Death Layer (The Depraved Club) Read Online Free PDF

Mysterious Multi-Millionaire
himself.
    “Half my victims never find the door,” he says. His voice is
heavy and sultry. “Come on in. Don’t be shy.”
    Collecting my things I approach, feeling like Dorothy in Oz.
The glass panel slides back in place behind me. Not scary or sexy. Not scary or
sexy at all.
    I know there’s no way back to Kansas.
    “Have a seat Miss Clark.”
    I do, and can’t help but notice that Mr. King looks
devastating in his tailored gray suit and open collar.
    “Aw, we’re twins today, sir,” I say before I can stop
myself.
    He blinks at me in mild confusion, then looks down at his
suit and laughs. “Indeed. I knew there was some sort of connection between us.”
    “Ginger telepathy, maybe.”
    “I’ll take it as a good omen.” He leans back in his chair
watching me with an almost playful expression, exposing his relaxed but
chiseled chest. There’s a little bit of hair peeking between the buttons of his
collar. I try not to stare. “How are you faring so far? Not overwhelmed by the
tour? I wanted you to have a good understanding of the scale of your position.”
    Swallowing, I paint on my best confident smile and force
myself to look up. Eyes up here . “So far so good, thank you sir.
Hopefully I’ll remember everyone’s names by Friday.”
    “That’s the spirit,” he says. Those blue eyes twinkle, full
of trouble.
    He looks me up and down. Silence draws out and I feel my
cheeks grow hot under his frank perusal.
    “I’m not going to break you in gentle, Miss Clark, but I
think you can take it. I want you to keep your evening clear on Friday for a
private event. Next Tuesday, you’ll accompany me to Australia. Some negotiations
over a merger require my presence, and I’ll benefit from an extra pair of
freckled hands.”
    “I don’t have freckles,” I point out, holding up my hands. I
am trying but failing to downplay my excitement over the mention of Australia,
and I can feel my smile widening. “You’re on your own there. But I have seen
Crocodile Dundee, so I’m ready to go.”
    “That ‘a girl.” He stands, and I automatically mimic him.
“Come on, Clark. Let’s get some lunch. Then I’m sending you on a very important
clandestine mission, operation: dry cleaning run. After that, I’ll chain you to
a pile of correspondence that needs response. Mostly fan-mail and invitations
which we will decline, with the occasional angry hippy protest letter, which we
will ignore.”
    That isn’t all I want him to chain me to.
    Yikes. Down, girl.
    “Boy,” I say with a dash of sarcasm, “You high-power types
sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
    He laughs, and some butterflies swirl in my belly. “Welcome
to the glamorous world of Mr. King. Non-stop fun for everyone.”
    “If you say so, sir. You’re the boss.”
    “Yes, I am, aren’t I?”
    Our eyes lock a little longer than necessary before he moves
a hand to the small of my back to guide me to the elevators. His touch makes me
hot all over.
    That smile. Those eyes. The paycheck. Australia?!
    Uh oh. It’s only day one and I definitely have a crush on
the boss, on the new lifestyle, on everything.
    Be cool, Ava. Be cool.
     

 
    Chapter Five
     
     
    Friday night rolls around faster than makes any sense.
    Since Mr. King has insisted on picking me up at my
apartment, Rachel is chewing gum and helping me curl my hair. She’s already
done herself up, ready to head to the east side scene with her finance crew as
soon as I leave. The bathroom is hot and I am sweating away most of my makeup
already.
    It almost feels like high school, when she forced me to go
to prom with her. I smile, remembering the awkward night. She didn’t know I had
a huge crush on her date, Chip Williams, the star quarterback of Huron High.
Rachel just couldn’t fathom anyone skipping prom, wanted to protect me from
“making a huge mistake” she knew I’d “regret for the rest of my life.”
    She’d begged and pleaded and, when that