She tilts her head. “Easy enough.”
“I’ll work with Wendy to pull the files I’ll need on your staff. How many are on your team?”
“Twenty-two, not including me.”
With that settled, I pick up the phone and hit the button to call Wendy.
“Word up, boss man,” she chirps into the line.
“Did Royce have you do a full write-up on Stanton Cybertech while we were in San Francisco?” I gaze out the window, so I don’t gaze at my client.
“Yessiree, Bob. I’ve got full files on all twenty-two employees and another on Alexis Stanton. Figured if something funky is going on at her company, you’d want all the info you could get your hands on.”
I smile huge and turn around in my chair. “Excellent. Also, you’re going to need to plan flights and hotels for all four of us.”
“Four?” There’s excitement in her tone that can’t be denied.
“Yes, ma’am. You’re going to be a new hire at Stanton Cybertech, starting tomorrow morning. We need to move on this and fast.”
“Holy shit, boss! Rock on! I can’t wait to tell Sir Mick! My first undercover mission. This. Is. Awesome!” She gasps the last word as if I’m making every last one of her dreams come true.
“Glad you think so. We’ll talk more when I’ve finished here, but bring me the files.”
“Righty ho!” she announces, and hangs up.
I turn back around to Alexis, who is taking me in. And when I say taking me in, I mean all the way in. The way a tiger scopes out a raw steak. She licks her lips and jostles her chest, wiggling in her chair. I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek not to take the bait and say something totally inappropriate.
“Okay, that’s settled. Tell me a little bit more about the products you say were stolen.”
3
Alexis Stanton’s office is the exact opposite of ours. Where Team IG prides itself on crisp and sleek designs, Stanton Cybertech lives for comfort. Her office feels more like a home than a place of business. If it weren’t set up in a multilevel warehouse on the outskirts of Montreal, I would have believed this could be her home. It’s unsettling and bizarre. I stand up and walk around the space as Royce waits patiently in one of the deep-cushion, high-back chairs in front of a fireplace. Yep, a fireplace. Directly across from that fireplace are a couch and coffee table.
I look at Royce, and he smiles one of his shit-eating grins. I shrug. “Weird right? It’s not just me?” I hook a thumb toward the other half of her office, which has an eighty-inch flat screen with an old beat-up wooden desk facing it. On top of the desk, a slim laptop, a phone, and a Tiffany-style lamp, complete with a flower pattern in the stained glass, are the only things that rest on the surface. A bookcase hugs each side of the flat screen.
“Different strokes for different folks, as Momma would say.” Royce fingers his tie and smooths it back into place.
I walk over to one of the bookcases and scan each shelf. All of the pictures are of Alexis with a much younger man. A brother perhaps, since they share the same facial structure.
Alexis saunters in, carrying two cups of steaming coffee and wearing a smile. “Hi, boys. Thought you might want a shot of caffeine.”
“Thank you.” I reach for one of the mugs. Her thumb caresses mine as she pulls away. I glance up to find her smirking.
She offers a saucy wink and then brings the other mug to Royce. Her attire today is similar in fit and scope to what she wore the other day, though the black halter top is more revealing. Her double Ds are bulging against the deep V of the neckline, and the hem barely touches the top of her matching black slacks. There’s a thin looped belt slung around her hips, bringing the eye to her hourglass shape. On her feet are my kryptonite: a pair of dark-red stilettos.
Sexy as fuck.
I clench my jaw and suck in a long, slow breath, waiting for the frustration to pass.
Royce glances my way over the mug he’s sipping from and clears his throat. “Ms. Stanton—”
“Alexis. Please. We’re all very informal around here. Everyone calls me Lexie, actually.”
Roy nods. “Okay, Lexie, what does the team know so far?”
She stands near her desk, opens her laptop, and hits a button. The flat screen comes to life showing fifteen different squares. Each square is where a camera is planted in a different location in her warehouse.
