“Ah, actually no,” Juliana took a deep breath. This not being angry was hard. Jeff hadn’t given her a single credit. “He originally offered a hundred and then tried to buy me off with a measly twenty-thousand.”
“Oh.” The woman looked lost.
Thankfully, the platform stopped and they could get out. Juliana paused only long enough for the security droid to scan her for weapons. At the end of the hall, a woman was in tears, being comforted by a group of friends. The floor was designated wholly for familial domestic affairs—marriages, divorces, asset disputes, custody and any other type of disagreements between family members.
The walls were dark brown, making San de stand out even more in her yellow. The woman tried to hurry past the security droid and Juliana hid a smile as the droid forcibly stopped her. Going down the long hall, she spotted the courtroom labeled for Assets Distribution and went inside. Jeff was already there. His insipid brown eyes found her and she frowned back at him, returning his look.
She thought of Maverick, missing him terribly. The months had been hard, but she’d gotten though them. And all because of Maverick. He left her alone when she needed to cry and be alone, gave her passion when she needed sex and when she needed someone to hold her, he held her. For three months, he hadn’t demanded anything from her. He hadn’t even insisted she help with bills, even after she’d gotten a job at a local school, working with troubled children. The job came from his recommendation, and was one of the most rewarding things she’d ever done. His not asking for money didn’t stop her from helping out. She liked contributing. In fact, just doing that had made her more confident in herself.
Giving a stern look, she stepped inside, walked boldly to the court’s record keeper and let her thumb be scanned for the record. Then, turning to Jeff, she asked, “Are you ready to make a fair division? All I want is half.”
“You don’t deserve a single credit,” Jeff answered, his tone confident.
Juliana shook her head, truly disappointed in him. She hadn’t come here with the intention of being a bitch, but he wasn’t going to leave her a choice. Knowing Jeff, he would never know what hit him, she reached into her pocket and she handed over a chip to the judge, who in turn put it into her reader so everyone could see the contents on the viewing screen behind her. “I seek only to fully reclaim what is mine, your grace.”
“Which is nothing,” Jeff said. “I’m the one who works for a living.”
The door in the back of the courtroom opened and San de called, “Wait for me. I’m here!”
“And you are?” the judge asked.
“San de Val le,” San de answered, holding out her ring finger. “I’m Jeff’s fiancée.”
“Quiet, Miss Valley,” the judge said, her tone stern. San de opened her mouth to speak. Jeff shushed her and told her to sit down. She did, sulking.
“Your grace, I have proof that my marriage to Mr. Harrison was never legally binding. He used a fake scanner print in what I’m guessing was an attempt to hide some very unsavory arrests on his record involving women of, ah,” she paused looking at San de, “low morals.”
“What?” Jeff demanded his face red. He looked down at his table and tapped his pockets, as if searching for some defense. He’d come unprepared, clearly thinking she would be blindsided by the proceedings and not have a clue.
Juliana knew he’d never find a defense for it. In her search of the documents for their assets, she had found Jeff’s print. She didn’t know why she never caught it before, but there was an obvious difference in the marriage contract and the documents he’d signed after becoming a lawyer. It took some doing, but Maverick was able to look up his old record for her. It would seem Jeff was a very bad boy, one who probably thought that he’d erased his record when he became a lawyer. But, electronic records never really went away.
“As you can see, we were never married legally. All the documentation is there—affidavits from the arresting officers and a denouncement by the clergy. The only legal thing was when I changed my name to fit his.”
“Who wrote that for you?” Jeff demanded.
“I did,” Juliana smiled, moving to take her seat. “I warned you. I paid attention when doing your homework. By the way, Jeff, you should really call your parents. They would like a word with you.”
“You called my parents?” he gasped, appearing very much like the child about to be scolded.
“The clergy did, sorry,” she said, not really sorry. He’d lied to all of them for years and it was time to face his deeds.
“Do you have a list of your personal assets?” the judge asked.
“I do,” Juliana said. “Screen two is a list of what I brought with me into the marriage, itemized and documented. As you see, it includes Ms. Valle’s ring, which I’d be willing to sell to Mr. Harrison for fair market price.”
San de pouted, but looked relieved when she didn’t have to give it back right away. Jeff sulked, looking miserable.
“Screen three is a copy of my inheritance and the purchase documents for my home using the money from it.” Juliana continued to list her case. Jeff had no defense.
“In light of there not being a legal standing marriage, all personal property is hereby returned to the original owner. As for assets shared or purchased during the time of co-habitation, they will be divided equally as it appears Mrs. Harrison was one half partner in the business of your law position.”
“What? This is—” Jeff was cut off by the judge’s hard look as she continued her ruling. The ruling was fair, as the judge let him keep the hover car and a good portion of the house’s furnishings.
“Jeffy?” San de asked, her voice a whine. “But what about my parents? If we don’t have a house where will they stay?”
Juliana didn’t speak to Jeff as she thanked the judge and left. Within seconds the judge had her half of their credits instantly transferred to an account under her name and police officers dispatched to assure Jeff left her property and her belongings without incident.
