Unlawful Attraction: The Complete Box Set: Alpha Billionaire Romance (28 page)

It would've been the perfect day for sleeping in, then laying around and doing nothing but reading a book, maybe watching some TV before ordering in Chinese. It was too bad I hadn’t been born independently wealthy. Then I could call Bethany and tell her to kiss my ass.

I could find a hundred other ways to help people.

But I didn’t have that option.

When my phone chirped, signaling a text, I flopped over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling.

It wasn’t quite six which made it an awful time for anybody to be texting. It could be one of the girls, though. And if it was Krissy, that meant something was wrong.

Or she hadn't gone to bed yet and was drunk-dialing me. If that was the case, I was going to kick her ass the next time I saw her.

If it was someone else...

Sighing, I picked up my phone.

I didn’t recognize the number and the first few words creeped me the hell out. I bolted upright, pulling my blankets more tightly around me.

Then I processed the name.

Arik.

He’d signed the dirty little text.

Are you naked? If not, you should be, because I’ve been thinking about you naked all night. –Arik

My breath hitched a little. Shifting under the blankets, I considered the camisole and brief boy shorts I'd pulled on after my shower a few hours ago. Stretching a little, I took my time in composing a reply.

I only sleep naked if somebody is around to help me stay warm.

The clock kicked over to six, and right on time, my alarm went off. I turned it off as Arik’s reply came up.

I was thinking that maybe you and I could hook up soon, maybe take some time and go away somewhere. I’ve got a cabin right on the edge of Lake Michigan. We could take a week up there, and I can keep you warm all night. Interested?

There was a funny, painful little twist in the vicinity of my heart. I couldn't believe how much I wanted to immediately accept the offer. The thought of an entire week with only the two of us was enough to make me even wetter than I already was.

Still, I wasn’t so certain what he proposed was smart. Actually, I was pretty damn certain that it was
stupid
. It didn't make me want it any less, didn't make me want
him
any less.

I needed to stop. He was a defense attorney and I worked for the prosecution. Maybe he didn’t seem too concerned about it, but I had to be. I was still trying to build my career, and the ugly truth of it was that women always came out of anything looking worse than a guy did. Especially in a career like law. And especially for a prosecutor.

Refusing to let myself even consider what he was suggesting, I tapped out a brief answer.

It wouldn't be smart, Arik. You know that. None of this is smart.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and waited for him to answer.

He did, and surprisingly, his answer was laid back.

I find myself not caring about smart when it comes to you. We don’t have to do it now. After this case is over, we can talk about it then.

Rolling my eyes, I blew out a breath. He made it seem like this case would end in the next few weeks, the next month or so. And that we would still want this then.

It’s a murder trial, Arik. It could take months, longer.

A moment later, my phone rang, and I wasn’t all that surprised to see it was Arik calling.

“It won’t take months,” he said matter-of-factly, not even bothering with a greeting. “It would be nice if you had a boss who cared about the truth, but all she cares about is winning. You strike me as a woman who does care, though. My client is innocent, Dena. I’m going to find a way to prove it, and if Bethany doesn’t listen, I’ll go over her head.”

Which is exactly what I planned on doing if she tried to screw with things in the police report.

“I know Bethany's not going to listen to me or to you, but if you know that Leayna's innocent, I know you won't stop trying. Maybe if you find something...”

My gut twisted. Pressing my hand to my forehead, I whispered, “Arik, stop. I’ve got a job to do.”

“Yeah. Part of that job is searching out the truth.” His voice softened. “Bethany doesn’t get that, but you do.”

Quiet fell, an awkward, uncomfortable lack of sound, and I pushed up from the bed, moving over to the window to stare outside at the slowly falling rain. I was about ready to tell him that I needed to go when he broke the silence.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to turn this into something about the case. I’ve spent most the night thinking about you...about us.”

“There isn’t an us,” I said automatically.

“You and I both know that’s a lie.” His tone changed, now gruff, low and heated. He sounded the way he did when he was inside me. “There is an us. There’s something between us, and you know it.” A moment of silence, and then he continued, “I want there to be even
more
between us.” He paused again, then asked softly, “Do you want that?”

I closed my eyes, tried to ignore everything that his words made me feel. “Arik...”

“Don’t think about our jobs, the case, any of that. We can figure that out, Dena. Just answer the question. Do you want it or not?”

I wanted it so badly that I hurt. And I was tired of denying it.

“Yes.”

“Then we'll figure this out,” he said. The tension in his voice told me just how much that single word meant to him. “Go to work. I'll talk to you later.” A beat of silence. “And I'll think about you all day.”

The call ended even while I was still shivering from that last sentence. It was strange, how freeing it had been to admit that. I let that feeling soak into me as I showered and got ready for work.

Yes, I wanted to find out what was going on between Arik and me. I wanted to see where it was going, and what might come of it. He'd been right to tell me to focus on that and not the job before I answered. My dream job that was turning into my nightmare, a fact I had to accept now as my steps slowed to a halt outside the all-too familiar building.

Staring up at the imposing structure, I could feel the bagel I’d eaten turning to a stone in my belly, the coffee becoming acid.

I was going to end up with an ulcer.

“Six months,” I told myself. I’d have an ulcer within six months if things didn't change.

I thought about all the times I tried to talk to Bethany about things I’d noticed about this case, about the report Dunne had filed, and how she’d just brushed it off.

What would happen if Arik found evidence of Leayna's innocence? What would happen then? Would Bethany have a way of making it disappear just so she didn't have to admit that she'd indicted the wrong person?

