Nine Rules of Engagement (Barrington Billionaire's Series Book 9)

by Jeannette Winters

  “Did I say no?” She shook her head. “And you think you can find this information that quickly?”

  “I’m hoping. But I don’t know. I went to college with a guy who is meeting me there.”

  Guy? There? “You’re discussing this with others without talking to me first?”

  “No. He just knows that I’m coming and have questions about researching a photo’s origin. He’s a photojournalist, so I thought he could point me in the right direction, if he couldn’t provide anything else. What do you think?”

  I think there’s no way you’re going to meet some guy in New York without me. “I can make flight arrangements and we can leave first thing in the morning.” The look on her face said that didn’t agree with her. “Would you rather leave later?”

  “I don’t . . . fly.”

  “At all?” Roger asked. She shook her head. “Afraid?” Gia nodded. “I’ll be with you.”

  “It won’t matter. I can’t do it. I’ve booked flights before and gotten as far as standing in line to board, but each time I freak out.” She dropped her eyes to the plate in front of her.

  Since she couldn’t meet his gaze, she wasn’t only avoiding traveling with him. Usually people had a reason for such a strong reaction. “Did something happen?”

  “My uncle was a fireman in New York City. He died when the towers collapsed. Even though I was young then, I can’t forget the sight of the plane crashing into the second building and my mother screaming my uncle’s name in panic.”

  “I’m so sorry.” He understood loss all too well. Roger wasn’t going to try to convince her it would be okay and nothing would happen to them, because it had nothing to do with that. It was a trigger for something she couldn’t control. “We can drive.”

  She lifted her eyes and asked, “You’d really do that for me?”

  He nodded. “It means leaving a lot earlier and, if you don’t mind, staying a night or two in New York.”

  She was quiet, and he wasn’t sure if that had been enough. Then she asked, “Could we take time to visit the memorial? I haven’t been there since it was completed. I think it would make my parents happy.” In a softer voice she added, “And make me happy.”

  He reached across the table and covered Gia’s hand with his. “We can stay as long as you like.”

  “I promise I won’t get distracted from why we’re going.”

  “Gia, the photo is over a hundred years old already. It can wait a day or two.”

  “Roger, are you serious?”

  “Of course I am.” As far as he was concerned, this little project was ahead of schedule. Brice would get the information when he got it. If Brice didn’t like that, too bad.

  Gia turned her hand over so her fingers interlocked with his. “Roger, why are you so . . . nice to me? I mean from the moment your tires made contact with the puddle, you’ve been . . . I don’t know . . . fixing everything. First helping me with my purse, then the job, and now . . . this. I wouldn’t have expected this from you.”

  Roger cocked a brow. “I’m afraid to ask what you did expect.”

  Gia grinned. “Well, based on your looks and the vehicle you drive, I thought you might be a conceited jerk.”

  Roger laughed. “Then I guess it wasn’t difficult to exceed your expectations.”

  “True,” Gia teased. “But then again, I’m sure I am not what you expected either.”

  Definitely not. “You have surprised me on a few occasions. And before you start wondering if that is a good thing, let’s just say few people can make me laugh.” He stroked her hand with his thumb. “You’ve done that quite a bit.”

  “I didn’t realize I was that funny.”

  There were a lot of things he could tell her he’d noticed, but this conversation had already gone deep and serious enough. “If I wasn’t starving, I’d tell you more.”

  Gia grabbed a slice of veggie and another of meat lover. Turning one over, she made what looked like a pizza sandwich. As he stared she said, “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

  Roger guzzled the remainder of his beer and then copied her technique. “I’ll try anything once.” He winked and as expected, she blushed. Although tempted to pursue this line of flirting, he brought the focus back onto her. “You seem to have had a busy morning.”

  Gia ran her hand through her long blonde hair. “Yeah. It was a long process. I never thought Vickie was going to show up so early either. I’m glad she did, or we’d still be stripping color from my hair.”

