Revenge for Hire (The Get Even Agency) (10 page)

Hell, he was only a man and always had been up for a good
challenge.

He already knew how hot she was. How responsive.

He closed the distance and kissed where her tongue had just
been. Licked the spot.

She arched into him, her breasts grazing the front of his tux. Reminding
him that her lushness was there for his taking. Tonight, she wasn’t crossing
her arms.

“You know the driver can see us through the window, right?” he
asked against her lips before kissing his way down her throat. She smelled good.
Cinnamon toast. She made him hungry, but not for breakfast.

He wanted to devour her.

“Ask me if I care,” she said, sliding her hands inside his
jacket to run over his chest.

“Angel, you make me so hot.” He molded her breasts, but refused
to uncover them. The driver might run them off the road if he got a load of
Angel’s perfection.

“How hot?” she asked, nipping his earlobe. “Sweaty hot or explosive?”

“Both,” he admitted. “So hot I could burn alive from
spontaneous combustion just thinking about being inside you.”

She pulled back and stared into his eyes. Something glittered
in her gaze, something he didn’t quite understand. Not teasing. Not lust. Almost
remorse or protectiveness. Whatever, he couldn’t be sure.

“Forget the party, Jude.”

He’d never heard her plead before. He got the impression she
didn’t often do so.

“Please, just take me to your place, and let’s not do the party.”

Her voice sounded so needy, so urgent he could almost justify
screwing up his career to have her.

But even if he brought her to his place, there was still his
vow. What did one have to do to get out of a vow, anyway?

Make atonement to the Vow God?

He had to get Marcus laid, that’s what, because there wasn’t
any way around his promise, and Jude didn’t break vows.

He took a steadying breath and pulled back. “I can’t. I have a
job to do, and Simon expects me there. I can’t shirk my responsibilities to the
company.”

She glanced away, then nodded. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have
asked.”

Something about the tilt of her head said he’d messed up.

He cupped her chin and turned her to him. “Angel, I’m damn
flattered that you did.”

“But not enough to skip the party.”

Jude prided himself on his intelligence, but he didn’t get the
sadness to her voice.

“It’s just a party, babe. Just a few hours of one night.” He
kissed her, soft and tender and in a way that he hoped told her how much she
was coming to mean to him. “I think we’ve got lots of hours, lots of nights
ahead of us.”

Threading her hands into his hair, she kissed him back with a
desperation he didn’t begin to understand. If he didn’t know better, he’d think
it was a goodbye kiss. He knew better, and he wasn’t letting this woman go. Not
until they’d played out the attraction between them. Which might take a hell of
a long time.

The car stopped outside the hotel.

Jude pulled back, caught his breath, then brushed his fingers
across his mouth. “Is my lipstick smudged?” he asked, hoping to lighten the
mood.

She smiled and rubbed her fingers over a spot where her
lipstick mussed his mouth. “There. You look perfect.”

“Then we’re a matching set, because so do you.”

She didn’t meet his eyes, and he knew something had changed
from the time she asked him to forego the party.

Chapter Eight

Since arriving at the party, Avery barely had the opportunity
to say two words to Jude. Everyone wanted his attention. Especially everyone
female. Women of all ages fawned over him. Jude took the attention in good
stride, laughing at their comments, flirting lightheartedly and smiling
continuously. He introduced her left and right, but none of the guests paid
much notice. They all focused on Jude. No wonder.

Just being with him made a woman feel good about herself. The
way he looked directly into your eyes when he spoke to you, the way he responded
and made you feel as if you were the center of his world.

It was easy to forget that she was here on assignment and not
really as Jude’s date.

She didn’t want to do what she’d come to do
.

Which had never happened before.

In the limo, she’d actually tried to talk him out of coming to
stop her from doing what needed to be done. It surprised her when she’d
initially agreed to his suggestion about not going. Then the idea took root and
the need to protect him kicked in. Think twins. Think Mandy. Think Sara. Think
all the other women he’d used and carelessly tossed aside. Jude did not deserve
protection.

“Are you not enjoying yourself?” he asked from close to her ear.
He did that often, leaned in to speak close to her ear, as if his words were
for her alone. As if he wanted an excuse to be close. As if he couldn’t quite
believe she wasn’t shooting him down each time he did.

“Not as much as I would be if you’d taken me up on my offer,”
she admitted.

“The night’s still young.” His eyes were full of promise. Promise
she knew he wouldn’t have the opportunity to fulfill.

“Jude, darling, I didn’t know you were going to be here. But
then, I should have. You’re at all the best parties.” A movie star glam blonde
kissed him square on the mouth. She turned to Avery and stared down her nose
with distaste. “Who’s this week’s flavor?”

