Entranced (The ROGUES Billionaire Series Book 1)

by Tracie Delaney

  “You’ve got hollow legs. Wait until you turn thirty. You’re gonna have a paunch.”

  Elliot snorted, patting his stomach. “Never gonna happen. Gotta keep the six pack in place. Brienne loves licking my abs.”

  My head rolled back against the chair. “Please, spare me the details.”

  “How was Paris? Did you take your Asian friend along for a little mile-high action?”

  His teasing turned my mind to Athena. I hadn’t heard from her since I’d put her into a car at the airport, not that I’d expected to. And if I hadn’t expected to, why did my chest ache?

  “Paris was fine.”

  He laughed. “Point taken.” And then he touched a hand to his forehead. “I forgot to tell you because you haven’t been here. Athena’s back.”

  I arranged my face to show a modicum of surprise. “Really? Why? Wasn’t she supposed to be away longer?”

  He shrugged. “She missed me. What can I say? I’m irresistible.”

  “You’re an ass.”

  “Yeah, so you tell me—several times a week. Listen, there’s something I need to bring up at the board meeting this morning. I’ll cover it off at the end. No need to change the agenda.”

  My skin prickled. “Is that so?” I said curtly.

  He linked his fingers together and stretched his arms overhead. “Nothing to be concerned about.”

  Now I’m even more concerned.

  He stood, taking my coffee with him. “Boardroom in thirty?”

  “Yes. And there better be a replacement coffee at the head of the table.”

  “I’ll speak to Patricia,” he said, then disappeared through the door.

  I wandered over to the window and stared out at the Manhattan skyline, my mind racing. I’d have questioned him further if I thought for one second it would have gotten me anywhere. Elliot had worn that look… the mischievous one. The secretive one.

  I didn’t like it.

  Athena and board meeting being mentioned in the same breath caused a ball of dread to take root in the pit of my stomach. If Elliot was planning to merge the two, he’d have a hell of a fight on his hands.

  I arrived for the meeting early. When I pushed open the door to the boardroom, my gaze fell on Oliver intently bashing away on his keyboard. He lifted his head, held up a hand in greeting, and returned his attention to his screen.

  “How come you’re working in here?” I asked.

  “I’m hiding,” he replied.

  “From who?”

  “Mom. Saw her heading toward my office as I was coming back from a meeting. Hence I ducked in here.”

  “Why are you hiding from your mom?”

  Oliver leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen through his fingers. “Annie is struggling in school with a couple of subjects. Mom thinks she should have private tuition to help her catch up. I don’t agree. I think that’s pushing her too hard, too early.”

  Annie was Oliver’s seven-year-old daughter, and he was extremely protective of her given that his wife, and Annie’s mother, Sara, had left them both when Annie was still a baby. At first, he kept hoping she’d return, but when that didn’t happen, he divorced her. She didn’t even turn up for the hearing. It had taken him a long time to move on and, even now, I wasn’t sure he really had. I think that spark of hope simply wouldn’t be extinguished.

  I stroked my chin. “Maybe she’s right. You don’t want her getting too far behind.”

  He fixed me with a stare. “Thanks, buddy.”

  “I’m not going to agree with you for the sake of it.”

  Oliver let out a heavy sigh, one that sounded as though he genuinely didn’t know what to do for the best. “Sorry. I’m a bit stressed with it all to be honest.”

  I opened my laptop as the others filed in. “It’ll all be fine,” I said. “You’ll do the right thing. You always do. Try not to worry.”

  “What’ll be fine?” Sebastian flopped into the chair to my left.

  “None of your business,” I said as Patricia bustled around, plugging in the projector and making sure we all had something to drink.

  I waited for the room to settle down, then began.

  Two hours later, after we’d all presented updates on our particular divisions of the business, I closed my laptop. “Okay, any other business.”

  I went around the table, finally ending on Elliot. I stared at him, unblinking. “Now I know you have AOB, Elliot. Care to share?”

  Garen’s eyes cut to mine, his expression telling me he’d sensed the undertone in my voice. I gave a half shrug.

