First Taste (The Lust List: Devon Stone #1) (6 page)

But dammit, he’s hot. What’s his problem? Snooping around his father’s house like a burglar. Only giving me the time of day when it’s convenient. My head is screaming at me to stay away and not bother. But the rest of my body is intrigued. I want to know him. I want to be closer to him. And those seconds where he pays attention to me—and that grin—it’s enough to reinforce all my bad ideas.

Back on my phone, I find the physical addresses I need and get away from the Stone mansion as fast as possible. I’m no longer nervous about running Keenly’s errands. They’ll give me a chance to regroup before I have to come back.

Five hours, one stop for gas, six wrong turns, and several confused looks later, I’m back at the Stone’s. The linens are at the dry cleaners, and I have a box of fancy, handwritten menus and place cards in my backseat. I get out and balance the box on my hip as I walk back to the front door. Today was not the day for heels. I was feeling bold this morning. Now I’m just trying not to limp.

I skip knocking this time, but before I go in, I take a quick scan of the driveway. Devon’s car is gone. I guess I feel relieved. At least, I should.

Inside, I take in the quiet, vast space and start down the hallway leading to the back of the house. I assume I’ll run into my wonderful boss at some point. He’ll probably yell at me for taking so long.

I find a large ballroom that looks like it came out of an animated princess movie. Tables are being set up throughout. Chairs are being polished. A group of people dressed in black and white are surrounding a table of food in the center. A woman in a dark blue pencil skirt and floral blouse has her mouth filled with food as she explains the names of different dishes and what’s in them.

All these people bustling about and not a Keenly in sight.

The woman catches me staring and excuses herself from the catering staff. She’s wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin as she rushes to me. “That goat cheese is delicious. Want to try some of the menu? We’ve got canapés, flambés, gazpacho…”

“No thank you. I was just running some errands for Mr. Keenly.” I lift the box in my arms a little higher to prove it.

She takes it from me, placing it on a nearby bar. “Great. Thank you.” She extends her arm out. “I’m Celia Owens, by the way. Mr. Keenly’s assistant.”

Say what?

I laugh. “Um…Olivia Margot.” I return her handshake. “
Also
Keenly’s assistant?”

Celia drops her arm. “Forgive me. That doesn’t make much sense. I used to work for him. He called me last night saying it was an emergency and—”

“That I needed a competent assistant.” Keenly walks into the ballroom taking short, hurried steps. He reminds me of a rodent, both in appearance and behavior.

I cross my arms in front of me wishing I could vanish. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but it’s clearly not going to look good for me.

Keenly joins us, holding his head high. “I had no choice but to hire you, Miss Margot. But I still needed a capable assistant, so I got Celia to come back and take care of things.”

Come back? I can only imagine the reasons she would have left in the first place.

Celia plasters on a winning smile. “It’s my pleasure to be helping the nation’s best event planner.”

“I knew you’d come around,” Keenly says, rubbing Celia’s shoulder. “Unfortunately, I can’t just fire this one, but it’s on the Stone’s bill so I don’t care what she does.” He glares in my direction. “You can use her if you need any help.” He lets out a boisterous guffaw as he says, “You’ll be the assistant to the assistant. How will that look on your resumé?”

He scurries off before I can think of anything to say. I stare into the space he’d been occupying. What was I supposed to do now?

“Don’t worry about him. He’s an asshole.”

I should learn that act she just put on for him. I’m not a fan of sucking up, but I also don’t do well having enemies. Maybe because the only enemy I’ve ever had was myself.

Celia takes my arm and starts walking the perimeter of the room. “So, things I’ve learned over the years. Greg doesn’t actually do all that much work. Most of this stuff, you schedule it, and it runs on autopilot. So what he delegates to me isn’t all that much either. I basically get paid to do next to nothing. Which means for
you
, this is by far the best money you’ll make for the least effort.”

Great, so the easiest job also happens to be the most humiliating. “I’m not a fan of being useless.”

“You won’t be. Keenly, myself, and now you, we’re just the eyes of the mission. And the mission is to make rich people feel even more important. So you supervise those who are working. Make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to with a smile on their face.”

We walk past men carrying white couches to the center of the room. By the big windows overlooking the coast, another group is piecing together a small wooden dance floor. On the other side of the room, a bar is being cleaned up and stocked with spotless glasses and liquor bottles. No one seems to be giving orders. Maybe Celia is right.

“There are other perks to this as well.” She stops at a table and rummages through a small blue handbag. She brings out a wallet and plucks a card from it, handing it to me. “Business account. Now, you can’t use it to buy a new car, but if it’s related to work, it’s covered by Platinum. So filling up your gas tank. Getting anything you need for Saturday. Hell, even after work drinks. Charge it, and consider it your bonus.”

“You’re serious? But then why did you stop working for them?”

“Isn’t Keenly reason enough? There are only so many years one can handle working with that arrogant prick, but don’t tell him I said so. He thinks I’m wasting my life, throwing it all away to start a family.”

“He’s a charmer.” I like Celia. If she were running things, I’d feel more at ease with this job.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find a replacement bartender before Keenly realizes the old one quit.”

She walks away before my brain catches up.
Maddie
. I spin around to chase after her. I have the perfect back up plan. She’s fantastic and the guests will love her.

This is my opening to get Maddie into the party. After all she’s done for me, this would be one way to pay her back.

Of course, in my sudden excitement, I forget my sub-par coordination in heels, shift my weight awkwardly onto one foot, twist my ankle, and tumble to the floor.

