Testing The Boss
by
Mallory Crowe
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Fonts used with permission from Microsoft.
Copyright © 2015 by Mallory Crowe
Mallory Crowe (2015-11-19). Testing The Boss (Billionaires in the City Book Six)
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Testing The Boss (Billionaires In The City, #5)
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
EPILOGUE
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CHAPTER ONE
Evelyn let her head fall into her hands and sighed. “I hate New York City.”
“So I take it your transfer request didn’t get approved?” asked Gail from the desk across from Evelyn’s in their shared office.
Evelyn looked through her fingers at the older agent who sat across from her. “This wouldn’t happen if I were worse at my job.”
“You’d also probably be dead if you were worse at your job,” pointed out Gail. “Try to look at the sunny side.”
Evelyn sneered at the idea of trying to find any sunny side. She wanted out of the closet that the agency thought was an apartment and back to where she could actually do some good. Not just babysitting the billionaires.
“I know at least five agents who would kill to be working with the Devereaux brothers,” said Gail. “Only female agents, by the way.”
“Well, they’re all stupid. The only good one is taken.” Michael Devereaux seemed as if he was already halfway to the altar with his girlfriend, Lori Briggs. Normally Evelyn was more than happy for couples, but she really wished Michal had picked a better time to find his one true love.
“If the good one’s taken, you can always go for the bad one.” Gail winked.
If possible, Evelyn’s expression became even more sour. “No. Just... No.” Luke Devereaux was a whole new sort of hell for Evelyn. Where his brother was reasonable and logical, Luke was an anomaly.
He was impulsive, controlling and, worst of all, entitled. “If they want to take my place, all they have to do is ask. The doctor gave me the all clear to get off desk work three weeks ago and I’m still stuck here.”
Gail shrugged, obviously unsympathetic to Evelyn’s situation. “If Hotchins wants you lead on this case, take it as a compliment.”
“He only wants me lead because I’m the one who brought it to him. And that was from a tip. Not like I broke the case on my own.” If her old friend, Jace Lance, who she’d known from her military days, hadn’t called and asked her to run some prints for him, she never would’ve been pulled into the investigation of the massive white-collar criminal ring known as the Thirteen Stars.
“If you find the faces behind the Thirteen Stars, your career will be made.”
“If,” said Evelyn. So far every lead she’d had led nowhere. Joslyn had blackmailed Brian Longineu, who was a known higher level employee of the Thirteen Stars. Unfortunately she’d blackmailed him with evidence that didn’t exist.
They’d sent a hit man after Emma Devereaux to get the nonexistent evidence, and since the hit man had been in custody, he hadn’t said a word about his employers. And every name Lori Briggs had given Evelyn hadn’t given her anything she could use. Except for Ken Kemmerling, who would rather take a nose dive off a skyscraper than get arrested.
And ever since Ken had come within inches of murdering Lori, Michael was adamant that she not be used in the investigation anymore and took her out of town on lavish vacations every opportunity he got. Once again, Evelyn would be more than happy for them in any other circumstance, but damn it, Michael had been her biggest ally.
“Maybe you need to think about it from a different angle,” said Gail.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. She didn’t need another speech about looking on the bright side. She liked Gail. She really did. The woman was smart and had been in the agency since a time when she was one of the few women there. Gail had managed to keep up on her caseload through two marriages and three kids, all boys. But Gail lived and breathed the white-collar division. She’d been there for a decade before Evelyn arrived and she’d be there a hell of a lot longer, judging from the number of college tuitions she had to pay for.
“What angle?” asked Evelyn. Just because she didn’t want to hear Gail’s opinion didn’t mean she wouldn’t.
“Well, your assets haven’t been performing the way you’d hoped and you’ve been cleared to work in the field. Maybe it’s time for some micromanagement.”
“Micro? You mean getting in the field? That’s just what I need. More time with Luke Devereaux. He’s half the reason I want off this job in the first place.”
“You want off this job because you miss Texas. Luke is a lesser evil than being stuck in white-collar any longer than you have to be, right?”
Evelyn leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Damn it, Gail really was more perceptive than Evelyn wanted her to be, but she shouldn’t be surprised. Gail wouldn’t have stuck around the FBI this long if she wasn’t a damn good agent.
“So I’ll glue myself to Luke’s side and pester him until he gets me the info I need? I like it. Well, I hate it, but it could definitely speed things up.”
Gail smiled. “There you go! If you get the Thirteen Stars case wrapped up, Hotchins should let you transfer out. And, you know, if you need some assistance on this one, I wouldn’t mind wining and dining with the elite of the city.”
“Of course. I’m sure there are a few places I could use some experienced backup. If your caseload isn’t too much already.”
