by Tia Wylder
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Copyright 2019 by Tia Wylder– All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document by either electronic means or printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited, and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Text copyright © Tia Wylder 2019 with US Copyright Office.
Published by hotspicyromance.com
All rights reserved.
Introduction
As a new hire at Black Hawk Security, Crystal Fey needs work experience to move up the rank. She volunteered to patrol a billionaire’s wedding with hope that she could gain some experience and meet potential future clientele. Unfortunately, while she was playing with her taser, she accidentally fired it off and hurt an important guest, Mark Gooden, heir of a billionaire. To make up for her mistake, she has agreed to protect Mark while he was figuring out who kept stealing their corporate secrets. All was under control until she realized that she underestimated her attraction for Mark and it was already too late…
Chapter 1
The party was in full swing. A gentle haze of chatter buzzing in the air, the occasional boisterous laugh from the man standing on the other side of the room holding the wooden cane, the clinks of glass, and smiles everywhere. Crystal watched it all with a tiny pang of envy. She wasn’t here to party, she knew. She was here to do a job; one she was very grateful for having. But it looked like so much fun, she couldn’t help but stare longingly at the partygoers as the night wore on.
Not to mention the fact that the place where the party was being held was the most extravagant house she’d ever been to. The drive-in from the front gate to the front door took an entire ten minutes of her life filled with open-mouthed awe at the lines of trees, the well-manicured lawn that laid beyond it and the mansion that was slowly growing taller as she came closer the closer she came. It was straight out of a magazine and Crystal was longing to go on a tour.
She resisted the urge to fidget, standing straight with her hands crossed in front of her. Someone came to her side, but she didn’t look away from the party scene before her.
“Loosen up, Crys,” Jane slurred in her ear, stumbling into her. “You’re at a party! There’s no need to be so stiff.”
“I’m here for work,” Crystal stated.
Jane rolled her eyes. “I know you’re here for work, dummy. I was the one who got you this job in the first place. Which you haven’t thanked me for as yet, by the way. Who raised you?”
Crystal looked over at her clearly drunk friend, the sister of the woman putting on this party. It was to celebrate their mother beating cancer and with all of their’s and their mother’s friends in attendance, the party was a lively one. She could tell Jane was enjoying herself. “I did tell you thanks,” Crystal replied. “Multiple times, actually. You know I’m happy for the experience.”
“Oh. You did?” Jane pouted, squinting as if that would help her remember. “Well, if you say you did, then I’m sure you did. But hey, you don’t have to stand in this corner all night, you know?”
“I’m doing my job, Jane.”
“‘I’m doing my job, Jane’,” Jane mocked. “So are the fifteen other security guards stationed around this place. You can relax.”
Crystal wanted to relax. God knew she wanted to give into her friend’s bad advice but she also wanted to do her best. She joined the Black Hawk Security Forces only a month ago and as a rookie, she wanted to show the others that she had what it took. But she was so bored.
Jane shrugged, sighing heavily when she realized she wouldn’t be able to get through to her friend. “Suit yourself. I’m going to go see if Mr. Bernard over there still has that hot son. See ya!”
Crystal watched her go, longingly. She never did well with boredom, she knew, and that feeling was steadily consuming her. She folded her arms, leaning back against the wall. Her eyes scanned the crowd like she’s done countless times already, searching for anything that might be amiss.
Once again, they landed on that man. She didn’t know his name, but she knew he was a close friend of the family. Jane’s mom was always talking to him, dragging him over to other women in the party who looked more than happy to have his attention. Not that it ever lasted long. He would smile and laugh and flirt but Jane had made a game out of watching him. He never spoke to anyone longer than a few minutes. Five max. He would say some excuse then find himself back beside Jane’s sister, Jennifer. Just like right now. Crystal watched him smile apologetically at the latest woman he was paired with, and then calmly make his way over to Jennifer. Jennifer was talking with a few of the older folks, laughing, and she welcomed the guy as soon as he came over. Crystal knew nothing was going on between them though. Jennifer was with the owner of this mansion, the one and only, Xander Michellan, who was standing on the other side of the room making friends with her mother and her friends.
Crystal returned her attention to the mysterious young man again, her fingers fiddling with the taser at her side. He had a gorgeous smile. It was the first thing Crystal noticed about him — that and the way his eyes lit up when he did. Something about that smile made her want to smile too, but she remained stoic, remembering where she was. It didn’t stop her from staring though, and as the night wore on, she kept noticing little things about him that made him so much more attractive. Like the way he would blush just a little bit when one of the older ladies complimented him, or the fact that he never let a lull in the conversation go on for too long. It made him even sexier.
