Facade

by Lexy Timms

  “A busy man like me can have two personal assistants. Emma holds down everything I do at the company. You will hold down everything I do in my personal life. It will explain why you come and go with me, as well as why you come home with me.”

  “I agree to your terms,” I said.

  As the two of us ate dinner, I kept my sights on the exits and the front door. Physically, this job was going to be easy. But mentally? It was going to be exhausting. This man was annoying and a pain in the fucking ass. He was cocky, insolent, and a sugarcoated womanizer. I had spent enough time with him in his own surroundings to know how much I would want to kill him once this was all over with.

  If there was some sort of threat looming over his idiotic little head, I could see why someone would want him dead. Which didn’t make my job any easier.

  Nonetheless, no matter what I believed, I had to be professional. If a new wardrobe was required, then I had the money to do that. With the amount of money this man was going to be paying on my contract, I could replace my wardrobe with the finest fabric one hundred times over and still be able to by my own fucking private island.

  Annoying or not, this contract was going to set me up for the rest of my life.

  This guy was all about money, though, and that was going to get old. He was one of those guys who believed his money made him powerful. Not his intelligence or his empire. Not the people around him or those he chose to surround himself with personally. But his money. He felt his money could buy him anything. Any house. Any car. Any woman.

  And those men were always the most dangerous, no matter who was attacking them.

  I was going to have to keep my eyes peeled in every single direction. Because I had a feeling Derek Steele had created more enemies than friends.

  Chapter 3

  Derek

  I HAD NO IDEA IF I had made a mistake or not in hiring her on, but I knew I had no choice. The break-in had spooked me enough to set aside the fact a woman was just hired to augment my security staff. She did seem to know what she was doing at lunch. She was observant. Strong. Fluent in languages I didn’t even know and a great asset to whoever she was with. I would’ve been an idiot to not hire her.

  But those fucking clothes had to go.

  I sent her shopping for her wardrobe and gave her an account number to charge everything to. She fought me tooth and nail on paying for her stuff, but I threw her words back in her face. So long as she was on the clock with me, her major expenses were mine to bear, and that was fair. She was literally hired to do anything to keep me safe and to take any measures necessary to save my life while we tracked down who the hell was sending me these fucking letters.

  The least I could do was buy her some decent fucking clothes.

  My phone rang, and it was Sam. In her clipped, blunt way of talking, she told me she was on her way back to my house. I grinned as I hung up the phone, shrugging my suit jacket off my shoulders. A part of me was curious as to what she bought this afternoon. With a woman like that who was rough around the edges, she probably bought a wardrobe that was all black and consisted of pantsuits. Or maybe she had bought actual suits, tailored to her body to make some feminist point about me telling her how she needed to dress for her job or something.

  She struck me as that kind of woman, and I chuckled as I made my way to sit at my desk.

  The office buzzed up to tell me she was here, and I waited for her at the door of my office. She came inside with numerous bags hanging from her arms. She stood in the middle of my carpeted floors, her eyes locked onto me as her hands began to turn white.

  The bags were cutting off the circulation to her fingers.

  “Need help with those?” I asked.

  “Nope,” she said. “I got them. How many stories are in your home? Since I’ll eventually be there.”

  “You didn’t do any research on my home?” I asked.

  “There’s four, but I was only trying to make conversation.”

  “You could show me the clothes you bought. That would’ve made for decent conversation, I’m sure.”

  “Why? Because you don’t think I understand how to do elegance?”

  Her eyes locked with mine, and I snickered. How the fuck did she do shit like that?

  “I’m not certain you understand the necessary style I’m looking for, yes.”

  “Then, I’ll show you what I purchased. Where is your nearest bathroom?”

  “I have my own private washroom,” I said. “Through that door over there.”

  I pointed to the door on the other side of my office as her gaze followed my finger. I watched her walk across the carpet, her ass swaying with each step she took as the bags hung from her hands.

  I felt my pants grow tight again as she opened the door and disappeared into the cavernous space.

  My washroom was actually a separate room. It had a walk-in closet stocked with a few of my suits. Some shoes and some ties, a couple of bow ties and some sunglasses. Everything I would need to get ready for an event like this was in there. But it was also equipped for me to sleep in if I spent late nights in my office. There were a walk-in shower and a queen-sized bed back there as well as duplicates of all my toiletries.

  I lived for this company, and many times that meant very late nights and international video conferences at three in the morning.

  I rolled up the sleeves of my suit and stuck my hands in my pockets. This was going to be fun. I kept picturing all the ridiculous outfits she could come downstairs in, tailored suits and pantsuits and polyester maxi dresses people tried to pass off as elegant. I rocked on my feet and looked at my watch, making sure I had plenty of time to get myself ready for this fundraiser.

  “Miss Williams, I don’t have all—”

  She stepped out of the washroom, and I swallowed my words. I was stunned by how elegant she looked. Her legs seemed longer as she stood in her black heels. Her tanned skin glistened against the black silken fabric of the spaghetti-strapped dress she wore. It had a high neckline with a seafoam green belt that grabbed her tightly around her waist. The fabric fluttered against her long legs, moving with every step she took as her dangling earrings and dainty bracelet boasted of the same color as the band around her waist.

