Layers Deep (2 page)

I bit my lip.
I’d seen men react well to the gesture before, and I needed Cross
on my good side. “I prefer a more direct approach.”

He coughed
into his fist, clearing his throat. A sexy grin stretched the side
of his face. As much as I didn’t want to disclose my need to weasel
into Cross Enterprises, he was pulling the answers out of me, like
a pro. No one had ever done that before. Right now he was the cat
and I was the mouse. At least, I had to make him believe that. And
now that he was so close, that white scar, slightly off center on
his upper lip, added to the aura of extra danger about him. I
wondered who had blessed him with the sexy feature. Was it a bite
from a girlfriend? I didn’t dare think he’d let a woman bite him so
forcefully. No, it had to be from a fight. If he was into shit that
kinky, he wasn’t my type. Gosh, what was I thinking? Since when had
he become more than a potential employer?

Since the
moment he walked into the room.

“You have me
intrigued.” He sat down beside me as casually as if we’d been
acquainted for years. When he swiveled on his stool, his knee
brushed against my thigh. Even through my jeans, the one spot felt
as if he’d burnt a hole in it. Or perhaps I’d had one shot too
many.

With a deep
breath, I continued. “You interview your future employees, don’t
you?” I asked.

“True, but how
do you get an interview if you don’t apply?”

“I guess
you’re just going to have to wait and see.” I tapped on the
counter, and Mike the barman recognized my sign for ‘another one,
please.’ I knew I was stalling. I wasn’t ready to give him the
answers he sought. How could I tell him the only reason I was
interested in Cross Enterprises was to kill someone and cover my
tracks? It was the only way my mother would be safe. And before I
even applied, I had to ensure
he
hadn’t found her yet.
Otherwise we’d both be on the run and Cross would be left behind.
The thought strangled my heart.

“Why are you
following me?” I’d asked.

“Just because
I came to the same bar as you doesn’t mean I am.”

Right!

But his tone
had changed; his face mellowed and his shoulders relaxed. He leaned
forward and casually to the side. At that moment Cross was no
longer a potential employer, but a man on the prowl for a good
time. My gut wasn’t wrong about him after all.

“And I don’t
believe in coincidences.” I threw back the glass, without licking
the salt this time, and sucked on the lemon in my mouth.

He watched
every move I made. My attempt to seem indifferent would fail soon,
especially since I’d been drinking. I couldn’t let Cross know he
was someone I needed more than the air I breathed. It would come
out wrong, and he would misunderstand my motive as another
obsessive woman looking to throw herself at his rich ass and
pockets full of money. Although I wouldn’t mind if he threw me
around on his bed, or on the floor, or right there on the bar. The
swift push of his perfectly narrow hips had to include a delicious
jab or two. And since when had a dimple in a chin made a man so
attractive?

I set the shot
glass aside, and out of nowhere Cross lifted his thumb to my mouth,
wiping away a stray drop. He sucked it off his finger, all the
while piercing me with his undivided attention. The pursed lips
compelled me to kiss and bite them, and it took all my strength not
to crush into Cross right then.

Holy
fuck!
Yes, as much as I reserved swearing out loud for special
occasions, my mind was a beast of its own. Everything inside me
tightened and released with urgent pulsing, all concentrating below
my belt. The burning touch remained under my mouth for a few
seconds before it crawled down my chin toward the valley between my
breasts where his gaze now wandered.

“There are
better places to drink thank this.” He pulled out his cell phone
and pressed a button.

I shook the
tantalizing heat away from my body when he wasn’t looking.

“Are you
referring to your club, Kissed?” I tapped the bar again.

Cross turned
to Mike, who passed him a shot identical to mine.
He
hadn’t
even tapped the bar, and now
he
had me intrigued. How did he
do that?

“No, but I see
you’ve done your homework.”

“I’m just that
good at
everything
I do.”
That’s right, I can play as
well as you can, Cross.

Behind the
dark hazels, Cross seemed to struggle. I could feel he wanted to
continue the double-tiered conversation, but something or someone
was pulling his attention away from me and away from the reason
he’d come here: to see whether I’d apply for his job offering.