“Well, as you can see on screen two, Wendy is sitting with Kidd, deep in training on our systems. According to him, she’s a very quick study. More than that. Last night he told me it was strange that she wanted to work for us in a lower-level coding and analysis position, when he thinks she’s a bit of a genius and could work anywhere. We might have to bring him in on our secret spy work.”
I smile, proud of my own quick smarts in hiring Wendy. “Who’s Kidd?”
This time, Alexis preens, her face taking on a beautiful glow. “My baby brother.”
“Fella’s name is Kidd?” Royce chuckles.
Alexis’s expression completely morphs from one of happiness to annoyance. “Yes, our parents were hilarious.” Her words are laced with disdain.
Royce stands up, lifting his hands in surrender. “Hey now, Ms. Stanton, Lexie, I meant no offense. My name is Royce, not so common either. And the fact that his name is Kidd and he’s your kid brother was humorous. I apologize for not being more professional.”
She shakes her head and runs her fingers through her long tresses before going up to the bookcase and picking up one of the photos. “No, it’s just . . . it’s not your fault, okay? I’m protective of him. He’s all I’ve got in the world, and he’s been down a rough road. Our parents hated his mere existence, feeling caged in by having another baby late in life when they didn’t want one. Later, he dealt with bullies in school, fighting until he was beaten bloody and everything in between. I’m his only family, and he’s mine. We disowned our parents long ago. And now, he’s doing so well, and he’s only twenty-three.”
“Royce meant no harm,” I say, backing him up, and walk to her side to look at the image in the frame she’s holding. It’s the two of them back-to-back in front of the office sign.
She laughs dryly. “I know, I’m sorry, Royce. No harm done. Really.”
Royce dips his chin and puts his hands in his pockets.
“Did you notify the rest of the team about our arrival?” I circle the conversation back around to work.
She nods. “Had a late meeting yesterday and introduced Wendy, which everyone seemed to take in stride. Then I mentioned we had a new client coming in tomorrow, and the two of you coming midmorning today. Royce, I’m going to drop you off with my CFO to start the evaluation of our finances. Parker, I’m going to set you up in one of the small cozy conference rooms to start your interviews.”
I clap my hands together absentmindedly and hiss when the pain from my broken fingers and stitched palm ripples up my arm.
Alexis rushes to grab my wrists and cradle my hands. “Poor baby. How did it happen?” She leans down and places a kiss on the top of my hand the way a mother would her small child. Except when she’s done, still hovering over my hand, she lifts her gaze and grins wickedly, blatantly flirting.
Jesus, what the hell am I going to do with this woman?
Royce jingles some change in his pocket, which seems to knock the client from her trance. She slowly eases her body up, making sure to jut her chest out for maximum cleavage perusal. It takes everything I have in me not to take the bait. I mean, I can look if I want. Skyler and I are done.
D-o-n-e.
At least I know we are. She should know after her betrayal, but I can’t go there with Alexis, knowing I haven’t broken it off with Skyler.
I don’t even know if I’d want to anyway. For the first time in my life I’m not ready to jump into the sack with a hot blonde.
My chest tightens, and I swallow down the dryness in my throat.
“Shall I take you both to your spaces?”
I lift my hand to open the door. “After you, Alexis.”
“Oh, no, no, I insist.” She smirks and opens her office door for the two of us to pass through. We do, and as we walk forward, I glance over my shoulder to see she’s definitely taking in our asses from behind. I stop abruptly, and she brings a shiny red fingernail to her teeth and bites it, smiling around the digit while maneuvering her body in front of mine, her chest just barely grazing mine.
She bats her eyelashes. “Sorry.” Even though her tone is teasing, I’m gritting my teeth.
I bite into my cheek until I taste the metallic flavor of my own blood. The pain reminds me not to respond. I’m not getting into anything with Alexis. Hell, I’m not getting into anything with any client again. Ever. Been there, twice now. The first worked out aces, with me having my first ever female friend. The second tore through my heart, dropped it on the floor, and dug her spiked heel into it for good measure.
“Funny, Alexis, but we don’t know where we’re going,” I remind her, doing my best to play along without leading her on.
