No, that wasn’t true. He wasn’t a complete failure. In fact, he was way too good at raising Katy. If she’d skipped all her classes and never done her homework, he wouldn’’t have to think about how she could afford to go to NYU. But he’d lucked out with a straight-A student who was determined to become a vet.
He sighed and headed up the stairs. There was a lot more of his gear still in his truck, but if he was going out with Greg in the morning, he might as well leave it out there.
At the top of the stairs, he turned left and entered the only door on that side. The house was a small two-story, with two bedrooms on the upper floor and the living area, kitchen, and bathroom on the first floor. It wasn’t much, but considering how expensive real estate was so close to the city, he was happy with it. It allowed him to work some of the higher-paying jobs in Manhattan, but keep his steady, suburban work up for the weekdays.
He pulled off his white, buttoned-up shirt and his undershirt before he sat on the bed to start working on his shoes. Dean sighed at the relief of getting the shoes off and fell back on the bed. He still needed to take the damn pants off and brush his teeth, but all he could manage was to roll over on his side, the exhaustion taking over.
The blaring of his phone pulled him awake just before he was fully asleep. He groaned as he pulled his phone out of his pants and answered. “Katy told me about tomorrow, Greg,” he mumbled. “I’ll be there.”
“This isn’t Greg,” said a feminine voice.
Recognition shot through him and he bolted into a sitting position. “Victoria?”
“I’m sorry for calling so late,” she said. “Honestly, I wasn’’t expecting you to answer. I thought I’d get voicemail.”
Dean rubbed at his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept through a phone call. “I just got home. What the hell are you still doing awake? You live in the city, don’t you?” Her ride home would take less than half the time of his drive.
“Well, as you’re aware, this was a stressful night. I’ve been thinking a lot.”
Well, that was something. Thank God the woman had the sense to be worried. She’d seemed so nonchalant about the murder attempt at her party. But he supposed he could understand the need to keep things together in front of the public. Didn’’t make her any less of an idiot for waiting this long to do anything about it. “So you’re going to the police?” He hoped she didn’t expect him to hightail it all the way back to the city at this hour.
“I want to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I don’t want to be responsible for a murderer, or attempted murderer, walking free. I’’d like you to come into the office on Monday.”
“Not tomorrow?” he asked. But they already lost the guy. Would one day really make a difference?
“I want to organize a few things before I talk to anyone. Besides, it sounds like you have plans with Greg tomorrow.”
“And I work on Monday,” he reminded her. Fuck. Whatever time she asked him to come back, he’d be working. It’s all he ever did these days.
“I’ll make sure you’re reimbursed. You saved my life, Dean. I know I owe you.”
He frowned. He’d never thought of it like that. He’d saved Victoria Green. One of the richest and most powerful women in New York, and now she owed him a favor. He had no idea what he’d need from her, but it was nice to know.
“I can make it on Monday,” he said.
“Great.” He could practically see her smiling in victory in some giant penthouse apartment. “I’ll tell the receptionist to expect you at ten a.m., so hopefully you’ll miss some of the morning rush.”
“I guess I’ll see you then.”
“Thanks again,” she said before she hung up the phone.
He stared at the cell in his hand for a moment. Had Victoria Green really just called him at four in the morning? This was probably the strangest night of his entire life.
He fell back on the pillows. The sooner he got to sleep, the sooner it would all be over.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dean had the distinct impression he was overdressed as he walked into the Green & Sons corporate offices. They were located on the thirty-first and thirty-second floor of the Hunt Building in Manhattan. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but the laidback reception area certainly wasn’t it.
The walls were a dark gray with stainless steel and wooden trim, seamlessly mixing a modern and rustic look. The only time he’d met Victoria had been at the party, so he had expected some sort of state-of-the-art, classic office space. Somehow he forgot that Victoria was the head of a hardware store chain. Of course the offices would reflect a more masculine atmosphere.
A small, older woman smiled at him from behind the reception desk. “Good morning! How can I help you today?”
Here goes nothing. “Um, I’m here for Ms. Green.” He held his breath, half waiting for security to kick him out for even daring to ask for one of the most powerful women in the city.
But instead of kicking him out, the receptionist’s grin got wider as she stood. “Mr. Carey. You’re scheduled in conference room twelve. It’’s right over here.”
Huh, he thought. This really was happening. He’d assumed that after Victoria completely blew him off at the party, he’d go on living his life, forever remembering her as the socialite who brushed him off after he saved her life.
Maybe she’d come to her senses and called the police. Of course, if that was the case, he should be at the police station, not “conference room twelve.”
The receptionist held open the door to the conference room for him. “Here you go. Would you like some coffee or a bottle of water?”
Dean took in the massive table in the center of the room. It was in the same style as the rest of the office, with a light finished wood surface and stainless steel pillars holding it up. The far wall was entirely made of windows that overlooked the city skyline. He then remembered that he’d been asked a question. “No. No coffee, thanks.”
The woman smiled. “Well, my name is Denise. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll let Victoria know that you’re here.””
