaste peck on the lips. Oh no. She’d pulled him to her and taken whatever she wanted

from him, and if Cali hadn’t reminded him that he actually had a job to do, who knew how much

further Lori would’ve let him go.

“I won’t lie. I do have my own reasons for bringing in Lori. But I’m not wrong about this. She

deserves to know. I’m not used to using people and I didn’t want her to think I’d forced her into doing

something questionable.”

Evelyn’s expression finally softened. “I do think you had nothing but good intentions. But

believe you me, considering how fast she got into that computer, she isn’t as innocent as you might

think.”

“Did you ever determine whose computer it was they wanted her to get into?”

“We’re still looking into it, but to be honest, even if we knew, we wouldn’t tell you.”

“So our information only goes one way?”

“Knowing too much is what gets people killed, Michael. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe that.” He refused to believe he’d put Lori in more danger by

telling her everything, but he wouldn’t fight with Evelyn any more about it. “So what information do

you think I need to know?”

“The transfer has gone through, so you’re officially one of the fold. The next step should be fun.

You get to party.”

He had to bite back a groan. “Party?”

“Wine and dine with all the other little rich folks. Get to know them. Listen. And then tell me

everything you hear.”

“Sounds tedious but doable.”

“You’ll probably even get a chance to meet your girlfriend’s uncle, so you’ll already have a lot

to talk about.”

Michael narrowed his eyes. Evelyn was trying something, he was sure of it. He just wasn’t sure

what. Was she trying to see whether he was emotionally attached already? Or seeing whether he was

uncomfortable with the idea of who Lori might be related to? Either way, Michael kept his face blank.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Please try to keep it that way. Really, I’m fine with any woman you want to be involved with,

but things could get really messy. Especially considering that if everything goes according to plan,

you’ll be putting her uncle in prison.”

Well, so much for him removing all obstacles to them being together. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’d like to arrange a meeting with you, me, and Lori.”

“No.” Hell no was the exact phrase that came to mind. “You just said you didn’t want her

involved in this.”

“Yeah, I didn’t. But you have seen to it that she’s as involved as possible. If there is someone

out there capable of jeopardizing this entire operation, I’d like to have a word with her.”

“Are you going to threaten her into staying quiet?”

Evelyn smiled at him from across the table. “I’m going to ask her to stay quiet,” she clarified.

“And, who knows? Maybe she can even help us with this.”

“You don’t need her help. That’s why you have me.”

“I’m resourceful. Tell you what. You let her know that I’m interested in meeting with her and if

she doesn’t want to, that’s up to her.”

“And if I say no?”

Evelyn raised a dark brow. “Then you’ll sound exceedingly unreasonable. Just one harmless

little meeting with a woman who isn’t even your girlfriend. Plus, if she does help, you can be done

with the Thirteen Stars even earlier than you originally wanted.”

“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes and stood. “Don’t bother lying to me, Michael. But, as a sign of

appreciation for all you’ve done for me so far, I’ll leave your girlfriend alone. But at least do me a

favor and let me know if she does anything that worries you, okay?”

“She’s not—”

She held up a hand. “What did I just say?”

“Well, she hasn’t agreed to be my girlfriend.”

Evelyn actually smiled and he halfway felt like patting himself on the back for such an

accomplishment. “Atta boy,” she said.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for lunch?”

She glanced around the room. “As much as I enjoy our time together, this really isn’t my crowd.

Tell Luke the non-Lori related things we talked about today, okay?”

It seemed her and Luke were still at odds. They really needed to sort this out before it started

messing with their plans. “You don’t want to tell him yourself?”

“Hell no. He’s your brother. You deal with him.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lori set the laptop she’d just finished updating on the empty desk space behind her. She still had

a few hundred more she had to do, but she was headed home in the next ten minutes, so she wouldn’t

be starting any more upgrade projects for the day. All she had to do was answer a few emails and

then she could head home.

Of course, Quinn would be at home and she’d be harping on about that damn photo shoot again.

She was still hung up on the idea of doing a double feature on the brothers, and now that she knew

Lori and Michael had spent most of Saturday together, she was more convinced than ever that Lori

was her secret weapon to make that happen.

Maybe she would grab another laptop to work on… Just then, a new email popped up, and

Lori’s eyes widened as she saw the sender. Michael sent her an email. How…normal. That worried

her. From the few days she’d known him, she’d realized Michael Devereaux didn’t do normal. Until

she opened the email and realized there was nothing normal about it.

Can you come up to my office to finish our discussion?

Her answer was simple and swift. No.

She immediately received a response in her inbox. Then can we go out to dinner and finish it?

No. No. That’s a double no. The second she hit Send, she wished she could take it back. The

joking probably wasn’t going to get her point across any more. She stared intently at the screen as she

waited for his response. Was he going to ask her out again? On the one hand, asking for a date via

email was incredibly inappropriate, but considering it was his company, it wasn’t as if they were

going to get in trouble.

This was what she got for kissing him. But it wasn’t her fault! It was as if the entire universe

conspired against her to make her want him! And he only made matters worse by saying he wasn’t

actually a criminal.

No. It was her family who was apparently filled with bad guys. Well, one bad guy. But that was

more than she wanted.

“So you’re really going to play this game?”

Lori twisted around to see Michael behind her. Oh no. People would hear. “Umm… No games.”

“Do you have a good reason to say no?”

She had fifteen thousand reasons to say no, but went with the first one that came to mind.

“Because you terrify me?”

“Then give me a chance to change that.”

Lori motioned to the surrounding cubes with a jerk of her head and mouthed, “People can hear

you.”

He gave her what could only be described as an I don’t give a fuck look. “Five minutes?” he

mouthed, holding up five fingers in case she missed the message.

“Ten,” she said. Her own little rebellion.

He smiled in victory and her traitorous heart beat faster. He really did have a beautiful smile.

Not that that had anything to do with anything. She would go out, let him buy her a nice dinner that

would probably cost more than her rent, and then she’d order him to take her home.

“I’ll meet you out front,” he said quietly before he left.

After he walked away, she twirled back to her computer. She didn’t have to make him take her

straight home. She replayed all the reasons she and Michael weren’t compatible and they were all

still valid. But women had used men they weren’t compatible with for centuries.

It wasn’t as though they would be getting married or anything. Hell, after Michael spent more

time with her, he’d probably be running for the door. But for now, he seemed to be intrigued by her,

and she couldn’t say she didn’t feel the same way about him. The only difference was that Michael

Devereaux was used to getting everything he wanted and Lori was the kind who kept herself

controlled and forced herself to keep her wants at bay.

A few minutes later, she was at the front of the building and approaching the familiar car and

driver, who stood next to the open door to the backseat. Lori smiled as she bent down just far enough

to verify Michael was already inside and waiting for her. Knowing her luck, she would’ve

accidentally hopped into a stranger’s car if she hadn’t checked first.

She climbed in next to him. “You’re insane, you know.”

He looked her over but didn’t smile. “Is that right?”

“Wandering down to my cube and demanding I go to dinner with you? That seems rather insane

to me.”

“I wouldn’t say I demanded.”

“Then you’d be wrong. If I said no, I would’ve caused a scene and everyone would think I was

screwing my boss.”

“You can say no now.”

She eyed him. “I can?”

“Say the word and I’ll take you home right now.”

She squinched her face. “No. Quinn is at home. She’s been on my case ever since Saturday. I’d

rather stay away.”

For the first time since she got in the car, he smiled and she realized that he’d been nervous.

Nervous she would change her mind and refuse to see him. Hmm… She couldn’t remember the last

time she made a man nervous, and she had to admit, she kind of liked knowing that she wasn’t the only

one a bit terrified.

“Do you have any preference for a restaurant? I can get us in pretty much anywhere.”

“I was thinking we could order in, actually.”

And just like that, the smile was gone, replaced by an intense look she’d never seen before, let

alone directed at her.

“Head back home, Jerry.” Michael sat back in his seat.

The car took off and Lori inched away from Michael and tucked into the corner of the backseat.

She really should be inching closer, considering what she’d intended to do from the moment she’d

turned off her computer, but it just seemed off. The driver was only a few feet away, and it seemed all

too surreal to know exactly what was coming. Or rather, that they both would be coming shortly…

“I should probably tell you something,” Michael said.

“Well, that sounds romantic,” muttered Lori.

“The joint venture we were talking about earlier? My main contact there is Evelyn Price. She

knows I told you about the venture, so she wants to meet you. I told her to go to hell, but I figure I owe

it to her to tell you. So now you know and I can tell her I did what she wanted.”

Lori scoffed and looked across the seat at him. He seemed so far away. Like that first car ride

they’d shared on the way to the museum. But it had been different by the time they’d left. They’d been

different in his office that morning.

Biting her bottom lip, Lori slid over a few inches. Not too much closer, but not hovering as far

away as she could get either.

“Why does she want to talk to me?”

Michael’s gaze fell to the now smaller amount of leather between them. “She wants to use you

to her own gain.”

“Well, do you think I can help? After all, it is my family—”

Michael reached out and intertwined his fingers with hers. “I don’t want to talk about this right

now.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but once Michael started to run the pad of his thumb over the

sensitive flesh where her wrist met her palm, forming words became much harder. She became

entranced where his big hand wrapped around her smaller one.

“There are a few good places we could order from.”

She had to rip her gaze away from where they touched. “Why are your palms callused?”

“From when I was younger. I didn’t always live in the city. I grew up in the country and my

parents always kept my brothers and I busy with chores. Mostly manual labor to keep the family home

up to standards. But I also played a few sports.”

“So you’re a jock?”

“Recovering jock. But when you’re in a Georgia high school, trying out for the football team is

basically a given. And when your family is the richest one in town, making it on that team is also

pretty much a given. As much as I’d like to think my athletic abilities earned me my spot, I’m not that

naive.”

Lori turned his palm over and ran the fingers of her other hand over the veins and thinly veiled

strength. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, I’ll have to show you my stats and prove it to you.”

“I might take you up on that offer.”

The car came to a halt and Lori’s heart kicked into high gear. Were they really at his place

already? Though considering how much he made a year, it would make sense that he’d live in the

Upper East Side.

He slid out of the car before Jerry could open the door for him and strode around to the curb

side of the vehicle. Once he opened the door for her, Lori froze. Was she really going up there? She’d

been to Michael’s apartment before. She knew exactly how clean and sterile it looked on the surface.

Kind of like Michael.

His suit was always perfectly pressed and every hair was in place. But underneath that

perfectly constructed exterior was something she never expected to find. A person. Funny and

charming and not at all as polished as he liked to pretend. Once she got out of the car, there was no

turning back. No. The ship had sailed the second she’d gotten in the car to begin with. When she left

her cube. When she’d kissed him that morning. Maybe even when she’d stormed into his place just

days ago.

But there was no going back. Lori stepped out of the car and took Michael’s hand again. Instead

of eyeing the building breathlessly like she had the first time she’d come here, all she could focus on

was Michael. As he moved, his back muscles played against the fabric of his suit. She’d stared at him

like this that first day. Once again, she followed him into the elevator, fantasizing about how he’d look

without that jacket on. Without his shirt.

Except her fantasies were about to become a reality. Once they got upstairs, she could do

whatever she wanted to him.

“You look like you’re about to hyperventilate,” he said as the elevator climbed higher and

higher.

“I’ve never had much of a poker face,” she said with a hollow laugh.

He squeezed her hand a bit tighter. “You’re not afraid, are you?”

“I thought I told you already. I’m terrified.”

“Well, the joke’s on you then. Because I’m really not all that scary.”

The doors opened and she followed him down the exceedingly short hallway to his door.

Buildings like this either had no hallways or the elevators opened right into the fancy apartments of

the owners. Her own place had a barely working lift and a hall that passed ten other doors before she

got to her own.

But here it was three feet and then door.

Michael took out his key, but turned to her before he opened it. “You really look like you’re

about to run.”

For as smart as Michael was, he really could be dense sometimes. “Did you ever think that

maybe my antsiness has more to do with anticipation than fear?”

He smiled down at her. “Yes. But believing it would’ve made me pretty arrogant, now wouldn’t

it?”

Lori stepped in closer. “I think that ship has sailed long ago.” And then she pushed up on her

tiptoes in her sneakers and pressed her lips softly against his.

He kissed her back slowly, thoroughly. One hand splayed against her back and pressed her

against him.

“Luckily for you,” she whispered, “I’m one of those crazy women who thinks arrogance can be

sexy.”

She could feel his smile on her lips before he reached around her and unlocked the door in one

deft move. It was especially impressive considering he didn’t take his eyes off her the entire time.

As soon as the door was open, Lori backed inside, wrapped her fingers in Michael’s jacket and

pulled him in with her. He kicked the door shut with his foot as his mouth found hers again.

Now that they were in the privacy of his home, all bets were off. His formerly gentle kiss was

now rough and demanding. In response, she pulled him closer even as she pushed his jacket over his

shoulders and the expensive material crumpled to the floor.

She moaned as her hands roamed over his back, and her head fell back as Michael’s lips traced

down the column of her throat. Her breaths came quicker, and she closed her eyes to revel in the

sensations as his hands roamed over her body, skimming over her back, cupping her ass, and then

traveling back up and catching in the hem of her blouse. He pulled away from her just long enough to

pull the shirt up and over her head.

Before she could kiss him again, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her until her

toes were off the ground. She grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself as he carried her through

the entryway and into the kitchen, where he set her on the island and spread her jean-clad thighs so he

could fit between them.

Before she could become overwhelmed with how real it all was now, he cupped her face in his

hands and kissed her again. She let him sweep her away even as her fingers fumbled with the buttons

on his shirt. To give her more room to work, he dropped his arms and rested his palms on her hips

above the waist of her jeans. She moaned against him as his tongue teased her and she finally got the

last button on his shirt undone. Without needing any encouragement, he shrugged it off and came right

back to her.

He went to kiss her again, but she held up a hand to stop him. “Hold on,” she murmured. “I’ve

been waiting for this…” She took a moment to appreciate his beauty. The same dark hair from his

head barely dusted his chest, and a more defined trail led straight toward the button of his slacks. She

ran a finger over the ridges of his abdomen, reveling in finally getting to touch his beautiful physique.

While she was distracted, he leaned forward and ran his lips up the side of her neck. His

fingers wrapped in her ponytail and angled her neck to give him better access as he nibbled on her

ear, nipping a bit too hard and then using his tongue to take away the sting.

She moved against him and pulled his hips closer until the bulge of his cock was up against her

core. As she rubbed against his erection, his hands frantically roamed over her sides and back before

they rested on her shoulders and slipped off the straps of her black bra one at a time. He slid the

straps farther and farther down until her breasts were free to his gaze. Her nipples were already hard

from arousal, and another wave of heat shot through her as he stared so intently at her bared breasts.

“Fuck, Lori,” he murmured as he reached up to cup each one, softly rolling the pebbled tips

between his thumb and forefinger. Her head fell back right as his mouth closed over a tip and she felt

like a bolt of lightning struck her head on. She jerked against him as he alternated between using his

tongue and teeth on the sensitive buds.

Her fingers tangled in his hair and she urged him closer as her hips rocked against his, eager to

get more of him. But instead of giving her more, he gripped her waist and picked her up until her arms

were around his neck and legs around his waist. He started to move, but she couldn’t look to see

where they were going.

“What are you doing?” she breathed.

“Bed. Now.”

Her entire body tingled at the realization he could only form one-word sentences. But soon

enough, her own mind was just as cloudy as Michael nudged the door to his room open with a foot

and tossed her on the bed.

Before she even had a chance to recover, he was undoing the button of her fly, and in one swift

motion, he pulled her pants and panties off her body, only pausing to remove her shoes. She took the

last step and undid her bra, leaving her completely bared to his gaze.

She sat up to kiss him, but he pressed a palm on her chest, between her breasts, and he pushed

her down until her back met the silky smooth comforter beneath her.

Her breaths came deeper as he dragged his hand down her body, over her ribcage and stomach

until his palm pressed against her aching clit.

Lori gasped at the shocks that raced through her body, and while she was distracted, he bent

forward and replaced his palm with his tongue. Her hands fisted in the sheets as he licked and

nibbled and teased her. The sensations only became more intoxicating when he pushed two fingers

inside.

“Michael,” she moaned. The heat hit her hard and fast as he expertly worked her body. She

thrashed and bucked beneath him, desperate for the release he pushed her toward.

And then he pushed one more finger inside her and she fell apart beneath him. She tried to catch

her breath as the waves washed over her, and suddenly Michael was gone. She creaked her eyes

open, only to see him standing at the foot of the bed, rolling a condom over his jutting erection.

Her mouth went dry at the raw power of the naked man above her. Good grief, he was

handsome normally, but seeing him like this, seeing him looking at her as if he was thinking the exact

same thing…she didn’t think she’d ever been so turned on in her life.

And then he knelt on the bed and crawled over her. His golden eyes met hers as he gently

wrapped his fingers around her ankle and spread her legs for him. She held her breath as he settled

between her thighs and slid his palm from her ankle to her calf and then higher to her inner thigh until

it settled on the curve of her waist. He pulled her tightly to him until he was braced at her entrance.

Leaning in, he captured her mouth in a devastating kiss as he slid all the way inside. He

swallowed her moan with his kiss as he ran his hands up her sides and along her arms until they were

pinned above her head. He kept kissing her but didn’t move. At first, it was nice to get a chance to

adjust to his size within her, but soon, she pushed her hips up against his, urging him to move.

