Nine Rules of Engagement (Barrington Billionaire's Series Book 9)

by Jeannette Winters

  Gia also didn’t want to say she was terminated due to inability to perform. Damn, this sucks. She wasn’t sure what to say to Lena. This wasn’t an interview where they weren’t allowed to ask certain questions. This was an information lunch. She hadn’t thought it through. Thankfully it hadn’t dawned on her until now or she’d have been up pacing the floor all night.

  Gia slipped the résumé back in her purse and got off the bus. She was dressed much more comfortably than last night, yet her feet were still complaining from those heels she’d worn. As she approached the building, she saw Lena getting out of the limo. She’d also dressed more relaxed in a yellow and white daisy sundress and white sneakers to match.

  “Hi, just on time,” she called out. “Don’t mind my shoes. My ankles are swollen and no other shoes fit. You’d think I’d be used to it by the third one.”

  “I’m not pregnant and my feet are killing me. Why do we torture ourselves with those high heels?”

  Lena laughed, “Because the guys like them. Of course that’s also why we wear those damn uncomfortable bras as well. By the way Roger never took his eyes off you last night, I’d say it was all worth it.”

  Unlike with Vickie, she needed to keep up the façade with Lena. “My feet might debate that.” She laughed.

  “We’ll make it quick then get right to the restaurant.”

  “It’s Sunday, I doubt there will be anyone there today.”

  Lena laughed. “Normally I’d agree with you. But I know for a fact the manager is in today. Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with you. Just good timing, I’d say.”

  “If you’re sure, because we could—”

  “Nonsense. We’re here.” As soon as they were inside the security guard greeted them.

  “Mrs. Henderson, is everything alright?”

  “We were heading to HR, but I’d like you to call down and see if Brittney can come up. Would you mind?”

  “Not at all.” He picked up the phone and a moment later he said, “She’ll be right up. Can I get you anything while you wait?”

  Gia wasn’t sure if he recognized her from the last time she was there, but if he did, he didn’t offer any apology for being so . . . harsh.

  Lena said, “No, we won’t be long, but thank you.”

  They didn’t have a chance to sit down before the elevator doors opened and a woman dressed in jeans and a T-shirt came out. “Hi, Lena. I love that dress on you.”

  “I just wish I didn’t look like a balloon.”

  Brittney laughed. “You forget what I looked like when I had the twins.”

  Twins. No thank you. Although her parents would be thrilled, Gia didn’t even have a boyfriend, so a baby wasn’t something she should think about. It was difficult enough in Boston on her own.

  “I don’t want to keep you, because I’m sure they are missing their mama. But I wanted to introduce you to Gia Gravel. She has her résumé with her, and I’d like it if you could review it and see if there is anything open you think would be appropriate for her.”

  Gia reached in her purse and pulled it out. Brittney quickly scanned it and said, “Compliance auditor?”

  “Yes. I review documents, policies, and procedures, looking for inconsistencies. It requires knowing the difference between company polices and the letter of the law.”

  “I’d like to set up some time to sit with you later this week if that works for you,” Brittney said.

  “That’d be fine.”

  “Great, I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thank you, Brittney. I know you’ll find something for her,” Lena said.

  Gia didn’t want Brittney to feel as though she had to hire her, but then again, if it got her foot in the door, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing.

  “I’m sure I will.” Brittney waited as she and Lena left the building.

  “Don’t worry. We have a few openings, and I’m sure Brittney will be calling you soon.”

  “Only if you really need me,” Gia said. She didn’t want to be indebted to Lena any more than she wanted to be with Roger. This was supposed to be business. Normally she wouldn’t be going to lunch with the owner’s wife, but Roger encouraged them to spend time together. That was yet another question she had for him, and she was sure he, once again, would avoid answering.

  “Gia, we take care of family and friends. Although we have not known Roger all that long, he is best friends with Brice’s brother. That carries a lot of weight. And besides, Roger didn’t accidently mention it, you know.”

  That was the only thing Gia was sure of. “It was very nice of him. Unnecessary, but still nice.”

  As they drove to the restaurant, Gia asked, “How did you and Roger meet?”

  The same way you and I did. “Nothing all that exciting. He kind of left an impression one day on my way home from work. And here we are.”

  Lena leaned back and said, “That’s how it happens sometimes. Brice and I met years ago when we were in college.”

  “”You guys have been together a long time.”

  “We’ve been married for several years, but there was a gap in time, almost four years where Brice and I didn’t even speak.”

  Gia could see that still bothered Lena. “Must have been tough.”

  “It was. He was a different man then. Our separating was for the best. I didn’t know it at the time. I think if we had stayed together, things wouldn’t be as good as they are now.”

  “I hear every couple faces rough times.”

  Lena smiled. “It’s how you come through them that determines where you’re going. Just remember that when it comes your turn with Roger.”

  “Is that a warning they are coming?” Gia asked, knowing darn well there was nothing real between them so no issue could creep up.

  “We all hide things we don’t share with anyone except . . . someone special. For me that is Brice and vice versa. I can tell Roger holds something inside, but what that is, none of us know.”

  “Not even his friend Caydan?” Gia asked.