Crystal sighed. Watching him only made her want to leave her post, only made her realize just how bored she really was. Without thinking, she pulled her taser from its holster, twirling it around in her hand. She sighed again, leaned her head against the wall and begged for this to be over.
The guy turned in her direction. He wasn’t looking at her, but even so, Crystal straightened to attention. She kept her eyes on him, still playing with the taser as he came over to the table she was standing by. He was the only one who hadn’t stopped by here all night, but she supposed he was finally beginning to grow hungry. Crystal didn’t take her eyes off him as he made his way to the table. She blinked when he glanced up at her and smiled, “Hi there.”
She wasn’t sure what happened next. She thought she had said something but now she was realizing that her tongue had probably turned to cotton and nothing had come out. Instead, she jerked in surprise, not expecting him to say anything to her and her taser went off. She watched, wide-eyed, as the young man fell to the floor, writhing and grunting in pain.
“Oh, my God.” Crystal rushed forward, trying to retract the taser. She managed to get it off him but he w
as still rolling on the floor, gritting his teeth. She couldn’t help but notice how strong and sexy his jaw looked when he did that. “That was an accident,” she said, not knowing what else she could say.
At this point, everyone was closing in on them to see what was happening. The guy rolled over on his side, sweat dotting his forehead as he struggled to sit up. “Are you out of your goddamn mind?”
“Mark, oh my goodness.” Jane raced in, sinking to her knees next to the handsome man, who was struggling to sit up. Her eyes shot to Crystal. “Crystal, what happened?”
“It was an accident,” Crystal said quickly. She looked at him. “I’m sorry.”
“The taser must have discharged on its own,” Jane said, holding him by the shoulders. The effects of the shock were beginning to wear off but the anger in his eyes didn’t dim in the slightest.
“You shouldn’t be carrying around a defective taser in the first place then. Especially when there are so many people around, half of whom are twice your age.”
“She didn’t mean for that to happen, Mark,” Jane said, her voice a tad bit irritated.
Mark’s heated gaze landed on her. “Isn’t she security? She’s supposed to be protecting us, not harming us. She doesn’t even look sorry.”
“I’ve already apologized.”
“An apology isn’t enough!” Wincing, he struggled to his feet just as Jennifer came to his side. Mark opened his mouth to say something else but halted when she laid a hand on his arm.
“Mark, calm down,” she said. “It was an accident and she apologized.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to my convulsing insides,” he muttered.
“Your insides aren’t convulsing,” Crystal jumped in calmly, all eyes landing on her. “If they are, you should probably go to the hospital.”
Jane made a sound that was a cross between a sigh and a laugh. Jennifer smiled. Mark narrowed his eyes to such slits, Crystal wondered if he could even see out of them.
“Now, now.” Crystal pulled her gaze away from the seething man before her to Xander, who was now stepping into the circle. “Let’s not let this ruin our evening. We should get back to the party.”
“She can’t just get off the hook like that,” Mark grumbled.
Crystal squared her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. “I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you and your convulsing insides.”
Jane snickered behind her hand. The others looked as if they didn’t know whether they should laugh or not. Mark rolled his eyes, scoffing but had it not been for Jen’s warning glance, he would have probably laced into her. Instead, he allowed Jane’s sister to steer him away and, bit by bit, the crowd dispersed. Crystal released a low breath.
“You sure know how to draw attention to yourself, huh!” Jane commented by her side.
“I didn’t do that on purpose.”
“I know you didn’t,” she said airily, sounding more amused than she should be. “Which is what makes this so funny. Mark isn’t going to forget that, you know?”
“Should I care?” Crystal probed gently.
Jane didn’t seem to pick up her slight curiosity. “I doubt you two will ever cross paths again, actually, so you don’t have to worry.”
Crystal wanted to ask more about it but she didn’t want Jane thinking she was too interested. Which she wasn’t. She was merely curious about this incredibly sexy man that seemed to overshadow every other man in the room. And what was the relationship between him and Jen? She seemed like the only person capable of pacifying him and he’s been tailing her all night. Not to mention the way he looked at her whenever they spoke. Even now, Crystal watched her offer him a glass of champagne to calm him, standing close to her boyfriend but running a soothing hand over Mark’s upper arm. She said something to him and he smiled brightly, so bright it was as if what just happened hadn’t occurred at all.
Crystal returned to her position. Jane rolled her eyes at that, wandering off to mingle some more but Crystal didn’t pay her any mind. She made sure to keep her fingers off her taser this time, but her eyes never left this mysterious Mark.