He intertwined his fingers with hers, effectively holding her down, and started to thrust. He

moved at a frantic and primal pace, his thrusts slammed into her, and each one took her higher and

higher. She couldn’t move her arms, so all she could do was wrap her legs around his waist and hold

on as another climax crashed hard and fast over her.

Only after she was coming down from her orgasm did he finally release her as he set one palm

next to her head on the bed to brace himself as the other hand grasped her waist and held her still for

him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the thrusts came harder and faster until his entire

body tensed over hers. His jaw clenched and the cords in his neck stood out as his own orgasm hit.

All Lori could do was stare breathlessly up at the power and beauty of Michael. He finally

opened his eyes and looked down at her.

“I’m just enjoying the show.” She grinned.

“Oh, I enjoyed it too.” He shifted his weight off her. “Trust me.”

As he rolled off her, she pulled the blanket up and over her naked body, suddenly self-

conscious. Now that they’d…done the deed, would he expect her to go home? She had no idea how

one-night stands worked. One-evening stand?

Michael rolled off the bed and padded to the bathroom. Lori sat up and had a moment to look

around at his bedroom. She’d been a bit too distracted when he’d carried her in here to pay much

attention. The large room was very masculine. The black furniture was all modern and had hard

angles. The hardwood floor was the only thing in the room that wasn’t black or gray except for the

books that lined his shelves. Unlike his office, these books were mostly fiction. Mostly thrillers, but a

few horrors mixed in. It made her wonder exactly how much she didn’t know about him yet. Things

she probably should’ve known before sleeping with him.

Oh well. Her body still hummed too much with pleasure from her multiple orgasms for her to

have any regrets about being with Michael. “It’s getting late,” she called as she sat up, belatedly

remembering that her shirt was somewhere in the entryway to his apartment. “Maybe I should head

out.”

Michael came out of the bathroom, still completely naked. Lori’s mouth went dry as she drank

him in with her eyes. “You can’t leave yet. I promised you dinner.”

She blinked as she forced herself to tear her gaze away and focus on his words. Dinner? Her

stomach growled and she remembered that he’d originally asked her to dinner. And the longer she

stayed, the more chance that they’d be able to do it again…

She smiled at him. “Dinner sounds great.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Michael looked up from his computer as Luke strode into his office. Ten thirty. This was

downright early for his brother to be making an appearance. “Welcome back.”

Luke took a seat in the chair on the other side of Michael’s desk and rubbed his eyes. “I need a

vacation.”

“You just had a three-day weekend,” reminded Michael.

“Working weekend,” clarified Luke. “You have no idea the lengths I go through to keep our

clients happy.”

“I have an idea.” Michael narrowed his eyes as he looked Luke over. “You have lipstick on

your shirt, by the way.”

Luke jumped to attention, maneuvered his neck to the side, and pulled out the shirt to get a better

view. “Damn it. They’re all wearing that bright stuff these days. I think Cali might have some extra

shirts for me. Do I have time to run home if I need to?”

“We don’t have anything together until later in the afternoon, but you’d have to check with Cali

about the rest of your schedule. Speaking of, have you heard from our friend Ken?”

Luke licked his thumb and rubbed at the stain on his collar. “Not a peep. Should I have?”

Michael debated telling Luke that all his rubbing was just going to make the spot worse, but

decided against it. If he couldn’t be bothered to put on a clean shirt, let him deal with the

consequences. “Evelyn said we’d probably be contacted soon. Asked to attend a few events. Get to

know people.”

“Good. That’s the whole point of all this, right? The sooner we find out who’s in charge, the

sooner we can get out and maybe get our money back.”

Michael knew that Luke wasn’t concerned about the money, but he wanted to be done with the

Thirteen Stars as soon as possible. “That’s the plan.”

Luke finally gave up on trying to clean his shirt via saliva. “Did you hear that Jace is still down

there with Emma?”

Michael raised a brow. That was…interesting. “No. I knew he helped her home from the

hospital.”

“And the son of a bitch never left. He’s sleeping in our family home right now.”

“It’s her home.”

“And she’s family. I don’t want this guy weaseling his way into her life. She’s young, she’s rich,

she just went through a life-threatening experience.”

“Technically they slept together before Thirteen Stars tried to kill her.”

Luke groaned. “Please don’t remind me, okay? The guy is a stalker. He followed her from here

to Georgia. That has to set off a few alarm bells.”

“Except his stalking her saved her life. So until she gives me reason to think otherwise, I trust

her judgment.”

Luke considered Michael and tilted his head. “You’re being surprisingly calm about this whole

thing.”

Michael kept his expression blank. Cali wouldn’t have told Luke about him and Lori, would

she? “What do you want me to do, Luke? Take the next plane down to Georgia and evict Jace from a

house I don’t even own?”

“No. That definitely falls into the camp of what I would do. But still… Something is off about

you. Did you go to a different barber?”

Great. Now Luke could sense when Michael got laid. “Does my hair look different?”

Before Luke could answer, a soft rapping came from the door, and Cali stood at the entrance to

the office, holding up two cups of coffee. It really wasn’t in her job description to bring them drinks,

but she made a point of going above and beyond whenever necessary. “I heard trouble was back and

thought you might need a pick-me-up.”

Michael took the coffee and set it aside. Sometimes he’d prefer it if Cali didn’t go so far above

and beyond. Mainly because he knew she’d be calling in all these favors eventually, and he didn’t

know whether they’d be able to afford her when that happened.

Luke, on the other hand, had no qualms about drinking her offer. “Have I mentioned how much I

missed you?” he asked before he took another drink.

“You always miss me.” She turned to leave.

“Wait,” called Luke. “Help me out here. What did I miss while I was gone?”

“Well, you messaged me yesterday that you weren’t making it in, so I already rescheduled all

those appointments.”

He shook his head. “Not that. With Michael. Something is different and he’s not telling me what

it is.”

A huge grin covered her face. “The brothers keeping secrets from each other? I’m shocked!”

“For the love of God, Luke. There’s nothing different about me.” He just needed to keep his

cool and remain calm. There was no reason for Luke to have to know about Lori. At least not until

Michael figured out what the hell he was doing with her. He might not sleep around as much as Luke,

and he sure as hell had more of a connection with the women he took to his bed than his brother, but

he was no monk. He knew he had no time for relationships, and the women he slept with were all

okay with that.

But would Michael be okay with Lori and him going back to being casual acquaintances?

Passing her in the hall and knowing he couldn’t pull her into the nearest dark corner and press her

against the wall…

“Come on, Cali. You know everything that happens around here. What has the good one been

keeping from me?”

She sighed. “If I spill all Michael’s secrets to you, then I’ll have to tell him all your secrets, and

then no one will be happy. Except me, of course.” She gave Michael a quick wink before she strutted

out of the office.

Michael ran a hand through his hair. That had been too close. Another reason to not have a

prolonged office affair. Too much drama. Too unprofessional.

He thought back to confronting her downstairs and ordering her to go out with him. She was

right. He’d been rude and pushy and completely unlike himself. But it was really hard to regret his

actions when he knew the result was getting Lori naked and in his apartment.

Luke stood and took another sip of coffee. “I don’t like you two keeping secrets from me.”

“That’s because you like being the only one with secrets.”

“Knowledge is power, Michael. You can talk to me if you need to.”

“I don’t need to.”

Just then, an instant message popped up on his screen through the office messaging program.

Michael had to bite back a smile when he saw it was from Lori.

You’re the worst type of work friend to have.

How is that? “Are we done here?” he asked. “I have to get the Penskilli report approved before

our lunch meeting.”

I can’t complain about work to you…

“You really need to get out more,” said Luke. “You know what they say about all work and no

play…”

Tell me who is bothering you and he’ll be gone by the end of the day. Michael considered

sending one of those stupid smiley faces, but decided against it. It didn’t seem…natural. “I’ll make

sure Cali schedules some time on my calendar for play,” he said dryly, even as he stared at the screen

and waited for Lori’s response.

“You’re a lost cause,” muttered Luke as he crossed to the door. “You let me know what’s going

on with you sooner rather than later,” he said as he exited.

Now that Michael was alone in his office, he hunched forward and willed the message box to

populate again.

See? Worst. Work. Friend. Ever.

Then we’ll have to find something else to talk about. So much for keeping his distance from

her.

The update I was waiting on finished. Back to work. If the boss catches me slacking, I’ll be in

trouble…

He should end the message. Let her get back to work and leave it as is. Instead, he typed again.

Dinner tonight?

That depends…

Depends on what? He held his breath as he waited for her response.

Only if we get takeout again.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lori shuffled the bags over her shoulder as she pulled her door shut. If she maneuvered it just

right, she might be able to get her door locked without setting anything on the ground…

“Ms. Briggs.”

Lori jumped as her duffel, purse, and laptop bag all clattered to the floor. “Hunter! What the hell

are you doing here?” She leaned back against the door as she tried to catch her breath.

Hunter stepped out farther from the shadows he’d been in. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Lori set a hand on her hip and tried to not look nearly as freaked out as she felt. “Well, try not

lurking outside my place at all hours of the day, okay? Now give me one good reason I shouldn’t call

the police.” She hadn’t seen him since that Saturday Michael had dropped her off and had hoped

she’d never see him again.

“No need to call anyone.” He raised his hands in a non-threatening manner. “I just wanted to

check up one last time on that job offer.”

Lori bent down to pick up her stuff, keeping a careful eye on him the entire time. “I have to say,

desperation isn’t an attractive quality in the employer. I’d think Ken would know that my silence was

my answer.”

He bent down as well and handed her the duffel bag. “I suppose I was asking more for my own

benefit.”

“Because you want to go on a date or something? Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’m not

interested.”

“I figured. I heard that you and Michael Devereaux have become quite the item.”

Her jaw dropped before she remembered that she was supposed to be playing it cool. But how

did he know about her and Michael? They’d been together for only two nights, Monday and Tuesday.

The rest of the week, Michael had been working late and she’d been trying to keep her distance. Until

she’d run into him in the elevator. They hadn’t been alone at first. There had been three others with

them, keeping Lori from breaking her control.

But then all three of the others got off on the same floor and Michael had been alone with her.

All it had taken was one smile from him and she was practically falling over herself when he’d asked

whether she wanted to come over Friday…and stay.

“I’m not sure where you heard that, but I hardly know either of the Devereaux brothers.”

Hunter nodded but didn’t seem convinced. “You can say whatever you want to say, but the fact

is, I know you and Michael have been spending your nights together and I’m not the only one. Michael

is involved with some dangerous people. If he upsets those people in any way, you’re going to be

caught in the middle. And you know what they say about the rich waging war. It’s the poor and

innocent who suffer. Now I admit I don’t know you all that well, but I happen to believe you’re

innocent.”

“And I think you’re creepy as hell. Are we done?”

Hunter took a step back to clear her a path. “I really don’t want you to be scared. But I do want

you to stay away from Michael and Luke Devereaux.”

Lori reached to rub at her now pounding temples before she remembered that her hands were all

full. “Even if I believed you, why would you suddenly go from wanting me to take the job offer of

whoever you work for to warning me away?”

A sad smile curled his mouth. “Well, if you didn’t notice, I wasn’t as charming as I could’ve

been when I made you that offer. It’s almost like I didn’t want you to take it.” He turned to walk down

the long hallway and Lori held her place, not wanting to have to share an elevator with him.

Well, that was…weird. She’d been much more comfortable when she thought Hunter was firmly

on Team Bad Guy. Not that she was about to trust him or anything, but it made her uneasy that he

wanted to protect her. Namely because she had a feeling he couldn’t care less about what happened to

her and she was just another cog in his plans.

Lori shook off her concerns. This weekend wasn’t supposed to be about worries. It was

supposed to be about fun and orgasms and getting away from her normal life and escaping into the

strange reality she’d found herself in.

She made her way to the elevators and was happy to see that Hunter was nowhere in sight once

she got down to the lobby. But there was one familiar sight waiting for her. Michael’s car service had

a shiny black sedan parked right in front of the building, and the driver stood next to the back door as

he waited for her. She had to bite back a smile. The entire thing was so surreal, but she was

determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

Because it wouldn’t last long. Michael had never mentioned the idea of going further with their

relationship once, and she wasn’t about to bring it up. For one, she didn’t know what she wanted out

of this. She liked Michael. She enjoyed spending time with him. Especially enjoyed being with him.

But she barely knew him, and the more she found out, the more evident it was how different they

were.

Besides just their differing social circles, Michael had a business to run, a family to hold

together, and was apparently helping the FBI do their jobs too. None of that exactly left a lot of room

for a girlfriend.

But, hey, if he wanted to have a fun time for a little bit, she was all up for that. This was exactly

what she’d wanted. Getting out of the house. Experiencing new things. And to make things a tiny bit

less complicated, she’d already had two recruiters call her about the resume she’d sent out on

Monday, so in a few weeks she wouldn’t have to worry about word getting out that she’d been

spending her after-hours with Michael.

The car pulled up to Michael’s building. Lori slid the driver a tip and hopped out before he

could open her door for her. There were some things she didn’t need to get used to.

She smiled at the doorman as he stepped aside for her and practically skipped through the

lobby. Really, she had no right to be this giddy. She was a grown woman meeting a grown man for a

few nights of hot sex. This was a mature thing for people to do in the city, right?

Nope. As soon as the elevator opened on his floor, she gave up all pretense of playing it cool

and ran for Michael’s door. Before she could knock, he pulled it open and she stood on tiptoe to give

him a kiss. He laughed against her lips and pulled her inside before he kicked the door shut.

“I thought you’d never get here,” he said as she dropped her bags.

“I’m ten minutes early,” she reminded him before she went in for another kiss.

“Still too long.” But he contradicted the words as he pulled back. “Nope. No. You’re not

distracting me this time.”

She bit a lip as she looked him over. “Distracting you?”

“We are going out to dinner. For real this time. With waiters and wine and everything.”

“I don’t drink.”

“The wine is for me.” He winked. “I made reservations at the new Italian place down on Third

Street. I don’t remember the name, but apparently the head chef was the winner of one of the cooking

shows.”

“I’m assuming this was a Cali recommendation?”

“Guaranteed to impress you.”

Lori stepped forward and wrapped her fingers in the soft cotton of his t-shirt. “I’m already

impressed.” And she was. The whole t-shirt and jeans look was new for him. Granted, from the feel

of the fabric in her hands, it was a top-of-the-line t-shirt, and the black watch with exposed gears was

probably worth a pretty penny too, but considering how good he looked, she didn’t care.

He set his hands on the curve of her waist. “Then I want to impress you more.”

“I’m not dressed for going out,” she said with a little pout. She had onhe same jeans she’d worn

to the office and an easy-to-remove sweater. Granted, her overnight bag had some nicer clothes, but

he didn’t need to know that at the moment. “Besides, if we go out, people could see us.” Of course,

she regretted those words as he tensed against her.

“I forgot that this is a super-secret affair.”

She rolled her eyes. “Maybe not super-secret, but you know this isn’t about you.”

“And here I thought you were embarrassed to be seen with me.”

She snorted at the idea. If anything, she’d be embarrassed by everyone asking what he was

doing with her. She didn’t come from money like he did or know which silverware to use first while

eating out. She was definitely the odd one in this relationship.

But they weren’t doing anything more than having fun, so she refused to let herself think about it.

“Tell you what,” she whispered. “If you skip this one, I’ll make it worth your while.”

He raised a brow. “Worth my while how?”

“Well, I suppose I’m going to have to be creative. You have me here with you all

weekend…alone.” She trailed a finger down his chest until she reached the button of his jeans. “I

have a few ideas of ways I can make it worth your while.”

“Damn it, Lori,” he breathed.

Before he could fight her on this, she gathered up the fabric of his shirt and lifted it up until she

could kiss him right between his pecs. His hands closed over her forearms and she thought he was

going to push her away, but instead he took a step back until he was up against the wall. She smiled in

victory as she pulled his shirt completely off. Then she leaned back a second to appreciate the sight of

him in nothing but a pair of jeans. So different from his normal, meticulous appearance. But then

temptation won over and Lori went back to kissing his chest and reveling in his smooth, warm skin.

Her lips trailed lower and lower. She licked the skin above the waist of his jeans even as her fingers

started to work on the fly.

For a moment, the only sound in the apartment was their heightened breathing and the metal

against metal scrape of his zipper going down. And then the clanging of a lock being turned.

Lori and Michael both turned their heads to the door as it opened. Lori stood to run, but Michael

caught her arm and held her close.

“Holy shit,” said a masculine, familiar voice from the entryway.

Blood rushed to Lori’s face as she tried to contain her embarrassment. No, no, no. This wasn’t

happening.

Michael held Lori tighter. “Luke. What an unexpected surprise.”

She pressed her face into Michael’s shoulder and belatedly realized that he wasn’t just holding

her so tightly for her own benefit. He still had a substantial erection pressed against her hip. A small

laugh escaped her at the sudden realization of how absurd the entire situation was. She finally forced

herself to face the music and turned to the doorway. “Hi, Luke.”

Recognition passed over Luke’s face. “I know you. You were the hacker chick.”

“I’m not a—”

“Her name is Lori,” said Michael. “And we actually have plans for tonight.”

“I can see that. Well, I didn’t see anything. Obviously I got here too soon to see much.”

“Luke!” snapped Michael.

A huge smile covered his face. “Are you telling me that this is the secret you’ve been keeping?”

