Love Under Protection (425 Madison Avenue Book 15)

by Aubree Valentine

  “Of course, there are cameras,” I grunt.

  “Any blind spots?”

  “Depends on why you’re asking,” I reply, taking a seat in one of the oversized lounge chairs. I do my best model pose, which is actually pretty shitty if you ask me but the corners of Raylynn’s mouth twitch and she tries hard not to laugh.

  “Noted. We’ll come back to that.” She slips into the chair across from me and leans back, looking up at the sky.

  As promised, I keep my mouth shut and let her work out whatever it is she needs to. I’ve lost track of how much time has passed when she finally speaks again.

  “You can’t really see the stars around here, can you?”

  “Uhm,” I mumble, unsure if I’m supposed to answer her or if she’s talking out loud to herself.

  She laughs and looks at me. “You can talk.”

  “Oh. Yeah, you can’t really see the stars too well, with all the pollution and city lights.”

  “Hm. I think that may be one thing I miss about back home.”

  “There are other places to go see the stars. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the city for a while.”

  “But not for too long, right?”

  “Depends on the person.” I shrug my shoulders. “Some people really like city life. Others crave the country.”

  “And you’re a city guy, through and through. Right?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly say that. I don’t mind getting the hell away from here sometimes. I don’t always have a good reason to, and work seems to keep me pretty busy if I let it.”

  I’m not really sure what point she’s trying to make here.

  “I think I’m the same way. Georgia was always home, but then I got the chance to travel and spend weeks at a time in all these different cities around the world. I can see how easy it would be to get caught up in the hustle and bustle. It would be easy to become addicted to it if you enjoyed it.”

  “Do you want to talk about it? About Georgia, I mean,” I offer.

  “Ugh. I’m not really sure there is much to talk about. My ex is a giant douche who is on an ego trip and has decided that he’s going to try to get back at me for threatening to tell his father, the CEO of the company, all about his son’s misgivings. He wasn’t satisfied with basically paying me off, so he did what dumbasses with more money than brains do. He bought out the apartment complex where I live, made up some bullshit to get me evicted, and my lawyer says we’re basically in a stalemate situation. So, I did something stupid and called up his father. A guy who I thought used to like me, as a model employee and as a suitor for his son. Seems Sawyer got to him first and now I’m the gold-digging whore who deserves to be destroyed.”

  “What the actual fuck.”

  Raylynn runs her hands over her face. “Good times.”

  “There’s nothing your lawyer can do?”

  “Not without proof of Sawyer’s affair, or affairs. It’s just my word against his.”

  I’ve never wanted to kill a man as much as I do right now. “That sounds like a whole lot of bullshit.”

  “Tell me about it. He didn’t just take my home away; he destroyed any chance I have at getting a damn job in Georgia because money and reputation talks. People believe the smoke and mirrors. His name means something. Mine doesn’t. Anyway. Enough about me. Tell me why you’ve been avoiding me like the plague.”

  I snort and shake my head. “I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve been working.”

  “Now who’s spewing bullshit?”

  “Christ, woman. It’s not bullshit.”

  She shoots me a death glare that has me folding.

  “Okay, fine. It’s not complete bullshit. I have been working like crazy the last few days, which worked out in my favor because I wasn’t sure where we stood or what your moving here meant for us.”

  Raylynn walks over to me and squeezes beside me on the chair then touches my cheek. “See this is why I like you. You don’t pull any punches.”

  “You sure don’t either.”

  “True,” she chuckles and runs a hand across my chest. “Thank you for helping Jameson move my shit in. I didn’t have a chance to say thanks before you fled like your ass was on fire. I would have done it myself…”

  I kiss her fingertips and cut her off. “Olivia told me you weren’t feeling too hot. It was no big deal. How’s life with those two? Need a pair of earplugs?”

  “Liv said you’d likely say something about earplugs.” She smiles. “It’s actually been fun, mostly. We’re not ready to kill each other yet. It hasn’t even been a week though, there’s still time.”

