by Nicole Casey
“I don’t want to practice divorce law anymore,” he replied, and I exhaled a breath I did not know I had been holding.
I began to laugh, and I dropped my head against his chest, relishing the warmth of his strong arms against me as he held me tightly to him.
Could this be real? After all this time, could we make it work again?
I refused to second guess the elation in my heart.
It had been so long since I had felt happy, a realization which was stunning and freeing simultaneously.
My work had clouded my deepest desires as if I learned to accept that it would only get as good as my career.
I would not make that mistake again, not when I finally had the man I had always wanted in my arms.
Although he shouldn’t be in my arms here…
“We probably shouldn’t be doing this here,” I said, pulling myself back to study his face. “I don’t want to think what the senior partners will do if they catch wind of this.”
“Appearance of impropriety, right,” Draven agreed, laughing but he didn’t let me go and I was glad he didn’t. “I don’t care.”
My pulse quickened as I realized that I didn’t either.
His embrace tightened, and I was merciless to fight him, even if I had desired to do so.
I never wanted to let him go.
And I won’t, I vowed silently. Never again.
“It’s not so terrible allowing someone in, is it?” he asked softly, brushing my bangs away from my forehead.
I smiled.
“That depends on who that someone is,” I teased, and he gently kissed the top of my head.
“I hope it’s me,” he whispered. “Because if you let me in, I won’t ever leave.”
I nodded, a fresh batch of tears wetting my eyes but this time I was crying with relief, with the sense that I had made something right which had been off kilter for a long while.
“I won’t let you,” I promised.
“You better not,” he threatened jokingly. “Because next time I will not only follow you, I will move onto your street.”
“You followed me here!” I gasped, pulling back, heat rising to my face. “I had always suspected…”
Draven’s grey eyes glimmered.
“Of all the law firms in all of America, you think I just happened to fall into yours?” he asked quietly.
“But you were engaged!” I cried, unsure of how to feel about what I was learning.
Draven chuckled.
“I don’t know if you happened to notice that relationship ended two weeks after we got here,” he commented. “But let’s just say I didn’t want to arrive in North Carolina empty-handed in case you had moved on.”
I didn’t know what to say, my mind trying to process what I had learned.
“But…what about your fiancée?” I finally choked.
He laughed aloud.
“She needed a green card,” he replied lightly. “And I didn’t make nearly enough money for her anyway. She moved on to an oil tycoon in Texas. No hard feelings there.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“Are you mad?” he asked quickly.
“No…” I replied slowly, and I knew I was not. “I am twistedly flattered. You really never gave up on us, did you?”
Draven shook his head vehemently.
“No,” he said softly. “And I never will.”
11
Draven
“Mr. Archer, we have been waiting here for twenty minutes and I am losing my patience. Where is your client?”
I glanced at my watch nervously and then across the courtroom at the empty respondent seat.
“I’m sorry, judge but she is not answering her phone.”
Judge Bateman scowled.
“And I don’t suppose you know what happened to opposing counsel and her client either?”
“No, your honor. I spoke with Ms. Viera this morning in fact and she was on schedule to be here.”
Worry was beginning to tickle my stomach.
I had never known Yve to be late for anything in her life, let alone a court appearance.
“Try to call again,” the irate arbiter ordered. “If they have not shown in ten minutes, I am holding Ms. Viera in contempt and charging your clients a fine for wasting the court’s time.”
“I assure, judge, this is highly unusual. Ms. Viera and Mrs. Sterling are both very punctual. I imagine there must be traffic or – “
“I don’t need excuses, Mr. Archer, just find them.”
I bit back the desire to snap at him that something was obviously very wrong.
It wouldn’t serve anyone a bit of good if I got held in contempt too.
I jumped from the petitioner’s chair and pulled out my cell phone to text Yvette again as I headed into the hallway.
No sooner had I opened the door when she appeared hurrying down the hall.
“Where the hell were you?” I demanded, relief coloring my face. “Judge Bateman is about to birth kittens he’s so mad.”
“Never mind, come on,” she replied, grabbing my arm and steering me back into the courtroom.
“Where is Sterling?” I asked but she threw open the doors and rushed up the aisle toward the head of the courtroom.
“Apologies, your honor,” she started.
“Oh, Ms. Viera, how nice of you to join us,” he replied caustically. “Don’t you own a cell phone?”
“I do, your honor and I was on it with my client. I have some good news and bad news.”
Bateman’s growl deepened.
“Do I look like I’m in the mood to play games, Ms. Viera?”
“No, sir,” she said smoothly. “I’ll give you the good news first.”
“Wonderful,” he spat.
“The Sterlings have decided not to terminate their marriage after all.”
“What?” I gasped. “What do you mean?”
The judge eyed us.
“You’re certain of this, Yvette?”
“Yes, judge. Mr. Sterling sends his sincerest apologies for wasting your time and assures me he will attend to the necessary paperwork to forget this ever happened.”
