Revenge for Hire (The Get Even Agency) (5 page)

The girl shook her head, dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. “It’s
all my fault.”

This wasn’t any of her business. She shouldn’t ask. Then again,
the knowledge might come in handy for TGEA business.

“What’s your fault?”

Sniffling, the girl waved a perfectly manicured hand in the air.
“Why Jude won’t see me.”

“He’s busy. That’s all.”

The woman shot her a wry look.

“Why won’t Mr. Layman see you?”

The girl inhaled sharply and Avery worried she was going to
burst into full-fledged boo-
hoo
tears. “Because I
love him.”

She loved him?

The all out boo-
hoo
fest started. “I
shouldn’t have told him. I shouldn’t have made such a big deal of it, but I
couldn’t help myself. He’s just so bloody lovely and,” the girl dabbed more,
“and I just love him so much.”

“Mr. Layman doesn’t feel the same?”

The girl laughed. Avery couldn’t think of her as a woman. She
was too young and too emotional to have woman status.

“Jude doesn’t love. He got what he wanted then he moved on. Just
like he always does.” She plucked a fresh tissue from the box on Mrs.
Sedwick’s
desk and blew. “When I heard he’d broken things
off with Celia, I thought perhaps he’d reconsidered…” yet another glance toward
the closed door, “but I suppose not.”

“Who’s Celia?” She hated that she asked.

“His latest girlfriend. She replaced the twins.”

The twins. Just how many women did the man need to stroke his
ego? And other things?

Avery clenched her fingers. How could she have forgotten Jude
was a total user? A screwball who screwed women every chance he got and in
every way he could? Because she’d gotten sucked in by his charm and those
magnificent eyes. Sucked in by a daisy he’d stolen. No more or she’d mess up
this mark and be the one crying her heart out over the woes of Jude Layman.

“He dated two women at the same time?”

The girl nodded. “He was dating them while he was dating me. Near
the end, I think.”

The bastard. Someone should Bobbitt him.

“Tell me more.”

* * *

Mrs. Yamaguchi refused to take Jude’s calls. You’d think the
monstrous-sized bouquet he’d had the street vendor deliver to her this morning
along with a hand-written apology would have appeased the goddess of sex toys
and herbal products. Apparently not.

He signed his name to the bottom of a requisition order and to
two other documents. Most things would wait until Mrs.
Sedwick
returned, but to have only been on the job two days, Angela was doing a great
job sorting through the things that needed his urgent attention.

He liked that about her. She had a quick wit and an
intelligence that rivaled his own.

She’d gotten rid of Sara Brown. Just thinking about the clingy
woman was enough to make him break out in hives. He’d slept with her a total of
one time. A mistake to be for sure, but he was a man and made such mistakes
from time to time. Sex with Sara had been a doozey. She’d cried afterwards and
proclaimed undying love and wishes to bear his children.

She was twenty-two years old for crying out loud. Surely, she
didn’t believe he’d want that just because they’d had sex together? She hadn’t
been a virgin, not by far. She’d had the sexual experience to match the image
of a Miss January centerfold.

He’d been honest from the beginning, but she hadn’t taken a
hint. Not even when he’d spelled it out point blank.

Jude didn’t do clingy. Nor did he do women who said they wanted
to give him babies after a quickie at a party.

He hated that she’d gotten hurt, but hell if he’d do anything
more to encourage her. Yeah, he was particularly grateful that Angela had
gotten rid of drama queen Sara. He didn’t want to deal with the
waterworks-on-demand today.

Dealing with Angela was another story altogether, and the
thought of her clinging didn’t upset the way the thought should have.

Remembering how her lips parted and her green eyes turned hazy
made him smile. She could hide behind that prim-and-proper exterior all she
wanted, but she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her.

There was a tiger inside her clawing to escape the cage she hid
within. Jude longed to be the man to set that tiger free. To be the one to
experience her wildness unleashed.

Only, how far could he go when Angela was involved without
breaking his vow?

Probably a silly thing most men would ignore and go for the
gold, rather than stick by a vow they’d made to their self. After all, a woman
like her didn’t come along every day. But a vow made by Jude Layman meant
something. His word meant something. If his parents taught him nothing else,
they’d drilled honesty and pride into him.

He never knowingly lied. Never promised things he didn’t intend
to deliver. Jude wouldn’t break his vow.

But he might play dirty to achieve it.

He picked up the phone and started to hit the number for Mrs.
Sedwick
. Just in time, he recalled Angela would be the one
to pick up the phone. He didn’t want her handling this particular job. She
might ask questions he didn’t want to answer. Like why any sane man would vow
not to have sex until his best friend got laid.

Then again, perhaps his sanity hadn’t come into play during
that decision.

He called one of his editorial assistants, Harriet, a
long-timer he trusted to be discrete and who’d done odd jobs for him in the
past without question.

“Find Joy Long. Get me a number and an address and any social
routines/plans, etc. you can discover. ASAP.”

When he sat the phone down, he felt better.

He glanced at his watch. 11:29 AM. Close enough to lunch.

He closed his office door behind him. “Come on. We’re going to
lunch.”

Angela frowned. The prim-and-proper persona was back on full
force. “It isn’t lunch time.”

He rolled his eyes. He’d thought she’d warmed to him after he
stuck the daisy in her hair. Apparently he’d been wrong or she’d changed her
mind. “Yes, it is lunch time, because I’m starved. Let’s go.”

Her lips thinned into a tight line. She didn’t like things to
go other than as planned. Interesting. His angel was a control freak. Yet he
knew he hadn’t interpreted her facial expressions wrong earlier. She got off on
the thought of being bad, of possibly getting caught.

