His relationships were hot and heavy in bed, but cold outside of it. Because of that, after so many years, he felt it was time to have a solid relationship. Marry, never. Ingrid had left him scarred. However, a relationship was a good step forward. And he felt that starting with the beautiful redhead was possible. He liked her honesty and openness. He thanked the universe that the addresses had been mixed up at the company run by that Delaney woman, sending Veronica to his home.
“I’d gotten divorced. I’d just left my family’s firm, and that created some distance from my father and grandfather...”
She furrowed her brow. Her fingers outstretched, she stroked Michael’s hair.
“Because of your divorce?”
“It was a combination of several situations. I decided to take some time away from Chicago. I went to the beach. A property I inherited from my maternal grandmother when I was young, in Maine. Douglas, my brother, got a ranch in Kentucky.”
“I understand...”
“Do you?” he asked with a smile.
She nodded.
“Was the divorce so bad?”
“I think that Ingrid and I were too reckless when we got married. We were young. We had the world at our feet, but I never thought that she would feel trapped and constrained by how demanding my job suddenly became.”
“Were you married long?”
He shook his head.
“Three years. Enough for her to decide that it was better to have fun with another lawyer, a colleague from a rival firm, in bed, instead of telling me what her needs were,” he said with an air of disappointment.
“Wow... I’m sorry, Michael.”
“It’s in the past.”
“So, I imagine that your parents must have liked your ex-wife a great deal for the family to have been affected as well.”
“No... the thing with the family had nothing to do with Ingrid; it was about a case that I had to take on. I used to practice criminal law. Now I practice banking and finance.”
“A case that what...?” she asked in a way that seemed educated, but not as interested as she really felt. She wanted to know all about it.
Michael sighed.
“A drug trafficker who was too young to waste her life,” Before Rachel could jeopardize herself by digging deeper, Michael’s lips closed on her own. “Let’s stop talking about the past. You’re my present and I love enjoying my time,” he murmured against her provocative lips. “Besides, there are more interesting things to do with the rest of the evening.”
She laughed. It was a tense laugh because Michael had just confirmed that he was to blame for Piper’s incarceration. A part of her had hoped he was innocent. There was no going back. He would start opening up to her, little by little, and she could dig into one of Michael’s loose ends and use it in her favor.
“Well, I’d love to find out about them.” He flashed her a smile filled with mischief. “In any case, you now have your answer; it was only a similar feeling to the one you had with that girl, and that’s why you thought you’d seen me before,” she said.
Michael bit her lower lip and pulled on it with his teeth. Then he returned to her mouth and savored it intensely. Gasping, and aroused again, they stared intensely at each other. Her eyes were not only passionate, but they were also determined. Michael’s contained lust and burning promises.
“You’re like nobody I’ve ever met, Veronica. You are unique, and I want to make you feel like that again,” he said firmly. He leaned towards her so she could feel his erection starting to harden. “Do you think this is a good continuation of our evening?” he asked, licking her nipple and staring at her with those penetrating green eyes.
Rachel moaned with desire and stirred against the sheets. The heat emanating from Michael’s body was like a magnet to her.
“It’s the best continuation I’ve desired in a very long time,” she purred. And she was not lying at all.
CHAPTER 8
The only reminder that her sheets had burned with pleasure until the early morning hours was Michael’s scent. A lethal combination of cologne and virility. With a stupid smile on her face, Rachel stretched her hand out and felt the empty side where her lover had been. He’d woken her an hour earlier because he had to go to an urgent appointment. He left her with a kiss full of promises.
She rubbed her eyes.
She had a meeting with Paul that morning. The contract she had been working on in Washington D.C. looked like it was about to materialize, and they needed to go over the budget one last time. Their investment in materials could triple, so hiring a contractor that could offer quality and products at wholesale prices was essential. The local supplier could not stock up, because the order from their South African customer would be continuous, and for amounts fare above the quarterly earnings the company usually reported.
Lethargically, Rachel walked to the bathroom and got in the shower.
The memories of what she and Michael had done earlier flooded her like an enveloping cloud. She spread the soft, rose-scented soap over her body. When her hands moved to her breasts, she caressed them and squeezed her nipples between her fingers, thinking about how he had caressed her a few hours earlier...
“Damn it! You need to stop being foolish, Galloway,” she said out loud, removing her hands. She picked up the shampoo bottle with determination and applied a generous amount to her reddish hair. She lathered her hair as if there were no tomorrow, her scalp bearing the brunt of her annoyance at herself for desiring something she knew was temporary and had only one purpose.
When she got to work, Rachel walked swiftly into her boss’ office.
Elegant and sure of himself, Paul Eckhart was a generous, conscientious boss, but he never let any employee lose sight of the fact that he was in charge. The small windows of his office ensured that the room was not too dark in the gloomy city winter. The dim light and the heating, combined with the décor, created a luxurious, but comfortable environment.
“Paul?” said Rachel from the door.
