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Testing The Boss (Billionaires In The City, #5) Page 6


  “Didn’t like him? Does that mean you like him now?”

  Evelyn tightened her lips and pulled out a phone from her bag. “Here’s a disposable phone for you to keep me updated on what you see.”

  “So you really like him?”

  Evelyn couldn’t tell whether Gail was just really bad at taking a hint or whether she didn’t care about the hint. “Just because I don’t want Luke to die doesn’t mean we’re best friends.” For the most part, she’d hardly seen him since that Wednesday in his office. She’d gone to Cali and asked whether she’d needed help with anything after lunch, like she’d promised, and had been busy the rest of the week helping Cali and catching up on her own Bureau work.

  Luke had popped in a few times to see whether she wanted to go out to lunch or dinner, platonically so he said, but Evelyn had nipped that in the bud. No matter what he thought happened that night in her apartment, there was nothing between them. That kiss had been a fluke. A bad judgment call that never should’ve happened. She was his handler and responsible for keeping him alive. He, more than anyone, should want her head clear and in the game.

  Not muddled with images of his bare, sweaty chest in his office.

  “I’m thinking tonight will be easy. You might not be able to go wherever they go. I expect there will be some private parties Brian will take Luke to. Those guys love to show off how exclusive they are. As long as his phone is on, we can get a read on his location. All you have to do is open up the mapping app that’s preloaded on the phone, and it will show you his location. I will be monitoring it from my apartment, so even if they go somewhere you can’t follow, we can at least know where they go.”

  “And Longineu got a good enough look at you that he would recognize you if you were following?”

  “Oh yeah.” Even though the encounter in her fake office was brief, it was more than enough to completely blow any chance of Evelyn tailing Luke herself. “Are you sure you’re free to do this?” Evelyn had gotten the okay from her boss, Hotchins, but Gail still had a large family who took up a lot of time. She’d agreed at the drop of a hat to help out, but that didn’t mean this was convenient for her. And it was overtime. Probably not the best way for a family woman like Gail to spend her nights.

  “Are you kidding? Roger has the boys for a night and I haven’t done reconnaissance for over a year. I’m more than happy to get back out there.”

  Evelyn snorted. She didn’t know how Gail could be so laid-back about this. Maybe not this mission in particular, but being an agent. An active agent still logging time in the field.

  The world was a dangerous, messed-up place and Gail had a family depending on her. Sure, Gail was a competent agent, but Evelyn liked to think she was a good agent too. It didn’t stop her from getting shot. Why would anyone with a family depending on them put themselves in this kind of career?

  That was probably why Evelyn was such a loner. It seemed too selfish to put her life on the line if someone was depending on her. She knew far too many coworkers who had tried to put down roots, only to have the job pull them apart.

  But there had been the odd success story, like Gail. Her husband, Roger, was gung ho about helping with the kids and the long hours. Evelyn assumed they had talked about the risks and both accepted them. A functioning, synergetic relationship.

  Evelyn liked the idea of settling down and having a family, but giving up her favorite parts of the job were almost unimaginable for her. And the possibility of finding someone like Roger who was okay with the risks she took every day seemed impossible at the moment.

  Gail bent down to enter a code into the safe in her closet. She pulled out her government-issued handgun and a loaded magazine, clicking it into the weapon before she tucked it into the holster hidden by her jacket. One more reminder of what Evelyn was asking her to do.

  “Hopefully this will be just as boring as a night in. A couple of guys talking numbers and business over drinks,” said Evelyn.

  “Speak for yourself,” muttered Gail. “As long as no one gets hurt, I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit of action.”

  Evelyn raised a brow. “You still know how to fire that gun?” She winked.

  “Hell yeah. I’m at the range every weekend.”

  “Hmmm. I didn’t think you’d have time to do that with the kids.”

  “Are you kidding? The oldest comes with me. Our house is probably the safest place on the East Coast.”

  “Note to self. Don’t piss off the Bruce family,” muttered Evelyn.

  Gail gave herself one more look in the mirror, adjusting the jacket so no hint of the gun or holster was visible. “Got that right.”

  Evelyn nodded, feeling much better than she had that morning about Luke meeting with Longineu. She hated the idea of him going alone, even if every logical part of her mind told her he’d be fine.

  She just couldn’t shake the unease of Longineu walking right into her fake office. Had it really been a misunderstanding? Evelyn didn’t believe in coincidences in normal situations, let alone in such a delicate operation that the FBI had been working years toward.

  Knowing Gail would be there as backup was just what Evelyn needed. “Okay. They’re scheduled to meet up at eight p.m., but I don’t think a location has been decided. So start heading in his direction around seven thirty?”

  Gail set a hand on her hip and glared at Evelyn. “This ain’t my first tail job. You head back to your place and make sure you’re getting a clear signal from the bug in his phone. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Evelyn gave Gail one more once-over. She wore a sharp, fake leather jacket, a sweater and tank top, so if she wanted to change up looks, all she had to do was remove a layer since the holster was under the sweater. Her brown hair could also go from ponytail to down in a heartbeat. The boots she paired with her jeans had a heel, but it was short enough that she could still walk for miles if needed.

