Taming The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 7) (2 page)

Cali took a nervous swallow. “Um...you have a room here?” That meant he wasn’t a local. If she was going to have a one-night stand with someone, she might as well do it with someone who wasn’t going to be in the city to make things awkward.

“A very nice room. Plenty of room for two people.” He pulled back and those dark eyes met hers, and for a moment, she was completely caught in his spell. Who wouldn’t want to spend the night with this beautiful creature?

“I shouldn’t,” she breathed. Cali knew that with everything going on she probably wasn’t thinking clearly. And as much as she was obviously attracted to this man, she knew nothing about him. She was all for free love, but she made it a point not to go home with serial killers. And there was a good chance this guy could be absolutely crazy.

Though, now that she thought about it, Easson might be a serial killer from the way that Luke and Evelyn made it sound. She felt the blood rush to her face as she realized exactly how much she’d done with Easson over the past few weeks.

“I, um, I need to leave.” She firmly put her hands on the man’s hard chest and pushed him away from her. “Thank you for, um, talking with me. I needed it.” Without waiting another second, she held her clutch close to her chest and practically ran from the man and to the elevator. Sure, she made an ass of herself, but at this point, there wasn’t much left to lose.

Rourke watched the pretty blonde run down the hall and let out a curse. That wasn’t part of the plan. He’d followed Luke’s receptionist out here, hoping to pry information out of her about what his brothers were up to, but instead things had gotten…derailed. Derailed in the best way possible, he supposed.

He glanced down to his still hard erection. Well, he supposed things could’ve gone better. But if he’d taken her back to his room, he would’ve had to give her a name, and he didn’t know whether he wanted anyone to know he was back in town. And the idea of giving her a fake name before sleeping with her sounded skeevy, even to him.

Cali didn’t seem like the woman he’d expected to meet. From all accounts, the famed assistant to his brothers was cold and calculating. She might’ve looked like an ice princess with her crystal-blue eyes, light blonde hair, and blue dress that hung to all her curves like a lover, but she’d felt like fire in his arms.

“You know you need an invitation to be here,” said a voice from behind him.

Rourke straightened and glared at the newcomer. He wasn’t sure how long this man had been there, but he wasn’t used to people sneaking up on him. “I have an invitation,” he said. It was conveniently located in his jacket, which he’d left on the back of a chair in the overheated ballroom, but he did have one.

The man came closer. He was tall with short, light-brown hair and the muscular build of someone who didn’t work behind a desk all day. And judging from the bulge in his jacket, he was packing some sort of firearm. “I have seen the guest list. You’re not on it, Mr. Devereaux.”

Rourke glared at the man and tried to size up the threat. The man was imposing and carrying, but it wasn’t the first time Rourke had faced those odds. Even so, he’d rather avoid a fight. “I’m not here to start anything.”

“Funny. I’m here to make sure you don’t start anything.”

“Did Luke and Michael send you? I thought they’d be man enough to face me themselves.”

“I work for Walter Farrell, and I’m here to try to make sure his party goes off without a hitch.”

“Party planner with a gun. How unique.”

The man narrowed his eyes but didn’t defend himself. Rourke had a feeling this guy didn’t spend a lot of time explaining his actions to anyone. And if he was who Rourke suspected, he knew that was true. Colin Carter. Farrell’s bitch boy. Pulled out of the gutter by the tycoon and cleaned up into a loyal guard dog.

A guard dog with serious bite.

“You can leave here on your own or I can make you leave. What’s your preference?”

His preference was not being told what to do. But he’d already gotten everything he’d come for (even if he would’ve preferred to get a bit more from the delectable Cali). If he started shit with Carter, chances were his brothers would find out he was here, and that was the last thing he wanted at the moment. “I was just on my way out,” he said with a menacing smile, as if to say
you’re lucky I’m going on my own
.

Carter stood his ground, as though waiting for Rourke to move.

“I need to go back in to grab my jacket.” Rourke pointed to the closed door behind the armed man. “Did you want to hold my hand the entire time?”

Carter stepped aside to let Rourke past, but he knew that the man would be watching him the entire time. Let him. He wasn’t lying when he said that he was on his way out.

He glanced around the room as he entered, making sure that Luke was nowhere in sight. He hadn’t seen Michael that evening, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t show up. When he verified that none of his family was in the room, he headed for the table where he’d left his jacket and slid it on.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luke cross to the balcony, rubbing his wrists as he moved and glancing around the room. Rourke averted his gaze to the table as Luke looked in his direction.

