by Lynn, Sandi
As far as I was concerned, the only treat I wanted was between her long lean legs. The microwave had just gone off and the steaks were done. Putting them on a plate, I set the steaks on the island and took out the potatoes from the microwave. Reaching into the cabinet, I grabbed two plates, setting a steak and potato on each of them.
The door opened, and Allison walked inside holding up the tub of cinnamon butter with a grin on her face.
“Just in time. Dinner is ready,” I spoke. Walking over to the wine rack, I pulled a bottle of Cabernet from it. “I have the perfect wine to go with this steak. You in?” I arched my brow as I held up the bottle.
“I’m in.” Another beautiful smile crossed her lips.
We took our seats at the table and I watched as she cut into her steak.
“Wow. This is perfect, Mr. Wolfe. I didn’t know you were a grill master.”
“That’s not the only thing I’m a master at.” I winked.
Unfortunately, she didn’t find that amusing, but nonetheless, I knew deep down inside she was curious.
“Down to business. Ask me whatever questions you’d like.”
Chapter 12
Allison
I barely knew this man and now I was sharing a meal with him, again. I wasn’t sure how Elijah would feel about this. But it was strictly business and it was my job to gather as much information as I could to help his brother.
“First, you have to put some of that cinnamon butter on your potato,” I said.
“Ah yes. You did say I was in for a treat.”
He grabbed his knife and placed it in the tub of butter. After spreading it on the potato, he took his fork and tasted it. I watched the reaction on his face and suddenly, I felt all kinds of fluttering in my belly.
“Damn. This is amazing. How have I never thought about this? Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, down to business. I need you to tell me exactly what happened with this flight attendant named Alessandra?”
“Not much really. She was on a few of my flights and she flirted a lot.”
“Did you flirt back?”
“No. I keep it very professional with the flight attendants.”
“So you never once led any attendant to believe that you were interested in them?”
“Unfortunately, no. We were on a layover in Italy a few months back.”
“How long was the layover?”
“Thirty-six hours. The crew was at the hotel and we were in the bar having a few drinks. Everyone was tired so they went up to their rooms. I wasn’t tired and I wanted to see some sights before I had to fly back. Alessandra asked if she could come with me and I said yes. After a while, she started making advances towards me and said we should go back to my room to have some fun. I told her no and that I don’t get involved with the flight staff. She said she understood, and I thought everything was cool. We went back to the hotel, and I went to my room and she went to hers. About thirty minutes later, there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, she stood there in one of the hotel robes holding a bottle of wine. She pushed past me and stepped inside the room. I told her that this was inappropriate, and she had to leave. She set the bottle of wine down and she threw herself at me and smashed her mouth against mine. Immediately, I pulled away, grabbed hold of her arm and tossed her out of my room. She looked at me with this crazy look in her eye and said, ‘Nobody rejects me.’ Then she went back to her room. When I returned to New York, I told management that I didn’t want her on my schedule again.”
“Did they ask why?”
“I told them that she’d be a better fit on other flights. They didn’t really question it.”
“Okay. Here’s how I see it. She’s going to pretty much tell the same story, but spin it around to make it look like you were the one coming on to her and she said no. And once she rejected your advances, you made sure she didn’t fly with you again. Hence the reason for the sexual harassment charge. Don’t be surprised tomorrow if the airline suspends you until this is over.”
“What? They can’t do that. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It’s a case of he said she said.”
“And you think they’ll side with her?”
“Maybe. I’m not really sure. We’ll have to wait and see. On another note, you can cook a mean steak. This is really good.”
“Thanks. I need something stronger than wine. You?” he asked as he got up and walked over to the mini bar that sat in the corner of the living room.
“I’m good. Listen, Nathan, try not to stress over this. It’s all going to be okay. Elijah is a brilliant lawyer and he’s not going to let Alessandra win.”
“And what about you? Are you a brilliant lawyer? You’re the one handling this right now while my brother is off playing house,” he spoke with irritation.
“I’ve been told I’m a good lawyer.”
“I don’t need good! I need the best and the best is Elijah!” he shouted. “This woman is fucking lying through her teeth!” He threw the liquid gold down the back of this throat.
“And I’ll gather the evidence we need to prove it,” I spoke as I grabbed our plates from the table.
“Leave that. I’ll clean it up later.”
“No. You cooked, and I’ll clean up. That’s how—” I stopped mid-sentence.
“That’s how what?”
“Nothing,” I quietly spoke as I rinsed off the plates and put them in the dishwasher.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Nathan, are you home?”
“Shit. It’s my mother.” He rolled his eyes.
Walking over to the door, he opened it and Caitlin stepped inside.
“Nathan Michael Wolfe, we need to talk.”
The moment she saw me in the kitchen, she stopped.
“Hello, Caitlin,” I spoke with nervousness.
“Allison, darling. What are you doing here? I didn’t know you and my son knew each other.”
“Oh. Umm—”
Chapter 13
Nathan
“She’s here because of Elijah. She also lives in the building. What are you doing here?”
