“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 st
umbled 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, t
hey 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.
Touching The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 5) Page 6
