Blackmailing The Billionaire (Billionaire Bachelors - Book 5) (6 page)

“If this was such a bad day for the interview to start, we could’ve waited until tomorrow,” she told him.

“And you would’ve believed I was telling the truth?” he asked. He knew her better than she thought, because no, she wouldn’t have.

Max was second guessing the entire interview process. It gave him an excuse to figure out why she affected him, but he didn’t like having to explain himself, nor the invasion of his privacy. He thought about the kiss a few moments ago and couldn’t keep the smile from his face. He could get used to waking up like that each morning. He wasn’t a saint and had been with many beautiful women, but he never spent the night with them. Once his needs were met he had no desire to cuddle and tell each other their life story. He’d never actually woken up with a woman, and found it wasn’t an unpleasant experience. Cassie McIntyre had him intrigued.

On the other hand, his father and uncle were all for the interview, saying it would be good for the company. Anything those two men were happy about would end up causing him a huge headache. They’d never met Cassie before the accident so he didn’t see how they could be involved with any of this, but he was going to be weary anyway. He was especially nervous with her staying at his uncles, but she’d be cleared to move back to her own place in a few more days. He didn’t like the idea of her being on her own, but she’d recovered remarkably well and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He shouldn’t care where she stayed, anyway.

“I need coffee and food. I haven’t had any of either since last night,” he said as he stood up. He went to the couch and quickly put his socks and shoes on, then stood and straightened his clothes. He stepped through a door she assumed was a bathroom and came out looking much better than when he’d went in.

“Do I need my jacket?” she asked, not sure if they were leaving the building.

“No, we’ll eat here. They have a café on the first floor.” He led her from the room and quickly walked to the elevator. They were silent on the way down. She needed to get better control over herself because she was never going to get a Pulitzer Prize from a silent interview. She shook her head to clear it and as the doors opened into the busy lobby she felt better. Hustle and bustle she could deal with. Silence, not so much.

“Do you eat here often?” she asked. She wanted to smack herself in the head. All the questions she could ask and she started off with something that lame. He didn’t even bother to answer, he just looked at her with a brow raised. “I actually wanted to know if you often spend the night here at the offices.”

“Curious about my love life, Cassie?” he asked suggestively. Cassie stared at him wide-eyed, too shocked for a moment to say anything. She took a deep breath as she heard his chuckle. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her.

“Not in the least, though, I’m sure some of my readers will love to know just how eligible you are. I’m simply trying to establish how hard you work,” she said a bit smugly, then stepped in front of him to enter the large café. What he called a café actually resembled more of a hospital cafeteria. It was huge. There was a buffet style serving area with a line of people, and employees serving food that smelled delicious. She heard her stomach growl and decided she was hungry, herself.

She grabbed a tray and jumped in line, sure he’d follow her. She knew he didn’t like someone else getting the last word in. He didn’t disappoint her.

“You know, it’s not going to work,” he said, making her jump. He was right behind her and had his head bent forward so the words were whispered right behind her ear, his hot breath lightly running across her bare skin. She couldn’t stop the shudder that trembled through her. He was really good at causing her body to go haywire.

“What won’t work?” she asked breathlessly.

“No matter how much distance you try to put between us, I’m going to get to know you just as much as you think you’re going to get to know me,” he said. She moved forward too quickly and crashed into the person in front of her, causing a laugh to escape Max’s lips. He knew what he was doing to her. She quickly apologized to the person.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she bluffed. He didn’t say anything else but they both knew she was lying.

They got their food and he found a table in the corner and sat down. She followed him and placed her tray in front of her, diving into the delicious food. He started eating as if his life depended on it and they were both silent for several moment.

“Who’s this beautiful woman?” a man said as he approached their table and sat down without being invited. “I’m Trenton, Max’s older brother,” the man said. Cassie recognized him from some articles she’d seen written up on him. He’d gotten married a while ago.

“This is Cassie McIntyre, Trenton. She’s going to be following me around like a lost puppy dog for a while, doing an interview,” Max said. Cassie sent him a glare. He couldn’t have been more rude if he’d tried.

“Nice to meet you, Cassie. If you’re looking for some real dirt on this guy then you’ll have to come see me,” he said with a wink. Cassie instantly liked Max’s brother.

“I will certainly take you up on that, Trenton,” she said, feeling better even after the dog comment.

“That’s not part of the deal,” Max growled, clearly not liking her interacting with more of his family members.

“There’s nothing that states I can’t talk to your family members about you. It just says I can’t invade their privacy,” she said smugly. She would’ve never signed something saying she couldn’t talk to his family or employees. She wasn’t stupid. Max glared at her and pushed his food away. She had a feeling he’d make the rest of her day unpleasant if he could get away with it.

“Don’t be so grouchy, Max, I won’t spill too many secrets,” Trenton said with a laugh and wink, which earned him a glare. Cassie found their interaction amusing. She pulled out her iPad and took some notes, which made Max glower even more. Heck, if she could get under his skin that easily she would take the thing out more often. She enjoyed riling him up.

“So, Cassie, you’re a reporter?” Trenton asked.

“I’m hoping to be. I graduated at the top of my class in journalism, but sadly have been working as a barista for a small coffee shop. I’ve tried getting a job with different papers and magazines, but the market’s so competitive that I haven’t had any luck so far. I know this exclusive interview with Max will get me a job with no problem, though,” she said, beaming. She was so excited to work in a busy news room. She soon would be back on track for her ten year plan she’d made for herself before she graduated.

“Yep, Max is definitely cagey when it comes to interviews. The rest of us usually just get them over with so we’re not hounded all the time,” he said. He seemed to realize he may have offended her, but she had much thicker skin than that.

