Erotic Invitation
Erotic Invitation
Carly Phillips
Lawyer Mallory Sinclair wants a partnership–almost as much as she wants fellow attorney Jack Latham. Unfortunately, she's worked so hard at making it in a man's world, that nobody's aware that she's even a woman–a very sensual woman. But Jack's about to find out, big time. Because Mallory's about to send him an invitation he can't refuse…. Jack can't believe it!Underneath Mallory's power suits lies a temptress–one determined to seduce him! Not that Jack's complaining… Only, this new Mallory is so uninhibited, so blatantly sexy, Jack can't help wondering if he's sleeping with a stranger, instead of the colleague he's known for years. Still, he'd like their liaison to continue–if only he knew which woman would end up sharing his bed….
Erotic Invitation
Carly Phillips
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
1
“YOU’VE BEEN SUMMONED.”
Mallory Sinclair glanced up from the complicated lease she’d been reading to find her secretary, Paula, standing in the doorway. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you knock.”
“That’s because I didn’t. When the Terminator calls there’s no time to waste. Especially if you want a minute to freshen up before entering his lair.” Paula, Mallory’s young, beautiful and on-the-prowl secretary, wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive gesture meant to prompt Mallory into primping for this unexpected meeting with the firm’s best-looking partner.
Mallory reached for a legal pad instead of her purse. Though she’d never let her emotions show, for the first time in her eight years with Waldorf, Haynes, Greene, Meyers & Latham, she shook in her no-nonsense pumps. She’d fought for assignments, gone head-to-head with senior partners over issues she believed in, and she’d held on to her job when other female associates had quit, been fired or had moved on to get married or have a family. She was the sole surviving female in a male dominated arena and was only one year away from making partner. She hadn’t gotten this far without confrontation and she’d never backed away from a fight. Never been afraid to work with or take on opposing counsel or partner. Until now.
Because as the top real estate associate, she’d never been summoned by hotshot divorce attorney and partner of the firm, Jack Latham. A man equal parts sexy male and lethal terminator—marriage terminator. That he wanted to see her now meant he had good reason.
“I could say you’re busy and take notes in your place.”
Mallory didn’t miss the hopeful note in her flirtatious secretary’s voice. The other woman envied Mallory’s meeting with Jack Latham. He was an office icon—a man adored by women and respected by men.
If the grapevine was correct, he neither believed in the institution of marriage nor the idea of commitment. But his views weren’t a deterrent to any breathing member of the opposite sex. Every woman in the office thought given the chance, she could change his mind.
“Thanks for the offer but I’m sure I can handle it.” Mallory smiled wryly.
Paula shrugged. “Too bad. I could really use the distraction and give him a meeting he’d never forget.” She hitched her already borderline-trouble skirt hem up another notch.
Mallory stifled a laugh. Good thing for Jack there was a no-office-romance policy, instituted after an employee had filed a sexual harassment suit against an older partner three years ago. The firm had settled quietly, the founding partner had retired, and the no-dating rule had gone into effect. Women like Paula could drool, but they couldn’t put the moves on any of the male attorneys, and vice versa. But rules couldn’t stop the imagination and there wasn’t a woman in the office, from secretary, to paralegal, to the only female associate, who hadn’t fantasized about Jack Latham.
The difference between Mallory and the other women in the office was that she didn’t outwardly show interest. She couldn’t afford to crack her facade. She glanced at Paula who sat twirling a permed blond strand of hair around one finger, a disappointed look on her face.
“If the man knew what I’d saved him from, he’d get down on his hands and knees and thank me,” Mallory said.
“I wish he’d get down on those knees for me.” Paula let out an exaggerated sigh before glancing at her watch. “You’d better get going. He said posthaste or something like that.”
“Thanks.” Pad under her arm, Mallory headed out of her office and down the hall.
She clenched her fists, only to discover she was sweating. Good God, she felt like a teenager in the throes of her first crush and that wouldn’t do. Not when she’d done everything she could think of to join the ranks of this old boys’ network and make partner.
Including outwardly suppressing her femininity. She hid her sexy lace teddies and garters beneath conservative suits, covered her hot-colored pedicures with sensible pumps, showed only unlacquered fingernails, and squashed her sense of humor and warmth beneath a no-nonsense personality. When she looked in the mirror she barely recognized the person staring back.
But next year, she’d reap the benefits of her sacrifice: she’d earn both the first female partnership offered at the firm, and her father’s respect. The man who’d desired a son and gotten Mallory instead, would finally see she was worthy, despite his belief to the contrary.
She inhaled deeply. “I’m nearly there,” she purposely said aloud, to remind herself of how hard she’d worked and how far she’d come. No way would she let a summons from Jack Latham, her secret fantasy, destroy a dream eight years in the making. She let out a long breath. Yes, she could handle Jack Latham.
She paused outside his office to wipe her palms against her skirt and smooth back her hair, then she knocked three times in rapid succession.
“Come on in.” A deep sexy voice rumbled from behind the closed door.
Her stomach curled with a combination of warmth and anticipation. She reached for the doorknob and entered. But not before a last glimpse at her chest to make sure her sea-pearl buttons were closed tight and not a hint of lace or silk would make an unwanted appearance. She stepped into his office and shut the door.
Hands linked behind his back, Jack Latham stood at the window overlooking the scenery below, the Empire State Building, tall and imposing in the background.
His broad shoulders were covered by a navy pin-striped suit. European and designer-made, the jacket accented his powerful frame. He presented as potent a vision as the landscape outside the window. Fog surrounded the city; a New York summer day and the view from the corner office at its finest, Mallory thought.
He didn’t turn when the door creaked behind her. She wasn’t surprised. She knew the game, just as Jack knew who stood at his desk, awaiting his attention. He’d summoned her, after all. But to acknowledge her immediately might shift the balance of power toward equality and he wouldn’t do that with an associate. Especially a female associate. Every time she was assigned a new partner, she underwent the same drill, and often asked herself if Intimidation 101 was a prerequisite for men working in the field of law.
She’d learned not to let it get to her and she’d learned to push back. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Mr. Latham, but you asked to see me?”
Silence.
Strange, she thought. But then what did she know of the man? Although he’d been at Waldorf, Haynes longer than she had, the firm boasted over seventy-five attorneys spread out over three floors of a high-rise building. Their paths had rarely crossed on a one-to-one basis. Until now.
One more try and she was out of here. He could come looking for her if he intended to carry this game too far. “Mr. Latham?”
THAT VOICE AGAIN. Softer than Jack had expected and at odds with the tough legal reputation Mallory Sinclair attained, it penetrated the troubles muddling his thoughts. Her tone was smooth enough to appeal to a man’s senses, and husky enough to remind him of fantasies involving hot nights beneath cool sheets.
He shook his head, clearing his mind. From all he’d seen and heard of Mallory Sinclair, she wasn’t one to inspire seductive visions. And as he turned to Waldorf, Haynes’s sole female associate, her appearance put him squarely back into office-mode. The woman standing before him was as hard as her voice was soft. From her severely pulled back hair, to her overly long skirt and conservative suit, she was every inch not his fantasy woman.
But she was the woman with whom he’d be confined at a resort owned by the firm’s biggest client, off the coast of Long Island. For Lord knew how long.
Jack cleared his throat and met Mallory’s gaze. Behind the black-rimmed glasses, she’d narrowed her eyes until he couldn’t tell if they were a blue or a bland shade of gray. He’d obviously irritated her. He hadn’t meant to get on her bad side from the get-go, and he hadn’t meant to ignore her.
While waiting for her to arrive, his father had called and delivered a personal blow. Apparently, his beloved mother had embarked on another affair, this one more public than the last. And his tolerant, accepting dad, had finally walked out. Jack’s stomach rolled to think his father was about to go through the kind of nasty divorce he specialized in, but it was about time. The marriage should never have lasted—most didn’t—and if not for his father’s unending acceptance and patience, his mother would be on her own by now. Yet as bad as Jack felt for his father, he had no choice but to deal with family issues later.
Right now he had more immediate problems at hand. He stepped away from the window. “I was preoccupied,” he explained to Mallory.
Her hands gripped the edge of his desk. “Obviously. I can always come back at a more convenient time. I have plenty of work sitting on my desk.”
Work he’d obviously taken her away from and she wasn’t pleased. He doubted she’d be any happier when she learned the reason for their last-minute meeting. “No, now’s fine. Have a seat.” He gestured to the wing chair in the corner, a congratulations gift from his father for making partner. His mother hadn’t bothered to make it to his law school graduation, never mind acknowledging his career accomplishments.
Mallory lowered herself into the chair and crossed one leg over the other. His gaze fell to the shifting material of the skirt that covered way too much skin, even in this staid profession.
“So.” Her voice captured his attention.
Amazing, Jack thought. When he wasn’t focused on her plain features or tailored clothes, that husky voice wreaked havoc on his nerve endings, sending the wrong signals from his brain to parts of his body that had no business rising during office hours. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“I’ll be brief. I understand you’re working on a real estate deal, but I’ve arranged to shuffle your workload around to free you up. For me.”
His words sent her into a frenzied fit of coughing. Concerned, Jack rose from his seat and came up beside her. “Are you okay?”
She removed her glasses and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue she’d grabbed from his desk. “Fine. I’m perfectly fine. I just swallowed wrong. Sorry about that.” Obviously embarrassed, she cleared her throat and patted around her eyes once more before meeting his gaze.
In the instant those china-blue eyes met his, Jack felt as though he’d been sucker punched. His breath caught and he nearly went into a coughing fit of his own. Sweet heaven, someone should have warned him the woman had such expressive, gorgeous eyes. Before he could continue, she pushed the black frames back on and resettled the glasses on the bridge of her nose. Once again, thick lenses obscured his ability to see into her eyes, making him wonder if he’d imagined the depth and clarity of hue.
“What do you mean you’ve shuffled my workload? Didn’t anyone tell you Mendelsohn Leasing requested I handle the negotiation on their newest land acquisition personally?”
He rounded his desk and resettled himself into his seat. At this point, he was off balance and uncertain of Mallory Sinclair, something he never felt with a woman or in business. Distance seemed the safest bet. “I assure you I was fully informed of the situation but we decided to weigh all involved interests and the scales tipped in Lederman’s favor.”
“Our biggest client. One who’s been farming out business to other firms, leaving us vulnerable to losing an important money base.”
So she was up on all firm business. “Yes. However this time we’re not talking about a potential merger or acquisition but Lederman’s divorce.”
She inclined her head. “If you’re involved, that much is obvious. What isn’t clear is where I come in. You could pick any associate specializing in domestic or family law. You don’t need me.”
Jack leaned forward, elbows propped on his desk. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Much as we both obviously wish differently, you’re exactly what I need.”
Mallory Sinclair hadn’t been his first choice as an assistant, but he’d been outvoted. His partners felt a woman’s presence would strengthen their position with the client and assure him of their willingness to play hardball against his wife. Jack couldn’t argue the point. Waldorf, Haynes couldn’t afford to lose Lederman’s business and securing the role of counsel in this divorce was of paramount importance.
After a moment she let out a long breath of air. “Why don’t you explain why you need me.” She paused. “Please.”
He picked up a pencil and twirled it between his palms. “It’s simple. Lederman wants to win. He wants a team of attorneys who sympathize with him as a man whose wife wants to take him for a ride and who aren’t afraid to play hardball to accomplish those goals. And we—the partners—feel his needs can best be met by having a female attorney sitting at his side. And as you know, when there’s direct contact with Mrs. Lederman, a woman dealing with another woman would give us greater strength. You could relate to her in a way I could not.”
He watched for the play of emotions sure to cross her face during his explanation. There were none. Whatever her thoughts, she kept them to herself. The woman knew how to play poker, Jack thought, and his respect for her rose. He could see now how she’d come so far with the older male guard at Waldorf, Haynes. But she hadn’t earned their trust completely. He doubted any female ever could. This was an old boys’ network and they weren’t ashamed to admit it.
Jack didn’t agree with their way of thinking on many issues, this one included. He didn’t trust women in the marriage arena—his family background, client history and divorce statistics providing backup to his beliefs. But regardless of whether women were usually at fault on the domestic front, business was different. Skill alone determined whether Jack would trust their abilities. The old men weren’t as easily swayed, but Mallory was useful to them. And she obviously knew it.
She nodded slowly. “So I’m yours by default. Being the only female associate, that is.”
He couldn’t help it. He grinned. “In a manner of speaking, yes.” She was his. In all her tweed and glory.
From all he’d seen and heard, Mallory Sinclair was one of the best. But before they could get down to business, they were headed for an informal get-to-know-you-better session, demanded by their eccentric client. Based on Mallory’s cool personality and severe looks, casual and relaxed wasn’t her thing. Which meant Jack wasn’t looking forward to their enforced time together.
Yet despite himself the memory of those china-blue eyes stayed with him. Intrigued him. Made him wonder what else he didn’t know about Ms. Mallory Sinclair.
She rose from her seat. “Guess that means case closed, then.”
“I’m sure we’ll survive,” he said, issuing a grin meant to ease things between them.
He waited for a smile in return and was disappointed not to get one. “I’ll need to wrap some things up before I can start on Lederman’s case,” she said.
“No problem. Our flight leaves at 7:00 p.m. Think you can tie up loose ends, pack and be at the airport in…” he glanced at his watch. “Three hours?”
Her lipstick-free mouth opened, then closed again. He’d managed to get a reaction after all. “Our flight?” The word sounded more like a squeak.
He nodded. “Mr. Lederman is at his resort in the Hamptons. He doesn’t care to cut his vacation short, so we’re going to head on out there and get to know him. Grab your sunglasses and bathing suit. We’re going to the beach.”
MALLORY ROLLED her silk stockings down her legs slowly, savoring the sensation against her skin. She so missed the little luxuries in life—silk, satin and anything soft, which was why she always did her best to pamper herself beneath her conservative image.
Thanks to a spilled pocketbook-size vial of her favorite perfume, normally saved for evenings after work, the comforting aroma indulged her senses now. But neither the conservative attorney nor the buried woman were foolish enough to wear stockings to a hot, summer resort.
With Jack Latham.
She shivered at the unexpected prospect of spending hours in his company away from the office. She opened her suitcase and tossed it on the bed.
“Going somewhere exciting?” Her cousin Julia bounded into the room with all the exuberance of a college freshman. Or someone who would be a college freshman if she hadn’t opted for a free-spirited route in life.
Just looking at her, Mallory felt old beyond her years. Mallory was still young enough to be carefree, it was just the external trappings that constrained her. And those couldn’t be avoided. Not if she wanted to make partner.
“Hey, Mal. I asked you where you’re off to?”
Mallory turned to her cousin. Their fathers were brothers, and by a strange mix of the gene pool, Julia and Mallory shared an uncanny resemblance, down to their blue eyes. Looking at her cousin was like looking in a mirror, minus a few years, chronological as well as emotional. Julia was a bundle of happiness, and like Mallory she was also a disappointment to her father. Unlike Mallory, she didn’t feel the need to change her parent’s opinion.
“I’m off to a sunny resort and before you get jealous, remember it’s business.” And with luck, Jack would remember that, too. He’d dress up and not down and even if their eccentric, bossy client insisted on a poolside meeting, Jack would dress, period. Because Mallory was afraid if she saw him bare-chested and tanned, in swimming trunks that accentuated and revealed, she couldn’t be responsible for her actions.
And Mallory Sinclair was always the upstanding, responsible adult and attorney. Always. She had to be.
Julia sat on the bed and crossed her legs. “It may be business, but it’s still the beach.”
“That’s what Jack said.” The memory of his charcoal-gray eyes boring into hers lit a fire inside her. The warmth of desire burst into a burning flame. Lust, Mallory reminded herself. Nothing more than sexual need, a desire easily controlled. No matter if she was lying to herself, she had no choice but to convince herself and act accordingly. So what if the man was sexy? She was an adult, after all.
“Who’s Jack?”
“The senior partner in charge of this case.” Her garment bag already packed with a combination of appropriate lightweight pantsuits and skirts, Mallory folded her private underthings and placed them inside the suitcase.
Julia seated herself on the bed. “What’s he look like?”
“What’s it matter?” Mallory shot back quickly.
Too quickly, and her cousin’s eyes narrowed. “Why so testy? Uptight about going away with a seventy-year-old man who’s judging your every move?” Julia’s blue eyes locked with hers, daring her to reveal what was on her mind.
Sometimes Julia was too perceptive and understanding, just another reason why Mallory adored her cousin and let her live here rent-free while she “found herself” in New York. “More like a thirty-something, perfect-looking, unattached man,” Mallory muttered.
Julia laughed. “I heard that.”
“I wanted you to or I wouldn’t have spoken out loud.”
