Sleeping With the Enemy

by Tracy Solheim

  “You said that was the second best thing you’ve heard all day?”

  That sly smile was back and Bridgett felt the burn all the way to her toes when he leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “Mmmm. Don’s news is definitely second to the sound of you moaning my name when I’m inside you.” He took her earlobe between his teeth and played with it a moment before he pulled away with a groan. “Get dressed, Bridgett. Tell Stuart we’re a couple.” He rose from the bed, gingerly tucking in his shirttails around his now tight pants. “If he doesn’t like it, tell him I’ll take my business elsewhere.” He picked up a pair of shoes and socks from the end of the bed. “And I’ll take his best lawyer with me. There’s no need to rush to get ready. I’ll tell Josie to have breakfast laid out in an hour.”

  Bridgett lunged for her phone as soon as Jay closed the door behind him. She had twenty-one texts. She scanned the ones from Stuart, not surprised by his demands that she call him right away. Gwen had called repeatedly, not to mention her other sisters, their mother, and Brody. She glanced at Brody’s text first.

  WTF??? Call me. Now.

  Bridgett rolled her eyes. Her little brother presumed himself to be her protector. She didn’t need Brody’s protection from Jay. Not much anyway. The next message was from Gwen.

  Damn girl. You’ve been holding out on us. Did you have to make me look like an idiot the other day when I told you to chase after him? Call me! Skip is being an ass. Or are you too busy with your own creative coupling? Haha!

  The rest of Bridgett’s messages were just as bad. Her mother was doing a happy dance at the beauty salon.

  So happy for you. Is his vineyard big enough for a wedding?

  Bridgett clicked her phone closed, downed her tea, pulled on the fluffy robe, and headed for the shower. She needed to be dressed for the conversation she had to have with Stuart. Even if it was only going to take place over the phone. On her way to the bathroom, she glanced out onto the vineyards. It was a perfect day in Napa Valley: blue sky, puffy clouds, and bright fall colors. Bridgett sucked in a deep breath of the air fragranced with the smell of cabernet grapes.

  Jay didn’t make promises lightly. Last night, he’d promised her all of this, the home, the vineyard. All of it in exchange for her body. She was an educated woman with ample means of her own and a great family to support her. So what did it say about her that she was even considering his offer?

  Twelve

  “Talk to me, Don,” Jay said after he punched the button on the speakerphone in his office.

  “It’s exactly as we suspected. Alesha Warren approached her sister-in-law about filing the lawsuit. According to Jennifer, Warren intimated that there were several other Sparks cheerleaders willing to join the class. Jennifer was surprised when no other cheerleaders were named. She’s a little peeved at her sister-in-law.”

  “Peeved enough to drop the lawsuit?” Jay asked.

  “Unfortunately, no. She’s still claiming that several Blaze players made her feel uncomfortable at the photo shoot. Jennifer says they crossed the line into sexual harassment several times during the trip. I got the feeling there was more she wasn’t telling me, though. But her father wouldn’t allow her to elaborate without Alesha Warren present.”

  Jay swore. “Bridgett will have to depose her as soon as possible. I want to know why Alesha brought the possibility of a lawsuit to Jennifer and not the other way around. Especially if the two hadn’t spoken for some time. Any clues there?”

  “Not a one,” Don said. “She pretty much clammed up when her father gave her the signal. He’s likely envisioning a big settlement. The family emergency is legit, though. It looks like Jennifer’s grandmother is at the end of her life. I’m thinking I might stick around a little longer to see if Alesha’s ex shows up. I might be able to learn something from him.”

  “Good thinking.” Jay paused and glanced out the window overlooking the pool. He was relieved to see Charlie reclining on one of the chaise lounges, a magazine in her hands.

  “By the way, Asia has been asking around and she has a list of the players who were at the photo shoot that week. Shall I have her send it along to Bridgett?” Don hesitated when he said Bridgett’s name. Don knew the circumstances of Jay and Bridgett’s stay at the motel in Virginia Beach and he likely didn’t give much credence to the blogger’s claims. But Jay needed him to.

