Erotic Invitation

by Carly Phillips

  He shot to his feet quickly, pushing his chair back hard. “And I want someone who can get me the hell out of it without a dent in my wallet.” Muttering to himself, the older man stalked off, leaving Jack and Mallory alone.

  “Dammit.” Jack groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “He’s explosive. I don’t want to lose this client.”

  Mallory nodded. “Even if we get the case, with his personality if we can’t control him, she’ll come off looking sympathetic.” Which the other woman most definitely was, Mallory thought.

  But she schooled her face into the blank mask she’d perfected over the years, careful not to reveal her inner turmoil to Jack. He was a partner and had a vote in whether or not she became one as well. There was no way she could afford to show weakness now, especially gender-oriented weakness.

  She tapped her pencil against her pad. “There’s a story behind every sympathetic facade. Maybe Mrs. Lederman has a lover.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow. Although Mallory had been called in on this case because of her gender, he’d expected to battle some form of feminine empathy while working along with her. Instead she was wholly focused on their client’s needs. He ought to be impressed, but her coolness bothered him in ways he didn’t understand. After all, didn’t he already know she was ambitious?

  “What if it’s Mr. Lederman who’s cheating?” he asked, curious as to how she’d get around the hypothetical dilemma.

  Mallory shrugged. “It all comes down to power. Whoever’s got the most power—in this case, money and strength of will—wins. It doesn’t look like we’ll get much of a fight out of Mrs. Lederman.” She paused in thought.

  For a brief moment, even behind her glasses, her eyes clouded over and Jack clung to the hope she’d crack. Show some sign of feminine emotion. But just as quickly, the glimmer disappeared and Mallory met his gaze head-on, determination on her face. “We ought to take advantage of the fact that she doesn’t seem to want the divorce,” she said. “Use that to our advantage in convincing Lederman we’ve got the best strategy.”

  “She doesn’t want the divorce yet. If she gets hit hard she’ll probably hire an attorney who will come out swinging.”

  “Exactly.” Mallory’s voice rose in pitch, excitement infusing her tone as well as her spirit.

  He could see now why she was so good at her job. Because she truly loved the nitty-gritty details and the opportunity to work out solutions to a client’s benefit. He understood because he felt the same rush of adrenaline each time a case or an idea came to a successful conclusion. “So what do you propose?”

  “We need to strike first and the only way we can do that is by winning control of this case. I’ll call Rogers and see what kind of dirt he can dig up on Mrs. Lederman and her past. In the meantime, you question Mr. Lederman. I mean Paul. He’s more likely to open up to you anyway. Male bonding and all that.”

  A grin edged the corners of his mouth. He couldn’t help it. She was a bossy thing when she got revved up and he enjoyed her take-charge attitude. “Any other orders?”

  An unexpected flush stained her cheeks. From pale to cherry in a matter of seconds. So warm blood ran through those veins after all. For a brief moment, he wondered just how hot he could get that blood pumping. Until he refocused and realized this was Mallory he was daydreaming about. His staid, uptight, probably repressed colleague.

  He definitely needed to hook up with a woman and soon. Sexual drought. There was no other explanation for the bizarre reactions he was having toward his associate.

  She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”

  “Actually I’d say you were on target and thinking clearly. You go ahead and call the private investigator. If Lederman sees we’re investing time and money in him without a guarantee, he’s likely to be impressed. And I’m positive I can sway him before this trip is out.”

  “Really? I mean, great! I’ll get on it.” Her surprise was tangible.

  Given her probable history with the other partners in the firm, he understood. But he wasn’t one to knock a good idea just because it hadn’t come from him. Her ideas were solid and her train of thought followed his. They’d make a good team.

  A good working team, he amended. “You do that.”

  She met his gaze and nodded. She held his stare a minute too long.

  He was unable to break the connection, but she had no problem. As she’d done many times this morning, her intense gaze darted from his, guiltily, as if she were a kid who’d gotten caught doing something naughty.

