Million Dollar Devil (Million Dollar #1)(51)

“So this is the best friend with the killer contract,” he says with a low, assured voice. And he takes her hand gently and bows like a regular gentleman.

“James. Meet my best friend, Jeanine,” I say, trying not to be bitter.

I can just about see Jeanine swoon. Because he might as well have been James Bond.

And that is my first hint.

My first hint that I’m in too deep. And I’ve created a goddamn monster.



After enduring my best friend throwing all her flirting ammunition full bore at James, we head down the elevators toward a conference room to go over the details.

“We’ve got flights leaving out of Atlanta tomorrow,” I say to him, my voice clipped. “The aim is to get every single store buyer to stock us.”

“Something wrong?” he asks me.

“No,” I say. There shouldn’t be anything wrong. Jeanine stopped short of flashing him her boobs, and he remained friendly, but he didn’t flirt back. Well, not really. With a man with such a penetrating gaze and raw sensuality, even innocent chatting feels like a flirt.

I shouldn’t be feeling like this.

Like I’m about to lose something close to me. Something I can’t bear to part with.

“Don’t worry, Lizzy.” He sounds confident. Almost more confident than I am. “We’ve got this.”

I’m amazed how easily he can step in and out of my world. He already looks like he was born in this one. “Oh. I know. You do.”

“We do,” he repeats with that lopsided grin, making my heart melt a little. “So that was your best friend, huh?”

My stomach drops. “Yeah. We’ve been best friends forever,” I say. I take a breath, knowing I should address the elephant in the room. “She really thinks you’re something.”

“That so?” Either he doesn’t believe it, or he doesn’t care. And there are few men who don’t care where Jeanine is concerned.

“Yes.”

I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t.

After we take a table in the empty conference room, we spend some time reviewing possible interview questions and how I’d like him to answer them. Then I hand him a tiny wrapped box. “This is for you.”

He looks at it before pulling off the ribbon. He opens it to find a brand-new cell phone. “What’s wrong with the one I have?” he asks.

“You can’t have that anymore. A person’s phone is a reflection of him.”

He lifts up his old dirty phone with the cracked screen. “So the old me was broken and dirty?”

I shake my head. “That one is Jimmy’s. You need James’s phone. Be sure it’s ready for LA.”

He opens it and looks at it. It’s sleek, shiny, sophisticated. Everything James should be. He nods and turns it on, then starts to play with it. “Thanks.”

We wrap up the discussion when Charlie calls on his old phone to tell James about his school day. James looks proud, and I’m too curious to ignore the pang in my stomach.

I don’t know why, but I feel thirsty for him. For more. To know every little thing about him. “Good news to share?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nah. It’s nothing.”

“Didn’t sound like nothing. Tell me.”

He shrugs. “Our minds should be on other things.”

I face him. “We can talk about things other than work.”

“All right. He just did well on an honors math test today.” He shoots me a naughty grin. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

I think for a moment, trying to come up with something nonwork related. But sadly, I have nothing. Everything in my life has been attached to Banks LTD, ever since I was a little kid. I have so much riding on this even James can’t possibly fathom. “I’ve always dreamt of being the company CEO.”

“After tomorrow, maybe that will happen.”

“Dad isn’t a man who’ll hand over the company reins unless I deserve to hold them.”

He searches my eyes. “This launch is really that important to you?”

“Nothing else matters. If I don’t make the line wildly successful, then it’s a failed effort, as far as I’m concerned.”

“You or your dad?”

“Both, really. He’ll want to see the numbers, and I want them to exceed whatever expectations he has.”

“That explains why you’ve set your goals so high.”

“They can always be higher,” I say.

“Trust me, sugar—they’re high enough.”

I freeze. “Sugar.” I swallow. “No. Just no.”

“What’s wrong with sugar?” He laughs. “Would you prefer honey?”

“I’m not a staple food.” I point to the door. “And let’s step aside to look at some of our trip details before we go.”

He pops a kiss on my lips. “If it’s really my choice, then I choose sexy, and you damn sure better answer when I call.”





THE HILL

Elizabeth

It’s the night before LA.

The night before I unleash my creation upon the world.

My heart skips as I see his large form step out of his house. He jogs over to my Audi and opens the driver’s side door, motioning me toward the passenger side. “Scooch.”