Dirty Deeds (Mechanics of Love #3)(9)

Delilah placed a hand on her arm. “Are you mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

She shrugged.

Alex shook her head. “No, not mad. Just . . . really thirsty, okay?”

Delilah bit her lip and nodded. Alex rose and walked to the bar, with one purpose in mind: to get really drunk and forget all about stupid Spencer.

“I’M SORRY?” SPENCER leaned forward in his chair and cocked his head. “What did you say?”

Richard Moore, CEO of Royalty Suites, repeated himself, speaking slower this time. “You weren’t the only one in Tory, Maryland, evaluating a location for a new hotel.”

Spencer blinked. “I’m still confused.”

“Look, Spencer, as you know, Cody Aldridge is stepping down as head of the new development team. And you applied.”

Spencer was unsure what that had to do with Tory. “Okay.”

“Well, you aren’t the only one who wants the job. The other employee who I think is as capable as you applied as well. So we sent Nick Paultino to Tory a couple of weeks ago as well, and he submitted his own report.”

Spencer’s stomach twisted painfully in his gut. “You . . . we’re essentially competing?”

Richard nodded. “Yes, we will be evaluating both reports. Yes, your previous job history speaks for itself, but we also wanted something where we could compare you directly.”

Spencer didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing.

“I’m sorry if you feel—”

“Duped?” Spencer said, speaking through gritted teeth as he gazed at the New York City skyline out the window behind his boss’s desk.

The man sighed. “This is tough for me, Spencer. I’ve known you since you were a freshman in college. And Nick is my . . . son-in-law. I have to make sure I’m making an unbiased decision here.”

Spencer fisted his hands on his thighs and willed himself to keep his face impassive. Penny, as the vice president, would have known. She would have known that her father was deciding between Spencer and her own husband for this job.

She hadn’t said a word.

Objectively, Spencer knew she wouldn’t have been able to, but she was his best friend, dammit. Although, he had to admit, Nick—as her husband—would likely be more furious.

They could use some new blood among the higher-ups at Royalty.

“Spencer?”

He got himself under control enough to meet his boss’s eyes. “Yes?”

“Are you still interested in the job?”

It would mean a little less traveling, and it would be a raise. And really . . . wasn’t that what Spencer was supposed to do? Keep moving up in his company. He should want the better, higher-paying job, right?

So he nodded. “Yes.”

Richard drummed his fingers on his desk. “We’ll be taking a look at your reports. It’s possible we’ll send you back to Tory if we need further information.”

Spencer tamped down the flare of alarm. “Sure.”

The man nodded. “Great, then that’s all I need from you today. Any questions?”

“Not at this time.”

Richard smiled tightly at him, in the cool professional way he had.

Spencer walked back to his office quickly, thankful it was the end of the day because all he wanted to do was go back to his apartment and be alone.

Except when he got to his office to gather his things, Penny was there.

And for once, she looked less than put together. Her blonde hair was a little tousled, her pink lipstick on her teeth from where she bit her lip. “Spencer.”

He gathered his suit jacket from the back of his chair and slipped his arms into it. “Pen.”

“Are you mad at me?”

He wasn’t. He understood he didn’t have the right to be. “Frustrated? Yes, but not at you. Definitely not mad.”

“Nick’s kinda mad.”

He pressed his lips together to prevent himself from saying less than desirable things about Nick. He didn’t keep much from Penny, but his complete disdain for her second husband was one of them. Well, she knew he wasn’t fond of Nick, but she wasn’t aware how deep his irritation went.

She sighed. “You want to say something mean about Nick, don’t you?”

Spencer dropped his bag onto his desk and slipped his laptop into it. “I said it in my head.”

She laughed softly at that. He looked up at her and grinned.

Penny had been one of the first people he’d met as a fish-out-of-water freshman at NYU. He’d come over on a student visa, with a thick Manchester accent and no money. Penelope Moore had been outgoing and friendly and immediately reeled him in with her charming hook once they realized they had most of the same classes.

