Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4

by Mallory Crowe

  Evelyn crossed farther into his office and took a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk.

  That was a bad sign. That meant she wasn’t planning to leave anytime soon.

  “Luckily for me, you’re a forgetful man.” He narrowed his eyes, but she continued before he could ask what the hell she meant. “You agreed to be the prize in an essay contest for NYU’s business school. The dean of the department will pick the winner—me—who will work hand in hand with the CEO of DevX Tech. Normally Cali would be informed of things like this, but you agreed to it offhandedly over drinks, so it makes sense that it slipped your mind to tell her or HR.”

  “Things don’t slip my mind,” he bit out.

  “That’s funny, because it sure seems to slip your mind to call me back all the time.”

  He shot her an unapologetic smile. He didn’t need to explain himself to her. He didn’t like her and she didn’t like him. This wasn’t some stupid after-school special were they needed to talk about it. “Oh, trust me, Ms. Price, it’s not my forgetfulness that keeps me from calling you back.”

  Evelyn pursed her thick, full lips, and Luke couldn’t help but be transported to that dark area of his mind that lately seemed occupied solely by fantasies of Evelyn in every position he could think to take her in. Sometimes in sultry black lingerie and garter belts, sometimes in an innocent white bra and panty set, and sometimes her in just naked glory. Her legs open in invitation, her nipples hard with arousal, and her lips screaming his name as he made her come.

  “Just tell me what I have to do.” He forced himself away from his fantasies of her.

  Evelyn’s expression softened and Luke had a feeling she had no idea the thoughts just racing through his mind. “I really do want to make this as easy on you as possible. I’m going to need to be close by. I can work with an agency laptop or you can give me a company one, but I can’t have IT checking on my Internet usage. If you get a call from any of your contacts at Thirteen Stars or they set up a meeting, try to get me in that room with you.”

  “And they won’t realize who you are? They seem to have bottomless resources and a healthy paranoia.”

  “No one does a fake ID quite like the US government. My name for your purposes is Evelyn Peterson.”

  He frowned. “Isn’t that a little too close?”

  “Honestly, my real name is common enough that I probably could’ve used it. But I’d rather have something close than have you refer to me by the wrong name at some point.” He glared at her and she added, “Or for me to not respond to my fake name.”

  “I don’t understand. What good is it going to do for you to sit around for hours and hours of the day when they barely ever contact me?”

  “Perhaps I’d feel more confident if we have better communication between the two of us.”

  “Yeah, that would imply communicating at all and I don’t think either of us wants more of that.”

  She nodded in agreement. “At least we can both be sure about our goals. And unfortunately, I think the quickest way to stop Thirteen Stars is to work together.” She pushed herself out of her chair. “I’m off for the rest of the day, but do you think you can have everything ready for me to start here tomorrow?”

  Instinctively he stood as well and then cursed himself. She was forcing herself farther and farther into his life. He didn’t need to be on high manners with her. “Everything should be ready. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be doing a lot of work.”

  “I won’t be sitting around twiddling my thumbs all day. I have some agency paperwork I can catch up on, but I will be open to doing reasonable assignments from you for the purposes of keeping the cover up.”

  His mouth curled in a wicked grin. Oh, he could have fun with this.

  “Reasonable being the key word, Luke.”

  “Oh, trust me,” he said. “I’ll be reasonable.”

  “You’re an intern?”

  Evelyn faced down Cali’s skepticism with the calm cool of someone who knew exactly how ridiculous she sounded and didn’t give a damn. “Yep! Winner of the DevX Tech essay contest. You knew I was coming, right?”

  A momentary flash of annoyance crossed Cali’s features, but she regained her cool. “Yes. We even have some VIP seating for you on the executive level. But I’m assuming you knew that?”

  The one part of her story that would be flimsiest was the fact that Cali had seen Evelyn in the office before on more than one occasion. But it wasn’t the first time Evelyn had dealt with a hole in a cover before. And she had a proven method for covering over those holes. She let Cali make up her own mind.

  The only people who had to truly believe Evelyn had won an essay contest were the ones involved with the Thirteen Stars, and chances were they weren’t even going to see Evelyn. From her research so far, Cali was a loyal employee with a crazy good work ethic. Not exactly a risk for blowing Evelyn’s cover.

  “I’ve been to the executive level before, but I was hoping you could show me where my workstation is.”

  Cali nodded and turned away from the lobby where she had been waiting. “This way.” She led the way to the elevators.

  Evelyn followed the bouncing blonde hair. Cali walked with a confident stride and sway to her hips that was indicative of the power she held within the company. Even though Evelyn had a feeling the Devereaux brothers would try to keep the company in the family, Cali was still going to be a big part of the company’s future. She might be listed as Luke’s administrative assistant in her file, but Cali was so much more than that. Evelyn had also seen enough financial documents to know that Cali was getting paid a hell of a lot more than that.

  If there was one thing Evelyn could respect, it was ambition. The only problem was that her ambition was back in Texas, and not behind any desk in New York City.

  The elevator made its way up and Cali maintained her silence. Evelyn chose to use the opportunity to do a little bit of digging. “So you’re Luke’s assistant, but you work for both brothers, right?”

