Mike suspected he knew what was going to happen next. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said to the room and stood up, leaving quietly.
“I need to find Andrea’s assistant immediately,” he told the first person to pass him in the hallway.
“Yes sir!” he stammered. “This way!” the man led the way down the hallway. Quickly, he started to recognize the hallways and moved ahead, needing to get things in place before that…woman…did what he thought she might do.
“Mary?” he asked, leaning into an office doorway.
The efficient assistant stood up, ready with her notebook. “Yes, Mr. Mancuso? How can I help you?”
“I need you to go into the bathroom. I think that Litener woman is going to put on a bit of makeup for the deposition camera. I’m starting to suspect…” he shook his head, not finishing the sentence.
“That she’s not pregnant?” Mary finished for him, nodding. “And she’s going to slip into the bathroom and put on a bit of makeup, in order to look sicker than she actually is?”
“Exactly,” he replied, grateful for her quick understanding.
“I’m on it,” Mary said and, without another word, walked out of the office area, hurrying down the hallway to the visitor’s bathroom. Mike watched as Mary disappeared into the bathroom as the door closed. With a glance, he checked to make sure that the deposition was still ongoing. Sure enough, Andrea was going strong, but Ms. Litener had started to wilt. As soon as he stepped back in, the show began.
Carefully, he watched from the other side of the conference room as the lawyer kicked her client under the table again, which Mike could easily see from this angle. Immediately, Ms. Litener touched a hand to her forehead and feigned sickness.
She stood up, a hand covering her mouth. “I need a bathroom, please!” she gasped.
Andrea looked up at her, startled. “Um…out the door and to your right!”
Ms. Litener rushed out of the room and hurried into the bathroom.
Mike didn’t move. He sat there in one of the conference room chairs and watched everyone. The other lawyer, Marsha, checked her watch, writing down the time. Andrea sat back and wrote a few notes. Howard pressed a few buttons on the camera and Jeff, Andrea’s associate lawyer, whispered in Andrea’s ear.
Andrea glanced back at Mike curiously, but didn’t comment about his distance from the table where they were recording the questioning.
Five minutes later, Ms. Litener walked back into the conference room, delicately wiping her mouth and brow, as if she’d recently endured a bout of nausea. Mike didn’t react even when she smiled at him, as if trying to share something private with him. Carefully, she moved around the conference room table, grabbing each of the chairs with one hand while covering her belly with her other.
“I apologize. Sometimes, pregnancy is just…well, a bit difficult.” She slid carefully into her seat.
“I hope you are feeling better,” Andrea replied. “We are still filming, just for the record,” she pointed out.
A moment later, Mary walked in with a towel. “Ms. Litener, I brought this to you from the kitchen. I’m not sure why you were spraying yourself with that water bottle. This will help you wipe your face. That spray bottle only makes you look as if you are sweating and it isn’t flattering on the camera.”
Mary gently placed the towel beside Ms. Litener, and left the conference room.
Silence followed. Obviously, Ms. Litener had no idea how to overcome this crack in her story. She stared down the table, then glanced at her lawyer. “I use water to freshen my face. It gets a bit hot at times.”
Andrea pressed her lips together firmly and Mike knew that she was trying valiantly to keep from laughing. “I know that cameras and the lack of humidity inside buildings can be a bit…drying on the skin.”
Mike watched as the lawyer’s expression soured further. There was a bit of eye rolling and Mike hoped it was caught on camera. After that, he turned his attention to Andrea, watching as she directed question after question to Ms. Litener. And then came the questions that brought it all together. All the questions before now led up to this moment.
“Ms. Litener, you’ve testified today that you’ve never filed a lawsuit in this manner before. And yet, here are four court filings in which you’ve sued various other defendants for different reasons, ranging from falling on a wet floor to tripping over what you claimed was an unmarked fence. All of these lawsuits earned you and your lawyer a sum total of over one hundred thousand dollars over the past four years.”
Ms. Litener’s face turned pale and Marsha’s reddened slightly.
“You can’t bring up past litigation in this proceeding,” Marsha pointed out sharply.
Andrea’s eyes opened, feigning innocence. “I disagree, Marsha. Ms. Litener was not convicted of anything.”
“The previous litigations could malign my client’s credibility.”
Andrea smiled gently, but there was a hint of steel in her eyes. “This isn’t a criminal proceeding, Marsha. This is a civil suit. And both of our clients’ credibility is at stake right now.”
“What’s your point?”
Andrea tilted her head slightly. “My point is this, does your client have a career in which she sues for her income?”
Mike wanted to clap, applauding Andrea for the point. But he remained silent, wanting to hear what happened next.
Marsha humphed a bit, obviously offended. “I think that’s enough for today. My client is obviously overwhelmed and exhausted. Carrying your client’s baby is not an easy thing to do.”
Andrea stood, nodding calmly. “I understand your point completely,” she replied.
It took less than two minutes for Marsha to bundle up her client and hustle her out of the conference room. Through the glass windows of the conference room, Mike watched as Marsha admonished the younger woman for something, although he couldn’t hear her words.
