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Everything You Need To Know
HelenKay Dimon
Guess who I’m temping for this week: Forest Redder. Yes, the Forest Redder, millionaire commercial real estate powerhouse (whatever that is…) There’s nothing on this guy in the Need to Know database, but the man is seriously HOT! There’s no way someone this tall, dark and delicious is sleeping alone every night—women probably hand over their panties the first time they meet him. Other women, I mean, not me–I’m so over his type (I’ve dated enough of D.C.’s “eligible bachelors” to know they’re mostly lying scumbags. Or married. Or gay. Or…Well, you know.) But maybe I can do a little “hands-on” research and write up a report on him myself? You know, for the good of our members… ;) There’s just one problem. I think he knows. And I think he knows I know he knows. And if he exposes me as the woman behind Need to Know, I could lose everything I’ve worked for… – Other Red-Hot Reads from Mills & Boon & Cosmo include: Afterburn by Sylvia Day (August 2013), Fearless by Tawny Weber (September 2013), Cake by Lauren Dane (September 2013), Naked Sushi by Jina Bacarr (October 2013), Aftershock by Sylvia Day (November 2013)
Welcome to Need to Know—Because a Woman Can’t Be Too Informed
Dating in D.C. is like navigating an apocalyptic wasteland populated by men in expensive suits with zero mating potential. Need to Know provides all the information a savvy single woman like you needs to avoid dating disasters.
By night, Jordan McAdam is the proprietor of a popular website that rates D.C.’s hottest bachelors—everything from how quick they are to email you back, to their skills in the sack. She’s been burned once too often to accept any man at face value. By day, her job as an office temp puts her in the perfect position to do a little fact-checking on her rich and powerful subjects. When her latest assignment brings her face-to-face with the sexy but mysterious Forest Redder, Jordan decides to do a little “hands-on” research of her own. To Jordan, he seems like the perfect man—but she knows there is no such thing. Moreover, there’s a big problem: Forest knows Jordan’s the woman behind the scandalous site—and Jordan knows he knows. Will he expose her secret—or find his own posted on Need to Know?
Contemporary, sexy stories for sassy women.
Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Mills & Boon
www.millsandboon.co.uk/cosmo (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cosmo)
Dedication
For my beautiful, smart and fierce niece, Jennifer.
Welcome to the working world. This one’s for you!
Dear Reader,
I’m so excited to be a part of the new Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Mills & Boon! The collaboration of Mills & Boon and Cosmopolitan is the perfect place for my sexy couple, Jordan and Forest.
Starting a new job and new life is rough for all of us, but for Jordan, creating an anonymous website to help other women manoeuvre the rough Washington, D.C., dating game is her dream. But nothing prepares her for Forest. He’s the man who changes everything, and we’ve all met one of those. He’s a smart and successful businessman who wants to know her secrets. She has to outrun him, but truth is, she’d much rather he catch her.
Thank you for picking up Everything You Need to Know. I love Forest and Jordan, and hope you do, too! You can visit me at www.helenkaydimon.com (http://www.helenkaydimon.com) to learn a little more about them and get a peek at what (and who) inspired the book.
HelenKay Dimon
Everything You
Need to Know
HelenKay Dimon
Contemporary, sexy stories for sassy women.
Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Mills & Boon
www.millsandboon.co.uk/cosmo (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cosmo)
Contents
Chapter One (#ud2c3f3b2-10ea-5c16-a1d3-8a404f6ab9e5)
Chapter Two (#u5455be1d-d9ff-57aa-8b88-842739b7a29b)
Chapter Three (#ua0d2de74-e06a-59d2-b301-284d33595b92)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Subject Report on Ryan Peterson: Spent entire date talking about Ryan—yes, he refers to himself in the third person. When he drove me home and I refused to sleep with him on the first date, he urinated on my front porch. Run from this blowhard. —Member 121
Need to Know admin staff: Confirmed blowhard.
JORDAN MCADAM LOOKED across the conference-room table at Ryan Peterson and fought the urge to roll her eyes. An “oh my God, shut up!” comment begged to escape her lips whenever he opened his mouth, which was every ten seconds.
The guy’s personality consisted of being pompous, loud and loaded. That last one appeared to be his only positive attribute. Not to Jordan. No, she’d dated enough powerful Washington, D.C., types to place the entire metro area in dating lockdown. She’d limit her choices to a pool of males from at least two states away from now on.