Evelyn knew for a fact that Gail had more work than she cared for at the moment, but Gail didn’t seem too concerned. “If I get the chance to meet any of the Devereauxs, I’ll take more work.”
Evelyn took a deep breath. “So get close to Luke to close the case. I can do that.” How hard could it be?
~~~~~
“Are you going to get that?” asked Cali from the doorway to Luke’s office.
He turned off the ringer as quickly as possible and dropped the cell phone into his top desk drawer. “It’s not important.”
Cali gave him a questioning look but didn’t ask any further about it. “You have a few free hours before your lunch appointment at one. Let me know if you need anything.” She turned to leave but then halted. “Oh, by the way, I’m taking Friday o
ff.”
Luke tried to remember if he had anything going on Friday. Nothing important came to mind. “That should be fine. Do you have any fun plans?”
Cali averted her eyes to the ground before she looked back up at Luke. “Yes, actually. I’m going out of town with a, um, new guy I’ve been seeing.”
Luke opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Cali had never once mentioned any man she’d seen before. He was more than happy that she was dating, but he didn’t know how much he was allowed to ask about it. Should he ask where they met? Should he ask where they’re going? At this point, Cali was more like a friend or a sister to him than an employee, but there were still some lines he didn’t want to cross.
“If you ever want to head up to the Hamptons,” he said, “let me know and I can try to get you a house right on the beach.” Of course, that offer would make much more sense if it was summer and not late fall, but it was the best way to pry for more information that he could think of.
Cali smiled at his feeble attempts. “That’s super sweet of you to offer. Were actually staying in the cabin upstate that’s owned by a friend of Easson’s.”
Easson... Luke racked his brain for anyone he knew named Easson, but nothing popped out. “Well, I hope you two have fun.” Would having a background check run on Cali’s new boyfriend be crossing a line? Did he really care about crossing a line if it meant keeping Cali safe? But before he could do anything, he had to know more than just Easson’s first name.
The door to his office opened and he looked up, half expecting to see Cali standing there again, and he formulated what prying questions he could ask her next. But it wasn’t Cali. It was his worst nightmare.
Evelyn fucking Price was back.
“What a pleasant surprise,” he said as Evelyn strode into the office.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Funny. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if you returned any of my calls.”
“I’m a busy man, Evelyn. You can’t expect me to be at your beck and call twenty-four/seven.” He looked her up and down. Damn, it would be easier to hate her if she didn’t look so delectable. Her curves filled out a professional-looking pantsuit (the same boring style she wore every day) just the right way, and her black curly hair always seemed just the right amount tousled. As though she had just emerged from bed. And that was the last place he needed to be imagining Special Agent Evelyn Price.
“Luckily for you, you won’t have to be checking your phone every five minutes for my calls anymore.”
Luke could tell from her tone this wasn’t good news at all.
“Because the agency values all that you’re doing for us, and in light of recent events, we decided that it would be best if you had a more physical presence by the agency. So until everything gets sorted out, I would like you to meet your new intern.”
Luke glanced over her shoulder but didn’t see anyone walk in. “Who’s the new intern?”
“I am,” said Evelyn.
Luke carefully controlled his reaction as he studied his nemesis. Her own expression was blank as well, but he had to imagine she enjoyed torturing him with this joke. He had to assume it was a joke, because there was no way in hell he was going working side-by-side with her. “What’s the catch?” he asked. “Did Michael put you up to this? Is there a hidden camera somewhere in here?”
Evelyn sighed. “There is no catch. After what happened with Michael and considering the circumstances your cousin found herself in before I was called, I think it’s best for me to stick closer to you.”
The woman was insane if she thought for one second that he was going to allow this. “How the hell are you going to be my new intern? With no one from HR or even Cali knowing who you are?”
Evelyn crossed farther into his office and took a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk.
That was a bad sign. That meant she wasn’t planning to leave anytime soon.
“Luckily for me, you’re a forgetful man.” He narrowed his eyes, but she continued before he could ask what the hell she meant. “You agreed to be the prize in an essay contest for NYU’s business school. The dean of the department will pick the winner—me—who will work hand in hand with the CEO of DevX Tech. Normally Cali would be informed of things like this, but you agreed to it offhandedly over drinks, so it makes sense that it slipped your mind to tell her or HR.”
“Things don’t slip my mind,” he bit out.
“That’s funny, because it sure seems to slip your mind to call me back all the time.”
He shot her an unapologetic smile. He didn’t need to explain himself to her. He didn’t like her and she didn’t like him. This wasn’t some stupid after-school special were they needed to talk about it. “Oh, trust me, Ms. Price, it’s not my forgetfulness that keeps me from calling you back.”
