Ethan
Claire seemed not to hold my accusation against me, but I still felt bad I’d insulted her. I shouldn’t have suggested that, but I had sat for hours being interrogated by the agents as she flirted with Creedie. And every cell in my body wanted to lean across the table and punch him.
I saw it at the start of our meeting when she shook his hand. Then, when she got on the ground, I thought my dick was going to explode out of my pants.
Claire Whitfield, crawling on the ground with her perfect, sexy calves was a visual I was never going to get out of my mind. As she reached farther to grab her pen, her ass pumped into the air. Her shirt came untucked from her pencil skirt, and I saw the faint outline of her pink thong.
Images of her naked ass with a thin strip of pink came soaring into my mind. I almost groaned out loud at the thought.
Then she put her hand on mine. She was warning me not to tap my fingers, but it took me a bit to get my mind out of the gutter...because when Claire turned to look at me, she looked straight at my dick. I forgot I was in interrogations for a moment. When she gaped at my crotch, visions of her unzipping my pants and sucking my dick consumed me.
But she pulled her shock at my hard-on off her face and pierced my eyes as she pushed her hand harder on mine. She made it clear that she’d intentionally thrown her pen down in order to stop me tapping.
I was surprised by how far she would go to protect me as her client. I didn’t know any other attorneys who would have gotten on the ground. She must think I’m a total pervert, sitting in an interrogation with a hard-on.
Try as I might, my attraction toward her was stronger than when I woke up. She seemed to have gotten sexier overnight. How? I didn’t know.
I sat in a booth across from her and stared at the menu. The words weren't registering in my head as the light scent of her perfume filled my nostrils. Was it roses?
The waitress came over, and Claire ordered. I had no idea what she chose.
“I’ll have the same.” I handed my menu to the waitress before she left.
I could feel her gaze on me before I turned my head back toward her. “You did good in there.”
My mind was a blank slate as I tried to think of what to say, so I just gave her a small smile and nodded. Mesmerized by her face, I sat there like a total idiot and stared at her.
Thankfully, she didn’t have the same problem I did. “They don’t have any more questions. They’ll keep asking you the same questions in different ways. Do you want to get the next part of today over with quickly?”
“Does anyone not want interrogations to be over quickly?” I attempted to joke.
She gave me a small smile.
God, she is so damn gorgeous. Her smile lights up the room.
Claire started to talk and stopped. I waited. Slowly, she chose her words carefully. “I’m going to need to manipulate Creedie...hard.” She searched my eyes for my reaction.
Her eyes were full of guilt. I could see that my assessment of her earlier had consequences. I sank farther back into the booth. “Claire, do what you need to do. I’m sorry,” I repeated.
“You don’t have to apologize. You already did.”
“I’ve made you feel like you need to get my permission to do your job. You don’t. You’re here because I need you, so don’t let my stupidity make you second-guess yourself.”
Slowly, she nodded. “Okay, then. I won’t.”
I decided to change the subject. “How long have you worked with Dan?”
She started to say something and stopped. Then, without emotion, “It’ll be six years in October.”
“He’s lucky to have you on his team. You’re good at what you do.”
Something passed across her eyes. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but she quickly gave me another one of her killer smiles. “Thanks.”
I tried to think of what else to say, but her smile turned my brain to mush.
Once again, she saved the conversation. “What made you open a property management business?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “My basketball career with the Volts was short-lived. I love property and sort of fell into it.”
“I didn’t know you played for the Volts.”
I snickered. “Like I said, it was short-lived.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Sorry to hear that. You’ve owned your company for fifteen years, right?”
So, she had done some homework on me. A bit of adrenaline pumped through my veins.
Settle down, shithead. Of course she would know that—she’s representing you.
“Yes.”
“Looks like you’ve built a great company.”
“Not that it’s going to do me any good if I end up in jail, or this gets out to my other clients,” I blurted out. Crap, why did I go and say that? I turned and looked at the bar area.
She put her hand over mine. “Ethan.”
The warmth of her hand sent pulses through my body. I gazed down at her hand and slowly looked up at her. I wanted that hand on other parts of my body. I think my eyes gave my thoughts away, because she quickly removed her hand.
“I didn’t do it.” Shit! I’m sure she hears that from all her clients.
“I didn’t say you did.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“What makes you believe I think you did it?”
