Layers Deep
Layers Deep
by Lacey Silks
Copyright 2013 © Lacey
Silks
Publisher’s Note
This book is a work of fiction. The names,
characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s
imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be
constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead,
actual events, locales or organizations is entirely
coincidental.
All rights are reserved. No part of this book
may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from the publisher and author.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or
distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal
copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary
gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years
in prison and a fine of $250,000.
This book is for sale to ADULT AUDIENCES
ONLY. It contains sexually explicit scenes which may be considered
offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they
cannot be accessed by minors.
ISBN-978-1-927715
-05-5
He needs her to save a
friend.
She needs him to plan
her revenge.
Their pasts scar them
Layers Deep.
Their passion distracts
them...
...and distractions can
be fatal.
Tristan Cross is
battling emotional demons from the past. He lives in a world where
trust is earned, loyalties are tested, and love is impossible. That
is, until he meets Allie Green. She’s the only woman who can help
him find a kidnapped friend and to top it off, she captivates him.
All he has to do now is persuade her to work for Cross Enterprises,
his top investigations firm.
Allie Green is a rookie
cop seeking revenge and she’s willing to sell her soul to get it.
With an opportunity to use Tristan Cross’s resources, Allie
calculates her time for payback. As vengeance boils her blood she
can’t keep her mind off her new boss and Allie finds it difficult
to keep her employment professional. With the mouth watering
Tristan Cross distracting her, she struggles to prioritize an
undercover job she’s been assigned and her hunger for revenge.
And when you’re ready
to give up your life to save someone else, distractions can be
fatal.
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CONTENTS
C
HAPTER
1
The moment he
walked into the room, my knees softened and I knew I was in
trouble. But I didn’t know he’d flip my life upside down.
“How the fuck
are we supposed to concentrate now?” Laura stared at the entrance
to the auditorium with her mouth open. No, her mother had never
washed her mouth out with soap. Neither had mine, but I reserved my
colorful language for my job. In our line of work, our tough mouths
sometimes turned out to be the best weapons. We weren’t hookers, if
that’s where your mind is going, but little did I know that I would
soon give up my job as a cop and walk the street like a veteran
prostitute.
My gaze
followed my best friend’s. The GQ cover-worthy stud had strolled in
wearing a tailor-made suit. His calculated steps lengthened with
confidence. He stopped by the sergeant’s desk, pulled his hands
behind his back, and spread his legs ever so slightly apart, facing
the fully seated lecture hall. For a moment, as he shifted his
feet, the inseam of his pants touched a curve under his zipper. I
squeezed my knees together as he readjusted to hide the piece
underneath.
Warmth
swooshed through my tummy.
“This is Mr.
Cross from Cross Enterprises,” Sergeant Dwayne, our instructor in
charge of explaining the new HR procedures, announced with a hint
of well-camouflaged nerves in his voice. It was a rare sight to see
him tense up like that.
I joined the
rest of the squad in a long stare at the life-sized Ken doll as
Cross slowly began scanning the seats starting at the front
row.
“If you live
in New York, it’s unlikely you haven’t heard of him. The
application on your desk is for a vacant position at his company.
This is an opportunity to put your skills to the test, people,”
said Dwayne, a bit more relaxed as Cross’s attention flowed from
one officer to another, in a perfect straight line of the first
row.
Papers ruffled
and everyone’s heads lowered to the questions.
Of course I
had heard of Cross Enterprises, the top notch investigations and
security firm, but I’d always pictured the owner as a man in his
sixties with gray hair, or at least wearing a toupée. Mr. Cross had
always kept out of the spotlight. Few people knew what he looked
like and to my surprise, he sported near a physically impossible to
attain physique. I wondered which gym he worked out at, but he
probably had a personal trainer who catered to every beautiful
muscle on his body which tried to squeeze from underneath the fit
suit.
Cross’s keen
gaze found the second row, and I inhaled sharply. Most attendees
had already begun filling out the application, but something about
him held me still. My breath locked in my lungs, and then released
at the same time he exhaled. His motions were steady. A slight
twitch pulsed on the side of his neck. The suit couldn’t be the
attire of his choice. As comfortable as he wanted to appear, he
wasn’t. Here, all dressed up, Cross stood out like a drop of black
oil in white milk.
He prefers
to blend in,
I thought.
Unexpected
heat flowed up my body as I pictured him in shorts, perhaps jeans,
and a T-shirt, and I felt my mouth curve up. I began undressing him
in my mind, only to change his clothes, of course: that seemed more
civil than stripping him naked for my eyes to feast on. Cross’s
cheeks held a natural tan, and though summer had passed a few weeks
ago, the fresh layer of sun-kissed glow suited him. The hint of
highlights in his hair accentuated the bronzed skin. For a moment
I’d thought I’d seen him before. Or perhaps it was someone who
resembled him? I’d definitely remember
this
man.