  Elliot cleared his throat and sat up straight with the edge of his linked hands resting on the cherry wood table.

  “Athena’s home,” he began.

  “When?” Upton asked. “I thought she planned on traveling for a year.”

  Elliot waved dismissively. “Things change. Anyway, she’s come home with a renewed sense of purpose, and I want to encourage that. You’re aware how difficult it’s been for her to find her niche, her place in the world. She wants to get a job and find her own place, and we all know that won’t be easy, especially in Manhattan, and without experience. Plus, I don’t want my sister living in some fleapit. Actually, strike that. I won’t have my sister living in squalor.”

  I knew what was coming before he even spoke. My heart sank, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

  “I’ve offered her the vacant position in the IT team. She may not have practical experience, but she’s fully qualified. I have every confidence that Aaron and the team can train her up.”

  He looked at each of us in turn, ending with me.

  “Anyone in disagreement with that decision?”

  Murmurings of assent and plenty of nods and smiles were sent in Elliot’s direction. I remained stony-faced. Yes, I had a fucking problem. Not because I wanted to block Athena’s desire to stand on her own two feet—it was about goddamn time—but because I didn’t want her to fulfil that desire here. At my company. For fuck’s sake, how the hell could I continue to ignore my true feelings if the damned woman worked in my building, in a position that would bring her into regular contact with me?

  The room fell silent, and that was when I realized everyone was waiting for me to speak.

  “Since when did we start making senior hires ahead of agreement with the board?” I said, my voice holding an edge, the tone icily calm.

  “It’s not a senior hire as you well know. Come on, Ryker. Don’t be a dick. Athena needs a chance, and as her brother, I’ve given her the opportunity to prove herself. She insisted she’d only take the position if I promised to treat her like any other employee.”

  “Big of her,” I muttered, silently berating myself for behaving like an idiot, but unable to stop.

  Elliot gave me a glare. “What’s your fucking problem?”

  Oliver fidgeted in his seat, readying himself for the brewing testosterone-fueled argument. Out of all of us, he was the one who made the greatest effort to avoid conflict.

  I took it down a notch. No point blowing up. That would only set off Elliot’s radar.

  “I don’t have a problem,” I lied. “All I’m saying is that before you offered her the job, you should have run it past the board. That was the procedure we agreed to, and one that we’ve all followed—until now.”

  “Okay,” Elliot said, his jaw tightening the way it always did when he was about to dig his heels in the ground. “We’ll take a vote, shall we? All those in favor of Athena taking a fucking junior position in the IT department, raise your hands.”

  Everyone held up their hands. I was the last to react, showing my palm to the room.

  “Motion carried,” Elliot said, his sharp glare in my direction telling me this wouldn’t be the last I’d hear of it. “Patricia, minute that, would you, in case this gigantic asshole decides to have a brain malfunction.”

  Garen snorted a laugh.

  I shot him a glare, then barked, “Meeting adjourned.” Getting to my feet, I
snatched up my laptop, then stalked out.

  I’d barely closed the door to my office when Elliot stormed in, his face beet red. “What the fuck was that?” He slammed the door behind him, almost breaking the smoked glass on either side.

  I set my laptop on my desk, even though I wanted to hurl it through the window. I took a breath, calming myself before I answered. I wasn’t known for random outbursts of anger, but whenever it came to Athena, my usual composed demeanor deserted me. I had to get a grip, though. If Elliot guessed the real reason I had such a problem with Athena working here, it’d be me going through the window, hurled to my death by my best friend.

  I arranged my face in conciliatory fashion. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m tired, grouchy, and I took it out on you. I just thought you might have mentioned it to me first. Of course I’m fine with Athena taking on a role in the company. It’ll be really good for her, like you say.”

  Elliot’s deep frown disappeared, his customary smile returning. “I thought a long overdue fuck with your Asian friend might have improved your mood. Clearly not.”

  I let the misconception lie, grinning at him. “A good night’s sleep, and I’ll be back to normal.”