They’d never dated. They’d never even kissed. They’d hugged when they graduated and when Penny divorced her first husband, but she’d always been a friend. She was beautiful, and Spencer cared about her more than he cared for just about anyone other than his father. But they’d never been compelled to take their friendship in the direction of a nonplatonic relationship.

Maybe because Spencer didn’t do relationships. Or maybe because he’d always been so scared of messing up the one real friendship in his life.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

“Claudia loves the necklace you bought,” Penny said. “Thanks for that.”

He smiled. He was fond of her children, an older girl and a younger boy from her first marriage. “Of course, happy to do it.”

She tapped her pink-tipped fingernails on his desk. “We’ll have to visit the shop if we go back.”

Spencer ducked his head, fiddling with the clasp of his bag. He hadn’t told Penny about . . . well, about Alex. He could barely even believe it had happened himself, like it was all one giant hallucination.

Except alone, in his apartment, he could do nothing but think about Alex. About her body and the way she talked and the way she moaned when he was inside her.

Shit, he was going to get hard in his office in front of Penny.

He sniffed and hauled his bag over his shoulder. “Sure, Pen.”

“So, I’m sorry but obviously I couldn’t tell either of you.”

“I know.”

“And Nick already thinks . . . ”

“That he’s competing with me for your affections?” Spencer asked.

She fiddled with her ring. “It’s a new marriage—”

“Five years isn’t that new—”

“And he’s threatened about the fact that you came first.”

“He should get over it,” Spencer said, leading her out his office door as he turned out the lights.

“I know,” Penny said, walking beside him through Royalty Suites’ mostly empty headquarters. “But you know how he gets.”

He huffed under his breath.

She smacked him. “Stop.”

As they walked, he thought again of his meeting with his boss. “Have you seen Nick’s report?”

She shook her head.

He frowned at the floor, running the other locations in Tory through his head. There weren’t many. There was the one Spencer was recommending. Then the one by the old lumberyard. Then . . . the one near Payton and Sons. Spencer took a deep breath so he didn’t work himself into a frenzy. What if Nick chose that one? There’d been some attractive traits about it. But they’d probably have to work to buy some of the auto shop’s land . . . or all of it.

Alex, despite sleeping with him, thought he was a posh asshole. What would she think if he swooped in after shagging her and tried to take her business out from under her feet?

She’d hate him.

He shook his head and pressed the button for the lift. Penny was still standing next to him, lost in thought herself. She shook her head. “Anyway, you want company tonight? You can come over and we’ll all get pizza.”

“I’m sure I’m the last person Nick wants to see today.”

“He can separate my friend from his work colleague.”

Spencer raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, maybe not,” Penny muttered.

Spencer bumped her with his shoulder. “You have a nice night with your husband.”

“Penny,” a voice called.

They turned around to see Nick standing in the hallway, a frown on his face.

Spencer took a step away from Penny, then cursed himself for his reaction, because he shouldn’t feel guilty for talking to his friend. He hated Nick a little for that.

Nick was blond and blue-eyed—an attractive man who’d wooed Penny after he was hired at Royalty. Spencer could tell he loved her very much, but sometimes his possessiveness and competitiveness was off-putting. Penny chalked it up to alpha males butting heads in the workplace, but Spencer thought it ran a little deeper than that.

Just because Nick was married to Penny didn’t mean Spencer had to like the guy, who always seemed to try too hard. He went out of his way to buy Penny elaborate gifts and flowers. He kissed his father-in-law’s ass so hard, Spencer was surprised his lips weren’t in a permanent pucker.

Spencer sometimes wondered what Nick did for himself, or if he just spent his entire life trying to impress others.

And it seemed Nick knew Spencer didn’t care for him, and returned the sentiment.

Spencer lifted his hand as the door to the lift opened with a ding. Nick didn’t move and Penny waved as she walked backward toward her husband. “Have a good weekend, Spencer!” she called.