“Get that stupid grin off your face,” snapped Michael as he bent to pick up his shirt off the

ground. “Why don’t you tell us what you’re doing here?”

“You know, when you gave me the key to this place, I assumed I had an open invitation.”

“You can consider your invitation rescinded then.” Michael took Lori’s hand in his and led her

into the kitchen.

“This is cause for celebration! We all need to go out. I, for one, would like to get to know this

Lori better.”

“I’m standing right here.” She leaned against the counter.

Luke nodded as he looked her over. “Yes you are. With your shirt on, by the way. Unlike some

people here…”

Michael pulled the t-shirt over his head and glared at Luke. “Lori and I are staying in tonight.

She wants to keep things low-key.”

“Especially while you’re still my boss.”

Michael frowned. “What does that mean?”

“I told you I was looking for a new job.”

“What?” said Michael and Luke at the same time.

“Whoa.” She looked to Michael. “You, I told about this already.” She turned to Luke. “And you

didn’t know who I was a week ago.”

“But I know you now. And I’m fairly certain that after what I saw last week, I want you on my

side. And after what I saw two minutes ago, Michael definitely wants you on his side.”

“Lori, you don’t have to quit because of this. I’m not going to put you in any sort of position that

would—”

Luke snorted. “Really? Position? Nice word choice.”

Okay, she was in over her head. “Maybe I should go.”

“No!” said both brothers.

Michael stood in front of her and ran his hands up and down her arms. “We’re still going to

have our weekend together.”

“Well, not the entire weekend,” said Luke.

Michael rolled his eyes. “I triple checked my calendar. I don’t have anything this weekend.”

“You didn’t. Our new friends invited us for a cocktail hour tomorrow night, though. I know you

wanted to try to get as much face time with them as possible.”

“Now I definitely need to go.” Now that Luke and Michael were in the apartment, it felt

overcrowded, and she was the odd one out.

Luke looked between Michael and Lori before his eyes widened. “Holy shit, she knows,

doesn’t she?”

Lori tightened her lips but didn’t say anything.

“I told Evelyn about it.”

“You’ve known her for all of a week—no offense, Lori. What the hell made this seem like such

a good idea? I’m happy you have a girlfriend, but don’t screw us over so you can get screwed.”

The blood rushed from her face. “I’m not his girlfriend,” she said weakly.

“Well, you’re his something.”

She looked down at the floor, more uncomfortable than ever. Michael put an arm over her

shoulder. “This doesn’t change anything. You and I will go on Saturday, but for now, Lori and I are

going to continue our date.”

“Your date in secrecy until Lori finds a job that pays better?”

“I’m quitting because my current employer asked me to break the law for them and threatened

me if I told anyone.”

“Since I’m not the one who invited you upstairs last week, I’m assuming the threatening came

from the guy who you were undressing when I walked in here?”

“Your keen eye doesn’t miss a thing, does it?”

“I think it’s time for you to leave,” said Michael.

Luke’s expression went serious as he looked at his brother. “I think we should all go out for

dinner. I’m okay being the third wheel. What do you think?”

Lori couldn’t imagine Luke ever feeling out of place. Where Michael was reserved and

controlled, Luke seemed to be carefree, with a hint of recklessness. And, based on how similar he

looked to Michael, she had a feeling it was easy enough for him to get a date no matter where he

went. Considering the stories she’d heard about him, he took advantage of his looks often.

Michael met her gaze and she could tell he was trying to gauge her reaction to going out with

Luke. It really didn’t sound like the way she wanted to spend her Friday night, especially in light of

what she would’ve been doing had Luke never walked in. But the mood was effectively killed, and

from everything she’d heard, Luke was just as smart and talented as Michael. It would be foolish for

her to pass up the opportunity to pick his brain, especially when she had no idea how much longer she

and Michael would be together.

“I’m sure we can do a small dinner.” She forced a smile.

Luke had that same victorious look in his eye that she was so used to seeing on Michael. “Great!

I’ll call Bella Vita and make sure they have our table ready.”

As Luke moved to the next room to make the call, Michael moved in closer. “Are you sure you

want to do this?”

She shrugged. “It’s not ideal, but he seems nice enough. Are these clothes okay?” She motioned

down to her jeans. They were in good condition, and the boots she wore with them dressed them up a

bit, but jeans were jeans.

“You’re perfect. Luke plays dumb sometimes, but he really isn’t that stupid. He wouldn’t

recommend a place that would make you uncomfortable. But if you don’t want to go, say the word and

I’ll kick him out.”

“No, no. I think he’s already annoyed with how much I know. I’m not trying to cause any

friction.” She tilted her head back to look up at him. “Besides, consider this me doing you a favor.

You’ll just have to make it worth my while later.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Michael eyed Lori once again to look for any sign of discomfort or panic, but so far she’d

handled his brother expertly. He wasn’t sure whether he should be impressed or scared.

Luke had taken them to an upscale pizzeria and they’d been seated immediately. Though it was a

nice restaurant, there was no shortage of casual attire, so he and Lori weren’t underdressed.

She had been picking at the same roll for the past ten minutes as Luke monopolized the

conversation. He hadn’t been talking about any one topic for too long, but Michael could tell he was

testing Lori. Studying her reactions and response time. Trying to determine what type of woman

Michael would be with.

They’d always been different when it came to women. Luke was flashy and obvious and fast.

That was why he was the public face of the company. Michael had never cared for the spotlight while

Luke thrived there. And, for the purposes of this dinner, Michael was perfectly content for Luke to do

the bulk of the talking. “So how was LA?” he asked as the waiter stopped by to top off Lori’s water.

“Beautiful. Warm. You know, as much as I hate these winters, I don’t think I could handle the

heat all year round.”

She raised a brow. “You’d probably have to lose the suit.”

“You’d be shocked at how many women try to get me out of it.” He winked.

Michael bit back a groan. There really wasn’t a safe topic where Luke was concerned.

She took a drink of her water. “Based off of the stories I’ve read, I really wouldn’t.”

Luke smiled, but changed the subject. “So how did you two meet?”

Lori met Michael’s gaze and he answered for her. “Well, you were there.”

“Forgive me if I’m misreading the situation, but I didn’t exactly see sparks fly.” He wagged a

finger between the two of them. “What happened after that?”

Lori took a breath. “We went to the same party. I was miserable and Michael whisked me away

to spend a day together.”

Michael snorted at her sanitized version of events. That almost sounded romantic.

“I didn’t realize you two ran in the same circles.”

“We don’t,” said Lori. “My roommate is an intern with the magazine that just did the write-up

on you. They only wanted me there because I work at DevX.”

“I guess they wanted to write me into the article too.”

“I can just imagine you at the photo shoot now. The photographer would have to resort to

drinking by the end of the day.”

Lori frowned. “What do you mean? I’d think Michael would take great photos.” Her eyes raked

over his face and chest appreciatively.

Michael forced himself to take another sip of his Scotch and breathe. Damn, he never should’ve

let Luke talk him into this. He should be in bed with a very naked Lori at this very moment.

“Oh, sure, he’s handsome enough. I mean, he is a Devereaux. But can you imagine him having

some stranger barking orders at him for an hour straight? ‘Look to your left! Look to your right! Look

sexy! Look sultry!’”

Lori choked on her drink and held a hand over her mouth as Michael gave Luke a death stare.

“I’ve done photo shoots before.”

“Yes, you have. And you have the same annoyed look in every single professional photo I’ve

ever seen of you.” Lori struggled to hold back fits of laughter and Luke shot Michael a smug smile.

“She knows what I’m talking about.”

“You think I always look annoyed?” he asked her.

“No! Not all the time. Just when you’re not with me.” She looked at him from under her

eyelashes and he knew she was thinking R-rated thoughts. Damn it, he was going to kill Luke for

dragging them out of that apartment.

Lori stood and pushed her chair back. “I have to run to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”

Luke’s gaze followed her as she walked away and Michael steeled himself for the questions

about to be thrown at him.

“What the hell are you doing with her?” snapped Luke as soon as she was gone.

Michael took another swig of his drink. “We just told you.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I wanted you to get laid. I probably wanted you to get laid more than you

did. But now? With her? She works for you. She’s quitting because of this.”

He narrowed his eyes at the reminder. “She doesn’t need to quit,” he growled.

“Seriously, though. You want models? I can introduce you to models. They’re the best. Carefree,

have their own money, loose with morals. They’re all for a one-weekend stand.”

“I don’t want a one-weekend stand,” he gritted out.

“Well, you better tell Lori that, because she looks like a runner to me. Did you hear her reaction

when I called her your girlfriend?”

Michael slammed his now empty glass on the table a little too hard. “I don’t want a girlfriend

either. I just wanted a weekend without cleaning up any of your messes.”

“Hey, this isn’t my mess we’re cleaning up. And at least I don’t dip my pen in company ink.”

Rage pulsed through Michael as he stood, half ready to storm off to grab Lori and get the hell

out of there, but Luke sat up and set a hand on Michael’s arm. “I’m not trying to piss you off. Promise.

I’m just not sure where this is coming from. It’s not like you, and this is a bad time to not be you.”

Michael sat back down but didn’t stop glaring at his brother. “Are you telling me you’ve never

been with anyone from DevX?”

“Not once.”

“Not even Cali?”

“Especially not Cali. I like her way too much to ever sleep with her.”

Michael let out a small laugh. A bit of his anger subsided. As much time as Luke and Cali had

spent together over the years, Michael had never picked up on any tension between the two, so if they

had ever slept together it hadn’t affected their working relationship.

“I don’t know what I’m doing with her,” he said quietly.

“That’s strange for you.”

“It is.” And he didn’t really like the feeling. The very idea of having a steady relationship was a

foreign concept to him, but the thought of her leaving to work somewhere else made him angrier than

Luke did, and that was a considerable accomplishment.

#####

Lori splashed some water on her face as she stared at herself in the mirror. She was handling

this pretty well so far. Luke had seemed like a hyper child as he switched from topic to topic, and it

was almost impossible for her to get a read on him.

But she was certain he wasn’t talking aimlessly. He seemed to be studying her every word and

answer as though he was going to issue her a pass or fail grade at the end of the dinner. He seemed

like a nice guy and all, but it didn’t make for a relaxing dinner.

Now that she was refreshed and had a breather, she could handle the rest of the dinner. It looked

as if the guys were almost done, and then she and Michael could sneak back to his apartment and start

up where they left off.

As she turned to leave the bathroom, she felt her pocket vibrate. Or rather, her phone in her

pocket. When it continued, she realized it was a call and not a text message. She pulled the phone out

but didn’t recognize the number on the screen. It could be one of the companies she’d applied to, but

she doubted they’d be calling her this late on a Friday.

She sent the call to her voicemail. She didn’t have time to deal with a solicitor’s call. Even

though she doubted the unfamiliar number was someone she knew, she stared at the screen as she

waited to see if they left a message. Sure enough, the little icon lit up a minute later.

Lori immediately called to check the message.

“Hi. I’m calling for Lori?” The man sounded unsure whether he had the right number, and Lori

remembered that her voicemail didn’t say her name. “It’s your Uncle Grayson. Word is that you’re in

town and I was wondering if you wanted to meet up? One of my clients is actually throwing a fancy

shindig tomorrow night and you’re welcome to stop by. Free drinks, free food, and some fun

company. I’ll look up the address and message it to you. Let me know if you can make it. I’d love to

catch up. Well, I guess that’s it. Hopefully I will see you tomorrow. Bye.”

Lori ended the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket. She took a deep breath as she

thought about what he’d said. Damn it. If he’d called just a few days earlier, she would’ve been more

than happy to meet up with him. But now?

She left the bathroom and made her way back to their table. The brothers seemed to be in the

middle of an intense conversation. She’d have to tell Michael about the call, but she’d have to wait

until Luke wasn’t around. He didn’t need to know right now.

“Whoa, what did I miss?” Lori slid back into her seat and forced a smile.

In a flash, Luke’s trademark grin was back in place. “You missed our ultra-serious discussion

on what type of cannoli to order for dessert.”

“Oh, no. There are multiple types? I might be in trouble.”

Luke shot her a knowing smile. “You have no idea.”

#####

Lori rubbed at the back of her neck as Michael shut the door behind her. “Your brother is…

interesting.”

Michael tucked his jacket into the entryway closet and set his keys on the small table next to it.

“That’s one way to describe him.”

He moved past her and she followed him into the kitchen. “He seems nice, though. I can tell you

two care for each other.” She remembered the first time she’d been to his apartment. When he’d

sworn that family always had been and always would be the most important thing to him. It was nice

to see that Luke cared for him too.

“He’s a good guy. Sometimes he’s a bit reckless, though. Drives me crazy.”

“That’s what family’s for, I guess.”

She palmed her phone in her front pocket as he pulled a bottle of water out of his refrigerator.

“I’d offer you a glass of wine, but…”

“I know. I’m a shame to humankind.”

He smiled and poured the water in a glass for her. “Nothing wrong with being a little weird.”

She eyed the glass of water he’d poured her. “Nothing wrong with being fancy either.”

He let out a small laugh. “I suppose I’m still trying to impress you.”

“Just stop trying. I’m impressed already. Promise.” Her hand felt her phone in her pocket once

more. She would have to tell Michael about the voicemail. One more thing to mess up their weekend

together.

“That’s funny, because you look decidedly unimpressed at the moment.”

She took a breath. It was now or never. “I got a phone call while we were at dinner. I checked

the voicemail when I ducked away from the table and I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“What kind of call?”

“It was from my Uncle Grayson. He said he didn’t realize I’d moved to the city and would love

to catch up.” She studied him, trying to get a read on how he felt about it.

Michael’s face was a blank mask. “What did you tell him?”

“Nothing. He left a voicemail and I didn’t call him back. I thought it would be best if I talked to

you about it first.”

“Why? You’re more vocal than anyone that we’re not a couple. I don’t have any say in you

meeting your family.”

Somehow the words felt like a slap in the face. Sure, she didn’t want to commit to anything

long-term, but that didn’t mean she didn’t respect and value his opinion. And it sure as hell wasn’t as

though he was asking for a commitment. “I figured you’d be especially interested since he asked me to

come to a cocktail party tomorrow night. And since I assume it’s the same one you’re going to with

Luke, I thought you had a right to know.”

His calm façade finally cracked as he clenched his jaw and stared her down. “You can’t go.”

“You know more than anyone that I don’t want to be involved with those people any more than I

have to. But I won’t be in any immediate danger. It could even help you if I got closer to Grayson.”

Michael stepped in closer. “I don’t want your help, Lori. I want you as far away from this as

possible.”

“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you brought me into it.” She knew it was a low

blow, but she wanted to prove her point. “Making one more appearance than I already have won’t put

me in excessive danger.”

“Even if it puts you in a tiny amount of danger, I don’t want you doing it. You haven’t spoken to

your uncle in years. What’s another decade or two?”

“Would you say that if our places were reversed? I know how strongly you feel about family,

Michael.”

He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. She already knew the answer.

“So, let me get this right. If I forbid you to go, you’re going to be annoyed with me and go

anyway. But if I say that you should go, you’ll go anyway and not be annoyed with me.”

“When you put it like that, I sound flighty. I know I shouldn’t even try to get to know him, but

I’m curious. It’s hard to know about all this going on and keep my distance.”

“Distance used to be all you wanted.”

“Back when I thought you were going to be arrested and I would go down with you. But Evelyn

is the one who told us about Grayson. So I don’t exactly run the risk of being guilty by association

anymore. So the only reason not to meet him would be to keep them from knowing we’re together, but

I think that ship has sailed. Especially after eating out with Luke tonight.”

“That doesn’t mean they know we’re together.”

Lori didn’t want to tell him that they already knew. He seemed stressed enough that Hunter had

been in front of her apartment once, let alone knowing it had happened again. Besides, telling him

wouldn’t do anything except worry him even more than he already was. “Tell you what, if you really

think that me going with you tomorrow night will put me in more danger than I’m already in, I won’t

go.”

“Well, if you’re going to do something stupid, I’d rather you be with me while you do it.”

“That’s one way to look at it.”

“But you do know what this means, right?”

“What?”

“You’re going to have to have dinner with Luke and me again.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“I can’t believe you spent the night with Michael Devereaux,” said Quinn for what must’ve been

the tenth time.

“It’s not that unbelievable,” muttered Lori as she pulled a dress off the rack and wrinkled her

nose at the pattern.

“Oh, don’t take this the wrong way. I’d be saying the same thing if I’d slept with him. The man

is a catch.”

“We’re not together.” Lori felt like a broken record as she kept on reiterating their non-

togetherness. But the thing that caught her the most off guard about all her protesting was that it felt

like a lie. She’d never been in a physical-only relationship, but what she had with Michael was

definitely starting to feel more real. Were they just supposed to have sex and then part ways? Because

they’d stayed up talking for over an hour before they’d finally put on a movie to watch together and

sleep had taken her under. And then in the morning, they’d had sex again and he’d made her scrambled

eggs. And then they’d had sex again.

So maybe it was still a mostly physical thing….

Lori pulled out another dress but didn’t like the pattern on that one either. Before she could

express her disapproval, Quinn pulled it from her hand and put it on the rack. “No. This is a more

formal meeting and it’s not a fashion event. You need a simple black dress. Once you get a better read

on the crowd, you can experiment more at the next party, but for now we’re playing it safe.”

Once again, Lori was glad she’d asked Quinn for her help. She didn’t know the first thing about

dresses, and Quinn had practically laughed in her face when she asked to borrow the green dress

again, which apparently wouldn’t do at all for tonight. And now she knew exactly why.