“Well,” she sighed as she set her purse down, “I came across a tidbit of information today. I’m assuming Allison already knows since you said she’s here because of Elijah. Nathan, what did you do?”
“I did nothing. That woman is lying. And how did you hear about it? Elijah?”
“No. I overheard a couple of the girls talking about it in the office, so I confronted them.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes.
“Don’t worry. I put a stop to it. And of course that woman is lying.” She placed her hand on my cheek. “Allison, why did Elijah involve you in this?”
“He wants me to gather all the information I can before he gets back,” she spoke.
“Okay. Whatever cases you’re currently working on, I want you to stop. This case takes top priority. Understand me?”
“Yes, Caitlin.”
“Good. Don’t worry, darling, this will all go away.” She hugged him. “But regardless, I’m angry with you for not coming directly to me with this. Would you care to explain yourself?” Her brow raised.
I stood there looking away with my hands tucked into my pants pockets.
“Well, Nathan?”
“You’re my mother.” I gestured to her. “How could I tell you that some lunatic woman was suing me for sexual harassment? It’s embarrassing.”
“You’re right, darling, I am your mother. I gave birth to you. Thirty-six hours of painstaking labor and the fact that you ripped me in two during your journey into this world.”
“Really, Mom?” I cocked my head.
“My point is I will always have your back and I will love you no matter what you’ve done. You know that. So, I’ll admit I’m hurt that you chose to shut me out of this situation you’re in.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “I’m sorry, Mom. You’re right. I should have come to yo
u.”
“Just don’t do it again. You know you can talk to me about anything.” She broke our embrace and gave me a smile. “Now that we’ve settled that, I have a bed date with a hot district attorney because I have to fly out in the morning to Washington.” She gave me a wink.
“Mother, please. Jesus.” I put my hand up.
She kissed my cheek and grabbed her purse. “You two enjoy the rest of your evening. I’m trusting you, Allison. In Elijah’s absence, you do whatever it is you need to. Legal or not.” Her brow arched. As soon as she walked out the door, I let out a long sigh. Suddenly, my phone rang, and Elijah was Facetiming me. Without even thinking about Allison being here, I answered it.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, brother?” I cocked my head.
“I wanted to let you know that Mom knows about the lawsuit. Apparently, she heard it around the office.”
“Yes. I know. She already paid me a little visit.”
“Oh shit. Are you okay?” He laughed.
“As well as can be expected during this turbulent time in my life.”
Allison walked over to the table, grabbed her glass of wine and finished it off.
“Allison?” Elijah spoke.
“Hey, Elijah.” She smiled into the phone.
Shit.
“I’m going to get going. Thanks for dinner and I’ll see you in the morning.” She grabbed her purse and walked out the door.
Fuck.
“What the hell was Allison doing in your apartment?” Elijah’s brow arched. “And what did she mean ‘thanks for dinner?’ I swear to God, Nathan.”
“Dude, calm the fuck down. She asked if she could come up to ask me a few questions for the case. I threw a couple of steaks on the grill. No big deal.”
“It is a big deal when you also served her wine!” he loudly voiced.
“Well, it’s your fault.” I pointed at him. “You put her on this case while you’re off lollygagging in Florida! She’s just doing her job.”
“I’m trusting you to keep your hands to yourself.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be a good little boy, Daddy.”
“Don’t be a smartass and try to forget about this mess. I’ll clear it up when I get back. I have to go. Stay cool, bro.”
“Yeah. Trying to.”
I ended the call and sighed. Thanks to Elijah he ruined my potential night of hot sex with Allison. Cockblocker.
* * *
Before I went down to Allison’s apartment, I got up early, went for a run, lifted some heavy weights at the gym, showered and then went to pick her up. Knocking on the door, the sharp intake of my breath startled me when she opened it. My breath literally confined me in its grip.
“Good morning.” The corners of her mouth slightly curved upward.
“Morning.”
“Come on in for a second. I just have to grab my purse and briefcase.”
She looked sexy as fuck in her off white tailored pant suit. Shit. Placing my hand in my pocket, I tried to calm my rising cock.
“Now remember, whatever the airline hands you because of this lawsuit, just accept it and let me do the talking,” she spoke as we sat in the back of the cab.
“Easy for you to say. It’s utter bullshit if they suspend me.”
We reached the office of my boss, Dan Hartwig. I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t nervous, because I was.
“Nathan, good to see you.” Dan flashed a smile as we stepped inside his office. “Who’s this?”
Allison extended her hand. “Allison Price. Nathan’s attorney.”
“Nice to meet you.” Dan placed his hand in hers. “I’m not sure why you’re here though.”
“I’m protecting the interest of my client.”
“Where’s your brother?” Dan asked in confusion.
“He’s away at the moment. Miss Price is filling in for him until he gets back.”
The three of us took a seat and Dan sighed as he cupped his hands on his desk.
“In light of this sexual harassment suit filed against you from one of the flight attendants, the airline has no choice but to suspend you without pay until the matter is cleared up. I’m sorry, Nathan.”