  “Stripping?”

  “Oh you have no idea what it took for me to get back to my natural color.”

  Roger cocked a brow. She was a natural blonde. It suited her, bringing out her green eyes even more, if that was possible. “It was worth it.”

  Then Gia laughed. “I hope the Hendersons don’t tell me to dye it back.”

  “Why would they?”

  “My old boss didn’t like the blonde. He said clients wouldn’t think I’m capable of doing the job.” She frowned and sighed at the memory.

  “Idiot. A person should only be judged by their abilities. Is that why you quit?”

  “Got fired. And no.”

  Roger wanted to know what the hell happened. She was honest enough to tell him she’d been fired. Would she open up to him regarding it all? “He must be a fool to have let you go.”

  “If he hadn’t fired me, I’d have quit.”

  That spoke volumes. Softly and gently he prodded, “What did he do?” He knew he needed to keep his cool no matter what she said. That might be difficult because the look in Gia’s eyes said she was still hurt by it.

  “One of the clients crossed the line. The only thing my former boss did, or didn’t do, was be in my corner. Instead he fired me for standing up for myself. So at the end of the day, it wasn’t just the client who had no respect for me, my boss didn’t either.”

  Between clenched teeth he asked, “Did he force himself on you?”

  “He tried. I smacked him across the face.”

  Good girl. “What did he do?”

  “Smacked me back and said I’d never work in this city again.”

  That fucking asshole. Roger needed to find out who he was. That bastard needed to be taught a lesson, one he’d never forget. He didn’t want Gia to know what he was going to do. Instead Roger said, “And now you’re going to work for one of the most prestigious companies, and not just in Boston.”

  “Until they catch wind of what I did to a client,” Gia said somberly.

  “Gia, that wasn’t your fault. And the Henderson family wouldn’t tolerate that either. They might be tough bastards in the business world, but I can assure you they respect and protect women. If either of them are stupid enough to come forth with that information and try to trash your reputation, it wouldn’t be acceptable.” And their business would feel a wrath like they’ve never known.

  “You seem to know a lot about them.”

  “I do.” More than they probably wished he did. And more than any of them realized too. “Trust me; you won’t have that experience with them.” Roger knew if anything did occur, even Caydan would have his back on this, family or not. Certain lines would never be crossed or other cheeks turned. And she’s one person I’m not going to let anyone fuck with.

  “If for one minute I thought they were, I wouldn’t take the job, no matter how much money they offered me. My self-respect isn’t for sale.”

  Gia continued to impress him. He was waiting to find something he didn’t like or find attractive about her. Then again, she wasn’t the issue in this relationship. He was. Roger could commit to a job or a project, but he’d never contemplated what it would be like after a year or two with the same woman. Usually he didn’t want to know that much about them. The less he knew, the less involved he was. Yet he wanted to ask and learn more about Gia. It didn’t matter what they talked about, he found her interesting. What he wasn’t ready to do was reciprocate. Eventually he was going to have to share or she wo
uld grow tired of one-sided communication. God knows I wouldn’t have put up with it from day one, never mind for almost a week.

  “If you don’t eat that pizza it’s going to get cold,” Gia said.

  That had been her way of putting an end to the heavy topic. He picked up another piece and took a big bite. She got up and walked to the fridge. She returned with a fresh cold one for each of them.

  “What do you like to do when you’re not working?” he asked.

  “Watch Hallmark movies,” she said with a big grin.

  “Shoot me,” he said with a laugh. “There has to be something else.” Gia looked as though she didn’t know what to say. There was no way such a beautiful woman stayed cooped up in this small apartment when she wasn’t working. “I mean if you were back home in Maplesville, what would you do?”

  Her eyes brightened. “That’s easy. When the weather is nice like today, I’d go hiking and exploring. Don’t laugh, but I’ve always liked walking through the woods, off-trail, and searching for old artifacts. I’ve even found a few arrowheads.”