He was on the phone, but he waved her in with his hand. She sat on the blue armchair, facing Paul. Rachel was going through her notes when finally, fifteen minutes later, her boss ended the call.
“Rachel, I’m sorry. Did you bring the budget?” he asked with a smile. Paul’s eyes were the color of oil, as was his hair, styled after the latest fashion. His appearance was imposing, but not in a way that could make her favorite subordinate crazy.
She nodded. She took the printout from her files.
“I sent the information to your email, but I printed it for myself so we can cross-check the data.” Paul opened the file on his computer. “As you can see, we’ve managed to reduce our investment in materials, but not the number of customers. We will continue to maintain the quality of our products and, additionally, if we close the deal with South Africa, having a new supplier will help us distribute production more evenly, keep our costs low, and improve our profits.”
They talked for almost half an hour. Not only about the work on their agenda, budgets, and strategies, but also about each of the seven specialized executives that Rachel oversaw. After two cups of coffee and some pastries, Paul leaned back against his seat and smiled.
“I’m always amazed by your ability to summarize and explain everything perfectly.”
Uncomfortable with the compliment, she nodded.
“You hired me six years ago because of it, among other things, I assume,” she replied. She knew that Paul could be intimidating when he chose to be, and also that he did not like his employees, especially if they were in charge of a team of people like Rachel, to bow their heads or run from a challenge. He liked candor. And that was a characteristic that the young business graduate admired. “Are you satisfied with the numbers compared to the strategy we applied last year?”
“Completely, and I think the modification you made this time has shown the results I was telling you about. By the way, Rachel, there’s a trip coming up.”
&nb
sp; “South Africa?” she asked, frowning. She usually traveled for meetings in several cities across the United States, but it was not that often; it was just that her absences often stretched up to a week.
He shook his head.
“Las Vegas,” he replied. “There’s a potential partner who wants to inject some capital into the business, something we could use, even though we don’t need it. He’s a good contact, no matter the result of the conversation. It’s just an interview, but you have an innate capacity to figure out whether we can trust a businessman. I want you to come with me. Can you bring your assistant?”
A trip. Without the full team. With Allison, her assistant, a sixty-year-old woman who preferred early nights over accompanying her to evening meetings. She knew that Paul would not do anything she did not want him to, but even so...
“Is it an order, or a question?” she inquired with a smile that was anything but flirty.
Paul leaned forward and put his hands on his desk.
“A question, Rachel. I’ve made it very clear that I enjoy your company, beyond the workplace. And you also know that I’d never do anything to affect your career at this company. You’re efficient, intelligent, and beautiful. That last thing has nothing to do with your professional profile or the reason I hired you. And earlier, that was a question, because once we leave the meeting with the businessman, I intend to ask you out to dinner. Have I been clear, direct, and honest?”
Rachel could not contain a laugh. Perhaps that was why she found Paul attractive. She did not think it was right to sleep with a man and go on a date with another.
“As you always are,” she answered, “but I’m not available.” She wasn’t going to tell her boss about her private life, but she did want to close the subject of their mutual attraction for the last time. “I’d like to say yes, Paul, but my career means everything to me, and I would hate it if things did not go well, and coming to work at this company became an ordeal instead of a pleasure.”
Paul was silent for a moment.
“I had to try,” he said with a smile. “You deserve a raise for your excellent performance this year. I’ll send a memo to Human Resources, agreed?”
She was stunned until her brain rebooted.
“Wow, thank you...”
“On the contrary.” His voice was even, and he did not seem to show his disappointment at Rachel’s rejection at any moment. “Please, prepare a list of the latest deals we’ve closed, and create a projection based on our corporate expansion strategy. Get in touch with the Investment and Merger Department; they need to give you a full report of our expenses and earnings from areas other than yours, so we can show this California businessman what would be on the table in case I decide to bring him on as a partner.”
“Sure.” It was the fourth time in six months that he had asked her out. And she was convinced it would be the last.
She walked to the door, and her boss was already on the phone, talking in French with someone who surely promised some additional income for Eckhart Enterprises. Rachel smiled and closed the door behind her.
‘Paul is quite the character.’
***
Michael, bored, observed the man who sat before him. He was trying to avoid showing his worries or mistrust. Salmann & Buckend did not represent gangsters, drug traffickers, or the like. The other senior partner, Eugene Matthews, had decided to accept the meeting’s vote and the contract with Gordov had been signed.
“Did Eugene tell you that the contract I signed with this law firm is related to my business activities regarding salons and beauty product distributors? Legitimate businesses, Mr. Whitmore,” he said with a voice made hoarse by excessive smoking.
Michael held back a scathing retort.
“Of course, my team is reviewing the paperwork with your lawyer now, so they can transfer the information. And while we get up to date about these matters at the firm, can you explain the accusations against you by Ms. Galloway? That way we can reach an agreement with her,” he replied with patience he did not feel.
