International Guy: Milan, San Francisco, Montreal (International Guy Volumes Book 2) Read online

  “And what do you do here?”

  “I’m one of the coders.”

  “Oh, then you work with that new hire, Wendy.”

  I lift my head to watch her facial expressions. A look of disgust comes across her face, then disappears in an instant. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Sounds like you have some feelings about the new hire. Anything you care to share?”

  She purses her lips. “Just not sure why they hired her when I could have taken on the extra load, worked with Kidd directly.”

  “Kidd?”

  “Yeah, the director of the department. We always used to work together perfectly.”

  Interesting. There’s something in the way she speaks that has needle pricks prodding at my temples, but the pain from last night’s escapade is clouding my thought processes a little.

  “So, you’ve worked with Kidd for a long while?”

  “We started at the same time. I was just out of college, and he was just out of high school. He’s brilliant. Didn’t even go to college, and his knack for the coding language is as good as his sister’s. We were the best team. Perfect in every way.” She frowns and then looks away. “Then Alexis separated us, and I got relegated to the boring side of the business. Maintenance. No longer working on product creation.”

  “That must have made you feel bad. Did something happen?”

  Glaring, she turns her face back toward mine. “No. I guess I wasn’t as good as they were. No longer capable of hanging with the big boys. But I’ve worked my way back up to the coding team. And now I have to compete with Wendy. The new IT girl.”

  Oh, I see what’s happening. Her negativity is about Wendy. A zap of pain bolts through my head, and I grind my molars and try to breathe through it. God, my head hurts.

  Too much booze.

  Next time we have an IG team “Kumbaya” get-together, we need to do it after the job is done. The fluorescent lights above feel like they’re burning right through my retinas.

  I swallow down the dryness in my throat and reach for the water bottle.

  “You okay?” Eloise asks. “You look green.”

  I suck back most of the water, letting the fresh, cool feeling coat my empty stomach. “Just tired.”

  She snickers. “Looks like you tied one on last night.”

  I breathe through my teeth, allowing her to catch me in a little bad-boy behavior to see how she responds.

  “Be careful. She might fire you. She can be a real bitch if she wants to.” She leans over the table, moving closer, and scowls. “Don’t let her bombshell body and movie-star face get to you. That woman is a she-devil underneath all that fashion and glamour.”

  Damn. That was harsh.

  “You don’t sound like you care for Alexis much. If that’s the case, why do you work here?”

  She squints. “Because Kidd is amazing, and I’ve learned more under his mentorship than I ever did in all four years of tech school. I’d do anything to keep my position here.” She waxes rather poetic about a man who, for all intents and purposes, is her boss. There’s a tinge of something more there, something I can’t grasp in my tired, hungover brain.

  I need to sleep.

  For a year.

  “Was that going to be all, Mr. Ellis? I really have a lot to do. I’ve been reviewing the errors in Kidd’s coding.”

  “Errors?” Wendy mentioned yesterday there were errors in the coding that matched Kidd’s style.

  She nods and runs her fingertip in a circle on the tabletop. “I think it’s his new girlfriend.” She leans forward as if she’s going to tell me a secret. “Ever since he started seeing her, his work has suffered. I’m trying to clean up the errors, so no one finds them. Eventually, he’ll get rid of this woman and start thinking more clearly again.”

  Whoa! That’s a damning statement if I ever heard one.

  “Let me get this straight.” I rub and press my fingers to the back of my neck and work them up the back of my skull, trying to relieve the tension a night of drinking laid upon my dome. “You’ve been going into Kidd’s work and cleaning it up?”

  She nods. “Yeah, it’s a mess. He’s making really obvious mistakes. Things that could put the system at risk for a security hack.”

  Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

  The alarm bell is ringing in my head.

  “Like I said, I’m fixing it, so don’t worry. I’m taking one for the team until he gets his head out of his bum regarding that girlfriend of his.”

  “Girlfriend?”

  “Yeah.” She sneers the next word. “Victoria. She is no good for him. He needs to kick her to the curb, fast.”

