Tori was silent as dread seeped into her nervous system one slow drip at a time. Alex and Draegyn arguing over her head made her feel like she was standing on the tracks as a freight train came barreling toward her at supersonic speed. No matter what the outcome, some sort of collision was about to happen. The suggestion that she and the bossy golden-haired Justice Brother head off together to fix an agency problem had come completely out of the blue.
Keeping her composure around Draegyn was hard enough as it was. Being thrown together with him on a twenty-four seven project was asking for trouble. The sexy arrogant man would try to dominate her every move. Why that thought had her feeling all tingly and breathless made her uncomfortable as hell.
Shit
. Focusing on the conversation he was having with Alex, she noticed the barely leashed power radiating off his hard male body. He was one notch under being openly aggressive and clearly unhappy.
Alex ran his hands back and forth across his already mussed hair and sighed. When he spoke, his tone had an edge of irritation that surprised Tori. “The man is a king-size dick, and he got what he deserved. He’s using this crisis to try and stoke an old flame. Tori can do the update and reboot with her eyes closed. We both know you are the only one who can put that motherfucker in his place. You guys fly in tomorrow. I’ll have Betty make all the arrangements. Two, maybe three, days tops.” Turning a worried frown her way, Alex gazed at her for the longest time with an enigmatic void in his dark eyes. “I could use your help, Tori. Justice needs you.”
Dammit. Her brain defaulted to idiot mode as she searched for something sensible to say. When her eyes lifted she saw Draegyn’s mocking smirk and realized the jerk expected her to make a scene and bring the whole plan crashing to the ground. Something about the smug superiority on his face got to her. She might not be able to stop the train from plowing her down, but she was certainly going to derail some of his arrogance. “When do we leave?” she asked as she put her glasses back on with a butter-couldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth sweetness that almost made her gag. Only the look of shocked disbelief on her nemesis’ face kept her calm.
Oooh
, how she wanted to stick her tongue out at him!
With a cool expression, she turned away from both men, gathering a stack of magazines and papers to hide her trembling hands. “I’ll leave you two to work out the details,” she said and then fixed her boss with a perfectly blank expression. “You’ll want to brief me on the system?” Acknowledging Alex’s brief nod she simply melted into the shadows and made for her office.
It was there that Draegyn found her half an hour later. Time enough for her to have gotten her shaky senses locked down tight. She knew one or both of them would eventually seek her out, and no way was she going to show any weakness.
The minute the glass door swayed shut behind him, Tori felt the temperature in the confined space go up a dozen degrees. The skin on the back of her neck prickled as his icy blue gaze pinned her down. Was he mad? She couldn’t tell. Reading him wasn’t all that easy. While tension bracketed his mouth, he didn’t seem to be directing any of it at her. And then he smiled. Sort of. Actually, it was more like a crooked grin that got her senses churning quicker than a bark of anger.
Oh dear.
Anger was one thing. That she could handle. But he seemed amused, and she sincerely hoped she wouldn’t end up being the butt of the joke.
“Alex will be along in a moment. He seems to think I’ve been a bully toward you.” Her eyes widened and mouth opened in shock. “I’m to make nice and promise to mind my manners so that’s what I’m doing.” Tori barely had time to recover from the
bully
word being thrown in her face when Draegyn offered up a completely disingenuous formal bow. “Miss Bennett, please accept my apology for any brutish behavior that may have offended you.”
He was mocking her to her face she fumed as she opened and closed her mouth a dozen times as one pithy comeback after another threatened to roll off her tongue. “I didn’t tell him, of course, being the gentleman that I am, about your predilection for shrewish comments,” he murmured silkily, “or that we’d found a way to discipline that awful habit.”
She stomped her foot and swung her hands onto her hips, snarling, “Oh, stuff it St. John. Someone needs to put your arrogant ass in its place.”
“Oooh, such strong words from someone who was caught checking out said ass.” His smug grin suggested he thought that comment would shut her up.
Hmmm
, how many ways could she prove him wrong?
Pretending to organize a stack of files, she shrugged and smiled sweetly. “Ah yes, well….who could blame me? After all, your ass is legendary. I’d have been remiss not to take advantage of the opportunity. Of course, not everything is as good in person as what one imagines.”
