Touching The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 5)

by Mallory Crowe

  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 t
o 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.”<
br />
  “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.