  Roger cocked a brow as he saw the light in her eyes as she spoke about it. “Gia, do you like being a compliance auditor?”

  Her cute little nose wrinkled as she said, “That’s a leap from asking me what I like to do for fun.”

  “I know, but it’s a serious question.”

  “I assumed that. Why are you asking it?” Gia questioned.

  “When I handed you the photo, I could see the wheels begin turning. The excitement in your voice when you spoke about the arrowheads couldn’t be missed either. If that is where your passion lies, in researching old things, why compliance? Seems so—”

  “Boring?” she asked and he nodded.

  “You don’t have the same expression when you talk about it.”

  “I’m good at it.”

  “I’m good at a few things myself. Doesn’t mean I want to do them as a career.”

  “Some of us don’t have the luxury of doing what we want to do. We need to do what pays the bills.”

  Roger didn’t know what it was like to go without. He’d grown up with money. What he hadn’t had was a family around him. “Money isn’t everything.”

  “No. But when you’re worried about where the next meal is going to come from, it is. I was lucky. We always had food in the house and a roof over our heads. But my mother cut coupons and only bought what was on sale. Neither of my parents have a retirement fund. I worry about when they get older and can no longer work. I needed to make sure I have a secure job that not only will support me but will allow me to give back to them someday.” Gia frowned. “Of course getting fired wasn’t in my plan.”

  “I’m not one who believes in fate, but the timing couldn’t have been better.” We wouldn’t have met if you’d been at work. “You’re not working for that asshole any longer.”

  “Not working at all. I mean, besides your little project.”

  “Which we’ve never discussed your pay.”

  “You’ve taken me out to eat just about every day. I think that—”

  “One has nothing to do with the other.”

  “How can it not?” Gia asked.

  “I might not be a gentleman, but I don’t ask a woman out and expect her to pay.”

  “But—”

  “Two-thousand dollars.”

  Her eyes widened. “For what?”

  “Work on the photo.”

  “I can’t take any money from you.”

  He knew she needed it. So why refuse it? Roger could spot a person dealing drugs in a heartbeat. Yet understanding a woman’s mind was another story all together. “When you hire someone, there’s usually payment associated with it.”

  “I understand that. But it wouldn’t be . . . proper taking money any longer.”

  Oh. The kiss. It wasn’t as though they had sex or anything. But he could understand how someone like Gia would consider it crossing the line.

  “So you know, this technically wasn’t a formal job. It was more like—”

  “Roger, no matter what you say, I’m not changing my mind. Consider this lending you a helping hand. Besides, it hasn’t been that hard. Actually, it has been fun.”

  He could afford to hire someone to assist him. No one did something for nothing. He’d learned long ago, everyone had an agenda. Looking at Gia and those beautiful green eyes, he might have found the exception. She meant what she said. Gia was a rarity. A gem. “That brings me back to the comment before.”

  “Which was what exactly?” Gia asked looking puzzled. “We seem to topic hop a lot. Even for me, it’s getting hard to keep track, and details are my specialty.”

  He wasn’t getting sidetracked. “Your research skills amaze me. That is what you should be doing.”

  In a soft tone she said, “Roger, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I can’t afford to live in a dream world.”

  If she wouldn’t take any money from him for helping with the photo, there’s no way in hell she would accept a job from him. Besides, he didn’t have employees. What he did was best done alone. If he needed help, it wasn’t the kind she could give him. Unless she’s a weapons expert and failed to mention it. Nothing regarding Gia would surprise him. Then again, he probably wasn’t what she thought either.

  “What if it wasn’t a dream?” She couldn’t see the value she had to offer to a company through her research abilities. And if he was correct, Brice was going on her past work experience. He hated to do it, but he might need to intervene in her career path. Why not open doors she never knew were there? Roger prided himself on not being indebted to the Hendersons for a damn thing. Somehow that had changed since meeting Gia. If she won’t chase her dream, then it might have to chase her.

