Revenge: A Bad Boy Romance Read Online Free Page B

it’s not like I can tear you a new one, but I’m seriously tempted right now.”
    The calendar opened and I saw it--I should have been there an hour ago. The calendar entry was described as a “sales call,” but I didn’t recognize the name of the business. The order had come directly from Dad, and I never questioned those.
    “Was it important?” It was a stupid question. If it wasn’t important, James and I wouldn’t have been going personally.
    “Yes, and you left me in the shit. Fortunately I’d brought a few additional heavies along, but if they weren’t there then things could have gotten nasty. For me, not the debtor.”
    “But you handled it?”
    “I handled it, but if you leave me in the lurch like that one more fucking time, I swear to God there will be consequences.”
    “Sorry, James, that was my bad. Won’t happen again.”
    James sighed, and I sensed the anger fade. He’d slipped back into close friend mode. James was a close friend of Dad’s, but he’d been around so much he was more like an uncle.
    “It will though won’t it,” he said, his voice heavy with resignation. “You need an assistant. You were always shit at organizing your schedule.”
    “I’ll hire someone soon,” I lied. I wasn’t ready to hire anyone just yet.
    “What about that girl from New York? She had an excellent résumé.”  
    “How do you know about her?”  
    “Who do you think is vetting all the applicants? I know how picky you are, so I’m only letting through the very best.”
    “Chloe didn’t work out,” I said, not elaborating.
    Jimmy stayed silent on the other end, and for a brief moment I thought the conversation might be over. No such luck.
    “You have to replace her eventually,” Jimmy said softly. He knew this was a touchy subject and hoped that sounding like a kindly uncle would make it easier. It didn’t.
    “Kara cannot be replaced,” I replied defiantly. “Not by anyone.”
    “How long did you know Kara?” Jimmy asked. “Fifteen? Twenty years?”
    “Since I was about five years old,” I replied. “So twenty years. Listen, is there a point to all this? Or do you just want to rub salt in the wounds?”
    “That’s not what I’m trying to do, Denton. Listen to me. When you think of Kara, what do you think about?”
    Pain. Despair. Death. Utter abject misery. But it hadn’t always been like that.  
    “She was my best friend. Loyal to the end.”
    “So you don’t think of her as your PA?” James asked.
    “No, of course not. She did that to help me out, but she was my friend first and foremost.”
    “Exactly. By hiring a new PA, you’re not replacing Kara. You’re replacing one of the many things she did for you, but you’re not replacing her . She’ll always be the best friend you had from childhood. No one can change that.”
    I let James’ words hang in the air for a few moments while I did my best to let them sink in. Kara had been the perfect assistant, because I trusted her implicitly. Whoever took her place would need to be just as trustworthy.  
    “You are good at making speeches,” I admitted.
    “Just remember that when you get married and need a best man.”
    “ If I get married, you can definitely do the job.”
    It was an empty promise, given that the likelihood of me getting married was about the same as Dad giving up on a life of crime and giving all his money to charity. A real charity, not the phony ones he ran to claim a tax deduction.
    “So you’ll give Chloe a shot at the job?” Jimmy asked. “She’s experienced, although whether that’s enough to keep you in order I don’t know.”
    “Sure. If it keeps you off my back, I’ll do it.”  
    “Good man. Get her in as soon as possible. Word on the street is that big things are happening in the near future with our close personal friends over the road. I want you on the top of your game.”
    ‘Close personal friends,’ was James’ way of referring to the Bartons. They might be