Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
“But your job would be far easier with me.” His eyes narrowed. “Unless there’s a reason you specifically want JT on this. Are you looking to spend more time with him?”
“I think he’s the best man for the job.” She wasn’t about to let Michael put her in a corner. “I think I can handle him. Now that I know what will worry him, I’ll manage him better. I appreciate that information. If you’re questioning whether or not I’ll let some attraction to your brother mess with this op…”
He shook his head. “No. I know you wouldn’t do that. Again, I trust our bosses. But you like him. You like JT.”
She was about to protest that liking JT Malone didn’t matter when a feminine voice broke her concentration.
“I would hope she likes JT if she’s planning on marrying him.” Deanna stood right behind Michael, eyeing them both like she wasn’t sure what she’d walked up on.
Well, it proved that she wasn’t entirely on her game since normally she would never break cover unless she was completely alone. “Michael was making fun of his brother. He seems to do that a lot.”
Michael shrugged and smiled smoothly. “It’s been my hobby since we were kids. I can’t help it. I’m the pretty one and the smart one.”
Nice deflection. He knew what he was doing. “I hardly think you’re prettier than him.”
“He’s definitely not smarter since he walked away from a billion-dollar empire for the military.” Deanna had a glass of red wine in her hand. “And honestly, I can’t tell the difference between the two of them until they open their mouths, and then Michael sounds like he’s a paranoid nut bag.”
Michael frowned her way. “Really?”
“Duh, you’re always going on about spies and stuff. No one is trying to steal our oil rigs. They’re kind of too big to steal,” Deanna said. “But you get JT all riled up and then I have to calm him down.”
Michael sighed, obviously unwilling to start this fight. “I think I’ll go check on my dad. Thank you, Nina. You’ve given me a lot to think about. I think you’re going to be very good for my brother.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, or if he was merely playing his part. She only hoped she’d gotten through to the man. “Hello, Deanna. I would have thought you would take the day off since you’ve been around so very often.”
“Expect to see me a lot,” Deanna replied, a smug smirk on her face. “I’m not some nine to fiver. I’m on a path and I’m not about to let anyone push me off that path, if you know what I mean, Ms. Banks from London. You’ve never been married. That’s surprising, given your age.”
She laughed. The queen bee shite didn’t get to her at all. “I’m in my thirties and I’ve had a career. You’re what? Thirty-three at the very least.”
“Yes, but I’ve been married before,” she replied.
“And now you’re divorced.”
Deanna tipped her glass. “Happily. You’re older than JT.”
“Slightly. Or are you one of those people who view women in dog years? Like we’re only interesting when we’re twenty, and every year after that is accelerated rot? Like I said, you’re not that far behind me, darling.”
“No, I’m not far behind you at all, Nina Banks. You should remember that. If you try to force me out, think about the fact that he can’t get through a day without me. You might amuse him in dressing rooms, but you can’t do what I do. I know you’ve worked for some communications company in Europe, but this is America and this is the oil business. You stay in your lane and I’ll stay in mine.” She turned and strode away.
Nina really hoped it was Deanna. It would be fun to shoot her at the end of all of this.
“Don’t pay any attention to her.” One of the men she’d met that first morning in JT’s suite approached her, two glasses of wine in his hands. He was dressed in a suit, his hair mussed in that way that was supposed to look casual but actually took quite a bit of work. He offered her one of the glasses. “She’s been angling for JT’s attention since he hired her. If you ask me, she got divorced so she would be available for him. Poor thing.”
Jordy Burton. She took the glass, though she wouldn’t drink a sip of it. “I’m not worried about her, Mr.…?”
Nina Blunt, badass operative, knew everything about this man. Badass operative knew that he’d served on the board of Malone Oil for five years, ever since his father had retired and transferred all that stock to his only son. She knew that Jordy Burton spent the majority of his time mountain climbing or surfing or white-water rafting. He was an adrenaline junkie.