by Box Set
Having a few weeks pass after the incident hadn’t changed the devastation which was followed by anger that day. It burned in her stomach just as hot as it had then. Even if David wasn’t the right guy for her, he should have had the decency to break things off before sticking his pecker into another woman.
“That’s rough,” Rider said. “No wonder you’re so jumpy suddenly about being alone with me.” He let out a heavy sigh. “It pains me to say this, but I promise not to take advantage of you.”
“A hero and a gentleman? You’re making things even harder to resist.”
He chuckled but leaned in close once again. Drawing her hand toward his face, he gently kissed the back of her knuckles, never taking his eyes off hers as he did so.
Trish’s heart beat hard while her stomach did summersaults. His lips were as soft as his hands were rough. All of Rider spoke of a perfect balance of gentleness and strength. Was this what Lucy had felt when she first met Blake and fell for him so fast?
Trish never had butterflies while with David. It had been convenient and what her parents expected—for her to marry a good man who would provide well. Perhaps her sister had the right attitude all along by playing the field to find the guy who made her heart sing with joy. Rider was already a million times more exciting than David had ever been.
Rider finally let go of her hand, breaking eye contact and sitting upright in his chair, releasing her from the spell his gaze had over her. “I’m not such a gentleman, but when I make love to a woman, I want it to be because she can’t stop herself from ripping my clothes off, not because she’s afraid and vulnerable.”
Chapter 3
The next evening, Trish couldn’t believe how rapidly her life had changed in less than twenty-four hours. There she was, sitting with her sister at the company party, basking in the glory of how many people were truly happy she’d made partner in the law firm.
Even better than that, Lucy had firmly been on her side when Trish had admitted David’s infidelity and their breakup when Trish told her the truth while at the spa. Not only did Lucy encourage Trish to dye her hair back to brunette and get extensions for a more youthful appeal, she also took Trish shopping to buy new, sexier clothes. While Trish wasn’t entirely sure she was comfortable in the low-cut blouse and tight leather jeans coupled with boots that boasted four-inch heels, she’d certainly received a lot of compliments and leering gazes from the men in the room.
“Time for you to have fun,” Lucy murmured close to her ear, as though aware Trish had been thinking about her new look and clothing. “And I have just the plan for you to do that.”
The slightly lilting tone to her sister’s voice alerted Trish that Lucy had done something... something she wasn’t sure Trish would like.
Trish tilted in her chair, eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
Her sister smiled brightly, tugging on her husband’s arm to get his attention. “It’s not just what I did. Blake helped.”
Blake nodded. “Tough break about David. I thought he was a good guy, but apparently, he’s a dick.”
“Blake,” Lucy scolded softly. “This is a Christmas party. Watch your mouth.”
“Sorry, honey.” Blake raised his crystal glass of eggnog as if in a silent toast and took a small sip. “Trish, in the spirit of Christmas, Lucy and I want to give you a present early.”
“No.” Trish shook her head, tuning out the drunken singing of Christmas carols by the associates at the table next to them. “I’ve been telling Lucy all day that I wouldn’t accept that bonus check back, and I’m certainly not letting you spend money on me that should be spent on your family.”
“Too late,” Blake said, shrugging. “We can’t get a refund. If you don’t accept the gift, the money’s spent anyway.”
“Besides, we used your bonus money and nothing from our own pockets,” Lucy chimed in. “And don’t worry, there’s still plenty of that giant check left over for my family to celebrate the holiday.”
Knowing she had been beaten, Trish sighed. “Fine. What did you do?”
“It’s time to get back on the horse,” Lucy proclaimed. “We’ve booked you a fifteen-day trip aboard a singles’ cruise. You’ll enjoy beautiful ports, all while possibly finding the love of your life!”
Trish didn’t want to dampen her sister’s excitement, but what was Lucy thinking? Trish had been single for less than a month after a three-year relationship. She wasn’t ready for something new.