Damn him but even that little put-down didn’t so much as slow him down. “If you play nice Victoria, I’ll let you get up close and personal with my legendary backside.”
When she narrowed her eyes at him and blew the curl of hair hanging in front of her eyes with a heavy breath, he smiled even broader. “Men! Is that all you think about?”
Draegyn stepped quickly to her side and placed his hands on her as an arc of heat from his touch took her by surprise. “Easy,” he murmured. “I didn’t come in here to get you all riled up, but really woman, sometimes that attitude of yours makes it too easy.”
She couldn’t help herself from staring up into his face as they stood inches apart with his hands gently touching her shoulders. His thumbs were drawing lazy circles at the base of her neck causing all sorts of havoc inside her. They eyed each other for a long moment before she spoke. “Well, maybe if you didn’t try to rile me up at every opportunity.”
“Ah,” he whispered, “but I like winding you up. Like the way your chocolate eyes shoot golden sparks when you’re mad.” One thumb moved from her neck to run absently along her bottom lip. An impulse as old as time made her touch the tip of her tongue to his finger. His glittering eyes turned suddenly smoky. “You will pay for that Victoria,” Draegyn murmured darkly.
Deftly stepping back from the sexual heat and tension that pulsed between them, he offered a half smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Alex will be upon us in a few moments. He thought we needed some time to shake hands and sing a round of “Kumbaya” before finalizing the Vegas plans.”
Oh crap. She’d almost forgotten what had started all this. Alex. Vegas. Draegyn and her traveling together. “I’ll behave.” She sighed. “If you promise to stop being such a …”
“I am not a damn bully!” he growled before she could finish. “Why does everyone want to paint me with the same brush?”
Wow. He really didn’t like that expression. And especially wasn’t happy that anyone saw him in that light. Apparently he had feelings just like everyone else. “Well, I was going to say stop being such a control freak.” She paused for good measure. “And I’ll amend what I said earlier about the bully thing. It isn’t right for Alex to draw such a conclusion. I’ll set him straight.”
He chuckled and motioned with his head at Alex’s approach. “No need to defend me, but I appreciate the sentiment. Let’s just get this job done with a minimum of snark, okay?”
Tori’s eyes noted Alex’s slow approach, gauging how much time she had before he reached the door handle. Turning fully toward Draegyn who strategically placed himself on the other side of the cramped room, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, making specific use of her middle finger in the process. The icy sparkles in his eyes briefly exploded, letting her know he’d caught the insult. In the split seconds before Alex stepped through the door, she slapped a fake smile on her face. Through lips forming a friendly smile she growled, “Eat me, St. John.”
She hadn’t expected the intentionally snarky retort to bring him snapping upright and moving toward her so swiftly that she actually squealed in alarm. Panicked, she dropped onto a tall, high backed stool and tried to swing away from his approach. He didn’t stop her, in fact, crowding her from behind was just as devastating to her senses as if they’d been face-to-face. She could feel his breath on her neck as the familiar whoosh that signaled the opening of the office door gave her some sense of relief.
“That’s two, Victoria,” he murmured deep and hushed so that no one else could hear. Her startled gasp let him know she remembered how he’d warned her after she licked his finger. That he’d make her pay. The fog of sexual awareness that surrounded and penetrated her made her heart feel like it was going to thump right out of her chest. Alex, who as usual had been talking out loud as he entered, was caught in muddled professor mode and thankfully didn’t pick up on the tension in the room.
Tossing a mass of papers in front of Tori, Alex prattled on as if they’d all spent the last twenty minutes yakking it up. She knew that was his way. He had a way of spontaneous communication that felt like every conversation began and ended in the middle. Usually, she had to grasp at straws to figure out what the hell he was talking about until a focus became clear. Turning her full attention to her boss, she tried to disconnect from the confusing signals Draegyn was sending.
A good hour and a half later, the three of them had brainstormed a step-by-step plan to deal with the crisis in Vegas. At some point in the discussion, Ria had appeared, pushing a kitchen trolley loaded with snacks and a large carafe of steaming coffee. They worked well together, once they put their minds to it, even stretching out the kinks and reaching for something to munch on at the same time.