“That’s my favorite cousin, nothing uncalculated, nothing unplanned.”
“The complete opposite of your spontaneous nature, you mean. You know it wouldn’t hurt you to plan ahead. Set goals, chart your course in life.”
“Any more than it would hurt you to jump into something with your heart and not your head. So what’s the story with your office hunk?”
Mallory shook her head. “No story. Not with a no-office-romance policy, and not with a man who, if you believe the rumors, doesn’t have the ability to commit.” And not with a man who hadn’t shown her an ounce of interest.
Julia leaned forward, resting on her elbows and propping her chin on her palms. “So? Does he have to commit to have an affair?”
“Who said I was looking for an affair?” Or a commitment for that matter. She didn’t have the time to worry about her personal life, at least not until her partnership was secure and stable.
“Maybe you should be.” Julia reached into the suitcase and held one of Mallory’s lace teddy’s in the air, dangling it from her fingertips. “Seems to me these lacy getups are wasted if you’re alone.”
Mallory grabbed for her nightie and buried it back inside her suitcase where it belonged. “Didn’t you ever hear of doing things for yourself?”
“Anyone ever tell you it’s more fun doing it with a partner?”
Visions of herself and Jack played before her eyes, a seductive dance with the ocean as the backdrop. She shook her head at her thoughts—all inappropriate, un-called for and not possible. Beyond office policy and Mallory’s long-term goals, she understood reality.
She swung the suitcase off the bed and blew Julia a kiss. “I’ll be in touch.” She passed the mirror as she headed out the door, catching a glimpse of herself in the glass. Her black glasses stood out, glaring and unattractive. Exactly as she’d meant them to be.
Mallory was heading off to an exclusive resort with the best-looking man she’d ever met. A man who made her ache with a simple glance. A man whose voice caused ripples of awareness to burst to life inside her.
But just as she planned, that sexy man wouldn’t give her an interested glance. Jack Latham wouldn’t be captivated by Mallory Sinclair, attorney. He wouldn’t be charmed, enchanted or tempted.
“It might help if you let down your hair,” her cousin supplied in a sugary-helpful voice.
Not if she wanted to make partner. Mallory glanced at her watch. Half an hour till show time. She had a firm-hired car picking her up downstairs to take her to the airport. “Gotta run or I’ll be late.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“It’s not like I’ll even be given the chance,” she muttered to herself.
2
JACK GLANCED at his watch. Half an hour until landing and their descent couldn’t come a minute too soon. He didn’t know how much more togetherness he could take. Mallory shifted in her seat and her right knee grazed his left leg. A shot of heat radiated up his thigh.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, then sighed.
It had been like this for the entire flight. The cramped quarters of the plane and Mallory’s enforced proximity was causing his body to react in conflicting and confounding ways. She’d exchanged the uptight suit for a lightweight dress with a hem that ended marginally higher and revealed an enticing hint of bare skin. Without stockings he was treated to tanned, smooth-looking flesh and he found his gaze drawn back again and again.
He assumed her contradiction in dress, along with the arousing floral scent that had permeated the cabin from the moment of her punctual arrival accounted for his curiosity. He wasn’t about to call what he felt for Mallory interest.
But he hadn’t noticed her feminine fragrance in his office earlier that afternoon, and he couldn’t help but wonder about a woman who dressed and acted with an ultraconservative flair, yet managed to unwittingly tease a man with her voice and affect him with her scent. A woman who could entice with an innocent, accidental brush of bare skin.
“So what’s the plan when we arrive?” Mallory asked.
Grateful for normal conversation at last, he turned toward her. “Lederman has a car meeting us at the airport. We should be at the resort by nine. I assume we’ll unpack and get some sleep. After that, it’s up to our host what happens next.”
“With any luck we can discuss his plans, lay out strategy and be home in a couple of days.”
He didn’t miss the hopeful note in her husky voice. “What do you have against the beach?”
“Nothing if you’re on vacation. But every day we’re out of the office means work is piling up.” Her jaw ticked in frustration.
He leaned back in his seat. “That’s why I had the bulk of your work reassigned. Paul Lederman is eccentric. He doesn’t like to be rushed and if he’s refusing to leave the resort to meet with us in the office, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a quick decision on his part.”
She muttered something he didn’t catch and he shifted his gaze from the drawn window shades to her face, taking in her profile for the first time. Severe hair and black glasses aside, she had chiseled features, high cheekbones and even minus the makeup, porcelain skin most actresses and models would kill to possess. But she did nothing to enhance her looks. In fact, she did everything possible to detract from them. He wondered why.
He shrugged and transferred his gaze. This flight was definitely too damn long if he was looking beyond the surface and contemplating Mallory Sinclair’s grooming habits.
“What are the basic facts of the case?” As she spoke, she leaned down and pulled a yellow legal pad from her briefcase, then grabbed for a pen. “Ready when you are.” She sat up straight in her seat.
The woman was brusque and efficient, the way he liked his associates. But not his women. Women, he preferred soft and pliant, warm and giving. With at least a week at a resort ahead of him, there’d be no shortage of the opposite sex. Unfortunately, strangers no longer appealed to him, which meant life was becoming increasingly complicated.
A short, no-strings affair suited his lifestyle and beliefs best. He couldn’t end up in divorce court as anything other than counsel if he lived by his self-imposed rules. With no commitments, he couldn’t be the cuckolded, sad excuse for a man his father had become. But with age came wisdom and discrimination—and an increasing restlessness he couldn’t understand.
“Mr. Latham? Is something wrong?”
At the sound of her lush tone, a ripple of awareness meandered through his veins. A trickling, growing warmth pulsed in his groin. Something was wrong, all right. Everything he was feeling about his associate was off-kilter and he didn’t like it one bit.
“What did you want?” he bit out.
“The facts of the case.” She waved the legal pad in the air, reminding him of why they were together on the plane. “I want to be up on things to help impress the client.”
He met her gaze behind the thick lenses. Sanity returned and he immediately felt better. “You might as well call me Jack.”
She nodded, wide-eyed.
He forced his stare away from the blue eyes he couldn’t see clearly. “Lederman’s been married for years. He’s fifty-eight and wants out.”
“Why?” She paused, pen ready to write down his every word.
“Irreconcilable differences.”
“That’s the legal definition. What’s the behind-the-scenes take on things? What will boost the settlement in his favor? Assuming we get the case.”
Jack stretched his legs out in front of him as much as he could, but made sure he didn’t touch Mallory as he moved. “That’s what we’re here to find out. Then we decide how to take her faults and spin them in our client’s favor.”
“Interesting turn of phrase—her fault.”
“How so?”
She crossed her legs in front of her, and his gaze fell to her ankles. He’d never been a leg man, but she made him rethink his preference.
“You’re assuming it was Mrs. Lederman’s fault that the marriage disintegrated. There’s always the possibility that our client was equally to blame. And if that’s the case, we need to put a positive spin on his negative actions.”
He leaned his head against the seat and turned toward her. “That’s what I said. We need to put a positive spin on things.”
“You said we need to spin her faults…” Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head before capping her pen. “Never mind.”
“I’m not sure I get the distinction you’re trying to make.”
She let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m sure you don’t.” She busied herself putting away her things and latching her briefcase.
“Good afternoon, folks.” A voice sounded on the loudspeaker, from the cockpit of the small plane. “We’re about ready to begin our descent, so go ahead and fasten your seatbelts…”
The captain’s voice prevented any further talk. Mallory checked her safety belt and stared out the window. She obviously had no desire to finish their conversation. Yet she’d gone and given him an odd, empty feeling in his gut. As though in the brief minutes of their discussion, she’d judged him and found him lacking.
He didn’t like the sensation of coming up short in her estimation and he wasn’t sure why. Once again, she had him off balance, only this time she’d left him with the burning desire to shift both her negative opinion as well as her lack of interest.
Jack loved a challenge, but he only acted when that challenge made sense. And his interest in Mallory Sinclair did not.
A WARM BREEZE blew off the ocean, carrying the scent of salt water in the air. Mallory’s hair frizzed in the humidity, destroying the bun she’d worked hard to make earlier this morning. She glanced at her watch. It was 8:00 a.m. and there was still no sign of their host.
“He’ll be here,” Jack said in response to her unspoken aggravation. “He said to go ahead and have breakfast and he’d meet up with us by the time we were finished.”
She raised her gaze from the cinnamon-raisin French toast on her plate to glance at Jack’s face—something she’d been avoiding doing all morning. If she’d thought him devastating in a suit, he was overwhelmingly handsome in khaki shorts and a collared, short-sleeved shirt. Powerful muscles flexed in his arms and tanned skin peeked through the open buttons over his chest. His jet-black hair had been combed neatly back, and a pair of Oakley sunglasses covered his piercing gray eyes. He was perfection in a masculine package while she was a frizzy mess of conservatism in a bland, navy dress.
Oh, well. She wasn’t here to impress Jack with her looks, she was here to dazzle both him and the client with her brains. If only she could pull her thoughts off his sexy frame and focus on the task ahead of them. She’d spent last night in her room across from his, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Unable to forget the scent of his musky cologne or his deep, rumbling voice.
“Glad you could make it. So what do you think of my place?” A booming male voice interrupted her inappropriate thoughts before she could take them to the sensual conclusion she’d experienced in her dreams.
“It’s incredible, but then you already know that.” Jack rose from his seat and Mallory followed suit. “Makes me realize I’m in the wrong line of work,” Jack said and laughed.
“You’re welcome out here any time,” a burly man said. “Now help me get rid of the albatross I married and I’ll name a suite after you and this colleague of yours.”
Mallory did her best not to wince at the callous words he used to describe his wife. The woman he’d married, for better or worse. The woman she assumed he’d once loved.
“Paul Lederman meet Mallory Sinclair, one of our top associates. Mallory, Paul Lederman.” Jack gestured between Mallory and their client who was dressed even more informally than Jack in boxerlike bathing trunks. Eccentric was putting it mildly, she thought.
She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you at last, Mr. Lederman.”
“Call me Paul.” He pumped her hand with enthusiasm. “Can’t be so formal while sitting at the beach and looking at this view.”
She glanced over his shoulder, taking in the clear blue sky and the glistening water in the background. He was right. She’d been so caught up in not watching Jack, she’d all but ignored the beauty in front of her. “You’re a lucky man, Mr. Lederman.”
He corrected her with a shake of his head.
“I mean Paul. Jack’s right. This place is incredible.”
“Then after we talk, make sure you let loose and enjoy it a bit. I like my attorneys on the same wavelength as I am.” He pulled out a chair and joined them at the table beneath the large umbrella. “Marriage.” He shook his head. “Risky business.”
Mallory grabbed for her pad and pen, while Jack leaned back in his seat. “Yours made it twenty-five years. Something must have held you two together,” Jack said.
Mallory liked the fact that Jack didn’t automatically bow to Lederman’s point of view, even if he silently agreed with the man.
“My money,” Lederman muttered.
“And children,” Jack added.
“The kids are on their own now.”
“So what are you looking for?” Mallory asked. “A quick out or…”
She didn’t get a chance to finish before he picked up speed. “I don’t care about quick. I just don’t want to be taken for all I’ve got. All I’ve worked for my whole life.”
“Does your wife work?” she asked.
“Hell no. Unless you count spending my money work.”
“What about raising your kids, Paul? When did that stop counting for something?” a female voice asked.
Mallory looked up.
An older but still beautiful brunette stood behind Paul Lederman. “And what about catering your parties? Seeing to your important guests? Your whims? Your needs? Your health?” The woman met Mallory’s gaze in an obvious search for feminine understanding.
In the brown depths, Mallory glimpsed a sadness and weariness that tore at her heart. Without knowing all the facts, Mallory imagined Mrs. Lederman as a woman much like her own mother, who sacrificed everything in order to further her husband’s desires. If her mother had focused even for a moment on anything other than her husband, she might have taken notice of the daughter she’d borne, then ignored when her father had decreed her a disappointment. With a sigh, Mallory shook off the personal memories, but her heart went out to Mrs. Lederman.
But she couldn’t afford to pity her client’s wife. Not if she was going to convince the man she could represent him to the best of her abilities. With difficulty, Mallory tore her gaze away from the woman’s pleading expression and focused on her client instead.
She couldn’t read the man or his feelings for his soon-to-be ex-wife. But she did see an aging man with a slight paunch and receding hairline who was married to an elegant, attractive woman who still desired to be his wife.
“I suggest you two do all communication through your attorneys from now on,” Jack said, in a kind but firm voice.
Mallory glanced up through hooded eyes. The sadness in Mrs. Lederman’s countenance grew.
“I didn’t realize you’d already hired yours,” his wife said.
Paul Lederman coughed once. “I haven’t finalized a decision yet.”
“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect yourself,” Mallory advised.
He nodded. “The lady’s got a point because I’m hiring the best.”
Mallory recognized Lederman’s subtle implication that he hadn’t yet decided if Waldorf, Haynes deserved the job, but right now her focus was on Mrs. Lederman and her pain.
“You don’t scare me, Paul. I’m looking at a man who doesn’t recognize the best when he’s got it in his life.” To the other woman’s credit, she held her emotions in check as best she could before she walked away, head held high.
“I didn’t realize you were still living together,” Jack said, breaking the awkward silence that followed.
Lederman snorted. “Not together. Opposite sides of the resort. She won’t leave. Says she loves me but what she really means is she won’t be charged with desertion. From her point of view, what’s mine is hers and what’s hers is hers. Damn place is turning into the War of the Roses.”
He shot to his feet quickly, pushing his chair back hard. “And I want someone who can get me the hell out of it without a dent in my wallet.” Muttering to himself, the older man stalked off, leaving Jack and Mallory alone.
“Dammit.” Jack groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “He’s explosive. I don’t want to lose this client.”
Mallory nodded. “Even if we get the case, with his personality if we can’t control him, she’ll come off looking sympathetic.” Which the other woman most definitely was, Mallory thought.
But she schooled her face into the blank mask she’d perfected over the years, careful not to reveal her inner turmoil to Jack. He was a partner and had a vote in whether or not she became one as well. There was no way she could afford to show weakness now, especially gender-oriented weakness.
She tapped her pencil against her pad. “There’s a story behind every sympathetic facade. Maybe Mrs. Lederman has a lover.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. Although Mallory had been called in on this case because of her gender, he’d expected to battle some form of feminine empathy while working along with her. Instead she was wholly focused on their client’s needs. He ought to be impressed, but her coolness bothered him in ways he didn’t understand. After all, didn’t he already know she was ambitious?
“What if it’s Mr. Lederman who’s cheating?” he asked, curious as to how she’d get around the hypothetical dilemma.
Mallory shrugged. “It all comes down to power. Whoever’s got the most power—in this case, money and strength of will—wins. It doesn’t look like we’ll get much of a fight out of Mrs. Lederman.” She paused in thought.
For a brief moment, even behind her glasses, her eyes clouded over and Jack clung to the hope she’d crack. Show some sign of feminine emotion. But just as quickly, the glimmer disappeared and Mallory met his gaze head-on, determination on her face. “We ought to take advantage of the fact that she doesn’t seem to want the divorce,” she said. “Use that to our advantage in convincing Lederman we’ve got the best strategy.”
“She doesn’t want the divorce yet. If she gets hit hard she’ll probably hire an attorney who will come out swinging.”
“Exactly.” Mallory’s voice rose in pitch, excitement infusing her tone as well as her spirit.
He could see now why she was so good at her job. Because she truly loved the nitty-gritty details and the opportunity to work out solutions to a client’s benefit. He understood because he felt the same rush of adrenaline each time a case or an idea came to a successful conclusion. “So what do you propose?”
“We need to strike first and the only way we can do that is by winning control of this case. I’ll call Rogers and see what kind of dirt he can dig up on Mrs. Lederman and her past. In the meantime, you question Mr. Lederman. I mean Paul. He’s more likely to open up to you anyway. Male bonding and all that.”
A grin edged the corners of his mouth. He couldn’t help it. She was a bossy thing when she got revved up and he enjoyed her take-charge attitude. “Any other orders?”
An unexpected flush stained her cheeks. From pale to cherry in a matter of seconds. So warm blood ran through those veins after all. For a brief moment, he wondered just how hot he could get that blood pumping. Until he refocused and realized this was Mallory he was daydreaming about. His staid, uptight, probably repressed colleague.
He definitely needed to hook up with a woman and soon. Sexual drought. There was no other explanation for the bizarre reactions he was having toward his associate.
She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“Actually I’d say you were on target and thinking clearly. You go ahead and call the private investigator. If Lederman sees we’re investing time and money in him without a guarantee, he’s likely to be impressed. And I’m positive I can sway him before this trip is out.”
“Really? I mean, great! I’ll get on it.” Her surprise was tangible.