“You’re the expert.” Lori eyed the rest of the dresses on the rack.

“If Michael is half as charming as Luke, you’re in trouble. After his photo shoot this week, half

the staff was drooling all over themselves the rest of the day. It was pathetic in the best possible

way.”

Lori had to suppress a grin at the mention of Michael’s older brother. “He’s a different kind of

charming, that’s for sure. So how many of the staff did he end up taking home with him? I hear he gets

around.”

“None. He was all for flirting, but he never took it further than that. Some of these guys born

into money like to think that every intern is there for their pleasure, so it was nice that he knew how to

keep his hands to himself.”

“Michael and Luke weren’t born into money. Well, not exactly. Their father and uncle were

practically penniless when they broke into the security system business. It was only in the eighties and

when they took it into security software systems that things took off.”

“Either way, I was impressed. Also, I’m rather upset you didn’t mention that there was a third

Devereaux. As if two wasn’t enough.”

“It’s not like the subject came up.” In the week she and Michael had known each other, Lori had

hardly seen Quinn. “He doesn’t talk much about Rourke. I almost forget he has another brother most of

the time.”

“So what’s his story? Is he like the black sheep?”

“No idea. Michael just said that they haven’t spoken in years and that’s all I know. Why?

Looking for an article on all three brothers now?”

Quinn laughed and turned toward the fitting room. “As fantastic as that would be, I won’t be

with the magazine anymore after next month. So I’ll just have to keep my fantasies about being alone

in a room with all three brothers to myself. Preferably in a bedroom.”

Lori snorted and held a hand over her mouth. As they stopped at the fitting room, she eyed the

three dresses in Quinn’s arms. “Is that enough?” Quinn had said no to pretty much anything Lori pulled

out, but now she felt as though they needed more options.

“I’m sure that one of these will work with your body shape,” said Quinn confidently. “That’s the

best thing about black dresses. All you have to worry about is shape. Once we get back to the

apartment, I’ll set you up with shoes and jewelry to dress it up enough that you could go anywhere

and make heads turn.”

Lori held up a warning finger. “Sensible shoes.”

“I wouldn’t put you in anything I don’t think is sensible,” assured Quinn.

“I know. It’s your definition of sensible that scares me.”

#####

Michael blinked as Lori approached. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to how beautiful she

was. She was stunning enough to him in jeans and a t-shirt, but the black dress she wore hugged her

curves and accentuated her hips as she moved. Even though the material went down to right above her

knees, the tall heels she wore still managed to make her legs look even longer and leaner than he

knew they were.

He clenched his fists to keep himself from touching her as she approached. “Hi there,

gorgeous,” he said as she reached him, leaning in for a kiss. Even with the heels, she was still shorter

than him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her closer.

She kissed him back before she leaned away to look him up and down. “You look pretty swanky

yourself.” She ran her hand down the front of his tux. “But I can’t take credit for any of this. Quinn is

the mastermind behind me looking like a presentable person.”

“You always look presentable to me.”

She smiled at him. “That’s a good response. Then consider me presentable for the more

judgmental crowd that will be there.”

He opened the door for her and she carefully maneuvered her way in.

“It’s not too late to turn around, you know. We can both blow this thing off and go to my place

instead…” He knew she would say no, but it was worth asking anyway.

“I’m sure Luke would be thrilled to know that I was the reason you missed your first chance to

get information on them.”

“Luke is not on my good list at the moment.” Even though he had eventually gotten Lori into bed,

Michael still hadn’t forgiven Luke for his cockblocking.

After a half-hour drive, they reached the plaza where the gathering was being held on the top

floor. Michael set a hand on the small of her back and led her in. The crowd was small, but they

screamed old money. He’d been to too many of these events. It was hard to find common ground

among some of the high society of the city. The newly minted billionaires were normally young

entrepreneurs who thought the entire world should bow down at their achievements while the old

school socialites all wanted to talk about cigars, other parties, and general gossip.

But there was one thing both groups had in common. They loved to talk about how they spent

their money. Vacations, charities, homes, wives, girlfriends. You name it, they’ve spent money on it.

“So do you know anyone here?” asked Lori.

“A few. Do you know what your uncle looks like?”

“I haven’t seen him in years. Hopefully I’ll recognize him.”

“Or he’ll recognize you.” Michael didn’t know why the man couldn’t meet his niece over lunch

like a normal person. But maybe he wanted to impress Lori with his importance? He wondered

whether he’d tell her the truth. Probably not. He’d try to pass himself off as a successful financial

adviser or investor. Not a banker for the biggest lowlifes in the city.

Sure, the men like Ken weren’t outright killing people, but the crimes they committed had

massive ripple effects that affected thousands.

They were barely in the door before Ken approached. “Michael! I’m so glad you could make it.

Come on in and let me show you around.” He turned to Lori and didn’t hide his surprise. “And Ms.

Briggs. What a pleasure seeing you here. I didn’t realize how well you knew Michael.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” said Lori, for once not contradicting someone who implied they were

together. Michael wasn’t sure whether he should be happy she was finally coming around to the idea

of having something more permanent with him or whether it was only because she didn’t want to

discuss any more of her personal life than necessary with Ken.

“Let me introduce you to the crowd. I’m sure you see a few familiar faces.”

“Is there a Grayson Briggs here?” asked Lori.

“You know Grayson?”

“He’s my uncle. I was hoping I could chat with him a few minutes while we were here.”

Ken glanced between Michael and Lori, and he could tell he was trying to figure out how much

of a coincidence this was. “What a small world it is,” he muttered. “But, yes, I know I saw Grayson

around here somewhere. Why don’t you check by the bar?”

Lori nodded. “I’ll do that. I’ll be back in a few,” she said to Michael.

He watched her leave and forced himself to stay where he was. She’d known he wouldn’t leave

Ken to follow her around like a lost puppy.

“Did you know about that before our last meeting?” asked Ken.

No, he’d had no idea. But Evelyn had known. “I did do some research on your organization

before handing over a hundred million dollars. When you snuck in your request for a tech, it seemed

natural to keep it in the family. Why, does that bother you?”

“I’ll be honest, there were people resistant to this arrangement.”

Michael and Luke being some of the most resistant, but Michael kept his expression blank. “Oh,

really?”

“Due to the, well, sensitive nature of our interactions with your cousins, there were a few of the

other investors who thought you might have an agenda.”

Well, it was nice to know they weren’t quite as stupid as he’d originally thought. “I can see how

that would happen. I’d hope that the check I wrote you would’ve assuaged those fears.”

Ken nodded. “It did go a long way, yes. But you know how hard it is to calm nerves

sometimes.”

“If I can do anything else to help ease nerves, let me know. I only want a successful partnership.

Hopefully a lucrative and successful partnership.”

This time, Ken’s smile met his eyes. Michael had finally hit on the one thing that could bring

Ken joy. “Oh, I can promise it will be lucrative. Next week you’ll be getting your first statement and

you’ll be quite pleased with the results of only a few days with us.”

“That’s fantastic then. Soon enough, I’ll just be part of the pack, right?”

“Yes. Time will make it easier. Until then, just try to keep the surprises to a minimum, all

right?”

Michael finally let his annoyance show. “At what point was I supposed to tell you Grayson’s

niece was helping me? You sprung the need for another set of hands at that meeting in the half-hour

beforehand.”

“No, no. You did everything right. I just wanted you to be aware in the future of the situation

we’re in. I went to bat to get you entrance into our group.”

“Well, consider your concerns noted. Now, why don’t you introduce me to my new colleagues?”

#####

Lori saw Uncle Grayson almost immediately. He was hard to miss. He leaned against the bar,

cocktail in hand, and chatted up the bartender, who seemed decidedly unimpressed with whatever

tales he was regaling her with. Lori decided to save her from whatever punchline he was getting to as

she approached the bar and leaned in the empty space next to her uncle. “Hey there, stranger.”

“Lori Briggs! I can’t believe my country girl is in the city!” He wrapped her in a hug, and Lori

couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiastic greeting. It was hard to think of this friendly, jolly man as

the accountant to the white-collar criminals of the city.

“Hey, Uncle Grayson. I’ve been here a whole three months and they haven’t kicked me out yet.”

“Ha!” He patted her on her shoulder. “I always knew you were the strong one. If anyone could

make it out here, it’s you.”

Although it was nice to hear the sentiment, she was pretty sure Grayson was full of it. At the

few family gatherings he’d come to, he hadn’t spared her more than two seconds of hello and you

were this tall when I saw you last. “I figured it was time for a change,” she said, instead of calling

him on it. “So how long have you been working with Ken?”

“Kemmerling and I go way back. I started working with him since right around when I moved

here myself. This city is a rotating door of young up-and-comers moving in and the families moving

out.”

“And you decided a family wasn’t for you?” she asked.

He practically shuddered at her question. “Different strokes for different folks. What about you?

Planning on settling down and popping out a few and moving back to California?”

Now it was her turn to suppress a shudder. Having kids was a definite possibility, but the way

he phrased it left a bad taste. “No plans for the immediate future.”

He angled his glass toward a spot behind her, and Lori glanced over to see Michael.

“Either way, you’ve already hooked a good one.”

“I’m not trying to hook anyone. Michael and I just…” Damn, she wished she knew a good way

to finish that. “We’re getting to know each other.”

“Hey, I know we’re not close. And I’ve never personally met Michael Devereaux or his

brother, but there was a reason I asked you here today. I wanted to impart to you some advice. Some

wisdom I’ve gleaned from my decade plus experience here with these people.”

Lori leaned in closer. “I’d love any advice you could give.”

“Get away from them. All of them. Work for them, cash their paychecks, but our type don’t

mingle.”

The blood rushed from her face. “Why invite me here if you didn’t want me to get involved?”

“This is your taste. Walk around the room with Michael. Shake their hands. Every last one of

them are hollow, empty shells of people not worthy of your time. And after he takes you home, tell

him you’ve had a great night and run.”

His warning left a pit of fear in her stomach. Mostly because she was already aware of exactly

how scummy some of these people were. “You could’ve told me this over the phone, you know.”

He took a deep swig of his drink before he set it on the bar and motioned for a refill. “Because

you would believe the uncle you haven’t seen in years? No, I need you to listen.”

“Then why don’t you take your own advice? Run while you have the chance.”

He rubbed his temples and glared angrily at the bartender, who still hadn’t refilled his glass.

“Don’t you get it? I’m too far gone. They will have me trapped here until my dying day. You’re the

one who has a chance. Take that chance. Take it tonight to break free.”

Lori took a breath. She wasn’t sure what to tell him. On one hand, she agreed with everything he

was saying. She knew there were bad people in this room. Bad people who would hopefully be going

to prison very soon. But she couldn’t tell him what she knew.

“I’m going back to Michael then. And I will keep your advice in mind as he introduces me to all

the cold, empty people.” She pushed away from the bar.

Grayson reached out and grabbed her wrist. “You need to take this seriously.”

“Take what seriously?” asked Michael from behind her.

Lori jumped at his unexpected presence and pulled her arm free. “He was telling me his New

York City survival techniques. Some riveting stuff.”

Michael moved to stand at her side and rested a hand at the small of her back. She tried not to

stiffen at his touch, but she supposed everyone already thought they were together anyway.

“Really? I’d love to hear those sometime. I find myself becoming more and more confused by

the city these days.”

Lori frowned. “That’s hard to believe.”

“Oh, the stories I could tell….”

Grayson downed his other drink in one deep gulp. “I need to use the restroom,” he said before

he turned and walked away with an unsteady gait.

“Well that was…abrupt.” Michael watched Grayson’s retreating form.

“He warned me away from you,” she said under her breath.

“Ken said there were a few longtime members who weren’t fond of me.”

“No, he didn’t just warn me away from you. He warned me away from everyone here.”

Michael paused as though he was considering how valid that advice would be. “Are you going

to listen to him?”

“Well, I do want to keep my distance from the rest of these people anyway. But that doesn’t

mean I need to stay away from you, does it?” Darn it, that wasn’t how she wanted that to come out.

She didn’t want him to think she was asking for more. Most importantly, she didn’t want him to think

she was fishing for validation.

She was saved from hearing his answer as Luke approached from behind Michael.

“Third wheel again?” He patted Michael on the back. “I didn’t realize we were bringing dates

tonight. I could’ve made a few calls.”

“I’d hate to make you feel uncomfortable.” Lori smiled, trying to lighten the mood. She didn’t

know why Michael hadn’t told Luke she was coming, but she’d rather not get in the middle of

whatever brotherly spat they were getting into.

“Don’t you worry.” Luke winked. “I’m fine blaming it on Michael. Have we made our rounds

through the room yet?”

“Ken had to take a call, but he’ll be back any moment to start introductions.”

Luke winced. “A hundred introductions all at once. I should’ve brought Cali to take notes,” he

muttered. As he spoke, Ken emerged from the back of the room and strode over toward them. “I’m

going to need a drink for this.”

Lori noticed that Michael looked just as unenthused at the idea of spending more time with Ken.

“Better make that two.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“I talked to Evelyn. I told her everything we learned tonight,” said Michael into the phone.

“You mean you told her we got nothing,” said Luke.

“That’s not necessarily true. Evelyn was excited to hear that Grayson’s not enjoying his

employment as much as the FBI thought. She’s going to have someone approach him with an offer. If

they can get him to turn, they might not even need our help anymore.” Michael glanced over his

shoulder at Lori, who was unscrewing the cap to a bottle of water. She still wore the tight black

dress, but she’d left her shoes in the hallway and her bare feet gave her a decidedly casual look. It

was damn adorable.

“So she can use more people for her own cause. Sounds right up her alley.”

Michael ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. He wasn’t the fucking referee between

those two. They needed to start getting along, sooner rather than later. “I’m keeping my fingers

crossed he’ll agree to letting Evelyn use him.”

“That’s good news for you, isn’t it?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Luke scoffed. “It would give you a convenient reason to hang around Lori, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m a grown ass man. I don’t need a reason to give you.”

“No. You need a reason for you. When is the last time you had fun for the sake of having fun?”

“When was the last time you had fun for any reason besides convincing people you’re a fun

guy?” Michael knew his brother far too well. In public and the tabloids, he was all smiles and jokes,

but the second Michael and he were alone, it was like a mask dropped. Michael was fine with

keeping up the pretense, but if Luke wanted to accuse him of being a stick-in-the-mud, he didn’t have

to sit back and listen.

“Fine. If you’re in a mood, I’ll let you go. Tell Evelyn I say hi,” he said sarcastically before he

hung up.

Michael stared at the phone in disgust for a moment before he turned back to the kitchen.

He must’ve set the phone down too hard because Lori gave him a concerned look. “Is

everything okay with Luke?”

“No. Nothing is ever okay with him.” He’d already had a few drinks, so he decided to have a

water with Lori and grabbed his own bottle.

“Is he upset with how things went tonight? I know you weren’t introduced to as many people as

you wanted to be.”

“He’s upset about you.”

Her eyes widened. “Me? What did I do?”

“I don’t know….” That was a lie. He had a pretty good idea why Luke was pissed he was

finally seeing someone. It was the same reason Michael was mad at himself. “He thinks you’re a

distraction at a time when I shouldn’t have any distractions.”

Her face paled and she took a step back. “Do you feel that way too?”

He couldn’t bring himself to answer, and that seemed to be answer enough for her.

“I should really be going,” she muttered.

“No. I don’t want you to go.”

“I shouldn’t be causing trouble between you and your brother.”

“Luke is the only one causing trouble.” He set his hands on her hips and pulled her in closer.

“Stay the night. You were going to stay the entire weekend anyway, right?”

She winced and rubbed at her forehead. “I don’t know. Don’t you think things are getting too…

complicated?”

And yet another question he didn’t want to answer. “You don’t want to leave.”

“No, I don’t want to, but—”

“Then don’t.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her neck.

She let her head fall back and took in a breath. “When you do that, it makes it hard to think

straight.”

“Then I’m doing it right.” He trailed kisses higher and ran his tongue against the top of her ear.

“I don’t want you to go.” She stiffened in his arms and he knew he’d said the wrong thing.

He moved to go for the other side of her neck, but she rested two palms on his chest to stop him.

“I thought this wasn’t serious.”

“It wasn’t. But it can be.”

She frowned. “Are you serious right now?”

He clenched his jaw as he tried to get a read on the situation. He knew she’d been set on a

casual relationship, but he’d thought she’d been enjoying the time they’d spent together. “Yes, I’m

serious. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because we’re not compatible in any way.”

He picked her up by the waist again and pulled her tightly against him, high enough that her feet

didn’t touch the ground. “I know at least one way we’re compatible.”

He started to cross the kitchen and her arms wrapped around his neck to hold on tightly. “Where

are we going?” She smiled.

Instead of answering, he kept moving to the living room and sat on the sofa, maneuvering her so

she straddled him. “This definitely feels compatible,” he murmured as he ran his hands up and down

her thighs and cupped her ass.

She laughed and bit her bottom lip. “Name me one thing we have in common, Michael.”

He raised a brow. “We both are annoyed by Luke.”

She playfully swatted his chest. “Hey, I like Luke.”

“And I like him too! That’s another thing we have in common.”

“Two things! That’s a decent amount.”