  She was quiet for a minute and then asked, “What time do you want to leave in the morning?”

  “Gia, I’m serious.”

  “So am I. There are things I need to get ready.”

  Her tone said she was getting frustrated with the conversation. But why was she so resistant to talking about it? Pushing was an option, but doing so probably meant calling this an early night. He didn’t want to leave her so early. Hell, who am I fooling? I’d spend the night if I thought she wouldn’t regret it in the morning. But Roger knew she would.

  “Is this your way of telling me you’d like me to leave?” If she was, he’d respect that. Not like it, but respect it.

  “I don’t . . . don’t know.” She sighed. “This is not at all what I expected when I met you. I never thought you’d . . . that I’d . . . see you so much.”

  Neither did I. “It was unexpected for me as well.”

  “So much has changed in the past week. I’m not used to it. Usually I have my day, heck my entire month, planned out. I live a very routine life. Or at least I did. Now . . . heck, I’m going to New York with you tomorrow. With no plan for where we will be staying or anything. This isn’t me. Or at least, not usually.”

  It was becoming clearer to him. She was out of her comfort zone. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it, as much as it scared her. That’s why she stayed in the compliance position. Taking a blind leap was breaking whatever rules she’d set up for herself. And I’m one who doesn’t follow any rule book but my own.

  “Maybe it’s time to break a few of your rules.” When he saw the panic in her eyes he said, “Or maybe just bend them a little. I’ll make the hotel arrangements if that is okay, and you can plan what you’d like us to do while we’re there. Is that acceptable?” Giving her control was the only way he knew she’d still agree to go.

  “You might regret this.”

  I already know I’m going to. Raising his beer to his lips, he said, “Only one way to find out. It’s late and the pizza is cold, but let’s eat before the beer is warm.”

  She laughed. “Sounds like we have a plan.”

  There definitely were things in the works. Things she might not approve of. But since when did what people think about him matter? He w
as calling Brice when he left Gia’s and set it all in motion. That smile he’d seen on her face was one he never wanted to see fade. Hopefully she never finds out I’m the one who put it there.

  She was so adamant about not taking money that having a job created for her wasn’t going to go over very well either. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. One thing Roger was very good at was covering his tracks.

  Chapter 7

  Gia had packed, unpacked, then repacked the same stuff over and over again. This wasn’t a business trip, yet it wasn’t a romantic getaway either. So she opted for casual attire and good walking shoes. Although Roger seemed to drive everywhere, that wasn’t the best way to get around in big cities. You spent so much time sitting at traffic lights or in traffic jams. On foot you could easily maneuver around those obstacles and actually see something you wanted.

  As they approached the city, she knew she’d planned appropriately. She was glad she wasn’t behind the wheel, because vehicles were swerving in and out of the lanes.

  “When was the last time you went to New York?” Roger asked.

  She sat holding on to her seatbelt, white knuckled. “Would you believe I was sixteen and on a class trip?” That seemed like an eternity ago. “I wanted to see the museums, but Vickie wanted to go to a play. I’m sure you can guess who won that argument.”

  Roger laughed. “What play did you see?”

  “I can’t even remember. Is that weird?”

  “No. Because it wasn’t important to you, you flushed it out to make room for what was.”

  “I’ve never heard it put that way. Did you learn that in some psychology class?”

  “Nope. Thought of that one all by myself. Impressive isn’t it?” he joked.

  Gia laughed. “Absolutely. Should I be concerned about what else I flushed? There’s a lot of my childhood that wasn’t important.”

  “Don’t panic. Whatever you forgot, I’m sure Vickie will remind you. Maybe not exactly the way it happened, though.”

  Gia burst out laughing. “How is it you have Vickie pegged so easily and not me?”

  Roger turned to her briefly, then back to the road. “You’re complex.”