He paused as if considering his next attack method. Greg was, if nothing else, a practiced overachiever. The word “no” was not in his vocabulary. “Okay then, coffee. We’ll go to your favorite little spot.” His voice dropped. “I haven’t forgotten any of your little pleasures.”
Every muscle in her body tensed. The very thought of him understanding anything about her, let alone her pleasures, was a joke. Yet logic told her she could get a lot more scoop about Williams if Greg was playing to win her back. She hated being a user, but turnabout was fair play; and she’d been a token in his game for years. “Well,” she said slowly. “I guess we could do coffee.”
She could picture his cocky grin as he responded. “Good. How about seven?”
“Fine, seven.”
“I’ll pick you up at your office.” He didn’t give her a choice, which was so Greg. “See you then, Lindsey.” And he hung up.
No! Not the office. What would Mark think? Lindsey looked at the phone, realizing her grip was like a vise. He couldn’t come to the office. Her fingers punched the telephone buttons, dialing his number, which was embedded in her brain like every other bad memory he represented. Seconds later, she was informed that he wasn’t in his office. Slamming down the phone, she sat unmoving, mulling over her predicament.
Why in the world did she say yes to anything with Greg? He would just cause her trouble.
After a few minutes of beating herself up, she resolved to make the best of her situation. Lindsey swung around in her chair and grabbed the Williams file off her credenza. If the man was going to screw up her life, she might as well do a good job of milking him. It was time to roll up her sleeves and study and make a complete list of questions.
Reviewing files and calling witnesses took up the rest of her afternoon. A call to the NYU Dean’s Office proved difficult at best. Convincing them to share any student information was like pulling teeth. It took threatening the school’s reputation to get any semblance of information. A few other phone calls proved completely fruitless. If Williams was innocent, there was a link to those girls somewhere else. And she knew there had to be.
He was innocent, just like Hudson.
Her instincts said so, and as much as she feared trusting them, as always, they drove her actions. Regardless of the past, she had to go with what had always worked for her. And if Hudson was innocent, then her instincts had really never failed. She’d just thought they did. Getting back to her roots was the only way she would succeed.
She was looking through the police investigation reports on the Williams case, lost in deep concentration, when a noise made her jump. Her eyes darted upward, and she was shocked to see Mark standing in front of her desk. It scared the hell out of her that she had been so absorbed that she’d never even heard him enter. “Do you know how to knock, Mark?” she asked sharply.
Mark’s eyes immediately flashed to the roses sitting on Lindsey’s desk and then back to her face. “Funny, I thought we were past certain pretense.” His voice was sweetly sarcastic.
Lindsey avoided looking at the roses. He was angry, but he had it tucked neatly behind his business mask. Still, it was there, in his eyes and in his tone of voice. And that made her angry. Between her father, Greg, and the men she had encountered in her field investigations, she was well past her quota of the overbearing opposite sex for the day. She didn’t need Mark sending her into overload.
“One romp in the sack does not discard my right to privacy at work,” she threw out sharply.
Mark’s eyes narrowed and a flash of anger darted through them before he carefully offered her a blank stare. “So that’s how it is, is it?” He thumbed a rose petal.
Lindsey pushed her chair back and stood up. “You know, at the moment I have had it to about here,” Lindsey put her hand to the top of her head, “with men and their territorial claims on me and my time.”
Mark’s eyes darkened into deep pools of heat as he stood completely still, not moving a single muscle, just staring at her. There was a long, awkward silence before he turned and headed to the door. If he had said something, anything, it would have been easier to deal with than his cold silence. Lindsey felt regret like a sharp pain, and her chest tightened. “That’s it?” she demanded to his back. “You’re not going to say anything?”
Mark stopped walking but didn’t turn around for several beats. When he did, she hated the cool detachment that filled his face. His voice was brittle and low. “I am not playing this game with you, Lindsey. Press me, and I’ll leave you with this mess.”
As much as she knew she shouldn’t lash out again, she couldn’t seem to contain her temper. Crossing her arms in front of her body, she stared back at him. “Ah, I see. Looking for an out.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped, but he kept his expression emotionless. “If I was looking for an out, I wouldn’t have dealt with your father today. I have every intention of keeping my word to help you, but I will only put up with so much.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You fixed things with my father?”
He nodded and then turned back towards the door.
Lindsey stepped out from behind her desk and started crossing the room towards him, once again speaking to his back. “What happened? Mark?”
Mark’s hand was on the doorknob, his words spoken without turning. “We’re late for the partnership meeting, Lindsey.” He opened the door and left before she could stop him.
* * * * *
All eight partners were already seated when Lindsey entered the conference room several moments later.
Mark sat at the head of the table, a sturdy business face securely in place, ensuring she had no hope of reading him. She regretted how she had treated him. Her feelings for Mark were confusing, and she’d allowed her own inner turmoil to escalate her temper. He didn’t deserve to be smashed because of what other men in her life had done to her, yet it was so hard to separate him from them.
And terrifying. What if he turned out to be like them?