  What a bundle of contradictions she was. He doubted he’d ever understand her. It was probably best he never did. Because she drove him to distraction, causing him to question himself and his feelings. Why did he care what Mallory thought or felt as long as she did her job and did it well? Why did he have this strong, lingering desire to see if she possessed a feminine side? Why the hell did he need to know she had the emotions and the ability to empathize with a woman Jack would ultimately screw in a divorce settlement?

  His feelings regarding Mallory Sinclair made no sense. Though Jack doubted Lederman was blameless, he was certain Mallory was right. If they dug deep enough, they’d uncover dirt on Mrs. Lederman and probably force her hand—which by implication would win Lederman over.

  But Mallory’s callous disregard of the other woman’s plight stayed with him. And Jack knew why. Her single-minded determination to succeed at all costs reminded him of his mother’s tenacity at taking what she wanted outside her marriage, regardless of the repercussions to his father. A strange analogy, maybe but one that was alive and glaring.

  One that gave him the urge to see how far she would go in the name of her job. He leaned forward. “Mallory.”

  She paused from collecting her things. “Yes?”

  “If you run into Mrs. Lederman and chances are good you will…”

  She rose from her seat. “Don’t worry, Jack. I can handle her.” She paused, then drew a deep breath.

  “Reach out to the tentative vulnerable wife we just saw. Woman-to-woman, you know?”

  Jack closed his eyes. He knew. It was the exact reason she’d been chosen for this case. But hearing her say it so callously, as if she had no empathy at all for Mrs. Lederman, gave him an impression of Mallory he didn’t want to believe. The professional part of him was impressed but the man in him yearned to see she was human, that she felt at least a feminine kinship for Mrs. Lederman even if she couldn’t act on those feelings.

  And he still wanted to know she wasn’t as cold and calculating as she appeared. “You make it sound like you’d hit her up with false sympathy anywhere, including the ladies room.”

  She paused, as if contemplating his words and her delay in answering gave him hope.

  “If that’s what it took to win this client over, then yes. I would,” she said at last.

  So much for hope, he thought, disappointed beyond words. “Geez, lady, you’re cold. Just once on this trip I’d like to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.”

  She stiffened and Jack cursed. He hadn’t meant to speak aloud, nor had he meant to insult her. He just couldn’t understand the conflicting emotions she inspired in him. But it wasn’t an excuse and he doubted she’d understand.

  She held the pad against her chest. “I take it that wasn’t a compliment.”

  That much was obvious. “Look, I meant nothing by it. It was just a thoughtless…”

  “Tactless, male remark. No offense taken.” But her lips trembled as she spoke.

  He didn’t believe her. Though she hadn’t run off in tears and her strength impressed him, he’d finally managed to crack the frigid mask she’d pasted on her face. This time she wasn’t able to hide the pain his words caused her.

  He felt lower than a snake. He’d gotten his wish. He hadn’t seen her feminine side but he knew one existed. Unfortunately getting his wish held little satisfaction right now and not only because he’d hurt her. But because in causing her pain, he�
�d learned something about himself and Mallory. He cared about her feelings—something that was rare for him when dealing with women.

  He hated phony tears. He hated when a woman played on his sympathy because he’d supposedly hurt her tender feelings. His mother was an expert at playing his father. And Jack had always sworn he’d never be the vulnerable one. To accomplish that goal, he couldn’t let himself care.

  He glanced at Mallory’s face. She’d managed to plaster on a fake smile. One he didn’t buy for a second. And that bothered him. A lot.

  “See you.” She turned and walked away, blue skirt hanging too low around her legs, hair pulled back in an unattractive bun.

  “Shit,” Jack said loud and clear. He glanced around the beach, which had filled up with women. Scantily clad women. Single women.

  If Mallory appealed to him on so many levels there had to be a reason.

  Maybe he just needed to get laid.

  3

  SO HE WANTED to see the woman behind the frigid facade did he? Mallory jerked open and slammed closed the drawers in her room, tossing things on the bed and muttering aloud.