A moment later, Rourke saw his brother head outside to meet with someone he didn’t recognize on the balcony. The man was surrounded by people—bodyguards. Rourke studied the man, determined to figure out who he was once he got back home, and then he realized that Carter was at the back of the room, glaring at him.

He’d officially worn out his welcome and it was time to get going. He adjusted his jacket once more and strode out of the ballroom. The crowd of people parted for him as he made his way out.

He wasn’t sure what he expected by coming here tonight, but he’d seen enough. Luke was making his assistant cry and meeting with shady figures in the meantime.

The same Luke he’d grown up with. The oldest of the three brothers, Luke had always basked in the spotlight. He and Joslyn had always been the scene-stealers while Rourke, Michael, and Emma were their own little trio.

Not that any of them were what could be described as loners. Emma was a cheerleader, and Rourke and Michael both had their time to shine on the football team, but they’d never craved it like the oldest cousins did.

It only made sense that those two would turn out to be the crazy ones in the family, even if only one was behind bars at the moment.

Rourke wondered what Luke had done to make Cali so upset. She said it was her boyfriend and boss who were using her. Did that mean the boyfriend and boss were one and the same? Was Luke sleeping with her? It wouldn’t surprise Rourke. Luke wasn’t known for his monk-like tendencies, and Rourke knew he could never work side by side with someone as gorgeous as Cali without his baser instincts taking over.

Though, judging from the Ice Queen rumors about the assistant, she didn’t seem the type to have secret late-night trysts with the CEO.

But it wasn’t as if he knew her. One five-minute conversation and intense hallway make-out session hardly qualified as knowing someone. Though he wouldn’t mind if he got to know her much better.

Damn, this entire evening would’ve been so much better if Cali and he were back at his room right now. She’d already be naked and beneath him if he had anything to say about it. Then again, she’d had a rough night. Maybe he’d spend half an hour or so driving her crazy before he even thought about thrusting inside her welcoming body.

Rourke pressed the button for the elevator and shelved his fantasies of the sexy secretary. He’d be back to his room soon enough, and, considering he’d be unfortunately alone, he’d let himself go much deeper into all the things he wanted to do to Cali.

Too bad he’d never see her again. He’d come here as a last chance to check on his family and see whether they were worth saving. All his worst fears had been confirmed.

From now on, he was a Devereaux by name only.

Cali forced herself to get out of bed. She’d been dreading this moment ever since she’d left Walter Farrell’s party, and she really didn’t want to have to go through with it. But it was past time. She was going to tell Luke how she felt, once and for all. No more pussyfooting around what she wanted so she could be a good employee.

He’d clearly showed her he was number one to him and she’d always fall short. And to be honest, she didn’t fault his logic all that much. If anything, she was envious. She should be putting herself first too, not playing second fiddle to her bosses. Sure, when she was just starting out, she was more than happy to get coffee and run dry-cleaning for the brothers, but things had changed.

She was no longer a college student desperate to get her foot in the door. She was well-known through the business circles and could have her choice of new employers. Employers who might appreciate her and not try to corner her into a dead-end position for years at a time.

She padded into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her bright blue eyes stared back at her as she pulled the hair tie out of her hair and unfurled her braid. The normally straight hair was given at least a little bit of volume if she slept with it braided, and except for going out to the fancy parties and dinners, she tried to avoid hairspray.

The bleach she used on the strands was harsh enough, so she made a point to try to avoid chemicals as much as possible. She looked completely different than she had when she first came to the city. Her nails had a fresh manicure, the color a discreet nude shade that didn’t draw attention but looked neat and clean. Her hair had the dye job and layers that cost a ridiculous amount but were worth every penny to see how the style accentuated her cheekbones and pale complexion.

She smiled wistfully as she thought back to her high school days. Back then, she knew nothing about fashion or makeup. It had been hard enough to get out of that life alive, let alone worry about her eyeliner staying in place.

But now beauty was part of survival. Ever since she started putting time and effort into her appearance, things changed. Sure, some guys were more preferential to her since she changed, but everyone treated her different. Women wanted to be friends with her, guys would talk to her. And not just to hit on her. She was included in business conversations that the old her would’ve never been invited to.

When she first started as an intern at DevX Tech, she’d sat back and listened intently to every one of these work lunches she was invited to. But it was only when she ended up sitting at a table with Michael Devereaux that he took notice of her observation skills and her well-rounded knowledge of the company and recommended Luke take her on as his assistant.