  She sure as hell looked the part, but now the question was whether she could do her job in that getup.

  Just as that thought ran through my mind, I saw her grab at the dress. Her hand slowly guided the fabric up her leg, her glistening skin revealing itself to me. I could feel my skin heating. I could feel my cock slowly rising to the occasion. Her toned calves and her strong thighs called to me, and then I saw them.

  The knife on her hip and the gun holster around her thigh.

  “The flowing fabric gives me easy access. I also bought a few dresses that are tighter around my body but have high slits up the thighs for easy access as well.”

  I swallowed thickly as my office door burst open.

  “Mr. Steele! I thought I would find you here. I was wondering if—”

  Sam delicately dropped the fabric to her dress, not making a show of it as Emma’s eyes wandered over to her. The two girls stared at one another as Emma’s face slowly fell. I looked over at Sam, whose eyes darted to mine before she cocked her head off to the side.

  “Miss Emma, what have I told you about knocking before you enter?” I asked.

  “Sorry, Mr. Steele. I just wanted to inform you the award ceremony has been postponed until tomorrow night,” Emma said.

  “Any particular reason? No one called me to check and see if my schedule was clear for tomorrow night. I’m the one accepting the award, remember?”

  “Don’t worry. I took care of it. It didn’t take a lot of shifting around. But I wanted to come tell you in person because I wasn’t sure if you would get the memo I emailed you.”

  Emma shot a nasty look over toward Sam, who was still staring at Emma as she continued to talk.

  “Is that all, Miss Emma?”

  “Yes, sir. That�
��s all.”

  “Same time tomorrow night?” I asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then, you’re dismissed.”

  Emma took one last look at Sam before she left my office. She closed the door behind her, and I relaxed, but Sam didn’t move. She only panned her gaze over to me, awaiting whatever the hell it was she thought I was going to tell her.

  Tomorrow night. Fucking grand.

  “If you have a late night at work, that washroom is very convenient. I can stay over and keep you company,” Sam said.

  “That won’t be necessary. I don’t have a long work night tonight, but if I did, it would be pretty premature. We’ll start tomorrow like I originally threw out at lunch.”

  “Mr. Steele, that is not a wise idea. If you’re going to be here, then I need to be here.”

  “I’ll meet you at the award ceremony tomorrow.”

  “Mr. Steele, I’m your bodyguard. I go where you go. And if you're staying here, I insist that—”

  “I’m glad to have hired you, Miss Williams. You’re obviously very good at what you do. From taking on this elegant persona to quickly observing and reading the minds of the people around you, but I won’t allow myself to be governed by fear. The more I think about all of this—the letters and the threatening tones and the cheap language—the more it seems like some twisted prank. Some antibusiness hippie trying to get underneath my skin. In a couple of days, I might not even need you. So, when I tell you I’ll meet you at the ceremony tomorrow, that’s the frame of mind from which I’m speaking. I’m not asking your opinion on it, and I’m not asking for your input. I am telling you when I will need my bodyguard and nothing more.”

  I watched Sam clench her jaw as she nodded her head.

  “Yes, sir,” she said.

  “Good. Feel free to charge whatever hotel you choose to stay in tonight on the charge account with which you purchased your clothes.”

  “Should the hotel be elegant and to your liking?” she asked.

  I slowly panned my gaze over toward her as she stared at me.

  “Sleep wherever you’d like,” I said.

  Chapter 4

  Sam

  “AND WHO IS THIS LOVELY woman?”

  “This, Mr. Chesterfield, is my new personal assistant. Miss Williams,” Derek said.

  I stuck my hand out for the man to shake as he encompassed it with his lackadaisical fingers.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Mr. Chesterfield said.

  “She will be aiding me with the new companies pitched this year to purchase,” Derek said.

  “Wanderlust Inc., Dyre and Associates, and SonikBoom are all very lucky to have Steele Inc. behind them in this venture,” I said.

  “And what will you be helping Mr. Steele with? Hopefully, keeping this man on track. I’m sure he’s bitten off more than he can chew,” Mr. Chesterfield said.

  “He’s right. Derek is the kind of man to go and get himself in over his head.”

  “Miss Williams, this is Mr. and Mrs. Lichtenstein,” Derek said.

  “It’s wonderful to meet you both,” I said with a smile.

  “Be careful with this one,” Mr. Lichtenstein said. “Take your eye off her, and someone will snatch her up.”

  “She’s my personal assistant, Gary. Not my girlfriend,” Derek said.

  “Though I manage his schedule like one,” I said with a grin.

  “And fiery, too! Doll, if you get tired of him, you come work for me. I’ll double your pay, and I won’t make you wear heels,” Mr. Chesterfield said.

  “Who says I’m making her do anything?”

  “If I recall, it’s my job to make him do things. I tell him where to be, what to do, and I update him on statistics of the businesses he’s rebuilding. Speaking of which, Wanderlust Inc.’s stocks dropped today. Another four and a half points,” I said.