Day Four in Ryan’s presence. She’d confirmed the major complaints about him by the end of the first afternoon, but had yet to find one redeeming quality to include in the follow-up report for her website. When she’d started Need to Know, she’d known the dating world could be physically and emotionally dangerous for women. She never dreamed it resembled an apocalyptic wasteland populated with guys in business suits who possessed zero social skills when it came to handling strong women.
After reading the comments website members had posted about their dates, Jordan no longer worried about her relatively solitary existence. If her choices came down to Ryan, or that guy Ted who one member said spent most dates sending hate texts to his ex, or if she had to pick any of Ryan’s or Ted’s businessmen friends, she’d continue to limit her bedroom activities to Mr. Fancy, her bright purple vibrator.
Ryan leaned back in his chair and tapped his gold pen against the lined legal pad in front of him. When he exhaled, his stomach relaxed, pushing over the top of his black belt, which was never a good look on a man, money or not, and certainly not on a thirtysomething. “The meeting this afternoon is important.”
As if she cared. She’d taken the temp job to double-check the website reports on Ryan, since they seemed so out there for a grown man. “Yes, sir.”
“I need to make a good impression.” He made the comment while he coughed without covering his mouth. “Nothing can go wrong.”
As far as she could tell, the only chance for success hinged on Ryan skipping it. “I understand.”
The rumors racing through the employee cubicles over the past few days hinted at management problems. Something about a silent partner wanting out and money being tight, despite Ryan’s bright red might-as-well-advertise-you-have-a-small-penis convertible parked in the coveted space right by the elevator in the downstairs garage. Then there was the expensive office suite on K Street, D.C’s power-broker row.
Ryan sure did like to play the game.
He spun his chair around and stared out the eleventh-floor window to the busy street below. “You’ll need to stay late this evening. Ryan needs this deal done.”
There was the third-person thing again. In her view, Ryan needed medication. And a reality check...and maybe a few hours with a financial planner before he dragged his daddy’s once-successful construction firm into bankruptcy. “Of course, sir.”
Ryan grinned at her over his shoulder. “Maybe you can find us some dinner.”
Right, because that was within her job description as a temporary office assistant. No wonder his regular administrative assistant quit two weeks ago. From what Jordan could ferret out during coffee in the office kitchenette, the woman, Victoria something, ran from the building after being asked to send yet another morning-after “we’re over” email to a woman Ryan managed to date more than one time.
The guy was a raging dick, but Jordan had to deal with him only through the end of the day. He’d asked her to remain on next week. She’d lied and said she had another temp job lined up.
“I can order something for you to eat.” As in, for him only, or him and the two businessmen who were due any minute. She’d rather choke up stomach lining than sit across a table and listen to Ryan talk about Ryan. Because, really, how sad was that little act?
The low rumble of voices in the small reception area outside the conference room and near her desk grabbed her attention. Anything not to look at Ryan another minute.
She moved closer to the doorway and glanced out. There, by the love seat and looming over the bad-bachelor glass coffee table and the stack of six-month-old magazines, were two men in matching dark suits. The black-haired, broad-shouldered one with his back to her suddenly turned around and met her stare for stare.
She didn’t need a member’s report from the Need to Know website or a business degree to identify him. Forest Redder, millionaire businessman and commercial real-estate powerhouse...whatever that was...and an integral part of every business and political power circle in town. Objectively good looking, all six-foot-whatever of him but—thanks to the rich-boy affect—not her thing.
The blond with him, Wendell Strong—Wen to everyone who knew him—had a could-sell-yachts-to-the-poor smile. That was even less her thing.
After seeing the names on Ryan’s schedule that morning she’d done some investigating on both men. Their friendship stretched back through private schools and country clubs and wherever else rich people congregated. Neither man’s name had made it onto her website yet, but being two of the city’s most eligible bachelors in their thirties, reports and requests for information from the Need to Know community were inevitable.
Her goal for one year in business was a thousand active members paying monthly dues and, in return, getting the dating information they needed. She had eight months to go and with or without those two on the website, she was almost halfway to her membership goal.
She stepped into the reception area and closed the conference-room door behind her. “Gentlemen, may I help you?”
“We’re here for a meeting with Ryan Peterson.” Forest didn’t break into a smile or even move. “Do you know where I can find him?”
Something about the commanding tone and presence made her feel as put together as an unmade bed. She tugged down on her pencil skirt, then stopped, because letting this guy throw her off stride was just not going to happen.
“Mr. Peterson needs a few more minutes.” She had no idea if that was true, but she doubted this Forest guy had to wait for much, so she thought experiencing a little delay would be good for him.