  “God help us.”

  “Don’t you have a contract to arrange with HR?”

  “Indeed I do. I was thinking of starting her tomorrow.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “So soon?”

  “Yeah, why not? The paperwork can catch up.” He sauntered over to the door. “Have a good day, angel face.”

  “You too, asswipe.”

  He laughed, then left me alone with my thoughts.

  I put my head in my hands. Fuck. I needed to find a way to deal, and fast.

  8

  Athena

  “Night, Athena. Don’t stay too late.”

  I smiled at Aaron, the head of my department, and a top-notch guy. I’d been so nervous when Elliot had introduced us on my first day—Wednesday—I’d dropped my purse. The contents had gone everywhere, and a solitary tampon had rolled across the floor, stopping at the feet of my new boss.

  Oh, the shame.

  Aaron, to his credit, hadn’t mentioned it then or since. Elliot, on the other hand, ribbed me about it at every given opportunity.

  “Night, Aaron. See you Monday.”

  I shivered, pulling my wrap closer around my shoulders, not because it was cold—the air conditioning kept the temperature even—but because it felt strange that everyone had left already. I wouldn’t be far behind, but I wanted to finish the current piece of work, otherwise, come Monday, I’d have to try to figure out where I’d gotten up to.

  The sound of low chatter reached me, and the voices grew nearer. I held my breath, recognizing Ryker’s deep baritone. He was talking to Elliot. Quietly rising from my chair, I padded closer to the door. I wanted to see if they mentioned me.

  “Don’t forget to be at Mom’s for eight tomorrow,” Elliot said, referring to the damned dinner Mother Dearest had arranged to celebrate my homecoming.

  “I won’t,” Ryker replied. “Will you let her know I’m bringing a date?”

  I pressed a fist to my sternum as pain licked through my chest. He’s bringing a date. Every time I thought about Ryker with someone else, another piece of my heart snapped off, crumbling like a stale cookie. Watching him with another woman was tantamount to being tortured. If it were any other event I’d duck out, but as I was the supposed guest of honor, I’d have to sit there, suffering in silence while he put his hands on a woman who wasn’t me. Touched her, whispered to her, laughed with her.

  I briefly wondered if I had time to arrange a date of my own, but I’d lost touch with so many people in the last six months, it felt like an exercise in futility, especially this late. My shoulders slumped.

  “Ooh, a date. Good to see you’ve finally given up celibacy. No sex makes you crabby as hell.”

  “I wasn’t celibate. I just gave women a swerve for a while.”

  I straightened. Wait, what?

  “Glad to see you’re back behind the wheel, so to speak. Maybe your mood will improve. Ever since Japan you’ve behaved like an asshole. Clearly a night or two with your Asian friend didn’t even begin to scratch the itch.”

  “Rubbish,” Ryker scoffed. “I’ve had a lot on my plate, that’s all.”

  Since Japan. Since he found me in the club. Could the two events be related?

  “Sure you don’t want to come for a drink?” Elliot asked. “All the other guys are going.”

  “Positive. I need to catch up on some sleep. I’ve been running on an average of three hours a night for the past two weeks. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

  “Fair enough. See you then.”

  The sound of footsteps headed in my direction. I scuttled back to my desk just in time to see Elliot stride past without looking into my office. A minute later, Ryker walked by, staring intently at his phone. As he disappeared from view, I let out the breath I’d been holding and returned my gaze to the screen.

  “You’re working late.”

  My head snapped up to find Ryker propped up against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. Damn the man. He’d given the impression of being on his way out.

  “Yeah, I, um, I want to finish what I’m doing.”

  “How very dedicated of you,” he drawled, sarcasm prevalent in the deep timbre of his voice.

  Don’t bite. Stay calm.

  “Is there something you wanted?” I asked sweetly.

  He jerked his chin in my direction. “Log off, Athena. I’ll see you home.”

  “I’m not done yet.”

  “You’re done when I say you’re done. Get your things.”

  “You’re not the boss of me,” I snapped.

  Terrific, Athena. So much for staying calm.