Given her probable history with the other partners in the firm, he understood. But he wasn’t one to knock a good idea just because it hadn’t come from him. Her ideas were solid and her train of thought followed his. They’d make a good team.
A good working team, he amended. “You do that.”
She met his gaze and nodded. She held his stare a minute too long.
He was unable to break the connection, but she had no problem. As she’d done many times this morning, her intense gaze darted from his, guiltily, as if she were a kid who’d gotten caught doing something naughty.
What a bundle of contradictions she was. He doubted he’d ever understand her. It was probably best he never did. Because she drove him to distraction, causing him to question himself and his feelings. Why did he care what Mallory thought or felt as long as she did her job and did it well? Why did he have this strong, lingering desire to see if she possessed a feminine side? Why the hell did he need to know she had the emotions and the ability to empathize with a woman Jack would ultimately screw in a divorce settlement?
His feelings regarding Mallory Sinclair made no sense. Though Jack doubted Lederman was blameless, he was certain Mallory was right. If they dug deep enough, they’d uncover dirt on Mrs. Lederman and probably force her hand—which by implication would win Lederman over.
But Mallory’s callous disregard of the other woman’s plight stayed with him. And Jack knew why. Her single-minded determination to succeed at all costs reminded him of his mother’s tenacity at taking what she wanted outside her marriage, regardless of the repercussions to his father. A strange analogy, maybe but one that was alive and glaring.
One that gave him the urge to see how far she would go in the name of her job. He leaned forward. “Mallory.”
She paused from collecting her things. “Yes?”
“If you run into Mrs. Lederman and chances are good you will…”
She rose from her seat. “Don’t worry, Jack. I can handle her.” She paused, then drew a deep breath.
“Reach out to the tentative vulnerable wife we just saw. Woman-to-woman, you know?”
Jack closed his eyes. He knew. It was the exact reason she’d been chosen for this case. But hearing her say it so callously, as if she had no empathy at all for Mrs. Lederman, gave him an impression of Mallory he didn’t want to believe. The professional part of him was impressed but the man in him yearned to see she was human, that she felt at least a feminine kinship for Mrs. Lederman even if she couldn’t act on those feelings.
And he still wanted to know she wasn’t as cold and calculating as she appeared. “You make it sound like you’d hit her up with false sympathy anywhere, including the ladies room.”
She paused, as if contemplating his words and her delay in answering gave him hope.
“If that’s what it took to win this client over, then yes. I would,” she said at last.
So much for hope, he thought, disappointed beyond words. “Geez, lady, you’re cold. Just once on this trip I’d like to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.”
She stiffened and Jack cursed. He hadn’t meant to speak aloud, nor had he meant to insult her. He just couldn’t understand the conflicting emotions she inspired in him. But it wasn’t an excuse and he doubted she’d understand.
She held the pad against her chest. “I take it that wasn’t a compliment.”
That much was obvious. “Look, I meant nothing by it. It was just a thoughtless…”
“Tactless, male remark. No offense taken.” But her lips trembled as she spoke.
He didn’t believe her. Though she hadn’t run off in tears and her strength impressed him, he’d finally managed to crack the frigid mask she’d pasted on her face. This time she wasn’t able to hide the pain his words caused her.
He felt lower than a snake. He’d gotten his wish. He hadn’t seen her feminine side but he knew one existed. Unfortunately getting his wish held little satisfaction right now and not only because he’d hurt her. But because in causing her pain, he’d learned something about himself and Mallory. He cared about her feelings—something that was rare for him when dealing with women.
He hated phony tears. He hated when a woman played on his sympathy because he’d supposedly hurt her tender feelings. His mother was an expert at playing his father. And Jack had always sworn he’d never be the vulnerable one. To accomplish that goal, he couldn’t let himself care.
He glanced at Mallory’s face. She’d managed to plaster on a fake smile. One he didn’t buy for a second. And that bothered him. A lot.
“See you.” She turned and walked away, blue skirt hanging too low around her legs, hair pulled back in an unattractive bun.
“Shit,” Jack said loud and clear. He glanced around the beach, which had filled up with women. Scantily clad women. Single women.
If Mallory appealed to him on so many levels there had to be a reason.
Maybe he just needed to get laid.
3
SO HE WANTED to see the woman behind the frigid facade did he? Mallory jerked open and slammed closed the drawers in her room, tossing things on the bed and muttering aloud.
Cold. He’d had the nerve to call her cold. She picked up her most sinful, decadent teddy and held it in the air. Could she really be cold, frigid, she amended if her taste ran to silk and satin? To warm brandy and smooth sheets? To erotic dreams she couldn’t share with anyone, including the man who inspired them?
She pushed the pile of lingerie aside and flopped down on the bed. Her fist curled around the bedspread and she swiped at a stray tear that dripped down her face. God, the man had a way of getting to her. Sexually, emotionally, it didn’t matter. She cared what he thought of her and hated, hated that all he saw was Mallory Sinclair, Esq. A woman she’d created to achieve her long-standing goal.
A goal that suddenly came in second to showing Jack Latham his hunch was right. The man obviously sensed there was more to Mallory than what the world saw. What he saw. Just as she believed there was more to Jack Latham than his Terminator moniker implied.
But the old double standard had come into play and Jack had actually criticized her for doing her job as well as any man. Mallory might not like her father’s outlook on many things, but her parents had still in-grained her with some values she both admired and lived by. Including loyalty, respect and staying power—in relationships as well as careers. So here she was attempting to do her best for a man who was obviously hurting his wife. His treatment of Mrs. Lederman didn’t, or shouldn’t, matter, not to the professionals hired to represent him in a divorce. And that’s what Mallory was. A professional.
Jack ought to understand because they were bound by the same ethics. Yet because she was a woman he expected her to act differently. To show her emotions. Coming from Jack, that damn double standard hurt. She’d expected more of him though she didn’t know why. The man was the Terminator, after all. He represented husbands against wives regardless of fairness or truth. Because that was his ethical obligation.
But despite his job as Waldorf, Haynes’s chief divorce attorney, Mallory believed there was more to Jack. Just one day in his company and she sensed a gold mine of emotion beneath the surface. Oh, if pushed, he would claim to believe in all his male clients. He would state aloud that women were at fault in the breakup of most marriages. She’d heard him spout the same rhetoric around the office. She couldn’t help hearing his secretary’s gossip about why he’d become a hotshot divorce attorney. If the stories regarding his mother’s blatant and ongoing in-fidelities were true, then personal pain lay behind Jack’s antimarriage rhetoric.
His shaded sunglasses had hidden his eyes but other things had given his emotions away. The twitch in his full lips and the grip of his hand on the table that turned his knuckles white, only obvious because she’d been looking for a sign of humanity, had proven Mallory correct. He wasn’t immune to Mrs. Lederman’s suffering, even as he directed her to communicate with the husband she loved through their attorneys from now on.
It had been easier to ignore Jack Latham’s appeal when only sexual attraction was involved. Now that Mallory had spent time with the man, now that she saw depth behind the good looks and toned body, she couldn’t leave him with the impression he obviously had of her. He wanted to see the woman behind the mask. And she had enough pride to want to strip away the veneer and show him.
It was a gamble. Jack Latham was a respected partner. He could break her career with a word whispered in the right ears. But weighing all risks, Mallory came down on the side of chance.
Geez, lady, you’re cold. Just once on this trip I’d like to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.
She fingered a garment of pure silk between her fingertips. If he was perceptive enough to use that sort of terminology, Mallory was gutsy enough to expose what lay beneath.
For his eyes only.
Curling her legs beneath her, Mallory gave serious thought to how best make her point. By the time she’d formulated her plan, she’d actually managed to arouse herself with tantalizing, intriguing possibilities.
She glanced at her watch. She had some free time before meeting up with Jack again later. Plenty of opportunity to set things in motion.
She lay back against the pillows, squeezed her eyes shut tight and imagined Jack’s reaction. Anticipation rose inside her, building to a rolling crescendo, causing a steady, rhythmic pounding beat between her thighs. She lay her hand on the soft material of her panties. A small press downward both alleviated the ache and increased her need. Her fingertips glided over silk, outlining her mound of flesh. So easily, she thought. She could take the edge off the hunger and go on with her day. But alleviating her tension would kill the anticipation she’d feel watching Jack.
She wanted to make him need Mallory Sinclair, the woman.
Then she wanted to take him to the edge…and over.
And she wanted to topple with him, not alone.
So, Mallory thought, let the seduction begin.
HE COULD get used to this. Jack glanced out over the pool to the glistening water beyond. The tangy smell of the ocean, the clear blue sky and the sexy women in bikinis. Yeah, he could get used to this. He leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs out in front of him. The sun beat against his skin, warm and comforting.
“Sorry I’m late. I had to run a few errands and they took longer than I thought.” Mallory slid into the seat across from him, looking uptight in the same boxy blue dress. But she didn’t seem upset over this morning’s incident and he was grateful.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded. “We left in such a rush that I forgot a few things.”
“Well I managed to catch up with Paul in the sauna. We spent an hour commiserating over needy women. It’s way too soon to push him on making a decision, but he’s starting to trust me and I’ve got some more facts to fill you in on.”
“Sounds good.”
“Drink first?” he asked.
She hesitated.
“Consider this more a vacation than a business trip. Seriously we’re only here because Lederman wants to get to know us outside of the office. He’s eccentric, like I said. So go ahead. Have a drink.” Jack wanted to put her at ease. There was no way he could spend a week in her company if she looked like she was about to bolt at the first opportunity.
After his thoughtless comment this morning, he wouldn’t touch the issue of her clothes now, but he didn’t know how long he could watch her roasting in dresses beneath the blazing sun.
He gestured for a waiter. “The lady will have a…” He narrowed his gaze, trying to assess what Ms. Sinclair would drink. “White wine spritzer?”
She shook her head. “Club soda, please.”
Jack blinked, and refrained from rolling his eyes.
“I’ll have a refill.” He lifted his glass that had contained Absolut vodka on the rocks.
The waiter nodded. “Be right back, folks.”
“Oh, wait,” Mallory said.
He turned back around. “Change your mind?”
Jack actually held his breath.
“A wedge of lime, please.”
He should have known.
“So what were you saying about Lederman?” she asked.
“Aside from complaining about marriage, he’s hiding something.” Jack finished the end of his drink.
“What makes you say that?”
“He got a phone call. The guy who relayed the message didn’t say who was calling, but Lederman bolted out of the sauna so fast he nearly lost his towel.” He laughed and waited for her to do the same.
Her expression remained steady. He stifled a groan. He couldn’t imagine she didn’t find the image amusing, so he figured she was still angry with him after all. But he wasn’t about to repeat this morning’s conversation.
Better to focus on work. “At any rate, when he returned I asked him if everything was okay. I thought maybe there was an emergency at the resort, but he didn’t cover well. He flushed, hemmed and hawed, then finally said his son had called from California.”
Mallory shrugged. “Why are you so sure he didn’t?”
“Gut instinct. Besides that’s an easy enough answer without beating around the bush.”
She nodded. “True. So what do you think he’s hiding? It makes no sense to keep us in the dark. Not if we’re on his side.”
“Agreed. And I intend to find out just as soon as…”
“Here are your drinks, folks.”
The waiter exchanged Jack’s empty glass for a full one that no longer appealed, but he thanked the man and turned his gaze back to Mallory. “I could have outright asked him what was going on, but…”
“Excuse me sir, but this is for you.” The waiter handed Jack a folded slip of paper.
“Phone message?” Jack wondered aloud.
“Actually the bartender asked me if I recognized the name on the top and since you’d just signed for your lunch earlier…”
“Did he say who left it?”
“He found it on the bar when the lunch crowd disappeared.”
“Strange.” He lifted the folded paper and a feminine scent drifted toward him. He raised the paper and the aroma grew stronger. More appealing.
“Anything else?” the waiter asked.
“No thank you,” Mallory said in her polite but husky voice.
Jack shook his head, then unsealed the note. Invitation to Seduction—a private evening of dinner, dancing and gratification of the senses. Eight o’clock. Beach cabin number 10. He tried to swallow and choked instead. There were further instructions, seductive allusions about what he could expect should he dare to RSVP.
He flipped the page over and read the back print. Come on time. And come hungry. His eyes teared and he grabbed for the drink that hadn’t appealed to him minutes earlier. Instead of easing his distress, the alcohol burned its way down his throat, and he coughed harder.
Mallory stood and gestured for the waiter. “Water, please,” Jack heard her request. “Are you okay?” she asked.
He swallowed again and breathing came easier. “Fine. Just…swallowed wrong.”
“Oh.” She lowered herself into her seat. “You scared me for a second. I thought I was going to have to do mouth-to-mouth.”
He stared at her, sure he hadn’t heard correctly.
“Resuscitation,” she said quickly. “Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation because I thought you’d stopped breathing or something.” She waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. As long as you’re okay now.”
“I’m fine.” He glanced at the note that now lay in his lap. As fine as he could be with an erotic invitation to seduction nestled in his groin and his repressed associate staring at him wide-eyed from across the table.
Who the hell could have sent it? He glanced around but the sea of women in bathing suits gave him no clue. Jack broke into a sweat that had nothing to do with the sun’s burning rays.
“Is it from Lederman?” Mallory asked.
He sure as hell hoped not. “It’s personal.”
She shrugged. “Okay so do you plan to ask him straight out what’s going on?”
He stared over her shoulder, scrutinizing each woman who passed. None gave any indication that they’d sent the note, but someone had propositioned him and damn if it didn’t sound exciting. Tantalizing. Intriguing.
Hell, he’d be a fool not to show up at eight. And he’d be an even bigger fool to walk into some unknown woman’s fantasy.
“Jack? Jack. I asked if you plan to confront Paul Lederman.” Mallory asked, obviously confused by his inability to concentrate. She stared at him openly behind those damn black-rimmed glasses.
He had the absurd urge to confide in her and that in itself told him what a bizarre frame of mind he’d been in since starting this trip. Now this. He lifted the note and held it to his nose.
Floral? Oriental? He couldn’t place the scent, though he had the sense he’d smelled it before. In his dreams, Jack thought.
“Maybe we ought to do this some other time. You’re obviously distracted.” Mallory rose from her seat.
“Wait.”
“Why? Nothing I do or say seems to hold your interest. Why don’t you take care of personal matters and we can meet up again later.”
He let out a long groan. “Have a seat, Mallory. You asked if I plan on confronting Lederman. The answer is no. This is how the man operates. He likes to build trust slowly. That’s why we’re here, for him to assess us, to build trust. The firm still handles most of his business, but this…this is personal. When he’s ready, he’ll confide.”
“And in the meantime?” She tapped her foot against the white concrete.
“We wait. Enjoy the beach. The view.” Come on time. And come hungry. “The food,” he muttered.
“Excuse me?”
He shook his head. She was right. No way in hell could he concentrate on business now—whoever sent this invitation could be watching him. Assessing him. Appraising him. His body shook in reaction.
Mallory grabbed for her pad. “Maybe you’re coming down with something. You’ve got the chills.”
More like he was burning with anticipation. “You’re right. Let’s meet up again later.”
She nodded. “Get some rest first. How does eight tonight sound?”
He sucked in a breath of ocean air and forced a grin. “I thought I told you to consider this a semi-vacation. Take the night off and we’ll talk in the morning.”
“Suit yourself.” She turned and walked away.
He followed the sleek way she moved and the sway of her legs in her sensible sandals. Wasted potential, Jack thought, and it was a pity.
But he couldn’t think about Mallory now. He waved the note in the air, savoring the lingering scent and the arousing effect the perfume had on his senses. All of his senses, and no doubt that was the intention.
Whoever had sent the invitation meant to stimulate and arouse. Well she’d done a damn good job. So good he couldn’t get up from this table yet, and probably not for a long while. At least he’d have time to think about whether or not he’d show up as requested.
Who was he kidding? Jack knew damn well he’d be there. Whoever had gone to the trouble of seeking him out deserved to at least have him respond. In person. And his tingling flesh and burgeoning erection left no doubt he wanted to make an appearance as well.
TWILIGHT ENVELOPED the beach as night settled in. With burning anticipation, Jack watched the digital clock in his hotel room inch closer to the hour. He had to hand it to the anonymous sender of that note, she’d managed to set the stage for a seduction and keep him aroused the entire afternoon.
A soft breeze swept in through his open terrace door, traveling off the ocean. And his body throbbed in time to the lapping sound of the waves hitting the shore. His heart pounded frantically inside his chest. Desire flowed fast and furious.
Yet he had no idea who he was about to meet.
