The Virgin: Revenge (4 page)

With my knees clutched to my chest and my hair damp and sweaty in my eyes, I sat there,

shaking, half sick.

The alarm continued to echo through my room,
Daughtry
’s HOME. But I couldn’t work

up the energy to get up and move.

Not yet.

Not yet.

The suit I chose to wear was another one in gray, this one a soft dove gray that almost

matched my eyes. My muscles felt relaxed, loose from the run but the dregs of the nightmare

still clung. The sound of the phone had me jumping and I almost spilled my coffee when I

reached for it.

“Get a grip,” I said, straightening the cup as I checked the phone. It was just after six.

Too early for ringing phones, unless it was a coffee fairy promising me that a latte with a double

shot of espresso was just outside the door. I was on my third cup of coffee and the cobwebs

were still muddling my thoughts.

“I’m sending a car around. Are you ready?”

I frowned. “I have the address. I can simply drive.”

“We have other business to attend to after. It’s simpler to have a car pick you up,” he

said. “Are you ready?”

I looked down at my bare feet. “I will be in a few moments. When can I expect the car?”

“Five minutes.”

Five minutes,
I mouthed, lowering the phone to stare at it for a moment. Was he trying to

catch me off-guard? “I’ll be ready.”

Without another cup of coffee, perhaps, but I could be ready.

A pair of heels a shade darker than my suit waited by my bed. I stepped into them,

checked my appearance.

Then I grabbed my purse, looked at my watch. Three minutes. If I hurried, I could

maybe grab a cup of coffee on the way out the door.

The hallway was quiet, just a few sleepy-eyed travelers coming out of their rooms,

rolling suitcases in tow, purses or briefcases in hand. A few carried suit bags. There were seven

of us waiting at the elevator bank and I shot another sidelong look at my watch as the doors slid

open. Two minutes. Normally, I wouldn’t be concerned about a minute here or there, but I had

the oddest feeling I was being tested here. That, coupled with the night I had, left me feeling on

edge.

I slid off the elevator with fifteen seconds remaining on my five-minute window. No

time for coffee. I strode out the door with just a brief nod at the woman who stood behind the

welcome desk, everything in me longing for more coffee. I needed that jolt like I needed air.

No time for breakfast, either. It didn’t matter that I’d been told this was a breakfast

meeting. I was an assistant. If personal experience was anything to go by, then I might be

lucky if I had a chance to grab a cup of coffee when the meeting was over. I could have done

just fine without food, but I was about ready to hurt somebody over the fact that I hadn’t had a

chance to have another cup of coffee.

The cool morning air closed around me and I breathed it in, let it soothe some of the

ragged edges away as I turned my head, looking for the car—there.

It was that one. I didn’t even have to wait for it to roll to a stop a few inches away from

the curb where I stood.

It was steel gray.

It seemed to be the color Gallagher preferred. I needed to update my wardrobe.

Anything but gray.

The driver’s door swung open but before he could climb out, the door nearest me

opened and I found myself looking in at the man himself. “It’s okay, Jake. We need to get

moving.”

I eyed him narrowly, kept the smooth expression on my face as I slid into the car. I was

glad I’d worn a skirt with a fuller cut. It made it easier to shift and situate without the potential for embarrassment. I fumbled a bit with my bag and the door, but managed to get the door to

close behind me as I settled on the seat next to him. A familiar scent, rich and intoxicating,

filled the air around me. Coffee. I might have let myself drool, if I dared. Had it been anybody

but Gallagher, I would have.

“Right on time. You’re very efficient,” he said, his voice pensive.

“I’d think that would be a good quality in an assistant.” I held his gaze and that alone

had the dregs of the nightmare falling away. Too bad I was left to shift uncomfortably with the

memory of the
other
dream swimming to the front of my mind. Sitting there, I tried not to

remember
that
dream, where his body hovered over mine, the sand warm against my back,

those green eyes boring into mine. My belly went hot, my skin felt tight and my palms started

to sweat. Those thoughts were the absolute last things I could hold in my mind when I was here

with him.

“Of course,” he murmured. Then he looked away, dismissing me.

It took a moment to recall what we’d been discussing.

It took even longer to get my foolish body under control.

Needing something to think, besides the coffee he held in his hand, I composed my face

into the professional mask that was going to be the only part of me I ever let him see. Looking

around, I saw nobody else, save for the the driver in the front seat. It was just the two of us.

“Are we picking Mai up as well?”

“Yes.” He continued to watch me, and a glint in those eyes bothered me. It bothered me

a lot, but looking away was a sign of discomfort. Worse, a sign of nervousness and I wasn’t

going to let him see that he made me nervous—I wouldn’t
let
myself be nervous.

Arrogant son of a bitch.

A moment later, that hard mouth softened as a smile appeared and he shook his head,

like he was amused by some personal, private joke.
What? Why are you laughing
?

He looked away and I let myself do the same while thoughts spun dizzyingly through

my mind. The past few days, I’d spent hours comparing myself to the girl I’d been, the silly

child he’d known. The girl from which he’d taken everything.

Nothing of her remained.

She’d been soft and happy and foolish.

There was nothing soft about me; while I might have bits and pieces of my life that

made me happy, I allowed it only in small doses. Happiness was something I didn’t trust.

It was a lie. An illusion and nothing I’d ever trust in again.

The drive passed in silence and I had to fight the urge to breathe out a sigh of relief as

we pulled up in front of a pretty, old building. Ivy clung to the front, and even in the dim light

of morning, I could see the vivid bursts of flowers in the window boxes. A little bit of color on a

drab morning. Unaware that I was smiling, I leaned my head against the door, studying the

building. It suited Mai. Old-world elegance and beauty.

“You’re smiling.”