It was one of the happiest moments of her life. But she’d never thought that job would last almost a decade. Or that she’d be trapped in Luke’s shadow for the rest of her life.

Cali started on her twenty-minute makeup routine, beginning with the foundation that made her face flawless and ending with just enough mascara and eye shadow to bring out the blue in her eyes a bit more.

This was her standard work look and she could practically do it in her sleep. But that was where her normal routine stopped. She glanced at the clock. It was ten a.m., way past when she normally arrived at the office on a Monday.

But today wasn’t just any Monday. There was no perfectly coordinated outfit and heels just high enough to make her legs look longer but short enough to not kill her. Instead, she pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, some brown boots that stopped just below the knee and a fitted t-shirt with a gray and orange floral pattern.

She topped off the look with her brown leather jacket that stopped right where her jeans began and the black coffee that she couldn’t leave the house without, even if she had the chance to sleep in.

Satisfied with the overall look, she left the apartment and headed down the one flight of stairs and onto the New York streets. As she crossed to the subway entrance only a block away from her apartment, she checked her phone. More missed calls from Luke and a bunch more from what was apparently Easson’s new number.

After Saturday morning, she’d given up on even checking her messages. They were all either Luke or Easson.

Her stomach turned as she thought of her now ex. According to the news that had been all over the television during the weekend, he’d escaped police custody and was on the run. She was perfectly happy pretending that nothing had ever happened between her and the man now wanted for attempted murder. He insisted he wanted to talk to her, but she didn’t want to hear what he had to say. There was nothing he could tell her that would make her forgive him, and, to be completely honest, she was terrified to be alone with him after everything she’d heard on the news.

As she descended into the subway boarding platform, she forced herself to clear her mind of the troubling thoughts and focused on the people around her. People watching was her favorite part of being in such a big city. The knowledge that she was surrounded by people but completely anonymous was rather nice.

After the twenty-minute trip, she was let out at the stop right outside of the DevX Tech building. Her nerves started to beat at her as she got closer. No. She was handing in her resignation to Luke today and she wasn’t leaving until that was done. There was no wimping out now. Just walk in, list out her demands and leave. That was it.

She tried to think of calming thoughts to ease her nerves, and suddenly she was flooded with images of the stranger from Walter Farrell’s party. His smile, the feel of his lips against hers, against her neck, his hands wandering over her.

Cali rubbed at her forehead. Damn. Maybe she should’ve taken the man up on his offer to go back to his room. She probably could’ve used a pleasant distraction to get her through the weekend. And, although she knew almost nothing about this guy, she had a feeling pleasant was an understatement for how he could make her feel.

No. No daydreaming for her at the moment. She had to take care of business first. And her business was making sure Luke and Michael knew where she stood after the weekend’s events.

She nodded a hello to the man at the security station and headed to the elevator. The familiar ride seemed to take ten times longer than normal as the floors whizzed by. Once the doors opened, her heart practically leaped into her throat.

She could do this. She would do this. One step to take control of her life. To take the reins back from the Devereaux brothers. She passed her empty reception desk and went straight to Luke’s office. Sure, she worked for Michael and Luke, but Luke was the one she spent most of her time with.

And Luke wasn’t alone in his office. Why would he be? That would make things easy, and nothing was ever easy.

Instead Evelyn, the fake intern who was actually an FBI agent, leaned against the table in the back corner of his office while Michael and Lori sat on the couch.

Luke stood as soon as he saw her. He looked good considering the weekend he’d had. His dark hair was slicked back and his face was clean shaven, so his great bone structure was free for the world to see and admire. But he seemed to have come out of the whole ordeal with Easson unscathed. Evelyn, however, didn’t seem as lucky. Though her long, dark curls were loose and down, she was hunched forward the slightest bit. The news said that Easson had assaulted an FBI agent. Now her suspicions about who that agent was were confirmed.

A cold feeling sunk into her knowing that this man she’d trusted...that she’d been alone with countless times…had been capable of doing that to someone.

Cali looked away from Evelyn and focused back to Luke. Before she could say anything, he spoke. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been calling you all weekend.”

“Luke didn’t know anything,” promised Evelyn right away. “I only just learned who Easson was and we were going to take him in for questioning as soon as my superiors got a team together to do it. I swear I wouldn’t have waited longer if I thought you were in immediate danger.”

