Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2013 Alexandra O'Hurley
ISBN: 978-1-77130-470-2
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Marie Medina
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To Marie for being a never-ending fuel to my muse and for other stuff better left unsaid. You know I think you’re awesome. Hope you’re comfy in that new chair.
ACQUIRING HER
Romance on the Go
Alexandra O'Hurley
Copyright © 2013
Helena stepped up to the enormous set of doors and lifted her hand to knock. Her hand froze just before she tapped on the heavy mahogany, and she took a deep breath. She’d never been called up to Max Devlin’s office before, and she was quite happy about that fact. His name said it all. Mr. Devlin was a devil. He might be one of the most handsome men she’d ever laid eyes on, but she’d seen him tear a man to shreds in a meeting once when she’d had to step in for her absent boss and knew he was as ruthless as his reputation claimed. Of course, the man in question deserved some of that wrath, as he’d lost a billion-dollar account, but there had been no reason for Mr. Devlin to treat the man as he’d done.
As Helena took a deep breath, she lowered her hand to the bottom of her tight-fitting suit coat and tugged it down. She ran her fingers over her pencil skirt to push out invisible wrinkles, anything to give her another moment before she entered the lion’s den. Her gaze drifted to his secretary’s desk, vacant this late in the evening, and wished someone sat there, someone she could exchange a moment of pleasantries with so she could let loose a little of her nervous energy.
She’d also not have to knock on the door and potentially interrupt the man. Helena spied the leather chairs in the waiting area just outside his office. The air was ripe with their scent, along with a mix of the polish the cleaning crew had just used as they passed through. There was a masculine vibe to the space, just like the intense man behind the door. Helena had it bad for the CEO and owner of the company, had since she’d come to work there years before. But he couldn’t know that. It would be unprofessional, so she needed to get ahold of herself. She took another breath and knocked lightly, almost hoping Max Devlin wasn’t inside.
“Come in,” came the deep, husky voice behind the door.
A trickling of goose bumps skittered across Helena’s forearms, and a tremor ran down her spine. Just the rich sound of his voice was enough to make her body riot and demand satisfaction. She pushed the door open wide and took a couple of wobbly steps inside as she silently admonished herself. Helena had never considered herself a shrinking violet in any way. She had worked her ass off in a male-dominated office and risen to the top of her department at a fairly young age because she was strong and determined. Yet one thought of Max Devlin had her shaking in her Louboutins.
“You asked to see me, Mr. Devlin?” she asked, proud of herself for not letting the tremor sound in her voice. She coughed lightly after the last syllable was out, trying to push the lump in her throat down.
Max Devlin looked up at her from behind his enormous desk. His glasses were perched on the tip of his nose, and he looked at her over the thick black rim. Lines formed around his eyes as he gazed at her, the only sign of age appearing on his face. He had just turned forty, but barely showed it. He was as trim and fit as men half his age, and none of them had his virile sense of manliness that screamed out to her. Numerous files were open and littering his desk, as he appeared to be pouring over something, his shirtsleeves pushed up and showing off muscular forearms.
She shivered slightly at the sight and the thought of what those hands and arms could do to her. How many times had she thought of him, just like this, when she’d fantasized about him while pressing her vibrator to her aching clit? She’d wanted to walk into his office and have him throw the contents of his desktop onto the floor, so he could put her there while he fucked her senseless. Heat pooled between her legs, and she felt more heat come to her face as she scolded herself for thinking about the man in those terms. But he was so handsome. Hell, handsome wasn’t even in Max Devlin’s league. He was gorgeous. Delicious. Beautiful.
The French doors were open behind him; a gentle breeze tousled his hair. The deep, coal locks shined against the flames roaring in his fireplace. The golden light flickered and danced against the left side of him, casting the right side into slight shadow. It both made him sexier and more frightening. He had a day’s beard growth making him look even more dangerous. She could barely see his jade eyes from where she stood, but she could see them glittering with intensity and intelligence.
“I fired Ted Paulson an hour ago,” he stated bluntly. “He was misappropriating funds from the Legman Fund.”
Devlin had fired her boss? Ted was stealing from the company? She frowned and looked at the man behind the desk, her confidence further shaken. “I can’t believe Ted would do such a thing. I’ve worked for him for years now.”
“The figures don’t lie. I had the accounts reviewed by an independent accounting firm, and there’s nearly five million missing,” he said as he sat back in his high-backed leather chair. “The firm also suggests he may have had help within the company. What do you know about this, Ms. Kelly?”
“Nothing!” she spat out quickly, shocked that he would assume she was involved. “I’ve never worked on the Legman Fund. Ted always …”
Devlin sat back up and rested his elbows on his desk as he lifted one devilish eyebrow. “Ted always what?”
She swallowed as she let out a small breath. “Ted always handled that account on his own.”
“Did you not think that was odd?”