Not that she hadn’t spent half the day fantasizing about Rider Stone’s firm body and how safe and cherished she had felt while he took care of her last night after the attack. But that didn’t count. She’d been distraught and vulnerable. Besides, she gave Rider her number, and he hadn’t called her. Despite his talk about her ripping his clothes off and them making love, he apparently hadn’t been all that serious about seeing her again.
“Lucy, I appreciate the thought,” Trish said, choosing her words carefully, “but I’m not sure another man is what I need right now. I was just promoted. I’ll have a lot of work to do after the Christmas break. Plus, David proved that I can’t trust a boyfriend if I’m away from him long. I’m too busy right now to deal with learning to trust someone new.”
Lucy glanced across the room, nodding her chin in the direction of Mr. Baker and Mr. Lutz, the senior partners and founders of the law firm. “You’d better get ready. Once word gets out that you’re single, you’ll have more issues than just performing your new duties as partner.”
“What?” Trish followed Lucy’s line of vision, only to find Mrs. Baker glaring in their direction. “What’s her problem?”
Lucy exchanged a glance with her husband. When he shrugged, she turned back to Trish. “Remember when I thought I was going to get Edna’s job as Mr. Baker’s personal assistant?”
“Sure,” Trish answered. “But then you became a mom to Aaron and that job was too demanding so you turned it down and stayed on as the receptionist.”
“Aaron was part of the reason.” Lucy bit her lip, looking uncomfortable for this first time that Trish could remember. “The other part was because Mr. Baker came on to me the one day I worked that job. He was rather... insistent. I always figured he was a great guy who loved helping people, but he’s a dog, sis. I thought you’d be safe working with him because of David’s protection. Mr. Baker wouldn’t want to piss off a powerful guy like him who’s becoming so important in our community. However, if you’re single...”
The words hung in the air between them. Trish couldn’t doubt that her sister and brother-in-law were honestly worried, no matter how much she wished they hadn’t handed her a new headache to stress over.
Shrugging, she squeezed Lucy’s hand, hoping her sister realized how much it touched her that Lucy worried about her, something that wouldn’t have happened a year ago. “I can handle myself, I promise. He’s not going to lay a hand on me. I wish you’d told me sooner that he tried something with you, though. We could have sued him, and you would have never had to work again.”
Lucy shook her head sharply. “It’s not that easy. Especially not with his wife in the picture. That evening, after it happened, Mrs. Baker knocked on my door. She said to stay away from her husband or else. Said she had enough dirt on me to ruin my life if I didn’t keep my mouth shut.”
“Mrs. Baker blackmailed you?” Trish knew her eyes had to be the size of softballs, as wide open as they were, but shock didn’t begin to describe her feelings. “How could she have anything on you? I’d say your life was pretty much an open book before last year. You weren’t shy about anything, so there isn’t anything to use for blackmail.”
“It wasn’t just me,” Lucy said. “She had a private investigator take some compromising pictures of Blake and I. The kind that could convince a judge I’m the slut my reputation claims I am, and that I had instigated everything with Mr. Baker, not the other way around. Then Blake and I would both be out of jobs with horrible pictures of him circulating town while he
tried to search for work. It was best to go back to being the receptionist and keep my mouth shut.”
“She had hired a private investigator to take pictures of you guys? What did you do, screw in the copy machine room?”
Lucy glanced at her husband, and a conspiratorial smile passed between them, providing all the answer Trish needed. She was pretty close to knowing what was shown on the pictures the private investigator provided to Mrs. Baker.
“So you really think I need this trip?” Trish shook her head, still not sure that was the best option.
Besides, what about Rider? While it was true he hadn’t called today, she couldn’t stop fantasizing about the man. If he contacted her later, how would it look to say she’d booked a singles’ cruise and couldn’t see him again for a while?
“Trish, I really think you should go,” Lucy urged. “Even if you don’t find romance on the ship, it will give you time to collect your thoughts. You should go see the world and figure things out, now that you’re newly single.”