  “You know, if they ever get to be too much to handle, I’m right next door.”

  Her smile turns sad. “Hmm. I think I really need a friend right now. What we had was a lot of fun, I don’t know that I’m ready to jump into another relationship yet.”

  And there it is. All out on the table.

  “I can’t say I blame you for that. I can be a friend, or I can sure as hell try. Whatever you need, I’m there.”

  “I’d like that.” She pecks my cheek. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 22

  Raylynn

  I’m sitting at the kitchen counter with my laptop, scrolling through job ads when Olivia and Jameson come in from work.

  “Honey, we’re home,” Jameson jokes, dropping his keys on the table by the door while Liv kicks off her shoes and lets her hair down.

  “Oh, something smells good!”

  “I made my wifey and husband dinner,” I muse and climb down from the stool to grab the enchiladas from the warmer. “These babies are ready when you guys are.”

  “I’m going to go wash up and change, be right back,” Jameson says.

  Liv grabs plates and sets the table.

  “I mixed up some margaritas too.” I pull out the margarita glasses and grab the drink pitcher from the fridge.

  “Hm. I could get used to this.” Liv hip checks me on my way past. “Seriously, though, you know you don’t have to do this.”

  I shrug. “I know, but it’s not like I’m doing anything else. I can’t get a single place to call me back when I put in an application, and the job pickings are getting slim. God, I’ve even considered bartending.”

  It's been almost a month since I moved and still no luck. Part of me worries that Sawyer is already one step ahead of me and has done damage here too.

  “No! Lord no. You do not want to bartend in the city. And the nicer places tend to have shitty owners. Becca can tell you all about that.” Liv pauses. “Wait! That’s it. I wonder if Emmy or Levi can get you in somewhere.”

  “Uhm. Don’t they both work for cosmetic companies?”

  Liv nods. “They do. But Levi owns King Cosmetics. I bet you he could find an opening.” She pulls her phone from her pants pocket and starts texting.

  “Wait, I have a degree in Human Resources and Management, what exactly would I do at a place like King Cosmetics.”

  “Hey. Don’t get all nervous.” Liv waves her phone at me. "Emmy said she will check at work. She also mentioned that King just posted several job ops so she's going to talk to Levi. I wish I would have thought about this sooner."

  “Whoa.” I wasn’t expecting that at all.

  “I gave Emmy your number to have Levi call you.” Liv hugs me. “You’re welcome.”

  “Uh. Yeah. Thanks.” I’m still stunned.

  Jameson pads barefoot across the apartment, dressed in his usual evening attire of basketball shorts and a Bulldogs t-shirt. “Damn, she even made margaritas. Babe, you sure you’re not open to a third?” He wiggles his eyebrows, and I nearly throw up in my mouth.

  Liv hits him in the arm. “Shut up. Oh my God, I can’t even with you. Don’t make things weird.” She looks at me. “He’s kidding. I swear.”

  “No offense, Ray, but yeah. Kidding. Though we’ll really keep you around if you keep taking care of us like this.”

  “Thanks, Jay.” I roll my eyes and take a seat.
<
br />   We finish dinner, and I send the two lovebirds off while I clean up, in spite of Liv’s protests to let them clean up since I cooked. In the end, I win out when Jameson tosses her over his shoulder and carries her away.

  The last dish is in the dishwasher and everything is cleaned up, I’m about to head to my room to read a book on my Kindle when my phone buzzes.

  It’s a local number but not one I’m familiar with. Still, I answer it anyway, hoping that it may be someone requesting an interview. “This is Raylynn.”

  “Raylynn. This is Levi King. Emmy tells me you’re looking for a job.”

  “Oh. Yes, I am,” I reply in shock.

  “Are you free tomorrow? I’ve got some time around noon; we can sit down and talk.”

  Holy shit. Can this be for real?

  “Yes, of course. Noon is perfect.”

