Tempting the Corporate Spy(14)

A text buzzed on his phone, and though he didn’t recognize the number, he knew who had sent it. Dickhead. It wished him success on his first day and was accompanied by a picture, a close up of Julie’s brown ponytail, the rest of the lurid scene not included. The text ended with the sentiment, “We’re waiting.”

With determination, Jon sat back at the computer. He wouldn’t be locking up for quite some time. He’d figure it out. Altman was good—a day wandering around her computer programs proved that—but he was better. He was sure of it. And as guilty as he was starting to feel about the whole thing, he couldn’t let himself be distracted. Not by her sad childhood or her shy smiles or her hot, silk-encased curves. He liked her, a lot, but he had a duty to his sister.

He unlocked the bottom desk drawer and withdrew the router.

...

Liv stirred her pink cocktail and watched Jen shimmy against some guy wearing black leather and sunglasses. Sunglasses, even though the bar was so dark you practically needed a flashlight to get to the restroom. Her friend saw her watching and gave her a brilliant smile and a hand gesture that beckoned her out to the dance floor as well. She shook her head, wondering if she might have been inclined if Jon had come with them tonight. Despite his odd occupation, he had been so easy to talk to. Once he got off the management theory, that is, and she could understand what he was saying.

She wished he had come tonight.

It probably wouldn’t have gotten her out on the dance floor, though. She wasn’t much for dancing. The pounding beat of some techno vibe blasting through the speakers from all angles didn’t help. Instead of having fun, Liv was having a headache. One hand up to her temple, rubbing, soothed for a second as she relived Jon’s shoulder massage. Long fingers kneading, low voice in her ear as he leaned over her.

“Hi.”

Liv looked up to see a wide grin, a loosened tie and a mug of beer. She buttoned another button on the blazer she refused to take off, even though it was steamy in the bar. “Hi.”

“I saw your friend out there dancing with my buddy, Denny, and thought I’d come over here and keep you company.”

“Oh, well, thanks.” She didn’t know what to say. Well, actually she did, but it had to do with not really wanting company and she didn’t want to seem like a bitch.

The guy sat down next to her, scraping his chair along the floor to bring it too close to hers, and she got a whiff of the spicy nachos he must have been eating. “I’m Andrew.”

“Liv.”

Introductions made, he got right to the point. “Your friend looks hot. Is she as hot as she seems?”

Jen was circling her partner in a seductive dance, hands on her slender waist, hips jutting back and forth, one strap of her dress falling down on her shoulder. She supposed Jen did look, well, kind of wild. But every time she looked at her friend, she saw the girl with braids and braces who had insisted Liv join the Brownies with her, lying that there was no fee and then arranging for her parents to pay for both of them. The girl who Liv would call if her mom didn’t come home at night and she was scared. A true friend with a heart as big as all her talk. “She puts on a good show, but she’s actually pretty level headed.”

Liv glanced back out at the dance floor where Jen was now grinding her nether regions against Denny’s.

“Usually. When black leather isn’t involved.”

She took another sip of her drink and directed her attention back to her sudden companion. “You and your friend actually don’t exactly look like you go together,” she remarked. “You’re in a suit and he’s…” Words failed her.

“Denny and I go way back. We make a great team.”

The chair scraped closer and, if possible, the techno music got louder. “So let me ask you, you think she’d go for a threesome? Your friend? With me and Denny, I mean?”

Liv laughed. Perfect. Mr. Drunk Nachos guy, er, Andrew, wasn’t even hitting on her. As usual, he only wanted to get to Jen. What a shame. He must be a real prince of a fellow to come over and bring up the subject like that. Yep, a really classy guy.

“So what do you say? You think she’d be into it? Denny says no, but I think he’s being selfish.”

“Denny’s awfully perceptive. Jen takes her men one at a time.”

Andrew harrumphed, guzzling down the rest of his beer, slamming the mug back on the table with a thump. “How about you then?”

“How about me what?” She hoped he wasn’t going to ask about threesomes.

“If your friend’s not interested, you want to come back to my apartment? We can have a smoke and see what develops.”