You & Me Make Three: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Three

by Jeannette Winters

  What the—

  “Have a seat.”

  Shaun. Morgan didn’t move. “I have a meeting with De—I mean Mr. Henderson.”

  “I’m Mr. Henderson,” he said, grinning wickedly at her.

  Not funny. Not at all. “Your brother. Not you.”

  He leaned back in his chair and once again looked at her in a way that made her self-conscious.

  “He didn’t tell you.” It was more a statement than a question. It was obvious that she had no clue what he was talking about.

  “Would you care to explain?” Not that I really want to be here listening to you, but you seem to be the only option I have right now.

  “Sit.”

  I’m not a dog you can command to sit. What comes next? Give you my paw? Someone really needs to put you in your place. Although I’m tempted, I think I better find out what’s going on first.

  Morgan didn’t move immediately, but he apparently wasn’t going to be forthcoming with any information until she submitted to his demand, so she reluctantly took the seat opposite from the desk. You don’t know how much I hate caving in to you. But you seem to hold all the cards. For now that is.

  “What exactly didn’t your brother tell me?”

  Shaun became much more serious and sat upright in his seat. “He’s out of the country for a week.”

  “Okay, then I guess I will reach out to Tessa.” Lexi had provided her name and number as the go-to person if Dean was unable to be reached for such things as signatures. Being his fiancée, she had access to him that others did not.

  “That’s not going to be possible.”

  “And why is that?” Was he trying to throw her off her game? Set her up so she failed on her first day? Yeah most likely. But guess what? I am more capable than you believe.

  “Tessa is with him,” Shaun stated, showing no change in emotion.

  No Dean. No Tessa. Lexi didn’t provide a plan C. “Well, I guess I . . . I could . . . maybe . . .”

  “You should give me the forms, and I’ll review and sign them.”

  She thought at first he was joking. He wasn’t on the signature list. At least, not as far as I know. He’s family. Maybe they do this all the time. I don’t know their dynamics. Heck, I don’t know anything about this family except what I read in the newspaper.

  Shaun reached across the desk waiting for the files. Morgan wasn’t sure what to do. Don’t give them to him and hold up payroll for the entire facility or hand them over and let him potentially steal his brothers banking information off the ACH transfer documents. Should I flip a coin? Or in this case, close my eyes and hope for the best. Either I lose my job, or my new coworkers kill me for not being paid. This is a no-win situation. Damn, what a way to start a new job.

  Morgan held her breath, stood up, and said, “I am sorry, but unless you have some form of proof as to your authority to review these documents, I will not be able to share them with you.”

  Rule number one from Lexi. HR is responsible for the privacy of all personnel information, and that includes payroll. Sorry Shaun, but you’re not going to make me break the rules not matter how intensely you look at me.

  If she thought he would be angry or challenge her response, she was mistaken. Instead, he dismissed her abruptly.

  “If that’s the case, I suggest you get back to work. I’ll leave you to explain to Dean when he returns next week.”

  That explanation was surely going to come with a termination if Shaun, in fact, was covering for Dean and Tessa. Morgan got up and headed for the door. Her hand was on the knob, and all she needed to do was turn it, open it, and leave. But she froze.

  “Have you changed your mind?”

  Thinking. Quit pushing already. Turning to face him, she tried to look as confident as possible. “I’ll be back by one and will have my answer then.” How I’m going to determine what to do by then, I have no clue. But I’m not going to be bullied into it. Doesn’t mean I won’t cave, but at least it will be on my terms, not yours.

  Before he could respond, she opened the door and left the office. Her heart was pounding as she made her way to the elevator. Think Morgan. Think hard. Your job and potentially freedom is on the line. You don’t want to break protocol, never mind break the law.

  She hated to do it, but she had no choice. Morgan was going to need to call Lexi and hope for an answer. The right one might be asking too much, but at this point, any guidance was better than throwing a dart blindfolded.

  Shaun had to give her credit. Most people would’ve backed down and handed him the information whether it was against company policy or the law. Morgan may have stood her ground, but he clearly saw panic in her eyes. He knew if he’d pushed her any further she would’ve crumbled. Yet something in him prevented him from doing so. Could it have been your whiskey brown eyes that begged me to challenge you? Or that pout that made you almost too hard to resist as you tried to stare me down.

  He ran his fingers through his hair frustrated at the week ahead of him. It really didn’t matter what it was. Nothing was going to happen. Shaun had no issue with enjoying a woman’s company for a night or two, but anything more than that was out of the question. Some fun with Morgan might just make the potential week from hell worth his trouble. Although she tried to portray a hell of a lot of confidence, he saw something lying beneath it. Was it insecurity or innocence? Normally he would avoid both like the plague, yet on her it looked damn good. I wonder how you feel about a casual affair?

  He laughed to himself as he recalled Dean telling him she had told off her old boss. What exactly transpired between them hadn’t been clear, but it did show she was no pushover. Too bad. It would make this week a whole lot more interesting.