  “Great. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll text you the company address. When you come in, let them know you’re here to see me, and they’ll send you back. I’ll text my email address as well, if you could email your resume over tonight, I would appreciate it.”

  “That’s perfect, I can take care of that right now. Thank you for the opportunity.”

  “My pleasure. Have a good evening, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He hangs up, and I stare down at my phone. That really happened. I have an interview tomorrow. At King Cosmetics. I gather my laptop from the counter and go to my room to email my resume and do some research on the company before tomorrow.

  Levi King stands to greet me when his assistant knocks and lets me into his office. I take a quick look around and do my best to calm my nerves with a few deep breaths. It doesn’t help at all that I feel like someone was following me on my way here.

  I push the uneasiness down and focus on right here and now.

  My first impression of Levi is that he’s young, much younger than I expected. He looks like he comes from money but is the type who doesn’t try to flaunt it. There’s a wedding ring on his finger and a picture of his wife, who I recognize as Becca, sitting on the bookcase behind him.

  “Miss Mancini, pleasure to meet you.” He extends his hand.

  I give his hand a firm shake in return. “Mr. King, thank you again for meeting with me so soon.”

  “Please, call me Levi. Mr. King is my father.”

  “Understood.”

  He guides me to a small seating area. “Have a seat.”

  Levi takes a spot on the chair opposite of me, and I immediately offer him my resume.

  “I see you’ve got your Master’s in Business Management and Human Resources,” he says while looking over the papers in his hand. “From Georgia Southern University.”

  “Yes, Sir. I graduated in the top five percent of my class.”

  “Excellent,” he nods. “Says here that you were with the same company since high school and that you were promoted to executive assistant to the Vice President of the company?”

  He doesn’t even have to say Sawyer’s name for knots to form in my stomach.

  “That’s correct.”

  “And your departure from this company?” This time he looks up at me.

  “Their morals no longer aligned with my own, and I felt that I had reached my full potential within the company,” I say just like I rehearsed.

  “Miss Mancini…”

  “You can call me Raylynn,” I offer.

  “Raylynn. As promised, I reviewed your resume this morning and made a few calls. Flynn Patrick Enterprises says that you were terminated for conduct unbecoming. I have to admit, with your impeccable history and accolades, I was a bit surprised.”

  Shit. This interview was over before I even walked in the door.

  “I realize this is my word against his, but Mr. King, I assure you that there are some substantial discrepancies with their side of the story. The only unbecoming conduct I am guilty of is agreeing to a relationship with the Vice President, Sawyer Flynn.”

  “I see. And as someone with Human Resources knowledge, you do understand the trouble that poses? In fact, most companies have policies in place against employee fraternization. I also understand that there is an ongoing civil dispute between you and Sawyer Flynn.”

  “I understand the conflict of interest. FlynnPatrick Enterprises did not have any such policies. Sawyer and I were engaged. If I may be honest, I said that our morals no longer aligned. I am unable to say anything further due to the non-disclosure agreement I signed when I resigned, though I’m sure a man of your intelligence can read between the lines and make your own assumptions about what really might have happened. With all due respect, Sawyer Flynn is simply acting like an entitled brat because I finally wised up and could no longer be pushed around. I refuse to be a pawn in his twisted games. In return, he’s made it his life’s mission to ruin me. Tell me something, Mr. King, did FlynnPatrick Enterprises tell you how they set up a shell company to buy out my apartment management company and then have me evicted? Is that something you would do to an employee who quit or was terminated from your company?” The words flow from my mouth and feel beyond my control. At this point, I can’t even bring myself to care. If I’ve already blown this interview, I might as well put it all out there.

  “That’s…” He blows out a whistle. “That’s a lot of information.”

  “You’ll see that I have not been able to secure employment since my departure date from FlynnPatrick. Do you know why that is? Because I’d be happy to tell you.”

  Levi lets out a nervous laugh. “After the phone call I had with the company this morning, I can imagine.”