**
Gooden Bauxite Corporation’s Headquarters was a looming building made of golden glass and red trimmings along the side. Mark’s father, Matthew Gooden, had added the red accents to symbolize the very idea behind the corporation in the first place and Mark had to admit it was one of the few things he and his father agreed on. Normally, the sight of the headquarters gave him a rush of satisfaction, knowing that he had been instrumental to the gargantuan growth of the company as Vice President, but today was different. Today he had been called into a one on one meeting with his father, the CEO, and he knew it wasn’t going to end well.
The smiles he offered to the employees on his way to the elevator were fake and over-exaggerated. His mind was filled with ideas on what was going to happen in this meeting and for the most part, he knew what it was going to be about. Not their annual growth or plans for the future. Not anything that really had to do with the company at all, actually. Instead, Mark was positive that he would receive another lecture from his father about getting married. To Matthew Gooden, that was as important to the company as anything else since that would be ensuring their legacy could be passed along to the next generation. Besides, Mark’s grandfather was the person who started the company in the first place, passing it along to Matthew. If Mark didn’t cooperate, the company would be pulled right out from under him, despite the sweat and tears he’d put into it already. His father had threatened him with that before and he wouldn’t be surprised if Mark was here to receive another warning.
Only this time, he had no idea how he was going to worm his way out of his one. When his father told him he would give the company to his cousin if he didn’t get married soon, Mark had asked Jen to marry him out of desperation. The desperation was also fueled by the fact that he was in love with her. And he thought that if she said yes, he would be more than willing to put down his playboy lifestyle and settle down with her. He’s been in love with her for years and it had only been out of sheer fear why he hadn’t said a word to her. This threat, he had thought at the time, was his time to bring it into the light. He could come clean, show her the part of himself he’s only reserved for her, and they would live happily ever after.
Except she fell in love with someone else. He was too late and Mark was right back where he started. A father breathing down his neck about marriage and his best friend once again out of reach. He liked to see her happy, but he didn’t deny it to himself that he still held out hope that Xander and she wouldn’t work out. Because God knew, when she said no, his heart might have been broken but his love for her hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
Mark swallowed his sigh. He couldn’t think about that right now. It would only make him sad and right now, he needed to have all defenses up before seeing his father. No one else knew how to cut into you like that man.
“Hello, Brenda.” Mark smiled at his father’s secretary, leaning against the counter above her desk. “I’m guessing the old man is waiting for me?”
“He is,” Brenda said, not even looking up from her computer. “You’re two minutes late.”
“Oh yeah? I guess I don’t have much time to ask you out then.”
Brenda slowly looked up at him. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, cocking her head to the side. “Come back to me when you’ve dropped all the other women you’re seeing.”
“What?” Mark feigned bewilderment. “I’m not seeing any other women.”
“Oh?” Brenda returned her attention to the screen before her. “Do they know that?”
Mark chuckled. “Always a pleasure, Brenda.”
He walked away, knowing she was smiling to herself. It was a running thing they had with each other and Mark knew that she just might take him seriously if she thought he’d take her seriously as well. Mark wasn’t about to lie to anyone and say that he would. His heart belonged to only one person.
“Dad.” Mark entered Matthew Gooden’s massive office with trepidation. He saw him sitting in the couch before the desk, the newspaper in his hands.
“You’re late,” Matthew said without putting the paper down.
Mark gave himself another mental pep talk before coming to take the seat across from him. “Let’s get to why you called me here.”
“Watch your mouth, boy.”
“You see,” Mark started. “That’s the problem between you and me. You seem to keep forgetting that I’m not a boy anymore and you should speak to me like an adult.”
Matthew scoffed, folding the paper and putting it down on the table between them with more force than was needed. “Some adult who can’t even find himself a woman to marry.”
“Is that why you called me here? That nonsense about marriage again?”
“It is not nonsense!” Matthew barked. “Your grandfather started this company from the ground up and I will be damned if anything but the Gooden name is around to carry it on.”
Mark gritted his teeth. He had a little brother, someone who was more than capable of carrying on the Gooden name if needed. Except, Mark’s brother didn’t want that life for himself and seeing that Mark was dedicated to this company as much as his father was, he knew he was the best fit to take over. If only marriage wasn’t necessary.
He got to his feet. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to this again.”
He was almost at the door when his father called out to him, “Wait. That’s not why I called you here.”
The somber tone had concern lancing through him. With a frown, Mark reclaimed his seat. “What is it?”
“There is a spy in our company.”
“A spy?”
“Do you recall the new site we’ve been looking into purchasing permits for?”
Mark nodded, leaning forward. “Yes, it was open up a whole new stream of product. The mining site was huge.”