“Uh!” Andrea groaned. “That woman is about as pregnant as I am!”
Mike threw back his head, and laughed. “Exactly,” he stood. “I think dinner for everyone is called for here,” he commented. “On me. Anyone in?”
Mary stood up with a smile. “I’m way ahead of you. I’ve already ordered food to be delivered. Andrea usually likes to go over the day’s testimony after depositions, especially when there will be more questions tomorrow.” She turned and started cleaning up the coffee cups. “You guys finish up in here and I’ll get everything set up in your office, Andrea.”
“Thank you so much, Mary.”
“Let’s all take a break,” Mike offered. “Mary, send the food to my place. Everyone, here’s the address. I’ll break out the wine and we can work in a larger area.” He glanced at Andrea. “Sorry, Andrea, but your office is pretty cramped for four people.”
She forced a smile, waving away the criticism. But Mike could see the wariness in her eyes. Thankfully, she didn’t object. The rest of the team seemed to be eager to get away from the office. Glancing at his watch, he realized that it was after six o’clock. He suspected that everyone had been here for the past twelve hours, if not longer.
He gave his address to the others, but took hold of Andrea’s arm. “You’re coming with me,” he told her firmly. “Get your stuff. You’re exhausted and I know that your mind is still working frantically. It will be safer if you ride with me. My driver will bring you home tonight and he’ll make sure that your car is parked in your parking space by tomorrow morning.”
She agreed and stuffed her files into her briefcase. Her agreement only proved to him how tired she actually was and he wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, just for a moment. Just to give her a bit of his strength.
He wouldn’t touch her though. Not here. Touching her would diminish her credibility with her co-workers and he wouldn’t do that to her. She worked too hard for anyone to assume that she’d gained her position through anything other than hard work and perseverance.
Twenty minutes later, the four of
them were crowded around his kitchen, his housekeeper, Janice, handing out food from both the restaurant from which Mary had ordered meals as well as smaller things that Janice threw together. The woman was amazing and loved it when he entertained.
For the next hour, the team brainstormed on the next set of questions for Ms. Litener tomorrow, trying to find holes in the testimony she’d given today.
But everyone started fading fast as the wine and heavy food kicked in.
“Okay, that’s enough for today, everyone,” Andrea announced. “We’ll meet tomorrow morning before Ms. Litener arrives, just to see if there are any additional thoughts on strategy. But I think we’re ready.”
Everyone packed up to leave, but Mike pulled her aside. “Are you sure that you want to ask her about her pregnancy and when we were together? Shouldn’t that be something that you hold back for court?”
Andrea laughed. “My goal is for this to never go to court, Mike.” Her voice was soft and lilting and he realized that she wasn’t tired. She was pumped up, energized, and eager for the next day. “If I can figure out what she’s up to, then I can stop this from going to court. We don’t want a jury to see you as a wealthy, handsome man and assume that you’re trying to get out of your responsibilities as a father.”
“They won’t think that if you prove to them that I’m not that kind of a man.”
She shook her head, smiling up at him. “You’re assuming that juries always think logically. But juries are made up of human beings, Mike. Human beings bring their own baggage and perceptions into the courtroom. They might have just broken up with their boyfriend or husband and they see you as the bad guy simply because their significant other isn’t right in front of them. You become their target. Or if they had a crush on a guy that looks similar to you in high school or college, they’ll use you for target practice. Or they might rule against you simply because you’re wealthy and they recently were fired. Regardless, it’s safer to figure this out before trial.”
“You have a point,” he replied, moving closer. And closer. He knew that this wasn’t a good idea. But Mike couldn’t seem to stop himself. She was just…Andrea. She was the woman for him. He knew it and she knew it, but she wouldn’t admit it, even to herself.
Andrea watched him move closer, could feel the warmth of his body, smell his intoxicating scent. She pulled her hands behind her back, trying to stop herself from touching him, but her eyes closed and she breathed in deeply. “I should go home too,” she whispered, but didn’t move. Not even an inch.
“You could stay,” he offered. “You look tired.” His hand moved to the dark circles under her eyes. “You used to say that you slept better in my arms.”
She smiled at the memory of how deeply she’d slept when he held her close to him. “I have an early morning tomorrow.”
His hand curled around, cupping her neck. “I’ll make sure that you are in the office at whatever time you need to be there,” he promised.
And then he kissed her. His mouth moved over hers as she sighed, needing this too much to ask him to stop. It was such a bad idea, but the addict in her couldn’t pull away. And the woman in her needed him. Needed this! Just tonight, she promised herself. Just one last night with him.
With that decision made, right or wrong, she gave in to his kiss, to the wondrous feelings that he gave her with every touch, every kiss. He sensed her release of control and swept her up into his arms, carrying her up the stairs of his penthouse to the bedroom where he stood her on her feet, his hands stripping her clothes off as if he were just as desperate as she was. While he pulled her jacket and blouse off, she searched for the buttons of his shirt, whipping the tie out of the way as she searched for warm skin and hard muscle. When she found it, she almost cried with relief. Or maybe her cry was caused by his hands cupping her breasts, his thumbs flicking against her taut nipples! She didn’t have the brain capacity to figure that out as she leaned forward, her lips brushing against his skin.