He nodded as Denise let the door fall shut. He thought back to the brief phone conversation with Victoria. She said she’d make this worth his while. What the hell did that mean? Pay minimum wage for his time plus mileage? Or maybe she’’d give him some sort of reward for saving her.
He didn’t want to be greedy, but he sure as heck wouldn’t mind an extra chunk of change. Though, Greg hadn’t been lying about the rich guy needing help. He’’d made a few hundred from only helping Greg out for eight hours on Sunday.
Even though Greg could get cheap labor if he wanted, Dean was certified and had more experience than a bunch of the young high school dropouts who knew how to wire in a light switch and suddenly thought they were experts.
So between Greg and Grace, he’d had a lucrative weekend. Now after he paid his truck payment and got groceries for the week, he’d have a bit more to store in Katy’s college fund……
The door pushed open. Victoria walked in with a man in jeans and a sport coat following her. “Dean,” she said with a smile. “I’’m really happy you made it.”
She looked completely different than she had at the fancy party. Her hair was pulled back in a tight braid. Her eyes were wider, fresher looking with the bright sunlight streaming in through the wall of windows. Though every other employee was dressed casually, she still looked like a CEO in heels, a skirt, and green blouse.
Her knee-length skirt was perfectly appropriate, but he couldn’t help his eyes from zooming in on the amount of exposed leg. He had the sudden, intense urge to run his hand along the smooth calf exposed, up to her thigh until he pushed the skirt higher and higher.
He blinked and snapped out of it. “Morning,” he said, only then noticing the feminine silk scarf wrapped around her neck. Hopefully the bruises weren’t too bad, but obviously they were visible enough that makeup couldn’t hide them.
The man behind her he
ld out a hand. “Gordon Walker.”
Dean met Gordon’s handshake. The man was as tall as Dean, but probably had a good two decades on him, evidenced by the graying hair and completely gray beard.
“Gordon is what I like to call a problem solver.” Victoria sat down and motioned for the men to follow suit.
Dean sat across the table from her and eyed Gordon. “I can’t help but notice he’s not a cop.”
Victoria was straight-faced. “No. As I said, he’s a problem solver and my head of security. And, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I have problems, Mr. Carey.”
His brows drew together. “Bigger problems than someone trying to kill you?”
She shrugged. “What do you know about my family?”
“Ummm….” he murmured. “Not much.”” He had a feeling he’d know a lot more if he read any of the magazines with paparazzi photos of her on the cover, but he’d never actually picked one up. “I know your grandfather started a hardware store in North Carolina and now you’re running things.”
She ran a pen between her fingers. “There’s a bit more to it than that.” Gordon and she exchanged a look. The older man appeared to be warning her silently about something, but Victoria turned back to Dean. “Whatever we discuss in this room stays between us, do you understand?”
“Of course,” he said.
She raised a brow. “No. Not just ‘of course.’ If you betray the trust I’m about to put in you, I will ruin your business, your reputation, and anything else important to you.”
Dean squared his shoulders, facing the reminder that this wasn’t a normal business meeting. He was on the losing end of the balance of power. But he wasn’t lying. Who would he tell her secrets to anyway? “I understand,” he snapped.
“My father had a massive heart attack last week.”
He blinked a few times. He didn’t know what he expected her to say, but it sure wasn’t that.
She continued, “He’s been in a medically-induced coma ever since and the prognosis isn’t good.”
“I’m sorry,” said Dean softly.
Victoria’s face was hard, no trace of emotion showing. She was stating facts the same way some people read the financial statements. “There’s more. My brother, Terry, ran the company before me. To be frank, he almost ran Green & Sons into bankruptcy. I have been able to turn things around, but I’ve heard that Terry is back. I don’t know what my father’s will says, and there’s a very real chance all the stock is going to Terry, and I’ll be kicked out.”
She took a deep breath. Even though her face was expressionless, it did seem to stress her out that her family was falling apart. “So I need you to understand that I’m in a very delicate situation. If he contests the will, he’s going to try to prove that I’m not good for the company. At the end of the day, my number-one priority is keeping up my image. Personally and professionally. I can’t give the press or Terry any reason to think I’m in trouble. Do you understand?”
Dean leaned back in his chair. “You didn’t bring me here to give my statement. You brought me here to make sure I wouldn’t talk.””
She looked to the head of security sitting next to her. “Gordon, can you give us a moment?”
The man obediently nodded and stood up, his back ramrod straight as he turned and left the room.
Victoria shuffled in her seat and crossed her legs. “I’m laying everything on the table here. You have done me a favor already, and I want to help you out. I was going to offer to help your sister, Katy, get into any school she wants to, but I looked her up and apparently she doesn’’t need any help.”
Dean faced a mixture of pride that Victoria Green just acknowledged Katy’s amazing grades and unease that she’d done that thorough of a search on him.
Victoria leaned forward and rested on her elbows. “So I want you to tell me what I can do to repay you. I can pay off your truck. Guarantee Katy a job here as long as I’m in charge. I want you to tell me what I can do to make your life easier.”
