Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Have you forgotten what you owe me?”
I sighed. “No.”
“There might be someone else who could handle him, but they wouldn’t do it as well as you would. This man is a challenge.”
“So in other words, I’m going to hate him.”
“It’ll be good for you.”
“No, it won’t.” It was going to piss me off, but I was going to do it. I’d do almost anything for Xavier or his sister.
“This is serious. I need you to watch his back. I need you to be ready for anything. We may need both our sets of resources to resolve this situation.”
“I need more information.”
“It’s already in your inbox. Look it over and call me if you have more questions.”
“Why not just tell the man his enemies are after him?”
“Because the damn fool would charge in after them, convinced it was solely his responsibility to take them down, certain he could do it alone.”
“Could he?”
“Maybe if luck was with him and the number of reinforcements his enemy’s organization can spare is low, but I’m not taking chances.”
“So in other words, he’s as stubborn as you and me.”
Xavier growled.
“I’ll take that as a yes. This is going to be a real fucking picnic.”
“He needs help with this, and I’m going to see that he has it.”
“You’re fond of this man. It sounds like he’s more than a regular employee. Is there more here than you’re letting on?”
“Not like you’re implying. You know Emilio is it for me.”
I rolled my eyes. Xavier had gone and fallen in love. He seemed extremely happy, but coupled life wasn’t for me. It was messy and difficult to calculate. I liked things orderly. I enjoyed a few nights—or occasionally, a few months with someone—then we parted ways.
Though every once in a while…
I banished that thought from my mind.
“When and where?”
“He’ll be at the Swinburne Hotel in two hours. There’s a suite reserved for you and guards who will meet you there. Be checked in before he arrives.”
“So I’m supposed to rearrange my entire schedule for—”
“You know you have staff to do that. Don’t act like you make your own schedule.”
I scowled at the phone. “Work isn’t all you’re interrupting.”
“When it’s over and done with, hire a man or a woman for a weekend and put it on my bill.”
I huffed. “Like I’d need to pay for it.”
“You like it uncomplicated. That’s as uncomplicated as it gets.”
I sniffed. Something wasn’t quite right here. It was as if Xavier was trying to distract me. “Who is this man?”
“You know him as Fox.”
“No. Absolutely not. Find someone else. You remember what it was like the one time we worked together, don’t you?”
“You were more stuck up than usual, and he was more of an ass than I’ve ever seen him be.”
“And you think it will be different this time?”
“I don’t care. All I care about is keeping Fox safe. He’s a valuable asset and a friend.”
I couldn’t argue with his value. He was obnoxious but damn good at what he did. That didn’t mean I wanted the job. “There are plenty of other—”
“You will do this. I’m telling you, not asking.”
Xavier was the only man I’d let talk to me like that. I owed him my life, but I also remembered when he was a little kid trying so hard to prove himself as his father set unattainable standards. He’d done a fantastic job. It was no wonder he spoke like he expected his orders to be obeyed instantly. He was used to commanding his empire, but so was I. “I’m not in the business of taking orders.”
“Dammit, Darren. You’re the best man for this.”
“And I owe you my life, so I’ll do it. I won’t like it—you know what I think of that man—and I sure as hell won’t like rearranging everything I already had planned.”
Xavier laughed. “He’s not so bad once you get to know him, and you’ll get over the change of plan.”
“Not easily.”
“You’ve always been far too uptight.”
“I like things done on time and to my specifications. That’s not uptight. That’s good business.”
He was still laughing when I ended the call.
I stared longingly at my bed companion’s curves, which were outlined beneath the sheet that stopped at her waist. I wanted to cup her full breasts again, kiss her, spread her legs, and enjoy one more ride, but Xavier was truly worried about this situation, and that was unusual. Fox had obviously gotten himself involved in something ugly.
I packed my things, showered, and dressed quickly. My companion never stirred. She’d had enough champagne the night before to keep her sleeping for a while. I left a bottle of water on her bedside table and made arrangements for room service to be delivered in a few hours. Then I quietly closed the door and walked downstairs, knowing my driver would already be parked out front. Xavier only hired extremely efficient staff.