I turned my head, stared at Gallagher who sat a little closer than I liked. I glanced at the

coffee he held, a wistful bit of envy curling curl inside me. I wanted that damn coffee. “Was I?”

I asked, focusing my attention away from him.

“Yes. Mai and her husband will be moving out of the city after the baby is born. They

want a larger home. If you like the building, I can see if anybody has inquired about her unit.”

“No, thank you. It’s lovely, but it’s not my style.” I had to coax the disinterest into my

voice. It was lovely. But I had no desire to accept any help from him. I had the job. I had a

goal. The goal was still murky—I wanted…what, exactly?

“Not your style. Just what is your style, Shan…non?”

Was it me, or had he lingered on the way he drew out my name?

My breath caught and his gaze dropped, briefly, to linger on my mouth. Blood heated

my neck, my cheeks and I was lucky that at that very moment, the driver slid out of the car.

“There she is, sir. I’ll get her settled and we can get on the road. Traffic isn’t too terrible today.”

Saved, I thought, by the arrival of Mai. She glided toward us, elegant and beautiful in a

simple black sheath, the hard mound of her belly not terribly obvious until she turned to shift

into the car. A soft groan escaped her as she settled into the front seat, next to the driver. She

glanced back at us. “I have to be up front,” she said, smiling, although she looked tired. “I’ve

got this annoying habit of getting nauseated if I’m in the back. How are you doing, Shannon?”

“Well enough. Good morning, Mai,” I murmured. She had a clever hand with makeup,

but she hadn’t slept well, either.

Gallagher was less polite. “You’re not sleeping well anymore.”

“It’s getting harder
to
sleep,” she said, an edge I hadn’t heard before creeping into her

voice. “Any idea what it’s like to sleep when you have a foot driving into your kidney?”

He blinked. “No. I can’t say I’m familiar with that.”

She sighed, leaning her head back against the seat. “Trust me. It isn’t pleasant.”

“If you need to go home and rest…”

Mai shook her head. “No. And I want to make sure Shannon is comfortable with her

position before I leave.” An amused grin lit her face as she glanced back at us. “After all, it’s not like I plan on coming back to help out.”

He looked as though he wanted to argue, but she just shook her head. “I’ll leave when

I’m ready—or when the baby is. Until then, please let me do my job. I think I might actually

miss it when I’m gone.”

♦

The meeting was to discuss a possible acquisition.

Gallagher Enterprises had started as a small architectural firm located in Buffalo, NY.

That was thirty years ago. Now there were offices in Philadelphia, New York, Orlando and Los

Angeles, each of them headed by one of the Gallagher sons. Drake’s father, Seamus Gallagher,

had retired seven years ago and the company just continued to grow and grow. His boys knew

what they were doing; I had to give them credit.

They were looking to acquire a foundering architectural firm in the Dallas area and the

man currently blustering with Gallagher was out of his league. He also had roaming eyes, a

loud, fake laugh and hands that squeezed just a bit too tight. He liked to invade personal space,

too. Particularly mine.

He also liked to call me
honey
, although I’d introduced myself and corrected him twice.

I was torn between ignoring him and addressing the issue.

As I passed out notepads to everybody, he reached up, patted me on the back, just a

little too low to be comfortable, but too high for me to claim he’d actually grabbed my ass.

Quickly moving out of his reach, I inclined my head. “Is there anything you need, Mr. Paxton?”

“Honey, I need a refill on my coffee.” He winked at me. “You just keep this good and

topped off and we’ll get along fine.”

“Shannon.” Gallagher gave me a narrow look and nodded at the seat next to him.

I inclined my head and made my way around the table. A huge breakfast buffet spread

out behind us, servers at the ready. One was already moving toward Paxton with coffee.

Asshole.

“Shannon is my admin, Ken.” Gallagher gave him a smile. It was polite, to the point of

being
too
polite. “She’s not here to top off your coffee. She’s here to help facilitate the meeting and assist me. If you need coffee, just let one of the servers know. I’m sure they’d be happy to

help.”

Paxton opened his mouth, his face going a slow, ugly red. Then he blinked, nodded.

“Absolutely. My apologies, honey.”

I had to fight not to grit my teeth as I pulled out my tablet and pulled up the necessary

files. Mai had already told me what information Gallagher might need, but she’d also let me

know that most of the time I’d just need to make notes, observations.
He researches everything

and while he might use you and the team to gather the information, he’s involved in every project that
interests him, from the ground up.

I didn’t take that to mean I wasn’t going to be needed.

However, if he actually wanted to work with somebody like Paxton, my opinion of him

was going to drop and it was already not terribly high. Paxton was an ass, and he wouldn’t

treat his employees well. Personally, I had issues with Gallagher. On a professional level, he

seemed to make his people happy.

Paxton was his polar opposite.

That meeting dragged on for what seemed like hours.

In reality, it was only 117 minutes. I counted them, each and every one. It was

excruciating, sitting there next to him, smelling the light, subtle cologne he used—or maybe it

was just his soap, I couldn’t tell. Every so often, he’d shift in his seat, leaning on the arm until

he was close enough that I could feel his body heat and I’d have to grit my teeth until I could

subtly shift my position away from him.

A tension headache had settled at the base of my skull by the time it was over and once

everybody rose, I was glad to have a chance to rise, stretch my muscles. Mai glanced at me.

“Before we hit the road, I’m taking a quick break. Join me?”

Code speak for
wanna hit the ladies room
.

I nodded and gathered my things, tucked them into the soft, eggplant-colored bag I’d

picked up a few days ago. Slinging the strap over my shoulder, I fell in beside her as we wove

through the bodies. People were speaking in low tones, all except for Paxton. That big,

booming voice carried across the room as he said, “Now, Drake, you let me know if there’s

anything else we can help you with. I think we’d make a fine addition to the Gallagher family.”