“I’ve been
coming here for years. It’s not as bad as you think.” I broke the
tension.

“So far the
company is good.”

Did he just
flirt?

He removed his
jacket. The smell of leather mixed with freshly cut grass and a
hint of scotch wafted around me. I pictured him out in the fields,
mowing the acres of land around his mansion before he sat down by a
fireplace with a single malt in his hand. A piece of a thorn tattoo
on his left arm peeked from underneath his short sleeve. A few
spots of inked blood glistened red in places where the thorns
appeared to break his skin.

Suddenly my
plot to use Cross Enterprises for my own gain began falling apart.
Cross was too hot for his own good. I couldn’t let his Zeus-like
looks and charming mouth derail my plans. There was only one way I
could think of to relieve the sexual tension between us. And it had
to happen before he hired me.

“Why did you
follow me?” I asked again.

“Because you
didn’t apply, and you seem like someone who’d be good at the
position I’m hiring for.”

“And what
position is that, exactly? The application only specified details
to be disclosed after interview.”

“This is
between us.” His brows rose. “I’m looking for a hooker.”

I coughed
until my lungs were ready to pop out. Was he serious, or had I had
too much to drink? I covered my mouth, forcing it shut. My
breathing stilled for a moment. If it weren’t for the liquor in my
veins, I’d have punched him. Yet something deep inside stirred and
warmed my blood at the quick thoughts that ran through my
mind
—
of me as a hooker in his bed. My skin itched,
begging to come in contact with his.

Get a grip,
Allie!

I knew he was
trying to bait me into asking for details, but I was determined not
to be drawn. I’d find out in my own time, on my own terms.

“You have a
way with words, Mr. Cross.” The liquid in my system began to seep
out of my pores as I felt myself swinging on the stool. “I thought
your company dealt more with security and protection?”

“Our company
deals with anything from providing body guards to surveillance
systems and undercover jobs. Most of them are classified, as we
deal with the government and high profile clientele. Security and
surveillance is my partner’s division. I take care of the
undercover jobs: anything from exposing cheating husbands to
infiltrating corrupt government agencies. You’ll never see us or
hear us, but we’re always there.”

It was safe to
assume he needed a woman to pose as a hooker, then. Was he looking
to bust a pimp? The room spun and my thoughts vanished as quickly
as they appeared.

He regarded me
closely before downing the tequila, and at that moment I wished I
hadn’t been drinking so much. What he’d described was not only a
dream job, but also had resources I needed. I shook my head,
wanting my wit to return, but in his company that was impossible to
do.

Yet I tapped
the bar again.

Since he’d
walked into the auditorium, I’d never considered this man as an
employer, which he might soon be. At first, Cross was just a means
by which I’d get my revenge. What a waste of a perfectly taut body,
to be bound by professionalism, but I couldn’t allow him to be
anything more. Why did this charming man have to be Cross? Why
couldn’t he have been a stranger I’d met at a bar who took my
breath away?

I tipped my
head back, no longer caring to suck on the lemon.

The alcohol
worked its way into my head with lightning speed. I pulled out my
wallet, but Cross gently placed his hand on top of mine. The
gesture, so innocent yet calculated, as if he’d been waiting to
touch me all night, sent all the arousing sensors to his palm,
specifically for that single moment. The instant he covered my
hands, his warmth spread from them through my body in hormonal
waves.

My nipples
ached, and I felt like a chocolate bar left out in the sun.

“Put it on my
tab, Mike,” he said to the barman, without turning away from
me.

“Yes, Mr.
Cross.”

He’s been here
before.

He hadn’t come
for me after all. Was that what I wanted? I cursed at the tequila
in my veins clouding my thoughts. My only interest was in the job,
not him. Of all the men who’d ever hit on me, it couldn’t be him.
Why did he have to be so damn sexy?

With his hand
still covering mine, he said, “It’s been interesting, Ms. … ?”