“I know reporters can be annoying, don’t worry about it. When you’re in the public eye like your family, though, the public wants to know all about you. I promise to be tasteful and won’t hound any of you after I’m done,” she responded.

Cassie picked up her cup and took a long swallow of coffee. She needed the pause in conversation and she needed the caffeine to wake her up. Max was oddly silent as she and Trenton talked for several more moments. His silence worried her more than his sarcastic remarks. He was good at thinking of new ways to intimidate her.

Max leaned back in his chair, drinking his coffee and looking back and forth between the two of them. She didn’t trust the look in his eyes one bit. She knew he had something else up his sleeve.

“How long is the interview for? It sounds like more than just an afternoon,” Trenton finally asked.

“For a month,” Cassie told him. Trenton coughed in surprise, spilling a bit of his coffee. Cassie smiled.

“How did you manage that?” Trenton finally asked, looking from her to Max and back again.

“Well, first your brother had to slam into me with his car, leaving me in a coma in the hospital for a week, then have the nerve to throw papers at me, promising I wouldn’t sue the pants off him. I chose an interview, instead,” she said with a huge smile. Trenton stared at her for a moment, with his mouth open. Then, his eyes lit up and he let out a loud laugh, causing several heads to turn in their direction.

“That is priceless, seriously. I can’t wait to call up Bree and Austin. They’re going to crack up,” Trenton said between fits of laughter.

“This is none of any of your business, Trenton,” Max said sending a glare toward his brother.

“There is no possible way you’re going to keep this away from the family. You know things like this spread like wildfire around our family. The unstoppable Max getting blackmailed, and by a tiny woman, to boot. Thank you so much for making my day, Ms. Cassie McIntyre,” he said as he stood up.

“You’re very welcome, Trenton. I look forward to speaking with you more,” she said with a bright smile. Trenton left, his laughter carrying back to them as he walked from the cafeteria.

“Don’t look so smug, Cassie, the day is young,” Max threatened. His words took a little of the joy from her. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but the man caused unspeakable things to happen in her body with just a glance, or a slight breath on her skin. She couldn’t imagine what he could do if he put in a hundred percent effort. She turned away and looked out the window.

“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” she finally asked, trying to get back on a topic of business.

“Today will be quite boring, I’m afraid. I have a business trip up to Alaska at the end of this week, and have to catch up on paperwork. You don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to,” he offered, almost hopefully.

“I have nowhere else to be,” she said, thinking to herself there was no way he was chasing her off. The second she left, something amazing would be uncovered, and she wasn’t taking a chance on missing it.

“Suit yourself,” he said with a shrug as if it didn’t matter to him either way. He then reached across the table and brushed a piece of her escaped hair from her face. He slowly tucked the strand behind her ear, his fingers brushing her cheek as he pulled back. He was the most touchy-feely person she’d ever been around, and had no thought of a person’s personal bubble.

She firmed her shoulders and pointedly brought her iPad into focus. She wanted to get back on track with the interview, and let him know she didn’t appreciate being man-handled.

“What kind of people do you like working for you?” she asked, proud of her professional sounding tone. He looked at her for a moment as if he were in deep thought.

“They must first and foremost be attractive. I have to deal with suits all day, so I want some eye candy around the office to lighten things up,” he said in a serious tone. She looked at him, trying to deem whether he was joking. She couldn’t believe he’d possibly mean that. If he was speaking the truth, he’d have half the country ready to rip out his throat. Maybe he was that shallow. She decided to go with it and furiously began typing notes.

“So, in other words you prefer to be surrounded by bimbos?” she questioned.

“Are you saying that attractive people have to be stupid?” he asked right back. She stopped for a moment, trying to come up with a proper response. It didn’t matter what she said, as she wasn’t the one up for an interview.

“You didn’t say anything about intelligence - you simply said they had to be attractive. Do you have a special dress code for these attractive people?” she fired right back.

“My philosophy has always been that the human body is beautiful and therefore there’s no shame in highlighting the assets.” He then looked at her own clothing like she was definitely lacking. It took everything in her not to squirm while he was dissecting her as if she were under a microscope. Cassie was steaming mad, but hoped it didn’t show on her face.

“You realize you sound like an ass, right?” she said in her most professional tone.

“Just because I like pretty things? Now, who’s being the prejudiced one, Cassie? I’ve found that Bimbos suit me quite well,” he added. She was ready for the interview to be over. She had a feeling that was exactly what he was shooting for. He stood up, indicating breakfast was over. She mutely followed him back to the elevators, where she refused to break her silence.

When the doors opened, there were a few people in the office, but it certainly wasn’t full. She glanced up and saw an older woman sitting behind the receptionist desk, and knew in that moment everything he’d said in the cafeteria was a pack of lies. He’d been trying to get under her skin and it had worked perfectly. She may not make the entire month, after all.

Chapter Four

“Does anyone around here know how to do their jobs right?” Max thundered into the silent room. Several faces turned in his direction, well aware he was in a foul mood, and not willing to poke the bear. Cassie typed some notes, which had his head whipping around, the full force of his frustration now focused on her.

Cassie had been at the offices, observing Max for two weeks. She was getting a general idea about the man, but not really finding the story she so desperately wanted. She wanted to find a more personal twist, unlike anything anyone had ever written on one of the Andersons, but he was incredibly good at blocking her out.

At the moment he was beyond frustrated because his Alaska trip had been pushed back due to some corporate issue she knew nothing about, and with the weather getting worse, he was anxious to get there before it was too late.