  All in all, she looked as though she knew what she was doing. Which made Evelyn feel a hell of a lot better about the idea of letting Luke go off on his own with Longineu. “Okay then. I’m off. You know how to get a hold of me if you need to.”

  Gail nodded as they crossed out of the bedroom and through her empty apartment. “Go! I got this, okay?”

  “Okay! Okay! Going! I owe you,” she promised as she slipped out of the front door. Evelyn even managed to feel relatively confident about the entire thing right until she got back to her own apartment and saw Luke lounging against the door in her dingy hallway.

  She couldn’t help the scowl that covered her face. “What are you doing here?” she snapped.

  Luke raised a brow and cocked his head. “Nice to see you too, Agent Price.”

  She reached the door, but he didn’t move out of the way. “You’re supposed to be getting ready for your man date,” she reminded him.

  “And as excited as I am for this man date, I thought me and my handler should have a talk ahead of time.”

  “We don’t have anything to talk about. You know what you need to do. You’re charming enough in your own way to get it. And you also know that you’re not supposed to get shot while doing it. That’s really all the pertinent information.”

  Instead of being annoyed at her brush-off like she hoped, Luke smiled down at her. “You think I’m charming?”

  Evelyn brushed her hair aside to rub at the back of her neck. Lord help her, she did think he was charming. Especially when he looked like he did at the moment. Somehow she’d imagined a pair of billionaires going out on the town would be dressed like she was used to seeing him. In suits and ties.

  But Luke was dressed casually. A very nice casual. Every simple piece of clothing was fit perfectly and only seemed to accentuate his broad shoulders and muscular build. Like Gail, he wore a leather jacket, but his was probably real leather and stopped just at his waist. And his jeans were fit so well that she was sure if he turned around, she’d get a class-A view of his behind.

  “I think you’re something,” she
said under her breath. “Now would you please spend less time with the FBI and pretend you’re a perfectly innocent criminal.”

  “I know you don’t like me, but I don’t want you sending me off into illicit meetings without so much as a ‘good luck,’” he snapped. His smile faded for the first time since she’d gotten there.

  “I like you,” she said weakly.

  “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Evelyn. I’m fine being on your shit list, but I don’t want your handling of this investigation to be muddled because of your personal dislike of me.”

  Evelyn clenched her jaw and glared up at him, half pissed at the idea that he’d question her judgment and half guilty because she did go out of her way to avoid him more times than she was proud of. “You want to take this inside?” She glanced between him and the door he was blocking and he finally moved out of the way.

  She slid the key in the deadbolt lock and could feel Luke’s heat from behind her. Damn, the man felt like a furnace. After finally managing to get the locks open, she stumbled inside the apartment as Luke followed.

  “Ah, the gym with the bed. Just like I remember.”

  “I feel judgment,” she muttered as she set her purse on the small table and turned back to face him.

  The corners of his mouth ticked up as he approached. “I didn’t say they were bad memories. In fact, I—”

  “If you finish that sentence, I’m going to shoot you.” She was not going there. Especially not here, alone with him without Cali or Michael sitting around the corner to interrupt at any minute.

  Luke stopped a few feet away from her. “Fine. Then tell me why you don’t like me.”

  Evelyn groaned. “Damn it, Luke. You sound like you’re in an after-school special.”

  “An after-school special where you hate me for no reason. Now fess up, Evelyn.”

  She let out a breath and steeled herself. “I don’t trust people with the amounts of money that you have.”

  He appeared taken aback. “You don’t like me because I’m rich?”

  “Kind of...”

  “You like Michael,” he pointed out.

  “Michael is a likable guy!”

  “What the hell?”

  She sighed. Evelyn knew more than most just how ridiculous it was. But from the second she met Luke, she’d been completely on edge. “Michael was kind of backed into a corner. I ambushed him and offered to help with Emma. I never really felt like I had the upper hand with you.” He started to say something, but she cut him off. “And don’t act all high and mighty. You hate me just as much as I hate you.”

  “Hated,” he clarified. “Past tense. And how was I supposed to act when the hostility was radiating off you in waves?”

  “Please. I know exactly what was wrong. You hate not being in control.”

  He scoffed. “I’m not a control freak.”

  “What? You are the textbook definition of a control freak. Why else would Michael be VP of IT instead co-CEO?”

  He inched closer. “Michael has a master’s in computer technology and a list of certifications longer than my arm.”

  She tilted her head back to glare at him as he got closer. “He also doesn’t have the issues letting go that you do.”

  He pointed a finger at her. “I’m not the one wound up so tight that the second I touched you, you practically molested me on your bed.”

  Evelyn gasped. “You son of a bitch. It’s not like you were the master of restraint on Tuesday!”

  “That’s because I don’t find something I want and then immediately ban myself from having it.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “That means that the second you saw me, you wanted me, and from that moment, I was enemy number one to you. But I don’t keep myself from things I crave. I make sure I get what I want.”

  Luke stood much too close to her to continue this conversation. She pushed away from the table to go around, but his hand shot out to grab her arm. She flinched at the suddenness of the contact but didn’t pull away. “You’d better remove that hand before I remove it for you,” she warned.

