Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 144628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 579(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 579(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
But he knew something was off about her. She was hiding something from him. He’d investigated hundreds of people over his fairly long career, and he knew when someone was holding back.
“I put her in a corner,” he admitted. “She was obviously uncomfortable talking about sex.”
“An odd thing for a woman who wants to go to a sex club,” Julian mused.
“Also an odd thing for a woman who’s known for using sex as a weapon,” he agreed. “So I put her in a place where she could take what I offered or walk away. I wouldn’t have canceled our contract had she walked, but either way I got information.”
“What did the encounter tell you?” Julian asked.
“That she’s willing to do something she found distasteful in order to keep me happy. Or the distaste I felt from her was acting.” He needed to think about it. Coffee with her tomorrow would give him more information. “And she wants me to believe that I’m special, that she doesn’t respond to other men the way she does to me. It’s a good play. It would work if I believed it.”
“Which you don’t.”
Michael shook his head. “No. I don’t believe the ex-Hollywood bombshell only responds to my touch. She also pretended she didn’t know who I am. She didn’t bring up my last name or ask any questions about my family. I didn’t believe that either. I’m meeting with her again tomorrow, and I’ll escort her here on Friday night. I’m also going to be putting eyes on her when she’s not here at the office. I’d like to know what she does when she’s not working. I’ll give you a full report on who she sees and where she goes.”
“All right.” Julian stood and held out a hand. “I’ll leave this all to you, Mr. Malone. Find the truth for me. And quickly, if you can. I would like this worry to be put to rest. If Ms. Jones isn’t what I think she is, I would like to know.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Michael promised.
And he would take care of her. One way or another.
Chapter Four
Vanessa was still thinking about Michael Malone hours later after she’d managed to make her way back to the house she’d bought for her sister ten years before. It was in a gated neighborhood in North Dallas, and she had to admit that every time she clicked the button for the gate, she breathed a sigh of relief when it opened.
At some point they might decide the best way to keep her out was to simply not let her in at all.
But for tonight, she was inside the house.
Now she would have to find a way to make the hours go by until she could go to work again tomorrow. It was only in her office that she felt somewhat safe.
At least until Julian Lodge figured out what she was doing and had her arrested.
Her cell phone trilled, and Vanessa glanced down at the number before picking it up. “Hey, Dani.”
“Hey, I wanted to tell you that Chloe got an A on her creative writing assignment. She told me you helped her work out the plot.” Dani’s voice was warm and gracious.
Maybe she should change her name and become a tutor. She was an excellent writer for the most part, and she was good at English and history. Though not spectacular, like Chloe’s regular tutor. “It was fun. She’s got a great imagination and a knack for dialogue. And she used the whole thing as her translation homework for Spanish, so she got double use out of it.”
“Yes, David told me he found the story very amusing,” Dani replied.
David Hawthorne was a professor at a local university and helped tutor some of the kids in his “family.” She used quotes around the word because for the most part David’s family didn’t share blood. From what she could tell, the super-nice professor was the son of a world-renowned chef who was connected to Julian in some way. Maybe his security firm.
The same one Michael worked at.
She could not get that man out of her head. Though in some ways it was nice to have him rattling around in there. It let her forget her troubles for a few moments at a time. It was way nicer to think about the fact that she would get to see him in leathers on Friday. At least that’s what she’d been told the tops at The Club wore.
Shit. What was she going to wear?
“I’m glad I could help,” she replied as she walked into the kitchen. She would come up with something for Friday night. She leaned against the bar and glanced around the small room and wondered what she should eat for dinner. It didn’t hold much beyond coffee, protein bars she ate for breakfast, and a bunch of frozen meals for one. The cheapest she could find.