“Why?”

“Because I need to make you as unremarkable as possible, and that’s hard to do when you’re six and a half feet of brick wall.” He squeezed my bicep, and it took everything in me not to pull away. “Ball cap?”

I considered. The hat I usually wore was my grandfather’s fedora, but that was far from unremarkable. “Maybe. Lemme look.” I squirmed from his hold and stabbed a finger against the dresser drawer. “Stay out.”

Tallus winked. “Whatever you say.”

I found a distressed ball cap in my gym bag. It didn’t smell great either and was wrinkled, but I beat it against my leg and decided it was good enough for whatever Tallus had in mind—which apparently, I was going along with since I hadn’t found the words to argue.

Why the hell did he have this effect on me? Why was I crippled in his presence? I didn’t like it. It reminded me too much of my childhood and inability to stand up to my old man. I wasn’t weak and defenseless anymore, and the more I considered the situation, the worse my agitation.

I shoved those thoughts away before they took over and caused a problem, then dressed when Tallus said dress. I was a dog following commands. Great. How fucking humiliating.

Dressed and unimpressed, I came out from behind the partition and glared at Tallus. He was busy on his phone. SinceTallus was distracted, I took a minute to study him. Was he texting his booty call from Gasoline? The smile he wore was suggestive and coy. Were they an item, or had the man been a friendly fuck buddy? Tallus could have anyone his heart desired. Why he ever crossed lines with me, I had no idea.

He adjusted his glasses and wet his lips before typing more. I was doomed. Every guy I fucked for the next month would have Tallus’s face. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see that look of release he’d had when he’d come. I would hear the way the sweet moan had passed between those lips.

No!

I ejected those memories from my mind. It hadn’t been earth-shattering sex, and Tallus had pointed that out in not so many words. The embarrassment of the exchange was more than I could handle and was the main reason I stuck to strangers from an app. I didn’t have to see them again. I didn’t have to live with the constant reminder that I was crippled with problems. Inadequate. Useless.

I was getting worked up again, and of course, that was when Tallus finished doing whatever he was doing and looked up. He scanned me from top down, nodding approval. “Not bad. Maybe don’t scowl so hard.”

My face didn’t have another setting, so I kept scowling.

Tallus chuckled. From a pocket, he withdrew an item and held it out, waving for me to take it. “Here.”

It was a plastic name badge with a pin so it could be secured to a shirt or jacket. It read Ivan Keyes, Custodian.

“What is this?”

“Put it in your pocket. You’ll need it later.”

I glared, but Tallus appeared unaffected. “Here’s the plan. Initially, you’ll play the role of my oversized lapdog.” He scanned me again, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth to smother a smirk. It showed anyhow. “Try not to draw on your pit bulltendencies. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. Once I get us in the door, which I will, then you take on a new role.” He tipped his head at the badge. “Custodian.”

From within the leather folio, Tallus withdrew a folded sheet of paper. “Any chance you can pick a lock if needed?”

When I didn’t respond and continued scowling, he glanced up. I offered a sharp nod. I’d already expected to have to pick the lock on Olivia’s office once I figured out where it was. I’d been counting on signs in the building to point me in the right direction.

“Thought so. Good.” Tallus unfolded the paper. It was a plan for the first floor of the building where Challuah Designs Inc. was located.

I snapped it from his hand and stared at the layout. “Where did you get this?”

“Online.”

I’d been so caught up with securing Tallus’s help that I hadn’t even thought about a floor plan. “Is there more?” I stared at the folio. “Do you know where Olivia’s office is?”

“No. The rest was a breakdown of the office spaces but no details beyond the location of exits and hallways. This is the one I needed.” He flicked the paper. “I thought you could take on the role of building custodian. I don’t know what they wear, but typically it’s dull shades of blues, grays, or blacks. Maybe coveralls, but this sexy outfit we found you should work. The ball cap covers your face, so your expression won’t give you away. Once we’re inside, you need to head here.”

Tallus pointed to a section of the floor plan. “It’s the custodian’s supply room. It will likely be locked, but it’s tucked away from the main areas of the first floor, and on a Sunday with an event going on, you shouldn’t have an audience. Pick the lock, get yourself some janitorial props—a mop bucket, a cart, a broom, I don’t care—put on the name tag, and you have freeaccess to roam the building and figure out where you need to be without raising suspicion. Voila.”

I stared from the floor plan to Tallus, whose grin was far too smug, but I couldn’t fault him. It was a good plan—except for the part of me being a lapdog.

I folded the paper and shoved it into a pocket. “Lapdog?”

“It’s the grunting and growling.”

I narrowed my eyes.