Page 26 of Liar For Hire (For Hire 1)

Roxie handed Declan a glass of dark liquid and sipped one of her own. Janessa guessed right away that the two of them drank soda. Declan drained the glass, and Roxie covered his hand with one of her own. She said something to him and laughed. He shifted his gaze from Janessa to Roxie and nodded. The two turned and moved out of Janessa’s line of sight.

“Have you lost interest already?” Lamont teased.

“Me? No, of course not.” Janessa put Declan and Roxie out of her mind and dumped all of her efforts into getting Lamont to open up to a total stranger about his secret business deals.

Well, she laid the groundwork for him to spill, and hopefully she could get the information before he grew impatient to get his hands on her.

Chapter 10

Janessa’s eyes hurt as well as her head. She’d popped a couple of pills, but so far they hadn’t kicked in. She hated having to go in to work, feeling the way she did. But someone had to dredge up business or they would never get out of the red.

For the millionth time, she considered dissolving the business. Either that or she could change the scope.

God, I don’t know what we do any more.

The elevator dinged, and she stepped forward, almost bumping into her receptionist. “Ouch, Monica. What are you doing?”

Monica harrumphed, but she did step aside to allow Janessa the right of way. “I was going to take my break.”

“I’m late but not that late.”

Her receptionist was so prickly Janessa guessed something happened. Her first thought was that Declan made the woman an indecent proposal. But since Monica liked him, she couldn’t imagine that throwing Monica into a snit. Then again, maybe Monica offered, and Declan turned her down. She could see that driving Monica to want to get some air.

“Janessa, this office isn’t big enough for the both of us!”

“Whoa, I think you better calm the drama. If you’re trying to pick a fight with me—”

“Not you.”

She glanced over her shoulder. Janessa looked too, but she didn’t see anyone. Her office door was closed, and so was Declan’s. Although she did notice a shadow moving behind the blinds on his window. So he was in. No surprise there.

Janessa spun Monica around and got her moving toward her desk. “Look, it’s too early for me to decipher your hysterics. Either spell it out or… I don’t know. Just spell it out. What’s got you wound up?”

“That woman! Tell me she’s not going to work here, Janessa. She came waltzing in with Declan, talking about she’ll be here from now on. Then the two of them disappeared into his office and shut the door. A few minutes later, she comes back making demands like I’m her secretary. She has the wrong one, Janessa!”

“Oh, really?” Janessa’s stomach dropped. She didn’t have to ask for a description of the woman in question. She knew exactly who it was.

When she threw Declan’s door open, it was too late to tell herself not to go storming in there acting like the jilted lover. She found Roxie sitting on the end of Declan’s desk, showing off her legs. Either the dress she wore was super short, or she’d hiked it up higher when she sat down. Roxie leaned back, giving Declan an opportunity to view of her perfect form.

“What’s this?” Janessa asked, another regret at the tone of her voice. Why couldn’t she sound like she didn’t give a crap?

Declan stood. He breathed deep for some reason, looking her over from head to foot. She never paid attention to this practice of his until now. He did that a lot—breathed in deep through his nose—when she saw him for the first time in a day. Who knew if it meant anything.

“Nessa, you remember Roxie from the other night?”

“Sure.” Janessa stuck her hand out to shake Roxie’s and was left hanging. “You’re visiting Declan? Are you his cousin or something?”

She looked back and forth between them for confirmation of their connection.

Roxie snorted. “Of course not. I’m Declan’s fiancée.”

“Say what?”

“Roxie, don’t say that,” Declan warned her.

“Why not?” The model pouted. She slipped off the desk and threw herself into Declan’s arms again, pressing close and looping her arms around his neck. “It’s true. We discussed it.”

“I…” he began.

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