Wire (Pierce Securities Book 2) (11 page)

Terry squeezed in between Evan and the girl from the design team, smiling affably at the girl before using her hips to push her away. That left very little room next to him, and in an effort to make more space, he rested his arm across the booth behind her.

“Hey. How’s Evan Rocco settling in?” she asked, sipping through the tiny black straw stuck in her turquoise drink.

“Fine, I suppose,” Evan shrugged, a bit uneasy at the use of the third person.

Terry’s eyelids drooped a bit in thought before her mouth quirked up at the edge. “So, is there a Mrs. Evan Rocco in the picture? Girlfriend, maybe?”

Evan laughed at the thought of a wife at home before answering in the negative. Terry was a nice enough girl, and probably someone he would have taken home with him six months ago, but now she wasn’t an option. As his eyes slid over to the door involuntarily, he heard Peggy’s harsh laughter and watched her eyeball the door again, too.

He made small talk with Terry for a little while, watching the office members’ interactions. The people from PSL took up a third of the bar, which was quickly filling up with other patrons. It was funny, though, how the office people mostly stuck together. There were a few who had wandered over to the bar and were talking with ‘outsiders’ as he was quickly referring to them inside his head. But for the most part, they were all sitting around the group of eight or so tables that had been pushed together when they got there.

He’d just ordered his second beer when Paige walked in. She wasn’t alone, though. Evan’s gut clenched when he saw Neil’s arm draped over her shoulder as she walked toward them, smiling brightly.

“Hey, guys! Happy Bar Night!” she cheered with a smile for everyone. A rousing chorus greeted her, and Evan could see she was a well-loved boss. Nobody here really seemed to want to get her.

Peggy jumped up. “Can I get you a margarita, Paige?”

“No thanks, Peg. I got it.” She dismissed the woman and dislodged Neil’s arm from her shoulder to turn to the bar. For all her faults, Peggy seemed genuine with Paige, and Evan relaxed somewhat. She was visibly disappointed at Paige’s rejection, though, and Evan didn’t miss that. Nor did he miss the quick cutting of her eyes to Neil Koen, who was obviously ignoring her. As if it was possible to ignore Peggy.

Evan’s attention turned to Paige.

Dressed in a baggy dress that fell above her knees, and a blue cardigan sweater, she was the picture of hipster elegance. Blue suede Mary Janes only served to heighten her sex appeal in the whole little-girl-all-grown-up look Evan found damned attractive. Her light blonde hair fell in waves down her back, held in place by a knit stocking cap on her head. Standing at the bar, her head tilted to one side to hear the bartender, she was Evan’s fantasy woman. Smart, sexy, self-assured, and amazing in bed. His cock twitched in his pants, reminding him he was staring, but he’d be damned if he gave a shit.

He watched as she brought back two clear drinks and handed one to Neil, who stared at her with obvious lust in his eyes. Evan wondered how she could miss that and think they had a platonic thing. Unless she’d lied to him.

What game was she playing? Was this all an intricate setup with her boy toy to make a fool out of him? He probably wouldn’t think that if it hadn’t been for her completely ignoring him the first week he worked for her. It was almost like he was a pawn she was putting in place for some higher purpose. And her words the last time they’d spoken still echoed in his ear,
“Maybe you should look at your own past?”
Was
she
setting him up?

It was entirely possible this was an elaborate ploy to take him down. Since the
TEKNIX Magazine
article, he’d been targeted for his theories on Artificial Intelligence and its applications. This could be another plan to ruin him. If he were being set up to take the fall for The Crimson Lady, somehow, she was way more devious than he’d ever realized. That would make this a complicated orchestration of epic proportions of which he wasn’t sure he could deal with alone.

His mind swam with suspicions when he felt a feminine set of fingers walk themselves up his lapel. A husky murmur filled his ear, distracting him briefly from thoughts of evil Paige.

“You know she doesn’t date from the office pool… Or didn’t you get that memo?”

He turned to see Terry, whom he’d forgotten about, wide blue eyes lusty. “Who?”

“Paige. Besides, looks like she’s otherwise entertained.”