“Oh, honey! You okay?” Celia asks, rushing back.

That’s one way to get her attention.
Focus, girl. Tell her about your wonderful best friend who’d be perfect for the job.

“P-professional. Dedicated.” Celia helps me up as I stutter nonsense.

She laughs. “Say that again.”

I take a breath and pull my phone out, finding a photo of Maddie and hold it out for her.

Celia raises an eyebrow, waiting. A few chuckles from the catering table inform me I just had an audience.

I take a breath and force myself to create coherent sentences. I tell Celia about Maddie, sounding like I’m helping her campaign for presidency. But Celia nods, listening. She’s way cooler than Keenly.

I expect her to ask more questions about her experience, but instead she says, “She’s more graceful than you, correct?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then bring her by on Thursday.”

A goofy grin spreads across my face. I can’t wait to tell her. I want to celebrate my mini-success. I just stepped up and got something done. Only a slight throb coming from my ankle reminds me how sloppy I was, but whatever. Celia’s now my direct supervisor. I have a company credit card in my possession. And I just hooked my friend up with an unforgettable job. I’m on top of the damn world.

It’s quiet at Brecken’s Sports Pub. A couple sits quietly in a small booth staring at separate TV screens, seemingly unaware that they’re here together. Two men sit on stools at the other end of the bar, and Maddie checks on them intermittently, returning to our conversation without missing a beat.

“So when’s your first date?”

“Are you crazy? I barely got in two words with him. He was acting all weird, looking for something. Or someone…”

“You, maybe?” She leans in closer to me.

“I was standing right there, and it was like I was invisible.” I fumble with my phone, checking the time every couple minutes. I should get home and try to unwind before tomorrow. These unpredictable days are going to get to me fast.

“So next time you’re with him, pry a little further. You know he’s got some sexy skeletons in his closet.”

I believe his words to me were ‘mind your own business’. I shake my head. “Not gonna happen.”

The front door opens, and two more men walk through wearing suits, probably coming straight from work. Maddie flashes a bright smile at them, and both men seem to light up. This girl can accomplish more without a word, which reminds me I haven’t told her she got a job.

She continues with her Devon spiel. “You know, you could find out some juicy information and then sell it to the tabloids.
ScandalLust
would flat out hire you, I bet.”

“So which is it: date him or screw him over? I think he’d put a hit out for me if I got near the paparazzi.”

Maddie had been on her way to her new customers, but she freezes mid-step. “Hold that thought.” She grins, gets the guys’ drink orders and returns. “A man unafraid to kill… That’s a little sexy.“

“And you’re a little mental. No, I don’t believe he’s a murderer. At least, I don’t think so. He’s definitely hiding something though, and that’s exactly what I don’t want to get involved with.”

“But you know you do. Mysterious. Gorgeous.” She pulls her phone out from behind the bar to show me her newest wallpaper photo—a black-and-white Devon, shirtless, in jeans, looking extra angsty. “Lickable.”

“Maddie!”

She fills two pint glasses from the tap as she bursts out laughing. “Relax. I put it on there this morning to mess with you. I knew you’d give me an open opportunity.”

I hold onto her phone a minute longer while she takes the drinks over along with a plate of chips and salsa. Devon’s icy gaze is penetrating, and the thought that this photo was taken for the general public… Well, what would it be like to be his girlfriend? What would I possibly learn about him that the whole world doesn’t already know? How could I feel like I’m exclusively his when god knows how many other women gawk at photos just like this one?

Not to mention, he hardly knows I exist. Why bother imagining life as his girlfriend, when I don’t even register on his list of things worth paying attention to? It’s pointless.

Maddie snatches the phone out from under me. “You’re overthinking things. I can sense it.”

“Yeah, well, you can use those same psychic abilities in a couple days when you meet him.”

She’s half-listening as she works—pouring colorful bottles of liquor and juice into a shaker filled with ice. She finishes making a tropical martini and places it in front of me. She considers what I just said and laughs. “What? You dragging him to the apartment or something?”

“You’re running the bar at the party Saturday. I’m bringing you by to meet Celia on Thursday, and fortunately for us both, she’s much nicer than that Keenly asshole.”

She hesitates as if trying to gauge whether or not this is payback for the Devon photo on her phone. “You’re serious?”

“You know I’m never funny when I try.” I take a sip from my drink. Images of the beach and Devon flash across my mind. As good as this tastes—tangy and sweet—I can only imagine what he tastes like…

“You
are
serious. Oh my god! I could kiss you right now.” She lunges across the counter and kisses my cheek with an exaggerated and loud
muah
. “You’re the most amazing woman on the planet Olivia Margot.”

By now all six patrons are staring in our direction. Their curious eyes linger for an uncomfortable moment before they return to their respective staring and drinking.

Maddie settles down and leans in to talk quieter. “So you got Devon to get me a job too? You’re on a roll.”

“No, I talked to Celia directly. Why would I tell Devon about you? He’d ditch me in a heartbeat.”

“Oh please.” She turns her back to type things into a computer. Receipts print out, she takes them to their owners, and she comes back. “You have no idea how much I owe you for this. That drink is totally on the house.” Her eyes brighten. “Better yet, I’m going to help you get Devon Stone.”

One look at her, and I know she’s committed. This was supposed to be my favor to her, and having her at the party was supposed to make it easier on me. But now with Maddie plotting some sort of game plan… Now I didn’t know what to expect.

She wanders off to collect credit cards and empty glasses. I gulp my martini faster.