A sick feeling rose from the pit of my stomach. As I began to speak, Allison interrupted.
“Mr. Hartwig, has Mr. Wolfe had any prior warnings about his behavior since he started working for your company?”
“No. Not a single one. In fact, he’s an excellent pilot and employee. The airline has to take every sexual harassment suit very seriously regardless of the employee’s history. To be honest, I don’t believe what this woman says to be true, but in any case, she is our employee as well.”
“She’s a lying bitch!” I snapped and Allison placed her hand on my arm.
“Thank you, Mr. Hartwig. Is that all?”
“Yes. Nathan, I’m really sorry about this. My hands are tied.”
“I understand, Dan, but it’s bullshit,” I scowled.
The meeting ended, and as we walked out of the building, I asked her if she wanted to grab some breakfast.
“I’m starving. How about we grab some breakfast.”
“Have you forgotten that I have to go to work?”
“You are working. I’m your client and we need to discuss my case over breakfast.”
Chapter 14
Allison
I was hungry and having breakfast with him wouldn’t be so bad. Afterall, we did have dinner together last night and I found it—rather nice. What he told me about him and Alessandra, I believed him. I could see it in his eyes, and I was pretty good at spotting when people were lying to me.
“Fine. We can have a quick breakfast. A quick one. Got it?” I arched my brow at him. “I have to get back to the office.”
“Yes, ma’am. Quick isn’t my specialty though. I like to take my time in everything I do.” A smirk crossed his lips.
I rolled my eyes as we walked down the street to a small family owned diner.
“Table for two, please,” Nathan spoke as we stepped inside.
Just as we were seated, my phone rang and Bailey, my secretary was calling.
“Hey, Bailey.”
“Sorry to call you, Allison, but Mr. Thorne returned your call from yesterday.”
“What did he say?”
“He scheduled depositions for tomorrow morning at nine a.m. at his office.”
“What?! No. We can’t do that. Elijah isn’t back yet.”
“And I think he got wind of that and that’s why he wants it done immediately.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” I sighed.
I ended the call and quickly dialed a friend of mine whom I’ve known for years.
“What is going on?” Nathan asked as he sat across from me.
I held up my finger.
“Hey, Marco.”
“Well hello there, pretty lady. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I need your help. It’s urgent.”
“Of course, Allison. Anything. What’s going on?”
We spoke for a few moments and I ended the call.
“For the last time, what the fuck is going on?” Nathan asked with irritation.
“Alessandra’s attorney scheduled the deposition for tomorrow morning at nine a.m.”
“What? Why already?”
“Bailey thinks he got wind that Elijah is out of town.” I sighed.
“Oh my God.” He placed his hands on his head. “Elijah has to come back today. Shit. I can’t even call my mother. She left this morning for Washington.”
I picked up my phone and dialed Elijah. It went straight to voicemail, so I tried Aspen. No answer.
“Neither one is answering,” I said as I picked up my coffee cup and took a sip from it.
“Of course they aren’t. That’s it. My career is over, ruined and destroyed because of that lying bitch and her snake of an attorney.”
I swallowed hard when he said that.
“You don’t trust me, do
you?” I asked.
“Honestly, Allison, no. I’m sorry. I really am. I need my brother or my sister-in-law. Even my mother. They’re better equipped to handle this case than you are.”
I sat there with my jaw literally dropped to the floor. Slowly shaking my head, I got up and grabbed my purse and my briefcase.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m taking my un-equipped ass to the office. I’ll text you the address of where to meet for the depositions later.”
“Allison,” he sighed, “I’m sorry.”
“Save it for someone who cares, Nathan.” I shot him a look as I walked out of the diner.
When I reached my office, I pulled out my phone and tried calling Elijah again. Straight to voicemail. Throwing my phone across my desk, I placed my hands on my hips and paced back and forth.
“You okay?” Bailey asked.
“Nathan doesn’t trust me. He said I wasn’t as equipped to handle this as his family was.”
“He didn’t mean it. He’s just stressed. Is Elijah on his way back?”
“I can’t get a hold of Elijah or Aspen. Both phones go to voicemail.”
“Listen, Allison. I don’t know you very well, but from the short time I’ve spent here at the office with you, I can tell you’re a great lawyer. You can do this on your own. You don’t need the Wolfes.”
“Thanks, Bailey. I know I can do it. It’s just the pressure of trying to live up to their expectations that’s causing this undeniable amount of doubt. Not to mention that Nathan thinks I’m highly incapable.”
“Then prove him wrong. And forget about the Wolfe’s expectations. Just be you and do what you do best.” A small smile framed her face.
Later that afternoon, Bailey stepped into my office to alert me that Elizabeth Dushay was waiting in the conference room. Grabbing the notepad from my desk, I headed down to meet with her.
“Miss Dushay.” I extended my hand. “It’s nice to see you again.”
She cocked her head and placed her hand in mine as she stared at me.
“I remember you. You were on one of my flights,” she spoke. “Chicago, right?”