“I know where I’d like to go,” she states, scanning my suit-clad form up and down while wiggling her body enough to make her big boobs jiggle.
“Jesus,” I blurt, and glance away from the show.
Royce’s eyebrows rise up on his forehead as he covers his shock with one of his big paws.
“Just teasing.” She chuckles, moving in front of us down the hall. “Come on, boys, we’ll do the rounds. I’ll introduce you formally to each department and give a reminder of what you’re here to do. Then I’ll leave Royce with my CFO and get you, Parker, settled into your own private space for the week.” Her voice dips with innuendo on the last sentence.
Sweet mother of God. I cannot deal with a woman wanting my attention. Not now. Not this week, when I don’t even know which way is up or down.
I clap Royce on the back and urge him to go ahead of me, adding distance between Alexis and me.
“Am I your human shield now?” he whispers under his breath as we follow her through the center of the warehouse.
“Is that a problem?”
His coal-like gaze shoots to mine. “Never, brother. I’ll guard you with everything I’ve got. Whether it be tech goddesses or hot celebrity blondes, I’ve always got your back.”
I purse my lips and nod tightly, letting the situation wash over me.
I’m not strong enough to handle what getting into anything with Alexis would entail, nor do I want to. I’m the weakest I’ve ever been, and if I’m being honest with myself, I’d just be using her to forget someone else. After the shit that went down with Kayla, I promised myself I’d never treat a woman like just a warm body and nothing more. I’ve grown up. The man I was in college is not the man I am today. I’d like to believe I’m stronger, more mature, and I respect the female mind and body as much as my own. A night in the sheets with Alexis would feel good for the time it took to get off. Then reality would strike, and I’d be in the exact same position I’m in now, only with another hole in my notch-filled belt.
Right then my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and note the display.
From: Peaches
To: Parker Ellis
Just seeing her nickname, I feel warmth spread over my entire body like a blanket on a cold night in Massachusetts. I clench my jaw and take a deep breath while following Alexis and holding my phone so tight it might have dents by the time I get to wherever she is leading me. I don’t read the message and shove the damn thing in my pocket.
Alexis introduces us to a slew of staff before dropping Roy off at finance and leading me to a corner of the building that seems outside of the action. It almost feels like she’s leading me to the guillotine, though I’m sure it’s the effect of the burning-hot coal in my pocket in the form of a message from my ex-girlfriend that’s messing with my heart and mind.
“Here we are.” Alexis opens the door to what looks like a reading room.
“You gotta be kidding me. This is a conference room?”
She smiles and shrugs. “I prefer to spend my time at work being comfortable. I’m here so much, I need things that put me at ease and in a good headspace to keep my muse happy.”
“Your muse?”
Alexis leans her hip against the arm of the couch and crosses her arms over her massive chest. The effect has her boobs practically falling out of her halter. I can’t help but take in the fleshy globes. They’re practically calling out my name, waving a red flag to get my attention.
“Mm-hmm. You know what else keeps my muse happy?” Once again, her voice is sultry and dripping with a flirtatious flare.
My mouth goes dry as my body heats and reacts to her blatant sexuality, making me afraid to ask. “I wouldn’t have a clue.” The words come out sounding scratchy.
She smirks, knowing the kind of attention and effect her body, voice, and forward nature produce when it comes to the male species. Alexis Stanton is a man’s wet dream incarnate. She looks like a Playboy bunny, dresses like a high-end escort, but speaks her mind like a man. I can’t help but wonder if this is a facade. A mask she wears to throw off the opposite sex.
According to her background file from Wendy, she’s not only at the top of her game and smart as hell, she’s obliterated the competition in her field, all of whom were male competitors. She’s been seen publicly with two of those men in what looked like romantic situations, but none have claimed to be in a relationship with her. At least none have admitted publicly to a romantic entanglement. Perhaps that’s why her main competitor has scored her product information and released it early. They’re going after her for personal reasons. It’s definitely food for thought and something to look into more.
“Have a seat, Mr. Ellis, and if you’re lucky, I’ll show you instead of tell you.” She lifts her hand, runs it down the side of her rib cage, and rests it delicately on a well-rounded hip.
