Dirty Silver (The Dirty Suburbs Book 7)
Page 21
Anyway, the apartment isn't that bad. On the plus side, Blakely and her boyfriend live just down the hall so we hang out all the time. And even better, this is a place I can actually afford. No more living outside of my means. I'm a business owner now and a responsible adult. Keeping my finances in order is of primordial importance.
Raph keeps begging to let him buy us a house but it's important to me that I pull my weight. I don't want a free ride. I want to stand on my own two feet. Yup, he complains a lot about our living conditions but I think that, on some level, he's proud of me for doing this.
Being married to him is an absolute dream, by the way. Yes, we made a down the aisle. We couldn’t stand not being married so we just did it. Down at the courthouse. Don’t judge us.
Anyway, he leaves me little notes around the house and roses on my pillow. He brings me food on the nights when I'm working late at the shop and he gives the best back massages. He listens to me babble on and on about the shop and he always has the best business advice. The man just gets sexier every single day.
We both travel a lot for work – his business is still in New York and my expeditions to find jewelry take me all around the word – but we make sure to make our relationship our number one priority.
Plus, he fucks me like he still owns me and he does. He always will. I’m glad to be his property, the most valuable asset in his portfolio, as he often teases. At least we can laugh about it now.
I'm the luckiest girl ever. This dirty silver fox has my heart.
We’re still working on our relationship with my parents. It’s not like the four of us are doing tantric yoga double dates on the weekend. But we’re good. Seriously, as long as my parents respect that Raph and me are together, that’s all I could ask for.
As for Club Audace? The arrests of Simon, Madame Gwendolyn and their clique of pimps was a very loud, very public event. In retrospect, I'm glad that Raphael shielded me from its impact. But don't tell him I said that because I meant it when I said I want to be his equal partner. No secrets between us, no buffers. We’re in this together. Still, I cringe when I think of what it must feel like under the spotlight of that scandal, on stage standing naked under the bright lights while the whole country is watching. I'm not too worried about those crooks, though. I just know that Madame Gwendolyn will rock that orange prison jumper like it's high-end couture.
"Admit it, Raphael," I taunt him, "You love this place. Our own little love shack."
He tickles my ribs. "Our den of iniquity," he corrects me. With a dramatic swoop of his arm, he throws the bills aside. His hands slide under the hem of my tank top and run up my ribs before cupping my breasts. "No more talking about bills. Let's do something dirty."
"That sounds like a damn good idea, baby." I press my mouth to his ear, moving down over his stubbly cheek until our lips catch and that ever-present flame roars between us. I pull back and look at him.
“What?” he asks, then he nips at my chin.
I grin. “We actually have it all. I’m so friggin’ happy with you.”
He tilts his head to the side. “Well, there’s one thing missing.”
“What’s that?” I ask with a furrowed brow.
“It’s about time I put a baby in you,” he mumbles, running his hand along my belly.
Hearing him say that sparks something fierce and primal in me. A type of joy that no words could ever explain. “What if I told you that I did a few pregnancy tests the other day…”
His eyebrows dart up.
“And what if I told you that they came back positive?”
“Eva…”
“I told you,” I say with a grin as I squeeze him closer, “We have it all.”
THE END
Quick note from the author:
Hey,
I’m so glad that you’ve read Eva and Raph’s story. I find them so friggin’ adorable. I love love love the way they forced each other to grow.
Anyway, now….I’m hard at work on Gracie and Daniel’s story!!! So excited about that. Almost every week I get at least one email or Facebook message from someone asking if Grace and Daniel get their happily ever after. Well, Dirty Forever is coming in about a month (around Sept. 28, 2017) and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on it. Turn the page for a taste!
I’m going back to work. Stay well :)
Cheers,
Cassie-Ann xoxo
P.S.: I am dying to share my new series with you. But I’ll wait till the end of Dirty Forever to spill the beans ;)
Dirty Forever (The Dirty Suburbs Book 8)
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Daniel
The courtroom doors burst open and the camera shutters immediately begin to pop as the reporters hurl questions my way.
"Mr. Trotten, do you think that Judge Tucker's decision will deter the town council from pursuing the landfill project?"
"Now that the judge has blocked the project, what will the town of Reyfield do with that enormous plot of vacant land? Do you expect it to go up for sale?"
"There are rumors that developers are putting in bids to purchase the lot and construct condos. What's your client's position on that possibility?"
The national media rarely ever pays attention to sleepy little suburbs like Reyfield, Illinois - population (barely) 5000 - but Shinewell vs. the Town of Reyfield is a landmark case.
And I just won the fuck out of it.