  “I do a majority of my work assisting Luke. He’s a bit more demanding.”

  Evelyn had to hold back a laugh. Figured he’d be the one bossing Cali around the most.

  “Oh, no,” said Cali. “He needs to be demanding. He’s traveling all the time and I take care of things he can’t get to while he’s out of the office. Michael isn’t really the face of the company, so he’s here most of the time. I just do general things for him.”

  It was a good sign that Cali was defending Luke. So many people hated their bosses, especially secretaries and administrative assistants, who were usually at the bottom of the totem pole—not that Cali was anywhere near the bottom.

  Still, she’d expected a bit more bitterness or at least hostile undertones when Cali talked about Luke. Evelyn couldn’t help it. Something about that man just drove her crazy. She wasn’t sure whether it was his cocky arrogance, the fact that he had more money than he even knew what to do with, or even his good looks that rubbed her the wrong way.

  Evelyn hated to admit he was attractive, but who was she kidding? The man was on pretty much every eligible bachelor list the city had created since he took the reins of DevX Tech. Wherever he went, women fawned over him, and ever since she started this assignment, all the female agents she ran into tried to get in on the investigation.

  But Luke seemed to have it all: thick, dark hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and enough muscle tone that those expensive suits he always wore highlighted it exactly the right way. He wasn’t one of those guys who had a treadmill in his office just for looks. He actually used it. And probably some weights. Okay, a lot of weights.

  Evelyn might’ve spent more time than she was proud of imagining exactly how Luke would look once he took off his jacket and removed his shirt.

  Damn it. Why couldn’t she fantasize about Michael? He was just as handsome as his brother, except with the added benefit of being reasonable and nice. Did she really have to be one of those stereotypical women who fell for
the bad boy?

  She’d measure this crush—No. Not crush. Strange fascination.—against the men in her past if there weren’t so few. Once she’d set her mind on working in the FBI to battle the corruption so rampant in the towns so close to the border, her personal life had been put on the backburner. She’d had a good friends with benefits situation going on for the year or so after she got out of the academy, but once he’d sent signals that he wanted more than what they had, she’d pulled away. Since then, there’d been a few dates here and there but nothing serious. Because she couldn’t work in such a volatile environment having to worry about a loved one still at home.

  And she couldn’t stand working in the nonvolatile environment of New York. Her own personal exile that her superiors probably thought was some sort of reward.

  She forced herself to focus as the elevator doors opened. Fantasies were one thing, but this was work. She wasn’t allowed to go all gaga over a guy. Especially one who hated her as much as Luke did. She refused to be one of those women who was just asking for her heart to be broken.

  Cali strode out of the elevator and Evelyn followed. The building was a simple square shape, and they seemed to be getting closer and closer to Luke’s office. Her fears were realized as Cali turned in to a small, windowless office right across from Luke’s door. “I didn’t realize we’d be working this close,” muttered Evelyn as she set down her shoulder bag with her agency computer and notebook.

  “Luke said that one of the benefits of the contest was that you work intensely with him. So I made sure to put you as close as possible.”

  Evelyn had no one to blame for this mess but herself. “Sounds good.” Cali stood back while Evelyn sat in the comfortable computer chair and glanced around the office.

  “IT will be up in a few minutes to make sure you get your laptop and make sure you’re connected to the printers. Luke has a meeting right now, but he’ll give you a rundown of what’s expected from you for the next few weeks.”

  “Great.” Evelyn forced a smile. She really just wanted a few minutes to herself to get her bearings. Except Cali wasn’t moving. “Is something wrong?”

  Cali tilted her head. She opened her mouth and then shut it real quick.

  Oh boy. Here were the questions about what Evelyn was actually doing here. Evelyn steeled herself for the questions until Cali finally said, “You’re not a trust fund baby, are you?”

  Evelyn’s brows drew together. “Um, no.”

  “Full ride scholarship? Worked your whole way through school?”

  Well, this wasn’t the line of questioning she’d been expecting. “For the most part,” she said evasively. Cali was asking Evelyn Peterson these questions, but Evelyn Price was the one who they applied perfectly to. After her dad skipped out on the family, there wasn’t any extra money for education, and Evelyn had to spend every spare second studying to earn her scholarships. “Is that a problem?”

  Cali frowned. “I worked my way through college too. I want to give you a quick tip. If you want to work up here, you need to look and act like a trust fund baby.”

  Realization washed over Evelyn. “You don’t think I’m dressed right?”

  Cali shook her head. “Oh, I think you’re dressed right. For your first day on the first floor. But this isn’t the first floor. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars or wear super short skirts or anything. Just try for a suit that matches. And avoid wrinkles.”

  Evelyn tightened her lips and glanced down at her black pants and black jacket. Same color, but from different brands. The blacks were just different enough that it was noticeable. And the suit wasn’t wrinkled when she put it on. The insufferably hot subway had done that for her.

  “I’m not trying to be bitchy, I swear. But you’re really lucky to get this chance and that kind of stuff is what I wish I’d been told when I started. I can give you the name of a few reasonably priced places I went to when I was first starting out.”