  Lena shook her head. “Which is why I asked you to lunch.”

  “Thank you, but you don’t need to worry about me.”

  “I’m not. I’m worried about Roger. Brice tells me I should mind my own business, but that man is hurting. I know it. Even though it might be tempting to tell the stubborn, pigheaded man to take a walk, step back and exam why first.”

  Gia was thrown yet again. She really had only met Roger a few days ago. Surely she wasn’t the one he was going to open up to. But she would respect Lena’s request. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  The limo stopped at the restaurant and Lena said, “Oh by the way, Brice wasn’t joking.”

  “About what?”

  “I eat my food so hot lately I won’t be surprised if it melts the fork.”

  Gia chuckled. “Good thing the chopsticks are made of bamboo.”

  She gave Lena a hand as they got out of the limo. “I might just have to do that. But boy, I hope my taste buds go back to normal after this little one is born. I never could eat like this before. The other two, I had a sweet tooth.”

  “Too bad I wasn’t there for those, because I know a place that has the best cheesecake.”

  “There’s always room for cheesecake.”

  And if I’m right, I’m going to need something sweet after this lunch.

  “When are you going to tell me about the girl?” Caydan Pintino asked.

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “That’s not what Lena told Allyson.”

  Even from the other side of the world, women seemed to stay up to date on gossip. “Was there something important you called me for?”

  “I would think this was.”

  “Caydan, just because you bit the bullet and got married, don’t think I’m following suit.”

  “Married? That serious?” Caydan joked.

  “Fuck you. You know damn well what I meant. I’m not husband material.” Or boyfriend material for that matter.


  “And I was? Hell Roger, compared to me, you’re normal.”

  Roger wanted to argue but instead said, “Neither of us are. Speaking of Allyson, how is she?”

  “Hounding me to find out about Gia. And trust me, she won’t leave me alone until I tell her something. Hell, I don’t even care if it’s true or not.”

  Roger shook his head. Allyson was going to see through whatever bullshit story Caydan told her, if he knew the truth. So keeping Caydan in the dark was the only way to continue to pull this off.

  “Okay, I like her. I saw her one day on her way home from work, and I couldn’t help but pull over.” And apologize for splashing her.

  “Fine, I’ll make something up, but next time, don’t make me have to hear it from my wife. And when I say hear it, I mean an hour of questions she damn well knows I have no answers to.”

  And yet you want me to get married. Yeah, I’m all set with that. “How are things in Tabiq? Any issues you need me to come and handle?”

  “Would you be bringing Gia if I said yes?”

  Asshole. “Okay, this has been a great chat. Let’s not do it again.”

  Caydan was still laughing when Roger ended the call. He wasn’t used to hearing his friend so . . . happy. The best thing that had happened to Caydan was Allyson coming into his life. Because of her, Caydan found out the Hendersons were his family before he crushed them. He hated to admit it, but Caydan would’ve self-destructed if Allyson hadn’t been the voice of reason. God knows he wasn’t listening to me.

  If Gia and Allyson actually met, he was sure they would get along as well as Gia and Lena had. Then again, maybe he should keep them apart, at least until he finished what he was hired for.

  He thought for sure he’d hear from Gia first thing in the morning, but there was nothing. It wasn’t like she had already been given a job at the Towers. Maybe she wasn’t as reliable as she had pretended to be. Or she looked closer at me and didn’t like what she found. The latter made the most sense.

  Roger could call her and ask, but fuck it, he didn’t need her anyway. What difference did it make if she changed her mind? None. All she would be was a distraction. The faster he found the answer for Brice, the quicker his ass was out of there.

  He couldn’t focus, and it was pissing him off. Slamming the laptop closed, he got up and walked out of his hotel room. As he got into his car his phone rang. Finally.

  “Good morning, or should I say, good afternoon?” He didn’t try to hide his sarcasm.

  “Sounds like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” Gia said. “I would’ve thought you’d be happy to hear from me.”

  “I am.”

  “Oh, this is your happy voice? I guess I don’t want to hear you pissed off. Anyway, that’s not why I called.”

  “Why did you call?” he asked.

  “I have been doing some research about the photo and found—”

  “Where are you?” he snapped. Roger needed to make sure she wasn’t with Lena or anywhere any Henderson might hear.

  “Home, not that it’s any of your business.”

  “I’m coming over.”

  “Wait! What? Why?” she blurted out.

  “This project can only be discussed in person. I’ll be there in ten.”

  He ended the call and threw the car in gear. Roger had no idea what the fuck was going on with him. The information wasn’t so critical that it required him to rush over to retrieve it. No lives were at stake. Hell, he wasn’t even sure why Brice wanted the information in the first place.

  So this bullshit he was spilling was for one reason only. He wanted to see her. Damn!

  It wasn’t long before he was parked in front of her apartment building and climbing the stairs. When he got to her floor she opened the door, her hair a wild mass of curls, wearing glasses and a T-shirt so long he couldn’t tell if she had shorts on or not.

  “Don’t look at me like that. This is how I dress when I work from home. You’re lucky I’m not in my pajamas,” Gia said as she let him inside.

