Liar For Hire
Liar For Hire
Tressie Lockwood
Liar For Hire
Copyright © April 2020, Tressie Lockwood
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Cover art photos:
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No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express written permission from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.
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This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story line are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.
Contents
Also by Tressie Lockwood
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
About the Author
Also by Tressie Lockwood
Also by Tressie Lockwood
Shona and Neena
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Planning His Wedding
The Bribe and the Baby
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The Sartoris
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Accepting His Name
Raising His Baby
Reaching His Heart
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Single Title CLEAN Works
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No Way Forward
Involuntary Daddy
Matching Tony
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tressielockwood.blogspot.com
Chapter 1
“What are you doing right now?” Janessa’s voice was smooth and husky. She brought all sorts of ideas to his mind, unreasonable, illogical, and just plain un-Janessa-like ideas.
“Right now?” he teased.
The mild exasperation she exhaled made him chuckle, and he glanced up from the laptop to look out the car window. There she sat with her date for the evening in the restaurant’s outdoor seating area. Janessa had no idea he was parked just on the other side of the road, nor that he ran a background check on her date.
“Don’t play games, Declan. I need you to do me a favor, and I wanted to tell you about it before he gets back from the restroom.”
“He? Ah, you mean your latest connection. What was the site you found him on—Take My Money and Give Me a Loser Dot Com?”
“You’re not funny.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No you aren’t. Now, will you listen?” She told him about the client, one of many with the same issue. The client wanted him to charm the target, either into a deal or out of one.
Declan never took money illegally, of course. His job varied according to his client’s needs. This particular client needed him to turn his partner’s head.
“I don’t normally take a case like this,” he said with caution.
“You mean you can’t handle a man?”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“Is that a yes or no?”
He brought the information up on Janessa’s date. Earlier, he had managed to get the man’s name and it was all smooth sailing from there. He didn’t like what he saw on the screen and frowned.
“Are you there, Declan?”
“I’m here. Are you sure this guy is what you’re looking for?”
“Hang on.” He watched her cup a hand around the phone, and her voice lowered. “I’ll call you back.”
Declan knew why she ended the call. Her date returned from the restroom. Declan climbed out his car and leaned against it. He had parked in a good spot where a large tree shaded him and his vehicle sufficiently. He could keep an eye on Janessa without her spotting him.
The man of average height and build sat down with Janessa and reached across the table to take her hand. Her laughter carried on the evening breeze, and he imagined it sounded forced. Janessa didn’t enjoy empty compliments, although that was probably his fault. He was the master of them.
Declan strolled around his car to stretch his legs and then leaned against the tree. He prepared for a long wait for something interesting to happen. To his surprise, the date stood again as he checked his phone. He spoke to Janessa and left the table.
On cue, Declan’s phone rang. Janessa called him, but he decided to let her wait for a bit while he followed her date. After circling around to the restaurant’s side entrance, Declan almost bumped into Janessa’s date. He scurried past Declan, hardly seeing him, and ducked into an alley. Declan, of course, followed.
“I’m sorry I’m running late,” the man was saying into his phone. “I won’t be too much longer. I promise.”
Wait until he finishes his conversation, Declan.
Even as he instructed himself to be patient, he strode over to the guy and nabbed his phone. With a rough jab, he ended the call and tossed the phone back. The man almost dropped it on the ground.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
Declan kept his tone even. “Tell you what, why don’t you go on to whatever date you have after this one. And you can lose her number.”
The man snarled. “You’ve got the wrong one, pal.”
“Janessa Waverly, correct?”
The guy’s eyes widened.
“That’s what I thought.” Declan nodded. “I’m telling you to get lost. Forget you met her. Don’t go back to the table. Just beat it.”
“My date isn’t over.”
“It’s over. Don’t waste her time or mine. Go on to the next one.”
Normally, when Declan veiled a threat in a smile and a pleasant tone, the person got the message. This guy was stubborn.
“Oh, I see how it is,” he said. “You want her, and you don’t want anyone else to have her.”
“Not exactly.”
“What makes you think you’re good for her? Here you are sneaking behind her back, following her on a date, and threatening the guy she’s out with.”
Declan laughed. “You’re mistaken. I’m not a good guy. I’m a bad guy, and that’s why I can do what I do.”
The man swore.
