The Bishop Affair (Dominated by the Billionaire Brothers - Part Four) by Jennifer Simms

Trevor
contemplated my offer. He smiled in a strange way and appeared to come to some
sort of decision. “I have a little errand for you to run. Think of it as a
test.”
     
    “Anything,” I said eagerly,
but stopped when he held up a finger.
     
    “It’s important, something I
would usually do myself but I have to handle other things at the moment,” he
said. “Considering the sensitive nature of the task, I’d expect complete
discretion.”
     
    “Of course,” I said, leaning
forward, thinking this might be my big break.
     
    “There will be no records of
this,” he emphasized. “Go to this address.” He held out a plainly printed
business card but snatched it back when I reached for it.
     
    “Memorize it. Don’t write it
down.” He held it out slowly where I could see but just out of reach. It didn’t
have a name on it, just an address.
     
    I repeated the cross streets
over and over again in my head until I was sure I wouldn’t forget them.
     
    He reached into his back
pocket to pull out a dark leather wallet. He handed me several bills, peeling
them from a thick stack inside. “The exchange will be cash only. Is that
clear?”
     
    “Crystal.” I nodded
emphatically. I felt a small niggle of worry. Was I about to do something
illegal? Pick up some cocaine for an unstable CEO with drug problems? I didn’t
want to ask. I figured I was already on thin ice.
     
    “Once you get to this
address, ask to speak to the owner. He’ll be expecting you. Tell him that
you’re there to pick up the package for Trevor. Don’t use my last name.”
     
    “Got it,” I said, standing.
“I’ll do it on my lunch break.” Hopefully, that would show him that I was
dedicated to the company—willing to give up my free time to complete his tasks.
     
    “You’ll do it now and be
back in thirty minutes,” he responded.
     
    “Thirty minutes?” I was
dumbfounded and was sure I looked the part, too. That address—if I had my map
of Manhattan straight in my mind—was clear across town. I’d be lucky to make it
there in half an hour, let alone come back.
     
    “I need it later today. You
want to prove yourself. Here’s your opportunity.” We both looked at the clock
on the wall, which showed 11:30 a.m.
     
    “But with the traffic—”
     
    “Tick tock, Lori.” His lips
curled into a smile. “You want to earn my trust, don’t you?”
     
    Biting back a panicked
curse, I ran across the carpet, grabbing my shoes instead of putting them on.
     
    “One more thing. Don’t look
inside the package.”
     
    My brain fired off alarms. This
is SO sketchy. But I didn’t have time to argue. I darted out of Trevor’s
office, making sure to close the door behind me for fear that he count that as a
mistake. Could I actually make it across town and back in thirty minutes? I
wanted to succeed—needed to. I had to impress Trevor with how capable I was.
But he wasn’t joking when he said I’d be tested. It would be a downright
miracle pulling this off.
     
    I blew past Susan’s desk,
still shoeless, not stopping to answer her question about my hurry. She knew
how Trevor was. She’d piece it together.
     
    I didn’t even care about the
stares I garnered sprinting barefoot to the elevators, sliding in just as the
doors were closing. Once inside, I tried to catch my breath while slipping on
the shoes, repeating the address over and over again. I have to get this
right.
     
    At the lobby level, I darted
from the elevator again, my high heels drumming a frantic beat across the
marble floor. I hailed the first taxi I saw and breathlessly gave him the
address.
     
    “And step on it, please,” I
added. “There’s a big tip for you if we make it back here in thirty minutes.”
     
    “Thirty minutes?” the driver
asked dubiously. “I don’t know if that’s going to be possible, young lady.”
     
    He swerved out into traffic,
earning us a lot of angry honks and curses. “I do like a challenge, though.”