  Cold. He’d had the nerve to call her cold. She picked up her most sinful, decadent teddy and held it in the air. Could she really be cold, frigid, she amended if her taste ran to silk and satin? To warm brandy and smooth sheets? To erotic dreams she couldn’t share with anyone, including the man who inspired them?

  She pushed the pile of lingerie aside and flopped down on the bed. Her fist curled around the bedspread and she swiped at a stray tear that dripped down her face. God, the man had a way of getting to her. Sexually, emotionally, it didn’t matter. She cared what he thought of her and hated, hated that all he saw was Mallory Sinclair, Esq. A woman she’d created to achieve her long-standing goal.

  A goal that suddenly came in second to showing Jack Latham his hunch was right. The man obviously sensed there was more to Mallory than what the world saw. What he saw. Just as she believed there was more to Jack Latham than his Terminator moniker implied.

  But the old double standard had come into play and Jack had actually criticized her for doing her job as well as any man. Mallory might not like her father’s outlook on many things, but her parents had still in-grained her with some values she both admired and lived by. Including loyalty, respect and staying power—in relationships as well as careers. So here she was attempting to do her best for a man who was obviously hurting his wife. His treatment of Mrs. Lederman didn’t, or shouldn’t, matter, not to the professionals hired to represent him in a divorce. And that’s what Mallory was. A professional.

  Jack ought to understand because they were bound by the same ethics. Yet because she was a woman he expected her to act differently. To show her emotions. Coming from Jack, that damn double standard hurt. She’d expected more of him though she didn’t know why. The man was the Terminator, after all. He represented husbands against wives regardless of fairness or truth. Because that was his ethical obligation.

  But despite his job as Waldorf, Haynes’s chief divorce attorney, Mallory believed there was more to Jack. Just one day in his company and she sensed a gold mine of emotion beneath the surface. Oh, if pushed, he would claim to believe in all his male clients. He would state aloud that women were at fault in the breakup of most marriages. She’d heard him spout the same rhetoric around the office. She couldn’t help hearing his secretary’s gossip about why he’d become a hotshot divorce attorney. If the stories regarding his mother’s blatant and ongoing in-fidelities were true, then personal pain lay behind Jack’s antimarriage rhetoric.

  His shaded sunglasses had hidden his eyes but other things had given his emotions away. The twitch in his full lips and the grip of his hand on the table that turned his knuckles white, only obvious because she’d been looking for a sign of humanity, had proven Mallory correct. He wasn’t immune to Mrs. Lederman’s suffering, even as he directed her to communicate with the husband she loved through their attorneys from now on.

  It had been easier to ignore Jack Latham’s appeal when only sexual attraction was involved. Now that Mallory had spent time with the man, now that she saw depth behind the good looks and toned body, she couldn’t leave him with the impression he obviously had of her. He wanted to see the woman behind the mask. And she had enough pride to want to strip away the veneer and show him.

  It was a gamble. Jack Latham was a respected partner. He could break her career with a word whispered in the right ears. But weighing all risks, Mallory came down on the side of chance.

  Geez, lady, you’re cold. Just once on this trip I’d like to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.

  She fingered a garment of pure silk between her fingertips. If he was perceptive enough to use that sort of terminology, Mallory was gutsy enough to expose what lay beneath.

  For his eyes only.

  Curling her legs beneath her, Mallory gave serious thought to how best make her point. By the time she’d formulated her plan, she’d actually managed to arouse herself with tantalizing, intriguing possibilities.

  She glanced at her watch. She had some free time before meeting up with Jack again later. Plenty of opportunity to set things in motion.

  She lay back against the pillows, squeezed her eyes shut tight and imagined Jack’s reaction. Anticipation rose inside her, building to a rolling crescendo, causing a steady, rhythmic pounding beat between her thighs. She lay her hand on the soft material of her panties. A small press downward both alleviated the ache and increased her need. Her fingertips glided over silk, outlining her mound of flesh. So easily, she thought. She could take the edge off the hunger and go on with her day. But alleviating her tension would kill the anticipation she’d feel watching Jack.

