Revenge for Hire (The Get Even Agency) (6 page)

“I like you.”

“What?”

His comment caught her off guard. Everything about him caught
her off guard.

“You heard me.”

“Why?”

“Your winning personality and trusting attitude?” he teased.

“Don’t like me.”

A brow rose. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I’m not your friend.”

“No, I suppose not, but then,” his eyes twinkled with pure
bedevilment, “it’s not our possibly being friends that’s the problem, is it,
Angel?”

“This is a mistake.” She glanced around the restaurant,
anywhere but at Jude. “We’ve not talked about work at all.”

“You want to talk about the magazine?”

No, she wanted off this case. Which couldn’t happen because
she’d never admit defeat. She needed to get inside Jude’s head, figure out his
priorities, and then strip him of them just as he’d done to Mandy. To Sara. To
countless other women.

“It’s where we work and why you said we were going to lunch
together.”

He shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

“Why do you work for a porn rag?”

Jude’s eyes narrowed and for the briefest of seconds he
appeared offended, defensive. “Have you actually read a recent issue of
Playhouse?”

“Read? There’s words between those covers?” she bit out
sarcastically. “Who knew?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a very smart mouth?”

She almost choked on the last bite of her egg roll. Scott told
her that. Numerous times. Usually when they argued. Because she’d never let him
win a fight. Not ever. Of course, he’d been wrong each time, and ultimately,
he’d done a major wrong. He’d stolen her heart and her money. She’d like to
accuse him of stealing her virginity, but found she couldn’t. She’d given that
to the bastard willingly.

“No,” she finally answered since Jude waited. “Gee, I hope all
this spicy food doesn’t make your indigestion come back.”

She smiled, purposely looking as though she’d enjoy his misery.

“Yeah, that makes two of us.” He pushed his plate back, picked
up a fortune cookie and tossed it to her. “
Here.
Let’s
see if this tells you to let loose and live a little. I bet you barely leave
your apartment outside of work.”

Ha. He had no idea.

“How did you know I live in an apartment?”

“Lucky guess.” He shrugged. “We’re in Manhattan.”

There was that.

“What about you? Where do you live?”

“I own an apartment. Been there for a couple of years, but
started out leasing. When it came up for sale, I took the plunge and
committed.”

“To owning a home?”

“It’s a big responsibility. You own?”

“Yes,” she answered honestly. They also owned the house and
horse farm in Nashville. Then there was the beach house in Cape May. Avery
wasn’t positive, but she was pretty sure Cassidy owned it. Although Cassidy
never talked about her family, she’d come from money. Lots of money.

Apparently not much love though since Cassidy had been able to
walk away and hadn’t seen them in at least five years. TGEA was her only family.
For all of them except Courtney, whose dad still put in sixteen hours a day for
Hollywood’s finest, but loved his “baby girl”.

“You’re accent isn’t Northern.”

“Neither is yours,” she accused.

He snorted. “From outside Atlanta originally. How about you?”

“Kentucky.”

She wouldn’t say more and why she told him the truth made no
sense. She’d just broken another of TGEA’s rules. Never did you give out
personal information. She should have lied to him. He was a mark. Not a date.

Lunch felt like a date.

Like a getting to know each other first date.

Why wouldn’t it? He’d given her a flower earlier and was
feeding her now.

Only, he was a
screwer
, and she was
here to teach him a lesson, not give him the opportunity to throw her world off
kilter.

“Open your cookie,” he ordered.

Refusing to give an inch, she motioned toward the one he held. “You
first.”

“
Scaredy
cat.”

No man should have those eyes. Eyes that sparkled with such light
and shamed the bluest sky.

“Meow,” she said, because he scared the hell out of her. More
than anything had ever scared her. But not for any reason he’d ever guess.

His eyes darkened.

She held up her hand and she realized she’d given him the
perfect set up. “No. Don’t say it. Not a single lewd or suggestive remark.”