“Two things are all you need to build a foundation.” Michael reached around and found the

zipper at the back of her dress. He pulled the straps off her shoulders until her black bra was

completely exposed. He pressed a kiss to the spot between her collar bones. She let out a soft moan

that seemed to speak right to his already hard cock. He forced himself to go slow as he kissed lower

until he reached the valley between her breasts.

Her fingers wrapped in his hair and urged him closer as her hips moved against his. He pressed

her generous breasts together and nipped at the soft flesh that overflowed from the cups of her bra.

“Michael,” she moaned as she moved harder against him. With one hand, he reached around her

and undid the clasp of her bra, finally freeing her breasts to his gaze. She pulled her bra the rest of the

way off and he immediately took one hard, pebbled nipple into his mouth.

Damn, she felt good. Somehow even knowing what she’d feel like, sound like, taste like in his

arms didn’t dampen his pleasure at getting her alone with him once again.

“Please,” she murmured as she thrust her hips against him harder, and the dam suddenly broke.

He needed to get himself inside her as soon as possible.

He pulled away from her and reached for his belt buckle. She was eager to help as she pushed

his jacket over his shoulders. In a flurry of motion, he stripped off his jacket and undid his pants just

enough to free his straining erection. He grabbed the condom out of his pocket and slid the latex over

his cock. Lori started to pull away, and his hand on her waist stopped her.

He stared into her eyes as he reached between their bodies and slid his hand up her skirt. When

he reached the resistance of the soft, silky material of her panties, he wrapped his fingers in the fabric

and gave one fierce tug, ripping them off her. Her breath caught in her throat as he slid one finger deep

inside her heat to test her readiness. He didn’t know how it was possible, but his cock got even

harder as her wet heat enveloped him. He lifted her hips and positioned himself at her entrance.

She set a palm on each side of his face, bent forward, and kissed him as he pushed deep in one

stroke.

Lori rested her forehead against his as he started to move within her. His hands tightened on her

ass as he moved her in the rhythm he wanted. Needed.

Her fingers fisted in his shirt as she tried to move against him, but he kept control and set his

own pace.

“Please,” she moaned again, as her head fell back.

With every thrust, her breasts moved in just the right way, and what little control he had

snapped. He moved his hands to her back and let her ride him. She kept a frantic pace, her hands

braced against his chest as she lifted her hips up and down.

And then when her orgasm washed over her, she let out the sexiest fucking scream he’d ever

heard. She fell apart in his arms and he held her close as his own orgasm ripped through him.

He rested his head in the crook of her neck as they both caught their breath in the aftermath. He

ran his hands up and down her back and kissed her neck as the aftershocks of her own climax rocked

her.

“So this is going to be a regular thing now?” she asked.

“I’m up for it if you are.” He smiled against her neck.

“Oh, I’m up for it. But I have a request for next time.”

“Anything.” At this point, she could’ve asked for his share in DevX and he probably would’ve

said yes.

She tugged at his shirt. “Next time, can you get at least partially naked?”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Lori’s phone rang and she had to do a double take at the caller ID. Michael never called her.

The few times they actually interacted in the office was through the work chat or their cell phones.

She hesitantly picked up the phone and held it to her ear. “Hello?”

“I need you to come upstairs, Lori.”

She glanced around her, half convinced she was in trouble. “This really isn’t a good time.” As

much fun as a quickie in the office sounded, she had a pile of updates that needed to be done by the

end of the day.

“You need to come up here right now.” There wasn’t any hint of flirtation or teasing in his

voice.

“Yeah, I’ll be right up.” She didn’t remember the last time he’d been that serious around her.

They’d spent all Sunday together watching movies, talking, and, most memorably, making love all

over his apartment.

Making love? Well, whatever they were doing, it felt like more than just sex. It was still strange

enough to think of him as her boyfriend. When they were together, it made perfect sense. They just fit.

But once she was back in her apartment or at her desk, she would remember that her boyfriend wasn’t

just Michael. He was Michael Devereaux.

But she wasn’t going to let herself get scared away from this. If he was crazy enough to want

her, she wasn’t going to let her fear get in the way and ruin it. She forced herself to remain optimistic

the entire elevator ride and on the walk to Michael’s office, but all her optimism flew away as she

opened his office door to see him sitting somberly behind his desk and a striking woman standing in

the middle of the office.

The woman had dark, curly hair that fell just past her shoulders. She wore slacks and a blazer,

but she didn’t scream investor or anything to Lori. She looked more like a cop… “Evelyn, I’m

guessing,” said Lori.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” said Evelyn.

Lori glanced over to Michael, and he still wore the same somber expression. Okay… She took

a seat and looked between the two of them. “Am I in trouble or something?”

“Have you talked to Grayson since Saturday?” asked Michael.

“Umm… Considering he told me to stay away from you and all your friends, and I was with you

until ten last night, no. I haven’t talked to him.” Michael and she had been together until it was

absolutely necessary she got back to her apartment to actually get some sleep and to where she kept

her work clothes and badge. Judging from the grave mood in the room, something bad went down

with Grayson sometime between Saturday night and now. “What happened?”

Evelyn looked as though she was about to speak, but Michael shook his head and leaned

forward. “Grayson jumped off the roof of his apartment building at three o’clock this morning.”

The blood drained from Lori’s face. “What?” she asked weakly, even though she heard them

perfectly fine.

Evelyn crossed the office and leaned her hip on the desk. “The police were called at three ten

this morning to the scene of an apparent suicide. There were no signs of struggle and a note was

found.”

“Apparent? Does that mean you think it might’ve been murder? Was this before or after you

asked him to turn on his bosses?”

Evelyn tightened her lips. “We approached him yesterday afternoon. He was taking a day to

think over our offer.”

Lori ran a hand through her hair and thought back to the lively, albeit angry, man she’d met.

“Apparently he didn’t need a day.” What had happened? Had he been too overwhelmed by the very

idea of turning on the men who had probably made him rich and hate himself at the same time? Or had

they somehow found out about his plans to turn on them so soon… “Is there going to be an

investigation?”

“I can’t authorize that. If the FBI is crawling all over a clear-cut suicide, it will make them

suspicious, and that’s the last thing we need.”

“It’s only clear-cut because that’s what they want you to think! Doesn’t he at least deserve

someone to try to find out what happened?”

Evelyn moved in a bit closer, almost blocking her view of Michael. “We can’t get close without

causing trouble. But you can.”

Michael stood and slammed his palms on the desk. “Hey,” he warned.

Evelyn kept her gaze firmly on Lori. “If you start asking around, hanging around, it won’t raise

eyebrows. Everyone knows you were his niece after you went to the party on Saturday. It would only

be natural that you would want to learn more about your uncle.”

“Learn more about her uncle from the people who may have killed him, you mean,” added

Michael. “She’s not a fucking cop, Evelyn. She’s not going undercover for you to interrogate people.”

“You’re not a cop either,” said Evelyn. “That didn’t stop you from going into the danger zone

when your family was in trouble. What makes her different?”

“My cousin is still alive. There is no saving Grayson. In fact, he’d probably still be alive if it

weren’t for you people.”

“I’m trying to help you,” snapped Evelyn. “Every moment that you’re dealing with them, talking

with them, laughing with them, you’re in danger. Every moment they walk free, innocent people are

losing their life savings while these entitled assholes think that they run this city and that they don’t

have to face the consequences that us normal people do. Now, you might not understand that, Mr.

Devereaux, but I’m guessing Lori does.”

“Excuse me.” Lori pushed herself out of the chair and staggered to the door. She couldn’t sit

around for one more second and watch Evelyn and Michael argue over what she was supposed to do.

She didn’t even know the answer. Hell, she wasn’t even sure whether she should be “going steady”

with Michael, let alone whether she should work with the FBI to take down a shady investment ring.

“Lori,” called Michael.

She heard his footsteps come closer and she held out a shaky hand. “No. I need to take a walk.

Or go back to work. I need to not be here.”

“Will you think over my offer?” Evelyn still leaned against the desk.

Lori nodded weakly. “How can I get a hold of you?”

“I sent my number to your phone already.”

Lori nodded again and realized she probably looked like a bobblehead. Damn. She walked out

of the office and headed toward the elevator, but she didn’t make it. Her breaths came harder and

faster as her feet moved until the all-encompassing need to breathe took over. She ducked into the

executive bathroom and fell against the door as she closed it, sliding down until the floor caught her.

When was the last time she’d had a panic attack? Oh yeah... clubbing with Quinn. She

remembered the embarrassing incident all too well. The swirling in her head. The knowledge that

nothing was impairing her breathing, but still not being able to take in air.

How could Grayson be dead? She’d just seen him. Just talked to him. He’d been lively and

angry and had seemed to genuinely care for her well-being. Now he was gone. She should’ve spent

more time with him. Maybe if they’d gone to lunch or had coffee, things would’ve been different. It

was much harder to force a suicide on someone who had loving family.

And if it wasn’t murder? If he actually killed himself? What if her brush-off had pushed him

over the edge?

She squeezed her eyes shut. No. She couldn’t have done anything differently. She hadn’t known

him well enough to tell him that she already knew why that crowd had been so dangerous. Hadn’t

been able to tell him that Michael was safe because he was working with the FBI.

But there was something she could do now. She was his closest living family and lived in the

city. No one would probably even want to come to the funeral from home. She’d need to organize

things and sell his apartment and clean out his office. Did he even have an office or did he work from

home?

No matter what she decided, she’d still probably find herself around Grayson’s shady clients

and, if he was murdered, his murderer. She was the only family around to arrange things. So if she

happened to keep her nose and ears to the ground and report back to Evelyn, what difference would it

make?

And Michael had no right to be upset with her. He was doing the exact same thing. Actually,

what he was doing was even worse because he sought the Thirteen Stars out. Lori just fell into this,

and she’d have to deal with them no matter what. And suicide or not, these people killed Grayson.

He’d been completely isolated from his family for years, and it made total sense now that she knew

what he did for a living. Who would want to come home for Christmas when every other answer you

gave would be a lie? When everything you wanted to brag about was earned through means that

would make your sisters drop their heads in shame?

Even if Grayson jumped off that building himself, he might as well have been pushed.

As clarity settled in Lori’s mind, her breaths came easier. She didn’t feel as lost and confused

anymore.

She finally lifted her head to look at the fancy, cold tile beneath her and the stainless steel

fixtures. Hopefully the bathroom was as clean as it looked. She pushed herself up, trying not to think

about all the germs.

The panic attack had her so overwhelmed that she hadn’t been able to think straight. Rationally.

If she was going to work with Evelyn, she’d have to keep control of herself. To separate herself from

the anger, rage, and despair of what had been taken from her.

She opened the door to the bathroom and made her way to the elevator bay and then back to her

cubicle. They had made things personal, and she wasn’t about to let them push her around. Michael

was fighting to protect his family, and she was going to protect hers.

She picked up her cell phone from the charger and saw Evelyn’s text message waiting, just as

she’d promised. Lori typed in two simple words: I’m in.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“This place is…”

“Nice,” finished Lori as she looked around her uncle’s apartment.

Michael’s high-end penthouse was modern and sleek, but Grayson’s was much more old-

fashioned. Every piece of furniture seemed antique and as if it had decades’ worth of stories to tell.

The floorplan was open and spacious. Whereas Michael’s apartment was modern and seemed

as if someone had come in and decorated, Grayson’s place appeared lived in. As though he’d

collected each piece of furniture over years of travels and experiences.

It was a shame she didn’t get to keep anything. He’d named a handful of charities as the

beneficiaries of his will, so all she was allowed to do was organize. Normally she wouldn’t be asked

to do it at all. It would be the trustee of his estate. But Evelyn had coached her on exactly what to say

to the lawyers involved to get her access to Grayson’s apartment.

What was his time like here? Did he pass the time reading? Watching TV? Or maybe he was the

type of person who spent all his time working. Maybe if she spent enough time sorting through

everything, she would have a better idea.

Except the idea of digging through a dead man’s things sent chills up her spine. No, not a dead

man, she reminded herself. A dead family member.

“I don’t even know where to start,” she murmured as she stared around her at the large living

room. She was getting rather tired of being in rooms bigger than her apartment.

“Just start with small stuff. Remember to separate the documents and work-related items, since

we’ll have to send those off to whoever his clients hire to take over their finances.”

Michael gave her a look that implied that he really meant to put anything she found aside for

Evelyn to go through. The tragedy happened so quickly after Evelyn approached him, so they had to

assume that there could be a listening device in the apartment somewhere.

And Lori tried her best to not let that thought freak her out. So someone might be listening to or

watching their every move. Perfectly normal and non-creepy thing…

“I’ll make sure that his clients have everything they need as quickly as possible.” She sat at his

desk.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay here?” Michael took another turn around the room. He

was on edge, and she could hardly blame him. She wasn’t completely comfortable either.

“Don’t worry,” she assured him. “I’ll be fine here for a few hours. This will take a while.”

He checked his watch. “I can have Luke here in an hour.”

“Just go to your meeting, Michael. I’ll be fine here.” He had a meeting with the international

sales team in an hour and had been trying to cancel it ever since she had agreed to clean out her

uncle’s place and feed Evelyn information.

In fact, he’d been downright surly ever since she’d made her deal. It might be nice to get a few

minutes alone to think, since the second she’d told him her plans, he hadn’t given her a moment of

peace.

She took a seat on Grayson’s plush sofa, as if to prove how fine she was. “Go, Michael. I

promise I’m not afraid to be alone in a dead man’s apartment.” Or one where he might’ve just been

murdered and the killers could be listening to her every move.

He checked his watch again. “Fine. But you call me if you hear anything that spooks you. Or see

anything that spooks you. Or if you just want to talk.”

“Your number is the first one on my speed dial,” she promised. “Now go. I can’t focus with you

hovering over me.”

He still didn’t look pleased about it, but he nodded. “I’ll be back in three hours.” He leaned in

for a kiss.

She kissed him back, but ended it quickly, unsure whether anyone was watching. As he pulled

back, she handed him her other key to Grayson’s apartment. “Here you go.”

“What is this for?” he asked.

“I can’t keep both. Knowing me, I’ll lose it.”

He shot her a questioning look, but Lori knew herself too well. She and keys did not mix. She’d

already had to call Quinn twice in the few months she’d been in the city to let her into the apartment.

“And here I thought it was just because you wanted me to have a key to your place.” He said it

in a joking tone, but she could sense a more serious undercurrent to his words. Did he really want a

key to her place already? On one hand, it seemed way too fast to be giving out keys, but she wouldn’t

mind coming home to Michael after a long day at work.

Though, considering the difference in their apartments, if anyone should be getting a key, it was

her.

But before she could overthink it, Michael turned away. She watched him cross to the door and

admired the play of his muscles from beneath his suit jacket. “Good luck at the meeting.”

He glanced over his shoulder at her before he opened the door. “Remember, if anything at all

possibly concerns you….”

“Call you. Got it.”

He gave one last concerned look before he finally left.

Lori let out a nervous breath when she was alone in Grayson’s apartment. Time to get down to

business. She stood from the couch and made her way down the hallway. There was the master suite,

a spare bathroom, another bedroom, and…bingo. The office.

She slid into the chair and powered up the laptop on the desk. As it started, she turned on the

Wi-Fi card that Evelyn had given her. She didn’t want to use strange Internet for the digging she was

about to do.

Once the laptop was on, she used the same password cracking software she’d used during that

first meeting with Michael and the Thirteen Stars. Grayson’s password must’ve been extremely basic,

as it was cracked in only half an hour.

Now that she had full access, she was able to dig around in all his files. But after she opened a

few random spreadsheets, she was convinced that even if she found something important, she

wouldn’t know.

She pulled the USB drive out of her bag and started the process to transfer all the files over.

While that ran in the background, she scrolled through his Internet history one by one, documenting the

names of the websites for Evelyn and digging around anything with a saved password.

There were a lot of banking sites, but the passwords weren’t saved on any of them. She could

hack them if she wanted to, but Evelyn had warned her against being too blatant with her skills. It was

easy enough to believe that she had found his laptop password, but defense attorneys, especially the

good, expensive ones these guys would be able to afford, would look for any reason to throw out

evidence.

Evelyn and her people would have to go the legal route to get the banking information online.

But if she happened to find some papers lying around, that was fair game. She dug through the

files in the office and made piles: one for bills, one for financial-looking statements and one for other

miscellaneous. After an hour, she was surrounded by paperwork. She had no idea whether any of it

would help with anything, but there was nothing else she could think to do.

Lori checked the computer and verified that the files finished transferring. She’d need to come

back with some boxes to organize the documents, but that would have to wait for another day. She

was already using one vacation day to sort through his things and would need another one for the

funeral.

Grayson had made most of the arrangements for himself, or so his lawyer had told her. All she

had to do was clear out the apartment and make an appearance at the funeral. Evelyn wanted Lori to

go and shake everyone’s hand and then report back to her everyone who attended.

It all seemed so simple and so overwhelming at the same time. Instead of having a chance to

grieve, she was on a mission.

But that seemed selfish. Who was she to grieve him? She should be grieving the wasted

opportunity. This was the one family member she might be able to relate to. Struck out on his own to

the city to make his living. Made a success of himself, even if it was by ill-gotten means.

Though judging from their one brief interaction, they weren’t going to be best friends or

anything. But it would’ve been nice to have the opportunity.

Her phone buzzed and she saw the text from Michael. He was on his way to pick her up. Good.

She needed to get out of here.

#####

Michael stood in the back of the church and looked out over the scattered crowd. There wasn’t

anyone he knew, and Lori sat in the front row for all of these people to stare at and judge. Even though

she hadn’t complained at all, he knew she didn’t want to be there. She hated meeting new people,

especially in a room probably filled with sharks.