Did anonymity heighten the sense of anticipation? The excitement? Mystery was a potent aphrodisiac, that much was certain. The need to know, the desire to act out the fantasy, had him ignoring his self-imposed rules against one-night stands. Whether he’d regret making an appearance later, he didn’t know. But right now, nothing could keep him from inhaling that intoxicating scent in person. Nothing could prevent him from arriving on time. And as he locked the hotel door behind him and made his way outside and into the dark night, the frenzied fire, already ignited, burst into a potent, powerful flame.
The resort boasted ten secluded cabins, dotted along the beach. Thanks to the map in his hotel room, Cabin 10 wasn’t hard to find, even well-hidden beneath lush foliage. But keeping his cool was difficult and by the time he arrived, he’d actually broken into a sweat.
Jack Latham, the self-proclaimed playboy, the man who thrived on challenges and the women who provided them, was jittery and impatient. And also self-conscious, he admitted as he recalled the instructions he’d committed to memory after one reading.
Following those detailed instructions, he closed his eyes, raised his hand and knocked on the cabin door. In the darkness, sounds became magnified and his knuckles rasping against the door pounded inside him as well. Crickets chirped around him and the breeze rustled the neighboring branches. Seconds passed and then he heard creaking hinges as the door opened.
His stomach churned in anticipation and the urge to look was overwhelming. But the instructions had been clear. If he wanted his desires granted, he had to follow the rules and so he kept his eyes shut tight.
Without warning, a soft hand grabbed his wrist. His breath caught in his throat and his mouth grew dry. He found himself locked in a warm and gentle, yet firm and determined, grip. Not a word was spoken but an insistent pull propelled him ahead, probably inside the cabin.
Jack stepped forward, eyes still closed, pulse still hammering out a rapid beat. He crossed a wide expanse of space until a jerk on his wrist stopped him. The warmth of feminine body heat grew closer. He wasn’t sure how he sensed it, but somehow Jack knew she stood before him. And then he inhaled, taking in the fragrant scent that had been with him all afternoon. Stirring his senses. Teasing his restraint.
Her hands settled on his shoulders and pushed him downward until he was sitting, enveloped by luxurious cushions and what he thought was soft velvet.
“I have to look at you,” he murmured.
He sensed the shake of her head, felt the press of delicate fingertips against his eyelids. Not yet. The unspoken words hovered between them.
“You followed the instructions, so now you get your wish. You wanted to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.” The words were whisper-soft. Featherlight.
But the husky voice was glaringly familiar—and arousing, as it had been from the first. Still, shock propelled his eyelids open.
He expected to see Mallory Sinclair, Esq. Instead he faced a seductress with curves he’d never dreamed Mallory possessed. Glorious waves of black hair flowed over her shoulders. Perfectly applied makeup accented features he had thought only had potential.
He’d been wrong.
Perfection couldn’t be improved upon and if he hadn’t been so caught up in what could be, he would have seen this Mallory all along. Mallory Sinclair, the sultry beauty.
The woman who’d sent him the invitation and who had an evening of seduction in store.
4
“WHAT’S THE MATTER, JACK? Cat got your tongue?” Mallory leaned so close he couldn’t draw a breath let alone utter a word in response.
Her fingernails, painted a hot coral shade, trailed a path from his jaw to the top button on his polo shirt. Her skin was as soft and alluring as her touch and he shivered at the brazen assault.
“Or maybe your collar’s just too tight for you to breathe and speak at the same time,” she murmured. With nimble fingers, she released the top button.
He would have inhaled easier if not for her warm breath on his cheek, the pout of her luscious lips also in a glossy coral and the intoxicating scent surrounding him. All worked together to arouse. He’d known going in that seduction was the stranger’s intent. He hadn’t known he’d be facing his so-called repressed colleague and in that respect, Mallory had caught him off guard.
And Jack didn’t like surprises. In court he never asked a question he didn’t know the answer to be forehand. Too many attorneys had been tripped up by assumptions. Too many men had been scammed into thinking they knew the woman they were involved with. Jack wouldn’t let himself be tripped up or scammed, especially by a woman.
He made his own rules then lived by them. But he’d broken one of those rules when he’d responded to the invitation so he had no one but himself to blame if he found himself at a disadvantage now.
“Maybe you just took me by surprise.” He met her gaze, stunned into silence once more by the shocking blue of her eyes, surrounded by incredible waves of black hair.
She nodded. “The frigid facade.”
He heard the ice in her tone along with the trace of hurt she couldn’t hide, but no way would he ever associate this woman with the word frigid ever again.
“I insulted you.”
She inclined her head. Assent or was she assessing him? Before he could decide or even wince at his earlier, poorly chosen phrasing, she spoke.
“Yes, you insulted me. Yet I have to admit that was an interesting description of a woman you barely know.” Her words implied she intended to correct not only his erroneous assumption but also the status of their relationship.
Her next move proved him right. She settled herself into the seat cushion beside him, so close he forgot to breathe until he forced himself to focus on his surroundings and not his sexy hostess. With his eyes shut earlier, he’d curled his hands around cushioned softness and he realized now his guess had been right—the sofa was crushed velvet, a taupe and white mix of color that complimented the rest of the interior design. Comfortable for both male and female guests.
She curled her legs Indian-style. His gaze was drawn downward to the soft, shimmery material of her skirt, yellow silk beneath a sheath of sheer organza, then to the delicate wisp of a sandal covering her feet. Coral accented her toenails, just as it did her lips and fingernails.
She played with the skirt until it fell provocatively between her legs, covering yet revealing at the same time. She was toying with him. He knew it and so did she, yet he enjoyed the teasing too much to call her on it.
There were no traces left of the staid, uptight, repressed colleague he’d flown with. “I take it I’m here so you can prove my assumption about you was wrong.”
As he spoke, he let his gaze travel upward again. Though the skirt was full, it revealed a narrow waist and he had a sudden desire to lift the flowing material and take a look at those legs he’d noticed this afternoon.
“Dichotomy is interesting, isn’t it?” she asked.
Tempt. Torment. Tease. Obviously she wasn’t going to answer him directly. He met her gaze, and realized she’d caught him staring. He wouldn’t apologize. For one thing he wasn’t sorry. And for another, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink beneath the artificial color, telling him he affected her, too.
Jack refused to give up what little power he possessed in this game she’d set up. “Everyone and everything in life has two faces, two sides. Not all of them pleasant.”
He’d learned early on that his loving mother, his father’s devoted wife in public, was a cold, uncaring, cheating female in private. As time marched on, she didn’t care who knew the truth and the dichotomy she’d presented merged into a singular unhappy woman. Since then, Jack had become an expert on the two faces of human nature.
Mallory’s eyes narrowed, as if she realized his words revealed a part of his soul. He silently cursed. How could he forget this seductive female had a brain like a steel trap and the instincts of a killer shark? That dichotomy she’d mentioned. The one he’d always looked for in others. Why did he find it so easy to forget Mallory possessed another colder, more calculating side?
Which Mallory was real, which was the impostor?
“So you’re already attuned to the subtleties of human nature. That’s good since it makes my job that much easier.” She smiled, a sexy smile meant to disarm and make him wonder what she planned next.
He could only wait and see. Despite the danger—to the private emotions she effortlessly tapped into and to the career he’d built and had no business risking for a fling with a colleague—the anticipation stoked a fire of burning need deep inside him. One he didn’t fully understand.
Obviously he’d sensed there was more to his repressed colleague than met the eye or he wouldn’t have had those occasional bouts of arousal—when he’d heard her husky voice, or inhaled her luscious scent on the plane. The same scent, he now realized, he smelled on the invitation this afternoon. His mind hadn’t been ready then to grasp the possibilities. He was ready now. More than ready if the blood pumping through his veins was any indication. She was playing a game and he intended to draw out the intensity and the pleasure.
He had no doubt she’d back off first. The no-office-romance policy would weigh more heavily on her mind since she had a partnership at stake and knew his vote could destroy her chances and all she’d worked for. Not that he’d ever jeopardize her career over this invitation to seduction. He had too much respect for her as a lawyer and too much admiration for the woman who’d lured him here to teach him a well-deserved lesson.
But he could enjoy the steps along the way. “I obviously spoke out of turn this morning by using the word frigid. But the word facade—now that was right on target.”
A wide smile touched her face and radiance glowed from the porcelain skin on her cheeks. “You’re a smart man, Jack. Façade. Defined it means a false, superficial or artificial appearance or effect.”
“And that’s what this is?” His hand swept the air around her before he laid his arm back on the couch. Mere inches from the silken bare flesh revealed by the matching camisole she wore.
Though her daily suits did little to reveal womanly curves, Jack saw plenty now. She had full breasts, fuller than he’d imagined and creamy white skin peeked through the deep vee of her top.
“You’re wondering which is the real Mallory?” Her sultry laugh lit the night air. “That’s for you to find out.”
She teased him with what-if’s and myriad other sensual possibilities.
“Are you ready to eat?” she asked.
The question led to thoughts of decadent delights, feasting on her glistening lips and tasting her hidden feminine secrets. But he doubted that was what she had in mind.
At least not yet. A wicked voice in his head taunted him, just as her nearness teased him. He wanted to close the distance, to sweep his hand over the expanse of skin on her neck and shoulders, to bring her close enough for him to devour with his mouth.
“I’m hungry,” he replied. And if she looked down, she’d see exactly how ravenous he was. He tried to swallow but his throat had grown dry. “But how about a drink first.”
She rose from the couch with fluid grace and walked over to the minibar. “Vodka on the rocks, yes?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You remember?”
Mallory nodded. “I pay attention.” To everything about you, she thought.
She drank in his charcoal-gray eyes, lit by anticipation and awareness. She took notice of his jet-black hair, combed and sexy despite—or was it because of its perfection? Her gaze dipped lower. The intriguing bit of chest hair visible from his now open collar was seared into her memory.
Jack Latham was a potent masculine package. And that was the problem. Her mental obsession with him and what he thought of her had brought her to a dangerous precipice. He’d challenged her femininity and she’d responded, putting her career and her future on the line. She could not believe she’d taken her humiliation over his insulting comment this far. But now that she had, Mallory had no choice but to follow through with her plan to show Jack the woman behind the facade.
“I pay attention, too. Your reputation for thoroughness and your expertise is unrivaled among the firm’s associates.”
She warmed at his compliment, knowing she’d transformed herself into the frigid Mallory for that very purpose. “Thank you.”
After pouring his vodka and her wine for much needed courage, she returned to the sofa. With any luck she could remain in control of herself and her reactions at the same time she tested his.
She handed him his glass and their hands touched. Brief and accidental, yet a tremor of awareness ricocheted throughout her body. So much for control, Mallory thought. Since he was here in response to her invitation and he didn’t seem inclined to bolt now that he realized she was the invitee, she willed herself to remain calm, forget business and concentrate on Jack.
By the time the evening was over, Jack would have no doubts regarding Mallory’s womanly attributes and feminine wiles. Point made, things between them then could return to normal. As if anything could ever be normal again now that she’d come this close to her fantasy.
She seated herself beside him and silence followed. “So tell me about the Terminator,” she said, before he could take charge of the conversation.
“It’s a great movie but the first was better than the sequel,” he said quickly.
Too quickly and his expression grew shuttered as it had earlier, when he’d discussed the two sides of human nature.
She sensed his discomfort and wondered at the cause of his withdrawal. She lifted her drink to her lips and took a long sip.
The fruity liquid slid down her throat, wetting her mouth so she could speak. “I agree. Sequels are rarely as good as the original. In Terminator Two, there were too many muscles on Linda Hamilton. Yet she made the men drool.” Mallory shrugged. “I always thought men liked their women on the softer side.”
Surprise at her response registered on his face. Obviously he thought she’d continue to push him for answers about what made him the office terminator. Her cousin Julia would have taken a more overt approach. Mallory preferred subtlety. She was coming on strong enough as it was.
And this way, he wouldn’t know he was easy to read. His poorly timed movie joke had given her a more personal glimpse into his feelings about being the marriage terminator than if he’d answered with dry facts. There was time enough for those.
She ran her tongue over the rim of the glass, savoring every droplet of wine. She was gratified when his gaze followed the movement and his eyes dilated with desire.
His stare locked with hers and though he’d obviously been caught again, he didn’t back off or look away. He was as direct as she’d been in bringing him here and she appreciated his forthrightness.
“So what’s your take? How do you like your women, Jack? Soft and feminine or harder with an edge of steel?”
A smile lifted the corners of his mouth into a sexy grin. “I like them to possess a bit of both. Strong and capable on the outside, yet soft and pliant, warm and giving within.” He reached forward and grasped her glass, easing it out of her fingers and placing it on the table beside the couch.
“Sort of like you,” he murmured. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
His touch was warm and sexy, like the timbre of his voice and she reacted. Her nipples tightened beneath the silk and the bare wisp of a bra she wore. Another gentle caress like that last one and she’d lose what little semblance of control she possessed.
He placed his glass beside her own. “Unless of course, this is an act.”
Aah. He wanted to test her limits and see if she turned back into uptight, frigid Mallory. He wanted to see who would run first. Poor Jack. He had no idea she was prepared to see this through and deal with the consequences later.
“Maybe it is an act. Maybe it isn’t. The point is you still aren’t sure, are you?”
“Not yet.” He leaned forward until his lips were mere inches from hers. “But the night’s still young and I plan to find out.”
His mouth hovered close to hers. Hot with a hint of Absolut vodka, his breath teased her with seductive promises she wasn’t ready to make or keep. Yet.
“Not so fast.” She playfully pushed back on his shoulders before he could possess her mouth in the kiss she so desperately wanted despite the need to back off. If there was any kissing to be done tonight, she’d be the one to initiate. Otherwise she had no prayer of proving her point. And that’s what tonight was all about, she reminded herself. Proving a point not gaining pleasure, though she sensed she’d experience that, too.
But she couldn’t risk serious involvement with Jack Latham and anything beyond this playful evening would constitute involvement. Something neither her emotions nor her career could afford.
She’d spent too many years building toward a partnership. Too many lonely, unfulfilled years maybe, but if she was going to receive the ultimate payoff in the end, she couldn’t succumb to emotional need or desire with the one man she’d always wanted. Not now. She hoped Jack took her teasing in the right light or she’d ruin everything anyway.
Forcing herself to remember her priorities, which wasn’t easy when kissing Jack was within easy reach, she rose from her seat. “You said you were hungry.” She walked over to the table where room service had left a full meal including hors d’oeuvres.
“Starved.” His deep chuckle reverberated behind her.
He wouldn’t be amused by the time she was through.
“I thought you were staying in the main hotel.”
She appreciated the switch to mundane conversation. “Keeping tabs on me?”
“If I wasn’t before, I will be now.” She pivoted toward him in time to see Jack shake his head. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“Sure you did. That’s why we’re here.” She toyed with a tray of grapes and assorted cheeses displayed in an elegant spread. One she’d added her own finishing touches to before Jack had arrived. The only question that remained was whether she had the nerve to carry out her plan.
Frigid facade, frigid facade. His words echoed in her mind and rankled every one of her feminine instincts. He didn’t know anything about her and she wanted him to learn.
She didn’t ever want him to forget.
“Actually, my secretary made the reservations so I know we’re on the same floor. Across the hall, in fact,” Jack said.
“These villas are available to rent for special occasions.” She set the tray in front of them on a small table and plucked a grape from its mooring.
“And this is a special occasion?” A wry smile formed on his lips.
“If that’s your take on the evening, I’m pleased.” She popped the fruit between her lips. The succulent juice burst, coating her mouth.
“I notice you don’t always answer a question directly.”
She edged closer to him. “I’m a lawyer. I’m trained in the technique of evasion.”
“It doesn’t look like you’re evading now,” he murmured.
She leaned forward, her weight braced on the palms of her hands. “Do you like grapes?”
He briefly glanced at the tray before meeting her gaze. “I could be persuaded to have a taste.”
“I hoped you would say that.” Now or never, Mallory thought and closed the distance between them, placing her lips over his.
Jack’s eyes registered first surprise, then darkened with desire. Closing her eyes so she wouldn’t drown in his gaze, she rubbed her lips delicately over his, using the juice from the grapes to tease and arouse. His lips were damp, tasting of vodka and man as a low groan escaped from the back of his throat. A curling warmth exploded in her belly with the knowledge that her passion was reciprocated. But it wasn’t enough.
“You wanted to taste grapes.” Her words were muffled against his lips. “Open up and taste the fruit, Jack.”
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Carly Phillips
Lawyer Mallory Sinclair wants a partnership–almost as much as she wants fellow attorney Jack Latham. Unfortunately, she's worked so hard at making it in a man's world, that nobody's aware that she's even a woman–a very sensual woman. But Jack's about to find out, big time. Because Mallory's about to send him an invitation he can't refuse…. Jack can't believe it!Underneath Mallory's power suits lies a temptress–one determined to seduce him! Not that Jack's complaining… Only, this new Mallory is so uninhibited, so blatantly sexy, Jack can't help wondering if he's sleeping with a stranger, instead of the colleague he's known for years. Still, he'd like their liaison to continue–if only he knew which woman would end up sharing his bed….