“Who me? You must have me confused with someone else. I never
take advantage of beautiful young pussies.”

“Never.”

He cracked his cookie and pulled the slip of paper from the
crumbs.

“Life takes an unexpected turn and love brings its just
rewards,” he read. He stared at the paper for a few seconds, then glanced up. “Your
turn.”

Interesting fortune.

“Fine.” She removed the cookie from the plastic, crushed it
open, and pulled out the fortune. Her eyes widened and the most brilliant of
ideas formed. An idea that was the perfect revenge for Jude Layman.

“Aren’t you going to show me yours?” he teased. “It’s only fair
since I showed you mine.

She smiled sugary sweet, ignored his double meaning, and liked
the surprise that registered in his eyes.

“Payback can be sweet,” she read, “but love is the tastiest
revenge of all.”

Chapter Five

“What could be more perfect?” And why hadn’t Avery thought of
it to begin with? Because she preferred the quickies and hadn’t been thinking
big enough, that’s why.

“I don’t like it,” Courtney said, spooning a bite of yogurt.

“What?” Avery couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “You, the
person who hired a man you drugged and had sex with to investigate a mark?”

“Yeah, but he was willing and I can handle the score and the
fallout.” Courtney sucked the strawberry and banana concoction from the spoon. “I’m
not so sure you can.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” Courtney asked. “Tell me, Avery. Just what did you do
to the guy today?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you lace his booze? Did you delete important emails? Did
you cancel his car insurance? Did you use his credit card to order a male
stripper to deliver a telegram at work? Did you do a single vengeful thing?”

Avery met her friend’s gaze head-on and didn’t budge. “This is
even better. The perfect revenge for Jude.”

“For Jude?” Courtney
tsked
. “You’re
calling a mark by his name? I think you’re getting too close to this guy, Av.”

“The normal stuff won’t work for
Ju
—this
mark. We already know that because of Randi striking out.”

“Hey, leave me out of this,” Randi warned from the sofa where
she sat playing on her laptop. Randi was a computer game freak and under the
gaming name of “
KissThis
” she kicked cyber butt. Payback
Puss lay curled in a ball, snoozing in kitty heaven.

“No, we’re going to bring this guy down like he deserves. Bring
him to his knees where he’ll never callously hurt another woman again. Think
about it. What could be a more just revenge than to make Jude Layman fall in
love and then trample on his
studly
, fickle heart?”

All three women stared at her.

“That’s what you want? To bring Jude Layman to his knees and
trample on his heart?”

“Oh yes.” Avery smiled. “Making Jude fall in love and then
walking away with his heart is the ultimate revenge for a man like him. His ego
couldn’t stand it.”

“You can make him fall in love?”

“Fall in lust? Definitely. Love?” She shrugged. “I can make him
think he loves me. Jude wants what he can’t have.”

What man didn’t?

“He can’t have you?” Doubt radiated from Courtney.

“No, he can’t. The guy’s a user of the worst kind. Worse than
Scott.”

“Whoa.” Randi glanced up from the laptop. “I’ve never heard you
say that before.”

Avery made a face. “Never met a man like Jude Layman before.”

“I agree with Courtney. We just need to ruin this guy so Mandy
can get back into her father’s good graces, and then, we get out. We can set up
a fake account and records of him making deposits over the past six months. Make
it look like he’s been embezzling from the magazine.” Randi snapped her fingers.
“Or we can make it look like he’s taking bribes from other magazines.”

“Good. Good, but not enough for this guy. There’s no telling
how many hearts he’s broken over the years. I met Miss January today.”

“And?”

“She’s totally in love with the jerk and he wouldn’t even see
her.”

“The asshole.”

“She cried all over the place. I felt so badly for her. I
wanted to tell her not to worry because Jude was going to get his come-uppance,
but of course, I didn’t.”

“Crap,” Randi cursed and went to hitting computer keys as
quickly as she could.

“What is it?”