Mark was so stone-cold it was like watching a stranger. He was aloft and cold, with his cobra-like instincts alight in his dark eyes. He was prepared for battle, and she wondered if it was with her or the partners. Without speaking, she found her way to the empty seat next to Mark.
“Well now that we are all present, let’s begin.” Lindsey knew Mark’s words were aimed at her tardiness, and she felt her cheeks turn red with an anger that she managed just barely to tuck beneath her surface. She was late. No question about it. It had taken her a few minutes to pull herself together after his abrupt exit from her office.
Speaking to the group, Mark continued, “For those of you who don’t know, I’ve taken control of Paxton.”
There was whispering around the table. Several people made remarks about being happy to see him back. Mark went on to explain the state of financial distress the firm was experiencing. Going into detail about caseload and expectations, he ignored the mumbling around the table.
Then he put everything on the line. “We are going to have to make big changes around here. If you don’t like these changes, you are welcome to leave Paxton. Your shares will be purchased at a fair price.”
Mark picked up a stack of papers and asked Lindsey to start passing them around the table. “The requirements for each partner’s performance are detailed in this literature. If you can’t meet your billing requirements, you simply won’t be here. We’re not a nonprofit and we do not do charity work,” he paused for a beat, “contrary to what our current caseload indicates.”
Heads dropped in concentration as each partner read the material. Mark let his eyes trail around the table and then stopped on Lindsey. “Questions thus far?” he asked the room without looking away from her.
Lindsey met his gaze squarely, her eyes full of respect. It wasn’t difficult to see why Paxton needed him. His tactics were hardcore, but she admired his ability to control the room and the firm. There was an inner strength, a power to Mark that drew her like a magnet. Si
tting in the midst of a room of her peers, Lindsey understood why he rose to the top. Others found him as compelling as she did. His enemies found him dangerous, a true threat. His clients found him competent, a true defender. His lovers found him caring, as she did. The thought made her pulse quicken as vivid images of their bodies naked and wrapped together swirled through her mind.
Mark’s eyes narrowed as he watched her, as if he sensed her mind was on their relationship and not the business of the meeting. For a moment, they sat absorbed with one another. It was Mark who broke the eye contact as he looked around the room.
“No questions?” he asked again.
Todd Walker, a gruff-looking man Lindsey guessed to be in his fifties, spoke up at that point. “What does Lindsey have to do with this?”
Mark answered. “Lindsey will take over in six months. I won’t be staying. Next question.”
The man sneered. “What? You are going to leave us with some young broad who appears more into style than law?”
Lindsey opened her mouth to offer a tongue-lashing, her eyes throwing daggers at the man, but Mark was already responding. “I assure you, Ms. Paxton’s exterior assets only work as an added plus in the courtroom. She is not only a fine attorney, she’s a member of the FBI. Cross her and you might find yourself learning more about her skills than you’d hoped.”
The room filled with laughter. Lindsey sat dumbstruck by Mark’s sharp response on her behalf. Clearly considering the subject closed, Mark began reviewing case files. It was several hours later when he adjourned the meeting. Lindsey was one of the first to leave as several partners stopped to speak to Mark. She walked through the lobby, ready to get some alone time, deep in thought.
“There you are Lindsey.” She looked up to find Greg. “I was afraid you might have backed out of our date.”
Lindsey stood face to face with Greg, wondering how she’d forgotten something she so dreaded. “No,” she said in a strained voice. “I just need to get my stuff. I’ll be right back.”
Lindsey walked with a quick, long stride, nervous as hell that Greg and Mark would cross paths. And her worst fears were confirmed as she found her way back to the lobby. Mark and Greg were talking. She tensed the minute she saw them, Mark’s stiff demeanor telling her all she needed to know. He’d condemned her without knowing the whole story. Rigid coldness etched his features, and he refused to make eye contact with her. She wished she could explain, but somehow she doubted he would listen. The cobra had not stayed in the conference room. He was alive and well in the lobby.
Greg smiled as she joined them. “There you are, Lindsey,” he said. “I was just asking Mark what your father did to convince him to come back.”
Lindsey’s eyes darted to Mark’s face, but he still didn’t look at her. “What did he say to that?” Lindsey asked tentatively.
“Actually, I don’t believe he answered me.” Greg said.
Mark stared at Greg a moment and then turned his gaze on Lindsey. She hated the coldness in those dark eyes of his. She longed to see them tender and aroused like the night before. And when he spoke, his voice was downright frigid. “If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. I’ll let you two be on your way.” He turned on his heels and disappeared without another word. Lindsey felt her stomach churn with downright nausea. It took Herculean strength to fight the urge to run after Mark and explain. Yet she also knew she shouldn’t have to explain. Should she? She had no commitments to Mark Reeves, and he had no commitments to her. Yet she couldn’t shake her need to explain things to him.
“Well, let’s go, Lindsey.” Greg smiled with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. As if he knew what he had just done.
Only a few minutes later, Greg and Lindsey settled into the coffee shop chairs. Lindsey felt a ping of displeasure as Greg ordered her a drink, no request for her preference. Steve had done the same thing, and it felt like a friendly, courteous gesture. From Greg, it felt like he was assuming. Try as she might, when he set it in front of her, she couldn’t bring herself to drink it.