Erotic Invitation
Carly Phillips
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
1
“YOU’VE BEEN SUMMONED.”
Mallory Sinclair glanced up from the complicated lease she’d been reading to find her secretary, Paula, standing in the doorway. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you knock.”
“That’s because I didn’t. When the Terminator calls there’s no time to waste. Especially if you want a minute to freshen up before entering his lair.” Paula, Mallory’s young, beautiful and on-the-prowl secretary, wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive gesture meant to prompt Mallory into primping for this unexpected meeting with the firm’s best-looking partner.
Mallory reached for a legal pad instead of her purse. Though she’d never let her emotions show, for the first time in her eight years with Waldorf, Haynes, Greene, Meyers & Latham, she shook in her no-nonsense pumps. She’d fought for assignments, gone head-to-head with senior partners over issues she believed in, and she’d held on to her job when other female associates had quit, been fired or had moved on to get married or have a family. She was the sole surviving female in a male dominated arena and was only one year away from making partner. She hadn’t gotten this far without confrontation and she’d never backed away from a fight. Never been afraid to work with or take on opposing counsel or partner. Until now.
Because as the top real estate associate, she’d never been summoned by hotshot divorce attorney and partner of the firm, Jack Latham. A man equal parts sexy male and lethal terminator—marriage terminator. That he wanted to see her now meant he had good reason.
“I could say you’re busy and take notes in your place.”
Mallory didn’t miss the hopeful note in her flirtatious secretary’s voice. The other woman envied Mallory’s meeting with Jack Latham. He was an office icon—a man adored by women and respected by men.
If the grapevine was correct, he neither believed in the institution of marriage nor the idea of commitment. But his views weren’t a deterrent to any breathing member of the opposite sex. Every woman in the office thought given the chance, she could change his mind.
“Thanks for the offer but I’m sure I can handle it.” Mallory smiled wryly.
Paula shrugged. “Too bad. I could really use the distraction and give him a meeting he’d never forget.” She hitched her already borderline-trouble skirt hem up another notch.
Mallory stifled a laugh. Good thing for Jack there was a no-office-romance policy, instituted after an employee had filed a sexual harassment suit against an older partner three years ago. The firm had settled quietly, the founding partner had retired, and the no-dating rule had gone into effect. Women like Paula could drool, but they couldn’t put the moves on any of the male attorneys, and vice versa. But rules couldn’t stop the imagination and there wasn’t a woman in the office, from secretary, to paralegal, to the only female associate, who hadn’t fantasized about Jack Latham.
The difference between Mallory and the other women in the office was that she didn’t outwardly show interest. She couldn’t afford to crack her facade. She glanced at Paula who sat twirling a permed blond strand of hair around one finger, a disappointed look on her face.
“If the man knew what I’d saved him from, he’d get down on his hands and knees and thank me,” Mallory said.
“I wish he’d get down on those knees for me.” Paula let out an exaggerated sigh before glancing at her watch. “You’d better get going. He said posthaste or something like that.”
“Thanks.” Pad under her arm, Mallory headed out of her office and down the hall.
She clenched her fists, only to discover she was sweating. Good God, she felt like a teenager in the throes of her first crush and that wouldn’t do. Not when she’d done everything she could think of to join the ranks of this old boys’ network and make partner.
Including outwardly suppressing her femininity. She hid her sexy lace teddies and garters beneath conservative suits, covered her hot-colored pedicures with sensible pumps, showed only unlacquered fingernails, and squashed her sense of humor and warmth beneath a no-nonsense personality. When she looked in the mirror she barely recognized the person staring back.
But next year, she’d reap the benefits of her sacrifice: she’d earn both the first female partnership offered at the firm, and her father’s respect. The man who’d desired a son and gotten Mallory instead, would finally see she was worthy, despite his belief to the contrary.
She inhaled deeply. “I’m nearly there,” she purposely said aloud, to remind herself of how hard she’d worked and how far she’d come. No way would she let a summons from Jack Latham, her secret fantasy, destroy a dream eight years in the making. She let out a long breath. Yes, she could handle Jack Latham.
She paused outside his office to wipe her palms against her skirt and smooth back her hair, then she knocked three times in rapid succession.
“Come on in.” A deep sexy voice rumbled from behind the closed door.
Her stomach curled with a combination of warmth and anticipation. She reached for the doorknob and entered. But not before a last glimpse at her chest to make sure her sea-pearl buttons were closed tight and not a hint of lace or silk would make an unwanted appearance. She stepped into his office and shut the door.
Hands linked behind his back, Jack Latham stood at the window overlooking the scenery below, the Empire State Building, tall and imposing in the background.
His broad shoulders were covered by a navy pin-striped suit. European and designer-made, the jacket accented his powerful frame. He presented as potent a vision as the landscape outside the window. Fog surrounded the city; a New York summer day and the view from the corner office at its finest, Mallory thought.
He didn’t turn when the door creaked behind her. She wasn’t surprised. She knew the game, just as Jack knew who stood at his desk, awaiting his attention. He’d summoned her, after all. But to acknowledge her immediately might shift the balance of power toward equality and he wouldn’t do that with an associate. Especially a female associate. Every time she was assigned a new partner, she underwent the same drill, and often asked herself if Intimidation 101 was a prerequisite for men working in the field of law.
She’d learned not to let it get to her and she’d learned to push back. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Mr. Latham, but you asked to see me?”
Silence.
Strange, she thought. But then what did she know of the man? Although he’d been at Waldorf, Haynes longer than she had, the firm boasted over seventy-five attorneys spread out over three floors of a high-rise building. Their paths had rarely crossed on a one-to-one basis. Until now.
One more try and she was out of here. He could come looking for her if he intended to carry this game too far. “Mr. Latham?”
THAT VOICE AGAIN. Softer than Jack had expected and at odds with the tough legal reputation Mallory Sinclair attained, it penetrated the troubles muddling his thoughts. Her tone was smooth enough to appeal to a man’s senses, and husky enough to remind him of fantasies involving hot nights beneath cool sheets.
He shook his head, clearing his mind. From all he’d seen and heard of Mallory Sinclair, she wasn’t one to inspire seductive visions. And as he turned to Waldorf, Haynes’s sole female associate, her appearance put him squarely back into office-mode. The woman standing before him was as hard as her voice was soft. From her severely pulled back hair, to her overly long skirt and conservative suit, she was every inch not his fantasy woman.
But she was the woman with whom he’d be confined at a resort owned by the firm’s biggest client, off the coast of Long Island. For Lord knew how long.
Jack cleared his throat and met Mallory’s gaze. Behind the black-rimmed glasses, she’d narrowed her eyes until he couldn’t tell if they were a blue or a bland shade of gray. He’d obviously irritated her. He hadn’t meant to get on her bad side from the get-go, and he hadn’t meant to ignore her.
While waiting for her to arrive, his father had called and delivered a personal blow. Apparently, his beloved mother had embarked on another affair, this one more public than the last. And his tolerant, accepting dad, had finally walked out. Jack’s stomach rolled to think his father was about to go through the kind of nasty divorce he specialized in, but it was about time. The marriage should never have lasted—most didn’t—and if not for his father’s unending acceptance and patience, his mother would be on her own by now. Yet as bad as Jack felt for his father, he had no choice but to deal with family issues later.
Right now he had more immediate problems at hand. He stepped away from the window. “I was preoccupied,” he explained to Mallory.
Her hands gripped the edge of his desk. “Obviously. I can always come back at a more convenient time. I have plenty of work sitting on my desk.”
Work he’d obviously taken her away from and she wasn’t pleased. He doubted she’d be any happier when she learned the reason for their last-minute meeting. “No, now’s fine. Have a seat.” He gestured to the wing chair in the corner, a congratulations gift from his father for making partner. His mother hadn’t bothered to make it to his law school graduation, never mind acknowledging his career accomplishments.
Mallory lowered herself into the chair and crossed one leg over the other. His gaze fell to the shifting material of the skirt that covered way too much skin, even in this staid profession.
“So.” Her voice captured his attention.
Amazing, Jack thought. When he wasn’t focused on her plain features or tailored clothes, that husky voice wreaked havoc on his nerve endings, sending the wrong signals from his brain to parts of his body that had no business rising during office hours. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“I’ll be brief. I understand you’re working on a real estate deal, but I’ve arranged to shuffle your workload around to free you up. For me.”
His words sent her into a frenzied fit of coughing. Concerned, Jack rose from his seat and came up beside her. “Are you okay?”
She removed her glasses and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue she’d grabbed from his desk. “Fine. I’m perfectly fine. I just swallowed wrong. Sorry about that.” Obviously embarrassed, she cleared her throat and patted around her eyes once more before meeting his gaze.
In the instant those china-blue eyes met his, Jack felt as though he’d been sucker punched. His breath caught and he nearly went into a coughing fit of his own. Sweet heaven, someone should have warned him the woman had such expressive, gorgeous eyes. Before he could continue, she pushed the black frames back on and resettled the glasses on the bridge of her nose. Once again, thick lenses obscured his ability to see into her eyes, making him wonder if he’d imagined the depth and clarity of hue.
“What do you mean you’ve shuffled my workload? Didn’t anyone tell you Mendelsohn Leasing requested I handle the negotiation on their newest land acquisition personally?”
He rounded his desk and resettled himself into his seat. At this point, he was off balance and uncertain of Mallory Sinclair, something he never felt with a woman or in business. Distance seemed the safest bet. “I assure you I was fully informed of the situation but we decided to weigh all involved interests and the scales tipped in Lederman’s favor.”
“Our biggest client. One who’s been farming out business to other firms, leaving us vulnerable to losing an important money base.”
So she was up on all firm business. “Yes. However this time we’re not talking about a potential merger or acquisition but Lederman’s divorce.”
She inclined her head. “If you’re involved, that much is obvious. What isn’t clear is where I come in. You could pick any associate specializing in domestic or family law. You don’t need me.”
Jack leaned forward, elbows propped on his desk. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Much as we both obviously wish differently, you’re exactly what I need.”
Mallory Sinclair hadn’t been his first choice as an assistant, but he’d been outvoted. His partners felt a woman’s presence would strengthen their position with the client and assure him of their willingness to play hardball against his wife. Jack couldn’t argue the point. Waldorf, Haynes couldn’t afford to lose Lederman’s business and securing the role of counsel in this divorce was of paramount importance.
After a moment she let out a long breath of air. “Why don’t you explain why you need me.” She paused. “Please.”
He picked up a pencil and twirled it between his palms. “It’s simple. Lederman wants to win. He wants a team of attorneys who sympathize with him as a man whose wife wants to take him for a ride and who aren’t afraid to play hardball to accomplish those goals. And we—the partners—feel his needs can best be met by having a female attorney sitting at his side. And as you know, when there’s direct contact with Mrs. Lederman, a woman dealing with another woman would give us greater strength. You could relate to her in a way I could not.”
He watched for the play of emotions sure to cross her face during his explanation. There were none. Whatever her thoughts, she kept them to herself. The woman knew how to play poker, Jack thought, and his respect for her rose. He could see now how she’d come so far with the older male guard at Waldorf, Haynes. But she hadn’t earned their trust completely. He doubted any female ever could. This was an old boys’ network and they weren’t ashamed to admit it.
Jack didn’t agree with their way of thinking on many issues, this one included. He didn’t trust women in the marriage arena—his family background, client history and divorce statistics providing backup to his beliefs. But regardless of whether women were usually at fault on the domestic front, business was different. Skill alone determined whether Jack would trust their abilities. The old men weren’t as easily swayed, but Mallory was useful to them. And she obviously knew it.
She nodded slowly. “So I’m yours by default. Being the only female associate, that is.”
He couldn’t help it. He grinned. “In a manner of speaking, yes.” She was his. In all her tweed and glory.
From all he’d seen and heard, Mallory Sinclair was one of the best. But before they could get down to business, they were headed for an informal get-to-know-you-better session, demanded by their eccentric client. Based on Mallory’s cool personality and severe looks, casual and relaxed wasn’t her thing. Which meant Jack wasn’t looking forward to their enforced time together.
Yet despite himself the memory of those china-blue eyes stayed with him. Intrigued him. Made him wonder what else he didn’t know about Ms. Mallory Sinclair.
She rose from her seat. “Guess that means case closed, then.”
“I’m sure we’ll survive,” he said, issuing a grin meant to ease things between them.
He waited for a smile in return and was disappointed not to get one. “I’ll need to wrap some things up before I can start on Lederman’s case,” she said.
“No problem. Our flight leaves at 7:00 p.m. Think you can tie up loose ends, pack and be at the airport in…” he glanced at his watch. “Three hours?”
Her lipstick-free mouth opened, then closed again. He’d managed to get a reaction after all. “Our flight?” The word sounded more like a squeak.
He nodded. “Mr. Lederman is at his resort in the Hamptons. He doesn’t care to cut his vacation short, so we’re going to head on out there and get to know him. Grab your sunglasses and bathing suit. We’re going to the beach.”
MALLORY ROLLED her silk stockings down her legs slowly, savoring the sensation against her skin. She so missed the little luxuries in life—silk, satin and anything soft, which was why she always did her best to pamper herself beneath her conservative image.
Thanks to a spilled pocketbook-size vial of her favorite perfume, normally saved for evenings after work, the comforting aroma indulged her senses now. But neither the conservative attorney nor the buried woman were foolish enough to wear stockings to a hot, summer resort.
With Jack Latham.
She shivered at the unexpected prospect of spending hours in his company away from the office. She opened her suitcase and tossed it on the bed.
“Going somewhere exciting?” Her cousin Julia bounded into the room with all the exuberance of a college freshman. Or someone who would be a college freshman if she hadn’t opted for a free-spirited route in life.
Just looking at her, Mallory felt old beyond her years. Mallory was still young enough to be carefree, it was just the external trappings that constrained her. And those couldn’t be avoided. Not if she wanted to make partner.
“Hey, Mal. I asked you where you’re off to?”
Mallory turned to her cousin. Their fathers were brothers, and by a strange mix of the gene pool, Julia and Mallory shared an uncanny resemblance, down to their blue eyes. Looking at her cousin was like looking in a mirror, minus a few years, chronological as well as emotional. Julia was a bundle of happiness, and like Mallory she was also a disappointment to her father. Unlike Mallory, she didn’t feel the need to change her parent’s opinion.
“I’m off to a sunny resort and before you get jealous, remember it’s business.” And with luck, Jack would remember that, too. He’d dress up and not down and even if their eccentric, bossy client insisted on a poolside meeting, Jack would dress, period. Because Mallory was afraid if she saw him bare-chested and tanned, in swimming trunks that accentuated and revealed, she couldn’t be responsible for her actions.
And Mallory Sinclair was always the upstanding, responsible adult and attorney. Always. She had to be.
Julia sat on the bed and crossed her legs. “It may be business, but it’s still the beach.”
“That’s what Jack said.” The memory of his charcoal-gray eyes boring into hers lit a fire inside her. The warmth of desire burst into a burning flame. Lust, Mallory reminded herself. Nothing more than sexual need, a desire easily controlled. No matter if she was lying to herself, she had no choice but to convince herself and act accordingly. So what if the man was sexy? She was an adult, after all.
“Who’s Jack?”
“The senior partner in charge of this case.” Her garment bag already packed with a combination of appropriate lightweight pantsuits and skirts, Mallory folded her private underthings and placed them inside the suitcase.
Julia seated herself on the bed. “What’s he look like?”
“What’s it matter?” Mallory shot back quickly.
Too quickly, and her cousin’s eyes narrowed. “Why so testy? Uptight about going away with a seventy-year-old man who’s judging your every move?” Julia’s blue eyes locked with hers, daring her to reveal what was on her mind.
Sometimes Julia was too perceptive and understanding, just another reason why Mallory adored her cousin and let her live here rent-free while she “found herself” in New York. “More like a thirty-something, perfect-looking, unattached man,” Mallory muttered.
Julia laughed. “I heard that.”
“I wanted you to or I wouldn’t have spoken out loud.”
“That’s my favorite cousin, nothing uncalculated, nothing unplanned.”
“The complete opposite of your spontaneous nature, you mean. You know it wouldn’t hurt you to plan ahead. Set goals, chart your course in life.”
“Any more than it would hurt you to jump into something with your heart and not your head. So what’s the story with your office hunk?”
