“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.”
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.”
Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4 Page 27
