by Mari Carr
Dad smiled, but his eyes betrayed no happiness. “Consider this—the money made at that mall will add to your inheritance.”
The words felt like a slap to the face. “I don’t want your fucking money!”
Dad scowled. “Sophia. Everything I do, I do for you.”
She shook her head. “No. Don’t heap that crap at my feet. Everything you do, you do for yourself. But not this time. Thanks to you, I’ve had years of practice organizing fundraisers for worthy causes. You’re about to reap what you’ve sown.”
With that, she headed for the door. For a moment, she thought she heard her father call her back, his gentle voice reminding her of the way it used to sound, but she dismissed it as wishful thinking.
She knew what she had to do, even though the thought of going to war with her dad brought her no joy. In fact, she felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. Hard.
This wasn’t going to be easy…and she’d need help.
* * * * *
A bell jingled in the lobby but Marc didn’t look up. He was knee-deep in paperwork, trying to find some loophole that could buy the community center more time. Then he faced a long afternoon of preparing a witness for a murder trial that was scheduled to start tomorrow. When it rained, it poured.
He rubbed his forehead, trying to fend off the tension headache building behind his eyes.
“Rough day?”
He glanced up at the sound of Sophie’s voice, pleased to see her.
“I’ve had better.” It had started far too early, after a restless night spent tossing and turning and jacking off while fantasizing about the society princess currently leaning against his doorjamb.
He’d been disappointed when Sophie had called him a couple of days earlier to say Jared had helped her jumpstart her car. To make up for the missed opportunity to see her, he’d stopped by Books and Brew last night for a beer. As usual, the conversation had ended up in a disagreement about her father and, like a jackass, he’d shared too many details about the community center case in a self-serving need to prove he was right. His father had always told him pride would be his downfall.
What dear old Dad failed to realize was that when his pride joined forces with his cock, he became the biggest fool on Earth.
Worst part was, even now, he didn’t regret the things he’d told Sophie. His instincts screamed that he could trust her.
“Yeah. My day has pretty much sucked too.” Sophie walked in and claimed one of the two chairs across from his desk. She glanced around the room. “Your office is ridiculously small.”
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious.” She was right. Every available inch of space was filled with papers, files, law books. “Free legal aid doesn’t pay much.”
She laughed. “Does it pay anything?”
“A little bit.”
“Not to sound rude, but what made you choose this career path? I mean, I think this is awesome and all, but it seems to me you could be making bank anywhere else.”
He didn’t take offense at her question. God knew it was one he’d been asked a million times in the past few years. “I did the big law firm deal right after graduation. I was on the fast track to a partnership.”
“Sounds profitable.”
“It was. Very.”
“So why would you give that up for this glamorous inside office with no view?” she asked.
“I was twenty-nine with high blood pressure and suffering from my third ulcer in as many years. I didn’t date, ate all my meals at my desk and slept less than five hours a night, usually on the couch in my office. At my yearly checkup, my doctor informed me I was a prime candidate for a heart attack.”
“Ouch.”
“I walked out of his office and realized I was sick of it all. I turned in my resignation and walked away. Decided I’d use my powers for good rather than money.”
Sophie fell silent for a moment. He wondered if she was appalled by his decision.
Sophie glanced around his office once more. “That’s pretty gutsy, Marc. And very, very cool.”
Her words were completely sincere and once again he was struck by how different the real Sophie was from the one he had created in his mind. “My parents’ response was the opposite of yours. You say ‘gutsy’, they say ‘insane’. You say ‘cool’, they say ‘What the hell are you thinking?’.”
Her brow creased and for the first time, he noticed sadness in her eyes. “I guess it’s obvious you went against their advice. Are they okay with your decision now? Are you still close to your parents?”
He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not going to lie. We had a rough year or two. Lots of family holidays have ended in arguments, but they’re getting there. Enough time has passed that they know my decision wasn’t just a whim. That I’m serious about what I want to do with my life. The main problem was, it was my dad’s law firm that I quit.”
“Jesus.”
Marc chuckled. “Yeah. Well. Dad suffered a minor heart attack last year and I think it’s opened his eyes to why I made the decision I did. Since then, I’ve noticed the disappointed looks he used to heap on me have disappeared. He’s started asking about my work here when before he pretended I didn’t have a job at all.”
“That’s progress then. It’s a shame it took something like a heart attack for him to realize the work you do here is good. And important.”
Her words touched him more than he could say. If anyone would understand how he’d grown up, the pressure that had been put on him to succeed, to make money at any cost, it was probably Sophie.
He’d given up his former life while fighting to keep his identity relatively anonymous in Portland. He was determined to keep all of that in the past, but something about Sophie made him long to share confidences.
Marc pushed the thought away. He’d already stepped over the line last night, telling her things he shouldn’t have. Time to put some space between them. “I don’t think you came here today to hear my life story. What’s up?”
Sophie bent forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I want to hold a fundraiser for the community center.”
Marc blew out a long breath. “Soph. I know you don’t think your dad is involved in purchasing the property, but—”
“I know he’s trying to close down the center.”
