Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal)(18)

For real.

“What did you say?” I had never felt so faint in my life.

He wiped his fingers on his napkin, then fished out his wallet to retrieve a business card, which he slid across the table toward me.

“I’m a lawyer, Laurie,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You’re a fucking lawyer?” I asked agog, staring at his card.

Of course, that made sense. If someone knew how to pull a stunt like he had while playing within the constraints of the law, then definitely someone who knew the law.

“Your lawyer.”

My heart skidded to a halt. He leaned forward, whispering, “Or how else do you think I was able to bail you out, all without a trial?”

He had a good point. All of a sudden, I could imagine him in there, asking for evidence, talking about my rights. Oh my god, he probably was really good at it.

Sexy as hell in his tailored suit and with those burning eyes.

A lawyer!

Who would have thought?

A man of the law. Someone to fight for justice. And he tricked me into marrying him.

For selfish reasons.

Without meaning to, I started to laugh, the onset of hysteria bubbling at the back of my throat.

“What’s so funny?” His voice was still calm, but carried the slightest hint of irritation.

“You, my fake, lying, husband, reading my rights as my lawyer and talking about the law and justice.”

“It also helped when I stated that we were newlyweds,” he said with a frown on his beautiful face as he watched me. “I also told them you got so wasted you didn’t know what you were doing.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Chase?” I shook my head, my laugh dying in my throat. “Did you not hear a word I said? I don’t give a shit how you got me out.” Anger started to pour out of me in long, thick waves. “I can’t believe you’re a lawyer. A man of the law. Out of all professions, this one is about the most unsuitable you could have picked.”

I took a sip of my wine. Then a few more as a tear ran down my face. I wiped it away angrily.

“Laurie?” he said taken aback. “I know how this looks,” he said again for the umpteenth time of the day.

“No. Let’s not go there again.” I put the empty glass down, and then looked up to his face. “Let me sum it up, Chase. You planned all this?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“And you learned all about sticking to the truth with an oath and all that shit?”

He closed his eyes and whispered, “Yes.”

“And you married me for real?”

“I think we’ve established that already.”

“For your own selfish reasons.”

He took his time with a reply. “Yes.”

“How do you lawyers call it?” I asked a little too forcefully. “It’s called fraud, Chase. It’s fucking against the law to marry someone based on ulterior motivations.”

He said nothing.

“You’ve just corrupted the law you should be believing in,” I said flatly. “It would make so much sense if you told me you were an assassin.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Seriously, Laurie? You’re being dramatic.”

“Am I?” I prompted. “The whole situation is dramatic. It’s fucking ridiculous.” I threw the napkin on the table, fighting the urge to walk away and never see him again. “I’m leaving.”

His fingers curled around mine with enough pressure to keep me frozen in place. “Don’t.” I watched his grip on me. He followed my line of vision and loosened his grip a little. “Please,” he said softly.

“Okay.”

“It’s not as a bad as you make it out to be,” Chase said.

“It’s not?” I smiled bitterly. “You were there on that day the floor crashed.” My voice broke. “You hurt all those people. And you’re saying it’s not a big deal? How could you do that?”

His eyes widened as shock flashed across his face.

“Come on, Laurie. You know me.” He sounded genuinely upset. “I didn’t hurt anyone.”

“Chase, I saw the folder. I saw the evidence that you were involved.”

“I wasn’t responsible for it,” he said again, this time his tone was harsh and brisk—like a whiplash. “Look, I might be a liar, and I most certainly broke a few laws by marrying you for a reason, but I’m not a killer.”

“I saw the folder,” I repeated. “You knew when to meet me.”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“So,” I cut him off, the words evading me. “You were responsible for the fire.”

His eyes narrowed. “I see what would make you think that, but honestly, you’re way off the radar.”

“Am I?”

“Very.” He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again as he inhaled deeply. “I’d never do something like that.”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

“Because that’s my work. I know those people.”

“How’s that your work?” I asked, confused.

“LiveInvent is a client. I come in at least once a week. I have business lunches with those people. We go out for drinks.”

My mouth went dry.

“You represent LiveInvent?” My voice came out too loud, and a few people turned their heads toward us. “Sorry,” I mouthed and cleared my throat.

“Yes,” Chase said, composed as usual.

“So…” I shook my head to make sense of it all. “You didn’t know I was coming in that day?”

“Actually, I did. That’s the thing, Laurie,” he said quietly. “In fact, I made sure you got that interview, and if that floor hadn’t collapsed, you would have been invited to attend a second interview, after which you would have gotten the job. But after what happened, you ignored all calls and invitations to attend another interview. What was I supposed to do to get to meet you, except befriend Jude on Facebook?”

He was right.

After the whole floor crashed, LiveInvent followed up with an email, another invitation to an interview, but I didn’t respond. They even called to tell me how much they wanted to meet me because they really believed I’d be suited for the job.

I ignored everything because I was scared.

Shock did that to someone.

“Why didn’t you come?” Chase asked, interested.

“The whole thing was too much,” I said honestly. “Being stuck in an elevator, with no hope of getting out, I was sure it was going to be my last day. I couldn’t go back to that place, not when I thought you were dead.” I shook my head grimly. “I thought I’d never see you again. I didn’t want to be reminded of you.”

“You thought I was dead?” he asked quietly.

I nodded silently.

“Remember that I told you everything would be okay?” I nodded again and he continued, “I promised myself that I’d do whatever it took to save you. Well, you’re alive.”

I don’t know why, but my eyes suddenly felt moist again. My throat choked up, and a tear trickled down my cheek.

I looked away, strangely emotional.

There were at least thirty people around us.

Why couldn’t Chase choose a less public place? To distract me, to calm myself, I grabbed a shrimp and bit into it. The salty flavor reached my taste buds, but it didn’t quite register in my brain.

“So, what are you? A chevalier? A hero?” I asked carefully, unsure what he wanted me to say.

“I would love to say that, but I’m not…as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now.” He began to pile food onto his plate, the motion easing some of the tension between us. “I’m really proud of myself that I once saved a woman’s life in an elevator. That’s about the grandest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

He was talking about me, no doubt about that. “You cannot make me feel guilty,” I said coldly. “It won’t change anything between us.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Chase said just as coldly.

For a while we sat there in silence. Eventually, Chase began to eat. My stomach rumbled again, reminding me that it would be a pity to waste all that good food. I filled up my own plate and busied myself with my meal. At some point, a waitress appeared with our dessert consisting of two trays with ice cream and tantalizing pastries.

But I couldn’t touch them. And neither did Chase.

“Are you finished?” he asked.

I glanced up and met his gaze. His eyes were burning, and I realized with a shock, that it was sadness that I saw in them.

“Yes,” I mumbled.

“Then let’s go.”





Chapter 13





We’d been back in the limousine for only a few minutes, with neither of us speaking, and it already felt like a whole eternity had passed. I was sitting next to the fish tank, my head leaned back against the leather, Chase at the other end, a glass of bourbon in his hand. Neither of us dared to look at each other. Neither of us dared to talk. And I would be damned if I was the first one.


Finally, Chase moved to the bar. At first, I thought it was to refill his glass. Instead, he sat down next to me—far enough to give me privacy, close enough to make my heart race.

“Look, Laurie,” he started, rolling the glass between his hands. “I get you are pissed.”

I let out a laugh.