Page 20 of Boss with Benefits

Deacon chuckled. “Don’t worry, hon. If there’s a private eye on your case, he’s watching the building, not your bedroom door. All he saw was your boss go into the building. There’s no way for him to know or prove Brady came to see you. But just to be sure, I will make sure anyone out there sees me load him into my car.”

Relief flooded through her, making her so happy she didn’t bother to correct his use of the termboss. “Thank you.”

“On my way.”

After Brady’s friend hung up, she got dressed. Then she made it a point to pace in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living area. Any investigator with a brain would be watching from his car with binoculars. She made sure anyone watching from the street would see she was fully-clothed and walking around her home, not rolling in the hay with her partner.

∞∞∞

Her first impression of Deacon: he was all talk. He was one of those guys that acted like a straight-up ladies’ man when he was actually faithful to his wife. The moment she opened the door, his appreciative gaze traveled down her body until it reached her feet. She was thankful to be in a pantsuit instead of her robe. For some reason, even though she was positive she’d woken him from a deep sleep, he was wearing a three-piece suit. It seemed strange to her he hadn’t just thrown on a T-shirt and jeans.

His gaze lingered on her breasts a second longer than necessary. If she didn’t need his help, she would slap his face. Hard. Men like him came on strong with every woman of consenting age they met, but they ran away if the woman showed any real interest in return.

“Where is he?” Deacon asked, while smoothing back his blond hair with one hand.

“Bedroom.”

His brows shot up. “Really?”

She glared at him. “We went in there to talk so we wouldn’t wake my son.” Her eyes darted to the hallway leading to Axl’s bedroom. “And you need to keep your voice down so you don’t disturb him either.”

Deacon nodded. “Understood.”

“I’m afraid Brady is out cold. Can you manage him without help?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo, darling, and he’s never totally passed out. I’ll get him moving. Don’t worry.”

She forced a smile. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” He glanced around her condo as he stepped inside and checked out the sleek modern style she’d copied from a magazine. “You have a lovely home. Pricey. You must do well.”

“I’m part owner of Brady’s advertising agency.”

“Got it.” Deacon chuckled beneath his breath. “Then you doverywell. Brady has the Midas touch. Everything he does produces pure gold.”

She couldn’t argue with his assessment. “This way,” she said.

They went down the hallway, careful to be quiet so they wouldn’t disturb Axl. She carefully shut her bedroom door behind them and gestured to Brady snoring in the chair. He hadn’t moved a muscle.

Deacon glanced around the master bedroom. His gaze lingered on the bed, and she saw the dirty smirk slide across his mouth. Despite her explanation for Brady’s presence in her bedroom, Deacon suspected they’d been doing more than just talking. Then she recalled Brady’s telling his friend about their affair. How much did he know?

Curious, she asked, “What did Brady tell you about me?”

Deacon froze, and she could tell he was weighing his options, not sure how much he could say without breaking Brady’s confidence. “Well... he told me you were partners.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “When he showed up drunk tonight, he let it slip he talked to you about our two-week fling.”

Deacon’s eyes narrowed. “I am the keeper of his secrets. You aren’t getting anything out of me, lady. But I will admit he talked about you earlier. The guy is crazy about you.”

“He is?” That surprised her to hear.

“Duh. He showed up here drunk, didn’t he? I’m sure he must have said something damning considering his state. I knowliquor loosens his tongue. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t usually drink more than a beer or two.”

That brought up an interesting question.

“Why was he drinking hard liquor tonight?” she asked.

Deacon hesitated.

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