  No. You’re lucky you’re not. The desire to help her was still there, but shit, she was beautiful, and his physical attraction to her was becoming more difficult to hide. He could feel the tightness in his jeans. The only thing that sucked: it was due to a woman who had become off limits. She was going to get that job with the Hendersons and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He didn’t need to ask, he could already tell she wasn’t a woman who could have meaningless fun.

  But I’m not interested in anything serious.

  When he stepped inside, he found her kitchen table filled with books. “I take it you like reading.”

  “These are research. Or did you forget you hired me to do some?” When Roger shook his head, she added, “You can obtain a lot of information on the internet, but sometimes you need to resort to print. It’s easier. Would you like to sit down and hear what I learned?”

  There was no sitting at the table; even the chairs were piled high. So he opted for the couch. She brought over the laptop and the photo he’d given her.

  “So as I suspected, this picture wasn’t taken any time recently. Not that you couldn’t have figured that out. The time period is the easiest piece.”

  “Why is that?”

  Gia handed him her laptop and said, “Wait, I forgot something.” When she returned she held a magnifying glass. “Look closely at the paper. Do you see it?”

  Even with the magnifier, he strained his eyes. “I can’t make out what it says.”

  “November 11, 1918.”

  “The end of World War I.”

  “Yes, but that paper was printed in New York City. You now have a date and origin.”

  He couldn’t stop staring at the picture. How was it both he and Brice had missed such a detail? Most likely because they were focused on the kids. “That’s . . . impressive.”

  “I just impressed myself out of a job.” She laughed. “But you really went out of your way to get my résumé in front of the Hendersons, so I had to show you I wouldn’t let you, or them, down.”

  I’m sure you wouldn’t. “This is a good start. Did Lena actually give you a start date?”

  “No. Their HR manager will be contacting me later this week to set something up. So we can talk. I don’t have a job offer yet, but I’m hopeful.”

  “Trust me, you have a job.” Hopefully one you will want. “In the meantime, what do you say about adding a little more to this project?”

  “You mean who they are?” Gia asked. He nodded. “That’s not going to be as easy.”

  “So you don’t think you can do it?” Roger asked.

  She looked shocked. “I never said that. I don’t want you to think I’ll be calling you tomorrow with their names.”

  “You’re the one who set the bar so high,” he teased. “But do what you can. I’ll be working on some things myself. But I need you to understand something. Even when you get the job with the Hendersons, this can never be divulged. Understood?”

  “I’m well aware of confidentiality. It falls under compliance. You have my word. And if that doesn’t suffice, I suggest you find someone else.”

  He loved how feisty and defensive she was about her work ethics. He raised his hands. “I’ll never question that again.”

  “Good. So if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

  “You don’t have to start immediately. Why don’t you have breakfast . . . I mean lunch with me instead?”

  Gia grinned. “I meant to clean up this mess and return the books to the library. But if you’re free, I should be done by dinner.”

  Had she just asked him out? No. It was clear they rubbed each other the wrong way. But then again, they had seen each other with some sort of regularity lately. “What are you in the mood for?” That was a loaded question, one he was glad she wasn’t asking him.

  “Anything but Thai.”

  “How do you feel about lobster?” The smile on her face said enough. “Good. I’ll pick
you up at four. Dress casual. I know a place by the beach that is nice at night. If you’d like, we can take a walk afterward.”

  “With how much everyone is feeding me lately, it will be required whether I want to or not.”

  She walked him to the door and stood with one arm on it, looking at him with those damn sweet green eyes of hers. It took every ounce of control for him not to lean down and kiss her. He inhaled her scent, sweet like honey, then stepped away.

  “See you at four.” He walked out the door before he changed his mind.

  When he got in the car he called Brice.

  “If you’re calling to ask about Gia, yes, we will find a job for her.”

  “Good, because you’d be a fool not to hire her. She’s . . . good.”

  Brice laughed. “I’m not going to ask what you meant by that. Brittney told me her résumé was impressive. What does concern us is why she was let go. Any clue on that?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sharing.” And she most likely won’t either. Whatever had transpired, Roger knew Gia was in the right. And if I find out that piece of shit touched her, he’s done.

  “Okay. I’ll trust you on this one.”

  “That’s not why I called. I have a question. What does New York mean to you?”

  “Personally?” Brice asked.

  “No. The photo was taken in New York City in 1918. Anything?”

  “Like I told you before, we don’t know much about our family. And even Bennett’s digging didn’t turn up anything. Just keep me posted on what you find.”

  “I’ll let you know if I have any questions,” Roger said and ended the call. He knew Brice was going to ask what or if Gia knew anything. He had no issue with lying to Brice, but would prefer to avoid it if possible.

  The less anyone knows the better.

  Chapter 5

  Casual? As she looked at herself in the mirror, she wondered if she and Roger had the same opinion on what casual meant. If she was meeting up with Vickie, she’d have gone out in her T-shirt and shorts. But that wasn’t appropriate for a date.

  Was this a date? Roger’s invites weren’t really clear. This was a project he was supposedly paying her for. Somehow in her excitement of having something to do, they’d never discussed payment. It was possible each outing was exactly that: a thank you for a job well done.