  Evelyn eyed Cali’s perfectly fitted powder blue skirt and jacket that probably would’ve looked ridiculous on her, but that Cali seemed to look professional in. Evelyn had a feeling she and the administrative assistant intent on world domination didn’t have all that much in common. “I appreciate the tip,” said Evelyn with a smile that wasn’t quite as forced as before. Even though it wasn’t the nicest thing another woman had ever said to her, it was still good to know Cali wasn’t just sitting back and waiting for Luke to see Evelyn’s mismatched suit.

  Even though he knew she wasn’t actually an intern, it would be nice to not stand out like a sore thumb. And she might even be able to get Hotchins to let her expense a new suit or two. Silver lining...

  “So Luke will be in the office in a few hours?”

  “He’s here now. Just downstairs. He’ll be up to greet you as soon as he can get away.”

  “Thanks,” said Evelyn as Cali finally left her alone.

  Evelyn sat in silence for a moment as she collected herself. She would be able to do this. Catch the bad guys, go back to Texas. She reached into her bag and pulled out the worn, printed-out picture.

  A family smiled at the camera. A mother, father, and two teens. They’d done everything right. Went to school. Started a family. Got a good job and put all their savings into their 401k. But the Thirteen Stars ruined it for them. One of the members had been the president and CEO of the company the father in the picture had worked for. The company had invested the employee 401ks in a massive Ponzi scheme where the CEO reaped all the financial rewards. Once the SEC got wind of it, Thirteen Stars threw their collective muscle behind their own, and he was long gone, with billions of stolen money on his own private island.

  So there never would be any recovery for the Rowe family. They were in their early forties with two kids about to start schooling when tuition was at record highs with no savings or any type of safety net.

  It was families like the Rowes who she had to keep in mind. Even if she didn’t like Luke or want to be alone with him any more than necessary, it was vital that someone look out for the honest folk.

  She pulled a piece of tape from the dispenser on her desk and hung the photo on the wall next to her chair. Her little reminder of what she was doing this for. The blonde- and brown-haired family didn’t resemble her at all, but people normally weren’t rude enough to ask. And Evelyn would have a great answer in a flash if anyone got too curious.

  Just then, IT knocked on her open doorframe, and she waved them in. An hour later, she had a DevX Tech laptop, phone line, and access to the network and all the printers on the floor. She even got an access badge, which was rather comical considering she’d lifted one off another employee the first time she’d been in the building. She’d be damned if she was going to wait for security to call Michael or Luke every time she wanted to have a private conference.

  She set aside the company computer and pulled out her agency one and her own wireless port. She’d made Luke agree to keep his people from peeking in at her activity, but she wasn’t going to take any chances.

  Right as she was about to put in her login, Luke appeared in the doorway. “Well, if it isn’t my new star intern.” He winked.

  And it begins... “Good morning, Mr. Devereaux.” She used her most starchy and formal tone.

  “I love that you can’t even muster fake enthusiasm to be here.”

  “Is your brother in today? I can be enthusiastic for him.”

  “You’re out of luck 'til Monday, hun. Just you and me.”

  She took a deep gulp at the idea of them being alone together. But it wasn’t just them. It was them and the hundreds of other employees of the corporate headquarters of DevX Tech. “I’m sure Cali will protect me.”

  “Yeah. She does have a habit of taking in the strays.” As always, his tone always seemed more affectionate when he mentioned his assistant. If she didn’t know better, she’d think they were brother and sister, not employee and employer. Though she was shocked that they weren’t spending more t
ime together after hours. Considering how much of a womanizer Luke was and how drop dead gorgeous Cali was, it seemed like it was just natural that the two beautiful people would, well, merge. Unless they had already done the deed and were one of those rare couples who actually got along afterwards.

  “But before she can rush in to save you, can I have a few minutes with you in my office?”

  She raised a brow but got up and followed him across the hall and into his office. As soon as they were in, he shut the door behind her and leaned against the polished wood, staring her down.

  A shiver raced up her spine. Damn. Now she really was alone with him. Had she ever been in a room with just him before? There had always been Michael or Lori or at least an open door as a buffer. She took a breath and met his eyes. Those crystal blue eyes that no one besides some A-list celebrity should be allowed to have.

  “As much as I hated, hated, the idea of you being here, you have good timing.”

  Evelyn backed up until she could lean her hip against the small conference table at the far end of the office. “Did Thirteen Stars contact you?”

  He nodded. “They scheduled a call for sometime this evening.”

  “Nothing exact then?” Why would they make anything simple now?

  “Nope. But you’ll be the first person I call after I get off the phone with them.”

  She tilted her head as she considered him. “Awww, Luke. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily? This just means that you and I get to have a dinner date tonight.”

  Luke glanced over at the clock on the bottom of his computer screen. Six thirty. He was normally long gone from the office by now. But he hadn’t gotten the phone call he was waiting for yet, which meant that if he left, Evelyn would probably want to go with him.

  He didn’t remember the last time he’d been at the office past five. In this day and age, he would much rather pull the late nights in the comfort of his penthouse apartment instead of at the office. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to be inviting her back to his apartment any time soon. No matter how much certain parts of his anatomy wanted her there.