One
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Walker cursed, abruptly disconnecting the call on his smartphone. He dropped the phone onto the hood of his Range Rover, seething. No way was Lucas getting away with this. As the COO of a Fortune 500 tech company, Walker Black didn’t need anything else on his plate right now. Especially not some damsel in distress.
His phone buzzed, indicating that he has a new text. Walker gave his phone the blackest scowl he could manage, which could probably peel the paint off a barn. So few people had his personal number that Walker was certain that the text must be from Lucas. He picked it up with a groan.
You have no choice, read the text. There’s no one else available, and the female is definitely in trouble.
“FUCK!!” Walker shouted, slamming his hands against the hood several times. He released a wordless bellow, his rage rocking the entire SUV.
Out of the corner of his eye, Walker saw a flash of pink. Turning his head, he saw a startled-looking woman in her fifties, a posh peroxide blonde dressed in a pink track suit. She was coming out of the Forum Athletic Club, Atlanta’s swankiest gym, just trying to get into the sleek white Mercedes CLS parked next to Walker’s car.
She blanched when he made eye contact, car keys shaking in her hand, and for a moment Walker imagined what she was seeing. At over six and a half feet tall, Walker’s frame was densely packed with muscle from head to toe. Twin swirls of black adorned his arms from wrist to shoulder, the traditional Polynesian tribal tattoos putting barbed-wire biceps everywhere to shame. His dark mahogany hair had just been buzzed, and fury brightened his sable eyes to a molten glow. His wolf was very close to the surface right now, and his anger pulled away his usual calm façade.
Walker doused his emotions, his action immediate and effortless. Giving the woman a grin and a shrug, he gave an exaggerated sigh. His time working for a certain government agency had taught him how to completely detach from his emotions, instantaneously. The Company hadn’t exactly been a joy ride, but some of that training was handier than hell.
“Friggin’ stock market, right?” he asked, affecting a silly, flirtatious tone. The lie came easily, as they always did these days.
The woman’s relief was obvious. She actually winked at him before sliding into her car. Walker rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
Sometimes being good-looking really had its perks. With a broad brow, a chiseled jawline, a strong nose, and pronounced cheek bones, Walker wasn’t getting a lot of complaints in the looks department. Women fawned over his physique, some even exclaiming over the long, dark lashes that made him seem brooding.
Good thing I’m antisocial and a bit of an asshole , he thought. Otherwise I might actually get laid on the regular.
He scrunched up his face, wondering exactly how long it had been since his last “date” with one of the brainless model-types he preferred to bed. Shit, if he had to think about it, it’d been too long. He should call that… Cam? Candy? Damn, what the hell had that girl’s name been again?
His logic repeated itself. If he couldn’t remember, it was past time to move on. No wonder he was so damned terrible with females.
Picking up his phone, Walker shot off a quick reply to Lucas.
I’ll have to push back the deadline on my acquisition project. We’ll lose millions , he texted.
A few seconds later, his phone buzzed again.
And we care because…? Lucas answered. Then:
Ben has all the details about the female. Get with him ASAP.
Walker shook his head and hopped into his car, heading for his Buckhead apartment. For a billionaire, Lucas sure didn’t respect the almighty dollar. Seeing as Lucas, Ben, and Walker all had more money than they could ever spend in several lifetimes, Walker was inclined to agree just now. Hell, maybe this would turn into a vacation of sorts.
“Call Ben,” he