Dangerous Deception (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series)

by Angelo, Judy

  DANGEROUS DECEPTION

  JUDY ANGELO

  The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series

  Volume 4

  Copyright © 2012 Judy Angelo

  Lyons Publishing Limited

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise (mechanical, photocopying, recording or stored in a retrieval system) without the prior written consent of the Publisher. Such action is an infringement of the copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Author contact: judytreasure@hotmail.com

  The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series by Judy Angelo

  Volume 1 - Tamed by the Billionaire

  Volume 2 - Maid in the USA

  Volume 3 - Billionaire's Island Bride

  Volume 4 - Dangerous Deception

  BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES, The Collection - Vols. 1 - 4

  COMING SOON:

  June 15 - To Tame a Tycoon

  July 1 - Sweet Seduction

  TO CATCH A COMMITTED BACHELOR...

  When Dani Swift put on her chauffeur's uniform with her hair tucked under her hat and her face make-up free she looks like a clean-shaven young man. How could she have known her little disguise would lead to a major misunderstanding and even greater deception, one that threatens her heart?

  Storm Hunter loves motorcycles and fast cars but now he's got to add one more item to his list of loves - Dani Swift. Bold and independent, she's like no woman he's ever met. But when their little game ends in disaster that's when he knows love can be very dangerous indeed.

  DANGEROUS DECEPTION

  CHAPTER ONE

  “But Dani…”

  “No ‘buts’. Just tuck it away for a rainy day.” Dani stuffed the bank notes into her brother’s pocket.

  “But where’d you get-”

  “What did I tell you, Brian?” She shoved him toward the door. “Now go. I’ll be right down. I just want to make sure we didn’t forget anything.”

  As Brian exited the door, pulling the large suitcase behind him, Dani turned to look at the boxes still standing in the hallway. She shook her head. She had no idea how all that was going to fit into her Chevy Blazer. She'd warned her brother not to pack too many things but he was taking so much stuff that she almost felt like he was moving out for good and not just leaving Chicago to head out for his first semester at the University of Notre Dame. She went into the living room and then into the kitchen, looking around to see if he had left anything lying about. Finally, she went to his bedroom.

  As she opened the door a flood of emotions filled her and she blinked quickly, fighting back the tears. This room had been Brian’s haven for the last four years, ever since she had moved them to this apartment when their father died from a heart attack. She had been only eighteen years old but fortunately legally qualified to be Brian’s guardian. Her mother succumbed to breast cancer when Brian was only eight and then they lost their dad when he was fourteen. She swore that as long as she had breath he would not lose her, too. He would never be placed in foster care. And she'd kept her promise.

  Dani pulled the door closed and went to the living room where she picked up her handbag and slung it over her shoulder. As she went through the door she plastered a brave smile on her face. There was no way she was going to let Brian know how deeply she was affected by his leaving. He was ready to start his new life as a college student and she wanted nothing to distract him. She'd been a mother hen for the last four years but now she would just have to learn to let go.

  She took the elevator to the ground floor then went out to the car and hopped into the driver's seat. She turned to her brother. "Ready to go?"

  He shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

  She reached over and tousled his hair just like she used to do when he was six years old. "Then let's go get 'em, tiger." ******

  Dani's first week without Brian was busy, which was a blessing for her. Her new schedule did not allow her the luxury of sitting at home feeling lonely. Each day she rushed home from her teaching job at Applewood Preschool, changed into her uniform for her new night job as chauffeur at Apex Limousine Company, and checked in for work by five o'clock sharp.

  She'd been on the job five nights and so far had survived despite some rough spots. Tonight, though, something was different. She'd been summoned to the boss's office and through the glass door she could see Tony Martino, the owner and manager. He was pacing the floor. As she pushed the door open and entered his office he nodded to her.

  “We need to talk,” he said and jerked his head toward the only chair that did not have papers piled on top of it.

  Dani's heart fell. Tony looked none too pleased. What had she done to upset him? She couldn't afford to lose this job, not right now. She'd only been working with the company a week and already had been able to send money to Brian for his books. She was counting on next week’s pay to cover the cost of his hockey uniform.

  He flopped down in the chair behind his desk then his look softened as he stared at her. “Don’t look so worried,” he said. “I’m not going to fire you.”

  Dani let out her breath slowly and cursed herself for having such an expressive face.

  “I know you’re wondering what this is all about,” he said and leaned forward. “I heard about the incident the other night.”

  She held her breath again, sure she would be reprimanded for literally dumping one of her passengers on his own driveway. The man had been drunk and had tried to grope her as she held the door open to let him out. She'd pushed him off and, unsteady as he was, he'd landed on his behind. Now she was in trouble because of it. She looked back at her boss but remained silent.

  Tony’s face grew serious. “I heard about the incident through a third party and I’m not pleased. Why didn’t you tell me what happened?”