She had. But Ted had said it was an important account and he’d been tapped to watch over it himself. “I did, but he gave a reasonable explanation why. Or so I thought.”
He sat back in his chair once more and crossed one leg over the other as he motioned to the chair Helena stood beside. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Helena stepped to the right without looking away from him. She sat on the edge of the seat and watched him close the open files on the desk.
Devlin rose from his chair and sauntered around the edge of his desk. “We may have someone else involved in this debacle and being that you’re the next one on the accounting totem pole, it seems fairly obvious who the first person I would investigate would be.” He lowered to sit on the edge of the desk, just before her. “You.”
“I had nothing to do with this.”
“I need that five million back in the account ASAP, and I don’t want this hitting the news, so I’m not going to the authorities. Yet.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest as he glared at her.
Helena stood, anger roiling through her. “Do you have any proof I was involved? I can answer that. No, you don’t, because I wasn’t involved.”
“Two of the wire transfers to the Cayman bank were logged from your computer,” he said with a smirk. His eyes opened wide as the smirk stretched into a smile. “Gotcha.”
She dropped back into her chair, surprised and shocked. “I’m being set up.”
“Likely story, Ms. Kelly.” His stare roamed over her legs, starting at her feet. Even with all she was absorbing, she couldn’t help but notice how his gaze
drifted over her body. Her nipples hardened beneath the lace bra she wore, and cream eased from between her folds. “But I’m willing to offer you a deal. Give me the details and I promise to go easier on you.”
“I don’t know anything. I can’t give you any information. I wish I could.”
Devlin stared at her for a moment and seemed to ponder what she said. “Why are you so afraid if you have nothing to hide?”
Her nerves were getting the better of her. Perhaps the truth was the best thing at a moment like this. “You’ve a reputation. It unnerves me.” And I can’t help but be attracted to you, she wanted to add, but fortunately her brain overrode her body.
“You’re afraid … of me?”
“I saw how you tore Hawkins down in a meeting a few months ago. You were vicious. I’ve done my best to stay out of your path since then,” she replied.
He leaned back, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “Do you think I was wrong in how I handled him?”
She weighed her words, deciding to speak honestly once more. Helena wasn’t a yes-woman and refused to hold back when asked a pointed question. “He lost the account, but you didn’t need to belittle him before everyone there.”
Devlin chuckled. “Some people need different methods to be inspired to get the job done. Hawkins pulled in the Scott account a week later. Had I not prodded him in the right direction, perhaps he wouldn’t have redeemed himself. You’re too young to understand what drives some people.”
She bristled at the reminder she was greener than some. Age had nothing to do with how the man had treated his employee. It was a lack of respect. “He, like everyone else in this building, fears your wrath.”
Blood flooded Devlin’s face. He stood up, his shoulders rising as he glared at her. “Fear me? Apparently not, considering someone just stole five million from me.” He let out a shuddering breath after a moment, his body relaxing some. “And for someone so afraid of me, you’re not one to hold your tongue.”
Another tremor roiled through her when he cast her another appraising look. “You asked. I answered.”
Devlin turned his back on her and strode to the bar beside the fireplace. He began to pour himself a drink. “Do you want something?”
“No, thank you.” The last thing she needed at the moment was to lose focus, not in the presence of this man.
He turned and looked at her as he took a drink. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and for some reason, the sight made it hard for her to breathe. “I need to know you’re telling me the truth, Ms. Kelly. I need someone from this office to assist the independent investigators to find the money.”
“You said there were wire transfers to the Cayman’s. It sounds like you’ve already found it.” She thought for another moment. “Two seconds ago, you called me a thief. Why would you want me to assist the investigators?”
“Both accounts had less than twenty-five thousand in them. The bulk of the money is hidden, and well.” He walked back to his desk and sat down, cradling his glass in one hand before taking another slow draft of the amber liquid. “The accounting firm believes you were set up.”
Anger swirled through Helena’s chest as she rose to her feet. “You let me go through all that when you had a good idea I was innocent? How dare you?”
His eyebrow rose once more as he looked her over. “How dare I? This is my company, and I’ll do as I damned well please.” His expression softened some after the last of the words fell from his lips. “And I needed to know you were innocent. I had to push you to see if you’d push back or run.”
He’d been testing her? “Did I pass?” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him.
Devlin looked up at her with a stern look. After a moment, he cracked a smile and chuckled.
Did she instill humor in him? Was her anger so unimportant to him that he was laughing at her? The thought only made her angrier.
He lifted a hand to her, as if he knew what she was thinking. “Calm down. I’m not laughing at you. It’s just unusual to have someone with enough balls to stand up to me, especially with a face as fierce as the one you’re showing me right now. It’s refreshing.”
“Perhaps if more people had the balls to stand up to you, you’d know how to treat others with respect. And for the record, I don’t have balls.”