But every time he’d voiced his concerns, she’d brushed him off or reminded him that he’d had

no problem putting himself in danger when it came to family.

The service was short because no one spoke. The man had probably made dozens of clients rich

and not one of them gave the few minutes necessary to speak at his funeral. As soon as it was over,

Michael intercepted Lori as she headed down the aisle and walked with her to the exit of the small

church. Then he stood with her as she said quick good-byes to all the attendees. There was no wake

planned and that was probably for the best, considering the sad attendance at the funeral.

Instead, Grayson would be buried in the plot he’d picked out for himself, and everyone would

go their separate ways. And as far as he was concerned, Lori was done. She’d handed off the

electronic data to the FBI and would have all the names from the funeral once she picked up the

Michael and Luke had tried to get Evelyn to do it herself, but she’d insisted that so few people

would show up that any agents would stand out like a sore thumb. That was the problem with the

Thirteen Stars. They were almost impossible to infiltrate because they only took established

members.

Grayson almost exclusively worked for the Thirteen Stars, so the attendees would be suspicious

of anyone who showed up. As soon as the last person from the trickle of guests left, he pressed a kiss

to her forehead and gave her a hug. “Are you ready to go back to my place?” he whispered.

“Soon. I need to talk to the funeral director once more before we can sneak off. And I kind of

want some of the flowers. Is that respectful or morbid?”

Michael glanced around at the white roses that filled the chapel. “Was that his request per the

will?”

“Oh yeah. He even picked out the exact arrangements. He had his entire funeral planned to a T.

Including the tiny chapel. He wasn’t expecting a good turnout.”

The longer Michael had stood and scanned the crowd, the more likely it seemed that Grayson

had killed himself. The man seemed to have a depressing as hell life.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her gaze suddenly went over his shoulder. He turned and

gritted his teeth as he saw Ken Kemmerling approach. He just wanted to get the hell out of here.

“Hey Ken.” The only good thing about being at a funeral was that Michael didn’t have to fake a

smile.

“Mr. Kemmerling,” said Lori.

“I’d say it’s nice to see you, but under the circumstances, I think that would be a lie,” said Ken.

Michael gritted his teeth. “It was nice of you to come. Grayson worked with you awhile, didn’t

he?” It would’ve been nicer if he’d stayed for the entire thing. Well, it would’ve been best if he hadn’t

shown at all.

“Were you two close?” asked Lori. “It doesn’t seem like he had many friends.”

“That might be one of the unfortunate factors that led us to…this. I hear you were burdened with

the task of going through all of Grayson’s things.”

“It’s not the most pleasant experience. But I kind of feel like it gives me a chance to know him.

Even if it is a little too late.”

Her voice wavered and Michael realized just how difficult this entire thing was for her. “Lori

and I are tired. I hate to cut this short, but we’ve had a long few days.”

Ken nodded. “Sure, sure. But you know I have a lot of friends who were clients of Grayson’s

and we were wondering if we could meet to discuss how the information is being handled. You know

Grayson had access to a lot of sensitive details, and we’re a bit…”

“Concerned?” said Lori.

“No, no. More interested. We’re not exactly sure how this process works and figured the more

open the lines of communication were, the better.”

Michael could see Lori tensing at the idea of meeting privately with Ken, and he set a hand on

the small of her back and rubbed up and down. His silent way of letting her know he was there for

her.

“Lori’s missed a few days of work already and her schedule will be pretty jam-packed the rest

of the week. Once she gets back home and settled, we’ll try to schedule a time.”

“Sounds great.” Ken reached out and patted Lori on the arm. “And I do have to say how much

Grayson will be missed. He truly was a friend and asset to me.”

Lori smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s great to hear that he had at least one friend.”

A pretty shitty friend, thought Michael. But he kept his mouth shut.

“I really will miss him.” He took out a card and handed it to Lori. “When you think of a good

time, please give me a call.”

Michael forced himself to remain still and not snatch the card right out of Lori’s hand, but she

managed to keep her calm. “It was nice seeing you. I’m sure I’ll be in touch soon. I have my own

questions about how things will progress from here.”

He supposed he should be playing the part of concerned investor, but all he could think about

was getting Lori away from this slimeball as soon as possible. From all these slimeballs. The ones

he’d introduced her to in the first place.

Which meant he’d have to make sure she didn’t get pulled any deeper into this life he’d shown

her.

#####

“You’re not going to that meeting,” said Michael as they entered his apartment.

Lori followed him inside and immediately took off the heels she’d worn all day. They were

short so she hadn’t expected them to be as painful as they were, but that plan had been shot to hell. “I

figured I’d talk to Evelyn about it. See what she thought.”

Michael scoffed. “What she thinks? Of course she’d want you to go into a nest of vipers. You

know how much her career will benefit from this? She’s putting herself first and that’s exactly what

you have to do.”

“I need to put myself first? When’s the last time you put yourself first?” she shot back. “You are

at your brother’s beck and call, you’re putting your life on the line to save your cousin, you’re putting

a hundred million dollars of your own money at stake to help the FBI.”

“I’m telling you that I’m not comfortable with you getting any more involved in this.”

“And I’m telling you that I am already involved. I’m not going to stop when we’re so close to

getting you out of danger. To getting us out of danger. What harm can one more meeting do?”

He glared down at her. “Are you really asking me what’s the harm? After what these people

have already put my family through? And we still don’t know for sure if your uncle actually killed

himself. So don’t walk into this like you’re meeting with friends.”

“No. I’m walking into it like I’m meeting with some dangerous people with the FBI’s guidance

and supervision. I know Evelyn has ulterior motives, but so do you and so do I. As long as we’re all

open about them, we can stay safe.”

Michael shook his head. “No. Don’t say ‘we.’ I’m not a part of this anymore, Lori. I can’t just

sit back and let this happen. I know I dragged you into this—”

“No. I dragged me into this. Ever since Grayson made his deals with the devil, I was in their

orbit. If Ken Kemmerling is the reason that my uncle is dead, then I’m going to smile at him as much

as I need to until he gives me what we need to take him down.” She paced to the edge of his living

room and back. This entire argument had been brewing for the past three days. She’d managed to

change the subject or defuse the situation every time before, but she could tell Michael wasn’t going

to budge on this one.

Which was a shame, because neither was she.

“I know this is important to you, Lori, but I’m not letting you go to that meeting. I don’t care

what Evelyn says or what—”

“I think,” she completed for him. “Obviously, my opinion isn’t your main priority. This isn’t

your choice, Michael. You don’t own me.”

“What? I never said that I own you.”

And Lori knew him well enough to know that he didn’t think he owned her. But he couldn’t give

her orders and blindly expect her to follow them. “Then stop acting like you do. Trust my judgment in

this. In my skills. I am not going to go in guns blazing, collecting evidence. And I was hardly in

immediate trouble while at Grayson’s apartment or at the funeral today. So if I meet a few people in a

very public place and report their names to Evelyn, that’s what I’ll do.”

“No. It’s not as simple as one nice little lunch date. It never is. There’s more that you’ll get

pulled into and you know it. You did what Evelyn asked. You’ve done more for your uncle than he

probably would’ve ever done for you.”

Lori rested her head in her hands as a sudden wave of exhaustion swept over her. She didn’t

want to fight about what her uncle would or wouldn’t have done for her. She didn’t want to fight at

all. She just wanted to relax.

“I think I should go home,” she said softly. The thought of putting those shoes back on again

almost seemed like torture, but she couldn’t stomach the idea of continuing this argument or, worse,

pushing it under the rug again.

“Damn it, Lori, don’t go.”

“It’s for the best. I need to get back to the office tomorrow and I’ve had a long day.” A long

couple of days. She’d really been looking forward to relaxing with Michael that night too.

He reached for her but she twisted out of his reach and made her way to the hallway and to her

shoes. “Can you call a car for me? We can talk tomorrow.”

Michael clenched his jaw but didn’t reach out for her again. “I don’t want you to be alone

tonight.”

She really didn’t want to be alone either. “Tough luck,” she said, not sure whether she was

talking more to him or herself. “I didn’t bring overnight stuff and I’ve already missed two days of

work. So I need to go home at some point. Good night, Michael.” She slipped out the door and let out

a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

Even though Michael obviously disapproved, she’d already made up her mind. She was going

to go through with this meeting with Ken one way or another, and he couldn’t stop her.

When she reached the street, she saw that Michael already had a car waiting to take her home.

She climbed in the backseat and dialed Evelyn as soon as they were on the road. “Did the names from

the funeral help at all?” she asked as soon as the FBI agent picked up.

“I see you’re having a relaxing night,” muttered Evelyn.

Lori belatedly realized that it was already early evening and Evelyn probably had been home by

then. But she didn’t feel bad. She was doing Evelyn a favor. She had a right to know whether anything

she was doing was actually helping. “It’s been a stressful day.”

“I understand. All of the names you gave us are running through the works now. A few we could

immediately strike off from being possible Thirteen Stars members, but there were some promising

leads. It will take a few days to get anything concrete, though. You did good, Lori. I am sorry you

couldn’t grieve without all this going on in the background.”

Lori stared out the window at the passing city. She’d been upset she hadn’t had a chance to

grieve too. Maybe that was why she was so snippy with Evelyn and Michael. Sure, Michael was a bit

controlling, but it was only because he cared about her. “Thank you,” she said softly. “But there’s

another reason I called. Ken Kemmerling wants to meet with me. He wants to clarify how the transfer

of information from Grayson’s computers and documents to whoever they hire to replace him will be

handled.”

“He’s nervous, I bet,” said Evelyn. “Is the meeting just with him?”

“Him and a few others, I think. We didn’t get into the details. Michael wasn’t too fond of the

idea.” Lori held her breath as she waited for Evelyn’s take on the situation.

“Would you feel comfortable meeting with Ken and his people? Do you think you’d be in

immediate danger?”

It was a perfect way to word the question. Because Lori and Evelyn both knew she wouldn’t be

in immediate danger. If Ken was planning on getting rid of her for any reason, he wouldn’t approach

her in a public place to ask her to come to her own murder. But what had Michael so upset, and was

admittedly unsettling to Lori too, was the constant state of almost danger. The knowledge that she was

messing with some bad people who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Or, rather, to pay someone

else to get their hands dirty.

“I wouldn’t be in immediate danger,” said Lori.

“Well then, if you’re up for it, it would be a great chance to find out who the leader of Thirteen

Stars is.”

“I’m up for it.” If she had to endure one more day of playing the naive little niece of Grayson,

she could do it. “I’ll try to set up a meeting for tomorrow. The sooner this is over with the better.”

“There’s a chance they might not be able to make a meeting that soon,” warned Evelyn.

“There’s money on the line. I’m sure they’ll be able to rearrange some plans for me,” said Lori

with more confidence than she felt.

“Keep me informed about your plans. I might be able to get into the restaurant or have one of my

people there. That should calm Michael down a little bit.”

“Maybe.” Lori didn’t kid herself. It would take a lot more than that to calm him down. “I’ll let

you know the details as soon as I figure them out.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line and for a moment, Lori thought they got

disconnected. But then Evelyn spoke up. “I really don’t want to cause friction between the two of

you.”

Lori stared out the window. Damn it. Evelyn was supposed to be sure of this and ready to plow

ahead, no matter the consequences. She wasn’t supposed to be unsure. “Michael will be fine. He’ll

get over it.” He’d have to.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next morning at work was long and monotonous. Lori had a hard time focusing on catching

up on her workload when there was so much going on in the background. She had a lunch meeting

with Ken and his other investors and had been avoiding Michael ever since she snuck into her cube.

Considering she’d never even seen him before that day two weeks ago, it was shocking how aware

she was of him now.

Or maybe she was hyper aware of him because she hadn’t spoken to him since she’d left his

apartment. She wasn’t sure whether she’d call what they had a fight, but it was the closest thing they’d

had to one. There was another possible reason for why he hadn’t called. Maybe he was done with

her. It was fun while it lasted, but he could’ve realized they were just too different.

She glanced at the clock on the bottom corner of her computer screen. Ten a.m. Wouldn’t he

have messaged or called by now if he really wanted to talk? She was meeting Ken in two hours and

Michael had no idea. Part of her liked it better that way. It was easier to ask forgiveness than

permission.

But she’d prefer someone else knew where she was going. She definitely didn’t want Michael

there. Grayson hadn’t started to handle Michael’s and Luke’s funds yet, and it would be rather

improper for him to sit in, even if the idea of them as a couple was becoming more accepted.

Even if she didn’t want to fight, she did want to be honest with him. Because she didn’t want

whatever they had to be over. She didn’t want to think of yesterday as a fight. Just a misunderstanding

brought on by grief and stress.

After five more minutes, she finally gave up on trying to work and headed upstairs. She didn’t

care whether people noticed. She was going upstairs to talk to Michael. As far as she was aware, no

one from the office but Cali and Luke knew about them, and if she kept making trips up to the

executive level, other employees were going to talk. But this seemed important enough to risk it.

Michael wasn’t in his office when she glanced in the open door, so Lori turned and walked

around the corner to Cali’s desk. The blonde was typing away at the computer with her back to Lori,

yet she somehow already knew she was there and shot Lori a quick smile before she went back to her

email.

“Michael is in with Luke right now. I can grab him for you if you want.” She typed a few more

words and sent the email before she turned around.

Lori hesitated, once again not sure whether this was important enough to interrupt a meeting. “I

kind of need to talk to him, but I don’t—”

“I’m on it.” Cali stood and headed around her desk to tap on the closed door to Luke’s office.

Without waiting for permission, she turned the knob and popped her head in. “Michael, you have a

visitor,” she said sweetly.

Lori wished she could see their faces. Were they used to Cali just coming in? Lori had heard

rumors that Cali was more than just a secretary, but she still wasn’t sure exactly where she stood in

the organization.

Whatever she was, she seemed to get what she wanted. A second later, Michael emerged from

Luke’s office. Without saying a word, he ushered Lori away and into his office, leaving the door open.

“I was hoping to see you today.” He turned to face her.

“There’s this thing called a phone, you know,” she muttered.

“And I’ve heard that thing works both ways,” he said with a pointed look. “You had a stressful

day. I wanted to give you some space to think things over.”

He didn’t have to be sweet about it. Not when she was going to give him bad news. This

would’ve been easier if he’d immediately started to order her around and annoy her again. “About

last night… About the meeting that Ken wants.”

Michael crossed his arms over his chest. “Please tell me you changed your mind about that.”

Now or never. “I’m meeting him for lunch in two hours.”

His expression hardened and the muscle in his jaw ticked. “You already set it up.”

“Evelyn helped me. It’s a public place. People know where I’ll be and who I’m meeting. It’ll be

fine, Michael.”

He narrowed his eyes. “So you’ve made up your mind then?”

“No turning back.” She squared her shoulders and tried to make sure he knew there was no use

arguing with her.

Instead, he just nodded. “At least let me come with you. What is the name of the restaurant?”

She shook her head. “No. I thought about that already, but the information they want to discuss is

just too sensitive. I can’t think up a good enough excuse to bring you along. But it’s just a short, in-

and-out thing, Michael. It will be fine.” She held her breath as she waited for his outburst or anger.

“Just let me know what time you want to leave and I’ll have Jerry drive you.”

She stared blankly for a moment, waiting for him to yell or scream at her for going ahead with

this. “You’re not mad?”

“Of course I’m mad, Lori! I’m mad at Ken and I’m mad at Evelyn and I’m mad at Grayson, but

most of all I’m mad at myself. But if you insist on taking after my foolishness, then I can’t stop you.

But at least you can have Jerry right outside the restaurant waiting for you.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you understand. I’ll text you the name of the restaurant as

soon as I’m back at my desk. It’s some fancy French sounding place and I don’t remember the name.”

She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you for

understanding.”

He kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips. “I’d do anything to keep you safe, Lori.”

“I know,” she said. “And I will be. Promise.” She kissed him real quick before she pulled

away. “I have a huge pile of stuff to catch up on, but do you want to grab dinner tonight?”

“Takeout?” he asked as she reached the door.

“Of course.” She gave him a little wink before she left and headed back to her desk.

For the next two hours, her entire mood was lifted. Michael and she were good, and things

would be back to normal as soon as this lunch meeting was over. She felt stupid for not talking to him

sooner. Of course he would understand.

She was in such a good mood, she practically skipped downstairs when it was time to meet Ken

and his associates. She found Michael’s car quickly because she was so familiar with it by now and

slid into the backseat.

After pulling up the name of the restaurant, she tried her best to pronounce it for Jerry without

butchering the pronunciation. She had a feeling she failed miserably, but she had the address and that

was the important part.

Jerry turned the key in the ignition. “Right away, ma’am.”

She sat back and was once again filled with warm, fuzzy thoughts of Michael as she watched the

busy sidewalks buzz by. A few minutes passed and Lori frowned at the unfamiliar street they were

stopped at. “Hey,” she called to Jerry. “Aren’t we supposed to be going north?”

There was a pause before he answered. “Mr. Devereaux suggested this would be the best

route.”

“Well, he was wrong, obviously. Can we turn around?”

Another pause. “I have to follow orders, ma’am.”

Realization crashed down. “Michael told you to drive me away from the restaurant.” The words

felt dry and heavy in her mouth.