I needed a win. I really did. Because lately, I've been losing in my personal life. My marriage is a mess. My son is having a hard time adjusting. I'm paying a mortgage on a house I never step foot in while I spend my nights in a lonely, unfurnished apartment on the bad side of town jerking off into my hand. So I may suck as a husband, as a father, as a friend. But I'm good at this lawyer-thing. Even as I fail at everything else in my life, it's a relief to know that I'm still the best attorney in town.
I needed this win.
Adjusting my tie, I throw my shoulders back and lift my chin, adopting my most confident posture as I step out into the hallway. I hold a hand out in front of me, silently commanding the crowd to be quiet. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This injunction is only the first step in what I expect will be a long and arduous legal battle." At least I hope it will be long and arduous because 'long' and 'arduous' always results in a series of big fat checks for me.
There's no way the town council won't appeal the decision. There's way too much money on the line. They won't just let it go.
A reporter pushes to the front. She's petite and blonde. Her lips are varnished in glossy red and blue shimmers on her eyelids. I'm sure that if I tilt my head ten degrees to the left, I'll get an unrestricted view of her areola. But that doesn't allure me. It pisses me off. I immediately find myself comparing her to Grace. My wife is naturally the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She doesn't need makeup and provocative clothes to have my body yearning for her. Too bad she wants nothing to do with me.
The dolled-up journalist opens her mouth. "But does your client have the funds necessary to wage this war? I mean, we're talking about a state-funded senior citizens' residence going up against the Town of Reyfield." She bats her eyelashes coquettishly, wearing a hint of a smile.
I barely acknowlege her. "This lawsuit isn't about money. It's about doing the right thing for our community."
Forgive me for being a full-of-shit bastard.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jim Thatcher, my unworthy opponent, slinking out of the courtroom. The reporters don't stop to ask him for comment, they don't even give him a second look. He shoots me a venomous glare and I continue to soak up the attention. He pulls out his cell phone and punches at the screen with his angry little fingers.
He's smarmy as fuck. The kind of guy that gives lawyers a bad reputation. Not that I'm an angel, myself. I've done "things". Things that straddle the line between right and fucking wrong. But Thatcher is a different breed of scum. A predator. He doesn't have an ethical bone in his body. And e
ven worse, he's a shit lawyer. I don't know why people continue to hire him and I don't know why he continues to go up against me. Although he has double my experience in the halls of justice, he loses every time.
I don't let his vitriol throw me off my game. After all, the country is watching...She might be watching too. The idea that my Grace might be sitting in our home, with our son, watching me on the television screen lights a fuse of determination in my blood. I know that I've hurt her but maybe she'll stop hating me for long enough to feel proud of me.
My mouth tilts into a lopsided grin. "The town of Reyfield will not succeed in erecting a landfill next-door to the residence. The Shinewell Senior's Residence is going to win this battle...They've got the best lawyer in the country fighting alongside them."
A scruffy-looking man in a cheap beige suit pushes through the crowd. "Daniel Trotten? Daniel Trotten?" He sticks a big brown envelope and a pen my way.
Hell yeah, I'll give you an autograph. It's a bit unorthodox but I'm a fucking hero, goddammit.
Making sure to give the camera a good angle, I reach for the envelope. "Who do I make this out to, buddy?"
The man scoffs. "Daniel Trotten, you've been served!"
Really? Come on!
I shoot him a look and he just shrugs before disappearing into the crowd.
The reporters go wild.
"Mr. Trotten who is this new lawsuit from?"
"Is the defendant appealing Judge Tucker's decision?"
"Is your client prepared to face the appeals court?"
I stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, and speak clearly and purposefully. "When you're a crusader for justice as I am, you inevitably find yourself the target of attacks from bullies trying to intimidate the people. But I won't be intimidated. This fight isn't my own, this victory isn't my own. It's the fight of the people, the victory of the people. Tell the town council that Daniel Trotten, esquire will not be intimidated by their frivolous lawsuits."
I throw a challenging look over at Jim Thatcher. He gives me a smile that speaks unfiltered evil. Fuck that guy. I won't back down. I tear the envelope open and pull out the sheaf of papers. The bulbs flash in rapid fire and the reporters clamour for a look at the papers.
My heart stops cold in my chest. The document in front of me isn't a motion for appeal.
It's a divorce petition.
From my wife.
Find out what happens next when Dirty Forever releases soon!
Join Dirty Folks, my exclusive Facebook group, for updates.
Looking for your next binge read?
Get lost in the Dirty Suburbs!
All boxed up!
Get your Esquire Girls boxed sets today!
Let’s stay in touch Here’s where you can find me:
Mailing list
Facebook page
Dirty Folks Facebook reader group
Bookbub
Amazon
Instagram
Twitter