  He leaned in close and whispered into her ear, “Is that your way of saying you don’t want me to?”

  She turned to meet his gaze. “That’s my way of telling you to get the fuck out of my apartment.”

  He didn’t budge. “Tell me you don’t want me and I’ll leave you alone.”

  “That’s what this is about? Your ego decided it needed a boost?”

  “I admitted I want you. I’m fine with stroking your ego,” he murmured. “And any other part of your body that feels neglected.” He released his grip on her arm and ran his hand down her forearm until it rested against the back of her hand. Not holding it. Just touching.

  Her breath caught at the skin-to-skin contact as she tried to keep her face expressionless. “There’s no part of me that wants to be stroked by you.”

  Luke leaned in and brushed his lips against the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck. Evelyn’s already pounding heart beat a frantic rhythm in her chest. Okay, maybe she was lying a little bit. But she had reasons! She pulled her neck away from him and caught his gaze again. “So what? You want to go on my bed right now and screw?”

  “Well...”

  “Because you’re going to meet one of the few people who can testify and bring down an entire ring of white-collar criminals who have stolen thousands of innocent employees’ pensions. So I’d rather get ready for that instead of indulging in whatever fleeting attraction I’m feeling for you.”

  His lips tightened, and she could practically see the wheels turning in his mind. “So if I get Brian to say something incriminating tonight, will you feel like celebrating?”

  “Are you blackmailing me?”

  “Oh no. I’ll be trying to get Longineu to say something to trip him up no matter what. But once I get him, once we get the Thirteen Stars, you won’t be my handler anymore. And after that, I won’t be your asset. So if we both get what we want, would you be open to celebrating with me?”

  She opened her mouth to tell him exactly why that was a terrible idea, but for some reason she couldn’t think of one reason. Damn it, he was right. She did want him, and once they weren’t working together anymore, why not? It had been over a year since she’d been with any man, and she might as well break the streak with Luke Devereaux, who was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.

  “I wouldn’t mind sharing a glass of wine or two once some arrests have been made,” she said carefully.

  He smiled in victory. “I knew you were reasonable.”

  Before she could give a quick comeback, Luke leaned forward and kissed her. It was quick, fierce, possessive, and over much before Evelyn wanted it to be.

  He pulled away and took a step back. “I should get going. You can still hear everything I’m doing?”

  Evelyn blinked a few times, trying to clear her cluttered mind. “Um, yeah. As of this morning I could. I’ll have to set up my laptop and make sure it’s still transmitting. Should only take me a few minutes. I’ll shoot you an all clear text message once I’m set up. Are you okay? Still feeling good? Secure? If you want to call this off, now is the time.”

  “I’m going,” he insisted. “I’m going to get Brian plastered, he’s going to spill all his secrets, you’ll arrest him, and then I’m going to fuck you hard and you’re going to love every minute of it.”

  Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat as she tried to remember how to form words. “As long as you have a plan,” she finally murmured.

  He leaned in and gave her one more quick kiss. “I’ll be seeing you,” he promised before he turned and left.

  Evelyn reached behind her, fumbling until she grabbed hold of the back of a chair and pulled it out for her to fall into. Good grief. Was she really going to sleep with Luke Devereaux?

  Well, if he got her Brian Longineu, she was.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Follow me.” Longineu led the way de
eper into the back of the gentleman’s club.

  These types of clubs weren’t Luke’s favorite, but he was more than familiar with them. Something about the entire experience felt off. The women, who were half naked, flirted with him as though they actually meant it. Some of them were good enough actresses that he could almost forget that making him happy was their job.

  But every once in a while, one of the girls would have the dazed, spaced-out expression only brought on by some sort of heavy drug, and he was reminded it was all an act. Some guys seemed to get off on the power rush, and some of those guys who got off on the power rush happened to have very lucrative contracts with DevX Tech, so he was more than happy to show some of the clientele the rounds if needed.

  And apparently Brian was also a fan of the clubs. This one was more exclusive. Kind of like a sleazy country club. This was its opening week, but from what Luke understood, they charged a massive membership fee up front and from then on, free drinks and eye candy abounded. More services from the girls were always a bit extra...

  “Here’s my booth.” Longineu ducked into a table in the back corner. They’d gone through a maze of rooms, and Luke was pretty sure he could find his way out if he needed to, but it wasn’t a straight shot to the door.

  Luke slid in across from Longineu. The booth was in a scallop shape, so there was room for plenty more, but he kept his distance. Within a second of him settling in, a girl in tall, spiky heels, barely there shorts and a sparkly, bejeweled bra came over to pour some top shelf whiskey into a glass for Longineu before she glanced over to Luke. “Can I get you anything, sir?”

  Luke gave her his favorite brand of Scotch, and she nodded and winked at him. “Coming right up.” She smiled before she twisted around and strutted away, probably putting more sway to her hips than was natural.

  “I thought this was a new opening.” Luke motioned to Brian’s glass that had been filled without any instruction needed.

  “A friend of mine is the owner. They appreciate my patronage. They should have a good selection of cigars if you want to browse.”