Michael stood and approached. “Cali, you have to know that you’re like family. We would never put you in danger.” Michael looked much like his brother. His hair was a bit longer than his brother’s, and Michael’s suits tended to be a tad more casual. Luke was the face of the company, so Michael tended to get too caught up in his work to pay attention to the little things.

But he and his brother had always treated her like family. Which was part of the reason this was so hard for her. “I believe you,” she said softly. And she did. There was no way they would purposefully put her in danger. But they did put her in a questionable position. And even though they treated her like family, she wasn’t. And if it came between her and taking out threats to the Devereauxs, she knew she’d draw the short straw. “But I think it’s well past time for me to move on.”

Lori looked between the brothers and Evelyn, obviously uncomfortable with the whole scenario. And Cali wasn’t too happy about having Michael’s girlfriend in the room either. Just then, all eyes turned to the doorway and Cali turned to see Emma Devereaux and a tall, muscular man who looked like a linebacker.

“Did I interrupt something?” she asked as she realized the whole family was meeting together.

The man behind Emma pointed at Cali. “This is the girl making out in the video?”

Cali felt the blood drain from her face. “Um...”

But before she could think of a coherent sentence, Luke rushed out from behind his desk and set a hand on her arm, leading her out of the room, past Emma and the strange man and into the conference room. “We need to talk.” He shut the door behind them.

It didn’t stay closed for long. A second later, Michael pulled it open and everyone from Luke’s office came in after them.

“This involves all of us.” Emma and the man she was with stood on the other side of the conference table. The man held her hand in his and Cali figured it was probably Jace, the man Emma was seeing and Luke couldn’t stand. For some reason, Luke didn’t seem that annoyed with their relationship at the moment. He was much more focused on Cali, and that didn’t make her feel good.

“What involves all of you? Me quitting? This was a long time coming, Luke.”

“You’re not quitting,” he bit out. “But that’s not what this is about.”

“It’s about the guy you were with after Farrell’s party.” Michael stood right next to Luke in front of her.

Cali felt the blood rush to her face. This wasn’t happening... “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I have surveillance video from the night,” said Evelyn softly. “We saw what happened.”

No, no, no, no.
“It was just something that happened, okay? I didn’t even know his name and it was over as soon as it started. You should know that if you saw the video.”

“We know who it was,” said Luke.

Michael stepped forward. “It was Rourke. I want to know what you were doing making out with our brother.”

Cali felt as though someone had slapped her in the face. “What?” she breathed, barely able to form words.

Luke tightened his lips. “We saw it for ourselves. We would recognize Rourke anywhere. Do you know what he was doing there?”

“And how did you start talking to him?” asked Michael.

“Umm...I...” She thought back to the handsome man. His hair was a bit lighter than the brothers’ in front of her, but he had the same big build. The same striking features...

Oh no. How had she not seen it? She’d seen one or two pictures of the famed lost Devereaux brother, but she’d never paid that much attention to the attractive teenager. No reason to. Their family drama wasn’t any of her business. She liked to think she had a good memory for faces, but the man who’d talked to her, who kissed her, had a trim beard that would’ve made recognition much harder unless she was actively looking for it.

“I’m sorry, but what happened last night was an accident. I didn’t know who he was and I left before finding out why he was there.”

Evelyn stepped forward and set a hand on Cali’s arm. “We know. As intense as they’re being right now, they only want to know why their brother was in town. No one is blaming you for anything.”

Cali’s eyes widened as she looked at the people interrogating her. Blaming her? What would they blame her for? If anyone was going to be blaming anyone else, it should be her! “None of this matters,” she insisted. “Whether it was Rourke or not, that’s not what I’m here about. I wanted to give you notice that, effective immediately, I’m no longer working for DevX Tech. I appreciate all you’ve done for me but I think we can all agree that after the other night, some lines were crossed and it’s best that we end things now.”

Luke shook his head. “No. You can’t leave, Cali.”

“I can and I’m going to.”

“You belong here,” he insisted.

“You’re family to us, Cali. You know that,” added Michael.

She snorted. “Right. You two have a strange way of showing love. By keeping me in the same dead-end position for a decade and then using me to track down Easson.”

“They didn’t know you were being used,” said Evelyn.

Cali glared at her. “Not helping.”

“Just…take a few days,” said Luke. “Think this over and we can discuss it later in the week to see if you feel the same.”