“So I’ve noticed,” he replied, a little too calmly.
She’d not expected that reaction from him, and it threw her off. Heat flooded her once more, and she had to bite the inside of her lips to gain control of her body’s reaction.
“Why haven’t I noticed you before, Ms. Kelly?”
The question came from left field. “I apparently wasn’t important enough to be on your radar. Now that you need help, I’m of some use to you.”
“A beautiful woman, such as yourself, with the wherewithal to rise in the company and the courage to stand up to me should have made me notice you much sooner. I’m starting to feel saddened I didn’t. How long have you worked here?”
A beautiful woman … she was still reeling from the comment. He was stepping a toe well across the human resources line there. More like a whole foot, but she couldn’t hold it against him. She was much too attracted to him to give it weight, even though she most certainly should. “I interned here for a year before landing a job in the accounting department. All total, four years.”
“Four years?” he asked, shaking his head. “Wasted time on my part.” He smiled at her, and she quivered from the full impact of his charm. “It’s late. I haven’t eaten dinner. Have you?”
“I believe we’ve already crossed a line which shouldn’t be crossed in the workplace. Dinner would only make the mistake even worse.” The yes was screaming behind her closed lips. She fought it with every ounce of strength in her body.
Devlin eyed her longingly before leaning forward on his desk. “You want me. I can see it plainly written over your face. And I find myself in a circumstance where I am too enamored by your presence to let you go just yet. You must come have dinner with me.”
“I don’t recall that being in my job description.”
“Would you like it to be? We could do some quick negotiations to fix that stipulation.” He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “What would the problem with having dinner be?”
“Do I look that stupid?” she asked.
He frowned, the smile slipping from his features. “Not in the least.”
“Then save the lines for the vapid model types you typically date,” she said, walking away. “Because I won’t fall for them.”
****
Max watched Helena Kelly walk toward his office door, her firm, curvaceous ass swaying with every step. She wanted to say yes; he could feel it in his bones. The woman just needed a little more pushing in the right direction. He liked the way she looked at him, heat in her eyes. Ms. Kelly apparently had a daddy fixation, considering she couldn’t be much more than twenty-four. He had no problem fitting the bill. If he could convince her to drop her guard and let him. “We can discuss how you can assist the forensic attorneys in the coming weeks. All business.”
Helena paused, her hand on the doorknob. She slowly turned to look at him, and he was once again wowed by how incredibly beautiful she was. Long, auburn hair was curled up tight in a knot at the top of her head, and all he’d wanted to do since the first time he’d seen her was pull the pins out and let the tresses drop around her graceful neck and shoulders. His fingers also itched to travel her plentiful curves. She wasn’t a stick figure, but rounded in all the right places, just as a woman should be. The form-fitting skirts and jackets she wore showed off that figure to a tee, and he loved seeing her around the building.
Oh yes, he’d lied to her when he said he’d never noticed her before. He’d noticed her from the day she’d come into that meeting in Ted’s place. Her presence had been a burst of fresh air, and he’d kept a close eye on her for months. Actually, she was to thank for him finding the discrepancy in the numbers
. Knowing she was part of the accounting team, he had taken a firm interest in all things numbers. He’d starting paying more attention to columns and rows so he had a legitimate reason to come into the accounting department a little more often.
When the inconsistency had come to light, he’d immediately sought out help. And then when the CPA firm had claimed there could be a second culprit and that Helena might be the one, he’d nearly lost it. No way was the woman of his dreams part of the plot. He’d immediately sensed it was a set-up, but he’d needed to be sure.
Now he was.
She turned to look at him, her lush amber gaze appraising him. It reminded him of his favorite whiskey, which he could still taste on his lips. “A business dinner? Do you really think I will believe that now?”
Helena was brighter than he realized, not that he would’ve expected her to fall for his bullshit. But he also sensed the need she had, could taste the desire thick in the air, and yet she didn’t let it rule her. Point in her favor, because he was still sitting to hide the erection he had. No need to tip his hand. Not yet, anyway. “It’s dinner. We have a huge project ahead, and we can discuss it. My driver is downstairs ready to go with the press of a button.”
“Your driver,” she said sarcastically. “Does showing off your wealth make the ladies swoon?”
He chuckled. “Usually, but it doesn’t seem to be working tonight.”
“Is that what you’re trying to do, Mr. Devlin? Are you trying to make me swoon?”
The question hung heavily in the air. He wanted her to do more than swoon. He wanted her to scream. “Call me Max.”
Helena stared him down. “You didn’t answer my question … Max.”
“Don’t all women want to be swept off their feet? To be chased by an eligible, handsome bachelor? To succumb to the pleasures they secretly yearn for?” He rose from his chair and rounded his desk and stopped within inches of touching her. As she trembled before him, he lifted a hand to caress her cheek. “What do you yearn for, Helena?”
Acquiring Her Page 1