For a week, Sophie had stood her ground, insisting her father would never be involved in the shady dealings surrounding the community center while trying to get in touch with her old man. Looked as if she’d succeeded. “You do?”
“He’s back in town. I went to see him this morning. He told me he was trying to buy the property and what he hoped to do with it. I basically told him I’d stop him.”
Marc didn’t respond immediately as he tried to picture Sophie and Jasper going at it head-to-head. In the past, he would have put his money on Jasper, but after spending time in Sophie’s presence, he had no doubt she could hold her own in an argument with her dad.
“We have less than two months, Soph. The kind of fundraising we’d need to arrange would have to be on a large scale. Events like that take longer than a few weeks to organize.”
“I know, but I’ve already got something in the works. Originally, the dinner last night was phase one in a two-part charity drive for the domestic abuse shelter. I stopped by there to talk to Jenna, the manager of the shelter, before I came here. The second fundraiser, a bachelor auction, is set to take place in a few weeks. Jenna agrees that the center needs to be saved. So many of the women and children who seek shelter at her place have benefited from the programs offered at the center. We’ve decided all the money taken in at the bachelor auction will be used to help with the improvements needed at the center.”
For the first time in days, Marc felt a spark of hope. Even so, he couldn’t sugarcoat things for Sophie. “The funds needed are fairly substantial. I’m not sure one fundraiser will do it.”
“Maybe not, but I called Casey Woods on my way here. Do you know Casey?”
“Yeah, that’s him. He’s done some work at Books and Brew over the past year or so—and he’s also got the hots for Jordan. I told him about the center and he’s offered his services in making the repairs. He’ll work at cost.”
Marc reared back. “No way! You’re kidding me?”
Sophie shook her head. “I also have a call in to Gabriel Lawson. We rent the space for Books and Brew from him and he’s become a good friend. I’m hoping I can convince him to match whatever we raise at the auction.”
“You think he would?”
Sophie wiggled her eyebrows. “Let’s just say I think Jordan could help me persuade him too. After I leave here, I’m going to visit Patricia Butt–Bi— Er, Butler–Baines.”
Marc feigned a shudder. “Why in the hell would you want to see that woman?”
“Because as annoying as she is, she’s also extremely useful in certain circles. She owes me a favor and she’s going to pay up.”
“How?”
“She’s going to help me strong-arm every attractive, eligible man in the city into participating and then she’s going to make sure all her rich, man-hungry girlfriends are there to place bids.”
Marc stood up and walked around his desk. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. “You’re incredible.”
She grinned. “There has to be some perks to being a society princess.”
Marc couldn’t resist. He kissed her.
Sophie accepted his embrace as easily as she had in the coat closet. Marc sensed there was something more brewing beneath the surface. He broke the kiss, though he didn’t move away.
“Are you okay, Soph?”
Sophie’s grip on his shoulders tightened as she pressed her body closer. “I’m not sure. My dad—” She paused before shaking her head. “I don’t want to think about him right now. I just need…” Again her words faded way. Her breasts brushed against his chest. He knew exactly what she needed. Distraction and comfort.
Unfortunately, Marc was far too aware of the fact his receptionist, Janice, was sitting just outside that open door. He gently pushed her away.
“Don’t move,” he murmured. Walking to the lobby, he told Janice she could head out for lunch early. The receptionist jumped at the chance for a long break. Marc followed her to the front door, flipped the sign from open to closed then locked it.
Sophie watched him from the doorway.
“I thought I told you not to move.”
“You’re closing?”
He nodded.
“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
He chuckled as he approached, slowly backing her into his office until he could shut that door as well. He flipped the lock. “Yep. I am.”
“Good.”
He continued to move until the backs of her legs touched his desk. He cleared the papers on top to one side then lifted her to the surface. “Have I ever told you how much I like the short skirts you wear?”
She reached for his tie. “No, but that’s hardly surprising considering we’ve only known each other about a week and a half.”
Her comment, though funny, also seemed wrong. “It feels like longer than that.”
She bit her lower lip. “I know. It’s weird, isn’t it?”
They’d been thrown together by a common cause and circumstances. Marc had never felt so grateful for dumb luck. Still, he couldn’t let go of the worry tugging at the edge of his conscience. “What’s your dad going to say when he finds out about the fundraiser? It could wreck his business deal.”
Sophie lifted her shoulders in the universal “I don’t know” gesture. “It won’t be a shock. I told him I was going to wreck it.”
He tucked a loose strand of long blonde hair behind her ear. “He’s still family.”
“My dad and I haven’t exactly been close the past two, three, fifteen years or so.” He knew she meant her words as a joke, but there was a deep-seated sorrow in her eyes that killed the humor.
Marc ran his fingers through her soft hair. It fell in sexy waves over her shoulders. “I don’t think what you’re doing is going to mend any fences.”