The mental image of her being bad while controlling him had him
shifting his weight, readjusting the crotch of his jeans before he passed out.

She slid her black bag onto her shoulder and stood.

“I really don’t like Chinese.” Although she didn’t say it out
loud, her body language screamed that she also really didn’t like him.

“You will after today.”

Jude wasn’t sure whether he meant the Chinese or him.

* * *

“This is delicious.” The paper thin pastry wrap melted in
Avery’s mouth. The blend of sweet and sour spices teased her taste buds,
tickled her fancy.

Avery hadn’t ever liked Chinese. Not that she’d tried much. There
hadn’t even been a Chinese restaurant in the small Kentucky town she’d grown up
in and now that she could dine anywhere she pleased, Chinese just never
appealed. Or it hadn’t before today. Definitely, she’d never had anything that
compared to this out-of-the-way shop tucked into the corner of a building. A
shop so small one would miss it if not looking.

The décor was typical of what she expected of a Chinese
restaurant. A big Buddha occupied one corner. A watercolor hung on one wall. Exotic
green plants sat at the ends of a silk screen. The middle of the restaurant
showcased a buffet table that offered up goodies straight from heaven.

She hadn’t intended to like the food. Hadn’t intended to enjoy
the man sitting across from her. Sara Brown’s sad story had reconfirmed all the
hurtful things Jude was capable of. The man used women with no regards to how
hurtful his actions were. He needed to pay. To pay in the worst possible way.

Jude grinned. He seemed determined to keep the conversation
light no matter how many times she snapped at him. “Is this the part where I
say I told you so?”

She feigned annoyance. Well, it wasn’t so much feigned. He did
annoy her. How could he callously break women’s hearts and shatter their
dreams?

He was a man, that’s how. She’d do well to remember that.

“No,” she said. “This is the part where we discuss whatever the
business from yesterday is that we need to catch up on.”

“Okay, Mom,” he teased.

Avery froze. “What did you call me?”

“Mom.” He took a bite. “Don’t look so serious. It’s just an
expression.” He shook his head. “You know, you really need to lighten up,
Angel.”

“Angel?” She wasn’t sure she liked that any better than mom. Well,
yeah, she preferred Jude to call her Angel over mom. That one was a no-brainer.

But perhaps it was much safer for him call her mom.

“Miss Greene?” He looked so adorable with the mischief on his
face that she struggled to hold on to her anger.
 

“That’s better,” she huffed, feeling more of her resolve melt
away at how his eyes lit when he smiled. At how his mouth slanted higher on one
side and he had a tiny scar below his left eye that she hadn’t noticed before. How
had he gotten it? Probably some woman conked him in the face for being such a
jerk.

Only she had a hard time hanging on to the thought of him being
a jerk when he turned on the charm.

Instead she felt light, giddy. Feminine and beautiful. The way he
looked at her made her feel all those things. Was this how he’d made Mandy Sims
feel? Like she was the only woman in the world? How he’d made a beauty like Sara
Brown fall in love with him? Because she’d wanted to bask in that glow forever?

Avery took another bite of the egg roll. “What’s in this stuff
anyway?”

“Mary Jane.”

“What?” She picked up her napkin and spit the bite into it. “You’ve
drugged me?”

Of course, she’d drugged him first, but that was different.
Sort
of
.

She spat again, trying to rid her mouth of every trace of the
food. No matter that she’d already swallowed half the thing.

“Calm down.” He threw his head back, laughing out loud. “I was
only teasing. You really are too uptight, Angel.”

Avery glared, wiping the corners of her mouth with a fresh
napkin. “Drugs are not something you should tease about.”

“No,” he sighed. “I was just trying to get a rise out of you,
but you’re right.”

“I am,” she agreed.

“You like being right, don’t you, Angel?”

She didn’t answer, just took another bite of food that no
longer melted on her tongue. Clumps stuck to the roof of her mouth like mud. How
dare the clout tease her about something like that? She ought to glue his dick
to his belly.

“Tell me,” his expression stayed serious, “if I asked you to
dinner, would you go?”

The utter gall. The unbelievable unmitigated gall.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Did he really have to ask? “I don’t like you.”

“You don’t?” He didn’t look convinced or worried.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t.”

“That’s a totally unacceptable answer. Give me a reason.”

She wished she could find some flaw in him, like a big piece of
cabbage stuck between his teeth to disgust her. Something. Anything. Because
trying to remain focused on what a jerk he was to women when he was pumping out
the charm in truckloads wasn’t easy. Then again, he had teased her about the
food’s ingredients.

“Fine.” She shot him a smug look. “You’re a womanizer and not
my type.”

He looked as if he were considering her answer. “What makes you
say that?”

She had to think about her answer. Not once during the past two
days had he done anything that gave the impression he was a womanizer. Not
directly. Of course, there weren’t too many women to be picked up while stuck
in the men’s room for hours on end and it had only been two days. Who knew who
he’d gotten to play nurse with him last night?

“You told me you were bad,” she reminded.

“You’d already made up your mind about me before you even met
me, hadn’t you?” he asked, surprising her with his quick intelligence.

“That’s ridiculous.” And true. He was a mark. One who’d hurt a
woman enough for her to seek out and hire TGEA.

“What did she say?”

“Who?” Avery’s voice shook.

He looked at her oddly. “Mrs.
Sedwick
.
Who did you think I meant?”

“No one.” She cursed herself for her stupidity. What was she
doing out to lunch with a mark? One she found attractive despite his cad of a
heart.