Neil was feeding her an olive off his plastic sword, and Evan wanted to plunge it into his eyeball. She hadn’t even looked at him since she’d walked into the bar with Neil wrapped around her. They were back to the ignoring thing. She laughed at something Koen whispered into her ear, and Evan’s blood boiled. Was she kidding?

“She doesn’t have the same rules for the rest of us, though…” Her hand had slipped under his lapel and was blatantly feeling his pectoral muscle. “Oh my…” she breathed as her fingernail scraped against his nipple.

Evan smiled vaguely, eyes roaming the crowd. Paige was shaking off another of Peggy’s offers for a drink, and Delvin was getting cozy with the receptionist whose name Evan couldn’t remember.

“Do people often hook up here?”

Terry nodded at him, lips pursed, and Evan thought out his options. If he were honest, he wanted to go home with Paige, but he’d already told her he was keeping this professional, even after nearly having his way with her against a haunted house wall. And besides, he didn’t particularly want to see Neil hanging on her anymore. Certainly not with her flirting back at him. Gene was across the table from him, laughing and flirting with another guy from the office, and Delvin was now kissing the receptionist. Nobody seemed to be batting an eye.

He could use Terry for information. She seemed up on all the office gossip; maybe she had an insider’s viewpoint he wasn’t going to get with Paige ignoring him. He felt a little bad for it, but Terry’s fingernails scraping across his chest told him she probably wouldn’t mind.

Leaning closer to Terry, he inhaled the scent of her hair. It was nice, but not the cock-leaping smell Paige had. Terry smelled like strawberries, where Paige had the whole natural woman thing going on. As if she knew he was thinking about her, Paige’s giggle rose to his ears, the tinkling sound aimed at Koen. Without thought to the consequences, he leaned his head lower to Terry’s ear, nipping the lobe between his teeth while her hand continued roaming his chest. As it went lower, Evan suckled on her earlobe, trying to get thoughts of Paige out of his mind. When her hand grazed his cock through his jeans, he noticed as she did, that it was limp.

A puff of disappointment blew through her lips.

“Hang on a minute. I’ll be back, okay?” he murmured into her ear. She nodded and he escaped. Away from Terry and his own misplaced flirtations. Away from Paige.

There was a hallway in the back of the bar where the restrooms were, and Evan once again found himself in a men’s room, trying to chill himself out. This had been a mistake. He wasn’t watching anybody but Paige. Maybe Simon was right. Maybe they should quit the job; he certainly wasn’t much farther along than they had been when he’d been hired. Except she would be a victim. Only five more attacks remained, and Evan was sure Paige was a target. His chest tightened at the thought, and he had to steel himself to keep from punching the wall in frustration.

He washed his hands, drying them on a paper towel, and walked out the door to find Paige standing there with fiery eyes.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed at him.

“Having drinks with co-workers,” he shrugged.
Now
his cock comes alive. Traitor.

“The hell you are. I’m paying you to do a job. And since you’re all about
professionalism,
you shouldn’t be sucking face with Terry.”

“It was more of an ear thing. What do you have against Terry?”

Paige rolled her eyes. “She’s had every guy in this office. You’d just be another notch for her.”

Evan leaned against the wall behind him, sticking his thumbs through his belt loops. She was upset, and he wondered why.

“Like a bucket list?” He watched her eyes and saw exactly when the strike hit home as she flinched, then steeled herself for combat.

Paige took a step closer. “Fuck you, Evan.” The flame burning in her eyes was something fierce, tugging at his groin like a rope.

“Sorry, sugar. I believe you already have.” He saw the flame flicker and change, and something inside Evan clicked into place.

Desire lit her eyes, and Evan reached out, tugging her dress closer. She was jealous. That knowledge gave him a bravado he’d been missing lately. Paige knew how to push his buttons. Coupled with his recent suspicions she was setting him up, and he felt a need to push her buttons right back.

Hurt dampened the desire on her face. “You said you were keeping things professional,” she whispered.

“I did.” Another tug.

“Why?” Her tongue wet her bottom lip—that plump, full, ripe lip that Evan knew tasted so sweet. He nearly groaned at the memory. As it was, his cock was hard as a fucking rock, and he couldn’t resist the impulse to tug her skirt again. Closer.

