I heard her inhaling and exhaling, and my eyes closed as I waited for her decision. “I have a prior engagement for lunch, but I can spare twenty minutes if you can be at my office at noon,” she stated.
“I’ll be there,” I hurriedly answered. “Thank you, Nicole. I’ll see you at noon.”
I pushed my other cases aside and rushed out to be there early. Her office was only a few blocks from mine, but due to the weather and the time crunch, I had to take a cab—it had been pouring all morning, and there were no signs of it getting better.
* * *
Opening the cab door, I popped my umbrella and headed toward her office building. Nicole was a junior associate at Moore Designs, an architecture company. I walked in, left my soaked umbrella by the front door, and headed for the receptionist.
The office had a school cafeteria feel to it. Aside from the spectacular blueprints and abstract designs that hung from the ceiling, there were no walls separating each person, just long, high tables scattered all over.
“Hi, I’m here to see Nicole Matheson,” I said breathlessly.
“Is she expecting you?” the receptionist asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Katherine Wolf.”
She picked up the phone and dialed Nicole’s extension. After she confirmed that Nicole was indeed expecting me, she led me to the back office. “Follow this hallway to the last door on your right. She’s in there waiting for you.”
I walked into the small conference room, and a caramel-skinned woman with dark brown hair stood to greet me at the door. “Nicole,” she said, reaching her hand out and introducing herself.
“Katherine,” I responded as I shook her hand. “Thank you so much for meeting me.” Nicole closed the door behind me before offering me a seat and sitting next to me.
She rested both of her hands on the table. “I have to be honest with you, Katherine. I really want to help you, as I can only imagine what he’s done to your client or other women, but I can’t say anything.” She looked sincere when she spoke.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not following.”
Exhaling, she brought her voice down to a low whisper. “I filed charges against Evan that I later dropped. I’m assuming you want to ask me why or see if I can help your client with her rape charges against him. Trust me, I wish I could, but I signed a nondisclosure agreement.” Her voice dropped even lower. “His lawyer blackmailed me, and I had no choice but to sign it.”
“Crap.” I sat back in the chair. That was not at all what I expected to hear.
She frowned, and her bright brown eyes were sad. “I did some investigating. There were four of us, and only one didn’t sign the NDA: Mackenzie Adams. She’s the only one who can help you.”
Seriously?
“Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say. The only person who could help me was the person who would no longer speak to me. Great. The pit of my stomach ached when I realized Mackenzie was my only hope. I guess there was no winning this case after all.
“I wish I could help you, trust me. That man has taken so much from me, but my hands are tied.” She looked down at her watch and stood. “I really have to get going. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
I pushed my chair back and followed her out of the room. I said goodbye to Nicole, grabbed my wet umbrella from the stand, and walked out into the pouring rain, needing a second to gather my thoughts. I stood under the umbrella, letting the raindrops drown out the noise of the busy city and allowing my mind to wander through every possible detail that I knew about Evan. I walked down a few city blocks letting my my wander and the rain dampen my mood. How the hell was I ever going to win this case?
Six blocks in to my walk, I moved away from the moving pedestrians, and found myself facing the other side of the street, debating whether I should hail a cab or walk back to the office.
Dirty rainwater splashed onto my rain boots, but I paid it no mind. My eyes drifted from one side of the street to the other, examining the possibilities, when my brain finally caught up with where I was––CHR Esquire. I felt so defeated when I left Nicole’s office that I’d let my feet walk on their own as my mind spun with how I’d get Evan behind bars. And directly across from me on the one-way street in Manhattan was Cole.
Standing behind the glass door, he gazed at me as he brought his phone to his ear. As much as I wanted to escape him and stay far away, I couldn’t. My heart accelerated in my chest. I craved his arms around my body. His soothing touch massaging the stress away.
My cell phone vibrated in my spring jacket. Unlocking my eyes from his, I looked at the screen to discover he was calling me. “Hi,” I answered, my voice laced with defeat.
The busy street seemed to move in slow motion as he gazed back at me. “You look lost, are you okay?” His voice calmed my thoughts. Closing my eyes, I bit down on my lip and shook my head at him. “Do you have to go back to the office?” Unable to locate my voice, I shook my head again. “There’s a town car approaching. Get in.”
My eyes opened to see a town car pull up across the street and stop before him. His driver held the umbrella out for him, waiting for him to get in, but his eyes were glued to mine. I looked up and down the busy street before darting across. I folded up my umbrella, hurried into the town car, and he followed.
“Hi,” he said, shifting closer to me. His scent enveloped me and the worry I felt only moments prior vanished. His sly smile made my heart race, and my doubts and stress about the case were now a faint thought. I leaned forward and kissed his lips. An electric current ran through my body the second our lips met, and I pressed my forehead to his.
“Bad day?” he asked, lifting my chin so my eyes met his maple hues. Nodding up at him, he kissed my lips once more and pulled me closer, placing his arms around my shoulders. I ignored all the hesitation I had about us and sank deeper into his arms. The car moved slowly through city traffic.
“Bad week,” I finally said after the car rounded the corner. Cole chuckled, and the smell of his mint tickled my skin. I sighed to find comfort in him, and my arms wrapped around his waist, holding him tighter.
