Read Online Tempting the Billionaire by Jessica Lemmon - Free Book Online

show of relief, he said, “That was close.”
    “She would have thanked you if you hung around,” Crickitt said, barely repressing a chuckle. “I saw her face, she was—”
    “No, don’t tell me.” Shane held up a hand. “The goal is not to be thanked.”
    “There’s a goal? Is this, like, a game?”
    “Sort of. Ever heard of Dine and Dash, where you go out to eat and run out without paying your tab?”
    “No,” Crickitt said, appalled. “Do people do that?”
    Shane offered a somber smile. “My mom was a waitress when she met my dad, happened to her a few times. Anyway, I like to do what I call Dine and Cash , where you run out after paying someone’s rent.”
    “Much better.”
    He shrugged, but his smile was genuine.
    What Shane had done for a perfect stranger was beyond sweet, it was downright admirable. But the seed of doubt that had recently taken root in the back of her mind had begun to flower. She had to know, had to be sure he hadn’t hired her only so he could tick off a box under the Charitable Giving section of his tax forms.
    “Do you only do it for waitresses?” Crickitt asked before she could rethink it.
    Shane cocked his head. “Sorry?”
    She swallowed. Cleared her throat. “Is that why you helped me?”
    “No.” He answered immediately, the look on his face intently serious. “And by the way, I’m the one who needed help, not the other way around.”
    She allowed herself a shaky smile at the idea of being needed. Maybe because she’d been overlooked for so long.
    He leaned his elbows on his knees and met her eye. “I hired you because you’re qualified. You’re paid well because you deserve it. Never let anyone tell you differently.”
    She looked at her lap, unable to hold his unflinching gaze. “I believe you.”
    “Good.” He reached forward to pat her hand before settling back into his seat.
    She lifted her head. “That was pretty impressive, by the way.”
    “Well, you’re lucky,” he said, lowering one eyelid into a wink that sent her pulse racing. “I only do that to impress my new assistants.”

Chapter 9
    T heir morning meeting was with a man in his late forties launching a tattoo shop. And if Crickitt thought Shane was too polished to talk to a goateed, bald, bare-chested man in a leather biker vest, he proved her wrong in the space of a few minutes.
    Crickitt had already assumed Shane was passionate about entrepreneurs, but seeing him in action was like watching a bird take flight. Natural, easy. Shane’s enthusiasm shone in every hand gesture, every answer, and through every assurance he made. When Shane vowed to do what it took to help the man become successful, all three of them knew he meant it.
    After the meeting, they stepped outside the shop and Shane lifted his ringing cell phone to his ear. “August.”
    Crickitt paused, taking in the truncated exchange.
    “Yes. No problem,” he said, gazing in her direction. “Absolutely. See you then.”
    He pocketed his phone as the driver opened the door for them. “Thomas, I’ll need you to work late tonight. Does Darcy have you booked?”
    Thomas gave Shane a pained smile. “Tango lessons. I’d be glad to stay and work late.”
    Shane chuckled and palmed the older man’s shoulder. “Excellent. Find a place we can loiter for a bit, will you?”
    Shane ushered Crickitt into the limo. Once inside, he said, “Townsend pushed our meeting to five thirty. I realize you expected to be done working by then. I can have Thomas take you home. If we leave now, I can still make it back in time for the meeting.”
    Crickitt frowned. It was a superfluous amount of driving simply to see her home. “I’m sure a four-hour round-trip isn’t the best use of your time.”
    “I can read in the car. There’s no shortage of what I could learn,” he said with a grin. “It’s your call. I don’t expect you to stick around. You wouldn’t get back to Osborn until late tonight and I don’t want to break up your