  “Yeah, e-mail it directly to her. And, Don, if nothing else comes out of this wild-goose chase, I want that blogger found. I won’t have mine and Bridgett’s relationship talked about all over the Internet.”

  There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Don spoke again. “Uh, sure thing, boss.”

  “Call me when you have something,” Jay commanded before clicking the speakerphone off. He looked over at Linc. “I take it Charlie stayed put last night?”

  Linc looked a little sheepish when he answered. “I talked her into giving it a day.”

  Jay eyed his assistant carefully. While he liked the kid well enough—he was smart, goal oriented, and savvy—Jay wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Linc and his sister together, probably because he didn’t want to think about anyone being with his little sister. Both definitely gave off vibes of disliking each other, but all Jay had to do was go up to his bedroom for proof that negative vibes didn’t necessarily mean anything. Still, his sister could do a whole lot worse and she was still at the vineyard, so he kept his misgivings to himself. “You didn’t talk her into telling you who the father is, too, did you?”

  “No, but it’s not Blaine,” Linc said with a grin. “Apparently, he’s in love with one of Princess Charlotte’s ladies-in-waiting—the one with the tongue piercing whose daddy is the satellite radio pioneer. They’ve had a bit of a falling-out and he’s being a hangdog putz trying to get her back. He seemed to think she’d be here with your sister.”

  “Thankfully, Charlie left her entourage in Europe.” Jay sorted through some papers on his desk. “Still, I’d like you to keep an eye on her for me. I’m going to be tied up in meetings most of the day.”

  “With your lawyer?” Linc unsuccessfully tried to stifle the shit-eating grin that spread over his face at the double entendre.

  Jay ignored him. “Did you track down that name I gave you?”

  Linc sobered up before unlocking the safe in the credenza. He pulled out a file and handed it to Jay. “It’s all here, including the current address.”

  Thumbing through the sheets of papers, Jay bit down on the bile rising at the back of his throat. This was one confrontation he’d hoped to avoid ever having. A fit of conscience had forced Jay to go easy on this person the first time around. Fortunately, Jay never made the same mistake twice. “We’ll meet with the media consultant in the dining room,” he told Linc as he slipped the file into his briefcase. “I’m just going to have a word with my sister before the day gets away from me.”

  Linc nodded as Jay made his way out to the pool deck. Charlie didn’t bother looking up from the glossy pages of her magazine.

  “She must not be that impressive if you had to leave in the middle of boinking her to beat up my friend.”

  Jay didn’t bother responding. His sister was spoiling for a fight of her own and he found it was best not to engage when Charlie was in full princess mode.

  Charlie was never able to stand his silence for long and she eventually glanced up. “Damn, not even a fat lip.”

  “What are your plans for the day?” Jay was still holding out hope he could persuade her to have dinner with their mother. Perhaps he’d bring Bridgett along, too. Somehow, though, he didn’t think the dinner would be everything he’d fantasized about thirteen years ago. Too many secrets would be hovering over the table. But still, he wanted the only three women who were part of his private life to meet.

  “I thought I’d throw back a few mojitos, then do some skydiving,” she quipped. “From what I
read surfing the Internet, I figured you’d be holed up in your suite with your lady lawyer lover. You’re awfully dressed up for a day in the sack, though. Unless you two are into some kinky Fifty Shades of Grey role-playing.” She made a face very similar to one that always used to make Jay laugh when she was kid, but not so much now.

  “When you’re ready to grow up,” he said, “I have a favor to ask.”

  “I don’t do threesomes. Especially not with my brother.”

  “Can you turn off the snark, Charlie? My favor involves shopping. I know you excel at that.”

  “Does it involve your lawyer lover?”

  Jay flinched at the name the blogger had dubbed Bridgett with. The moniker likely mortified her. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call her that. She’s staying through the game on Sunday and she’ll likely need clothes.”