“You want to tell me about it?” His hand moved up and down my back. This was different for us—not sexual. I’d always craved his hands on me, the sexual charge that constantly radiated around us. But in that car, on that rainy workday, I craved his calming touch.
“Work-related. I can’t talk to you about it,” I whispered, nuzzling my nose into his chest and inhaling his masculine scent that I could never get enough of.
“Fair enough.” He pulled me off his chest and cupped both of his hands around my face. “How about you tell me why you’ve been ignoring me for the past few days.” He searched my eyes for answers. “Or tell me when I can take you to dinner.”
“It’s complicated.” I closed my eyes.
“Nothing about us is supposed to be complicated.” He kissed my forehead. “I want to see you without having to park in front of your house until you get home, pay security to tell me when you’re in the building, bribe people for your schedule, or harass you at your job.” I opened my eyes and was met with a boyish grin. My stalker. It was no coincidence he was everywhere.
“See me or fuck me?” I regretted the question the second the words escaped my mouth, but I needed to know if what I was feeling was one-sided. It was the wrong thing to say when he was trying to ask me about my day, but I needed to be serious. That was what we were—fuck buddies. But I wanted endless possibilities with him.
“Is it wrong if I say both? I want you in my bed, but I also want to spend every possible second with you.” He reached for my hand, pulling me back to him. His lips found my neck. “Come home with me?” I hated how his words had this power over me.
My toes curled as his lips and tongue drew small circles on my skin. “Cole . . .” I needed to resist him.
“You know I get what I want, Katherine.” His hand reached around, pulling my hair so my neck was fully exposed to him. “Don’t make me
beg.” He moved to my shoulder. “Because for you I will.”
I let him claim my neck a little longer before I pulled away. “I can’t. Not today.”
“Thursday night, let me take you to dinner.”
“I have plans with Ben.” I bit my lower lip, debating whether I should bail. “He wants to try this new restaurant, and he had to wait three months for the reservation. I can’t bail on him.”
“Which one?”
“Black Duck.”
“Hmm.” He kissed my cheek. “I’ve been there, it’s not that great. I can take you somewhere better.” His tongue slid across my jaw.
“I can’t…” I paused, and his lips grazed my collarbone. “I can’t bail on Ben.”
“Can I buy you lunch, at least?” He wrapped his arms around me again, holding me close.
“You know we can’t be together in public.”
“How about if we never leave the car? We can eat in here. Then can I buy you lunch?” His hands tickled my ribs when I didn’t answer him.
“Yes!” I squealed.
After eating pizza in the back seat of his limo, I went back to work. Nicole had been honest, and it was exactly what I needed. My only way to get anything on Evan was to get Mackenzie to talk, but I needed to give her time. Hopefully she would reach out to me.
Hopefully.
I lost myself in the other cases Victoria had given me, and I didn’t even notice the carrier who walked up to my desk near the end of the day.
“Ms. Wolf?”
Startled, I looked up at him. “Yes?”
“This is for you.” He handed me a sealed envelope. “I was also instructed to give you this.” He dropped his card on my desk. “If you need anything, please let me know.” He walked away from my cubicle.
I slowly opened the envelope, afraid something might pop out. I pulled out a small flat box of edible, crotchless, gummy undies with a Post-it stuck to it. I pulled the note from it and hid the box.
I didn’t have dessert after lunch. My place, 7?
CHR.
My face flushed at the thought of wearing nothing but gummy undies. I took the carrier’s card and flipped it over.
If you want to send me anything, please use James.
Two could play this game. I secured my gummy undies in my desk drawer, grabbed an envelope, paper, and pen, then walked over to the ladies’ room. Removing my panties, I tucked them in the envelope and attached a note.
I can’t tonight. But these are still wet from our lunch date.
K.
As I secured the envelope, I called James. Though I knew I wouldn’t enjoy walking around with nothing on, I couldn’t help feeling aroused that my panties were on their way to Cole.
18
Cole
Deep in case briefs, I had lost track of the time. Not seeing Katherine for the last week had made me focus on work so that I wouldn’t show up at her job and drag her away by her hair. When I saw her at lunch, it had been the highlight of my week. She looked like a damsel in distress standing in the pouring rain, lost and confused, but she refused to let me spend more than an hour with her.
The knock on my door startled me. My mind instantly hoped it was Katherine. I had no upcoming meetings on my schedule.
“Come in.”
The door slowly opened, and in came James with an envelope in his hands. My interest piqued when I realized it wasn’t the same envelope, I’d given him hours earlier.
“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Rhodes. Ms. Wolf asked me to give you this.” He handed me the package. I trusted James to keep whatever I gave him safe, and I knew he wouldn’t open anything.
“Thank you, James,” I said, tipping him for his services. “If I need you, I’ll call.”
The second my office door shut, I tore through the envelope. Her silk thong sat delicately folded with a note on top. Reading her note, I brought the silk to my nose. A hint of her scent along with her body lotion lingered on the material.
“Fuck,” I cursed. She was walking around town completely bare under her skirt. Fuck, I want to be buried deep inside of her.