Her face was sad. Marc was sorry he’d brought up the subject, but there’d been something in her expression when he’d talked about his own relationship with his parents that told him she wasn’t exactly comfortable with what she was doing. Despite their estrangement, Sophie clearly loved her dad very much.
Sophie loosened his tie. “Do you mind if we talk about something else? Or maybe we could talk about nothing at all.”
Marc cupped her cheeks, cradling her face as he bent to kiss her again. He was okay with silence. Sophie moaned softly when his hands drifted down to gently stroke her breasts through her blouse. Well, maybe not complete silence. He liked her quiet sexy noises whenever he kissed or touched her. She never left him guessing about what she liked.
The sound of silk on cotton filled the room as Sophie dragged his tie away from the collar of his shirt. Her fingers began working to free the buttons. Marc briefly considered how stupid he’d been to start something so heated here, during working hours. While there was nothing he wanted more than to fuck Sophie into oblivion, he preferred the idea of taking her for the first time in the comfort of his own bed, when they had all the time in the world. Right now, the clock was ticking on Janice’s lunch break and the rest of his workday. His schedule was ridiculously tight.
Sophie was a fast worker. She slipped his shirt from his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Her fingers explored his bare chest, toying with the light smattering of hair there.
Marc marveled at how quickly she was relieving him of his clothing. He gently grasped her wrists when she reached for the buckle on his belt.
She tried to shake him off but he tightened his grip. “Slow down.”
Sophie shook her head. “No. I don’t want to. Last night, after you left the bar…”
She’d obviously spent the night suffering from unrequited lust too. He could appreciate the feeling.
The phone in the reception area rang. Again, he cursed him impulsiveness.
“We’re going to have sex, Sophie. Make no mistake about that. It’s just not going to happen here, today.”
She glanced at his face, frustration radiating from her. “Why not? You’ve locked the door. There’s no one here.”
“Because that phone’s going to keep ringing. My receptionist is going to come back. I have someone stopping by for a meeting in…” He lifted his arm to look at his watch. “Shit. In thirty minutes.”
She frowned. “Then why did you start this?”
It was his turn to shrug. “I have no idea. You come around and I stop thinking with the right head.”
She laughed. “Yeah. I get that. I’m not usually quite so…” She paused, searching for a word.
“Horny?”
She rolled her eyes. “I was thinking ‘easy’, but horny works too. I haven’t had sex in a while.”
“That’s right. Probably hard to find someone after Chuck.”
“Ugh. You know, it’s bad form to keep bringing up that asshole.”
Marc placed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. “Agreed. So was he your last boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend, yes. Sex, no.”
Marc tried to keep his face impassive but he must’ve failed, letting his surprise peek through.
“Jesus, Marc. You do realize I’m not really a princess, don’t you? I’m not always searching for Prince Charming or romance. Sometimes I just like to have sex.”
He grinned and decided on the spot that Sophia Kennedy was the hottest woman he’d ever met. He was about as romantic as a bull in heat and no girlfriend in the past had ever accused him of being too charming. “Just sex” was just fine with him, but that didn’t solve their current problem of time.
Sophie wasn’t helping things either. Her hand returned to the front placket of his slacks and she lightly caressed the bulge he didn’t bother to hide. If she kept that up, he’d say to hell with everything and take her anyway.
He caught sight of the tie she’d stripped off him. A dirty plan formed in his mind. Maybe they didn’t have time for sex, but they sure as hell had time to do a little messing around.
Grasping the necktie, he pulled her hands behind her back. Sophie jerked with astonishment as he knotted the tie around her wrists, quickly and efficiently.
“Hey.”
He pressed a hard kiss on her lips to silence her. He could feel her struggling to escape the bonds. Lifting a hand, he loosely touched her throat, feeling for her pulse. It was definitely elevated but not alarmingly so. She wasn’t afraid.
He stood up straighter and studied her face. “Are you okay?”
Her brow creased. “You didn’t seriously just tie me up, did you?”
“Yep. You like it?”
She fought against the knot but he was no stranger to bondage. It would hold until he released her. “Untie me.”
“Nope.”
“Marc.”
“Is the tie cutting off circulation?”
She shook her head.
“Is it hurting you?”
Again, she shook her head.
“Then I’m leaving it on. Just for a minute. I like the idea of having you at my mercy.” As he spoke, he began to unbutton her blouse. Sophie’s chest rose and fell faster as her breathing increased. Again, he studied her face. “I’m not going to hurt you, Soph. I’d never hurt you. You know that, right?”
“We’ve only known each other a couple weeks.”
He wondered if she kept repeating that fact to remind herself. He was having a hard time holding on to it too. “I know. Trust me anyway,” he whispered.
Once her shirt was unbuttoned, he pushed it over her shoulders. The material tangled with the tie at her wrists. He left it there.
She licked her lips, her gaze never leaving his.
“Beautiful,” he murmured as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. He pushed the straps of her bra off her shoulders. Instead of unfastening the lacy concoction, he reached inside the cups and lifted her breasts out. With her arms behind her and her breasts resting on top of the bra, she made a gorgeous display.
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