  I stand and smooth my hands over my knee-length. “I appreciate you meeting with me today anyway. That’s more than any other company has done since this has all went down. It was nice to meet you. I won’t take up any more of your time.”

  “Whoa,” Levi immediately stands. “You’re leaving?”

  “There’s no sense in staying when you’ve already made up your mind.”

  “I think there is a misunderstanding.” He shakes his head. “To put it bluntly...fuck Sawyer Flynn and FlynnPatrick Enterprises. Listen, Raylynn, I’m only vaguely familiar with their company from their interest in buying us out a long time ago. That said, I can tell you that Sawyer Flynn’s reputation is questionable at best. I apologize for upsetting you. I hope you can understand my need to get the full picture. In all honesty, Emmy shared with me a little about why you are in the city now, and so when I called you up last night, I already knew I wanted to meet you and see how I could help. But after one look at your resume, I knew I wanted you on my team. I even went as far as to have an official offer written up...”

  Every fiber of my being wants to say yes.

  Levi moves over to his desk and picks up an envelope. “How about this? You take this with you. Look it over, think about it. Give yourself a week to get back to me. If you want the job, it’s yours.”

  I take the envelope and turn it over in my hands. “I...okay. I’ll review your offer and get back to you.”

  “One more thing before you go.”

  I nod.

  “You should know that King Cosmetics is a family company. Each employee is treated with the utmost respect. What happened to you with your last employer will not happen here. Ever.”

  Emotions swim to the surface. “I appreciate that. I’ll be in touch.”

  Levi escorts me to the lobby and sees me off.

  When I get to the elevators, I tuck the envelope in my handbag and claim my jacket from the receptionist. Once I’m situated, I hustle out of the building and head for home.

  The eerie feeling I had on my way here lingers. I must look crazy looking over my shoulder every few minutes. I try to convince myself it’s only in my head, and because I’m not used to the crowded city streets. Still, I feel like someone’s eyes are on me.

  The feeling doesn’t go away until I’m back in the comfort and security of the apartment building.

  Chapter 23

 
; Harley

  “7971 is 10-10,” I radio in to dispatch and shut off my patrol car. They reply, letting me know that I’m confirmed off duty. I’ve got a full twenty-four hours off before I need to be back.

  I take the elevator in the underground garage up to the fifth floor and unlock my apartment door, but not before I look over at Jameson and Olivia’s apartment where Raylynn’s staying. I wonder if she’s home and if she’d be up for going out with a friend for a few drinks.

  I’m two seconds from knocking on the door when I change my mind and decide to at least change out of my uniform and get a shower first. Then if I’m still feeling social, I’ll send her a text, that way there is no pressure.

  One by one, I pop the buttons on my shirt while heading to the bedroom. I take my time hanging up my duty belt and locking up my gun, then I finish stripping down. The hot water from the shower is beating down on me within minutes. I don’t waste any time cleaning up or drying off.

  I slip on a pair of boxer briefs and lay back on the bed with my phone in hand to send off a quick text to Raylynn. When I swipe up on the screen to unlock it, I’m surprised to see that I’ve already got a message waiting - from her.

  Raylynn: Uhm. Hi, friend. Guess who got a job today! I feel like celebrating. Drinks, if you’re free?

  Me: You sure you’re not a mind reader? It’s been a long week, let’s do this. Monterey’s?

  Raylynn: Eww. No. Not that place. Coyote Ugly?

  Me: This feels like a trap. You want to take me to a place where women dance on the bar?

  Raylynn: Don’t be a jerk. I’ve never been, and ya never know, I may jump up there and dance, too.

  Ah, fuck no. Damnit.

  In what universe does this woman think that sounds like a good idea? ‘Let’s just be friends, but let’s go out, and I’ll dance on the bar top.’ Fuck that.

  Me: Last time I was in there, I got kicked out. Long story. O’Hara’s by Battery Park?