Except…
He was the one to constantly break them. The affection. Spending time together. The kisses. Cuddles. Taking me places. Showing his care and concern.
Still, he was clear on his thoughts about relationships and love. And although his actions said otherwise, he wasn’t interested in a lasting relationship. I had to remind myself of that fact.
Rene was wrong. Halton was my lawyer, my friend, and my temporary lover. Nothing more. We were simply filling a void for each other. Once his sleep patterns had adjusted and a new woman caught his eye, my saturation level would be reached, and I would be replaced.
I had to guard my heart. It was already bruised enough.
Halton
Despite how busy the office was and the assholes I dealt with all day Monday, my mood was almost euphoric. I was rested, energized, and in control. A weekend spent gorging on sleep, sex, and Fee had done me a world of good.
I also liked being able to see her whenever I looked up—which I found myself doing often during the day. Usually, her head was bent over some task, her lovely hair shielding her face, but more than once, I had caught her studying me, seemingly unable to look away any more than I could.
I teased her about it, but I also felt the thrill of pride, knowing she liked what she saw. God knew how much I liked looking at her, hearing her voice when she talked to Rene or was on the phone. Her laughter made my lips curl in response, no matter what I was dealing with at the time. My gaze greedily watched her walk toward me, her hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her back in long silver waves. She wore her glasses in the office, which, coupled with her pretty blouses and skirts, gave her a naughty librarian vibe. I had constant fantasies about taking her against the tall oak bookcases in my library while she wore those glasses. Hearing her moan my name in my ear as she came. Feeling her heels dig into my ass as I drove into her. I was determined to make it happen somehow.
Her retreating view was equally spectacular. Her hips swayed as she moved, her A-line skirt showing off her ass to perfection. I knew how that ass looked naked. How plump and supple those cheeks felt under my fingers. How they clenched when I bit them. How perfectly her hips filled my hands as I rode her.
I spent the day with a perpetual hard-on. I constantly adjusted myself, at times closing my door to allow my blood to disperse to other parts of my body for a few moments. The respite was brief since as soon as I saw her again, my cock took notice.
Horny bastard.
Add in the library fantasy, and I was fucked.
And not in a good way.
A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts. With a sigh, I leaned back into the rich leather of my chair.
“In,” I called, shutting the file I hadn’t really been giving the proper attention.
Reid Matthews strolled in, his usual cocky smile in place. A laptop was tucked under his arm, and his free hand held a cup of coffee. He flung himself into the chair across from me.
“Hey.”
“Reid. I wasn’t expecting to see you today. I called Wyatt earlier, but all I got was his voice mail.”
Reid grinned. “I think you scared him with your attitude last week. Then I showed up at his place, and he was convinced he was out of a great gig. I assured him I was there to help augment the project and his contract was safe.”
“Is that a fact?” I asked dryly.
“It is. He does great work. He doesn’t like going out into the real world much. So, I’m playing messenger.”
There was another knock at my door, and Rene walked in without waiting for a response. He set a hot cup of coffee beside me. “I’ll hold your calls. I have Fee busy in the file room.”
“Thanks, Rene.”
He left, pulling the door shut behind him.
Reid sipped his coffee, grinning over the rim. “So, it’s true. Fee is working here?”
I waved my hand. “She had experience in a law office, and Rene needs the assistance.”
“Uh-huh.” He winked. “I caught a glimpse of her. She rocks that silver hair. Very sexy.”
I glared at him, ignoring his remarks, knowing he was trying to goad me. “What did you two come up with?”
He opened the laptop, getting serious. “Wyatt was right. We’re not PIs, Hal. I can’t tell you about his personal habits. I can only tell you what his computer shows me.”
“I know. Wyatt was pissing me off—I needed to light a fire under him.”
Reid chuckled. “You did. Wyatt got the message. I can tell you this. Scott is behaving erratically, and I suspect you’re right. There are constant withdrawals from his accounts. His billing hours at the law practice are down. Personal bills are overdue. He’s taken a second mortgage out on his house.” He sucked in a deep breath. “It all started about nine months ago and has been escalating.”
“Okay. So, he’s using, and his life is falling apart.”
“Coincidently, he hired a new assistant around the same time as his behavior became erratic. I checked her out. She isn’t good news.”
I sat back, rubbing my chin. “Sounds as if she’s a bad influence.”
“She was up on drug-related charges. And guess who the lawyer was who got her off on those charges?”
I lifted one eyebrow. “Then the stupid fucker hired her?”
“I think so.”
I whistled. “How is the company structured?”
“In his favor. He has the final say, the largest shareholder. No one can bring him down.” He turned the laptop to face me. “Their financials are good, even with his lack of hours. The firm is solid.”
I frowned as I studied the numbers. They were decent, but they seemed wrong somehow. Given the large number of cases they took on, I would have thought their bottom line would have been higher. Personally, Scott was spending a lot of money. There were constant large cash withdrawals. If he had a bad drug habit, it was only going to get worse. He was still comfortable, but if he carried on this way, in a year or so, that would change drastically.
“He threw out an offer on Friday to Fee. Maybe I should tell her to accept.”
Reid lifted a shoulder. “We just started digging. Give us a couple more days.”
I reached into my drawer and handed Reid the memory stick Fee had given me. “This is information off his private home computer. It has financials on it.”
Reid plugged it in, and for a few moments, there was only the sound of the keyboard strokes and his quiet mutterings. He glanced up with a frown.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“There is a completely different set of numbers here. And there is one name that keeps coming up—and I don’t remember seeing it in the other books as billable. I did see it noted pro-bono a few times.”
I barked out a laugh. “The ass is screwing his partners too? Skimming and hiding it?”
“We need to do some cross-referencing and checking, but I think that, yes, he is.”
“What a total bastard.”
Reid pushed his hair off his forehead. “I don’t think that is big news.”
“No. The way he has treated Fee, no. But screwing his partners as well? God knows what other illegal things he has his hands in.”
Reid typed fast, studying his screen. “The name is a huge, well-known drug lord. He’s constantly in the paper.”