  She wanted to make him need Mallory Sinclair, the woman.

  Then she wanted to take him to the edge…and over.

  And she wanted to topple with him, not alone.

  So, Mallory thought, let the seduction begin.

  HE COULD get used to this. Jack glanced out over the pool to the glistening water beyond. The tangy smell of the ocean, the clear blue sky and the sexy women in bikinis. Yeah, he could get used to this. He leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs out in front of him. The sun beat against his skin, warm and comforting.

  “Sorry I’m late. I had to run a few errands and they took longer than I thought.” Mallory slid into the seat across from him, looking uptight in the same boxy blue dress. But she didn’t seem upset over this morning’s incident and he was grateful.

  “Everything okay?”

  She nodded. “We left in such a rush that I forgot a few things.”

  “Well I managed to catch up with Paul in the sauna. We spent an hour commiserating over needy women. It’s way too soon to push him on making a decision, but he’s starting to trust me and I’ve got some more facts to fill you in on.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Drink first?” he asked.

  She hesitated.

  “Consider this more a vacation than a business trip. Seriously we’re only here because Lederman wants to get to know us outside of the office. He’s eccentric, like I said. So go ahead. Have a drink.” Jack wanted to put her at ease. There was no way he could spend a week in her company if she looked like she was about to bolt at the first opportunity.

  After his thoughtless comment this morning, he wouldn’t touch the issue of her clothes now, but he didn’t know how long he could watch her roasting in dresses beneath the blazing sun.

  He gestured for a waiter. “The lady will have a…” He narrowed his gaze, trying to assess what Ms. Sinclair would drink. “White wine spritzer?”

  She shook her head. “Club soda, please.”

  Jack blinked, and refrained from rolling his eyes.

  “I’ll have a refill.” He lifted his glass that had contained Absolut vodka on the rocks.

  The waiter nodded. “Be right back, folks.”

  “Oh, wait,” Mallory said.

  He turned
back around. “Change your mind?”

  Jack actually held his breath.

  “A wedge of lime, please.”

  He should have known.

  “So what were you saying about Lederman?” she asked.

  “Aside from complaining about marriage, he’s hiding something.” Jack finished the end of his drink.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “He got a phone call. The guy who relayed the message didn’t say who was calling, but Lederman bolted out of the sauna so fast he nearly lost his towel.” He laughed and waited for her to do the same.

  Her expression remained steady. He stifled a groan. He couldn’t imagine she didn’t find the image amusing, so he figured she was still angry with him after all. But he wasn’t about to repeat this morning’s conversation.

  Better to focus on work. “At any rate, when he returned I asked him if everything was okay. I thought maybe there was an emergency at the resort, but he didn’t cover well. He flushed, hemmed and hawed, then finally said his son had called from California.”

  Mallory shrugged. “Why are you so sure he didn’t?”

  “Gut instinct. Besides that’s an easy enough answer without beating around the bush.”

  She nodded. “True. So what do you think he’s hiding? It makes no sense to keep us in the dark. Not if we’re on his side.”

  “Agreed. And I intend to find out just as soon as…”

  “Here are your drinks, folks.”

  The waiter exchanged Jack’s empty glass for a full one that no longer appealed, but he thanked the man and turned his gaze back to Mallory. “I could have outright asked him what was going on, but…”

  “Excuse me sir, but this is for you.” The waiter handed Jack a folded slip of paper.

  “Phone message?” Jack wondered aloud.

  “Actually the bartender asked me if I recognized the name on the top and since you’d just signed for your lunch earlier…”

  “Did he say who left it?”

  “He found it on the bar when the lunch crowd disappeared.”

  “Strange.” He lifted the folded paper and a feminine scent drifted toward him. He raised the paper and the aroma grew stronger. More appealing.