Evelyn pursed her thick, full lips, and Luke couldn’t help but be transported to that dark area of his mind that lately seemed occupied solely by fantasies of Evelyn in every position he could think to take her in. Sometimes in sultry black lingerie and garter belts, sometimes in an innocent white bra and panty set, and sometimes her in just naked glory. Her legs open in invitation, her nipples hard with arousal, and her lips screaming his name as he made her come.
“Just tell me what I have to do.” He forced himself away from his fantasies of her.
Evelyn’s expression softened and Luke had a feeling she had no idea the thoughts just racing through his mind. “I really do want to make this as easy on you as possible. I’m going to need to be close by. I can work with an agency laptop or you can give me a company one, but I can’t have IT checking on my Internet usage. If you get a call from any of your contacts at Thirteen Stars or they set up a meeting, try to get me in that room with you.”
“And they won’t realize who you are? They seem to have bottomless resources and a healthy paranoia.”
“No one does a fake ID quite like the US government. My name for your purposes is Evelyn Peterson.”
He frowned. “Isn’t that a little too close?”
“Honestly, my real name is common enough that I probably could’ve used it. But I’d rather have something close than have you refer to me by the wrong name at some point.” He glared at her and she added, “Or for me to not respond to my fake name.”
“I don’t understand. What good is it going to do for you to sit around for hours and hours of the day when they barely ever contact me?”
“Perhaps I’d feel more confident if we have better communication between the two of us.”
“Yeah, that would imply communicating at all and I don’t think either of us wants more of that.”
She nodded in agreement. “At least we can both be sure about our goals. And unfortunately, I think the quickest way to stop Thirteen Stars is to work together.” She pushed herself out of her chair. “I’m off for the rest of the day, but do you think you can have everything ready for me to start here tomorrow?”
Instinctively he stood as well and then cursed himself. She was forcing herself farther and farther into his life. He didn’t need to be on high manners with her. “Everything should be ready. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be doing a lot of work.”
“I won’t be sitting around twiddling my thumbs all day. I have some agency paperwork I can catch up on, but I will be open to doing reasonable assignments from you for the purposes of keeping the cover up.”
His mouth curled in a wicked grin. Oh, he could have fun with this.
“Reasonable being the key word, Luke.”
“Oh, trust me,” he said. “I’ll be reasonable.”
CHAPTER TWO
“You’re an intern?”
Evelyn faced down Cali’s skepticism with the calm cool of someone who knew exactly how ridiculous she sounded and didn’t give a damn. “Yep! Winner of the DevX Tech essay contest. You knew I was coming, right?”
A momentary flash of annoyance crossed Cali’s features, but she regained her cool. “Yes. We e
ven have some VIP seating for you on the executive level. But I’m assuming you knew that?”
The one part of her story that would be flimsiest was the fact that Cali had seen Evelyn in the office before on more than one occasion. But it wasn’t the first time Evelyn had dealt with a hole in a cover before. And she had a proven method for covering over those holes. She let Cali make up her own mind.
The only people who had to truly believe Evelyn had won an essay contest were the ones involved with the Thirteen Stars, and chances were they weren’t even going to see Evelyn. From her research so far, Cali was a loyal employee with a crazy good work ethic. Not exactly a risk for blowing Evelyn’s cover.
“I’ve been to the executive level before, but I was hoping you could show me to where my workstation is.”
Cali nodded and turned away from the lobby where she had been waiting. “This way.” She led the way to the elevators.
Evelyn followed the bouncing blonde hair. Cali walked with a confident stride and sway to her hips that was indicative of the power she held within the company. Even though Evelyn had a feeling the Devereaux brothers would try to keep the company in the family, Cali was still going to be a big part of the company’s future. She might be listed as Luke’s administrative assistant in her file, but Cali was so much more than that. Evelyn had also seen enough financial documents to know that Cali was getting paid a hell of a lot more than that.
If there was one thing Evelyn could respect, it was ambition. The only problem was that her ambition was back in Texas, and not behind any desk in New York City.
The elevator made its way up and Cali maintained her silence. Evelyn chose to use the opportunity to do a little bit of digging. “So you’re Luke’s assistant, but you work for both brothers, right?”
“I do a majority of my work assisting Luke. He’s a bit more demanding.”
Evelyn had to hold back a laugh. Figured he’d be the one bossing Cali around the most.
“Oh, no,” said Cali. “He needs to be demanding. He’s traveling all the time and I take care of things he can’t get to while he’s out of the office. Michael isn’t really the face of the company, so he’s here most of the time. I just do general things for him.”
Testing The Boss (Billionaires In The City, #5) Page 1