“And what about Mrs. Sterling?” I asked sarcastically. “Was she going to call me and let me know?”
Yvette shrugged and grinned.
“She wanted me to pass along the message.”
I rolled my eyes and inhaled.
“What’s the bad news, Ms. Viera?”
I had almost forgotten about that.
We stared at her expectantly.
“The bad news, sir, is that I will never be heard before you in this courtroom again. I have retired from divorce law.”
Judge Bateman groaned.
“Court is adjourned,” he barked. “In the future, young lady, no matter what judge you’re standing before, make sure you call.”
He rose from the bench and disappeared, leaving me to gape at her uncomprehendingly.
“What do you mean you’ve ‘retired from divorce law’?”
She sashayed toward me, slipping her arms over my broad shoulders.
“I have been offered a job as Ryerson’s in-house counsel at Ryerson Media,” she explained, her eyes bright with happiness.
A combination of warmth and worry seized me as I looked at her.
“That’s incredible!” I choked, hoping I didn’t seem dismayed. “Congratulations, babe!”
I wasn’t sure how to process the news exactly although a thousand questions were flooding my mind.
She nodded, holding my gaze.
“Thanks. The pay is two and a half times what I’m making now and that’s just to start.”
I swallowed quickly as I thought of how much money that would be.
We could have a great life together without any worries, I thought, warming to the idea instantly. We always talked about a house with a pool –
A stab of uncertainty hit my heart as I studied her face.
What does that mean for me?
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br /> “He wants you too,” she continued as if my question had been spoken aloud, and I felt my heart quicken.
“What? Really? Why?”
The words spilled out before I could stop them, and Yvette laughed.
“For some reason, he thinks you’re a good lawyer. I tried to tell him differently, but his wife wouldn’t back me up.”
My eyes almost bugged out of their sockets.
“Angeline spoke for me?”
The idea that Angeline had anything nice to say about me seemed suspect, but Yvette nodded.
“She did. She said something about how you made her realize that her husband wasn’t such a bad guy after all.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“They are waiting for us at the Four Seasons,” Yvette continued. “They have a mound of paperwork for us to sign.”
I continued to blink at her, disbelievingly.
“Are you all right?” she asked and suddenly her face turned white. “You don’t want this job, do you? I should have checked with you first. I’m sorry, I just got so excited by the opportunity and we had talked about getting out of divorce law and – “
I chortled, holding my hand up to stop her rambling.
I then reached down to seize her by the waist, spinning her around while she squealed at the unexpected gesture.
“Of course I want this job!” I howled, kissing her lips with fervor. “It’s exactly what we were talking about!”
Yve seemed to relax slightly but her dark eyebrows still knit.
“It’s a big step,” she said cautiously, and I nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes,” I agreed. “It is. Are you having second thoughts?”
She shook her head.
“No,” she answered. “But…”
I stared at her expectantly, but I already knew what she was thinking.
Still, I waited for her to speak.
“Is everything moving too fast?” she whispered, and I saw a slight doubt in her eyes.
My heart melted at the vulnerability in her face and I stepped forward to wrap her in my arms.
“Too fast?” I murmured into her hair. “We have worked like cavemen to get where we are today. How many all-nighters have we pulled? How many abusive clients have we cajoled? We have earned a spot at the grown-up table.”
She peered up at me.
“And us?” she asked. “Are we going to survive working together like this?”
I laughed.
“We haven’t killed each other thus far,” I replied. “In fact, I think we make a pretty good team.”
She nodded and slowly the cloud began to lift from her eyes.
I was saying everything she needed to hear, and it made me feel good to know I was alleviating her doubts.
It was high time that someone was there to lift her up for, despite her icy façade, Yve was a sensitive soul.
I was so grateful that I was the one she had chosen.
“What is it, darling?” I asked, sensing that there was something else she wanted to say.
“Are you happy, Drave?” she breathed, and I could see the answer terrified her.
My face exploded into a smile of pleasure and I nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as I peered into her face.
“I might be too happy,” I replied, our eyes locking.
She eyed me cynically.
“Too happy?” she echoed. “How is that?”
“I have everything I ever wanted suddenly, and I feel like it’s too good to be true!”
Her shoulders seemed to fall, and she giggled.
“I know how you feel,” she sighed.
“It’s like a dream, isn’t it?” I asked, and she nodded her smile broadening. I couldn’t resist sweeping her into my arms again.
The urge to be near her, to touch her at every opportunity was more than I could stand sometimes.
“Just don’t pinch me,” Yve joked but the look in her eyes melted me and I placed her on her feet gently.
“I can pinch you,” I told her tenderly. “Because while it is a dream, it’s our dream and we’re never going to wake from it.”
“I love dreaming with you,” she murmured, nuzzling my neck.
“And I love you,” I breathed.
- THE END -
The Viera Triplets Series
Dirty Pleasures: Vyolet
Come Closer: Maya
Six Years Later: Yvette
The Billionaire’s Past
A Secret Baby Romance (Mercury Billionaires 5)
Prologue
Damon
“Well, how many offers did you get Mr. Wessic?”
