Tempting The Boss (5 page)

Dean wasn’t surprised in the slightest. “He’s going to stand out like a sore thumb. Have you ever had a bodyguard before?””

She ran the pen through her fingers again. “Fortunately I’ve never had the need.”

“Well, I can promise you that almost any reporter will know that Gordon is former military. And I do know that your photograph is a constant in the local papers, so it’s going to be noticed that former military is tailing you everywhere.””

For the first time since he’d arrived at the Green & Sons corporate offices, Victoria showed emotion. And not just any. She was pissed.

“So now I have to decide between keeping up appearances and not being assassinated?” she bit out.

“Can’t you just keep Gordon investigating, but get a bodyguard who will blend in better?”
It couldn’’t be too hard to find. Wasn’t half the job to blend in?

“I could. But I know Gordon. I trust him. Even if I get a recommendation for someone new, I’m going to North Carolina on Thursday to visit a plant we might be purchasing. I can’t interview someone and get them cleared by then.” She bit her lip before she covered her mouth with her fingers. “I’m sorry. You don’’t have to hear all this. How about ten thousand dollars? You and Katy can go on a nice, relaxing vacation on me.” She pushed herself up. “Thanks for coming all the way down here for such a short conversation. I’’ll have the check prepared right now.”

“Hold on.” Dean slid around the table to cut off Victoria before she could reach the door. “So what are you going to do if you can’’t find a replacement before your trip?”

Her eyes looked to the floor for a brief second before they moved back up to his. “Sometimes you have to prioritize, and my priorities are clear.”

“And where does your own personal safety fall on that list? Your own brother is trying to kill you!”

Her hand shot out and wrapped around his bicep. “Keep your voice down!” she whispered.

He looked down to where her small fingers rested against his arm. Her grip relaxed briefly before she jerked away.

“There’s no proof it’s Terry. We might’ve had massive,
massive
disagreements in the past, but he’s still my brother.”

It took all of Dean’s concentration to not glance down to where she’d touched him. Even through his flannel button-up, his skin was warm from her touch.

“And my safety is high in my priority list, trust me. It’s just not number one. Do you know how many people almost lost their jobs when Terry was in charge of Green & Sons?” Before he could answer, she continued. “Thousands. This isn’t about me keeping my job or making money. I had enough in my trust fund to keep me very comfortable for the rest of my life. This is for family legacy. I was trusted to keep Green’’s going strong, and I’m not letting anyone, even family, destroy it.”

“What family legacy will you be protecting if you die?”

She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t be dramatic. I probably won’t die.”

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “You’re the most infuriating woman I’ve ever talked to…”

She raised a brow, and he had the distinct impression it wasn’t the first time she’d heard that. “Well, that’s the way it is, Dean. Unless you have a magical solution, I’ll just be extra careful for the next few days until Gordon can find me someone.”

Silence stretched between them, and Dean ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think of anything to tell her. Some way to fix this. But it wasn’t his problem. This was her drama. Her circus. All he had to do was take the ten grand and leave. He’d never have to think of all this again.

“What about me?” He didn’t even know where the words came from, but he couldn’t take them back.

“Huh?”

“I go on your trip with you. Watch your back, have 911 on speed dial. Next week you can have someone much more qualified start, but for now, I can be there. I already kicked one guy’s ass.”

She shifted her weight, and Dean glanced down to her gorgeous legs once more.
Damn it.
He was not offering because she was hot. He was offering because she needed help and he could give it.

And the fact that she was giving him ten thousand dollars didn’t hurt.

“What do you want in return?” she asked skeptically.

“You’re already giving me a hell of a lot more than I expected. So the ten grand plus the fee you’d pay Gordon?”
Should he ask for more?
He didn’t want to take advantage of a woman in a bad situation, but Victoria Green was hardly about to go broke because of him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She took a step back.

He held up his hands and backed away too. If she wanted to put her life at risk, it wasn’t his responsibility to shake some sense into her. “Sorry I mentioned it, okay. Either way, I can promise you that what happened last weekend will stay between us.””

She eyed him warily and he tried to decipher what she might be thinking. She was probably debating how likely he was to be lying his ass off to her. It would be easy enough to cash her check and still go running to the nearest news outlet with dirt on one of the hottest socialites in town.

“Hold on a minute.” She pulled her phone off the clip that hooked onto her skirt. He hadn’t noticed it before. Every time he’’d looked at her skirt before, his eyes had focused on…other things. But he figured in something that form-fitting, there wouldn’t be pockets deep enough for a phone.

“Gordon? No, you don’t need to come back. I had something I wanted to run by you.”

Holy shit, she was taking his suggestion into consideration.

“Mr. Carey has offered to join me on the trip to North Carolina. This would give you time to look into who attacked me instead of playing bodyguard. Yes, I’m aware he isn’t qualified, but if I don’t want the press to know what’s happening, I can’t have a military guy following me around for however long it will take to clear this up. If nothing else, you have a life outside of work. We need to arrange interviews for additional men. I’d like to have at least ten interviews scheduled for the Saturday I’d get back. While I’m gone, I expect you to send me their resumes and a write-up of what you know about them, as well as your own personal recommendations.”

Dean raised a brow.
So that was how one of the richest women in the city got things done.
He had to admit, it was sexier than he expected it to be. Sure, Grace would boss him around all the time, but Victoria had a certain authority when she spoke. Grace always smiled and spoke in soothing, gentle tones because it wasn’t nice to scream at contractors in front of clients.