“
BigBen
is beating me,” she
screeched, tapping keys wildfire fast. “No F-
ing
way.
I’ve never been beaten. Not at Day of Reckoning.”

Randi blew most of the computer game players out of the water.
BigBen
must be a total computer geek to have Randi on the
edge. Especially since Day of Reckoning was her current favorite.

Randi’s shoulder sagged and she stared at the screen
unbelievably. “He did it. He beat me.”

All four watched the laptop as if they expected it to burst
into flames.

“I got dissed by a man, and now this.” Randi threw her hands up.
Perhaps Randi was what was going to burst into flames? “I’m outta here. Anyone
wanna
go hang at that Irish pub off 5th? I need to get rid
of some steam.”

Avery and the other two TGEA girls looked at each other and
shrugged. Why not?

* * *

“I can’t believe I let you drag me to another bar,” Marcus
groaned as Jude set a beer in front of him.

“I can’t believe you’re still whining about me dragging you out
of your miserable apartment.” Jude slid into the booth, one he’d purposely
chosen because of its view of most of the bar. He had it on good authority Joy
Long hung out here on Tuesday nights. He wanted to make sure they didn’t miss
her arrival.

He wasn’t exactly sure how his buddy would take to seeing his
ex-wife
flooze
herself around a bar. Marcus needed to
move on and it was going to take something drastic to snap him out of his
obsession.

Hello drastic.

“Now I know why you dragged me down here,” Marcus said,
glancing at a group of women who’d just entered the pub.

Jude was the one in for a surprise.

Because in walked Angela Greene with three gorgeous women, one
of which looked familiar. The redhead. The one from the bar the night he’d
vowed not to have sex until Marcus got laid. What had her name been?

What was his assistant doing with the redhead?

Was it just coincidence that the two women knew each other?

Odd that he’d meet them both within a few
weeks
time
.

What was his angel doing in a pub? Because if she were looking
to pick up a good time, he’d volunteer.

“Man, was that redhead a set-up?” Marcus asked, reminding Jude
exactly why he couldn’t volunteer.

“You tell me,” Jude advised. “I’d never seen her before that
night at the bar.”

“She’s here with your assistant?” Marcus looked intrigued. “That’s
weird.”

“Tell me about it.”

“You going to invite them to our table?”

Progress. Yes. “Do you want me to invite them to our table?”

“Yeah. I want to meet the woman you’ve given up the Hummingbird
for. I barely got to say hello to her yesterday before dragging your sick butt
to Dr.
Reinholt’s
office.”

“I told you I haven’t given up the Hummingbird.”

“Yeah, well, you haven’t exactly been buzzing from flower to
flower the past month, either.”

“I’ve known the woman for two days. I did not give up the
Hummingbird for her or anyone.”

Marcus took a sip of his beer and blatantly watched the four
women. “They’re an odd looking four, aren’t they?”

Jude frowned. “What do you mean?”

“All beautiful, but different as night and day. The short blond
one looks like she could kick my ass and not think twice about it. Then you
have the hot redhead who was all but jumping in your pants the last time we saw
her. There’s the classy looking one who watches them as if she’s not quite sure
she belongs, but really wants to, and then there’s your temp watching over them
all mother hen like as if she’d fight to the death to protect the others.”

Jude watched the women, impressed with Marcus’ quick assessment,
a talent that made him such a fine lawyer. Impressed that his buddy’s shoulders
weren’t sagging. He was also hopeful Marcus would take interest in one of the
women. Just not Angela.

“You should ask her to dance.”

He wasn’t impressed with Marcus’ suggestion since holding
Angela in his arms would only make him want her all the more.

“No.” He took a sip of his ice cold beer. “Not yet.”

Some bar room fly flittered up, asked Angela to dance.

“Looks like you better hurry or someone else is going to be
sipping the nectar from your flower.”

