“Was that it? I’m supposed to be getting work done.”
“Yeah, I guess that was—”
I hang up, done. I’ll see him on Sunday, and then no more. I’m finished with him.
Claire
Declan’s revenge seems to be making me wait for his revenge.
It’s diabolical. I’ve been afraid to move all week.
That, or standing up to him taught him a lesson and now he’ll respect and treat me like an equal. I’m hoping for the latter and betting on the former. He’s biding his time, like the deep weeds dwelling trouser snake that he is.
I snort at the mental image of Declan hiding in tall grass and waiting for me to walk by so he can crawl up my skirt.
It’s Friday, and we’re across his desk from each other, working on the Cooper case. I glance over at him, but he’s completely focused on reading some documents in a tan folder. His face is furrowed in concentration.
He’s so focused that he forgets to put on the wealthy playboy mask he wears like a second skin. These are the only times I think I see the real unguarded Declan. I like to think that if he’d spent the whole night, I’d have been able to see it while he was relaxed and happy. I think about that more than I probably should.
While I watch, he wets his lips with his tongue, and I remember where that tongue has been, and what it felt like sliding over my skin. He leans back and stretches, working out the kinks in his neck and it makes me want to volunteer to give him a backrub so I can feel his muscles under my hands again.
I’m basically going crazy.
Working all this overtime together is like being trapped on one of those reality shows where everyone eventually sleeps with everyone, except there’s just two of us. Once I get voted off this stupid island, I’m going out and getting laid ASAP.
“We can’t use this guy.” He tosses the folder onto our messy reject pile. “Too unstable.”
I flip open the cover to see who he’s talking about. Lloyd Peterson, Chief Accountant. There’s a picture clipped to it of a scrawny old man with a bad combover and horn-rimmed glasses. His vest pocket even has pens sticking out of it. I’m not sure if I could find a more stereotypical picture of an accountant if I went Googling for one.
He was the last decent option on our potential witness list. Finding credible people to testify on Cooper’s behalf has been like finding needles in a hay field. Forget the stack. A few flat out laughed when we asked.
Looking up at Declan, I cock my head. “Unstable?”
His sigh is long and resigned. “I really hoped this guy would work. He’s been with the company for longer than I’ve been alive and knows everything there is to know about their economy. Seems friendly to Cooper. Hell, Cooper suggested him as an option.”
“Then he must be crazy,” I mutter under my breath.
Declan growls in frustration. “Cooper must be suicidal or something. He forgot to mention that he bumped this guy down from CFO to just accountant five years ago. Along with a matching pay cut. I gave him a call earlier to sound him out, and on the surface he seemed all about toeing the company line, but sometimes you have to trust your gut, and there’s something about him that makes me think he’d be a wildcard on the stand. He’s the best we’ve got, but that doesn’t mean shit if he gets up there and switches sides. I’m not gonna risk it.”
Sounds perfect to me, but I don’t think Declan and I are working towards exactly the same ends. I’m still hoping to steer things to some sort of reasonable settlement. “I’m all for taking the chance.”
“I bet you are. Anything that’ll drive this case right into the ground, right?”
“Hey, I really thought my idea about trying to track down his regular prostitutes as character witnesses was inspired.” I grin. “Getting screwed is in their job description.”
Declan laughs and kicks at my foot under the table. Warmth spreads out from the middle of my chest, a much more dangerous feeling than just attraction. I’m actually starting to like him. He’s really not bad when he’s like this. Not pranking me or trying to scare me off.
I smile. “Alright, alright, we’ll leave it as a backup plan. But you said he’s the best we’ve got and we know the plaintiff’s going to have people lining up around the block for their chance to rip on this guy. Do we really want to show up without anyone speaking for Cooper? Other than Peterson, all we’ve found are a couple people who agree that many of his practices are common in the industry.”
“It’s better than someone who’s going to fuck it all up. I’m dropping him.” He shrugs. “It’s not worth the risk. Maybe if we go over the financials again we’ll find something new.”