As she left the elevator platform and walked into the lobby, she smiled. Maverick was waiting for her on the outside steps. She saw him clearly through the front lobby windows. He was always on her mind and seeing him in his uniform still made her shiver every time.
Nodding his head, he smiled as she came out. The small dimple showed on the side of his beautiful lips. She’d spent hours kissing that mouth. In fact, since their very first embrace, she couldn’t seem to stop kissing him. It was crazy to jump from a nonexistent marriage straight into a relationship, but that’s exactly what had seemed to happen. Only, neither one of them had ever talked about it.
Pushing through the door, she started to go to him, only to be stopped by a familiar voice.
“Juliana?”
Juliana was surprised to see Arielle, the wife of Jeff’s boss. She hadn’t seen the woman since before the restraining order. They’d served on charity boards together and Arielle was one of the few women Juliana had missed talking to in her exile. The woman was stunningly beautiful, with a slender, graceful body and a delicate bone structure. Her brown hair was pulled back into a bun, but she by no means looked dowdy with the tame style.
“Juliana,” Arielle said, hugging her. “I was so worried about you. No one knew where to find you. When I found out the proceedings were today, I came down to see you. How are you?”
“I’m good. It’s thankfully over and I … I’m good.”
“I can’t believe Jeff. When I found out what he’d done…” Arielle shivered, shaking her head. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“You’re married to—”
“Pish!” the woman dismissed, as if knowing what Juliana was going to say about her being married to Jeff’s boss. “But, that is exactly my point. I am married to his boss and have some authority over the business. I may be a housewife, but my husband lives in that house and I’m ruler there. When I found out what happened, that he had evicted you without a credit to your name, I made sure my husb
and was aware of the situation. Jeff is about to get his just reward. Mortimer is going up there right now to have a word with him.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Juliana said.
“Oh, but I did. Besides, it wasn’t hard. I just used the skills all women have to negotiate.” Arielle leaned in and said quietly, “I refused sexual attention until I got my way. It only took about five minutes.”
Juliana laughed.
“My husband quickly saw the light and agrees with me. A man who doesn’t take care of his family obligations wouldn’t be a team player and the firm needs someone reliable. He will still have a job, but a woman will be promoted into his spot as a partner. Lacy Vanders.”
“That will be a real sting to his ego,” Juliana said.
“I know,” Arielle chuckled. “So, how are you really? Do you have a place to stay? Please tell me you got the house? That is your house. All that work you put into it.”
“Yes, I did.” Juliana saw Maverick standing back from them.
“Good, good,” Arielle nodded. She turned to where Juliana looked.
“Ah, Maverick,” Juliana said. “This is Ariell--”
Arielle gave a small whistle. “Well, well, well, I see now why we haven’t seen you around lately. And, in which case, we all forgive you.”
Juliana tried not to blush.
“I’m going to head up.” Arielle pointed up the side of the tall courthouse. “But I’ll get in touch with you later. I need your help with some luncheon thing. You know those Tennian diplomats are so fussy. I can never please them, but they rave about you. I just might have to hire you to do it for me.”
“I’d be happy to help,” Juliana answered as Arielle waved goodbye.
“I see you have more friends than you thought.” Maverick’s voice washed over her. She’d missed him even though it had been a short time.
“It would seem so,” Juliana answered.
“So it’s over,” he said.
“Yes, completely over.” She sighed, feeling light and carefree.
“Congratulations. I heard a call go out over the dispatch for a couple of the officers to escort Jeff from the courthouse. Apparently, he’s causing a scene and broke a chair.”
“That isn’t too surprising considering his mood when I walked out.” Juliana touched his arm, lightly stroking his uniform. She wanted to lean into him, but was aware that they were in public and he was on duty. “I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.”
“Anytime,” he said, not meeting her eyes as he looked up the building. “So I heard you got your house back.”
“Yes, I did.” She wondered at his tone. Her house didn’t feel like her home. She liked living with Maverick. “I got everything I asked for. A completely fair division.”
“You deserve it, Juliana. You deserve everything you could ever want.” He touched her cheek. “Are you ready to go celebrate? I got off shift an hour ago. Sean can give us a ride.”
“I know I said I wanted to go out after this was over, but would you mind terribly if we just went home?” Juliana asked, peeking up at him to gauge his reaction when she said home. “I just want to take a long shower and relax the rest of the day while we watch an old transmission.”
“I suppose you miss your place, don’t you?” His face was strained as he glanced around the front of the courthouse. They were relatively alone, with only a few people walking back and forth.
“I don’t know. It’s just a house.” She gave him a coy look. “And I don’t have a water shower.”
“I can help you put one in,” he offered. She grimaced. That wasn’t what she’d been hinting at.
Juliana started walking, pulling him along with her. “Can we get out of here before they drag Jeff down? I don’t want to create another scene.”
“All right.”
“Is something wrong? You sound strange.” She studied his handsome face as he brought her toward the hover patrol car. His partner, Sean, was sitting inside, waiting for them. He lifted his hand, smiling and waving. All the guys on the force had been really nice to her, accepting her easily into their midst. A few of them even came to the house to eat, mostly the single guys with no woman at home, and Maverick had invited them over a few times for drinks.