“Counselor, I have no interest in any form of communication with that lowlife who wants to see me jailed for no apparent reason. As I explained, what I need for you to do is to reinforce my standing in the community through my legal activities, so that the police will stop trying to collect false evidence against me.”
“In order to reinforce your standing in society, and shall we say particularly with the police, I need there to be no intimidation or extorsion of Ms. Galloway.”
“Are you lecturing me?”
Michael’s jaw tightened.
“My job is to advise you, Mr. Gordov. I imagine that my colleague, Eileen, has already informed you about the pros and cons of actions against the letter of the law. One of the disadvantages is that we would be forced to rescind your newly signed contract...”
Gordov’s eyes narrowed. Then he relaxed into his seat. He opened the lapel on his expensive, bright red suit, and took out a cigar. He took his time lighting it. He inhaled a mouthful and then slowly released it.
“I’m only looking out for my family’s wellbeing. I have a fifteen-year-old son. I want to set an example for him and give him a good life. My wife died two years ago, of pneumonia. Why would you want to leave my son without a father, counselor?”
“I wanted to be clear and have the record show that I made this suggestion.”
Gordov stretched out his arms and tapped his ashes into the ashtray. He took another puff of the cigar.
“The subject has been broached. What I’d like now is for you to notify one of my tenants, who refuses to leave the property I’ve rented to him for four years, that it’s time to vacate the premises. Legally, of course. The lease contract has been annulled through one of the clauses since he stopped paying his rent six months ago. You understand, nobody likes to play the fool. I want to do it the right way, documents in hand.”
Michael fidgeted with his Crew 60th White Gold Tebaldi pen. It was one of those small luxuries he liked to allow himself. The mafia world, no matter what businesses they managed, was dangerous. Gordov had connections in all social spheres, and these connections could include anyone. He had no doubt that a man as devious as him would have already intimidated senior officials in many respected institutions. Everyone had dirty laundry, and a person like Gordov had informants dedicated to digging up enough ammunition to involve and intimidate anyone.
“Our associate, Ms. Cooper, with taking care of your paperwork. She will be your liaison, and you’ll only meet me for specific details directly related to specific banking and investment matters.”
Gordov nodded and stood up.
“You know why I chose this law firm, Michael? I can use your given name, right?”
“You may.” He also stood up and adjusted his suit jacket.
“I know you are a very intelligent man, Michael, but also that you’ll know how to handle the Galloway girl if needed.”
“Could we state for the record that you’ve had no contact with Ms. Piper Galloway?” he asked, without responding to the prior insinuation. Did this thug think he was dealing with someone of his caliber? What a morning!
“We could state,” said Emilio condescendingly, “that, no matter where Ms. Galloway is, I have no interest in finding her... I merely want to make sure the police don’t round me up like a criminal.” He said the last sentence sarcastically, making it clear that he knew that the meeting was being recorded and, even if it wasn’t, he would never admit to the type of business he really led unless he chose to.
“I don’t take cases related to criminal matters, I must remind you; I’m only here for matters related to contracts, banking, and finance. Especially the latter.”
“Understood. In any case, I found meeting you very informative.”
“Part of my job is to meet with new clients or those who request a meeting. Since Salmann & Buckend is the law firm representing you, you can trust us. Otherwise, it would be impossible for us to help you...
with any future requirement.”
Emilio laughed. It was abrasive. Diabolical.
“I don’t even trust my shadow, Michael.” He rested a hand on the knob of the glass door to the main conference room. “I would be grateful if you represented my legal businesses in the best way possible. We must take advantage of the good things in life. Don’t you think so?”
“Any specific issue related to Piper Galloway will have to be brought directly to Ms. Roberts. I will only manage, as I explained, any matters related to banking. Issues with contracts will be handled by Ms. Cooper.”
Emilio cocked his head to one side. His face was dotted with scars. Poorly treated smallpox.
“Thank you for the clarification.”
“Mr. Gordov,” said Michael, adjusting his Tom Ford tie. The man looked at him suspiciously. “As a partner of this firm, I must make it very clear that, if you ever provide me with any information that could be related to illegal facts, actions, or activities, it is my moral and constitutional duty to take it to the authorities.”
The small Hispanic-Moroccan man approached him. He was much shorter than Michael, but his aura of duplicity and hostility made him seem larger.
“I put great value on people’s lives... Michael. Good day,” he said. Then he left.
Michael stood at the door for a long time.
It was a threat, but he was not afraid. He would make sure he stayed far away from that damned Gordov and everything related to the last name Galloway. It almost seemed as if he was cursed.
***
Three weeks. Rachel could not believe the time had gone by so quickly. As she got to know Michael, she was faced with the choice to confess who she was and tell him how much she hated him and that she never wanted to see him again or dig deeper into their conversations to extract more information. The latter would have made Michael suspect of her intense interest in his past. She must never forget that he was a lawyer. You had to be careful with that profession.
Flirting with Revenge Page 9