Tori pulled her knees up on the rungs of the tall stool and poured over a series of schematics with a mug clutched in both hands. At times, coffee was her salvation and not due to the energizing effect people craved it for. Truth was, most of her favorite java blends were decaf anyway. No, Tori liked the whole sensory experience from the pungent earthy aroma of the coffee grounds to the way a hot mug felt in her grasp. Those first sips of a fresh brew on her lips always brought a wonderful sense of satisfaction. A good cup of Joe was also a touchstone, something concrete that her analytical mind could attach to. She did some of her best thinking with a mug nearby. Right now, it was helping her stay focused on the task at hand and the incredible degree of trust that Alex was placing in her to save the agency’s ass.
Mr. Double-O-Trouble had been surprisingly accepting of her role and even deferred to her once or twice when the subject was heavily technical. Perhaps Draegyn didn’t actually dislike her as much as his arrogantly superior attitude suggested. He was talking quietly to Alex, both of them with smartphones in hand, tapping away.
I can do this
, Tori thought as her inner cheerleader made an appearance. She could step out of the shadows where she’d been hiding. There was no doubt in her mind that she could handle the technical aspect of the assignment. After all, with her background and experience, she might even be able to best Alex in a couple of years. She understood the way his systems were designed.
Alex was studying her intently. Suddenly looking as if he was seeing her for the first time, he said, “Wear something like that outfit you had on for our interview. You’ll be representing the agency Tori. If you need or want anything, let us know, and we’ll get you set up.”
Drae picked up on a change in atmosphere the moment Alex mentioned Victoria’s clothes. God, what she wore was so boring and predictable, as if they came from the,
Take Me Seriously I’m a Professional Catalog
. What could she possibly have that would make her seem even a tad less wonky? He didn’t understand why women, especially the one perched on the stool with the chocolate eyes and sulky mouth, felt the need to dress like men in the business world.
Eyeing Victoria’s reaction, he noted her quick nod followed by the way she bit her lip at Alex’s declaration that he’d set her up with anything she needed. Maybe there was an opportunity to update the brown mouse’s wardrobe. Well, the whole trip would be worth it to see her dressed like a damn female for a change.
“Betty already made the travel arrangements. You fly out tomorrow morning on the Gulfstream. Quick flight to Las Vegas. She got you situated in a two bedroom suite,” Alex said pointedly while directing his comment to Victoria. “Things are crazy there right now with the awards event this weekend so that’s the only option.”
Drae chimed in. “It’s fine, Alex.” She watched him shrug off the glaring eyeball his friend shot his way. “Relax, man. Victoria and I have this.
Right
?” Lobbing the ball into her court, he waited for a response.
Sighing, Tori considered what strange creatures men were. On the one hand, there was Alex, her boss. He was obviously concerned about how she felt. The other one, not so much. It wasn’t that she minded sharing a suite with him, but rather that his tone suggested he didn’t care one way or the other. A moment of panic upset her equilibrium as she wondered if his reluctance was due to her presence cramping his style. Maybe the bonus for a trip to Sin City was a little showgirl action for the sexy Draegyn St. John. The thought made her stomach lurch. Just because he made her think deep, dark thoughts about things,
intimate things
that had nothing to do with business, it didn’t mean she was going to play second fiddle to his overactive sex drive.
Maybe it was time to cast aside the dowdy costume she’d been clinging to and start living as a functioning female again. A plan was developing in her mind that would give Draegyn, and everyone else for the matter, something to think about.
Sliding from her stool, she smoothed the hair tumbling into her field of vision and began to wrap up their meeting. “It’s all good gentlemen. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be ready on time,” she mumbled in Draegyn’s direction. “And Alex, if you would email me the last code sequence we went over, that would be helpful.” Checking her watch she was shocked to see that it was well past dinnertime and probably already dark. She had to get moving if her plan was going to work out, so Tori gathered a pile of folders and print-outs and raced for the door. Turning for one last time she acknowledged both men with a curt nod, mumbled, “Night,” and left before anyone could say anything else.