“Mandy.” The name rolled off Jude’s tongue with apparent
frustration. He hadn’t returned the kiss, but he hadn’t pushed the woman away
either.

This was the pitiful woman who’d emailed TGEA? The one whose
heart was broken and life had been shattered?
 
Cassidy had checked her out, but still…

“Angela Greene,” she said, sticking out her hand to the
beautiful blonde who had an amazing hourglass figure. Avery could almost be
envious.

The woman’s gaze dropped to Avery’s hand, gave a yeah-right
look, and eyed her closer. “He lined you up to take your clothes off yet?”

“Angela is filling in for Mrs.
Sedwick
this week,” Jude volunteered.

The woman’s gaze narrowed. “An assistant who can afford a
Claire Davis original and those earrings?” She snorted at Jude. “I don’t think
so. Unless…What did she have to do for you to fork over the cash?”

Jude’s gaze dropped to Avery’s gown. He frowned, and she
watched as realization set in. She’d made another mistake.

During her vanity of wanting to look good for him, she hadn’t
considered that a mere temporary assistant would never be able to afford such a
gown. Stupid. A mistake a novice would make. Not a professional TGEA agent.
Especially her. She was the one who kept the others straight. What was wrong
with her?

Not that she didn’t know. Jude. He was messing with her mind.

“Who’s Claire Davis?” he asked.

“Only the hottest designer of the decade. A temporary assistant
couldn’t afford a Claire Davis original if she spent her entire year’s salary. All
Claire’s dresses are one of a kind, but carry her trademark bust.” The woman
smiled slyly. “I have two, by the way.”

“Busts?” Avery couldn’t resist asking. She didn’t like this
woman. A woman she was technically working for. Was jealousy making her view
the woman through green-tinted glasses?

“Claire Davis gowns.”

“Lucky you. For the record, all I had to do was put a call in
to a friend who models. She let me borrow this for tonight.”

“It just happened to fit like a glove?” Skepticism dripped off
the woman.

Avery glanced down at the dress and smiled dreamily. “I know. Like
it was made for me. Isn’t it just the most perfect dress?”

“Perfect,” the woman bit out, then turned her attention to Jude
and her back to Avery. “Dance with me, love.”

“Maybe later.” He didn’t sound as if he wanted later to come.

The woman cut a nasty glance toward Avery, then pouted at Jude.
“I’ve just gotten back from Bermuda. I thought you might have missed me.”

He arched a dark blond brow. “You were gone?”

Her lip went lower and she sloshed champagne over the rim of
her glass. “That’s not nice, Jude.”

Jude grabbed Avery’s elbow and pulled her to his side. “Mandy,
you’ll have to excuse me. I owe my date a dance.”

“You’re dating the help now?”

“Only when they say yes,” Jude responded without missing a beat.

Avery admired how he handled the woman. His voice never rose. He
didn’t strike out, just walked away with Avery securely at his side.

“How long till you have her posing as one of your centerfolds,
Jude?” Mandy tossed out another parting shot.

Jude ignored her.

Avery couldn’t. She wanted to scratch the woman’s eyes out. Of course,
she was honest enough to admit that her relationship with Jude influenced her
opinion.

“Who is she?” she asked, wondering how Jude would describe his
relationship with Mandy Sims.

“Simon’s daughter.”

“Ah, the boss’ daughter.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush to
him. “There’s nothing between us, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Was I implying anything?” she asked, toying with his jacket
lapel.

“Sounded that way.”

“Sounded like she thought she had a right to you and she did
walk up and kiss your mouth.”

“She doesn’t.” He grinned down at her. “The only woman I want
kissing my mouth is you.”

Avery reminded herself that the man was a natural born charmer
and probably always said the right thing. “But she did at one time? Have a
right to you, that is?”

His feet stilled, and his expression took on a serious slant. “Angel,
a lot of women have thought they had a right to me at one time or another. None
of them ever have, and I’ve never given any of them reason to believe they ever
would.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never committed myself to any woman. Not since high
school.”

“What happened in high school?”

He laughed. “Let’s just say I learned the hard way that
commitment is a two-way street, and vows are never to be broken.”

“Sounds serious.”

“It was.”

They moved in slow steps, their bodies pressed together in
rhythmic harmony.

“For the record,” Avery said, knowing she needed to clear the
air. “I don’t want any rights over you, Jude.”

“No?”

“I don’t expect something of you that I’m unwilling to give in
return. No man will ever own me.” She met his gaze with steely resolve. “But I
do want more of what you gave me last night.”

