Entranced (The ROGUES Billionaire #1) - Tracie Delaney Page 0,22

you.”

I suppressed a dart of annoyance at his teasing moniker, yet more evidence that he still saw me as his baby sister. Now wasn’t the time to call him on it, though.

“Gee thanks,” I drawled. “Talk about a backhanded compliment.”

Elliot’s eyes twinkled, and he winked.

I readied myself with a cleansing breath and sent up a silent prayer that the words didn’t come out in a jumble. “I appreciate everything you’ve all done and continue to do for me, but I’ve had a lot of time to think while I’ve been away. Things have got to change. I need a purpose, a focus, a direction to head in.” I settled my gaze on each of them in turn, ending with Elliot. “I want to find a job, an apartment. I want to spread my wings, find my independence. I’m done sitting around on my ass, sponging off my family.”

Elliot opened his mouth to respond.

I shook my head. “I mean it, bro. I need this, for my own sanity.”

“No one is pouring cold water on your ambitions, love,” Dad chimed in. “It’s admirable, and I’m proud of you, but have you any idea how expensive it is to rent an apartment in New York? And you’ll start on an entry-level salary, I presume. Why not take it one step at a time? Job first, save a little money, then move out.”

Everything he said made so much sense and, of course, I’d thought about all of that. But right now, the desire to live on my own was a huge motivation for me.

“I hear you, Dad. I understand it depends on what I can earn. But those are my intentions.”

“Can I speak now?” Elliot asked, a smug smirk curling the corners of his mouth. “Because I have a solution.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Yes,” he said. “You have a degree in IT. We have a vacancy in our IT support team.” He threw his hands out to the side. “Voila.”

Mom beamed. Dad nodded. I groaned.

“Elliot, it’s hardly being self-sufficient if I’m gifted a job at my brother’s company.”

“Who said anything about gifting?” Elliot asked. “You haven’t met the head of IT yet. He’s a hard taskmaster. And you’d be starting at the bottom. At least take it on a trial basis. If it doesn’t work out, then fine.”

I sighed. “Elliot…”

“I promise not to interfere. If he thinks you’re shit, he can fire your ass. If you do something wrong, I’d expect him to pull you up, exactly as he would with any other employee. No special favors. Guaranteed.”

I narrowed my eyes. What he said made a lot of sense. I could gain some experience at ROGUES which would stand me in good stead for my next role. Use it as a stepping-stone. It didn’t mean I had to stay there for my entire career.

“No special treatment,” I repeated. “And that includes salary.”

“Agreed,” he said.

I considered his offer. There were lots of downsides, but there was also an upside. If Ryker saw me behaving responsibly, contributing to the success of the company, working hard, then maybe, just maybe, he might begin to see me in a different light. It could be the breakthrough I’d been hoping for.

“I want an official employment contract, same as every other employee.”

Elliot shrugged. “Of course.”

I stuck out my hand. “Then, big brother, you have a deal.”

“Oh, this is wonderful,” Mom said, unable to keep the happiness out of her voice, or off her face. She was positively glowing. “Both my children conquering the world.”

“Hardly,” I declared, although hearing that note of pride warmed my insides.

“Speak for yourself.” Elliot grinned, playfully bumping my shoulder. “I’ll ask HR to draw up the contract and get it rubber-stamped by the board. I don’t normally do that for junior positions, obviously, but these are special circumstances.”

A shot of anxiety flooded my bloodstream. “Do you think they’ll agree?”

Elliot looked at me as if I’d grown horns. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“No reason,” I muttered.

Except there was a reason—a gigantic one.

Ryker.

7

Ryker

“Thanks, Patricia.” I swiped my calendar for the day from her outstretched hand.

“Welcome back,” she said. “How was Paris?”

“Fine.” I scanned down the page. “Can you move the meeting at four to next week?”

“Edwin won’t be happy,” she replied, referring to the sales director of a software company that had been trying to get me to attend a meeting for months. The product looked like it had promise, but it wasn’t my priority right now.

I glanced up. “Is this the face of someone who cares what Edwin