Betrayed Read Online Free PDF Page A

chairs, and that was just one of his many endearing quirks. “And how’s this for another hint, Zach? I don’t want to talk about the meeting.”
    “You know, darling, that we’re going to banter back and forth for several minutes while you pretend you don’t need anyone, including me, and then you’ll finally cave in and tell me all about it. So why don’t we just skip the routine? It won’t kill you to come right to the point. Inquiring minds want to know.”
    She growled again. She knew he was right, but knowing he was right didn’t make her want to share anything with him. But if she didn’t get this off her chest, she might just go out of her mind.
    She reasoned with herself that he was her business partner and therefore had a right to the information. It wasn’t as if she were acting weak by telling him what was happening. Plus, she didn’t have to fill him in on the sexual-tension part of the story. Everyone in the business world knew that the Knight brothers had a reputation for being a pain in the ass to work with. Those men thought they were gods.
    “Come on, McKenzie, how did the meeting go? Who was it? Please tell me that we are going to bring in more riches than we could ever possibly spend in our lifetime.”
    “It was a horrible meeting,” she grumbled.
    “Well, we’ve had failed meetings before. Just because we didn’t get this one client doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. My meeting went well, even though it was just a mom-and-pop place. We will make this work.”
    Zach was ever the optimist.
    “We did get the job.” Why she was fighting a panic attack she didn’t know. Byron was a dirtbag — a true kick-you-when-you-are-down sort of man — but he wasn’t going to force her into doing anything she didn’t want to do. Maybe that was the problem. She was worried that she would want to do lots of things with him. Things she most certainly would regret.
    “All right, sugar britches. I’d never even try to decipher the female mind, but I have to ask you this: Why aren’t you a lot happier about obtaining another client? Until now, I thought it was just small-potatoes stuff that you considered a waste of our time.”
    “He has demanded that I work there personally,” she groused, finally making eye contact with Zach.
    His jaw dropped and he was for once silent, if only for a moment. “How in the world will this place run if you’re working at a job site?” he asked her. A bit of worry had crept into his usually bright eyes.
    “I don’t know. That’s why I’m frustrated,” she said, her voice rising and her hands lifting into the air. She’d barely fought back the urge to yell.
    “Um…do we need this client that badly? Who in the heck is it?” Zach asked, rapidly regaining his composure.
    Good for him.
    “Knight Construction.” She didn’t need to add more. The name was powerful in itself.
    Her partner was quiet as he thought over the different options. She could practically see the wheels turning. If one of the Knight brothers wanted McKenzie to work there in person, that’s exactly what would happen. You just didn’t turn down clients like them.
    And she and Zach both knew it.
    “We do have very good employees, McKenzie. Did you point that out to him?”
    “ Of course I pointed it out to him, dammit.”
    “I just had to ask,” Zach said in self-defense.
    She had to tell him something or he was going to be spinning for a while. This wasn’t their typical situation. “I…uh…kind of have some personal business with him from a previous job. I guess he figures he’s killing two birds with one stone.” Was she giving anything away in her voice? She hoped not. She didn’t want Zach to go from point A to point Z in a matter of milliseconds with his own fantastic conclusions.
    “Personal…or business?” he said slowly.
    McKenzie Beaumont never shared anything personal with anyone. Okay, except for maybe little tiny snippets with Jewell, but even that