“Which you hate. And from the way Parker jumped on the ‘change the date’ bandwagon, she hates it, too. She loves you, and that comes with no strings attached. Have you ever tried talking to her?”
“No,” she admitted.
“Look, I’m not saying don’t go. You want to go, I will help you load up the car. But only go if you want to, not because you’re doing it out of some weird notion of misplaced loyalty. She doesn’t want that, and neither would your father.” He had a point; she and Parker had never told their grandmother how they felt.
“Why are you always trying to change me?” she asked by way of acknowledging he had a valid point.
“Not changing.” He kissed the back of her hand. “You can’t change perfection. And before you argue, you are perfect to me and for me. But I will push your limits; I told you as much the first day I met you. I will challenge you, love you, and push you to be the best damn person you can be. If that means stepping on your family’s toes for your pecae of mind, so be it. Because you are now and always will be my priority.” Hope bloomed within her chest. It made her giddy, knowing they were days away from uttering ‘I love you.’ It was a natural progression, and the next step in a relationship she wanted to make permanent.
“Well, I pushed another limit tonight.” She grinned.
“What’s that?”
“I’m not wearing panties.”
He slammed on the brakes. “You mean, during the entire dinner…”
“Yep.” She nodded. “Now take me home and love me.”
17
Alexandra walked into the conference room to meet her new client the following week. She blinked, staring at the men sitting around the table.
“Excuse me, gentlemen, I forgot one thing.” She shut the door, leaning back against it, closing her eyes. She smiled at her assistant who stood in front of her with eyes wide, lifting one finger to tell Karen she needed a minute and walked back into her office. Alexandra sat at her desk, inhaling for the first time since she’d walked into the conference room and saw Roman sitting there cool as a cucumber. It wasn’t enough he invaded her thoughts almost hourly—he had to show up at her office. Why would he come to her work when she made it clear that wasn’t okay? And why didn’t he give her a heads-up? She’d been with the man the previous night, and he gave no indication she’d see him that day. As her client, no less.
Don’t be a pussy, Alexandra. Get your ass back in the room. She gave herself the mental pep talk, taking another deep breath before walking back toward the conference room like she hadn’t run out moments before.
“Sorry for the delay, I had to retrieve something from my office.” She sat beside Wesley, who’d probably signed off on the case. Henry was a prude, so there was no way he’d agree to represent Roman, who sat silently, his face giving away nothing. Quinn sat on one side, smirking at her while a gorgeous woman about Alexandra’s age sat on the other. Her long, black hair was pulled into an elaborate hairstyle—half up while the other half fell halfway down her chest—and green eyes, the same color Alexandra had spent weeks staring at, observed her.
Probably the cousin Roman mentioned a while ago, his aunt and uncle’s child whom he viewed as his younger sister. The shrewd glance told Alexandra she wasn’t going to be as easy to win over as the Valentine brothers. Their expressions gave nothing away, but the tension in the air was palpable. Or maybe it was Alexandra projecting her own discomfort on this meeting. She only hoped Roman and Quinn acted like they didn’t know her. It was the only way she would get through this.
“I’m sorry for the delay. My name is Alexandra Kane.” She held out her hand to shake.
“Rachel Valentine,” the cool-eyed brunette answered, gripping her hand with more force than necessary.
“Quinn.” His brother stuck his hand out to shake hers. She turned to the man who kept her nights occupied, beseeching him to keep up the pretense she’d set.
“Roman.” He nodded, his thumb tracing the outside of her hand. She smiled, jerking her hand back from his.
“Nice to meet you.”
His mouth tilted up. “The pleasure is all mine.” Of course the pleasure was all his. He’d seen, touched, kissed, and savored every part of her body for the last couple months. Yet she was supposed to sit in front of him and pretend she didn’t know him at all. He was supposed to be another client for her, although not like she was a client of his. She was a take-me-to-bed client, while he could become a win-for-me-in court client.
The agony of having to sit there as though she didn’t know them was underscored by the fact she was going to have to help him. She’d need to keep up the pretense until her partnership went through so she’d have more protection. But it would kill her.
“Since we’ve gotten introductions out of the way, can you tell me a little about the purpose of your visit? I’m afraid I haven’t been brought up to speed concerning your request.” She smiled. Wesley slid her a piece of paper, and her heart sank into her stomach. She looked up, her eyes searching Roman’s, but saw no hint of a problem. The man who held her in bed was not the same person in front of her, the love she’d seen days before replaced by the blank stare. This put everything she’d worked for at risk. It felt like a standoff in the O.K. Corral until Quinn broke the silence.
“We’ve been subpoenaed for our membership list in an upcoming divorce hearing for the Arrows.”
“The business owner?” Alexandra looked up from the paperwork in front of her to see the confirmation from their faces. Gina Arrow’s husband. The same woman from dinner who’d felt she was entitled to Roman’s attention. She went back into lawyer mode, ignoring her dog in this fight. “Why do they want your membership list?” It made no sense for him to air his dirty laundry, particularly in the media about either party’s involvement in Roman’s club.
Rachel spoke up. “This has nothing to do with the club itself. He doesn’t want to pay for her alimony, and feels if he can prove she had an affair with someone at the club he can sue them for alienation of affection.” There was precedent in their state concerning alienation of affection, even people who won, but it was a housewife suing her husband’s mistress after a prolonged relationship. A couple of nights spent having sex with someone else didn’t constitute a monetary reward worth the amount of alimony he’d have to pay.
“And he knows they’ve got the money to pay up because of the membership fees,” Roman finished. He shook his head, as though he couldn’t believe his current predicament. And it could potentially be his predicament if Gerald found out Roman messed around with his wife. Why the hell was he putting her in this position?
Alexandra voiced her displeasure. “Yeah, but he has no case. He can’t shoot a shotgun at a target and hope one of the pellets hits something vital. Is he a member of the club?”
Rachel leaned over and whispered in Roman’s ear before he turned to Quinn and whispered to him.
“Do we need to give you guys a minute?” Wesley’s voice broke through their conversation. Roman raised his eyebrow at Wesley; he wasn’t used to having people question him or his motives.
“No, we’re fine.” Rachel patted her hand on Roman’s arm. “He cancelled his membership last week. He’s paid up through to the end of the month, but after that, he will no longer be a member.”
Roman flexed his hand, balling it into a fist. “And he believes if we try and fight it in court, it will take longer than the current month, so his membership will have expired.”
“We need to make sure it doesn’t. You’re the lead on this one. I’m just going to consult.” Wesley looked at her when he said it. She knew, since Wesley told her when she walked in that morning, she was the point person for a new case, but she had no idea it was this one. Hearing the details made her sick to her stomach.
This would be a big, headline-grabbing case, putting her front and center of the media. She did well in front of the camera, her good looks and intelligence propelling her forward. The other partners in her office looked like stereotypical older white lawyers, but she brought a little flair. Standing in front of the media with Roman Valentine when she’d tried to keep their relationship a secret? She’d rather gag herself with a spoon. The ramifications of this situation running through her head while she sat, barely able to contain herself as they babbled on as though her reputation wasn’t one the line. She was going to kill him the first chance she got.