I doubted he
didn’t know my name, but I’d humor him. “Officer Green.”

“It’s nice to
meet you, Allie.”

My heart
thumped harder. Cross must have done a background check on me
already. Shit! Was it a thorough check? Probably. He might know my
history, but I was sure not all of it. Some things weren’t written,
hidden well to protect others.

“The pleasure
is all mine, Tristan.” I hoped my guess at one of the two Cross
brother names was correct.

“So fast on
first name basis with a potential employer?” He smirked again. And
that
was even sexier than the tattoo. I loved the way a
dimple formed on his chin and the small scar on his lip lifted. The
innocent feature decorated his face as if all worries had left his
mind and he was a simple, uncomplicated man. Tristan Cross was not
who I’d thought him to be.

“This isn’t an
interview, is it?”

“No. But I’m
looking forward to seeing how you manage to be interviewed.”

“I can
guarantee it’s one you won’t forget.”

“I don’t doubt
it, Allie.” The way he said my name had me squeezing my knees
together again. I bet he could make words like
cow pie
and
vomit
sound sexy. And I hoped I wouldn’t see either one
tonight. And why was the room spinning faster and faster?

Curse you,
tequila!

“May I offer
you a ride home?” He looked out the window for a moment where a
black Bentley was parked in front.

“Thank you,
but I don’t want special treatment.”

“It’s just an
offer from someone you had a drink with, Allie. Not from an
employer.”

I leaned in
closer and lowered my hands to his knees. The courage must have
floated on a large sail of liquor. My cheek brushed against his as
I whispered into his ear.

“I don’t do
rides with strangers. They usually expect something in return.”

Cross covered
both my hands with his, pressing them to his knees. His warm breath
brushed my cheek before his lip reached my ear, lightly tickling my
earlobe as he whispered, “Then I’ll make sure we’re not strangers
soon enough, Allie. However, I must insist my potential employee
gets to her apartment safely.”

He pulled
away, letting his lips linger inches from mine. God, he smelled so
good!

Damn
tequila.

“Fine,” I
whispered, regretting that my female strength had been stolen.
Appearing weak was the last thing I wanted tonight. Cross had come
to the bar at an inconvenient time, when I was at my lowest. See,
it had been a while since my mother moved. When it quieted down so
much, when I let my guard down and thought she was safe, I knew it
was almost time to find her a new place to live. This was the calm
before the storm. I could remain in New York; the apartment was
leased only in Laura’s name, so my identity was somewhat protected.
We usually worked opposite shifts, and other than the occasional
time at work, we hardly ever ran into each other. It had been over
a year now since we’d stepped out of school, ready to face the
cruel world of crime.

I jumped off
the stool. The sway of my body agreed with gravity a bit too much.
Cross caught me under my elbow. The gesture was too caring even for
him.

No, I can’t let
that happen. I can’t let him be anything more than an employer.

But the little
devil sitting on my left shoulder laughed, fire bursting out of his
ears. He knew the silk sheets had been already laid out for us deep
in hell.
It’s all his fault!
I turned my head to the left,
furrowing at the invisible beast.

God, I must be
really drunk!

“I hope you
don’t drink when you’re on the job.” Cross led me toward the exit,
and I welcomed the cool fall wind. It held a hint of frost and
sobered my lungs with a fresh breath.

Thunder
sounded, shaking the ground underneath me. A flash of lightning in
the distance illuminated the sky, along with a silhouette of
Manhattan skyscrapers.

“You should
know that in our business, it depends on the job,” I replied.

“I guess
you’re right. I’ll have to teach you some tricks, then, to avoid
too many shots.”

“And what
makes you think I don’t know them?”

His brows rose
as he opened the passenger door of his Bentley. “Fair enough. I’ll
leave the interview questions for the interview, then?”

“I guarantee
I’m quite witty when I’m sober.” I laughed, feeling a new swell of
bravery pull me closer to Cross’s side instead of inside the car.
He didn’t seem to mind and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“I don’t doubt
that.” He squeezed his palm on my hip.