Even though Lucy didn’t know anything about Rider so couldn’t actually be warning her from getting involved, her sister made a good point. She shouldn’t go straight from the frying pan and into the fire. The intense attraction she’d felt for her personal hero was too much. She needed to avoid him until she figured things out.
“You’re right,” Trish said before she could think about it further. “I have a hot new look and newfound freedom. I should enjoy it while I can. I’ll take the ticket.”
Lucy’s smile beamed, and she squeezed Trish in a tight hug. “I’m so happy, sis. We have a lot of shopping to do in the next few days. You leave right after Thanksgiving!”
Chapter 4
The following Friday, Rider tried to hold onto his patience while meeting with his most lucrative client. He crumpled a paper napkin in his lap beneath the table in the downtrodden café where Mrs. Baker insisted they meet.
What was the woman’s problem? She seemed determined to think the worst of Trisha Brier. From everything Rider could tell, the defense attorney was a hard worker who valued her job, not some hussy trying to hop into the sack with a man old enough to be her father.
“I told you, Mrs. Baker, she earned the promotion because she’s a good lawyer. She has no interest in your husband.”
Stacy Baker gave a small cough, indicating her disdain for his opinion. Her freshly Botoxed face seemed even stiffer than normal, and Rider had to wonder if she’d overdone the beauty treatments, trying to keep up with Trish. Not that the woman could win a beauty contest against the young lawyer, but Rider didn’t think Trish even knew there was a competition.
At least, he didn’t think she knew. Rider had tried calling Trish a couple time times, and she had yet to answer. It was becoming pathetic how he couldn’t stop thinking about her. If it weren’t for the fact that he still followed her at the behest of Mrs. Baker, he wouldn’t have let it bother him, assuming she left on vacation for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, she was very much in town and simply ignoring his calls. Maybe she was upset that he’d waited a couple days before calling. He should have checked on her the day after the attack. He’d wanted to, but it was hard juggling his personal feelings with the fact that she should be off limits to him.
Rider knew he shouldn’t care if she was upset with him. It was stupid to get involved with someone he was investigating. It didn’t matter how many times he told himself that. Something about Trish’s calmness in the face of being attacked last week mixed with her willingness to admit how vulnerable she’d felt that night made it hard to stop thinking about her.
David Feltmate was a real jerk for cheating on her, but Rider had let himself hope that the man’s folly might be his gain. It didn’t seem like that would be the case, considering he’d been put on permanent ignore.
Across the table, Stacy Baker took a sip of coffee, recalling Rider to his real purpose at this meeting. He had to convince the woman to back off from Trish. If Trish ever did call him back, he didn’t want to be actively investigating her when he’d rather they date.
“I have a question for you, Mrs. Baker.”
She blew across the top of her steaming cup. “Hmm?”
“You’ve been investigating your husband for years. I mean, really digging for dirt. At the beginning of the year, you had me take those compromising pictures of Ms. Brier’s sister to make sure she couldn’t become your husband’s personal assistant.”
“This doesn’t sound like a question,” Stacy snapped.
“Why don’t you divorce him if you can’t trust him around other women? There has to be a better man out there for you.”
Her eyes narrowed, and Rider held his breath, wondering if she would explode into a fit of rage—something he’d seen before—despite the other diners in the café.
After a few seconds, she sucked in a deep breath, visibly calming herself although her artificially stiffened face had blotches of red across the cheeks. “One doesn’t walk away from thirty years of marriage simply because cheap floozies want my husband’s money.”
“But Trish isn’t like that. Neither was her sister, Lucy. You’re fighting windmills, ma’am. I hate to say it, and I know it’ll piss you off, but you’re wasting time and money having me chase after them.”
Her beady brown eyes narrowed as far as they were able. “Don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. You’re the hired help, Mr. Stone, and you’d do well to remember that.”
The hired help who wouldn’t have a chance in hell with Trish if she found out why he had happened to be there to save her last week. She’d hate discovering that he had stalked her for Mrs. Baker’s weird delusions. He wanted to be the hero she’d seen him as.