Victoria wasn’t screwing around. “Thanks, Gordon. I’m going to iron out the details with Mr. Carey and I’ll fill you in.” She hung up the phone and looked back to Dean. “Let’s talk details.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Victoria eyed the street warily from the backseat of the town car. The small houses were pressed so close together, there was only a narrow strip of grass between each. And not every home appeared to be occupied. A few had overgrown yards and broken windows.

She’d known Dean wasn’t exactly one of New York’s elite, but it was still a culture shock whenever she came to these types of neighborhoods. She swallowed a quick wave of shame. It hadn’t always bothered her. In school, she’d been involved in numerous community outreach programs and would regularly come to the harder hit areas to offer what help she could to various shelters and kitchens. It didn’t shock her then. She’d been happy to see the familiar faces and know she was making a difference.

But that was years ago. Ever since she’d taken the reins from Terry, all of her time had gone to making Green’s profitable again. And now she was one of those rich people who stared out of their car windows at a neighborhood in shambles.

The driver pulled the car to a stop and turned around to face Victoria. “I’ll get Mr. Carey, ma’am.”

“No,” she said. “I’ll go.”” As her sneaker-clad feet hit the crumbling sidewalk, she was grateful her gray pumps were in her carry-on bag still. She wasn’t a fan of traveling through the airport in uncomfortable shoes, so sneakers were a staple of her traveling gear.

Dean’s home definitely had its charm. It was the same red brick as the rest of the street, but the yard was exceptionally neat, with full bushes that were trimmed to stop right beneath the curtained front windows framed by white shutters.

She made her way up to the newish looking front door and raised her hand to knock, but never had a chance.

A blonde girl opened the door, wide smile on her face. “Victoria Green?” she asked.

Victoria blinked a few times, not expecting so much cheer this early in the morning. “Yes, I’m Victoria. Katy, right?”

The girl’s pale skin immediately turned bright red. “I can’t believe Victoria Green knows my name!” she gushed.

Victoria pushed down her own desire to blush. She hadn’t quite gotten used to her fame. She’d never requested it, and none of the male CEOs of Green’s had ever garnered this much attention. Something about her takeover must’ve struck a chord in the media, because there always seemed to be one or two photographers around who would pop up out of the blue at the most inconvenient times.

So what was she supposed to say to someone who admired her without knowing anything about her? “Dean says that you’re a great kid.” Victoria winced. This was a beautiful sixteen-year-old. Not a kid.

But Katy didn’t seem fazed. Instead, she rolled her eyes. “He’s a bragger.”

Victoria frowned. She’d never gotten the impression that Dean had been bragging about anything, but she didn’t correct Katy’s thoughts about her brother. ““Where is Dean? We have a flight to catch.” She shifted to glance over Katy’s shoulder.

“He should be down soon,” assured Katy.

Like the outside, the inside of the home was small. All Victoria could see was a narrow hallway that led to the kitchen and the stairs to the second story. Though tiny, the inside was well done. Everything was clean and updated. Not exactly what she expected from a bachelor’s home, little sister or not.

One thing in particular stood out. “That’s not his suitcase, is it?” She pointed to the bright pink suitcase with white polka dots.

Katy snorted. “No! That’s mine. I’m staying at a friend’s house while Dean’s gone.”

Victoria grinned at the idea of Dean strolling through the airport with the bright pink bag rolling behind him. As amusing as the image was, she had a feeling it wouldn’t bother him. He was the most masculine man she’d ever met, and a feminine bag probably wouldn’’t faze him in the slightest.

Creaking noises came from upstairs, and Victoria looked up as Dean headed down. Her breath caught in her throat in the annoying way it always seemed to do when she saw him. But she couldn’t help it. The man was beautiful. His shoulders were so wide, he practically filled the entire staircase.

She cleared her throat as she stepped back, already anticipating how much room he’d need to fit out of the doorway. “Good morning,” she said, but his attention was fully on Katy.

“I have Mrs. Beckett’s phone number, and I will be calling her tonight to make sure you’re there.”

Katy’s face immediately fell as she blushed red again. “I got it,” she murmured.

“There’s extra food for Rigby in the laundry room and the emergency vet number is on the fridge.”

“I’ve done this before, okay? Now just go before you’re late.” She turned and disappeared behind a corner in the house.

He sighed and squeezed out of the door, maneuvering his duffel bag to fit better. “Morning, Victoria,” he said in a less than pleased voice.

She decided not to comment on his sister and followed him to the car. The driver already had the trunk open and was waiting for Dean’s luggage. Dean hesitated a second before he handed over the worn bag and then got into the backseat as the driver arranged the luggage.

Victoria stood on the sidewalk for a brief second.
This wasn’t a good idea.
She was going to be stuck with Dean for days. What would they even talk about? In her mind, she’d imagined doing work or reading articles on the plane, without giving much thought to making conversation with the man. But now that he was there, sitting in the car and waiting for her, it all seemed too much.

She shook her head at her own hesitation. Good grief, she’d spent time with people she didn’t know before. “You’re being ridiculous,” she muttered to herself as the driver opened the door for her.

“Thank you, Ron.” She slid in. The car was roomy, but it wasn’t exactly a stretch limo.

She leaned against the door, trying to give him as much space as possible, but even then she could feel the heat of his body fill the backseat. The driver took off and the silence that filled the car got to her. “So you don’t have a roller bag?”” She winced at the strange question, but couldn’t think of any other safe topics besides the weather, which seemed much too cliché.

He shrugged. “I don’t travel much.”

More silence. She stared out the window, watching as they left Dean’s neighborhood and merged onto the freeway. “Who is Rigby?”

He looked over to her. “Rigby is my dog. Well, he started as my dog. I think he’s mostly Katy’s dog at this point. She spends more time with him than me.””