  “Other than a thong and stilettos?”

  He was beginning to regret his decision to involve Charlie, but he wanted his sister occupied. A bored Charlie was a dangerous Charlie. Jay also wanted her to get to know Bridgett. The two would be seeing a lot of each other if his plan came to fruition. It would be a bonus if everyone got along. “I doubt she brought anything to wear to the cocktail party on Saturday night.”

  Charlie dropped her eyes back to her magazine. “Ah, so I’ve been replaced as hostess already.”

  Damn! Why did women always read things the wrong way? Jay didn’t have the time or patience to deal with any slight to his sister’s feelings this morning, but he didn’t want her sulking all weekend, either. “No,” he said evenly. “I asked you to help me host, Charlie.”

  She flipped a page of her magazine. “But your lawyer lover will be there, too.”

  “Yes.”

  “Am I spending your money or her money?”

  Jay snorted. He doubted Bridgett would be too happy about attending a cocktail party for Blaze sponsors and other NFL dignitaries. She’d be positively furious at the idea of him buying her clothes; of that there was no doubt. “You won’t be spending anyone’s money. Just showing her where the better stores are.” He turned to head back into the house. “And, Charlie, be nice.”

  “Jay,” she called after him. “Is she your lawyer? Because, you know . . .”

  He knew what she was asking. Jay had been right when he assumed no one knew about the baby Charlie was carrying. “Yes. The baby is protected under the confidentiality proviso.”

  She nodded solemnly and went back to her magazine.

  • • •

  “How long has this been going on?” Stuart’s normally jovial demeanor was nowhere to be found this morning. Her boss hadn’t called her Buffy one time. Bridgett hated lying to him. Then there was the fact that she wasn’t lying. One look in the mirror at the disheveled bed behind her and her skin grew warm beneath her Escada suit. She decided to stick as close to the truth as possible.

  “Nothing happened in the motel the other night.”

  Stuart snorted incredulously. “But it is happening now—is that what you’re telling me? Damn it, Bridgett, these weren’t the type of headlines I envisioned when I put you on this case!”

  “I tried to recuse myself but you wouldn’t listen!”

  She heard the familiar sound of the cracking of marbles. Stuart would work them through his fingers whenever he was agitated. “Fine. Let Mimi handle the media mess that’s sure to come of this and whatever else Alesha Warren is planning, and you come back to Baltimore. Dan has already begun interviewing cheerleaders and some of the other staff who were on the calendar shoot. He can take over anything else. I’ll have to hold McManus’s hand myself.”

  The words Bridgett had waited to hear didn’t bring about the relief she expected. She told herself it was because she knew Jay would use whatever means necessary to make sure she stayed put and it had nothing to do with her reluctance to leave the beautiful vineyard. Or this bedroom. “It’s too late for that. He says if I go, he’ll take his business elsewhere.”

  Bridgett held the phone away from her face as Stuart swore. “Well, you’ve worked yourself out a fine deal, haven’t you, Bridgett?”

  She cringed as his words. She’d worked hard to achieve the rank of junior partner in her law firm, never letting her reputation become subject to innuendo. Unfortunately, as a woman, she was always at risk for the types of accusations Stuart was making. It was no use arguing because, for the first time in her career, she was guilty.

  “I thought you were smarter than this,” he said sharply and his words made Bridgett’s throat tighten. “It doesn’t matter. He has the reputation of being a bit of a playboy. When he’s done with you, he’ll be done with the firm, too.”

  Bridgett hated the sound of disgust in Stuart’s voice. She wanted to argue with him, but deep down, she knew he was probably right. Whatever it was Jay had proposed last night had been open-ended, and would last only until he grew tired of her. She was a fool for even considering putting herself in that position once again.

  But then she glanced in the mirror again. What they had in bed was real. When she made love with Jay, she became her younger self again, the Bridgett who delighted in life and the world around her. The women she’d been pretending to be these past thirteen years was just that: pretend. A thick shell of a lawyer who saw the world in black and white so that she could go through the motions of life. She really didn’t like that woman. But it was the only way she’d known how to survive.

