Playing in SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 9)
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Authors: Crystal Perkins
Playing in
SECRET
Book
#9 of Corrigan & Co.
By
Crystal Perkins
Copyright © 2015 by Crystal
Perkins
Cover Design by Helen Williams
Ebook
Formatting by Jesse Gordon
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owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary erotic
romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands,
media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECRET
Her past has
collided with her present, and there’s no going back…
Audrey Sanchez was
humiliated by the boy she loved when she was in high school, and
she’s never gotten over it. When he needs her help to protect his
daughter, can she pretend to be his girlfriend, and still protect her
heart?
He’s always
regretted his past, and will fight for the future he wants…
Blake Armstrong is
the hottest movie star on the planet, but he’s never forgotten the
girl he hurt in high school. Audrey’s still brilliant, and she’s
also hotter than Hades. Can he convince her that he wants all of her,
and won’t let her down again?
When play
becomes real, and the SECRETS are life-changing, can they put aside
the past, or will history repeat itself?
Crystal Perkins
The
Griffin Brothers series
Gaming
For Love (The Griffin Brothers #1)
Building
Our Love (The Griffin Brothers #2)
Creating
A Love (The Griffin Brothers #3)
Learning
To Love (The Griffin Brothers #4)
Designing
The Love (The Griffin Brothers #5)
Working
On Love (The Griffin Brothers #6)
Keeping
Their Love (The Griffin Brothers #7)
Corrigan
& Co. series
Fielding
Her SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #1)
Devouring
the SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #2)
Rocking a SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #3)
Lessons
in SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #4)
Uncovering
His SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #5)
Training the SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #6)
Inheriting
a SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #7)
Tending
Their SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #8)
Publicly, The
Corrigan & Co. Foundation has been supporting women for years.
Secretly, five powerful women led by Jane Corrigan have recruited ten
agents, sending them to rescue women and children in need, and take
down those who exploit the weak. This secret society of women all
have unique skills they’ve brought to the foundation. Additionally,
they’ve all had training in weapons, etiquette, martial arts,
technology, and languages. Helping out friends and family of their
five mentors from time to time is something they were told to expect.
What they didn’t plan for is falling in love.
About the Corrigan & Co. Foundation and the Society:
• Mitchell Corrigan created the Corrigan & Co. Foundation for
his wife as part of his company ten years ago. He stipulated that the
foundation would continue as long as there is a Corrigan woman to
oversee it.
• Jane Corrigan, Cyndi Evans, Maggie Griffin, Mallory Daniels, and
Helen Wilson are the founders of the secret society within the
foundation. They focus on helping women and children, but take on
other missions from time to time.
• While they assist government and private organizations on a
regular basis, they only take referrals for private missions.
• Each founder has recruited, and mentors, two agents.
• The company was founded in Chicago, but has now moved to Las
Vegas, where Mitchell was born. On his deathbed, he asked his
grandson to move the company headquarters to help revive the economy
in his hometown. There are satellite offices all over the world.
• Jane’s grandson, Matt, who is President and CEO of Corrigan &
Co., knows of the society. His friends Nathan and Aiden, who he
brought in when they all left the military, know as well. This was a
decision by the five women when they needed help on a mission that
went bad. They do not know all mission details, but help when they
are asked. Jake Mason is now also part of the Corrigan security team,
and aware of the Society.
For people who believe in second chances
Audrey
Maybe I should’ve
asked Faith to shoot me so I could’ve avoided this. Then again, I
didn’t have to come back here to San Diego. Not everyone attends
their 20th high school reunion. I could’ve just ignored the
invitation my mom forwarded to me. But the need for revenge was just
too strong.
“You okay, Aud?”
Ares asks me. Yes, I brought one of my best friends, the famous
playboy NASCAR driver Ares Dixon, with me. Take that, bitches.
“No. Remind me why I
came here again?”
“To show these idiots
how sexy and accomplished you are.”