A burning sensation settled mid-center of my chest and I had to force myself to take the first stair. After that, it got easier. As I ascended, I gave myself a mental pep talk. The one good thing about this mess with Pierce was that I wouldn’t have to deal with the two of them as much. The paralegals were easier to get along with. Maybe I could do some more digging into Leayna with my time too. If Arik was that convinced of her innocence, there had to be something to prove it, right?

Walking down the hallway, though, it took only one minute to have my mood go from cautiously optimistic to straight down into the bowels of hell. I couldn’t even call what I was feeling now pessimistic.

I was feeling downright nauseated and it took everything I had not to throw up as Bethany continued to speak.

Pierce was cleaning out his desk, not looking at me, although the back of his neck was red. Under his designer suit, his broad shoulders were rigid and he moved in jerky motions. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him erupt at any second.

Bethany continued to talk in cool, concise tones as I stared at Pierce, unable to believe what I was hearing, unable to believe he was putting up with this shit.

Finally, Bethany stopped speaking and lifted an eyebrow, a pleased expression on her face. “You’ve been awfully quiet, Dena. Don’t you have anything to say?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I wasn't sure it was smart to say what was going through my head at the moment. I needed time to think things through. She started to smirk. Slowly, I angled my gaze back to her.

“Yes, Bethany. As a matter of fact, there is something I'd like to say.”

Pierce tensed, his hands tightening on the files he held. Bethany’s features froze.

I ignored her, focusing completely on the man who had yet to speak a single word in his defense. “Are you really going to let her do this, Pierce?”

I stared at him hard, and his cheeks flushed. Finally, he shot a look up at me, and I couldn’t have imagined that glint of temper in his eyes. Anger burned there, but it wasn’t directed at me.

Bethany cut in, “Perhaps if you hadn’t done something stupid, and filed a report–”

“I'm done with playing, Bethany.” The cold, sharp bite of my voice surprised even me. “We all know I didn't
make a move on Pierce, and that I haven't acted unprofessionally with him. There was no way I’d let that go on my record, so
yes
, I filed a counter-complaint. If you think I should have let it go, then you haven’t been paying attention to the kind of person I am.”

She started to tap her foot, a small foot shod in pink Prada.
A predator in Prada.
Arik had called that right.

“You might be able to throw your weight around with him.” I jerked my chin toward Pierce. He’d stopped gathering up his personal belongings and stood there, rigid and unblinking. “But that won’t work with me.”

Her eyes were cold, assessing. Deciding to ignore her, I gave her my back and focused on Pierce.

“You did good work when we were putting those briefs together, Pierce. I’ve seen some of the others you’ve drafted for her. I think you’re probably a good lawyer. She’s got no right doing this to you.” I shook my head. “Is she
really
that good in bed?”

A weird choking noise escaped him, and I wondered if he was trying not to laugh.

Bethany took a step toward me. “That’s quite enough.”

“Well, you’ve already complained that I'm unprofessional.” Giving her a saccharine smile, I offered, “You want to write me up on that, go ahead, but you might want to consider that I'll make sure any inquiries specifically state why I made that statement.”

Pierce was no longer the only one in the room with a flushed, angry face. Bethany’s shoulders were rigid, her mouth pinched into a tight, small line as she closed the distance between us.

I tensed, wondering if she would finally snap and slap me. Part of me even wished that she would, that I'd have something I could really use against her.

Surprisingly, she just studied me. After a moment, she spoke, but only to address Pierce. “Please finish getting your things together. You need to be out of here within the hour. I don’t know how long the investigation will take. Hopefully, you’ll be back to work once it’s complete.”

The smile she gave him made me want to roll my eyes, but I refrained. Pierce looked away, not looking very impressed.

She reached out and laid a hand on his arm. “I’ll put in my recommendation. I think you’ll just get a warning on your record. More than likely, you’ll be back to work within the next couple of weeks.”

“Gee, thanks.” The words were thick, bitter with irony. He didn't shake off her hand, however.

She pursed her lips and added softly, “That is assuming Dena doesn’t decide to press charges. They will talk to her about her claims.”

“I’m betting on it.” I gave her a hard look. “I'm looking forward to giving them my thoughts on how this all unfolded. From beginning to end.”

Her smile wobbled, then fell away entirely.

She made no other attempts to bait either of us over the next three minutes. That’s how long it took Pierce to vacate his office. Bethany followed him to the door and closed it behind him. When she turned to look at me, I could tell she was going to say something, but I was ready for her.

She saw the phone I’d pulled out of my pocket and blinked.

The outrage on her face smoothed away like it had never existed. Her eyes cleared, her mouth curved into a perfunctory smile.

“Please don’t tell me you feel the need to record everything you and I say. We’re coworkers.” She took a step toward me, as if she was trying to regain her footing. “Actually, I’m your supervisor. You’re supposed to be able to trust me with things.”

“Yeah. That'd be nice.” I glanced at my phone again, tapped the screen. It was on my email account, not that she knew. Just the possibility that I was keeping a visual record of her behavior had sucked the malicious wind out of her sails.

It wasn’t the ideal way to handle this, but I wouldn’t let her screw with my career any more than she already had. And since I wasn't actually recording, no one would be able to claim any sort of breach of privilege.

She flicked another look at the phone, and then walked past me. There was an expression of acute dislike on her features, but she kept her face turned away enough that if my phone had been recording, she couldn't have been seen. “As you can imagine, Pierce’s suspension came at an inopportune time. We’re trying to expedite the trial on Leayna Mance, and now I’ve lost my co-chair. You’ll be taking his place.”