  Dean failed to mention several things to him with his last minute instructions. What he thought might be minor coverage, in fact, meant reviewing final documents for a deal he’d had on the table. It was a small insignificant deal, yet anytime you dealt with Trent Davis you wanted to double check everything. He might be a friend of their older brother Brice, but when it came to business there was no such word as friend. Why the hell did I agree to this? I have my own business to run. You might be my kid brother, but you’ve never listened to my advice before. Asking me to stand in for you now wasn’t wise, but now maybe things will get done right around here.

  He looked at the clock. Two minutes before one. Letting the entire staff not get paid while Dean was out of the country might not be the direction to take, but he wasn’t going to back down. A lesson to be learned, Morgan. Don’t take a job that you’re not prepared for. Especially one with the Hendersons. We’re not known for playing nice.

  There was a knock on the door. I see you came to your senses. Good. “Come in.”

  His smug look quickly faded as he saw it was his sister, Zoey. She was dressed in business attire today. From her appearance, she must have scheduled a meeting with Dean and his staff because she never dressed like that unless she had business to attend to.

  “Good afternoon, Zoey. Where are you off to dressed like that?”

  “Here.”

  “Dean’s away unless you forgot.”

  She smiled sweetly at him. “I’m not that much older than you; my memory hasn’t gone. I just came by to make sure you weren’t going to sell the place out from underneath him. I know how much you love Poly-Shyn.”

  It wasn’t a secret to anyone about the disdain between him and his late father. No one spoke of it outside the family and rarely mentioned it among themselves. Zoey, on the other hand, never held anything back. She was like a mother hen. Always in your business and appearing out of nowhere. He and his brothers all thought her talents would be much better suited for the Secret Service than meddling in their lives.

  Shaun wasn’t about to tell her why he’d agreed to help Dean. Actually, he didn’t quite know himself. Dean was family, and no matter what differences they had in the past, they would do anything for each other. But he knew that hadn’t been his motivati
on. Not this time at least. I just want to keep an eye on Morgan. Something’s not right there. I just know it.

  “If you’re so concerned, maybe you should’ve said yes when he asked you.”

  Zoey laughed. “After Dean’s little episode with Tim when he first took over Poly-Shyn, I think I’ll keep my name out of the business side. Visiting for lunch dates is as close as you’ll ever see me.”

  Shaun still couldn’t believe how far a former employee had been willing to go for what he considered justified payback. Not that he’d ever want to see another member of his family in harm’s way again, but never had the family rallied as one before. Each of us willing to take a bullet for the other. Even months later, they all watched their backs more than they had in the past.

  Zoey had never given another person a reason to hurt her. She was the one person in the family who wasn’t an asshole. When he’d asked her one day why she was so different from them, she had the simplest answer. “I’m not. I just choose to be nice each day.” Sweet Zoey. If life only was that damn easy.

  He totally agreed with her reasoning of not having anything to do with this company. If it wasn’t Dean pissing people off, their father had had a list of enemies a mile long. The guys grew up with constant threats from their father. There wasn’t much more a stranger could do to them. They had all tried to protect Zoey from his wrath. It was still their job now to shelter her from the repercussions of being James Henderson’s offspring.

  “Understandable. Since it’s not meetings or work that brings you here, why the visit?”

  “I make it a habit to stop in on Dean and drag him from his desk for lunch each week. With him gone, guess you’re going to have to fill in.”

  Even as children Zoey always felt the need to pay extra attention to Dean. Maybe because he was the baby in the family. Or maybe because he couldn’t stay out of trouble for longer than five minutes.

  “Those aren’t shoes I want to fill, Zoey.” Not in any aspect.

  She laughed again. “Oh, you thought I was asking? No, I’m pulling the big sister card and telling you you’re taking me to lunch.”

  He would’ve laughed if he thought for one minute she was joking. When she had her mind set on something, you could argue with her for hours or just concede right away. Better if you make it quick and painless. She won’t stop until she gets her way.

  Before he could say yes or no there was another knock on the door. How does Dean get anything done in this damn place with continuous interruptions?

  “Come in.”

  This time Morgan peeked her head inside. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were in a meeting.”

  Zoey turned her head toward Morgan then back to Shaun. “New employee?”

  Shaun waved Morgan in.

  Morgan walked up to the desk. He watched her as she scanned Zoey out of the corner of her eye, then angled her face just enough to avoid seeing her altogether. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought she was checking out the competition. Maybe your distaste for me is not as strong as you make it out to be, Morgan.

  Her voice was flat as she spoke to him when she handed him the files from earlier. “The forms are ready for you to sign, Mr. Henderson.”

  As he took the manila file from her, he didn’t hold back the slight grin. “Did you change your mind?”

  Shaun loved watching her eyes turn a darker brown as she became angry. He could tell she wanted to say something else, but held her words. Just what he would expect from someone in HR.

  “I was able to obtain the information required. If you would be so kind as to sign them, I’ll be sure to process them immediately.”

  While he signed the documents Zoey, in her usual friendly form, wanted to be all warm and fuzzy. He didn’t want to break the moment.

  “Hi, I’m Shaun’s—”

  “Lunch date.”

  Zoey looked at Morgan, then shot him a puzzled look. A smile he knew all too well crossed her lips as she spoke. “Yes, and I’m famished. I can’t wait to hear how your day is going.”