Mallory shook her head. “No story. Not with a no-office-romance policy, and not with a man who, if you believe the rumors, doesn’t have the ability to commit.” And not with a man who hadn’t shown her an ounce of interest.
Julia leaned forward, resting on her elbows and propping her chin on her palms. “So? Does he have to commit to have an affair?”
“Who said I was looking for an affair?” Or a commitment for that matter. She didn’t have the time to worry about her personal life, at least not until her partnership was secure and stable.
“Maybe you should be.” Julia reached into the suitcase and held one of Mallory’s lace teddy’s in the air, dangling it from her fingertips. “Seems to me these lacy getups are wasted if you’re alone.”
Mallory grabbed for her nightie and buried it back inside her suitcase where it belonged. “Didn’t you ever hear of doing things for yourself?”
“Anyone ever tell you it’s more fun doing it with a partner?”
Visions of herself and Jack played before her eyes, a seductive dance with the ocean as the backdrop. She shook her head at her thoughts—all inappropriate, un-called for and not possible. Beyond office policy and Mallory’s long-term goals, she understood reality.
She swung the suitcase off the bed and blew Julia a kiss. “I’ll be in touch.” She passed the mirror as she headed out the door, catching a glimpse of herself in the glass. Her black glasses stood out, glaring and unattractive. Exactly as she’d meant them to be.
Mallory was heading off to an exclusive resort with the best-looking man she’d ever met. A man who made her ache with a simple glance. A man whose voice caused ripples of awareness to burst to life inside her.
But just as she planned, that sexy man wouldn’t give her an interested glance. Jack Latham wouldn’t be captivated by Mallory Sinclair, attorney. He wouldn’t be charmed, enchanted or tempted.
“It might help if you let down your hair,” her cousin supplied in a sugary-helpful voice.
Not if she wanted to make partner. Mallory glanced at her watch. Half an hour till show time. She had a firm-hired car picking her up downstairs to take her to the airport. “Gotta run or I’ll be late.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“It’s not like I’ll even be given the chance,” she muttered to herself.
2
JACK GLANCED at his watch. Half an hour until landing and their descent couldn’t come a minute too soon. He didn’t know how much more togetherness he could take. Mallory shifted in her seat and her right knee grazed his left leg. A shot of heat radiated up his thigh.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, then sighed.
It had been like this for the entire flight. The cramped quarters of the plane and Mallory’s enforced proximity was causing his body to react in conflicting and confounding ways. She’d exchanged the uptight suit for a lightweight dress with a hem that ended marginally higher and revealed an enticing hint of bare skin. Without stockings he was treated to tanned, smooth-looking flesh and he found his gaze drawn back again and again.
He assumed her contradiction in dress, along with the arousing floral scent that had permeated the cabin from the moment of her punctual arrival accounted for his curiosity. He wasn’t about to call what he felt for Mallory interest.
But he hadn’t noticed her feminine fragrance in his office earlier that afternoon, and he couldn’t help but wonder about a woman who dressed and acted with an ultraconservative flair, yet managed to unwittingly tease a man with her voice and affect him with her scent. A woman who could entice with an innocent, accidental brush of bare skin.
“So what’s the plan when we arrive?” Mallory asked.
Grateful for normal conversation at last, he turned toward her. “Lederman has a car meeting us at the airport. We should be at the resort by nine. I assume we’ll unpack and get some sleep. After that, it’s up to our host what happens next.”
“With any luck we can discuss his plans, lay out strategy and be home in a couple of days.”
He didn’t miss the hopeful note in her husky voice. “What do you have against the beach?”
“Nothing if you’re on vacation. But every day we’re out of the office means work is piling up.” Her jaw ticked in frustration.
He leaned back in his seat. “That’s why I had the bulk of your work reassigned. Paul Lederman is eccentric. He doesn’t like to be rushed and if he’s refusing to leave the resort to meet with us in the office, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a quick decision on his part.”
She muttered something he didn’t catch and he shifted his gaze from the drawn window shades to her face, taking in her profile for the first time. Severe hair and black glasses aside, she had chiseled features, high cheekbones and even minus the makeup, porcelain skin most actresses and models would kill to possess. But she did nothing to enhance her looks. In fact, she did everything possible to detract from them. He wondered why.
He shrugged and transferred his gaze. This flight was definitely too damn long if he was looking beyond the surface and contemplating Mallory Sinclair’s grooming habits.
“What are the basic facts of the case?” As she spoke, she leaned down and pulled a yellow legal pad from her briefcase, then grabbed for a pen. “Ready when you are.” She sat up straight in her seat.
The woman was brusque and efficient, the way he liked his associates. But not his women. Women, he preferred soft and pliant, warm and giving. With at least a week at a resort ahead of him, there’d be no shortage of the opposite sex. Unfortunately, strangers no longer appealed to him, which meant life was becoming increasingly complicated.
A short, no-strings affair suited his lifestyle and beliefs best. He couldn’t end up in divorce court as anything other than counsel if he lived by his self-imposed rules. With no commitments, he couldn’t be the cuckolded, sad excuse for a man his father had become. But with age came wisdom and discrimination—and an increasing restlessness he couldn’t understand.
“Mr. Latham? Is something wrong?”
At the sound of her lush tone, a ripple of awareness meandered through his veins. A trickling, growing warmth pulsed in his groin. Something was wrong, all right. Everything he was feeling about his associate was off-kilter and he didn’t like it one bit.
“What did you want?” he bit out.
“The facts of the case.” She waved the legal pad in the air, reminding him of why they were together on the plane. “I want to be up on things to help impress the client.”
He met her gaze behind the thick lenses. Sanity returned and he immediately felt better. “You might as well call me Jack.”
She nodded, wide-eyed.
He forced his stare away from the blue eyes he couldn’t see clearly. “Lederman’s been married for years. He’s fifty-eight and wants out.”
“Why?” She paused, pen ready to write down his every word.
“Irreconcilable differences.”
“That’s the legal definition. What’s the behind-the-scenes take on things? What will boost the settlement in his favor? Assuming we get the case.”
Jack stretched his legs out in front of him as much as he could, but made sure he didn’t touch Mallory as he moved. “That’s what we’re here to find out. Then we decide how to take her faults and spin them in our client’s favor.”
“Interesting turn of phrase—her fault.”
“How so?”
She crossed her legs in front of her, and his gaze fell to her ankles. He’d never been a leg man, but she made him rethink his preference.
“You’re assuming it was Mrs. Lederman’s fault that the marriage disintegrated. There’s always the possibility that our client was equally to blame. And if that’s the case, we need to put a positive spin on his negative actions.”
He leaned his head against the seat and turned toward her. “That’s what I said. We need to put a positive spin on things.”
“You said we need to spin her faults…” Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head before capping her pen. “Never mind.”
“I’m not sure I get the distinction you’re trying to make.”
She let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m sure you don’t.” She busied herself putting away her things and latching her briefcase.
“Good afternoon, folks.” A voice sounded on the loudspeaker, from the cockpit of the small plane. “We’re about ready to begin our descent, so go ahead and fasten your seatbelts…”
The captain’s voice prevented any further talk. Mallory checked her safety belt and stared out the window. She obviously had no desire to finish their conversation. Yet she’d gone and given him an odd, empty feeling in his gut. As though in the brief minutes of their discussion, she’d judged him and found him lacking.
He didn’t like the sensation of coming up short in her estimation and he wasn’t sure why. Once again, she had him off balance, only this time she’d left him with the burning desire to shift both her negative opinion as well as her lack of interest.
Jack loved a challenge, but he only acted when that challenge made sense. And his interest in Mallory Sinclair did not.
A WARM BREEZE blew off the ocean, carrying the scent of salt water in the air. Mallory’s hair frizzed in the humidity, destroying the bun she’d worked hard to make earlier this morning. She glanced at her watch. It was 8:00 a.m. and there was still no sign of their host.
“He’ll be here,” Jack said in response to her unspoken aggravation. “He said to go ahead and have breakfast and he’d meet up with us by the time we were finished.”
She raised her gaze from the cinnamon-raisin French toast on her plate to glance at Jack’s face—something she’d been avoiding doing all morning. If she’d thought him devastating in a suit, he was overwhelmingly handsome in khaki shorts and a collared, short-sleeved shirt. Powerful muscles flexed in his arms and tanned skin peeked through the open buttons over his chest. His jet-black hair had been combed neatly back, and a pair of Oakley sunglasses covered his piercing gray eyes. He was perfection in a masculine package while she was a frizzy mess of conservatism in a bland, navy dress.
Oh, well. She wasn’t here to impress Jack with her looks, she was here to dazzle both him and the client with her brains. If only she could pull her thoughts off his sexy frame and focus on the task ahead of them. She’d spent last night in her room across from his, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Unable to forget the scent of his musky cologne or his deep, rumbling voice.
“Glad you could make it. So what do you think of my place?” A booming male voice interrupted her inappropriate thoughts before she could take them to the sensual conclusion she’d experienced in her dreams.
“It’s incredible, but then you already know that.” Jack rose from his seat and Mallory followed suit. “Makes me realize I’m in the wrong line of work,” Jack said and laughed.
“You’re welcome out here any time,” a burly man said. “Now help me get rid of the albatross I married and I’ll name a suite after you and this colleague of yours.”
Mallory did her best not to wince at the callous words he used to describe his wife. The woman he’d married, for better or worse. The woman she assumed he’d once loved.
“Paul Lederman meet Mallory Sinclair, one of our top associates. Mallory, Paul Lederman.” Jack gestured between Mallory and their client who was dressed even more informally than Jack in boxerlike bathing trunks. Eccentric was putting it mildly, she thought.
She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you at last, Mr. Lederman.”
“Call me Paul.” He pumped her hand with enthusiasm. “Can’t be so formal while sitting at the beach and looking at this view.”
She glanced over his shoulder, taking in the clear blue sky and the glistening water in the background. He was right. She’d been so caught up in not watching Jack, she’d all but ignored the beauty in front of her. “You’re a lucky man, Mr. Lederman.”
He corrected her with a shake of his head.
“I mean Paul. Jack’s right. This place is incredible.”
“Then after we talk, make sure you let loose and enjoy it a bit. I like my attorneys on the same wavelength as I am.” He pulled out a chair and joined them at the table beneath the large umbrella. “Marriage.” He shook his head. “Risky business.”
Mallory grabbed for her pad and pen, while Jack leaned back in his seat. “Yours made it twenty-five years. Something must have held you two together,” Jack said.
Mallory liked the fact that Jack didn’t automatically bow to Lederman’s point of view, even if he silently agreed with the man.
“My money,” Lederman muttered.
“And children,” Jack added.
“The kids are on their own now.”
“So what are you looking for?” Mallory asked. “A quick out or…”
She didn’t get a chance to finish before he picked up speed. “I don’t care about quick. I just don’t want to be taken for all I’ve got. All I’ve worked for my whole life.”
“Does your wife work?” she asked.
“Hell no. Unless you count spending my money work.”
“What about raising your kids, Paul? When did that stop counting for something?” a female voice asked.
Mallory looked up.
An older but still beautiful brunette stood behind Paul Lederman. “And what about catering your parties? Seeing to your important guests? Your whims? Your needs? Your health?” The woman met Mallory’s gaze in an obvious search for feminine understanding.
In the brown depths, Mallory glimpsed a sadness and weariness that tore at her heart. Without knowing all the facts, Mallory imagined Mrs. Lederman as a woman much like her own mother, who sacrificed everything in order to further her husband’s desires. If her mother had focused even for a moment on anything other than her husband, she might have taken notice of the daughter she’d borne, then ignored when her father had decreed her a disappointment. With a sigh, Mallory shook off the personal memories, but her heart went out to Mrs. Lederman.
But she couldn’t afford to pity her client’s wife. Not if she was going to convince the man she could represent him to the best of her abilities. With difficulty, Mallory tore her gaze away from the woman’s pleading expression and focused on her client instead.
She couldn’t read the man or his feelings for his soon-to-be ex-wife. But she did see an aging man with a slight paunch and receding hairline who was married to an elegant, attractive woman who still desired to be his wife.
“I suggest you two do all communication through your attorneys from now on,” Jack said, in a kind but firm voice.
Mallory glanced up through hooded eyes. The sadness in Mrs. Lederman’s countenance grew.
“I didn’t realize you’d already hired yours,” his wife said.
Paul Lederman coughed once. “I haven’t finalized a decision yet.”
“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect yourself,” Mallory advised.
He nodded. “The lady’s got a point because I’m hiring the best.”
Mallory recognized Lederman’s subtle implication that he hadn’t yet decided if Waldorf, Haynes deserved the job, but right now her focus was on Mrs. Lederman and her pain.
“You don’t scare me, Paul. I’m looking at a man who doesn’t recognize the best when he’s got it in his life.” To the other woman’s credit, she held her emotions in check as best she could before she walked away, head held high.
“I didn’t realize you were still living together,” Jack said, breaking the awkward silence that followed.
Lederman snorted. “Not together. Opposite sides of the resort. She won’t leave. Says she loves me but what she really means is she won’t be charged with desertion. From her point of view, what’s mine is hers and what’s hers is hers. Damn place is turning into the War of the Roses.”
He shot to his feet quickly, pushing his chair back hard. “And I want someone who can get me the hell out of it without a dent in my wallet.” Muttering to himself, the older man stalked off, leaving Jack and Mallory alone.
“Dammit.” Jack groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “He’s explosive. I don’t want to lose this client.”
Mallory nodded. “Even if we get the case, with his personality if we can’t control him, she’ll come off looking sympathetic.” Which the other woman most definitely was, Mallory thought.
But she schooled her face into the blank mask she’d perfected over the years, careful not to reveal her inner turmoil to Jack. He was a partner and had a vote in whether or not she became one as well. There was no way she could afford to show weakness now, especially gender-oriented weakness.
She tapped her pencil against her pad. “There’s a story behind every sympathetic facade. Maybe Mrs. Lederman has a lover.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. Although Mallory had been called in on this case because of her gender, he’d expected to battle some form of feminine empathy while working along with her. Instead she was wholly focused on their client’s needs. He ought to be impressed, but her coolness bothered him in ways he didn’t understand. After all, didn’t he already know she was ambitious?
“What if it’s Mr. Lederman who’s cheating?” he asked, curious as to how she’d get around the hypothetical dilemma.
Mallory shrugged. “It all comes down to power. Whoever’s got the most power—in this case, money and strength of will—wins. It doesn’t look like we’ll get much of a fight out of Mrs. Lederman.” She paused in thought.
For a brief moment, even behind her glasses, her eyes clouded over and Jack clung to the hope she’d crack. Show some sign of feminine emotion. But just as quickly, the glimmer disappeared and Mallory met his gaze head-on, determination on her face. “We ought to take advantage of the fact that she doesn’t seem to want the divorce,” she said. “Use that to our advantage in convincing Lederman we’ve got the best strategy.”
“She doesn’t want the divorce yet. If she gets hit hard she’ll probably hire an attorney who will come out swinging.”
“Exactly.” Mallory’s voice rose in pitch, excitement infusing her tone as well as her spirit.
He could see now why she was so good at her job. Because she truly loved the nitty-gritty details and the opportunity to work out solutions to a client’s benefit. He understood because he felt the same rush of adrenaline each time a case or an idea came to a successful conclusion. “So what do you propose?”
“We need to strike first and the only way we can do that is by winning control of this case. I’ll call Rogers and see what kind of dirt he can dig up on Mrs. Lederman and her past. In the meantime, you question Mr. Lederman. I mean Paul. He’s more likely to open up to you anyway. Male bonding and all that.”
A grin edged the corners of his mouth. He couldn’t help it. She was a bossy thing when she got revved up and he enjoyed her take-charge attitude. “Any other orders?”
An unexpected flush stained her cheeks. From pale to cherry in a matter of seconds. So warm blood ran through those veins after all. For a brief moment, he wondered just how hot he could get that blood pumping. Until he refocused and realized this was Mallory he was daydreaming about. His staid, uptight, probably repressed colleague.
He definitely needed to hook up with a woman and soon. Sexual drought. There was no other explanation for the bizarre reactions he was having toward his associate.
She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“Actually I’d say you were on target and thinking clearly. You go ahead and call the private investigator. If Lederman sees we’re investing time and money in him without a guarantee, he’s likely to be impressed. And I’m positive I can sway him before this trip is out.”
“Really? I mean, great! I’ll get on it.” Her surprise was tangible.
Given her probable history with the other partners in the firm, he understood. But he wasn’t one to knock a good idea just because it hadn’t come from him. Her ideas were solid and her train of thought followed his. They’d make a good team.
A good working team, he amended. “You do that.”
She met his gaze and nodded. She held his stare a minute too long.
He was unable to break the connection, but she had no problem. As she’d done many times this morning, her intense gaze darted from his, guiltily, as if she were a kid who’d gotten caught doing something naughty.