“Shut up.” He supposed he should be mentally hi-fiving that
Marcus wasn’t crying in his beer, but damn it, he hadn’t planned on seeing
Angela tonight. Hadn’t been prepared for her in those tight-fitting jeans,
cowboy boots, and snug t-shirt with its strategically cut rip at the cleavage.

For the first time in the past month, Marcus seemed to be
having a good time. Too bad it was at Jude’s expense.

Angela shook her head, laughed at something the fly said, then
nodded. Damn it. She was heading to the dance floor with that lounge lizard.

“Man, you’d better get to buzzing because we both know you want
to pluck that particular flower’s petals.”

“Shut up,” Jude repeated. He couldn’t leave Marcus alone. What
if Joy chose that particular time to show up? His buddy shouldn’t have to face
that without backup at his side.

The fly’s arms slid around Angela’s waist and he whispered
something into her ear, making her laugh again.

Damn it.

Jude slid out of his seat.

That fly wasn’t going to sip a damn thing from his flower.

* * *

“Oh hell. Is that who I think it is?” Courtney asked, her eyes
huge.

Randi turned from the guy chatting her up to see who her friend
referred to. Jude Layman, wearing snug black jeans and a black button down,
headed toward them with a determined gleam in his eyes. O hell was right.

“What the F is he doing here?” she swore. She stood, forgetting
about the stud she’d been considering letting take her to his place. She shook
him off when he protested. “Where’s Cass?”

“On the dance floor with some yuppie dude who works on Wall
Street. Her type, really.”

“We’ve got to get out of here.”

“Too late. He’s headed straight toward us,” Courtney warned.

Randi picked her clutch purse off the bar and turned to come
face-to-face with Jude Layman.

“Hi,” she smiled into his unsmiling face.

“I need a favor.”

What
the
?

“What kind of favor?” She eyed him suspiciously, once again
impressed by his good looks. The total bad boy in a hot package. And totally
not interested in her.

Too bad because she bet he could work steam off with the best
of them.

“See my friend over there?” He pointed toward the guy he’d been
with the night she’d met him. His best friend from Princeton. Marcus something
or other.

“I see him. So what?” she challenged, her hands on her hips. Was
he going to throw her at the guy again?
Puh-leeze
. She
totally didn’t need this.

“His ex is going to show up any minute and she’s a total number.
Screwed him over real good and still plays mind games with him. I don’t want
him alone when she gets here.”

“So what are you doing over here talking to me?”

Jude’s gaze went to the dance floor and the way he looked at
Avery was total predatory.

Randi’s wounded pride eased. He had the
hots
for their girl?
 

“Your friend needs rescued from that
slimeball
and I can’t leave my friend alone.”

“Seems you’re in a real pickle.” She leaned back against the
bar and sized him up. According to the bulge in his crotch and the gossip from
his exes, size wasn’t an issue with Jude Layman. Lucky Avery.

“What would it take for you to go and keep him company while I
save Angela?”

She ran her gaze over him, liked what she saw, but wouldn’t
move in on Avery’s mark. Besides, she was pretty sure Avery would end up
working off steam with this particular mark. A much needed work-out in Randi’s
opinion. “We’ll work something out later.”

He nodded, his attention already going back to the dance floor.
“Sure, I’ll owe you one.”

The moment he walked off, Courtney grabbed her arm. “Oh my God.
Did you see how he looked at Av?”

“I saw and was damned jealous.”

Maybe he was just what Avery needed, though. Goodness knew she
needed to loosen up a bit. Jude Layman looked like he knew exactly where to
push to loosen a gal up. Avery’s good time romp before she put the shaft to him.
Oh yeah.

“I think her plan is working.”

“Come on. Let’s go baby-sit the divorcee.”

* * *

Avery didn’t normally dance with strangers in bars. Tonight a peculiar
excitement stirred in her blood and she’d let the wannabe cowboy convince her
to grant one dance.

Unfortunately, she kept comparing his sleeked back black hair
and handsome enough face to the strong cut of Jude’s jaw, to his just crawled
from bed hair to his to-sigh-for eyes.