  Ryker strolled inside, his eyes glittering with an expression I couldn’t place. My heart raced, adrenaline coursing through my veins. He reached my desk, bent down, and put his mouth right next to my ear.

  “I’m the boss of everyone,” he murmured. “Especially you. Now move, or I’ll forcibly remove you.”

  I doubted even Ryker would go so far as to manhandle me out of there, although I clearly wasn’t prepared to test the theory because I switched off my laptop and placed it in my desk pedestal, locking it securely. Ryker’s gaze followed me to the coat stand, then tracked me as I returned to my desk to grab my purse.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “I can easily ride the subway home.”

  He walked away, ignoring me as though I hadn’t spoken. His long strides ate up the floor, and I had to put in the occasional skip to keep pace with him. He pressed the button for the elevator, then gestured for me to go in first.

  We rode down to the lobby in silence, Ryker’s gaze locked on me. I stared at the floor. By the time I stepped outside into the bracing wind of a New York winter, I was sweating, despite the freezing temperatures. Ryker’s car idled at the curb, his driver standing at attention, holding the back door open. Ryker glared at me then pointed at the limo. I slipped into the warm cabin, edging as far away from Ryker as I could. The door closed and, seconds later, we eased into the traffic.

  Ryker poured me a gin and tonic, even though I hadn’t asked for one. That was Ryker all over. Decisive, dominant, powerful. He didn’t wait for permission, nor ask for forgiveness. He did what he wanted, when he wanted.

  I took the glass from him, our fingers briefly touching. Butterflies swarmed my stomach, sending a shiver of delight shooting down my spine.

  Fixing himself a scotch, he touched his glass to mine. “Cheers.”

  He sipped his drink, looking at me over the rim. I kept my eyes on his as long as I was able, but eventually, the intensity with which he stared at me was too much to handle. I turned my attention out the window, watching people go by in a blur.

  “How are you settling in?” he asked when a few seconds of silence had scraped by.

  “Good,” I replied, still showing him t
he back of my head. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  “You’ll get there,” he said. “You’re smart, resourceful. You’ll pick it up in no time.”

  That made me turn and face him. “Did you just pay me a compliment?”

  He chuckled, the brief moment of mirth changing his entire appearance. I could stare at him all day when he smiled. The way his eyes crinkled at the edges, the sparkle in his azure irises, the curve to his lips, the dimple in his left cheek.

  An irrepressible instinct had my fingertips brushing his jawline. “You should smile more, Ryker. It suits you.”

  If I’d told him I’d killed a puppy, his smile couldn’t have disappeared any faster. A deep frown drew his brows low, and his jaw stiffened. He captured my wrist and placed my hand in my lap.

  “You’ll have to amuse yourself for the remainder of the ride home, Athena. I have work to do.”

  He twisted his body, virtually giving me the cold shoulder, and spent the rest of the journey tapping on his phone, presumably answering emails.

  By the time the car pulled up outside my parents’ house, my mood was black—a state of affairs I firmly laid at Ryker’s door.

  “Do me a favor, Ryker,” I said, my tone dripping ice. “Next time, don’t offer to see me home. I’d much rather ride the subway.”

  Before he could respond, I gracefully exited the car, closed the door and, keeping my spine rigid, I walked inside.

  The bustle of activity downstairs led me to the conclusion that our guests had begun to arrive. What started out as a cozy dinner with Mom, Dad, Elliot, and the ROGUES team had become a full-on party with caterers, flower arrangers, waiting staff, and even valet parking. Mom had gone all out.

  A few hours and it’ll all be over.

  Giving myself a final check over in the mirror, I took a deep, fortifying breath, blew it out slowly, and descended the stairs, taking extra care not to trip in my four-inch Louboutins.

  Okay, I admit it, I’d pulled out all the stops. Hair, makeup, a brand-new Stella McCartney dress that looked like I’d been sewn into it—which also meant I hadn’t eaten all day—and killer heels. It was a futile attempt to get Ryker to notice me, but one I’d decided on anyway.