I shrugged. “It’s my responsibility to know everything that goes on in my company. There’s no proof that this leads to anyone. If I were you, I would think I did it.”
“Things aren’t always what they appear to be, Ethan.”
So she did believe I was innocent? Or no? She still hadn’t confirmed that she thought I wasn’t the culprit.
The waitress arrived with our lunch. Claire and I didn’t break our locked stare. “Can I bring you anything else?”
I continued staring at Claire. “No, that will be all, thank you.”
Claire broke it first, picked up her water, and took a long drink.
She even makes drinking water sexy.
I looked down at my plate. A crab cake sat on my plate, staring up at me. Quickly, I pushed my plate away from me in the hopes I wasn’t going to break out in hives and go into anaphylactic shock.
“Something wrong with your lunch?” Claire squinted at me.
“I’m extremely allergic to shellfish.”
“Why did you order that, then?”
“Because you distracted me,” came flying out of my mouth. Shit, shit, SHIT!
Claire bit her lip, tried not to smile, but didn’t do a great job covering up her humor at my admission.
I grabbed my napkin and pushed the plate farther to her side of the table. “Here, have mine, too.”
Grabbing the plates and quickly standing up, she walked over to the bar and set the plates down. Then, she walked over to the bathroom and went inside. I assumed she washed her hands, because she was quickly back at the booth.
“You didn’t have to do that. You can eat your lunch.” Jeez, I was such a dumbass.
She laughed. “Come on, let’s go.”
I wrinkled my brow at her.
“Come on,” she repeated, and motioned for me to follow her.
I threw down some cash and followed her outside. “Claire, you can eat your lunch,” I told her again.
“I know. Don’t worry—I’m going to.”
I followed her down the street.
“You allergic to anything else?”
“No, only shellfish.”
She stopped in front of a hot dog vendor. “Two hot dogs, one loaded.” She turned to me. “Or do you want two yourself?”
I stared at her in surprise. This girl with the perfect body eats loaded hot dogs?
“Ethan...two or one?”
“One is good.”
“How do you want it?”
Just give me the toppings and let me lick them off your body. I tried to hide my grin, unsuccessfully. “Loaded, please,” I told the vendor.
“Water?”
“Yes, please.”
She grabbed two bottles and turned back to me. “Well, don’t just stand there. You’re paying,” she teased me.
My face got a bit red. “Oh...sorry...of course.” I was flustered. I grabbed my wallet out and paid for our dogs and water.
Claire walked a bit farther down the street, into the park, and quickly found a bench.
I sat down next to her.
She took a bite of her hot dog while I grinned at her like a schoolboy. “What?” she asked between mouthfuls.
I stared at her in disbelief. “You eat loaded hot dogs?”
“Is that a crime?”
I laughed. “I didn’t think of you as a woman who eats hot dogs...much less loaded.”
Claire cocked her head to the side. “What kind of woman do you think I am?”
What kind of woman did I think she was?
Hot.
Sexy.
Incredibly smart.
Way out of my league.
I threw my hands in the air. “I don’t know... Just not one who eats loaded hot dogs.”
She shoved another mouthful past her lips and made mmm sounds.
I grinned at her. “You enjoying that?”
“Yup.” She popped the ‘p’ and licked her lips.
I laughed, then started eating mine. “I haven’t had one of these in a long time. I forgot how good they are.”
“See all the perks you get when I’m your attorney,” Claire teased.
You can give me all the perks you want.
“You’ve got a little bit of mustard on your lip,” I pointed out.
She licked her lips slowly.
The things I want to do with that tongue of hers.
“You missed it.” I didn’t think before I reached over, swiped the mustard off with my thumb, and pushed it into her mouth so she could lick it off. I lingered a bit on her bottom lip.
She started blushing, and I slowly pulled my hand away.
My dick did a little victory lap.
It was the first time since I’d met her that she had indicated anything but cool composure in the face of my undeniable attraction toward her. The pressure of her lips around my thumb and the small lick from her tongue sent little bursts of adrenaline throughout me once more.
But she took control again and looked down at her watch. “We’ve got twenty minutes to be back.”
I popped the last bite of my hot dog in my mouth and stood up. Grabbing the trash out of her hand, I walked over to the garbage can and threw it out.
We started walking when her phone rang. She gave me a strange look. “Agent Creedie,” she purred. “We’re almost back.”