  “Everything isn’t always as it seems, Stuart. I know what my job here is and what the client represents to our firm. I’m not about to lose sight of any of that. I’ll call you after our meeting with Mimi.” She clicked her phone off and stared at the neatly put-together woman in the mirror. “Don’t mess this up,” she told herself. She just didn’t know if she was talking about her job or whatever it was that was happening again with Jay.

  She left the sanctuary of the relaxing suite and made her way down to the first floor of the house. The rooms she passed were well appointed with both antiques and cozy, inviting furniture. A soft breeze filtering in through the open terrace doors carried the sounds of workers harvesting the grapes in the vineyards. Bridgett’s stomach rumbled and she followed her nose toward the delicious smell of food coming from the large room at the end of the hall.

  The dining room was stunning. A huge Swarovski chandelier hung above an oval rosewood table that seated sixteen. The French doors opened to a flagstone terrace complete with sofas, a bar, and a stone fireplace. Behind the terrace was a breathtaking view of the vineyard, framed by the foothills behind it. Viewing the sunsets from that spot had to be amazing.

  Bridgett didn’t realize she’d spoken the last part out loud until she heard Mimi Livingston’s voice behind her. “So you’ve been too busy doing other things to take in the sunsets, have you?”

  She turned to find the media specialist standing beside one of the sideboards, a plate of food in her hand, wearing an Albert Nipon suit, four-inch Jimmy Choos, and enough filler in her face to kill an elephant. Bridgett had worked with the older woman before on a case involving a class action against an Internet provider. The case had been decided in their client’s favor, and Mimi had been invaluable in deflecting the negative media away from their defendant. She’d also been insufferable, condescending, and way too forward with their client, the company’s CEO. The last part had bothered Bridgett enough for her to hop on her soapbox and confront Mimi about it. Damn. Payback was definitely going to be ugly.

  “Good morning, Mimi.” Bridgett picked up a plate and loaded it with some fruit that she’d likely pick at, her appetite having suddenly left her.

  “Hmm,” Mimi said. “I doubt it’s a good morning for you, Miss Prissy Pants. Unless you like your dirty little secrets played out all over social media. Or is he just that good in the sack that you’re willing to overlook the torpedo to that sterling reputation you’ve been pos
tulating?”

  “Let’s save the catfight for the ladies’ room, Ms. Livingston. We’ve got work to do,” Jay said as he entered the room, his assistant trailing behind him.

  Bridgett wasn’t sure which embarrassed her more: Jay’s interference on her behalf or the fact that he’d overheard Mimi’s comments. She gave him a look of indifference as she took her seat at the table, leaving two open chairs between her and the seat Jay had taken. He arched an eyebrow at her but didn’t bother to comment. With a huff, Mimi took the seat directly across from Jay.

  “So can we assume the counsel for the Sparks cheerleaders leaked the story about your little tryst with your new attorney in the seedy motel?” Mimi asked.

  “For your clarification, Mimi, there was no ‘tryst’ in a seedy motel,” Jay said, his tone even. “Miss Janik’s and my long-standing relationship isn’t germane to the case.”

  Mimi flinched at the phrase long-standing. “It is now. The question is why and how did the blogger find out about it?”

  Jay’s assistant spoke up. “Alesha Warren had someone interview the motel’s desk clerk.”

  “How do you know that?” Bridgett leaned forward in her chair to look past Jay at Linc.”

  Linc glanced at Jay before answering. “Because we had someone interview the desk clerk after Alesha’s guy was there.”

  Bridgett glanced between the two men in surprise.

  “The spy games part doesn’t matter,” Mimi said. “I’m actually surprised that she led with this when she alluded to having information about your sexual harassment exploits.”

  Jay quickly cut her off. “I don’t practice sexual harassment and if you’ve read the case files we’ve provided you, you’ll see that none of those claims were ever substantiated.”