  Dani’s glance wavered and she looked down at her hands. When she said nothing Tony spoke again, even more sternly. “From the day I interviewed you I could see you were a tough kid but you can’t keep things like this a secret. You have to remember that you’re a woman and you have to be careful.” He leaned back and clasped his hands over his paunch. “And I have to remember that, too. I’m not proud of the fact that I put you in that situation.”

  Her eyes flew to his face. “But you didn’t-"

  “Yes, I did.” He cut her off. “I should have known better than to give you a random assignment.” He steepled his fingers and fixed her with a frown. “From now on you'll be assigned only to reliable customers. I'm going to give you a very important customer of mine. His father was my client for many years and now he uses my services, too.” Tony paused as if for effect. “His name is Storm Hunter.”

  Dani frowned. “The Storm Hunter? Of the Hunter’s Run clothing line?”

  Tony nodded and gave her a satisfied smile. “The one and the same. I’ve been serving his family for over twenty-three years. I’ve known Storm since he was a kid.” Then his face grew serious. “As I said, he's an important client. The Hunters, they've been good to me. It's not like they need my services that much but they always give me business. That's the kind of people they are.”

  “I understand and I'll take good care of him,” she said, still slightly dazed. Imagine that. She’d be chauffeur to a member of the Hunter family, one of the wealthiest in the Chicago area. They were ‘old money’ and everyone knew of them. And even with all that money the oldest son, Storm, had branched out of
the family’s manufacturing business and had started his own clothing line, making himself a billionaire many times over at the ripe old age of twenty-seven.

  “And seeing that you’ve already made some adjustments to your appearance I want you to keep it that way.” He gave her a nod of approval. “I can't vouch for all my other customers so I don’t necessarily want to broadcast that I have a woman on the team. You don’t know who you might attract once that kind of information gets around.” He stood up and walked over to check the computer sitting on the desk in the far corner. “Tonight you’re going to pick up Mr. Hunter from a party and get him safely home. If he plans to drink he always arranges for us to come get him. You can check the location on your computer in the car.”

  This was Dani’s cue to get going. She stood up and gave her boss a quick nod. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your looking out for me.”

  “No problem, Swift. Now just grow some hair on that baby face of yours and look tough.” Tony was chuckling as Dani walked out of his office and headed for the garage.

  Things had turned out a lot better than she’d thought. There she was, thinking she was about to get fired, and instead she’d been assigned to a man who was probably the limousine company’s most prestigious client.

  Now if only his tips would be as big as his name, she’d be sweet.

  That night Dani arrived on location a whole fifteen minutes before the appointed time. There was no way she would risk being late. And she’d prepared well, too, making sure to pile every last strand of her thick dark hair underneath the rim of the chauffeur's hat. She’d been doing that since the groping incident. She’d ditched the earrings and had left her face devoid of any form of make-up. She’d even practiced her walk, trying to eliminate the feminine sway of her hips and adopt instead the long strides of a man. Thank God she was taller than most of her sex. At five feet seven and a half she could easily pass for a man. Now if only she could grow some hair on her chin. She chuckled at the thought. She was willing to go far but not that far.

  At five minutes after ten people started leaving the stately mansion. The cars that rolled out of the driveway included Porsches, Jaguars and a Bentley. Then there were others who chose to depart in limousines. Storm Hunter would be one of them.

  Dani recognized him immediately. Over six feet tall and dangerously handsome, he was dressed in a designer suit of midnight black, his dark hair curling deliciously at the collar. He strode down the driveway toward her with an air of supreme confidence that almost took her breath away. He had billionaire stamped all over him.

  Realizing she was staring she immediately straightened to her full height and masked her face with a stony expression. The last thing she wanted was for this man to think she was ogling him. Although, if ever there was a man to fit the description of ‘eye candy’, he was it. But she couldn’t be caught staring. She had to remember she was a professional, she was on the job, and on this job she was a man. Sort of.

  Storm Hunter was halfway to the car when a tall, willowy blonde ran down the driveway toward him.

  “Storm, wait for me,” she called in a light, airy voice. “I want to come with you.”

  For a fraction of a second Storm’s brows fell and a look of annoyance passed over his face. Then it went blank and he turned to meet the woman who was now almost upon him. “Lola,” he said, his deep voice quiet and cool, “I thought you were heading for home.”

  “I am,” she said with a laugh as she caught his arm and clung to it. “Daddy didn’t come for me as he promised so I'm hitching a ride with you.” She looked up at him with huge eyes full of adoration then she added the finishing touch when she set her crimson lips in a teasing pout.

  Dani almost gagged. Christ, the things some women did to get a man’s attention. Then, realizing the direction of her thoughts, she made her face bland. It was not her place to judge or to get involved in the affairs of these people. Best to just focus on doing her job.

  “My pleasure,” Storm said but his voice was anything but pleasant. He’d spoken with a formality that made it clear that he would have preferred to travel alone.