What a bundle of contradictions she was. He doubted he’d ever understand her. It was probably best he never did. Because she drove him to distraction, causing him to question himself and his feelings. Why did he care what Mallory thought or felt as long as she did her job and did it well? Why did he have this strong, lingering desire to see if she possessed a feminine side? Why the hell did he need to know she had the emotions and the ability to empathize with a woman Jack would ultimately screw in a divorce settlement?
His feelings regarding Mallory Sinclair made no sense. Though Jack doubted Lederman was blameless, he was certain Mallory was right. If they dug deep enough, they’d uncover dirt on Mrs. Lederman and probably force her hand—which by implication would win Lederman over.
But Mallory’s callous disregard of the other woman’s plight stayed with him. And Jack knew why. Her single-minded determination to succeed at all costs reminded him of his mother’s tenacity at taking what she wanted outside her marriage, regardless of the repercussions to his father. A strange analogy, maybe but one that was alive and glaring.
One that gave him the urge to see how far she would go in the name of her job. He leaned forward. “Mallory.”
She paused from collecting her things. “Yes?”
“If you run into Mrs. Lederman and chances are good you will…”
She rose from her seat. “Don’t worry, Jack. I can handle her.” She paused, then drew a deep breath.
“Reach out to the tentative vulnerable wife we just saw. Woman-to-woman, you know?”
Jack closed his eyes. He knew. It was the exact reason she’d been chosen for this case. But hearing her say it so callously, as if she had no empathy at all for Mrs. Lederman, gave him an impression of Mallory he didn’t want to believe. The professional part of him was impressed but the man in him yearned to see she was human, that she felt at least a feminine kinship for Mrs. Lederman even if she couldn’t act on those feelings.
And he still wanted to know she wasn’t as cold and calculating as she appeared. “You make it sound like you’d hit her up with false sympathy anywhere, including the ladies room.”
She paused, as if contemplating his words and her delay in answering gave him hope.
“If that’s what it took to win this client over, then yes. I would,” she said at last.
So much for hope, he thought, disappointed beyond words. “Geez, lady, you’re cold. Just once on this trip I’d like to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.”
She stiffened and Jack cursed. He hadn’t meant to speak aloud, nor had he meant to insult her. He just couldn’t understand the conflicting emotions she inspired in him. But it wasn’t an excuse and he doubted she’d understand.
She held the pad against her chest. “I take it that wasn’t a compliment.”
That much was obvious. “Look, I meant nothing by it. It was just a thoughtless…”
“Tactless, male remark. No offense taken.” But her lips trembled as she spoke.
He didn’t believe her. Though she hadn’t run off in tears and her strength impressed him, he’d finally managed to crack the frigid mask she’d pasted on her face. This time she wasn’t able to hide the pain his words caused her.
He felt lower than a snake. He’d gotten his wish. He hadn’t seen her feminine side but he knew one existed. Unfortunately getting his wish held little satisfaction right now and not only because he’d hurt her. But because in causing her pain, he’d learned something about himself and Mallory. He cared about her feelings—something that was rare for him when dealing with women.
He hated phony tears. He hated when a woman played on his sympathy because he’d supposedly hurt her tender feelings. His mother was an expert at playing his father. And Jack had always sworn he’d never be the vulnerable one. To accomplish that goal, he couldn’t let himself care.
He glanced at Mallory’s face. She’d managed to plaster on a fake smile. One he didn’t buy for a second. And that bothered him. A lot.
“See you.” She turned and walked away, blue skirt hanging too low around her legs, hair pulled back in an unattractive bun.
“Shit,” Jack said loud and clear. He glanced around the beach, which had filled up with women. Scantily clad women. Single women.
If Mallory appealed to him on so many levels there had to be a reason.
Maybe he just needed to get laid.
3
SO HE WANTED to see the woman behind the frigid facade did he? Mallory jerked open and slammed closed the drawers in her room, tossing things on the bed and muttering aloud.
Cold. He’d had the nerve to call her cold. She picked up her most sinful, decadent teddy and held it in the air. Could she really be cold, frigid, she amended if her taste ran to silk and satin? To warm brandy and smooth sheets? To erotic dreams she couldn’t share with anyone, including the man who inspired them?
She pushed the pile of lingerie aside and flopped down on the bed. Her fist curled around the bedspread and she swiped at a stray tear that dripped down her face. God, the man had a way of getting to her. Sexually, emotionally, it didn’t matter. She cared what he thought of her and hated, hated that all he saw was Mallory Sinclair, Esq. A woman she’d created to achieve her long-standing goal.
A goal that suddenly came in second to showing Jack Latham his hunch was right. The man obviously sensed there was more to Mallory than what the world saw. What he saw. Just as she believed there was more to Jack Latham than his Terminator moniker implied.
But the old double standard had come into play and Jack had actually criticized her for doing her job as well as any man. Mallory might not like her father’s outlook on many things, but her parents had still in-grained her with some values she both admired and lived by. Including loyalty, respect and staying power—in relationships as well as careers. So here she was attempting to do her best for a man who was obviously hurting his wife. His treatment of Mrs. Lederman didn’t, or shouldn’t, matter, not to the professionals hired to represent him in a divorce. And that’s what Mallory was. A professional.
Jack ought to understand because they were bound by the same ethics. Yet because she was a woman he expected her to act differently. To show her emotions. Coming from Jack, that damn double standard hurt. She’d expected more of him though she didn’t know why. The man was the Terminator, after all. He represented husbands against wives regardless of fairness or truth. Because that was his ethical obligation.
But despite his job as Waldorf, Haynes’s chief divorce attorney, Mallory believed there was more to Jack. Just one day in his company and she sensed a gold mine of emotion beneath the surface. Oh, if pushed, he would claim to believe in all his male clients. He would state aloud that women were at fault in the breakup of most marriages. She’d heard him spout the same rhetoric around the office. She couldn’t help hearing his secretary’s gossip about why he’d become a hotshot divorce attorney. If the stories regarding his mother’s blatant and ongoing in-fidelities were true, then personal pain lay behind Jack’s antimarriage rhetoric.
His shaded sunglasses had hidden his eyes but other things had given his emotions away. The twitch in his full lips and the grip of his hand on the table that turned his knuckles white, only obvious because she’d been looking for a sign of humanity, had proven Mallory correct. He wasn’t immune to Mrs. Lederman’s suffering, even as he directed her to communicate with the husband she loved through their attorneys from now on.
It had been easier to ignore Jack Latham’s appeal when only sexual attraction was involved. Now that Mallory had spent time with the man, now that she saw depth behind the good looks and toned body, she couldn’t leave him with the impression he obviously had of her. He wanted to see the woman behind the mask. And she had enough pride to want to strip away the veneer and show him.
It was a gamble. Jack Latham was a respected partner. He could break her career with a word whispered in the right ears. But weighing all risks, Mallory came down on the side of chance.
Geez, lady, you’re cold. Just once on this trip I’d like to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.
She fingered a garment of pure silk between her fingertips. If he was perceptive enough to use that sort of terminology, Mallory was gutsy enough to expose what lay beneath.
For his eyes only.
Curling her legs beneath her, Mallory gave serious thought to how best make her point. By the time she’d formulated her plan, she’d actually managed to arouse herself with tantalizing, intriguing possibilities.
She glanced at her watch. She had some free time before meeting up with Jack again later. Plenty of opportunity to set things in motion.
She lay back against the pillows, squeezed her eyes shut tight and imagined Jack’s reaction. Anticipation rose inside her, building to a rolling crescendo, causing a steady, rhythmic pounding beat between her thighs. She lay her hand on the soft material of her panties. A small press downward both alleviated the ache and increased her need. Her fingertips glided over silk, outlining her mound of flesh. So easily, she thought. She could take the edge off the hunger and go on with her day. But alleviating her tension would kill the anticipation she’d feel watching Jack.
She wanted to make him need Mallory Sinclair, the woman.
Then she wanted to take him to the edge…and over.
And she wanted to topple with him, not alone.
So, Mallory thought, let the seduction begin.
HE COULD get used to this. Jack glanced out over the pool to the glistening water beyond. The tangy smell of the ocean, the clear blue sky and the sexy women in bikinis. Yeah, he could get used to this. He leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs out in front of him. The sun beat against his skin, warm and comforting.
“Sorry I’m late. I had to run a few errands and they took longer than I thought.” Mallory slid into the seat across from him, looking uptight in the same boxy blue dress. But she didn’t seem upset over this morning’s incident and he was grateful.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded. “We left in such a rush that I forgot a few things.”
“Well I managed to catch up with Paul in the sauna. We spent an hour commiserating over needy women. It’s way too soon to push him on making a decision, but he’s starting to trust me and I’ve got some more facts to fill you in on.”
“Sounds good.”
“Drink first?” he asked.
She hesitated.
“Consider this more a vacation than a business trip. Seriously we’re only here because Lederman wants to get to know us outside of the office. He’s eccentric, like I said. So go ahead. Have a drink.” Jack wanted to put her at ease. There was no way he could spend a week in her company if she looked like she was about to bolt at the first opportunity.
After his thoughtless comment this morning, he wouldn’t touch the issue of her clothes now, but he didn’t know how long he could watch her roasting in dresses beneath the blazing sun.
He gestured for a waiter. “The lady will have a…” He narrowed his gaze, trying to assess what Ms. Sinclair would drink. “White wine spritzer?”
She shook her head. “Club soda, please.”
Jack blinked, and refrained from rolling his eyes.
“I’ll have a refill.” He lifted his glass that had contained Absolut vodka on the rocks.
The waiter nodded. “Be right back, folks.”
“Oh, wait,” Mallory said.
He turned back around. “Change your mind?”
Jack actually held his breath.
“A wedge of lime, please.”
He should have known.
“So what were you saying about Lederman?” she asked.
“Aside from complaining about marriage, he’s hiding something.” Jack finished the end of his drink.
“What makes you say that?”
“He got a phone call. The guy who relayed the message didn’t say who was calling, but Lederman bolted out of the sauna so fast he nearly lost his towel.” He laughed and waited for her to do the same.
Her expression remained steady. He stifled a groan. He couldn’t imagine she didn’t find the image amusing, so he figured she was still angry with him after all. But he wasn’t about to repeat this morning’s conversation.
Better to focus on work. “At any rate, when he returned I asked him if everything was okay. I thought maybe there was an emergency at the resort, but he didn’t cover well. He flushed, hemmed and hawed, then finally said his son had called from California.”
Mallory shrugged. “Why are you so sure he didn’t?”
“Gut instinct. Besides that’s an easy enough answer without beating around the bush.”
She nodded. “True. So what do you think he’s hiding? It makes no sense to keep us in the dark. Not if we’re on his side.”
“Agreed. And I intend to find out just as soon as…”
“Here are your drinks, folks.”
The waiter exchanged Jack’s empty glass for a full one that no longer appealed, but he thanked the man and turned his gaze back to Mallory. “I could have outright asked him what was going on, but…”
“Excuse me sir, but this is for you.” The waiter handed Jack a folded slip of paper.
“Phone message?” Jack wondered aloud.
“Actually the bartender asked me if I recognized the name on the top and since you’d just signed for your lunch earlier…”
“Did he say who left it?”
“He found it on the bar when the lunch crowd disappeared.”
“Strange.” He lifted the folded paper and a feminine scent drifted toward him. He raised the paper and the aroma grew stronger. More appealing.
“Anything else?” the waiter asked.
“No thank you,” Mallory said in her polite but husky voice.
Jack shook his head, then unsealed the note. Invitation to Seduction—a private evening of dinner, dancing and gratification of the senses. Eight o’clock. Beach cabin number 10. He tried to swallow and choked instead. There were further instructions, seductive allusions about what he could expect should he dare to RSVP.
He flipped the page over and read the back print. Come on time. And come hungry. His eyes teared and he grabbed for the drink that hadn’t appealed to him minutes earlier. Instead of easing his distress, the alcohol burned its way down his throat, and he coughed harder.
Mallory stood and gestured for the waiter. “Water, please,” Jack heard her request. “Are you okay?” she asked.
He swallowed again and breathing came easier. “Fine. Just…swallowed wrong.”
“Oh.” She lowered herself into her seat. “You scared me for a second. I thought I was going to have to do mouth-to-mouth.”
He stared at her, sure he hadn’t heard correctly.
“Resuscitation,” she said quickly. “Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation because I thought you’d stopped breathing or something.” She waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. As long as you’re okay now.”
“I’m fine.” He glanced at the note that now lay in his lap. As fine as he could be with an erotic invitation to seduction nestled in his groin and his repressed associate staring at him wide-eyed from across the table.
Who the hell could have sent it? He glanced around but the sea of women in bathing suits gave him no clue. Jack broke into a sweat that had nothing to do with the sun’s burning rays.
“Is it from Lederman?” Mallory asked.
He sure as hell hoped not. “It’s personal.”
She shrugged. “Okay so do you plan to ask him straight out what’s going on?”
He stared over her shoulder, scrutinizing each woman who passed. None gave any indication that they’d sent the note, but someone had propositioned him and damn if it didn’t sound exciting. Tantalizing. Intriguing.
Hell, he’d be a fool not to show up at eight. And he’d be an even bigger fool to walk into some unknown woman’s fantasy.
“Jack? Jack. I asked if you plan to confront Paul Lederman.” Mallory asked, obviously confused by his inability to concentrate. She stared at him openly behind those damn black-rimmed glasses.
He had the absurd urge to confide in her and that in itself told him what a bizarre frame of mind he’d been in since starting this trip. Now this. He lifted the note and held it to his nose.
Floral? Oriental? He couldn’t place the scent, though he had the sense he’d smelled it before. In his dreams, Jack thought.
“Maybe we ought to do this some other time. You’re obviously distracted.” Mallory rose from her seat.
“Wait.”
“Why? Nothing I do or say seems to hold your interest. Why don’t you take care of personal matters and we can meet up again later.”
He let out a long groan. “Have a seat, Mallory. You asked if I plan on confronting Lederman. The answer is no. This is how the man operates. He likes to build trust slowly. That’s why we’re here, for him to assess us, to build trust. The firm still handles most of his business, but this…this is personal. When he’s ready, he’ll confide.”
“And in the meantime?” She tapped her foot against the white concrete.
“We wait. Enjoy the beach. The view.” Come on time. And come hungry. “The food,” he muttered.
“Excuse me?”
He shook his head. She was right. No way in hell could he concentrate on business now—whoever sent this invitation could be watching him. Assessing him. Appraising him. His body shook in reaction.
Mallory grabbed for her pad. “Maybe you’re coming down with something. You’ve got the chills.”
More like he was burning with anticipation. “You’re right. Let’s meet up again later.”
She nodded. “Get some rest first. How does eight tonight sound?”
He sucked in a breath of ocean air and forced a grin. “I thought I told you to consider this a semi-vacation. Take the night off and we’ll talk in the morning.”
“Suit yourself.” She turned and walked away.
He followed the sleek way she moved and the sway of her legs in her sensible sandals. Wasted potential, Jack thought, and it was a pity.
But he couldn’t think about Mallory now. He waved the note in the air, savoring the lingering scent and the arousing effect the perfume had on his senses. All of his senses, and no doubt that was the intention.
Whoever had sent the invitation meant to stimulate and arouse. Well she’d done a damn good job. So good he couldn’t get up from this table yet, and probably not for a long while. At least he’d have time to think about whether or not he’d show up as requested.
Who was he kidding? Jack knew damn well he’d be there. Whoever had gone to the trouble of seeking him out deserved to at least have him respond. In person. And his tingling flesh and burgeoning erection left no doubt he wanted to make an appearance as well.
TWILIGHT ENVELOPED the beach as night settled in. With burning anticipation, Jack watched the digital clock in his hotel room inch closer to the hour. He had to hand it to the anonymous sender of that note, she’d managed to set the stage for a seduction and keep him aroused the entire afternoon.
A soft breeze swept in through his open terrace door, traveling off the ocean. And his body throbbed in time to the lapping sound of the waves hitting the shore. His heart pounded frantically inside his chest. Desire flowed fast and furious.
Yet he had no idea who he was about to meet.
Did anonymity heighten the sense of anticipation? The excitement? Mystery was a potent aphrodisiac, that much was certain. The need to know, the desire to act out the fantasy, had him ignoring his self-imposed rules against one-night stands. Whether he’d regret making an appearance later, he didn’t know. But right now, nothing could keep him from inhaling that intoxicating scent in person. Nothing could prevent him from arriving on time. And as he locked the hotel door behind him and made his way outside and into the dark night, the frenzied fire, already ignited, burst into a potent, powerful flame.