“Are you his assistant?” His gaze dipped down and traveled over her for the briefest flash.
The last time she fell for a look like that, she ended up dating a guy who was about to get married. Not to her—not that she knew that going in. Funny how he’d forgotten to mention the fiancée and expensive wedding, complete with pre-nup and newspaper notice. Thank goodness her friend and web assistant, Elle Parker, saw that little gem or Jordan might still be the unwitting other woman to an idiot who deserved a nasty case of bedbugs.
“I’m just the temp.” She stepped farther into the reception area. Next came the awkward gesture in the general direction of the floor lamp. “Have a seat.”
“We’ll stand.”
Of course they would. Heaven forbid this Forest guy do anything to stop the circus show dancing around in her stomach. “You’re early.”
Forest glanced at his watch. His eyebrow lifted a second later.
Yeah, that wasn’t annoying or anything. “Right. Well, if you’ll excuse me a second...”
Before he said anything else, she bolted back into the conference room. Ryan sat in his big black leather chair, spinning the seat back and forth like a spoiled child. No wonder the business his family had built for decades had been flushed into a downturn only two years after Ryan took over the reins.
“Your appointment is here.”
He waved a hand at her. “Send them in.”
She turned around when he started the tie straightening and hair combing with his fingers. Pulling the door open again, she peeked into the reception area and saw Wen and Forest. They hadn’t moved at all. No talking. No shifting. They just stood there staring at her. Wen also smiled, but Forest skipped over that part.
“Mr. Peterson can see you now.” She stepped back and gestured for them to step inside the conference room.
Wen gave her a nod as he passed. He really did have the six-foot all-American-boy thing down. She could imagine him in khakis on a polo field as his two perfect blond-haired children ran by.
Then Forest slipped past her. His shoulder brushed against hers and the fresh scent of soap fell over her senses. He had the cleaned-up-businessman look, but underneath she sensed something rougher. Something not so proper.
Now that was her thing and the surprise kick of interest did not make her happy at all.
“Excuse me.” His bright-eyed gaze drilled into her as he walked by.
At five-eight, she was hardly ever in a situation where men towered over her, but he did. All firm and lean and...
“Ms. McAdam?”
Something about Ryan’s smarmy tone and stupid smirk sucked all the sexuality right out of her. She could feel her body dry up with every syllable he uttered.
She plastered a smile on her face and swallowed back the icky taste that filled her mouth whenever she glanced in Ryan’s general direction. “Yes, sir?”
“Join us and take notes.”
Wen waved her off. “I’m not sure that’s necessary.”
Jordan took that to mean this meeting was not exactly going to go as Ryan hoped. That almost made her want to stick around. “I can wait outside, and if you need me—”
“I want her to stay,” Ryan said, as he looked at the other gentlemen. “I’m sure neither one of you will have a problem with that.”
Never mind that she did.
“Fine.” Forest delivered his command and sat in the seat directly across from Ryan. “For now.”
Looked as if she could add bossy and demanding to the list of characteristics she silently compiled about this Forest guy. Usually the gruff, commanding type turned her off, but there was something about him. Something half annoying and potentially half interesting. She didn’t intend to investigate either half any further.
Ryan nodded to the chair to his right and she dropped onto it. His smile stayed in place as he slid a pad of paper over to her. She started taking notes, even wrote out a nice header and remembered the date. Then she had to fight off the urge to doodle.
“We have a problem,” Forest said as Wen joined him on that side of the table.
Ryan nodded as he leaned back in his chair, trying to give off a sense of security and failing badly when the sweat collected on his forehead. “I understood you had all the information you needed to move forward with our partnership on the new waterfront deal.”
Jordan’s head popped up. She listened, because information was her real business. She didn’t care about dictating or notes or commercial real estate, but anything that brought money into D.C. connected to power and politics. If new players moved in, she needed to know them and be prepared to see their names appear on her website.
After Forest nodded, Wen started talking. “We thought we owed you an in-person meeting, mostly because of our historic relationship with your father and this firm.”
“A very positive relationship.” Ryan sat up again. “One I intend to continue.”
Forest cleared his throat and all movement in the room stopped. The clock ticked on the wall behind Jordan, but she didn’t dare turn around and glance at it. Not when every inch of Forest, from his straight back to the slow way he moved his fingertips across the tabletop, commanded attention.
“And therein lies the problem,” he said.
Therein? Jordan knew that wasn’t a good sign. Whenever the “’twas” and “furthermore” comments came out, all hell was about to break loose.