  “Actually, I don’t think she’s going anywhere, since he said he asked her to marry him and she said yes. Planning a wedding next summer. I’m surprised you didn’t already know that.”

  Eloise’s chair flies backward and falls to the ground in her haste to stand. Her entire body is ramrod straight, her nose and chest flushing red.

  I stand up and lift my hands. “Hey . . .”

  “He’s marrying that tart!” Her voice is a barely restrained screech.

  I try to swallow, but my mouth is the Sahara desert right now.

  “He’ll never get better! She’s ruining a genius!”

  “Calm down, Eloise.”

  Eloise.

  Eloise.

  Her name pounds a beat in my head. I know that name. It’s unusual, but I’ve heard it before. Recently.

  “It’s more that Eloise wanted all of my time and attention. That’s my ex.”

  Kidd.

  Could this be his Eloise? His ex?

  “I’ve got to go.” Eloise shakes her hands like she’s flinging water off them.

  Before I can stop her, she’s out the door.

  I fall back into my chair, and Spartacus jumps into my lap, pressing his small paws directly into my aching stomach.

  “Jesus, buddy. I’m already green around the gills. Don’t make it worse.” I finger behind the cat’s ears, petting him.

  Spartacus meows, then settles into my lap, ready to take a nap.

  “Glad someone’s getting some sleep,” I state dryly, and finish off my bottle of water, drinking the rest down in one long, blessed go. Once done, I fling the bottle into the recycling bin, making a three-pointer. I pinch the bridge of my nose, let the chair dip back, and close my eyes, trying to figure out how all of this information relates.

  Eloise is fixing Kidd’s errors in the system. Covering up for him. Why?

  Because she’s in love with him? Maybe.

  Kidd stated he had an ex named Eloise. It’s not that common of a name. And they work together. Kidd is getting married, and Eloise freaked out. Maybe Kidd is accidentally leaking the information, which is why there’s no payoff money in anyone’s financials. Because it’s unintentional.

  I pick up my new cell phone and bring up Wendy’s contact info.

  To: World’s Greatest Assistant

  From: Parker Ellis

  Have something for you to check out. Call me.

  I click “Send,” lean back in my chair, and close my eyes again for a few minutes before my cell phone rings.

  “What’s up?” Wendy says, sounding breathless.

  “Where are you?”

  The sound of street traffic can be heard in the background. “Told Kidd I needed to take a walk down the street for a coffee run. I’m getting Starbucks, and you’ll never believe what I just walked past. Straight up this awesome, gothic-looking church. Literally walking to get coffee and I’m slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am blown away by this stunning building that looks a million years old!”

  I grin at her excitement. At least someone still has some positivity this morning. “It’s the Notre-Dame Basilica.”

  “I thought the Notre-Dame was in France, or in Indiana if you’re the Fighting Irish!” She cracks up at her own joke.

  “It is. The one you’re seeing is called Notre-Dame Basilica, versus cathedral in Paris. Basilica means church
, but in the Catholic religion, it’s a church given special privileges by the pope. The architecture is the Romantic Gothic style you see in a lot of the churches from that era. The coolest feature is the stained-glass windows. If you can take a moment to pop in, you’ll notice that the windows are not biblical; rather, they depict the history of the city of Montreal. It’s really fascinating.”

  “Wow, you know a lot about this.”

  “Yeah, studied a lot of it in college. Visited with my family too. Oh, and last I heard, they were doing this intense light show where the lighting technicians from Madonna’s concerts created a performance using the inside of the church’s spires, curves, windows, and paintings to create an experience the likes of which you’ll remember forever. Maybe we can all go when the case is closed,” I offer, thinking it would be a good idea to show Wendy a little bit of Montreal’s rich history.

  I’ve always loved this city, though I’d love to drive her up to Quebec City and show her Old Quebec, stay in one of the historic hotels, and ride on the ferry to get the best view of the islandlike city.

  “Cool. I’m in. So what do you got for me on the case? I’m at Starbucks now.”