“No,” he said, only to stop before the car, not opening the door. “Well, yes. No.”
“Maverick? What is it?” Her gut tightened. What was this? This was supposed to be a happy day. Now that she was completely free of commitments, did he not want her anymore? Was he going to end their affair? Demand she move out of his house now that she had her own? Did he regret the last months?
“I don’t want you to move out,” he blurted. “I want you to stay with me.”
Juliana gasped, suddenly realizing how silly her worries were. She knew this man, knew him with all her heart. He was good, kind and he would never hurt her.
Smiling, she touched his face. “Why would I move out?”
“Well, you have money now and you,” he paused, taking a deep breath. “You don’t need me.”
“Don’t need you? Maverick, that’s foolish talk. I don’t want to move out of your home. You’re my best friend. I like our living arrangements. Just because I have money doesn’t mean I’m going to change anything. If you’ll have me, I want to stay.”
Maverick shook his head. “That’s a real shame.”
Juliana gasped. “What? You…? You don’t like the way things are between us? I don’t understand. I thought you said you didn’t want me to move out.”
He again glanced around. Juliana followed his gaze. No one was there. He was acting so strange. Sean knocked on the window to hurry them up. Maverick ignored him.
“I want more,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. “I’ve waited for this day. I knew you wanted to get this part of your life over with once and for all and well, now that it is, I have something to say.”
Her heart beat faster and her mouth became suddenly dry. She’d never seen him look at her like this.
“I love you, Juliana. I didn’t expect it to happen, but I do. I like having you at the house, and these last months I’ve been so scared that after your financial arrangements were taken care of, you’d want to leave and start over. Well, I’m asking you to start over. With me.”
Juliana frowned, confused. What was he saying? He loved her? He wanted her to start over? It was all so sudden, and yet not. Joy unfurled within her, spreading over her entire length.
Reaching into his jacket, Maverick pulled out a ring, “I was going to give this to you tonight at dinner, but… marry me. Not right away, just someday. Say you’ll be mine. I love you. I want to give you a life that rocket boy never could.”
“Maverick,” she whispered, tears in her eyes.
“I love you, Juliana,” he said, cupping her face. “And I want to be with you. I don’t care if we get married tomorrow or in twenty years. I just want to know that you’re mine for the rest of our lives.”
Nodding, she smiled, never having felt so happy even as her eyes spilled over with tears. What was it about his man? He could take what should be her toughest days and make them the best. “Yes. I love you, too, Maverick and yes. Yes, I will marry you … someday.”
He whooped at the top of his lungs, darting forward to wrap his arms around her waist. Spinning her in circles, he kissed her. Everything was perfect.
Sean poked his head out of the hover car’s window. “I take it she said yes? Does this mean we are having a party at your house tonight?”
“Sorry, Sean, tonight is a party for two,” Juliana said, unable to keep from laughing. Then, to Maverick she whispered, “I love you, Officer Perkins.”
The End
About the Author, Michelle M. Pillow
Michelle M. Pillow, Author of All Things Romance™, is a multi-published, award winning author writing in many romance fiction genres including futuristic, paranormal, historical, contemporary, fantasy and dark paranormal. Ever since she can r
emember, she has had a strange fascination with anything supernatural—ghosts, magical powers, and oh… vampires. What could be more alluring than being immortal, all-powerful, and eternally beautiful? After discovering historical romance novels, it was only natural that the supernatural and love/romance elements should someday meet in her wonderland of a brain. She’s glad they did for their children have been pouring onto the computer screen ever since.
She has been nominated for the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award 2011, the winner of the 2006 RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, nominated for the 2007 RT Award, a Brava Novella Contest Finalist and a PAN member of RWA.
Michelle is a journalist for Paranormal Underground Magazine. She has a BGS in History/Business with an English Minor, and a Photography degree. In 2009 she and fellow author Mandy M. Roth started their own highly successful publishing endeavor named The Raven Books.
Michelle has titles published with The Raven Books, Pocket Books, Random House, Virgin Books, Adam’s Media, Samhain Publishing, Running Press, and more.
She loves to hear from readers. They can contact her through her website www.michellepillow.com.
Join her email newsletter at www.michellepillow.com/newsletter/?p=subscribe
To learn more about Michelle M. Pillow please visit her website www.MichellePillow.com
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The following material is free of charge. It will never affect the price of your book.
Prospect Springs Shifters
Blaze of Glory
by Mandy M. Roth
Western Paranormal Futuristic Steampunk
Sheriff Jonathan MacSweeny is in charge of keeping the peace in Prospect Springs. Frontier living isn’t what it used to be. It’s hard to survive in the New Old West and it’s even harder when your area doesn’t exactly embrace supernaturals—and you howl at the moon. That being said, he’s good at his job and has a reputation with the ladies. When he learns his childhood sweetheart is to be married off to the town sleazebag, he goes in guns blazing to see to it she’s his. Problem is, Molly isn’t the same girl he remembers from ten years prior. Now she’s a gun-toting, foul-mouthed, vixen with a badge of her own.
Arrested Desires Page 7