“With all due respect, ma’am, I’m no longer interested in being your hired help. I can refer you to a colleague, but as of now, I’m breaking off our arrangement.”
“You think so, do you?” A short bark of laughter erupted from her mouth. “I’m not stupid, and I’m not done with you. If you don’t do what I tell you, I’ll ruin you in this town. Don’t think I’m not aware of what happened in Seattle, with picture proof to convince anyone who might believe the fairy tale about your innocence. I won’t hesitate to notify your clients of what you really are, Mr. Stone. And yes, I have lists of them all.”
Struggling to keep his face impassive, Rider shredded the napkin on his lap and bit his inner lip to keep from saying anything. How did she find out about Samantha? Those records should have been sealed. He’d only been fifteen when it happened.
“Nothing to say now?” she asked, her voice full of sweetness as though she were someone’s kindly grandmother. “I thought you might see things my way. Now, let me tell you what’s going to happen the next few weeks.”
Rider glared across at her, not bothering to stop the snarling movement of his lips before he calmed enough to speak. “Please, do tell me what my life’s going to be like. Apparently, I don’t have a choice, no matter how depraved and twisted you are.”
“Oh, pish.” Her hand fluttered through the air in a sweeping motion. “I know how to get things done, that’s all. Besides, I think my husband’s meeting that little whore on a cruise ship next week, and I need you to run interference and stop whatever sex games they think they can play.”
“A cruise ship?” Rider would bet his left arm that Trish wouldn’t go on a cruise with Mr. Baker, but she and her sister had been doing a lot of shopping the past week. Most of the stores they went into had a definite summer theme, despite the winter season. “What makes you think they’re going on a cruise together?”
“I pried the information out of her sister.” Mrs. Baker took another sip of coffee, giving a self-satisfied smile. “Those pictures you took in the copy room have come in useful more than once, it turns out.”
“And Lucy told you Trish was taking a cruise with your husband?” Rider had no idea what to think about that. Maybe that was why Trish had ignored his calls.
Stacy rol
led her eyes. “Not exactly,” she said, to Rider’s relief, “but I know what’s going on. When Thomas came home a few days ago saying he had an emergency with an overseas contact and wasn’t joining me in Cape Cod for our usual Christmas getaway, I became suspicious.”
“So you once again blackmailed Lucy Carmichael to get what you wanted.” Rider’s stomach twisted and bile rose. He’d gone into this business to help people wrongfully accused of crimes clear their names. However, it turned out there was more of a market for people to spy on their spouses and try to catch their enemies in compromising positions. He’d never felt so ashamed of his profession as he did at this very moment, knowing he’d handed Mrs. Baker something the wretched bitch could hold over Lucy’s head forever.
“As it turns out, Trish is taking a singles’ cruise for fifteen days,” Stacy said, not seeming to notice Rider’s disgust. “The same fifteen days my husband just happens to have an emergency with a client. Coincidence?”
“It’s a singles’ cruise. That means Trish is trying to meet someone new.” His gut lurched a bit more with that thought. She wasn’t into him at all if that were the case, but he still had to convince Stacy to leave her alone. “I highly doubt someone would plan a singles’ cruise with a companion. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know he’s coming,” Mrs. Baker said, albeit grudgingly. “I think Thomas caught wind of where she’s going and booked himself a ticket on the same ship. I can’t find anything on his credit card statements about flight plans or where he’s staying during that fifteen day period, so I’m guessing he used the company credit card to keep the information from me.”
He was tired of this entire conversation but especially tired of this horrible woman. “I still don’t see what you expect me to do.”
Mrs. Baker lifted her suitcase-like purse onto the table, extracting a folder. Pushing it across the table toward him, she smiled. “Here are your tickets for the flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to catch the cruise ship, and your ticket aboard. The cruise leaves on the twenty-seventh, so make sure you pack quickly. There’s a credit card for incidental expenses and to book any excursions that Trish takes.”