  The woman he’d called Lola didn’t seem to notice his reticence. “Thank you so much, darling,” she gushed. “Now we can get a chance to talk some more. You know Daddy loves it when we talk.” Then she batted her eyes in what she must have thought was an irresistibly seductive manner.

  Dani clenched her teeth to keep from uttering a sound. As tempted as she was to give a groan of disgust, that was a luxury she could not afford. But honestly, the woman’s simpering was past annoying. She didn’t know how Storm Hunter could stand it.

  He seemed to be handling it fairly well, though. They’d started walking toward the car and there was a slight smile on his lips, admittedly a somewhat sardonic-looking smile, but a smile nonetheless. The woman slipped a hand into the crook of his arm and he didn't seem to mind. They looked quite comfortable now as they strolled toward her.

  But things aren’t always as they seem, as Dani soon realized. To her surprise, when the couple got up close she saw the glint of irritation in the man’s eyes and then he gave her a knowing look. For that nanosecond Dani’s heart froze. Storm Hunter had just exchanged a look with her, a look that said he was pissed and he didn’t mind letting her know because she would understand. It was one of those looks shared between men. Except, she wasn’t a man.

  But he didn’t know that.

  He was standing right in front of her now. Dani gave a quick nod of greeting, the perfect excuse for her to drop her gaze and break the hold of his stare. “Good evening, Mr. Hunter,” she said in a low voice then leaned forward and opened the door of the limousine. Storm helped Lola then he bent his tall frame and climbed in, leaving Dani to close the door behind them. A moment passed before she could move. He’d been so close that the heady fragrance of his cologne filled her nostrils. That, combined with his nearness, had her heart racing like she’d just done a hundred meter sprint. Christ, what in the world was wrong with her?

  The man was just a man, after all. True, but this was one handsome piece of man with his thick brows, square jaw and those deep dark eyes that seemed to bore a hole into her soul. He was the first man who’d made her breath catch in her throat. She’d gone through her fair share of romance novels and had read about heroes who stole your breath away but she’d never had that happen to her, had never even believed it. Until now.

  She gave her head a quick shake. Back to reality, Dani. You can’t afford to go soft on a guy now. He's the client, remember? Her emotions again under control, she strode back to the driver's seat and slid behind the wheel. She was calm now, almost able to laugh at herself. And she had a feeling she’d need a sense of humor.

  If the last few minutes were anything to go by this was going to be an interesting journey.

  CHAPTER TWO

  They were less than ten minutes into the journey when Dani heard a tap on the tinted glass separating the driver's cab from the back. As soon as she pressed the button to wind the glass down she heard Lola’s petulant voice.

  “Chauffeur, don’t you have any champagne in this car? I don’t like what you have back here. Vodka, gin, they’re not my kind of drink.”

  “You may help yourself to some wine, ma’am,” Dani said, never taking her eyes off the road. “We’ve got white wine and red.”

  “I don’t want any wine,” Lola sulked. “I want champagne.”

  “You’ve had enough to drink, Lola.” Storm’s voice was imperious. “You don’t need anything but a bed right now.”

  “Ooh,” she purred, “that sounds good.”

  Dani couldn’t decipher Storm’s response. It sounded like a cross between a grunt and a snort. She was dying to see the expression on his face. Curiosity got the better of her and she glanced into the rear view mirror. He chose that very moment to look up and their eyes met, his dark brown and mysterious and hers, wide and startled. She dropped her eyes and embarrassment washed over her. Please
don’t let him keep staring at me. She knew she was probably red as a lobster.

  Danielle Swift, keep your eyes on the road and mind your own business. Great advice, except it wasn’t so easy to do when you kept hearing whispering behind you, whispers that kept dissolving into girlish giggles and then a gasp. What the heck were they doing back there? Don’t look, Dani, don’t look. She wished she could press the button and put the tinted glass back up. At least she’d be able to block out the sight and sounds. But she knew she couldn’t do that. It would be too obvious and besides she couldn’t just close the window without their permission. It was not her choice. She was there to serve them, after all.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when the giggles died down and she heard the tinkle of liquid being poured into a glass. Apparently Storm had decided to let Lola have a drink, after all. She didn’t blame him. At least that would shut her up, which was a great deal more bearable than listening to her irritating giggles the whole time.

  The brief silence was broken when Storm spoke. “Make a detour onto Kenilworth Avenue so I can drop Lola off.”

  Before Dani could respond the woman’s voice came out in a wail. “But Storm, I thought we were going to your place.”

  “No, Lola, I'm going to my place.” His brusque tone should have been enough to cool any woman’s ardor, but apparently not Lola’s. Dani heard her shifting on the seat, the fabric of her dress ruffling as if she were sliding closer to her traveling companion.

  “Storm, the night’s still young and I’m not ready to go home yet. Don’t make me go home. Please.” She dragged out the last word like a child trying to wheedle a treat from her mother. From her, a grown woman, it sounded desperate.