  Coffee sounds awesome right now, but I can’t have her pick me up anything, or it would cause suspicion. I sigh. “Well, I just had the meet with Eloise.”

  “Delightful, isn’t she.” Sarcasm drips off each word.

  “About as delightful as my stomach feels right now.”

  “Aw, poor baby. You can’t hold your liquor,” she teases.

  I scoff, “How the hell are you so chipper? You were round for round with the rest of us.”

  She snorts. “Yeah, but there’s a few small differences. In between my drinks, I pounded a glass of water, then sweated my ass off on the dance floor. Plus, I ate my weight in fried food. You just kept drinking.”

  Ah. Food. Water. Yeah, that would have been a good idea. Hell, that would be a good idea now.

  “Sure was a blast, though,” she continues. “I’ve still got ‘Man in the Mirror’ in my head. They killed that song last night.” Her voice lowers, sounding farther away as she places her Starbucks order.

  Once I hear her finish, I respond, “The band was great. Anyway, back to work. Eloise told me that she’s been cleaning up errors in Kidd’s coding. She made it sound like she’s been doing it for a while.”

  “Really? Hmm.”

  “Yeah, and on top of that, I think they used to date. When I mentioned he was getting married, she flew out of the office like fire licked at her heels. A woman only does that—”

  “If she’s in love and it’s unrequited. Shit.” She thanks someone, and then the sounds of the street can be heard in the background as she huffs and puffs as if she’s walking at a brisk pace. Wendy always moves fast. Part of me wonders if it’s because she doesn’t want to miss a single second of life.

  “Yeah.”

  “But how does that solve our problem? If anything, it builds a bigger case against Kidd.”

  I rub at a knot forming in my shoulder. “Yes, it does.”

  “You have to tell Alexis. Maybe if she looks into it too, or straight up asks him?”

  “You see, that’s the thing. If he did do it, it might have been unintentional. Hence the reason there’s no financial record of a payoff in the system. Maybe someone’s hacking from the outside and all of Kidd’s errors in the coding are making it easy to get in?”

  “Maybe. I’ll do a full check of the firewalls and see what I can find.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You got it, boss man. And I’m loving being undercover! I feel like a Charlie’s angel!”

  I laugh. “Signing off, angel.”

  “Bye, Charlie!”

  A fluid pressure runs the length of my scalp, rubbing and teasing the overly long layers that are curling at the top. Skyler loves running her fingers through my hair. I sigh into the feeling, sleep still clinging to my mind as I hook an arm around her waist and tug her onto my lap.

  “Ooh!” She giggles, but it sounds muffled, deeper as her body rests against mine. “Parker . . . ,” she sighs, and I tip her head and take her mouth without opening my eyes. A wall of warmth flattens against my chest. I grin around her lips and run my hands up her back. Sleepily I enjoy the feeling of Skyler being generous as my body slowly comes awake. Of course, “the beast” is first to rise. I thrust my hips up and feel a swaying, rocking sensation. I’m in the office chair, leaned back. Skyler’s mouth lands on mine again, wet and soft. I kiss her with all I have.

  God I’ve missed this.

  Her succulent mouth on mine, tongue invading deliciously. I grind up against her heat, and she moans. It sounds far away and different. A lower rumble than I’m used to hearing from my girl. I caress my way up her back and note a lot more of her than normal.

  Huh?

  The bright lights invade my tired eyes and hungover brain as I blink them open. And when I do, I’m beyond shocked at what I see.

  Alexis.

  In my lap.

  Her tongue in my mouth.

  Shit! I did this. Pulled her into my lap and kissed her. I wrap my hands around her rib cage and push her back enough so she lets go of my mouth with an audible plop.

  “What the fuck!” I shake my head, trying to force the last vestiges of sleep out of my brain. My dick realizes the change in woman immediately, shrinking down to half-mast.

  Alexis wraps her arms around my neck. “Your lips are as soft as I thought they’d be.”

  I swallow around the taste of her lipstick and coffee on my tongue. Arousal at her body’s proximity hammers through my chest, heading south.