I pulled out my cell phone and dialed James, asking him to meet me at my place tonight. If she wanted to play, I was going to play. Assigning all of my casework to the associates, I left the office early on a mission to find something to send back to her.
* * *
Walking into my bedroom, I tossed the sex toy I’d purchased for Katherine onto the bed—a pocket vibrator that I hoped to use on her. If I wasn’t going to be the one giving her orgasms, I didn’t want any other guy doing it. Once I was back in my home office, I wrote a quick note before heading to the gym.
Think of me.
CHR.
Working out was the only way to get her out of my mind. Another piece of ass would normally have been my first choice, but I couldn’t face the thought of getting aroused for another woman. Running full-speed on the treadmill, leaving my frustration behind on the belt, I pushed further. The headphones connected to my phone blasted music matching my pace, and stride after stride I pushed until the music was suddenly cut off by an incoming call.
Not looking down at the screen, I hit the talk button on the headphones. “Cole Hunter,” I spoke, keeping the pace going.
“Hey, Coleman.” Her voice squeaked high when she said my name, the same way it did when we were kids.
“What do you want?” I hit the button to lower my speed.
“Is that how you talk to your baby sister?”
Slowing to an almost complete stop, I continued the conversation. “What’s up, Reagan?”
“I’m coming to town in a few days. Will you be home this weekend?”
It had been almost a year since I last saw my kid sister. Once she moved to Los Angeles to manage RPR—my father’s public relations firm—her focus changed to more work and less play.
“I don’t think I have any definite plans. You’re more than welcome to stay with me. If you don’t want to do the drive to Mom’s house.” I hit the stop button before stepping off. “When do you land?”
“Not sure yet. I have to see what Dev—” She stopped mid-sentence, but I’d heard enough.
“Who?” I said loudly, stopping dead in my tracks.
“Don’t act surprised. She’s my best friend, and I never get to see her since she moved to DC, so get over it. And to be honest, I don’t know why you put up a fight. Everyone knows you two are perfect for each other.”
“I’ll book you both a suite at the Waldorf.”
“But—”
“But nothing. I don’t want her staying in my house. I’ll have dinner with you two, but that’s it.”
I heard her suck on her teeth before she answered. “Fine. Whatever.” I knew from years of experience that she was rolling her eyes.
* * *
When I arrived early at work the next morning, James was waiting for me outside the building. He had another package in his hand. “Morning, James,” I said, approaching him. “Is that for me?”
“Yes, Mr. Rhodes, and she gave me strict instructions with this one.”
Taking a sip of my coffee, I looked at him, puzzled. “Oh?”
“Ms. Wolf asked for you to open this when you’re alone.”
I nodded, handing him his payment, and took the package from him before I walked into the building. When I reached the main lobby, Melissa was waiting to go over my agenda for the day.
“Walk with me, Melissa,” I said as I stepped out of the elevator and headed straight for my office. The sooner I was done with my first morning meeting, the sooner I could open my package. Setting my briefcase on the desk, I looked at her. Her brown eyes looked tired. “Are you feeling all right?” I asked, genuinely concerned for her well-being. Melissa had been a great assistant, not only at the office but in my personal life as well.
“Just feeling a bit under the weather. Nothing for you to worry about, Mr. Rhodes.”
Not wanting to pry further, I began our daily routine. “
What’s on the agenda for today, then?” I asked, logging in to my computer.
“You have a busy schedule. You have a meeting with your mother’s organization this morning, followed by a staff meeting with the senior associates. After that, you have a luncheon to attend with the new candidates we’ve selected to hire after they’ve passed the bar. In the afternoon, you have a couple of meetings you need to attend . . . and Evan Seymour called.” She dragged out the last part.
Though I had tuned out most of what she said, imagining what Katherine sent me, his name caught my attention. “What did he want?”
“He’s coming in to see you this morning,” Melissa said, chewing on the tip of her pen. She seemed to be holding something back.
“Do you know what he wants?”
She shook her head. “No, but he seemed pissed.”
“I’ll deal with him. Anything else for today?”
“Nope, that’s it.” She handed me three folders. “These are for the meetings. Tomorrow you have to be in court. I’ll make sure one of the associates assigned to the case brings you up to speed. And last but not least, your sister called me last night. She said she’ll be here this Thursday morning and not to let you book her at the Waldorf but at the St. Regis instead.”
I shook my head at my sister’s audacity to go behind my back and call my assistant. “Give my sister whatever she wants, and make reservations Thursday night, please. This way I can get that out of the way.”
“Do you have a place in mind?”
A devious grin grew on my face. “The Black Duck. And call the manager Owen, ask what time Benjamin’s Ortiz reservation is.” Melissa’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion. “Make my reservation the same time as his.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Rhodes.” Melissa left my office.
Once she was gone, I ripped through the package James had delivered. To my surprise, there was no note—just a camera SD card and a black button. Taking the button in my hand, I flipped it over a couple of times. It looked to be a coat button based on the size. I was connecting the SD card to the adapter in my laptop when my intercom buzzed.
Indiscretion Page 16