“You were convicted for aggravated assault.”
“I served my time.”
“Sure.” Declan shrugged. “And that’s good for you, but not for Janessa. Go home.”
He started to complain. Declan cut him off. When he tried to step around Declan, Declan blocked his path and looked him in the eyes. He knew what he allowed the man to see, and all the blood drained from his face. Stumbling, the guy turned and fled into the night.
Declan’s phone rang again, but he silenced it. At the same time he picked up Janessa’s scent. She moved toward him. He leaped backward into the shadows and stilled. Her heels clicked against the pavement.
“Declan, answer your phone. God, I can’t believe another guy has flaked on me. He ran off.” She sighed heavily, but he didn’t sense any great distress from her. “No loss, I guess. He was laying it on pretty thick. Listen, I’m going back to the office. I don’t have anything better to do. Talk to you tomorrow.”
A few moments later, she climbed into her car and pulled out of the lot. He figured she was safe for the rest of the night and headed back to his own vehi
cle. His date would be a bottle of beer and some TV because Janessa would make him pay for the crack he made earlier and for being right about the matching service setting her up with another loser. Ah well, he didn’t mind. He enjoyed the work he did and the beauty who was his partner.
Chapter 2
Janessa’s perfume teased Declan’s senses even before he entered their shared office space. On the front door was written Hughes and Waverly. He and Janessa were co-owners, friends for nearly a decade. He was normally the face of the company—except for those times the job called for a couple.
When he walked into the reception area, Monica looked up and grinned. She sprang from her seat to hurry over to him with a mug that read I’m a receptionist not a magician. “Good morning, Declan. I have your coffee right here. I was thinking, maybe we could—”
“Declan!” Janessa’s door opened, and she shouted for him.
He welcomed her good timing. “Sorry, Monica. Talk later.”
After slipping into Janessa’s office, he shut the door and leaned against it. He feasted his eyes on her delicate features, wishing he could enjoy her sweet scent like usual. Big light brown eyes, full lips, and a beautiful heart face, not to mention the body. Too bad he would never get involved with her.
What a shame.
“You bellowed?” he teased.
She rolled her eyes at him. Declan liked stirring her up. The attitude, the mouth on her, God, it turned him on. If they could have nothing else—and they couldn’t—at least he could enjoy verbally sparring with her upon occasion.
“Don’t start this morning. I’m not in the mood.” She groaned.
“Has the dating service shut its doors for lack of results?”
“You want me to hurt you.”
He chuckled.
“No, the bank called. That fool’s check bounced.”
“The date?”
“No. Will you focus? The job I told you about last night. Forget it. His check bounced. Our service is for people with cash to burn. It’s luxury, but every now and then we have people in here who need to get their life together before they start trying to hire us.”
“I thought we were hired to help them get their life together.”
“You’re still joking.”
“Very well.” He dropped onto the love seat and leaned back to shut his eyes. A headache gathered at his temples, and he rubbed them. Why did drinking always do this? What happened to his great immune system, for pete’s sake?
“Declan.”
He stirred and opened his eyes. She hovered above him, concern in her expression. He hadn’t heard her approach, another thing that bothered him. Drinking dulled his senses up to a couple days after he’d enjoyed the alcohol. Why didn’t he ever learn?
All at once, the thought of alcohol left his mind. She was far too close, and she reached out a hand to touch his forehead. The warmth from her fingers seeped into his body, and he welcomed the sensation.
“Are you not feeling well?” she wondered. “You’re usually so cool. This morning, your skin feels a little warm. Are you coming down with a cold?”
Oh yeah, that was the other reason he sometimes gave in to drinking. The alcohol warmed his body. He brushed her hand away before sitting up. “I’m fine. I don’t get sick, remember?”
“Uh-huh.” She studied him in disbelief. “Yes, you do—when you’ve been drinking too much.”
“I had one beer.”
“That’s all it takes for you.”
He moved over on the love seat to make room for her to sit next to him. She sat down and folded one leg over the other. The movement drew his eye to notice she wore a dress that only reached mid-thigh. He thought about how attracted to her he was and questioned himself for the millionth time if what the guy claimed the night before was actually true.
Do I keep her from finding someone? Do I want her for myself?