I turned around to see my World Literature professor, Mr. Holbrooke, standing by with a bottle of beer in his hand.
I smiled back at him and said, “No less than a dozen, sir. It’s a little overwhelming, to be honest with you.”
I then looked around and saw the rest of the gym was still busy with the evening festivities. This was our college graduation party, as humble as it was, and students, teachers and parents alike were dancing, chatting and drinking away.
Mr. Holbrooke took a sip of his drink and said, “Well, with skills like yours it should come as no surprise you’d become a professional football player. It’s like you were born to play in the NFL.”
“That’s too kind of you to say,” I replied. I myself took a bottle and drank. At least now I was old enough to legally drink and I wanted to enjoy the night. The next few weeks were going to be nothing but grueling training for my professional football career.
He shrugged and waved that notion off, “You’re too humble, Mr. Wessic. You deserve this opportunity, you know. You’re one of the best football players I’ve met and I’ve been teaching here for ten years. It doesn’t hurt either that you’re not a meathead like the others. Even without football you could still land a great career with your intelligence.”
“I can only hope so,” I told him. I was moving forward as a football player but I did just achieve a degree in Business Management and Accounting. “I have a few teams I might try-out for now that they gave me the offer.”
Mr. Holbrooke smiled and patted my shoulder, “Well, go have fun, okay? Congratulations and happy graduation.”
I watched as he took another gulp from his drink and walked away to converse with the other graduates. My own drink was running out and I headed over to the snack bar to pick up another bottle.
My plan was to just pass by, get some nachos and a bottle of beer so I could go back out and look for my friends. For a graduation party, this was a little boring. With my friends, we could at least shoot the shit and play video games or something. Some beer pong would be nice too.
“E-excuse me,” a soft, female voice called out from behind me.
I turned around and saw one of the cutest girls in the school, Emilia Van de Berg. She had dark brown hair and green eyes. Standing at five-feet-two she was a little petite girl with a tight frame – the kind of figure that made her curves just pop out. I just couldn’t help but stare down at her bubbly ass and her big, perky tits that pressed against her shirt.
“Oh, hi,” I greeted her. “Sorry, am I in the way?”
She sheepishly looked at me and smiled, “Yeah. Uhm, could you get me a bottle of beer?”
I grinned when I saw her cheeks flush red. It just made her all the more adorable and I felt this really strong urge to give her a tight hug – and feel those bombshell tits too. I nodded and grabbed a bottle, opened it and then handed it to her.
“Here you go,” I told her as she took it. “You’re a Hotel Management student, right?”
She took a sip, nodded and said, “Yep, that’s why we share a lot of the same classes. Well, I’m not a student anymore.”
“Yeah,” I offered a toast and our bottles clinked. “Congratulations, by the way. Is your family here?”
Emilia shook her head and looked at me with big, sad puppy eyes, “It’s just me, how about you?”
&nbs
p; “It’s just me, as well,” I answered. I gestured towards the gym door, “I got some buddies outside but that’s just it. My parents are out on a business meeting in Prague.”
She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, “Prague? What kind of business do they own?”
I shrugged it off, “A lot but none that I really care about. Say, since no one’s with you, do you want to hang out with us instead?”
I saw her cheeks flush red. She thought about it for a second, and after another sip of her drink she nodded and said, “S-sure, why not? I’d love to spend some time with you guys. It’s better than hanging out here in the gym with no one to talk to. All my friends went out already with their parents.”
“Great,” I told her as I led her out of the gym. She wrapped her arm around mine and we strode on through until we caught up with a couple of my friends standing in a circle by the parking lot.
One of them was Marcus Phoenix. He was my classmate in Accounting and was set to become one of the world’s most devious bankers. Preston Maxwell was there too and he was also a friend and classmate but he recently decided he would focus his efforts on business acquisitions.
“Hey,” they all greeted when they saw Emilia and I coming towards them.
Marcus waved and smiled at her, “Oh, hello there. You’re Jackson’s sister, right? Weren’t we classmates in some subjects?”
Emilia nodded, “Yeah but mostly in the lesser minor subjects. I’m not a business or accounting grad. I took Hotel Management. I’m Emilia.”
Everyone welcomed her into the circle with a smile and even got to chit-chat a bit with her. Turned out she was one heck of a fun girl – had a thing for adventures like hiking or camping. She even admitted that she was always there during one of my football games.
It was a little shocking how I haven’t spent more time with her seeing as her brother, Jackson, was the very reason I got into college football in the first place. She lived in the dorm while he stayed at home so I guess that was a factor.
We wasted the night away, drinking beer and partying our last night together, and I found myself staring at Emilia. I was flabbergasted at how I didn’t really notice her before – she was drop-dead gorgeous and we were classmates for years but I never really paid any attention to her. Maybe I was just too distracted with all the cheerleaders and freshman babes that practically threw themselves at me.