“So Lindsey, how have you been?”
She couldn’t manage to hold back a biting response. “Well, my father has cancer, I am handling a murder trial similar to the Hudson case, and I’ve given up my career at the FBI. How do I sound?”
He leaned back as if slapped, but his eyes looked more amused than anything. “Touché.” She could feel his eyes on her even as she averted her eyes to the table.
“Perhaps,” she said, but she wasn’t about to apologize.
“You look beautiful,” he said. She lifted her gaze, but she didn’t speak. There was an uncomfortable silence between them. He leaned back in his chair, one arm dangling behind him. “I thought Mark left your father’s firm for good. I even heard it was a nasty departure.”
“I asked him to return.”
Greg raised a brow. “Why?”
“I was, and still am, not prepared to take over the firm.”
“Why didn’t you come to me, Lindsey?” There was irritation, even a bit of heat, in his voice.
“Greg, please don’t make things more difficult than they have to be.” It took all of her willpower to make the words sound civil.
“I would have helped you.”
Lindsey knew his form of help, and it was all about power and control. She wanted no part of it. She leaned forward, using every bit of mental fortitude she owned to hold back full-blown anger. “I didn’t need help. I needed experience at Paxton, which Mark has. In case you didn’t notice, I am quite capable of taking care of myself.” Though he’d tried damn hard in the past to make her feel she couldn’t.
“Lindsey . . .” he started to speak, but Lindsey held her hand up to stop his speech. “Greg, stop. Let’s change the subject.”
He was silent a long moment, shifting in his chair. “I tried to call you in Washington. You never returned my calls.”
“I know.”
He looked pointedly at her left hand, which cupped her coffee. “I take it you’re not married.”
“No, not married.”
“Me either. I’m still waiting on you, Lindsey.” His voice was a seductive purr.
Lindsey’s eyes narrowed on his, her discomfort heavy. “We are the past. Gone. We both know that.”
“You never even told me why you ended our engagement. I deserved, correction . . .” he leaned forward, “deserve, to know what happened.”
She shrugged, and leaned back in her seat wanting distance. “It wouldn’t change anything, so it’s pointless.”
A wave of vulnerability flashed through his eyes, surprising her. “Two people in love can deal with whatever comes their way.”
Lindsey shifted in her seat and cleared her throat, not liking the direction he was going with this. “Greg, please drop this. Tell me about the Williams case. Seems pretty circumstantial to me.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “So does my guilt at this point.” He lowered his voice and put his hand on hers. “Lindsey, I love you.”
She stiffened and pulled her hands to her lap. “No you don’t, Greg. You never even knew me.”
He ground his jaw tightly. “What?” he asked, disbelief in his voice. His eyes narrowed. “If anything, I knew you better than you knew yourself.”
She shook her head from side to side. “No,” she said adamantly. “You knew the Lindsey my father created, the Lindsey you helped him feed and keep alive.” She pointed at her chest with her finger. “I am not that person.” She enunciated each word.
He glared at her. “Lindsey, this is crazy. We were in love.”
She met his gaze with an unblinking stare. One of the things she always hated about her relationship with Greg was the way he told her what she felt. Didn’t she deserve to decide her own feelings? “No,” she said with ruthless intention. He didn’t understand any other tactic. “We were not in love.”
Greg just stared at her like he didn’t comprehend her words. After a long moment, he fell back in his chair as if the wind
had been knocked out of him, emotions darting across his face in wild array. His face settled into hard lines of anger. “I see,” he said through clenched teeth. Squaring his shoulders, he continued, “Obviously you came here to talk business, so let’s talk business. Williams is guilty. Life, with no parole. That will spare him the death penalty. Take it or leave it.”
“Circumstantial evidence is all you have. That’s not going to fly,” Lindsey shot back.
“You have to make the offer to your client,” he pressed.
“He will decline,” she retorted.
“You can’t win,” he declared immediately.
“I will win, you can count on it,” she stated firmly. Lindsey stood abruptly, pushing her chair back from the table. “See you in court, Greg.” She turned and left the coffee shop without a look backwards.
Seconds later, Lindsey stepped hard on the pavement, still feeling the sizzle of anger as she walked towards her apartment. Only she wasn’t sure if she was angrier with herself or with Greg. She had thoroughly screwed up any chance to get cooperation or information from him. If only she had controlled her feelings until she had picked his brain. Instead, she turned winning the case into a more important issue to Greg than ever. Winning was now about his ego.
“Damn,” she mumbled.
How was she going to tell Mark she’d played the wrong game, and lost?
* * * * *
The words on the page began to drift together, and Mark tossed his pen onto the desk. Rubbing his eyes with his fingers, he tried to clear his view and then glanced at his watch. Exhaling loudly, he realized it was nine o’clock. No wonder he couldn’t see straight. Working was the only way he knew to keep his mind off Lindsey with Greg. Only it wasn’t working. Looking at the clock, he double-checked the time. It couldn’t be this damn late and he’d made so little progress with his work.
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