God, he is
hot!
Cross glanced
over the last officer in the row and began the controlled routine
one level higher, now scanning from left to right. My stomach
tightened and my palms began to sweat. I joined his unbroken stare
over each person, waiting until he reached another row. Who was he
searching for?
“Aren’t you
going to apply?” Laura, my roommate and best friend, elbowed my
ribcage. “I doubt there’s a woman here who wouldn’t like to work
under him.”
It astounded
me the rest of our female force held their heads down, instead of
gawking like me, but they were a dedicated bunch. Not that I
wasn’t. I should have been filling out the application too, but my
eyes held all the power over my body now, and so did Cross.
As much as a
job at Cross Enterprises could help me leave my past behind, I
hesitated. Could I really work for Cross when the strength to
control my own eyes vanished the minute he walked into the room?
This wasn’t part of my life plan. I hadn’t expected to be taken
aback by him, and I couldn’t allow any distractions. Plus, Cross
didn’t strike me as the pen and paper type. The owner of a top
private investigations firm in the country who never hired anyone
in such public manner had to have people do that for him, didn’t
he? Why was
he
here?
“I don’t
know,” I whispered, and Laura resumed her fast scribbling.
Who in their
right mind could shift their attention from one of the most
powerful men in our state
—
perhaps even the country?
And to top it off, Cross was so easy on the eyes.
I wondered
whether he was looking for a female employee. My gut bubbled in
agreement, unless it was the sushi I had for lunch. Either way, my
gut was usually right, and I always followed my instincts that
chose to guide me by bloating my stomach. But his dark eyes gave
nothing away. Three quarters of our lecture hall were males, all
drooling at the opportunity to work with Cross. If I had to bet,
they were more interested in the perks that came along with the
job. Rumors of world travel and dining at the most exclusive
restaurants with floods of beautiful women escorting the Cross
brothers were daily gossip around town. They were part of the few
who could shut down a street without disclosing the details. I
wished I’d paid more attention to the rumors. Perhaps a quick
glance at the tabloids would have prepared me better.
Still, instead
of writing, I stared.
One more row
and he’d reach me. My pen slipped in my palm as I tightened my
grip. His steady breaths rose his chest and I began to lose control
of my pulse. What was it about him that captivated me? Even if he
was the answer to my problems, something struck a nerve deep inside
me. Familiar scars from the past painted his face the same way they
had marked my heart.
His gaze moved
to my row. One after another, he scanned the top of each head.
Three, two,
one, I counted down as his hazel eyes came to rest on mine.
And he
paused.
Not for
long.
But he broke
his momentum and held my gaze. I cocked my head to the right,
wondering what he was thinking. Why stop on me?
What
position are you hiring for?
But when he looked at me, the
important questions I sought drifted away. The man had a way of
seeping deep into my soul and covering each wound with a permanent
band-aid. As if he knew I needed his help.
2
“Is Cross
Enterprises not good enough for you?” The sultry voice pinned me in
my seat and I squeezed my eyes shut.
Shit!
I
threw my head back, downing the third shot of tequila. Wasn’t it
just this morning that Cross had come to our headquarters? I needed
more time to think. I had to make sure my mother was safe before I
applied for any new position.
“Why do you
say that?” I swiveled on the stool. In my mind, questions of how
he’d found me and why flooded in. The ‘how’ wasn’t that difficult
to figure out. If he wanted to find an honest cab driver in
Manhattan, he would.
“I hope you’re
not driving.” He sat down beside me, free of his boring cut-out
suit. Like I had imagined him, Cross now wore a white T-shirt and
black jeans. A leather jacket completed the ‘I’m a normal guy’
outfit, mixing his easy style with a little
Grease
.
“And you care
because?” The bravado flowed out on the breath of my first shot of
tequila, which has already worked itself into my bloodstream.
“Because I’ll
be out on the road later and wouldn’t want to be your victim.”
The way he
said ‘victim’ insinuated a deeper hunger, urging my thighs to
tense.
“No, I’ll call
a cab.” I gave in. I never gave in to anyone so quickly.
“Do you always
swallow your shots in one gulp?” Cross leaned in closer. He seemed
to have a habit of asking two-way questions. His mouth said one
thing, but tone and body implied something else. A yearning I’d
wanted discovered; preferably in his bed.
I narrowed my
brows, trying to play his little game. “Yes, I always swallow
well.”
He hid the
hint of amusement that sparked in his eyes. “You didn’t apply for
the position.”