Yep. That’s exactly
why I came. I had just started with the Society when my ten year came
around, so I missed it. I wasn’t ready then, anyway. I was still
getting past being the nerdy girl who hid behind her glasses for most
of her life.
The Society offered me
the chance to break out of my cocoon, and emerge as a sexy, and
strong woman. In addition to being smart, of course. My brain is why
I was recruited by Maggie Griffin, but to say that I embraced
everything else I was taught would be an understatement. The stylist
at the time got me into clothes that actually fit, and showed me how
to work the body God gave me to its full advantage.
I’d already taken
communications classes in college, because I wanted to try something
other than science, but it did nothing to prepare me for the work
I’ve been doing for the past ten years. I’m thankful to the
mentors for putting us through the rigorous training they did, and
for believing in me when I struggled. This butterfly came out flying,
and I’ve never looked back. Well, at least not much.
It’s hard to ignore
the boy who broke your heart when he’s on every movie screen in
America. And if I’m honest with myself, I haven’t wanted to
ignore him. Despite what he and his friends did to me, a little part
of me still loves him, and probably always will.
“Isn’t that Blake
Armstrong?” Ares asks me, gesturing to where he’s sitting with
his many admirers.
“Yep,” I say with a
quick glance, before looking away again.
“Who’s the girl
sitting near him?”
I look over and see
her. The girl with the glasses and a book open on her lap. She looks
to be around twelve, and my heart breaks as I see that everyone
around her is ignoring her. My feet are moving before I can make them
stop.
“Hi,” I say,
sitting on the ground next to her. “What are you reading?”
“
Powerless.
It’s a book about superheroes and villains. Lame, right?”
“Superheroes are
definitely not lame. I love superheroes.”
“Really? But you’re
so pretty.”
“Thank you. You’re
very pretty too. And yes, I love them. So do most of my friends.”
“I love superheroes,
too,” Ares says, sitting down with us.
“I’ve seen you on
the internet,” She tells him.
“Sometimes people
like to take pictures of me because I drive fast cars,” he says
with a shrug.
I could hug him right
now. He has a tendency to be an egotistical ass on occasion, but he’s
holding it back for this little girl. “Thank you” I mouth to him.
He just nods back at me.
“People take pictures
of my dad, too.”
“Your dad?” I ask.
“Yeah. Blake
Armstrong.”
Well, isn’t this
ironic. The man who broke my heart because I was a nerd, now has a
daughter who could’ve been me all those years ago. I don’t have
time to ponder this any longer, because the man in question is now
standing over us.
“You okay, Jeanne?”
“Yeah. I’m fine,
Dad. Just talking about superheroes.”
“Do I know you?”
Blake asks us.
“We met at one of my
races last year,” Ares tell him.
“I was talking to
her.”
I stand up and motion
for us to walk away from Ares and Jeanne. “Know me? No, you don’t
know me. I’m just the nerdy girl you invited to prom and then stood
up because it was a joke to you and your friends.”
“Audrey?”
“Hello, Blake.”
“You look great.”
“I know.” I tip my
chin to his daughter. “She seems like a pretty awesome kid. Make
sure you treat her that way.”
“I do. I’m sorry
for what I did to you.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
There’s a commotion,
and I see four men in masks surrounding Jeanne and Ares. They’re
not here for him. I know that in my bones. Blake starts to move
towards them, but I stop him. “Stay here.”
I activate my distress
signal, and grab the gun from my purse. I see the weakest link and
move in on him, taking him out easily. Ares grabs Jeanne and runs her
over to Blake. I’m shocked to see Reina approach them—how did she
get here so fast? I don’t have time to contemplate her appearance,
or Ainsley’s, as we both hold off the masked men until they start a
fire and run.
We get everyone safely
out of the area, and take care of the fire before heading for the
parking lot. “Is this your mission, Ainsley?”
“Yes. I didn’t know
you’d be here. It’s your reunion?”
“Sadly, yes.”
She leads me into a
shuttle bus where I see Ares, Blake, Reina, and Jeanne are waiting
for us. Blake stands when I walk in. “You’re one of them? The
Society?”