His throat worked and a mixture of emotions crossed his face. “Here?
On the dance floor?”

His tone teased, but there was a danger in his eyes that said
he’d take up her challenge if she threw the gauntlet down.

“You wouldn’t happen to know if there are any dark hallways
around?”

He chuckled, bent, popped a kiss on her mouth. “You keep this
up, and I’m going to drag you beneath a table.”

Automatically, her gaze darted around the ballroom in search of
a table that might lend itself to privacy.

“Angel,” his tone warned.

“Jude,” she responded. “You shouldn’t make promises you don’t
intend to keep.”

He snorted. “I never make a promise I don’t intend to keep. Sometimes
life would be a lot simpler if I did.”

“Oh?” There was too much emotion in his words for there not to
be a deeper meaning.

He grinned and brushed his lips over her ear lobe, kissing her
above her diamond and emerald earring. His breath was hot and moist when he
whispered, “I promise, before the night is over, I’m going to know what it
feels like to peel a Claire Davis original off a beautiful woman’s body.”

* * *

Avery’s stomach roiled when she glanced at the
pate
on her plate. A plate Cassidy delivered. Jude’s plate
held a similar appetizer, but he’d yet to touch his either. However, she
doubted for the same reason. He was busy schmoozing and talking up the magazine
to the crowds that seemed to eat up his every word. The man was a natural born
charmer.

Nausea tightened her throat.

She didn’t want to follow through with this, didn’t want to
whine, demand Jude’s attention just be on her, do things that made him look
stupid, do things that pissed off Mrs. Yamaguchi and would leave the woman
forever disliking Jude.

Cassidy would know if she didn’t.

Which meant Courtney and Randi would know.

She’d never live it down if she backed away from a mark. If she
let emotion for Jude get to her. If she let it be known she had feelings for
him.

Feelings. She had feelings for him.

It sounded so simple, yet nothing about Jude was simple.

Do it
, Randi’s voice whispered inside her head.
Do it for TGEA. For every woman who’s ever been scorned and trodden on by a
man. Just do it. Him too if that’s what you want, but screw him over for
womankind
.

Jude was nothing more than a mark. One she might have sex with,
but still just a mark.

Business first, then pleasure.

She had to create problems between him and Mrs. Yamaguchi. That’s
why she was here. Avery picked up a cracker, dipped it into the spread, and
took a bite. “
Mmmm
. Delicious.”

Really the dip tasted like a glob of glue and stuck to the roof
of her mouth.

Jude turned away from the man he spoke with, watched her mouth as
she savored the bite. Just like that, his gaze darkened with desire and she
knew she had his full attention.

You’re a fool, Avery Wade.

Forget this revenge thing and take whatever Jude is willing to
give you
.

But wouldn’t that be giving him permission to use her? To walk
all over her as he had the women who’d come before? It wasn’t okay to do a
woman wrong. To break her heart and let her cry herself to sleep night after
night. Not for Scott Madison. Not for Jude Layman. Not for any of the men who’d
crossed her path.

Perhaps Mandy Sims’ crass attitude had formed as a protective
shell from being hurt by a man one time too many.

Avery dipped the cracker back into the spread and offered it to
him. “Taste?”

Eyes locked with hers, he opened his mouth.

Avery’s heart pounded in her chest with the intensity of
someone who expected a
slasher
to jump her any moment,
to announce to Jude that she was a big fraud and here to hurt him in every way
she could.

She held the pate-covered end of the cracker to his mouth and
let him take a bite.

He swallowed the food and Avery swallowed the rising bile in
her throat.

Jude was a test of her commitment to the agency.

A test of where her loyalties lay.

A test she would pass with flying colors.

She dipped her finger into the pate and pressed it to his
mouth, letting him suck the dip off. Sweet spirals of emotion twirled in her
chest at the heat in his eyes, at the pleasure that shot through her when his
tongue brushed the pad of her finger.

Ignoring the man he’d been conversing with, Jude slid his arm
around her waist and hugged her to him. “You’re an amazingly sensual woman,
Angel.”

So amazing she planned to lead him down a path of destruction.
 

What was she doing?

Her job
.

Mrs. Yamaguchi tapped Jude on the shoulder. She smiled, showing
brilliantly white teeth. She motioned toward the dance floor. “You’re ready
now?”

Avery tensed.

Jude looked at her, as if asking permission when they both knew
he didn’t need her consent. Hadn’t they just discussed that neither had rights
over the other?

He wanted her happy, she thought. Wanted her okay with his
actions.

He wouldn’t be okay with hers.

“I don’t think so. I’m not the kind of woman who likes to share.”
She kept her voice steady, knowing that her words would surprise him.