“Because my boss told me to. He doesn’t trust you.” And neither did he, but he couldn’t remember why, and the old adage about keeping enemies close seemed like a fantastic idea right about now.

“But you do?”

“I don’t know if I trust you or not, but I can’t stop thinking about you.” Another tug. Her breasts brushed against his chest. He could feel her nipples, and this time his breath left his body in a tortured groan.

“Stop fucking with your co-workers,” she whispered breathlessly.

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll have to fire you?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because I don’t do this with employees.”

“Do what?”

She grabbed the lapels of his jacket, yanking him off balance, and crashed her lips against his. He grabbed her waist to keep from falling down, hauling her against him. When she whimpered into his mouth, Evan spun her around, pinning her against the wall. His hands dipped to her ass, squeezing the soft flesh in his grip, and he groaned his own surrender. He no longer cared if she was trying to sabotage him, he needed her. Like he fucking needed air.

It was all reactionary. He went along telling himself he didn’t need her, didn’t want her, until he couldn’t lie to himself anymore. Then Evan would go on the offensive. It was like she was the one person he couldn’t be around without kissing. No matter how much he lied to himself about her.

Every time he kissed Paige, even when she was Sandra, he’d known she was different. Her kisses spoke of more than lust, they talked to him about passion. Passion is an animal with much more depth than just lust. Lust is superficial, passion is bone deep.

Right now, she was kissing him with a bone deep passion that colored his monochromatic world. Lights went off, blinding him with vivid hues, shocking brightness.

He wanted her with a desire that awed him. He wanted to bow before her and worship her.

Evan hiked one leg up over his hip and ground his pelvis into her core, needing her to feel how much he wanted her. Her fingers clawed at his hair, twisting and pulling it. One hand went under his jacket, clutching at his back. He slipped a finger under her dress, tracing the outline of her panties.

They were lacey and barely there. He would give anything right now to see what she looked like under her baggy clothes. Without any thoughts of consequence, he dipped his finger inside, just once. He didn’t want to cheapen her here in a bar, on Bar Night, but he had to find out if she wanted him as much as he needed her.

With a moan, he broke the kiss, pushing her back against the wall. With the ecstasy-inducing knowledge of her own desire, his own intentions came crashing into his consciousness. He couldn’t do this with her. He wasn’t even sure she wasn’t trying to ruin him. As long as he had those suspicions, this couldn’t go on.

“I have a job to do, Paige.” He swiped a hand across his face, delirious with needing her, and realized he’d just swiped the finger inside her across his nose. “Dammit.” He took two steps back. “I can’t think straight when I’m around you. All I want to do is fuck you.” Shock registered on her face. “Sorry. That didn’t sound the way it did inside my head.” Closing the distance, he grasped her shoulders. “Look. You hired me to do a job. Let me do it, and then we can pursue this.”
As long as you’re not the bad guy here.

She hadn’t said anything to him, her almond-shaped green eyes wide with shock. Then she shut down, a look he was becoming familiar with. “Fine.”

“Look, Paige…” he started, wanting to explain so she’d understand.

Holding her hand up to stop him, he could see the hurt in her eyes before she lowered her face. “I get it, really.”

“No, I don’t think you do.”

“Yeah, I do, Evan. You fuck around. You want to fuck around with me, but I’m too big of a distraction. You’d rather fuck around with Terry. Well, go right ahead. Fuck Terry until your dick falls off!”

Her voice was loud in the bar, and Evan was positive some, if not all, of their co-workers had heard, but he didn’t give a damn. With his hands on her petite shoulders, he pushed her against the wall and lowered his face so it was inches from hers.

“Let’s get one thing clear, Paige. I can’t stop thinking about you. I haven’t in months. So having you hire me, when you damn well knew all along who I was, has been fucking with my head. But the truth is, you hired me to do a job, and I’m going to fucking do it. You’re in danger, and I’m going to protect you. And I’m going to do it well. If I need to sleep around for information, I’ll damn well do it.” His face contorted into something that felt like a sneer as he tried to control the lust raging through his system and his voice lowered in volume, but not intensity. “But mark my words, Paige Lawson. What’s between us isn’t over. I
will
know what you taste like as you come all over my fucking tongue.” He released her and took a step back, trying to clear his head.