Dean rubbed his tired eyes, still trying to recover from the insufficient sleep he’d gotten over the weekend. “So…what? If I agree to keep what happened this weekend quiet, you’’re giving me a blank check?”
Her blue eyes regarded him. “Maybe not a blank check. But I want you to understand that I’m grateful.”
“So I take your money, and that’s it? You go on trying to keep your empire, and I never mention a word of this to anyone and we never see each other again?”
“It almost sounds dirty like that. I might use Grace again for more events, so we might end up running in the same circles. But, for the purposes of any investigation, yes, you’ll be finished. I’ll have you write down anything you remember and I’ll reference that if I need to. Gordon will be my shadow until everything gets sorted out. This way, my safety and the company will both be taken care of.”
The corner of Dean’s mouth lifted. “That’ll never work with Gordon.”
She frowned. “Gordon has been in the military, hunting down the worst of the worst for over a decade, and is experienced in private investigative work as well as guarding.”
Dean wasn’t surprised in the slightest. “He’s going to stand out like a sore thumb. Have you ever had a bodyguard before?””
She ran the pen through her fingers again. “Fortunately I’ve never had the need.”
“Well, I can promise you that almost any reporter will know that Gordon is former military. And I do know that your photograph is a constant in the local papers, so it’s going to be noticed that former military is tailing you everywhere.””
For the first time since he’d arrived at the Green & Sons corporate offices, Victoria showed emotion. And not just any. She was pissed.
“So now I have to decide between keeping up appearances and not being assassinated?” she bit out.
“Can’t you just keep Gordon investigating, but get a bodyguard who will blend in better?” It couldn’’t be too hard to find. Wasn’t half the job to blend in?
“I could. But I know Gordon. I trust him. Even if I get a recommendation for someone new, I’m going to North Carolina on Thursday to visit a plant we might be purchasing. I can’t interview someone and get them cleared by then.” She bit her lip before she covered her mouth with her fingers. “I’m sorry. You don’’t have to hear all this. How about ten thousand dollars? You and Katy can go on a nice, relaxing vacation on me.” She pushed herself up. “Thanks for coming all the way down here for such a short conversation. I’’ll have the check prepared right now.”
“Hold on.” Dean slid around the table to cut off Victoria before she could reach the door. “So what are you going to do if you can’’t find a replacement before your trip?”
Her eyes looked to the floor for a brief second before they moved back up to his. “Sometimes you have to prioritize, and my priorities are clear.”
“And where does your own personal safety fall on that list? Your own brother is trying to kill you!”
Her hand shot out and wrapped around his bicep. “Keep your voice down!” she whispered.
He looked down to where her small fingers rested against his arm. Her grip relaxed briefly before she jerked away.
“There’s no proof it’s Terry. We might’ve had massive, massive disagreements in the past, but he’s still my brother.”
It took all of Dean’s concentration to not glance down to where she’d touched him. Even through his flannel button-up, his skin was warm from her touch.
“And my safety is high in my priority list, trust me. It’s just not number one. Do you know how many people almost lost their jobs when Terry was in charge of Green & Sons?” Before he could answer, she continued. “Thousands. This isn’t about me keeping my job or making money. I had enough in my trust fund to keep me very comfortable for the rest of my life. This is for family legacy. I was trusted to keep Green’’s going strong, and I’m not letting anyone, even family, destroy it.”
“What fam
ily legacy will you be protecting if you die?”
She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t be dramatic. I probably won’t die.”
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “You’re the most infuriating woman I’ve ever talked to…”
She raised a brow, and he had the distinct impression it wasn’t the first time she’d heard that. “Well, that’s the way it is, Dean. Unless you have a magical solution, I’ll just be extra careful for the next few days until Gordon can find me someone.”
Silence stretched between them, and Dean ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think of anything to tell her. Some way to fix this. But it wasn’t his problem. This was her drama. Her circus. All he had to do was take the ten grand and leave. He’d never have to think of all this again.
“What about me?” He didn’t even know where the words came from, but he couldn’t take them back.
“Huh?”
“I go on your trip with you. Watch your back, have 911 on speed dial. Next week you can have someone much more qualified start, but for now, I can be there. I already kicked one guy’s ass.”
She shifted her weight, and Dean glanced down to her gorgeous legs once more. Damn it. He was not offering because she was hot. He was offering because she needed help and he could give it.
And the fact that she was giving him ten thousand dollars didn’t hurt.
“What do you want in return?” she asked skeptically.
“You’re already giving me a hell of a lot more than I expected. So the ten grand plus the fee you’d pay Gordon?” Should he ask for more? He didn’t want to take advantage of a woman in a bad situation, but Victoria Green was hardly about to go broke because of him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She took a step back.
He held up his hands and backed away too. If she wanted to put her life at risk, it wasn’t his responsibility to shake some sense into her. “Sorry I mentioned it, okay. Either way, I can promise you that what happened last weekend will stay between us.””
Tempting The Boss Page 3