“This is going to be my turn,” he growled and lifted her up, placing her in the middle of the bed. “Stay right there,” he ordered as he stripped off the rest of his clothes.
Andrea lifted herself up on her elbows, needing to watch as his tanned skin was revealed to her needy eyes. When just looking wasn’t enough, she pushed up onto her knees, her hands reaching out to slide her fingers along his arms, his chest and then lower. Her fingertips enjoyed every ripple of his hard abs, teasing because she knew that he was ticklish there. But her ultimate destination was even lower and she licked her lips, wanting to taste him again. So many times, she’d driven him wild like that, her mouth and tongue flicking against that throbbing member. Andrea wanted to do that now. Lowering her head, she was just about to take him into her mouth when he grabbed onto her upper arms and pulled her up.
“I can’t let you do that. Not now. Maybe later, Andrea. But it’s been so long and I need you. I need to be inside of you. Now!”
“Yes!” she cried out, wrapping her legs around him as he lifted her into his arms again. She wanted that too and didn’t care that she was still wearing her skirt and panties. She wanted him inside of her, pressing into her again and again like he had so many times in the past. Mike never failed to bring her to that blissful peak, taking her higher and higher. “Now! I want you now, Mike!”
With a growl, he lowered both of them to the mattress, grabbing a condom from the bedside table and rolling it down his length with one hand while his other hand slid between her legs, his fingers searching out those delicate folds and, when he found them, slowing down as she gasped, lifting her hips to meet his fingers. She was so close, she felt as if she could explode already and grabbed his wrist with her hand.
“Just like you, Mike, I’m too close. I want you deep inside of me when I climax this time,” she told him, remembering the night in the hallway of the ballroom several days ago. She pulled her panties off, tossing them away from the bed, but didn’t care about her skirt, not willing to take the time to discard it as well.
Thankfully, he didn’t argue with her as he might have in the past. He simply pulled her legs higher as he shifted between them and, slowly, too slowly, eased into her heat, his eyes locked with hers as he pressed all the way into her body.
“Yes!” she sighed, shifting her hips to take him even deeper.
Then he started moving and she couldn’t hold back. This was Mike and she’d missed him every single day over the past several months!
As he moved, the friction taking her higher and higher, closer to that unbelievable cliff, she touched his face, her fingers memorizing his features. When he turned his head, kissing the palm of her hand before taking one finger into his mouth and sucking, she couldn’t hold back. The suction sent sparks from her finger right down to that sensitive nub and she screamed as her body climaxed, waves of pleasure crashing over her body in such a blissful insanity that all she could do was hold onto his muscular shoulders and fall right along with him. She felt his own orgasm hit him and tried to tighten her inner muscles around his shaft, doing everything she could to make it as beautiful for him as he had for her.
When it was all over, he gathered her close and he rolled over, still connected to her so that he could stroke her arms and back and shoulders. Slowly, she fell asleep, cradled in the warm safety of his arms.
Chapter 6
Andrea beamed as she rushed through the office door the next morning. Mike had woken her up before dawn with kisses down her back. After a night of sleeping like the dead, she’d woken enthusiastically to his touch and kisses, finding him, and herself, more than ready for round two. He’d woken her in the absolutely best way possible!
“Good morning,” she chirped to Mary and Jeff who stepped off of one elevator just as she stepped off of another. They must have missed each other in the parking garage by mere moments.
They both stared at her as if she’d just lost her mind. “Why are you so cheerful? It’s six o’clock in the morning.”
&
nbsp; She laughed. “I know. But today, we’re going to finish this thing off and we’ll be the happiest team in the office. Right?”
Mary and Jeff rolled their eyes. “She’s doing that annoying optimism thing again,” Mary grumbled.
Jeff sighed as they trudged down the hallway behind Andrea. “I know. I just want to trade in her regular coffee for decaf when she acts like this. It’s so irritating!”
Mary and Andrea laughed as Jeff held the door open for them.
The three of them were the first into the office that morning, so they worked together to turn on the copy machines and make the first pot of coffee. They met in Andrea’s office and she went over the few additional questions she’d thought about on the drive in this morning. She’d left Mike in the shower and hurried back to her condo for a change of clothes. With only about four hours of sleep, she should be a walking zombie right now. But she felt as if she were on top of the world.
By eight o’clock, the receptionist announced that Ms. Litener and her lawyer were back in the office and ready for more questions.
They all convened, although Mary received a message from Mike that he’d be in as soon as he could.
“Where’s Mike?” Sylvia asked, sitting down in the leather chair.
Andrea frowned at her curiously. Had her baby bump grown overnight? Yesterday, she’d looked a bit puffy with her oversized shirt and skinny jeans. But today, she wore a maternity dress and there was a very significant bump. Andrea glanced over at Mary, who was also a bit surprised.
“Should we get started?” Sylvia asked, resting her hand gently on her freshly protruding stomach. Another gesture that had been absent during the previous day’s deposition.
Craving Him (Sinful Nights Book 6) Page 5