My stomach flipped at her flirting with Creedie again, but I reminded myself nothing was going on with them.
“My client has nothing to hide, so whatever you need from me, you let me know,” she flirted.
I rolled my eyes.
She caught me and winked.
Okay, I’m going to need to learn to play it cool with this game.
“See you soon.” She hung up.
I waited for her to talk.
“Looks like you’re off the hook today. They have another issue they need to take care of.”
Relief and disappointment surged through me. I was happy the interrogation was over for the day, but bummed I didn’t get to spend more time with her.
You just got out of an interrogation and you’re upset? Get a grip, Ethan.
It was official: I had it bad for Claire Whitfield. I was in trouble.
I was back at my office, reviewing employees that could have a fraction of a chance of embezzling from our clients.
It wasn’t getting me anywhere.
My phone rang. “Hey, Collin.”
Collin Corwin and I had played for the Volts together. We’d been close friends for years. He was also one of the investors in my company.
“Ethan, how did it go?”
I sighed. “I’m not in jail yet.”
“Hey man, we will figure out who did this. Innocent until proven guilty,” Collin reminded me.
“Collin, I’ve gone over and over this. I can’t figure out who in the company would have done this. I’m the only suspect. If I don’t figure out who is guilty soon, I’m afraid I’m going to be locked up for life.”
“Ethan, let’s go through it again on Sunday. Meg’s been saying we need to have you over for dinner anyways.”
“Okay. Thanks, man. I appreciate you having my back.”
“Always. You know that.”
“Still…”
“Don’t do that to yourself,” Collin instructed. “You don’t need to go down that rabbit hole. You haven’t done anything.”
I thanked him again.
“Hey, I have another meeting I need to get ready for, but I’ll see you tonight?” Collin asked.
“Tonight?” I wracked my brain.
“Club D.”
“Shit, Collin. I forgot. Maybe I shouldn’t go with all this going on. My head isn’t in the best place.
“I woke up with a nasty hangover and a random woman this morning,” I admitted to him.
He burst out laughing. “Maybe that’s what you needed.”
“I kicked her out of my place. I don’t even remember it.”
He laughed again. “Ouch. Poor girl. Well, you’ll be with friends tonight. You can’t hide out while this is going on. It’ll drive you crazier.”
I sighed.
“Ethan...I’ll see you at nine tonight, okay?”
“All right, man. See you tonight.”
I really wasn’t up to it, but Collin was standing by me. If he wanted me to go, then I would be there. But I was going to have to keep my head about me.
The rest of my day I spent continuing to review files, but got nowhere. When I went home and saw the crinkled-up sheets hanging all over my bed from the previous night's debacle, I cringed.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t had any one-night stands, but I had never picked up a woman while trying to screw another woman out of my head.
And I didn’t remember a damn thing about it.
I collected all my bedding and threw it on the hottest setting in the washer. Grabbing my extra set of sheets and a quilt, I made the bed.
I thought about having a quick drink, but decided I’d better not. Instead, I decided it was best if I ate some dinner before I went out and drank. After dinner, I showered and got dressed. I would go to Club D and have a drink with Collin and the rest of the gang. Then I would come home. I didn’t need another repeat of last night.
I arrived at the club a little after 9 p.m. As usual, the club was packed.
Derek Derow was near the door when I came in. “Hey, man!” He slapped my back. “Good to see you. Everyone is up in the VIP room. Here’s the elevator key for tonight. I’ve gotta take care of some stuff, but I’ll see you later.”
“Thanks, D.” Derek was another good friend of mine and also a former Volts player. He had built the hottest nightclub chain around the country. With twelve clubs across the country, he was in and out of New York, and I hadn’t seen him in a while. I was instantly glad I came. Collin was right: I needed to surround myself with friends right now.
Derek took off, and I strolled to the elevator and made my way up to the VIP area. I walked in the door and stopped dead in my tracks. My heart started racing.
Standing in the corner with her back to me, wearing a hot-pink, strapless mini-dress that barely covered her ass and five-inch black stilettos, was none other than Claire Whitfield. I couldn’t see her face, but I knew it was her. My eyes quickly scanned the backs of her incredible legs, her perfect ass, and those bare shoulders that I wanted to put my mouth on.
As if she could feel me staring, she slowly spun in my direction and locked eyes with me.
Maybe I will stay for more than one drink.