  I could see the shock on Derek’s face as I continued to talk stocks and business with the families quickly surrounding us. The more who approached, the more analyzing I had to do. This was my job, and for some reason, he was stunned that I did it to the best of my ability. If he was going to pass me off as his personal assistant, then I needed to do my research. Watch the stocks of the companies he invested in and purchased. Keep updated on his yearly ventures. If I was going to play the part, I needed to act the part.

  And acting the part meant knowing the information that went along with it.

  “If you’re not careful, she’ll be running your company, Mr. Steele,” Mrs. Lichtenstein said.

  “Am I not already?” I asked with a grin.

  Everyone fell apart in laughter as I tossed my gaze toward a very tense Derek.

  “Well, if you all will excuse us, I believe there are some investors who are wanting my time while we’re here tonight,” Derek said.

  He put his hand on the small of my back and led me away from the crowd.

  “You’re being stupid for not keeping me close, Mr. Steele.”

  “Still mad I didn’t let you sleep in my bed last night, Miss Williams?”

  “This has nothing to do with sleeping anywhere near you, and you know it. Just because you want to cover up this charade, it doesn’t require keeping me at arm’s length. This is your life we’re talking about.”

  He led me over to the bar where the two of us picked up a glass of wine.

  “I have everything under control, Miss Williams. You have proven yourself to be a valuable asset, especially with the research you’ve done. Enjoy your drink, let me schmooze some investors, and then I’ll be back.”

  “I should be with you. There’s no reason for you to keep me in this corner,” I said.

  “There is. If I take you over there to those investors, they’ll be taken with that dress and the way your sultry voice rolls facts right off the tip of your tongue. I need them to give me money, not drool all over their shoes.”

  I blinked several times as my gaze hardened on his face.

  “If you didn’t want me turning heads, then don’t put me in clothes that do,” I said flatly.

  “Survey the room. Count windows. Clock exits and read people’s minds. Isn’t that what you do?” Derek asked.

  “At your side, yes.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he said as he set his wine glass down.

  The man was infuriating. I was at this formal dinner party, watching some award be presented to Derek to inflate his ego in some field that meant he built something that was useful for someone. Big whoop. Derek wanted me in these shitty clothes to blend in, and now he was pissed that I stood out even more. I knew how to blend. I stay close to the walls, stick with the shadows, and fucking watch people. It was what I did. Putting me in a getup like this and then getting mad when I stole the room was a grown man pitching a temper tantrum because a woman was prettier than him.

  I was stuck guarding the life of a fucking man-child.

  I sipped on my wine while my eyes scanned the crowd. I kept a close eye on Derek as I took stock of the rest of the people in the room. Most I recognized from my extensive research on the company’s networking pool, but some I didn’t. I committed their faces to memory so I could question Derek on them later and then back whatever he told me up with my own research.

  For some reason, I still didn’t trust the man.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I kept my attention on Jacob. The COO of Steele Inc. was here, no doubt supporting his friend accepting some kind of award. I saw his eyes on me, raking up and down my body as he stood with a whiskey neat in his hand. If he thought he was being inconspicuous, he was sorely mistaken. His gaze had been hard on me for the past six minutes and forty-two seconds, and it showed no signs of letting up.

  Until he spotted Derek on the move.

  I saw the two of them head to the restroom together, and I made my move. I didn’t care who the fuck Derek was going to be alone with, it wasn’t safe. Everyone was a suspect until I could narrow them down and assess what was really going on.


  I stuck to the wall, creeping along in the shadows until I was standing around the corner from where the two of them were stationed.

  “Who the hell is that woman?” Jacob asked.

  “My new personal assistant,” Derek said.

  “I didn’t see any new personnel paperwork cross my desk,” Jacob said.

  “Because she’s a personal hire.”

  “A personal hire talking statistics about the business?” Jacob asked.

  Fuck. Our cover was already about to be blown because Derek didn’t do the one thing he should’ve done.

  Added me to the fucking system.

  “I just hired her not too long ago,” Derek said. “Settle down.”

  “Derek, look. You’re getting death threats from people who are telling you to step down because of sins or whatever the hell they’re saying. They’re getting past your fucking gates. And now you’re letting random women be hired for positions I’m not consulted on?”

  “In my defense, we hire random women all the time. They’re called first-time employees,” Derek said.

  “For all you know, she could be working for the people sending the threat. Have you checked out her background? Run her resumé? At least looked up her references?”

  “She’s not working for whoever the hell’s sending me those threats,” Derek said.

  “And how do you know that?” Jacob asked.

  I knew the answer that was going to fly out of his mouth before he even opened it.

  “Because she’s my girlfriend, asshole. I’m just keeping it a secret, telling people she’s my personal assistant in public.”

  The silence was deafening, and I debated on stepping out from behind the corner and playing along with his little game. Until I heard Jacob chuckling.

  “You sly dog. You’re feeding her those statistics, aren’t you?” Jacob asked.

  “Of course. Who the fuck would know those other than me on a regular basis?” Derek asked.

  “I knew she was too gorgeous to be someone you hired. She’d get you into trouble in the office in a heartbeat like those senior partners you got rid of. Though I’m disappointed you didn’t tell me you were seeing someone. It’s not like you to keep that shit from me,” Jacob said.