Jerry didn’t answer, which told her all she needed to know. “Let me out of the car,” she

ordered. “Now.” They stopped at a light and she tried to tug at the door handle, but it wouldn’t open.

“Let me out or I’m going to call the police!”

He didn’t say anything as the light turned green and he turned left. Lori thought back and

realized he’d already made two left turns. He was driving her in circles.

She pulled out her phone, but instead of calling 911, she dialed Michael. She half expected him

to ignore her call, but apparently he did have the balls to answer.

“Hello, Lori,” he said in a resigned tone.

Son of a bitch knew exactly why she was calling.

“What the hell are you doing?” she bit out.

“I told you already. I’m not letting you put yourself in any more danger. I was serious about

that.”

“And just today? When you seemed so accepting? You were already planning this, weren’t

you?”

“Hate me if you want, but Jerry isn’t bringing you back until at least one o’clock.”

“This isn’t stopping anything. I’ll just reschedule with Ken.”

“You think I won’t find a way to stop that too? I’ll call in favors. Hell, I’ll call in bomb threats.

From now on, you and Ken Kemmerling are done. Do you understand?”

Anger snaked through her veins, and she tried to keep her hands from shaking as she tried to

reconcile herself with what he was doing. “You and I are done after this. You know that, right?”

“I’d rather you be alive and pissed at me than the alternative.”

Lori ended the call and went back to staring out the window. A tear streaked down her face.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lori flipped through the endless stream of shows available to her on the streaming program she

had on her laptop. Thousands and thousands of shows at her fingertips. Her phone buzzed next to her

and she ignored it as she kept scrolling. After a few eternal seconds, it finally stopped.

She picked it up to see whether the caller left a message, and it immediately rang again.

Michael. Nope. She wasn’t doing it. She threw it on the sofa and grabbed her mostly full glass of

water to top it off just for an excuse to walk away, but the incessant buzzing was back again.

She almost made it. She really did. But at the last second, she turned and ran to the couch,

answering the call on the last ring. “I thought I told you that I didn’t want to talk,” she said into the

phone.

“I know, but something came up. Are you home?”

Lori balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she set her water down. “Yeah, I’m

home.”

“A courier should be at your apartment in a minute with a package for you.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing major. I just wanted to send you a present.”

She tried not to roll her eyes. She’d known dating a man like Michael would have its benefits,

but this was her first time getting a present. “I don’t want anything from you right now. I’m too pissed

to be bribed.”

“Well then, you can give it back to me at the office tomorrow. Just pick up the damn thing from

the courier when you get it. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

He hung up before she could refuse whatever gift he was offering and she was left staring,

dumfounded, at her phone.

But exactly like he said, a few minutes later, the buzz of the intercom filled the apartment, and

the courier was at the downstairs door.

At Michael’s place, the doorman could sign for the package and bring it up to Michael. Her

cheap place had no such amenities. Lori slipped on her sneakers and ran out to the elevator.

The courier waited patiently outside the door to the apartment. In exchange for her signature, he

handed over a tiny white cardboard box wrapped with a red ribbon.

Jewelry. He was trying to win her back with jewelry. How cliché. As she rode the lift back to

her apartment, she turned the box in her hand, trying to figure out a way to tell Michael where he

could shove his pretty little trinket. Maybe she wouldn’t even open it. That would show him. Shove

the still wrapped box in his face tomorrow. Or maybe pawn it.

Not that she was anti-gifts. Actually, she would’ve loved it for any other reason. But not as

some sort of apology or way to win her favor.

She set the box on the counter and went back to her laptop, but her gaze kept on going back to

the beautiful little package.

It wasn’t as if there was wrapping paper or anything. She could peek and still give it back to

him with the bow just as pristine as ever.

Yeah. One quick look. She padded back over to the counter and carefully removed the bow and

ribbon in a way that she could just slide it right back on when she was done satisfying her curiosity.

She lifted up the tiny lid and peeled back the tissue paper, but her mouth went dry as she saw the

necklace.

Well, she definitely couldn’t pawn this.

The next morning, Lori checked her phone for the fifth time as she stood outside Michael’s

office. Come on. He needed to be getting in soon.

“Are you sure I can’t get you anything?” asked Cali. “Coffee, tea, water?”

“No. I just need to talk to him for a few minutes.” Looking at her phone again, she saw it was

already eight thirty-five. Damn it, where was he? She had a pile of work to catch up on and no time to

hang around his office much longer. “Are you sure he didn’t have an outside meeting today?”

Cali raised one perfectly tweezed blonde eyebrow. As though it was offensive to even wonder

whether she’d made a mistake. “Trust me. He’ll be here any moment. If you want, I can call you when

he’s in.”

“I can wait.” Even as she said the words, she debated how much longer she would hang around.

Spontaneity sounded well and good until you ended up standing outside an empty office for fifteen

minutes, waiting for someone who might or might not show up.

Just then, footsteps sounded from the end of the hall and Lori looked up to see Michael

approach. Even though she wanted to keep her stern, angry face, she couldn’t help but smile.

He stopped when he saw her before he met her smile with one of his own. “So you got my

present?”

She brought her fingers to the pendent that rested against her chest. “Yes. Where did you even

get this?”

“Internet can get you anything.” He stepped into his office and ushered her in. As soon as she

was inside, he shut the door and dropped his briefcase. “You like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love it. I didn’t even know they made necklaces out of trilobites.”

He snorted. “I should’ve known that you’d know a five-hundred-million-year-old fossil by

sight.”

“Well, they’re one of the most common fossils.” She’d seen the display case at the Natural

History Museum with the various types and sizes of the marine arthropods found in the fossil record.

The one he’d gotten her was a smaller, common one. It was set in silver with a swirling pattern

around the edges of the oval fossil, and an eighteen-inch silver chain held it around her neck. “It

wasn’t expensive, was it?” She was so determined to not be one of those women who fawned over

expensive gifts, but she’d hate to have to return her necklace out of principle.

“Not very expensive,” he promised. He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms over his

chest. “So are you not mad at me anymore?”

“Michael,” she breathed. “Of course I’m still mad at you. I’m a grown woman. You can’t

randomly kidnap me in the middle of the day and not expect me to be pissed. If you’re going to order

me around, I can’t have you being a hypocrite. I won’t stand for it.”

“Is it so hard for you to believe that your safety is important to me?”

Yes. He barely knew her. She half expected him to realize that she was nothing special at any

moment and run off as quickly as he could. Which she should be happy about, considering how upset

she was, but at the moment the thought only made her sad. No. She was still mad. Grateful for the

necklace, but sad.

“I need to go back downstairs,” she murmured. “I shouldn’t have come up here.”

“Come on. It’s Friday. Try another weekend with me.”

She scoffed. “No. I’m not going to magically forget that you’re a controlling ass.”

“Then dinner.”

She raised a brow and stared him down. “You really think it’s going to be that easy?”

“Of course not. I intend to grovel the entire way through dinner.”

Damn, she wanted to see that. But she also didn’t want to forgive him so quickly when he was

such a dick. “How much groveling?”

“You have never seen a man grovel as much as I’m about to grovel. Mass begging. Maybe even

crying.”

“Fake crying? Really? That’s hardly dignified.”

“Really good fake crying, though.”

Lori rested her forehead in her palm. “Michael! Why did you have to do this? I like you. I really

like you.”

“Luke and I have a late meeting with the finance team, but I can have the car ready for you at

seven.”

“Sure. Jerry and I are practically besties at this point.” She rolled her eyes.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” asked Michael. “Come out with me. You get a nice

dinner out of it and then break my heart at the end. Best case, you can keep liking me.”

She held up a hand. “One, that is oversimplifying things. Two, I want Chinese food.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Lori threw the skirt back on the bed. No. She wasn’t dressing up for Michael’s stupid groveling

dinner. She tugged on a pair of jeans and put a hoodie on over the sparkly tank. So if she wanted to

suddenly look good, she could pull off the sweater and would be more presentable. But for now, all

he was getting was hoodie.

Served the bastard right. Even as the anger returned, she reached up to fiddle with the necklace

that rested against her chest. Was it possible that the strange jerk who she had dealt with was only the

result of how much Michael cared for her? Even if she was open to the possibility that he’d only

behaved that way because he cared about her, was she supposed to be okay with that?

She had moved out here to make it on her own. To be strong and independent. What would she

be if she became one of those women who let her boyfriend dictate everything about her life?

Though Michael hadn’t tried to dictate everything. Just this one thing.

She let out a breath. She’d take it one day at a time. She’d meet him for dinner and see where

things went. Hell, she already knew where things would go. Knowing their track record, they’d end

up ordering takeout again and staying at his place all night.

And damn it all if she didn’t get a rush of butterflies at the thought.

Hey. If he wanted to spend the entire night trying to make it up to her, she was going to let him.

She grabbed her phone off the charger and slid it in her pocket, as well as her ID, credit card and

keys. No purse. She wasn’t going to let herself sleep over. Get in, hear groveling, and leave. She

knew that if she was given the chance, she’d rush right back into bed with him.

Not that that still wouldn’t happen tonight, but at least now she wouldn’t be able to sleep over

without her purse on hand.

She turned off the lights because Quinn was out for the evening and slipped out into the hall. She

pulled the door shut and locked it before she turned around and screamed as she saw who was

waiting for her.

Ken Kemmerling stood right outside her door. One of her hands flew over her mouth as she

instinctively bit back another scream and fell back against her door. “What are you doing here?”

“Hello, Ms. Briggs. I was hoping you’d have a few moments to talk.”

Lori eyed the hallway, looking for someone she could signal her distress to, but didn’t see

anyone. But just because he was taking a page out of Hunter’s notebook didn’t mean he was there to

hurt her. “I asked what you’re doing here. I don’t appreciate people lurking outside my apartment.”

Screw manners. This was not okay, and if Evelyn got upset with her for telling him so, tough luck.

“I was actually just about to knock when you came out. I would’ve announced myself sooner,

but your back was turned when you were locking the door. I thought that might appear…creepy. I

suppose I miscalculated.”

Lori nodded as she thought back to coming out of her apartment. She would’ve seen him if he

were just about to knock. He had to be bullshitting her.

“You did,” she said simply. “So what do you want? I’m heading off to meet Michael and my

roommate is expecting company.” There. Let him think there was someone home and that there were

people waiting on her.

“I was hoping to discuss your uncle. He’s been handling my finances for years and I have been

working to transfer all my bank information to his, um, replacement and have been having some

difficulty getting historical statements for one of the accounts. I was hoping we could go to his

apartment and look through some of the documents he’d retained for me.”

Nope. No. No. No. No. Hell no. “I’d love to help you, but I really do have to run off for a

meeting with Michael. Can this wait until tomorrow?” Or never?

“Damn. I suppose that’s the risk I run of surprising you like this.”

“Yeah, schedules can be hard sometimes.” Except Ken knew that. He also knew that his bank

could give him copies of any historical statements, which made a trip to her side of town pretty much

pointless unless there was something else he wanted that he was too afraid to fess up to.

“I really have to go.” She pushed past him and rushed to the elevator. She jammed her finger in

the button repeatedly as she urged it to arrive faster.

She heard Ken’s footsteps come closer. “I really am sorry for popping in unannounced, but this

is rather urgent that I get these documents. Will you be available later tonight, possibly?”

You stupid, piece of crap elevator, just get to my stupid floor. “I can talk to Michael,” she said.

“I’m sure he’d be willing to head over with me.”

“That should be perfect.” Ken smiled.

The lift doors opened and Lori cursed her luck when she saw that it was empty. She stepped

inside the car and pressed the button for the lobby even as she stuck her hand in her sweatshirt pocket

where her phone was. Technically Ken hadn’t done anything too scary, but she wasn’t about to let her

guard down.

“Maybe I can look for it and give you a call if I find anything? No use for you to make a

pointless trip out there. Maybe you can tell me the name of the bank and I’ll pull anything that pertains

to you out.”

“That might work.”

Somehow, him suddenly being so agreeable after he seemed so desperate to talk with her set her

nerves on edge.

“So things with you and Michael Devereaux seem to be going well,” he said.

Lori nodded as she stared intently at the numbers decreasing in the glacially slow elevator.

“He’s been great to me.”

The doors finally opened and Lori jumped out of the lift. Ken kept pace with her as they crossed

through the lobby, and he held the door open for her. She nodded her thanks and reached the street,

scanning the cars for the familiar sight of Michael’s driver. Please don’t let him be late.

“Can I offer you a ride, Ms. Briggs?” asked Ken.

“Oh, no thanks. Michael already has a car on the way.”

He stepped in closer and held out a hand. “Thanks for your help anyway. I do appreciate your

willingness to call your evening short on account of me.”

She hesitantly reached out to shake his hand, but she knew her mistake immediately. His fingers

wrapped tightly around her palm and he pulled her in close. She opened her mouth to scream, but only

empty air came out as a pain more intense than anything she’d ever felt shot through her back and up

her spine. Her legs gave out and Ken wrapped his arms around her as though hugging a longtime

friend.

“There, there,” he muttered as he started to maneuver her closer to a black car parked in front of

the building. “The pain will go away soon.”

She could just maneuver her eyes enough to see him tuck a stun gun back into his pocket before

going back to his hug.

He opened the back door and all pretenses fled as he jammed her into the seat as quickly as

possible. She was just starting to regain control of her limbs as he climbed in next to her and slammed

the door shut.

The car took off into traffic and Lori realized Ken wasn’t alone. Someone was driving. But

when she looked up to the driver’s seat, she didn’t recognize the large man with dusty brown hair

who wove through the evening traffic.

Ken reached around her and patted at her pockets before he pulled out her phone. When he got

to her lock screen, he dangled the device in front of her and pressed something cold and metallic

against the back of her neck.

Lori, slowly and as non-threateningly as possible, pushed herself up to a sitting position. She

couldn’t tell whether he was holding the Taser or a gun to her neck, but it really didn’t matter. Her

heart raced a thousand miles a minute as she tried to choke down her fear. “What do you want me to

do?” she asked softly. They were surrounded by people and cars. If she could get one second of

distraction, she could try to hop out of the car and make a run for it.

“Unlock your phone and send a text message to Michael. Do it now and quickly and you won’t

get hurt again. Understand?”

She nodded as she reached for the phone with trembling hands. Breathe. Breathe in. Breathe

out. The car hit a pothole and the metal jammed deeper into her neck. She forced herself to unlock the

screen and pull up the text application. Please don’t have a panic attack. If she started to freak out,

he’d probably kill her right on the spot. She needed to buy as much time as possible.

Once the screen was open, he moved even closer to see. Lori figured her shudder was suitably

masked by her trembling.

“Now write exactly what I say. Emergency. Can’t go out. Drinking with friends.”

She forced herself to do as he said. As soon as the last word was down, his free hand reached

forward and hit the Send button before he yanked the phone from her hands. He finally backed off a

bit and rolled down the back window just a crack before he tossed her phone out.

As Lori watched her one possible way of contacting help clatter onto the car-packed pavement,

the panic truly set in.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Something’s wrong.” Michael jumped up and ran for his door. He tried to call Lori, but it went

straight to voicemail. Damn it, this woman was so attached to technology, she never left her phone off.

Luke ran after him and caught up as Michael was pounding on the button for the elevator. “What

do you mean?”

“I mean Lori is in trouble. She just texted me that she’s canceling tonight and is getting drinks

instead with friends.”

The elevator finally arrived, and Michael punched in Evelyn’s number as they got on.

“Hey, I know you two are having a good time and all, but is her blowing you off to see friends

really reason to call Evelyn?” asked Luke.

“She doesn’t drink, Luke. It makes her sick.” Evelyn picked up on the first ring, and Michael

didn’t wait for a greeting. “You need to find Lori. Right now. She just messaged me that she’s going

out for drinks.”

Evelyn didn’t share Luke’s skepticism. “I’m on it. My guy should have a location on her phone

in the next ten minutes.”

Fuck. If her phone was off, would tracing it even work? “Where would she be? Have you talked

to her today? What happened that could’ve scared her? She wasn’t supposed to meet Kemmerling,

was she?” If she was, she sure as hell wouldn’t tell him.

“She didn’t have any other plans to meet with Ken,” said Evelyn. “If this is related to the

Thirteen Stars, we have to assume it’s probably the same guy who got to Grayson.”

“What the hell do you mean probably the same guy? I thought we still weren’t sure if it was a

suicide! And these guys have money spilling out of their asses. Why wouldn’t they just hire different

people? Are you telling me that the entire fucking FBI doesn’t know what to do?”

The elevator doors opened in the middle of his tirade, but he didn’t care who heard him. He

stormed through the lobby, not looking to see whether Luke was following. “Tell me where to go. You

asked for my help and I’ve done everything you wanted. Now tell me where the fuck my girlfriend

is!”

There was a pause on the other end as Michael pushed open the doors to his building and stood

in the cool night air for a moment, completely lost. Where was he supposed to go? Her apartment? He

didn’t know what he was looking for. What he was doing…

“Listen carefully to me, Michael. There are a few details I didn’t tell you about our

investigation into Grayson’s death. Mostly speculation that we couldn’t prove. We think Grayson’s

killer was inexperienced. Not a professional. The note written was cliché. Not consistent with actual

notes we have on record for similar cases. Tell me exactly what her text message said.”

Michael pulled the phone away from his ear and read it back to her.

“Okay, that isn’t enough to make a definite analysis, but it could very well be the same guy. If

he’s going to do something to her, he’ll do it at a place familiar to both her and him.”