Okay, that was a no brainer. Of course he wanted her. As to the other… no. One, he had no intention of being with her. And two, he couldn’t be with her. That was the bottom line. No matter how much she tempted him, it wouldn’t happen.
“Never mind,” he said to himself as much as to her. “Do we have another client? I’m growing bored with sitting around. Nothing has come along for months that’s stimulated my interest.”
“And it’s all about you having fun, right?”
“Of course.”
“Well, let’s see.” She opened a folder she held and sifted through the pages. “We have Patrick Sevelle. He wants his son-in-law-to-be investigated to see if he should let his daughter marry the guy.”
Declan wrinkled his nose. “Any run of the mill private investigator could handle that job. He could pay a small fee and investigate him through one of those websites.”
“He’s done all that. Everything seems to be above board.”
“So he’s looking for an excuse to call off the wedding?”
“There’s been talk, he said, rumors. He can’t pin anything down, and he wants to do this one last thing so he can put his mind at rest. Sounds like he loves his daughter and wants to do right by her. While I talked to him on the phone, I didn’t get the sense that he was an overbearing dad. More like a loving one who will go the extra mile to be sure she’s safe.”
“Hmm.” Declan rubbed his chin. “I’m guessing they have money?”
“Loads. That’s why he’s not willing to risk her future.”
“Still…” Declan had learned to be cautious. He let Janessa do whatever she wanted when it came to their company. She had the business head and handled everything that bored him. However, every now and then he dug his heels in and steered clear of certain clients. When that happened, Janessa didn’t fight too hard. She knew he didn’t care about money, and that he had an instinct for people. She called it instinct, and he refused to enlighten her on his tactics.
“We can have him into the office or visit him. He said he’ll give us details about the rumors when we speak in person.”
A sixth sense made Declan ask, “When you say we…?”
“You and me. He insisted you come.”
“Why?”
“Oh don’t get all suspicious, Declan. I told you. He wants certain things looked into, and when I said you’re the one who will do all the face work, he said he wants to meet you. Is that so bad?”
“I guess not. Fine. Set it up. I’ll be there.”
“Good boy.”
He growled under his breath at her, and she grinned, unaffected. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, sending all kinds of sensations through his body.
“Now, you want to talk about it?” she encouraged him.
“About what?”
“Whatever made you drink.” She pursed those beautiful thick lips and narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m the one who struck out yet again, but you’re the one who’s depressed.”
“I’m not depressed!” He realized too late that he spoke with too much heat and cleared his throat. “Like I said, I’m just bored.”
She walked over to the desk to get something and returned to his side with a glass of water. When she held out her hand, he sighed. The stubborn woman grabbed his hand, turned it right side up, and dropped two pills into his palm.
“Take them and drink this.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Take it. I don’t need you grumpy all day because you feel bad. You’re a big baby when you’re sick.”
His feathers ruffled. “I am never sick.”
“You keep saying that, but the fact that you have a headache says differently.”
He started to protest again, but it made no difference. The easier path was to take the pills. It would do no good to explain to her that the medicine wouldn’t affect him.
Sure, his head hurt, but he would have to endure until it went away on its own. Medicine didn’t affect his system in any way at all. He would know because he’d tried various ways to forget the past, and nothing worked. Not even a stir. Alcoh
ol was a different matter, oddly enough.
“About last night,” he began.
She turned her head. “We were discussing you.”
“Oh, I’m okay to dissect but not you?”
“Please, you don’t have to be dramatic. Dissect? Really?” She laughed. “Fine. He was a dud, kept running off to the bathroom, but I’m not an idiot. He kept checking his phone constantly. My guess is he was married.”
“You’re determined to find a husband. Why not enjoy single life like me?”
“You?” She eyed him up and down with a smirk. “I’m trying to think when the last time was you had a girlfriend. Oh wait, never. A lover? Been a while for that too.”
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
She snorted.
“Maybe we should be friends with benefits.” He didn’t know what made him say it. The words slipped out.
She went silent, and he imagined she blushed behind that smooth cocoa brown skin. Tangling her fingers together in her lap, she stuttered and then found her voice. “Don’t suggest what you know isn’t going to happen.”
“Because you don’t want a white guy?” He mentally kicked himself for continuing this conversation. A man knew better than to give a woman notions he wasn’t ready to back up.
“White?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You know I don’t care about color. I’m talking about a relationship.”
There it was.