Free What He Bargains (What He Wants, Book Nineteen) by Hannah Ford Page A

way a long time ago.
    She set her phone on the bathroom sink, stripped off her undies and got into the shower. As she let the hot water run over her, she closed her eyes, and flashes of the night before ran like strobe lights through her mind.
    Picturing Jake Novak’s face again, the way he’d looked at her, the sound of that low voice with just the perfect masculine rasp, she felt that same familiar quiver in her stomach.
    Stop thinking about him! Just stop it!
    You had a chance at Jake Novak and you blew it! She imagined Skylar saying. You blew your chance at the lottery—every girl would have loved to be in your shoes and you just tossed it all away.
    Would Skylar still say that if she knew that Jake Novak wanted to pay Raven for services rendered?
    Probably. Skylar was crazy enough not to care.
    That made Raven smile a little, knowing that when she went to the restaurant, she’d see Skylar there and they’d both laugh about last night.
    She turned the shower off but it continued to drip because her landlord absolutely refused to make repairs. That’s what you got when you lived in Watertown and paid $500 a month to live in a tiny basement apartment.
    Raven wrapped a towel around her hair and then walked to the mirror.
    That’s when she noticed her phone buzzing again. She glanced down and saw UNKNOWN CALLER and got a shiver.
    “Dammit,” she whispered. Her heartbeat accelerated as she stared at her cell and contemplated what to do next.
    She sent it to voicemail and started brushing her teeth, frustrated and nervous.
    What if they’re calling you because Jake Novak was interested in you? Maybe he sent someone to track you down and ask you on a date on his behalf.
    That didn’t sound like his style, but she’d heard of famous guys contacting publicists or agents to get a girl’s number.
    Still, whatever the reason for the calls, Raven didn’t want to deal with it this morning, still hung over, slightly regretful, and needing to get to work so she wouldn’t be late for her shift.
    And then the cell phone was buzzing again. UNKNOWN CALLER.
    Now she was pissed.
    “Hello,” she said angrily, holding the cell phone to her ear while she spit toothpaste into the sink.
    “Is this Raven Hartley?” the voice asked. She could tell instantly that it was the same guy as the voicemail she’d listened to a few minutes ago.
    “Please stop calling me,” she told him.
    “We have a big problem,” he replied, “so you better think very carefully about what you do next.”
    Raven swallowed the rest of her toothpaste and stepped away from the sink. Her heart was racing again, and she was feeling vulnerable and queasy. “I don’t even know you,” she said, her voice less authoritative than she would’ve liked.
    “My name is Max Mendez and I’m affiliated with Club Alpha.”
    “That doesn’t mean anything to me.”
    “Well it might not, but it will very soon, because you work for us now.”
    Raven choked back a laugh of disbelief. “You must be kidding.”
    “I’m dead serious,” he said. His voice didn’t have a trace of humor.
    “Well, that’s pretty funny,” she said, “considering I’m about to leave for my job right now, and I don’t think I’ll be seeing you there.”
    “You mean your job at Charlie’s Café in Watertown Square?” Max asked her.
    She was stunned, and now the fear was icy, like an iron hand around her throat. This creep knew where she worked. He had her phone number. “This is harassment,” she told him. “I’m going to call the police if you don’t leave me alone.”
    “I’ve given you the courtesy of a phone call, Miss Hartley, because we’ve had a client complain about you. A very important client. This is unacceptable to our organization, and we intend to make things right.”
    “Was it Jake Novak?” she said, knowing he was the only person who would have had any reason to complain about her. She hadn’t even talked to anyone else.
    He continued on as if she’d