Table For Two: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Two Read Online Free PDF Page A

who was not afraid of anything. Yet when he stared into her eyes, he saw something else. Was she trying to hide something from him? If you are, I’m going to love finding out what it is.
    He had a lifetime of hiding things from others. Sometimes that came with a high price, but the choice was always his and no one else’s. People said secrets had a way of always coming out. Dean had been carrying one for thirteen years, and as far as he was concerned, it was one he would take to his grave. It had cost him the respect of his brothers as they judged him based on what they thought to be facts. A juvenile record could’ve been expunged if he’d spoken up. Instead, his father let him spend twelve months in the juvenile detention center for beating who he thought had been a friend, hospitalizing him for weeks. Even now he had no regret for his actions. He had it coming to him. What he had done required a severe punishment. And even that was too good for him.
    The only one who stood by him was his sister, Zoey. She never stopped seeing what she called the “good” in him. When their father kicked him out and cut him off, she was the one who made sure he was okay. Not that he needed her to; he was a Henderson after all, and one thing they did well was make sure they came out on top no matter what.
    He knew his motivation for everything he had done in his past and why he preferred to do things the way he did now. His methods might not appeal to most people, but hell, they were effective, and to him that was all that mattered.
    One way he was able to get where he was today was reading the people around him. If you looked at a person long enough, whatever they were hiding would eventually be revealed. It came in extremely handy when negotiations heated up. He was able to use competitors’ weaknesses against them and just sit back and watch them fall. It was a talent he had learned from his father. The difference was no one knew who he was. Being cut off from the Henderson family made it easier for him to blindside his opponents and be long gone before they knew what hit them.
    There were several times his risk was almost too great and his identity almost revealed, but the payoff had been worth it. In the end, that was all that truly mattered, and the edge was where he liked to live.
    Was that what he’d seen in Tessa’s beautiful green eyes? Was she pretending to be someone she wasn’t? If so why? What was her motivation?
    Anger filled him as there was only one logical explanation. She wasn’t there by chance. Whoever it was that thought they could get their hands on Poly-Shyn had stooped to a level he had used in the past and planted an informant. Tessa was far from an HR manager. If they thought he wasn’t going to see through that ploy by using someone who looked sweet and innocent, they were mistaken. It only made him look at her closer. And damn, I like what I see.
    Although she played off that she was in no way interested in him, he could tell by her body language when he had asked her to dinner yesterday she was more than tempted. Her fake lack-of-interest act only served as a challenge, and one that now had become even more enticing with this new knowledge. I live by the saying, “Keep your enemies close.” But this time, I’m looking forward to it.
    If it wasn’t for the fact he had a meeting scheduled with Brice, he would act on that right now. Getting to the bottom of who was trying to steal Poly-Shyn out from under him was only one piece of the puzzle. He had every intention of finding out all he needed to know and dealing with them like he had anyone else who stood between him and what he wanted. But right now he needed to make it clear to his brother that he was serious about taking on this company. One way or another, this was going to be his. You may have thought you would cut me out, Dad, but in the end, you won’t win. I guarantee it.
    Dean briefly spoke to Brittany-Lynn on his way out of the office. He