“Grayson’s,” said Michael to his brother as he took off running.

“Michael, stay where you are!” ordered Evelyn. “I’ve contacted the NYPD and they are sending

cars to her apartment and to Grayson’s. Whoever this man is, he’s armed, dangerous, and not sure

what he’s doing. He’s unpredictable and I don’t want you or Lori getting hurt.”

“Too late,” muttered Michael as he ran. He didn’t hang up the phone, but set it in his pocket just

in case Evelyn needed to track him.

Grayson lived just three blocks away. Michael would get there long before the police ever did.

Footsteps sounded behind him and Michael realized Luke was behind him. Good. At least he didn’t

have to go in alone.

He kept his breathing controlled as he hit the second block and forced himself to run even faster.

He swerved and dived between pedestrians as he got closer and closer to the building in his sights.

He didn’t wait for the doorman to open the door, instead pulling it open and bolting straight for the

elevator. If they wanted to call the police, he was all for that. He hit the button for the roof and stared

at the doors, willing them to close.

Luke caught up just in time and there was a brief moment of rest as the elevator rose to

Grayson’s floor. “What exactly are we going to do?” he asked between pants.

Michael didn’t answer. He didn’t have a plan. Find Lori was steps one through ten.

“Well, did you even consider what you were going to do if someone’s about to throw her off a

roof?” snapped Luke.

Michael ran a hand through his hair. Damn it. There wasn’t time to plan. “I’ll think of

something.”

Luke reached behind him and pulled out a gun. Michael took a step back as he recognized their

father’s old pistol. “How long have you been carrying that around?”

“Since the sons of bitches tried to kill Emma,” said Luke. “I’m not going to be caught off

guard.” He flipped the safety off and handed it, butt first, to Michael, making sure it was aimed

toward the floor. “I’m assuming you still know how to use it.”

Michael nodded as he gripped the gun. He hadn’t been to the range recently, but growing up,

Luke, Rourke, and he had spent countless hours at their homemade shooting range on the property. “I

remember. Evelyn said the police would be here in minutes. All we have to do is find her.”

Luke rested his hands on his knees as he continued to catch his breath. “And you trust Evelyn?”

“For fuck’s sake. Whatever is going on between the two of you, I need you to shut the hell up

about it! Lori is here somewhere and in danger, okay? Yes, I trust Evelyn.”

Luke stepped back as the doors opened to the small landing before the roof.

Michael held the handgun in front of him and peered around the corner before he stepped off the

elevator. When he reached the door to the roof, he took one steadying breath before he pulled open the

door and stepped back out into the night.

#####

“Keep going.” Ken shoved another hand into her back.

Lori stared at the menacing elevator in front of her as dread threatened to swallow her whole.

No. She was about to lose any opportunity she’d have to get help. When they’d reached Grayson’s

building, she assumed there would at least be a doorman to hear her scream for help. But this wasn’t

the front entrance. It was a back service door and elevator that she didn’t even know existed.

Once she got on that dark, dank elevator, there was no going back. There was only going…up.

No. She wasn’t letting Ken throw her off the building like he did to Grayson. She would scream and

scratch and claw…

The Taser hit her in the back again, sliding in under her sweater to the bare skin right above her

jeans. The large driver caught her and pulled her into the elevator before she could tumble back to the

ground.

Soon enough, the doors slid shut. She was locked in with two homicidal maniacs.

“I am sorry about this,” said Ken. “But you have to understand that I need to clean up this

mess.”

Lori closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. On regaining control of her still spasming

muscles.

“When my guy I had monitoring Grayson told me he was working with the FBI, I couldn’t let the

others find out. He was here on my recommendation. I was responsible for him. And normally you’d

be safe, but I know exactly how capable you are. If Grayson had anything on us hidden in his

apartment, you’d connect the dots. And I can’t trust your billionaire boy toy to keep you in line.”

That did earn him a glare from her. She tried to give him her best go fuck yourself stare.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Michael isn’t the white knight you thought.” The doors opened and he

was pulled out of his own gloating. “But you don’t need to worry about that. Might as well go out still

loving him. Who am I to get in the way of young love?”

As the lug pulled her along, she braced herself for the stunning and terrifying view of the city

from the roof, but instead all she saw was a hallway. They weren’t going to the roof…

#####

“They aren’t here!” screamed Michael.

“Hey, keep it together.” Luke glanced over the side of the roof at the street. “They might not be

here yet, okay? Maybe we beat them.”

“Or they could be anywhere else in the city. This was just an educated hunch from Evelyn.”

“Fine. We’ll use Evelyn. What did she say about this guy who led her here?”

Michael tried to think back to their conversation. “She said this guy was cliché.” What the hell

was a cliché killer? Stereotypical? “Evelyn said the guy wasn’t creative. The suicide note he wrote

for Grayson was something you’d see in a movie. It makes her think he’s not experienced in murder.

That’s why she thinks he’d go somewhere that he and his vic—Lori would be familiar with.”

Luke slammed his palm at his forehead and strode back to the door they’d propped open with a

discarded pop can. “Women don’t jump, Michael.”

Michael followed him. “What?”

“In movies. You said this guy is taking what he’s seen in a few TV shows and applying it to real

life, right? Well, in movies, and real life, women aren’t known for jumping off buildings.”

He nodded in understanding.

“They take pills.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Lori clenched and unclenched her fist as Ken filled a glass of water and dropped a handful of

pills inside. She made sure that she didn’t move too much and kept her weight on the lug. Hopefully, if

neither man knew how much she’d recovered from the last hit of the Taser, they wouldn’t notice how

much stronger she was now.

Except judging by how fast the pills were dissolving in the water, she would have to make her

move sooner rather than later.

“This won’t be as quick as your uncle,” muttered Ken as he poured in a few more pills. “But it

should be much less painful. I promise.”

She needed to buy time. The more control she had over herself, the better chance she’d have of

surviving. “Did you hurt my uncle?”

“I tried not to. I’m just in a tight spot here. Grayson and I have always had a side deal. In

exchange for me bringing him into the fold, he’d set aside a portion of the returns as a sort of thank-

you fund for us to split. The other members are already upset with me for agreeing to take on the

Devereaux brothers. If they knew what Grayson and I had arranged, I’d be dead. Screw the FBI

arresting me. I’d never even make it to whatever minimum security place they’d send me to.”

“Better him dead than you?” she spit out, not even trying to hide her disgust. So much greed.

“What did you even need the extra money for anyway? You already have billions.”

His eyes glazed over and for a second, he seemed to look past her. Lori took the opportunity to

subtly shift her weight, judging how fast she could spring away if she had the chance. But soon

enough, Ken’s attention was back on her. “Enough talking. I have a late-night meeting tonight with

some friends.”

He picked up the glass of water as the lug wrenched her arms behind her back. Ken grabbed her

chin in his meaty palm and tried to pry her mouth open, but Lori kicked out at his shin.

He barely ducked away as a few drops of water sloshed over the glass. Shooting her an

annoyed glance, he motioned for the lug to adjust his hold. In order for him to do that, he’d have to let

her go, though. She braced herself for her chance, and as soon as the lug’s grip loosened, her elbow

shot out toward his face even as she started to run for the door. She didn’t connect with his face, but

he must’ve jerked back because he didn’t have a chance to grab her as she skittered away. Before she

reached the door, Ken moved to block her path.

Desperation set in as she adjusted her course and ran behind the kitchen island, searching for

any sort of weapon she could use to fight her way out before they brought out the Taser again. She

didn’t risk the few precious seconds it would take to glance over her shoulder as she reached the

cabinets and pulled drawers open, desperately searching for a knife or anything she could use against

the men.

On the third drawer, she struck gold. She reached in and grabbed two knives as the now all-too-

familiar sting of electricity shot through her. Her body went limp and she tumbled to the floor. One of

the knives clattered on the tile next to her.

But not both. Somehow, even through the shock, one of the blades had remained in her hand.

She wiggled away, trying to draw attention to her feet as she pushed the small steak knife into

the sleeve of her sweatshirt, but in just a second the lug was on her. He grabbed her ponytail and

hauled her up. Instinctively, her free hand tried to reach up and stop him, but her weak muscles only

raised it a few inches before falling back at her side. Damn it. Even if she did have a weapon, how

was she supposed to fight off two guys like this?

Ken wasn’t going to take any chances this time. “Hold her with one arm and tilt her head with

the other,” he ordered.

The lug wrapped an arm over her waist, trapping her arms at her sides, and then pulled her

ponytail harder until her neck was at the best angle for the poisonous drink to be poured down her

throat.

“This won’t look like a suicide,” she slurred. “There was a struggle. Defensive wounds.” All

the freaking marks on her body where she’d been shocked.

“We’re following the plan!” shouted Ken as he once again picked up the glass and approached

her. She was determined as all hell to keep her mouth shut, but he covered her nose, and in moments,

her traitorous body gasped for air. He took his chance and started to pour. She refused to swallow,

and it sloshed out around her face and down her shirt.

He stopped pouring and held a hand over her mouth the keep the foul liquid inside, waiting for

her inevitable need for air to do his work for him. But as she fought her need to breathe, the sweetest

sound she’d ever heard came to her ears. The sound of a key in the lock.

Ken heard it, too, and his hand dropped from her mouth. Lori didn’t waste a second as she spit

the water at his face. Ken screamed as he rubbed at his eyes, and she wiggled her arm until the knife

fell from her sleeve and her palm wrapped around the handle.

“Lori!” shouted a voice that made her heart swell.

Michael was here.

#####

Michael was going to kill him. Red rage filled his vision as he pointed his father’s gun at the

stranger holding onto Lori. “Take your hands off her,” he ordered.

Luke stayed behind him, which was probably best, considering Michael was planning to shoot

the second Lori was out of the way. “The police will be here any second,” said Luke. “There is no

way out of this. But if you let her go and step away slowly, things will go smoother for you.”

The man adjusted his grip on Lori so one arm was around her throat and the other around her

upper chest, effectively using her as a shield. “Hey, I don’t have anything to do with this.” He

motioned to a terrified-looking Ken with his head. “He’s doing this. Said it was easy and the money

was good. I’m just the driver.”

Just the driver, his ass. “I believe you,” said Michael. “Now back away.”

Instead, he just stood there, eyes darting around the room like a cornered animal. That wasn’t

good. Cornered animals were desperate and unpredictable.

But then Michael saw a flash of silver as Lori brought her arm up and slammed a knife into the

man’s arm. He screamed as she lunged forward. Except she didn’t run into his arms like he’d hoped.

She fell straight toward the ground. The man ran around Michael, but Luke was ready and body

slammed him, tackling him to the floor.

Michael bent next to Lori as she struggled to roll over. She looked as if she’d been through hell.

The entire front of her hooded sweatshirt was soaked in something, and her eyes were bloodshot and

ragged. Thankfully, he didn’t see any obvious sign of injury.

“Michael,” she whispered.

“I’m here. I’m here,” he said desperately. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

She smiled even as she coughed. “Ken.”

Michael looked up and saw that Ken was gone, having snuck out the door in the commotion.

“The police are on their way. He won’t get far.”

Luke grunted as he adjusted his hold on the man Ken had hired. “Mother fucker,” he muttered.

“You okay over there?” called Michael.

Luke reached back and slammed his fist into the man’s face. “Just another day,” he muttered.

“Grayson and Ken were working together. They had a side deal. That’s why Ken killed him.”

“Shh,” said Michael. She’d been through too much already. They could regroup when Evelyn

got there.

She shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. He’s terrified of them, Michael. You need to

catch him now, or you won’t get a chance to.”

Just then, a pair of police officers entered the apartment, guns drawn.

“Ken Kemmerling,” shouted Michael. “He ran out of here just a minute ago. You need to catch

him. He tried to kill her. And we need an ambulance!” Damn it. He should’ve asked for the

ambulance first.

One of the officers went running while the other radioed in that he was with Michael, Luke,

Lori, and an unarmed suspect. The guy on the other end said something that Michael couldn’t make

out, and the officer nodded soberly as he ended the call.

“It looks like they found your guy,” he said.

Michael let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

“He took a swan dive off the roof. Would rather kill himself than be arrested.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“How do I look?” Lori tugged at her blouse so it would sit just right.

“Terrible,” said Michael from behind his desk with a scowl. “Go put on some jeans.”

Lori smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Don’t be bitter. It’s not attractive.”

“It’s unprofessional to run personal errands on work time,” he said. “Don’t you have enough to

do at your desk?”

“Fillon Corp has some great positions that I’m qualified for. From what the recruiter said on the

phone, I basically have my pick.”

“You want positions? I have tons. Missionary, doggie…I’ll even buy you a damn Kama Sutra if

that’s what you want.”

She laughed as she walked around to lean against his desk, right in front of his chair. He rested

his hands on her hips and looked up at her. “I like you here. Close by when I need you.”

“I’ll be close by at your apartment,” she reminded him. “The movers will be over tomorrow to

get the rest of the boxes and Quinn is already spending the rent money you gave her. How much closer

do you want me?”

He tugged her closer until his knees were between hers and stared up with a burning heat in his

gaze. “You have no idea just how close I want you,” he said in a husky, desire-filled voice.

“Would you two get a room already.” Luke sauntered into the office.

Lori jerked in surprise and pulled herself away from Michael. “Did you ever hear of

knocking?”

He raised a brow. “Did you ever hear of keeping work and play separate?”

Her cheeks got redder as Michael narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Please don’t encourage

her. She’s about to go to an interview at Fillon Corp. I’m already stressed enough.”

“We could be murdered at any moment by the people we gave a hundred million dollars to and

you’re worried about your girlfriend not working fifteen floors below you? Priorities, Michael.

Priorities.”

Lori smiled and waited to hear how Michael would shoot him down. She could listen to the two

men bicker all day.

“They are not coming after us at any moment, actually. I was contacted by someone else from

the Thirteen Stars. They wanted to assure me that even though Ken had certain issues he was working

through, that everything is still a go. So it doesn’t look like they know we’re involved with the FBI.

Evelyn made sure that the deal Ken had with Grayson made headlines, so they all knew the true

motives of what he was doing and wouldn’t dig any deeper.”

“And does Evelyn know about this yet?”

“Well, I assumed you wouldn’t want to call her.”

Luke snorted but didn’t disagree. “So we’re still on, right? Look for the leaders and bring them

down.”

“Bring them down safely,” clarified Lori. “You two need to be careful.” Sure, Ken had been

crazy and working outside of the Thirteen Stars, but these people were dangerous. Her close call had

given her a new appreciation of life and also a new paranoia.

One of the reasons that moving in with Michael after only being together for three weeks

seemed like such a good idea. Not for him to look after her. But because he needed someone to look

out for him. They’d be safe as long as they stuck together.

And if they happened to have lots and lots of hot sex while sticking together, well, that just

made the deal sweeter.

“And you need to listen to Evelyn, Luke. She knows what she’s doing.” Michael had told Lori

the story of Evelyn’s profile. Without her behind-the-scenes help, he might never have made it to her

in time.

Luke didn’t answer and stood. “I listen to Evelyn.” He started out of the office. “Sometimes,” he

added as he left.

Lori shook her head and checked her watch. “I have to get going. They’re expecting me at one

thirty.”

“That’s forty-five minutes. It doesn’t take that long to get three blocks.” Michael intertwined his

fingers with hers.

“No, but it takes that long to get there and then go over my prepared answers for the thousands

of possible interview questions.”

He took a deep breath and looked down at her. “You’re really doing this, aren’t you?”

“I’m not going to be that woman who sleeps her way to the top, and as long as I’m with you, it’s

always going to be that way. And, trust me, I did plan on advancing here.”

“So you are planning on sticking with me for a while.” A self-satisfied grin covered his face.

Somehow she hadn’t considered that he would doubt that he’d be stuck with her. She was

moving in with him. “Of course. I love you.”

There was a pause, and Lori realized it was the first time either of them had said the words. It

seemed so natural. As though it wasn’t some big revelation but simply a statement of how things

were.

Michael leaned forward and kissed her. She thought he was going in for a quick peck, but his

palm pressed into the small of her back and pulled her up against him.

Even though she knew she needed to be going, she rested her hands on the side of his face and

pulled him closer. Closed her eyes as she fell deeper into the kiss.

Before she became completely overwhelmed, she pushed away. “Nice try on the distraction. I

will not be missing this interview no matter how sexy you are.” She backed away and held up a finger

in warning.

“Fine. I surrender.” He held up his hands to prove his point. “Go. Get another job. Leave me. I

see the way it is,” he said in a joking tone.

She picked up her bag and portfolio folder from the chair in his office. “I’m going.”

Lori had one foot out the door when she heard the words she’d been waiting for.

“I love you too.”

~~~~~THE END~~~~~

Luke and Evelyn are going to have out their issues in the next installment, Testing The Boss, coming

November, 2015!

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

Billionaire Luke Devereaux gets what he wants and what he wants right now is to bring down the shady organization threatening his

family. Teaming up with the FBI is his only option--even if that option comes in the sultry Evelyn Price, the ice-princess who's all

business.

Refusing to be distracted by the sexy, rich playboy, Evelyn forces herself to stay focused on the case, gearing up for the criminal

takedown of her entire career. As the enemy closes in with Evelyn as its next target, it's up to Luke to keep them out of danger. The

more they work to protect each other, and fight for control, the harder it is to resist their undeniable attraction.

And the one thing Evelyn has learned from working with him is that Luke Devereaux gets what he wants.

Document Outline

CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

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