  And she’s going to make me pay for this. I should’ve known better. I don’t play games, why the hell am I starting now? I’m not interested in her. This little game is fucking stupid. Although he logically knew it, he didn’t open his mouth to correct the assumption that Zoey was a date. He enjoyed seeing the fire in her eyes. I’m such an asshole.

  When he handed Morgan back the file, she nodded to him and turned to Zoey with a smile. “It was nice meeting you. Sorry about interrupting your . . . lunch.”

  Morgan had impressed him. She could do the job. But that didn’t stop him from watching the sway of her hips as she turned and left the office. I like the fire in you. And technically, you’re not my employee so you wouldn’t be breaking any HR policies if we hooked up.

  Before he could think further of the things he’d like to do with her, Zoey reminded him she was still there, waiting.

  “Oh, dear brother. With that look on your face, you’re definitely having lunch with me.”

  “I’d love to, but running two companies doesn’t really leave time for playing twenty questions with you over a long lunch.”

  Zoey stood up, but he knew better than to think she was defeated. Hendersons don’t give up. Unfortunately.

  “No problem. I’ll go and see if the new employee has time for lunch so I don’t have to eat alone.”

  Shaun rose from his seat, which Zoey knew he would. She had a way of tormenting her brothers until she got her way. If she ever decided to use it in business, she’d be the scariest of them all. Her tactics, although subtle, were extremely effective.

  “One hour, Zoey. Your choice, eat or talk, but you’ve got only one hour, understood?”

  She linked her arm in his and laughed softly. “I think I’ll eat, and you can talk. The conversation is going to be so much more interesting that way.”

  And again I ask myself: why the hell did I say yes to Dean?

  As he sat across from Zoey, his mind strayed back to Morgan. There was something about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

  “Okay, Shaun, you might as well tell me what’s troubling you.”

  Normally he’d keep his concerns to himself, but not after the year they’d just had. He downed the last of his coffee before speaking.

  “I can’t stop thinking about Morgan.”

  Zoey nodded. “Ah, the new employee. I was hoping you’d bring her up.”

  He raised a hand to stop where her thoughts were going. “It’s not what you think.”

  “And what do I think?” Zoey had a grin on her face as she knew she’d cornered him.

  He wasn’t going to take the bait. “We never saw it coming last time, the danger and betrayal, and all because someone came out of the shadows thinking we owed them something. I mean, Tim shooting Dean and kidnapping Tessa. That should be an eye opener to us all that we have targets on our backs. We can’t just hire someone off the street.”

  Zoey sat quietly, watching him for minute. Don’t read more into this than what I said. I’m only concerned for the family. That’s all.

  “And you think she’s what exactly? A spy? A hitman? She seemed sweet and genuine to me.”

  Shaun shook his head. “No. But there is something off about her. Did you know Dean hired her on the spot without speaking to her?”

  “No. That is odd. But the way Dean goes through staff, what’s the difference? If it weren’t for Tessa, this place would probably close its doors because no one would work for him. God knows I couldn’t.”

  Dean was tough to work for. He expected and demanded perfection. It made him successful when he didn’t have people working beneath him. He was only a few years younger than Shaun, but he still had been able to make his mark in the business world. It was odd, because unlike him, Dean hadn’t gone to college. He was more street-smart and was willing to take more risks. That could one day come with a high price. Higher than getting shot.

  “He’s not thinking this
through. The only recommendation this woman had was from Lexi Chambers.”

  Zoey laughed and almost choked on her coffee. “That would be a red flag for me. I mean she’s nice and everything, but reliability isn’t her strength.”

  “I can’t understand why Dean kept her on as long as he did.”

  “Oh, that’s simple. Tessa likes her, and she really did a great job. I can’t believe she up and quit like that, but that’s Lexi. So what are you going to do about Morgan? I can see it’s driving you crazy.”

  He knew what he’d do if it were his company. Actually I never would have hired her, so I guess I wouldn’t have this issue.

  “I need to find out about her background.”

  “You mean to get her references?”

  “Those can be falsified easily.”

  “Well, I still have Bennett Stone’s number if you want it. Really think it through before going down that path. If you’re interested in her in any way, I would suggest asking her and not investigating her.”

  I’m not interested. He could tell himself that over and over again, but his body told a different story. It didn’t change that he needed to find out how she managed to show up at Poly-Shyn at the perfect time. Shaun didn’t believe in coincidences or fate. There was more to the story, and he was going to find out what it was. If things didn’t add up, he wanted her out of there before Tessa and Dean returned. The last thing anyone needed was another incident.

  “Just give me the number and don’t worry about how I obtain the answers. Just know that I will.” We can’t afford to be blindsided like that again. If Dean isn’t on top of his game, then I’ll have to watch his back for him.

  Chapter Three

  Morgan couldn’t get home fast enough. She didn’t know why seeing Shaun Henderson with another woman bothered her, but it had. The rest of the day, no matter how she tried to concentrate on her work, the words on the screen became one big jumble. No matter what she tried, she thought of him. It was maddening and not like her.