  Jesus, what have I gotten myself into? “Alexis. You are beautiful, sexy. Any man would want you . . .”

  She grins wide. “Fantastic, because I want you!” She slams her lips against mine, and for a weak moment, I kiss her back, dipping my tongue in, swirling with hers until I’ve got her taste imprinted on my taste buds. She moans and presses her large breasts against my chest. I slide my hand down to her ass and grind against her core. The beast comes back online, standing proud and ready for some guilt-free action.

  For several minutes, I kiss the living daylights out of Alexis, pouring all my anger, hatred, and disgust for what Skyler did into my own actions. Taking charge. Controlling my destiny. Kissing the hell out of a beautiful woman I’ve been dancing around all week.

  Until reality bursts in like a beacon of light shooting into the sky as Alexis goes for my belt. She gets the belt undone, the button open, and the zipper down. I groan and press up into her movements. Except the second she wraps her hand around my hard length, an arrow of poison shoots straight into my gut. I cry out and push Alexis back and off. Standing up, I quickly button my pants and do up my zipper.

  She sits on the table nonchalantly with a sensual smirk and kiss-swollen lips.

  I run my hand over my mouth, trying to wipe away her taste. It’s going to take a lot more than the back of my hand.

  Without realizing it, I start pacing and tugging at my hair.

  “Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me!” I growl.

  “That’s what I was trying to do before you so rudely interrupted me.” She laughs.

  I sigh and turn toward the sexy blonde. “Alexis—”

  “If you’re about to say it’s not you, it’s me, I’m afraid I’ll hurl, lover boy. Men don’t turn me down. Not ever. And the steel rod in your pants proves my point.”

  My entire body feels weighed down by a wrecking ball, with the need to just fall into bed and sleep . . . for a year. My body is in agony, but the emptiness within my heart is far heavier than anything I could possibly imagine. It’s debilitating, this need for her. For Skyler.

  I clear my throat. “Alexis, I’m sorry. When I say I just got out of a relationship, I mean a week ago, I was in love with a woman, seriously committed. Now . . . fuck, I don’t know what I am. What we are. And it’s unfair of me to go there with you when I haven’t settled things with
her. Do you understand?”

  She closes her eyes and crosses her arms and then her legs over one another where she’s perched on the table. “I guess. Though I’m offering you nothing but a physical release. Two bodies coming together in a heated night of passion. No one has to know . . .”

  I groan in misery, running my hand over my clenching stomach. “I’ll know.”

  She huffs. “I had you pegged all wrong. For some reason, I suspected that you lived and breathed sex. You exude it, I can feel the physical waves coming off your body. I’m disappointed to hear all that bundled-up heat and energy is wasted on someone you’re brooding over.”

  “Doesn’t change the facts. My heart is still with her.”

  “Yes, but your body is here, and for a moment it was hard and wanting . . . for me.”

  I suck in a long, slow breath, trying to calm the anxiety and nerves bristling all over my skin. “Like I said, you’re a beautiful woman . . .”

  “One who could make you forget all about your long-lost love . . . at least until you go back to the States.” She cocks an eyebrow.

  I shake my head. “’Fraid not.”

  She sighs and smacks her lips. “Pity. I was really hoping for a wild romp with the hot American.”

  I chuckle and look up at her, pairing our gazes. “I’m sorry if I made you think I was willing otherwise . . .”

  She laughs, and it sounds like music. “Oh, honey, you didn’t lead me on.”

  The word honey rolling off her lips makes me wince. The only woman I want to hear that endearment from is Skyler, and I’m suddenly afraid I never will again.

  My gut churns, and I swallow slowly, breathing in and out in even, measured breaths, attempting to get my body back in line. I need sleep, water, and food. Not necessarily in that order.

  “Guess I’m not used to a man saying no. Sorry I came at you hard.” She grins sexily.

  “No, you’re not.”

  Her smile is coy as she gets up off the desk. “No. I’m not.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Does it start and end with ‘Never mind; I was wrong. Can you take me home with you?’” She waggles her brows.