As I move around her toward the couch, she reaches out that same hand and runs her finger down the center of my chest, stopping at the top of my slacks and belt buckle.
I jump back. “Ms. Stanton, Lexie . . .” I cough and raise my good hand between us. “Look, you are a beautiful woman—”
“I’m glad you think so.” She takes a single step forward as I take one step back.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” I gesture to her chest and then mine.
Her eyes light up with a mischievous twinkle, and my heart sinks.
“Oh, but I think it’s a very good idea. You see, I’m the boss, you’re the boss . . .”
I shake my head. “I’m-I’m just coming out of a relationship,” I state lamely.
She frowns. “Aw, that sounds harsh. Let me kiss it and make it feel better like I did your hand.” She advances another step until my ass is resting against the round table in the center of the room.
“Alexis, as I said, you’re . . . pretty . . .”
Her lips twitch. “Now I’m just pretty? I think you’re trying to talk yourself out of touching me when you’re clearly interested. I’ve seen the way you look at me, at my body. You want me as much as I want you. I’m rarely wrong as it pertains to chemistry between people. Your energy combined with mine . . . would be explosive!” She loops both of her hands around my neck and presses her boobs against my chest.
I keep my hands at my sides. “Jesus.” My temperature rises along with my cock, and I feel dizzy, like I’ve had a couple of cocktails. “Another time, another place, you would be . . . hell, you would be the one up against the wall with your dress around your waist. Except, I’m not in the right headspace. I told you. I’m coming out of a relationship. It’s uh . . . very . . . fresh,” I finish lamely.
“Mm-hmm . . .” She runs her nose down the side of my cheek and down to my neck. A tremor ripples up my spine, goading me to take what she’s offering as the heat of her breath tickles my skin. My dick perks up even more and hardens in my pants.
She smiles. “Your mouth is coming up with al
l kinds of excuses, but your body is responding to me.”
I lick my lips, and her gaze drops to my mouth. Christ! She doesn’t miss a beat.
She lifts up onto her toes, her body now fully flush against mine from chest to knees. I close my eyes and breathe through the sensation, desperately trying not to respond to her nearness, the scent of honeysuckle mixed with melon wafting in the air from her body, her warmth, those succulent breasts bulging so far out of her top that if I dipped my head a few inches, I could run my tongue along the fleshy surface.
I groan, finally bringing my hands to her hips. She smiles and hovers close to my lips. I can practically taste the coffee on her breath.
“Are you saying no?” she asks.
This moment. It’s a moment I’ll likely regret for the rest of my life. The moment I was offered a feast of carnal delights when I was absolutely starved for attention, for human touch, for the desire to just let it all disappear and gorge. Gorge on all the beauty Alexis is offering, but the knife wedged in my heart by Skyler is still there, dripping blood, making it hard to take a single breath. The blackness surrounding my soul isn’t ready to leave, not even for a blessed moment.
I push her hips back. Her hands drop from around my neck.
“I’m saying, not now.” I swallow the dust coating my throat.
She cocks an eyebrow and smiles sexily. “That’s not a no. In my experience, that’s an official maybe. I can live with that. When you’re ready to have some guilt-free fornication . . .” She steps away and heads to the door, where she stops and taps the doorframe. “. . . I’m your girl.” She winks and leaves me standing with a semi and a bleeding heart.
I close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, go over to the door, and close it.
What have I gotten myself into? I need to just tell her to back off.
I let it go too far.
Why did I do that?
Because I’m weak. I’m hurting. Worse, I don’t know how to fix this empty feeling inside of me. The old me would have had Alexis naked and bent over the table in two minutes, tops. This me, the one who’s still in love with my ex and can’t stop being wrapped up in the agony of not having her in my life to take advantage of a good time, leans against the door, defeated and numb, before I remember she texted about a half hour ago. I pull out my phone and scan the text:
International Guy: Milan, San Francisco, Montreal (International Guy Volumes Book 2) Page 30