The resort boasted ten secluded cabins, dotted along the beach. Thanks to the map in his hotel room, Cabin 10 wasn’t hard to find, even well-hidden beneath lush foliage. But keeping his cool was difficult and by the time he arrived, he’d actually broken into a sweat.
Jack Latham, the self-proclaimed playboy, the man who thrived on challenges and the women who provided them, was jittery and impatient. And also self-conscious, he admitted as he recalled the instructions he’d committed to memory after one reading.
Following those detailed instructions, he closed his eyes, raised his hand and knocked on the cabin door. In the darkness, sounds became magnified and his knuckles rasping against the door pounded inside him as well. Crickets chirped around him and the breeze rustled the neighboring branches. Seconds passed and then he heard creaking hinges as the door opened.
His stomach churned in anticipation and the urge to look was overwhelming. But the instructions had been clear. If he wanted his desires granted, he had to follow the rules and so he kept his eyes shut tight.
Without warning, a soft hand grabbed his wrist. His breath caught in his throat and his mouth grew dry. He found himself locked in a warm and gentle, yet firm and determined, grip. Not a word was spoken but an insistent pull propelled him ahead, probably inside the cabin.
Jack stepped forward, eyes still closed, pulse still hammering out a rapid beat. He crossed a wide expanse of space until a jerk on his wrist stopped him. The warmth of feminine body heat grew closer. He wasn’t sure how he sensed it, but somehow Jack knew she stood before him. And then he inhaled, taking in the fragrant scent that had been with him all afternoon. Stirring his senses. Teasing his restraint.
Her hands settled on his shoulders and pushed him downward until he was sitting, enveloped by luxurious cushions and what he thought was soft velvet.
“I have to look at you,” he murmured.
He sensed the shake of her head, felt the press of delicate fingertips against his eyelids. Not yet. The unspoken words hovered between them.
“You followed the instructions, so now you get your wish. You wanted to see the woman beneath the frigid facade.” The words were whisper-soft. Featherlight.
But the husky voice was glaringly familiar—and arousing, as it had been from the first. Still, shock propelled his eyelids open.
He expected to see Mallory Sinclair, Esq. Instead he faced a seductress with curves he’d never dreamed Mallory possessed. Glorious waves of black hair flowed over her shoulders. Perfectly applied makeup accented features he had thought only had potential.
He’d been wrong.
Perfection couldn’t be improved upon and if he hadn’t been so caught up in what could be, he would have seen this Mallory all along. Mallory Sinclair, the sultry beauty.
The woman who’d sent him the invitation and who had an evening of seduction in store.
4
“WHAT’S THE MATTER, JACK? Cat got your tongue?” Mallory leaned so close he couldn’t draw a breath let alone utter a word in response.
Her fingernails, painted a hot coral shade, trailed a path from his jaw to the top button on his polo shirt. Her skin was as soft and alluring as her touch and he shivered at the brazen assault.
“Or maybe your collar’s just too tight for you to breathe and speak at the same time,” she murmured. With nimble fingers, she released the top button.
He would have inhaled easier if not for her warm breath on his cheek, the pout of her luscious lips also in a glossy coral and the intoxicating scent surrounding him. All worked together to arouse. He’d known going in that seduction was the stranger’s intent. He hadn’t known he’d be facing his so-called repressed colleague and in that respect, Mallory had caught him off guard.
And Jack didn’t like surprises. In court he never asked a question he didn’t know the answer to be forehand. Too many attorneys had been tripped up by assumptions. Too many men had been scammed into thinking they knew the woman they were involved with. Jack wouldn’t let himself be tripped up or scammed, especially by a woman.
He made his own rules then lived by them. But he’d broken one of those rules when he’d responded to the invitation so he had no one but himself to blame if he found himself at a disadvantage now.
“Maybe you just took me by surprise.” He met her gaze, stunned into silence once more by the shocking blue of her eyes, surrounded by incredible waves of black hair.
She nodded. “The frigid facade.”
He heard the ice in her tone along with the trace of hurt she couldn’t hide, but no way would he ever associate this woman with the word frigid ever again.
“I insulted you.”
She inclined her head. Assent or was she assessing him? Before he could decide or even wince at his earlier, poorly chosen phrasing, she spoke.
“Yes, you insulted me. Yet I have to admit that was an interesting description of a woman you barely know.” Her words implied she intended to correct not only his erroneous assumption but also the status of their relationship.
Her next move proved him right. She settled herself into the seat cushion beside him, so close he forgot to breathe until he forced himself to focus on his surroundings and not his sexy hostess. With his eyes shut earlier, he’d curled his hands around cushioned softness and he realized now his guess had been right—the sofa was crushed velvet, a taupe and white mix of color that complimented the rest of the interior design. Comfortable for both male and female guests.
She curled her legs Indian-style. His gaze was drawn downward to the soft, shimmery material of her skirt, yellow silk beneath a sheath of sheer organza, then to the delicate wisp of a sandal covering her feet. Coral accented her toenails, just as it did her lips and fingernails.
She played with the skirt until it fell provocatively between her legs, covering yet revealing at the same time. She was toying with him. He knew it and so did she, yet he enjoyed the teasing too much to call her on it.
There were no traces left of the staid, uptight, repressed colleague he’d flown with. “I take it I’m here so you can prove my assumption about you was wrong.”
As he spoke, he let his gaze travel upward again. Though the skirt was full, it revealed a narrow waist and he had a sudden desire to lift the flowing material and take a look at those legs he’d noticed this afternoon.
“Dichotomy is interesting, isn’t it?” she asked.
Tempt. Torment. Tease. Obviously she wasn’t going to answer him directly. He met her gaze, and realized she’d caught him staring. He wouldn’t apologize. For one thing he wasn’t sorry. And for another, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink beneath the artificial color, telling him he affected her, too.
Jack refused to give up what little power he possessed in this game she’d set up. “Everyone and everything in life has two faces, two sides. Not all of them pleasant.”
He’d learned early on that his loving mother, his father’s devoted wife in public, was a cold, uncaring, cheating female in private. As time marched on, she didn’t care who knew the truth and the dichotomy she’d presented merged into a singular unhappy woman. Since then, Jack had become an expert on the two faces of human nature.
Mallory’s eyes narrowed, as if she realized his words revealed a part of his soul. He silently cursed. How could he forget this seductive female had a brain like a steel trap and the instincts of a killer shark? That dichotomy she’d mentioned. The one he’d always looked for in others. Why did he find it so easy to forget Mallory possessed another colder, more calculating side?
Which Mallory was real, which was the impostor?
“So you’re already attuned to the subtleties of human nature. That’s good since it makes my job that much easier.” She smiled, a sexy smile meant to disarm and make him wonder what she planned next.
He could only wait and see. Despite the danger—to the private emotions she effortlessly tapped into and to the career he’d built and had no business risking for a fling with a colleague—the anticipation stoked a fire of burning need deep inside him. One he didn’t fully understand.
Obviously he’d sensed there was more to his repressed colleague than met the eye or he wouldn’t have had those occasional bouts of arousal—when he’d heard her husky voice, or inhaled her luscious scent on the plane. The same scent, he now realized, he smelled on the invitation this afternoon. His mind hadn’t been ready then to grasp the possibilities. He was ready now. More than ready if the blood pumping through his veins was any indication. She was playing a game and he intended to draw out the intensity and the pleasure.
He had no doubt she’d back off first. The no-office-romance policy would weigh more heavily on her mind since she had a partnership at stake and knew his vote could destroy her chances and all she’d worked for. Not that he’d ever jeopardize her career over this invitation to seduction. He had too much respect for her as a lawyer and too much admiration for the woman who’d lured him here to teach him a well-deserved lesson.
But he could enjoy the steps along the way. “I obviously spoke out of turn this morning by using the word frigid. But the word facade—now that was right on target.”
A wide smile touched her face and radiance glowed from the porcelain skin on her cheeks. “You’re a smart man, Jack. Façade. Defined it means a false, superficial or artificial appearance or effect.”
“And that’s what this is?” His hand swept the air around her before he laid his arm back on the couch. Mere inches from the silken bare flesh revealed by the matching camisole she wore.
Though her daily suits did little to reveal womanly curves, Jack saw plenty now. She had full breasts, fuller than he’d imagined and creamy white skin peeked through the deep vee of her top.
“You’re wondering which is the real Mallory?” Her sultry laugh lit the night air. “That’s for you to find out.”
She teased him with what-if’s and myriad other sensual possibilities.
“Are you ready to eat?” she asked.
The question led to thoughts of decadent delights, feasting on her glistening lips and tasting her hidden feminine secrets. But he doubted that was what she had in mind.
At least not yet. A wicked voice in his head taunted him, just as her nearness teased him. He wanted to close the distance, to sweep his hand over the expanse of skin on her neck and shoulders, to bring her close enough for him to devour with his mouth.
“I’m hungry,” he replied. And if she looked down, she’d see exactly how ravenous he was. He tried to swallow but his throat had grown dry. “But how about a drink first.”
She rose from the couch with fluid grace and walked over to the minibar. “Vodka on the rocks, yes?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You remember?”
Mallory nodded. “I pay attention.” To everything about you, she thought.
She drank in his charcoal-gray eyes, lit by anticipation and awareness. She took notice of his jet-black hair, combed and sexy despite—or was it because of its perfection? Her gaze dipped lower. The intriguing bit of chest hair visible from his now open collar was seared into her memory.
Jack Latham was a potent masculine package. And that was the problem. Her mental obsession with him and what he thought of her had brought her to a dangerous precipice. He’d challenged her femininity and she’d responded, putting her career and her future on the line. She could not believe she’d taken her humiliation over his insulting comment this far. But now that she had, Mallory had no choice but to follow through with her plan to show Jack the woman behind the facade.
“I pay attention, too. Your reputation for thoroughness and your expertise is unrivaled among the firm’s associates.”
She warmed at his compliment, knowing she’d transformed herself into the frigid Mallory for that very purpose. “Thank you.”
After pouring his vodka and her wine for much needed courage, she returned to the sofa. With any luck she could remain in control of herself and her reactions at the same time she tested his.
She handed him his glass and their hands touched. Brief and accidental, yet a tremor of awareness ricocheted throughout her body. So much for control, Mallory thought. Since he was here in response to her invitation and he didn’t seem inclined to bolt now that he realized she was the invitee, she willed herself to remain calm, forget business and concentrate on Jack.
By the time the evening was over, Jack would have no doubts regarding Mallory’s womanly attributes and feminine wiles. Point made, things between them then could return to normal. As if anything could ever be normal again now that she’d come this close to her fantasy.
She seated herself beside him and silence followed. “So tell me about the Terminator,” she said, before he could take charge of the conversation.
“It’s a great movie but the first was better than the sequel,” he said quickly.
Too quickly and his expression grew shuttered as it had earlier, when he’d discussed the two sides of human nature.
She sensed his discomfort and wondered at the cause of his withdrawal. She lifted her drink to her lips and took a long sip.
The fruity liquid slid down her throat, wetting her mouth so she could speak. “I agree. Sequels are rarely as good as the original. In Terminator Two, there were too many muscles on Linda Hamilton. Yet she made the men drool.” Mallory shrugged. “I always thought men liked their women on the softer side.”
Surprise at her response registered on his face. Obviously he thought she’d continue to push him for answers about what made him the office terminator. Her cousin Julia would have taken a more overt approach. Mallory preferred subtlety. She was coming on strong enough as it was.
And this way, he wouldn’t know he was easy to read. His poorly timed movie joke had given her a more personal glimpse into his feelings about being the marriage terminator than if he’d answered with dry facts. There was time enough for those.
She ran her tongue over the rim of the glass, savoring every droplet of wine. She was gratified when his gaze followed the movement and his eyes dilated with desire.
His stare locked with hers and though he’d obviously been caught again, he didn’t back off or look away. He was as direct as she’d been in bringing him here and she appreciated his forthrightness.
“So what’s your take? How do you like your women, Jack? Soft and feminine or harder with an edge of steel?”
A smile lifted the corners of his mouth into a sexy grin. “I like them to possess a bit of both. Strong and capable on the outside, yet soft and pliant, warm and giving within.” He reached forward and grasped her glass, easing it out of her fingers and placing it on the table beside the couch.
“Sort of like you,” he murmured. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
His touch was warm and sexy, like the timbre of his voice and she reacted. Her nipples tightened beneath the silk and the bare wisp of a bra she wore. Another gentle caress like that last one and she’d lose what little semblance of control she possessed.
He placed his glass beside her own. “Unless of course, this is an act.”
Aah. He wanted to test her limits and see if she turned back into uptight, frigid Mallory. He wanted to see who would run first. Poor Jack. He had no idea she was prepared to see this through and deal with the consequences later.
“Maybe it is an act. Maybe it isn’t. The point is you still aren’t sure, are you?”
“Not yet.” He leaned forward until his lips were mere inches from hers. “But the night’s still young and I plan to find out.”
His mouth hovered close to hers. Hot with a hint of Absolut vodka, his breath teased her with seductive promises she wasn’t ready to make or keep. Yet.
“Not so fast.” She playfully pushed back on his shoulders before he could possess her mouth in the kiss she so desperately wanted despite the need to back off. If there was any kissing to be done tonight, she’d be the one to initiate. Otherwise she had no prayer of proving her point. And that’s what tonight was all about, she reminded herself. Proving a point not gaining pleasure, though she sensed she’d experience that, too.
But she couldn’t risk serious involvement with Jack Latham and anything beyond this playful evening would constitute involvement. Something neither her emotions nor her career could afford.
She’d spent too many years building toward a partnership. Too many lonely, unfulfilled years maybe, but if she was going to receive the ultimate payoff in the end, she couldn’t succumb to emotional need or desire with the one man she’d always wanted. Not now. She hoped Jack took her teasing in the right light or she’d ruin everything anyway.
Forcing herself to remember her priorities, which wasn’t easy when kissing Jack was within easy reach, she rose from her seat. “You said you were hungry.” She walked over to the table where room service had left a full meal including hors d’oeuvres.
“Starved.” His deep chuckle reverberated behind her.
He wouldn’t be amused by the time she was through.
“I thought you were staying in the main hotel.”
She appreciated the switch to mundane conversation. “Keeping tabs on me?”
“If I wasn’t before, I will be now.” She pivoted toward him in time to see Jack shake his head. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“Sure you did. That’s why we’re here.” She toyed with a tray of grapes and assorted cheeses displayed in an elegant spread. One she’d added her own finishing touches to before Jack had arrived. The only question that remained was whether she had the nerve to carry out her plan.
Frigid facade, frigid facade. His words echoed in her mind and rankled every one of her feminine instincts. He didn’t know anything about her and she wanted him to learn.
She didn’t ever want him to forget.
“Actually, my secretary made the reservations so I know we’re on the same floor. Across the hall, in fact,” Jack said.
“These villas are available to rent for special occasions.” She set the tray in front of them on a small table and plucked a grape from its mooring.
“And this is a special occasion?” A wry smile formed on his lips.
“If that’s your take on the evening, I’m pleased.” She popped the fruit between her lips. The succulent juice burst, coating her mouth.
“I notice you don’t always answer a question directly.”
She edged closer to him. “I’m a lawyer. I’m trained in the technique of evasion.”
“It doesn’t look like you’re evading now,” he murmured.
She leaned forward, her weight braced on the palms of her hands. “Do you like grapes?”
He briefly glanced at the tray before meeting her gaze. “I could be persuaded to have a taste.”
“I hoped you would say that.” Now or never, Mallory thought and closed the distance between them, placing her lips over his.
Jack’s eyes registered first surprise, then darkened with desire. Closing her eyes so she wouldn’t drown in his gaze, she rubbed her lips delicately over his, using the juice from the grapes to tease and arouse. His lips were damp, tasting of vodka and man as a low groan escaped from the back of his throat. A curling warmth exploded in her belly with the knowledge that her passion was reciprocated. But it wasn’t enough.
“You wanted to taste grapes.” Her words were muffled against his lips. “Open up and taste the fruit, Jack.”
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Carly Phillips
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: Lawyer Mallory Sinclair wants a partnership–almost as much as she wants fellow attorney Jack Latham. Unfortunately, she′s worked so hard at making it in a man′s world, that nobody′s aware that she′s even a woman–a very sensual woman. But Jack′s about to find out, big time. Because Mallory′s about to send him an invitation he can′t refuse…. Jack can′t believe it!Underneath Mallory′s power suits lies a temptress–one determined to seduce him! Not that Jack′s complaining… Only, this new Mallory is so uninhibited, so blatantly sexy, Jack can′t help wondering if he′s sleeping with a stranger, instead of the colleague he′s known for years. Still, he′d like their liaison to continue–if only he knew which woman would end up sharing his bed….