FullDisclosure (10 page)

“So?” he asked when her eyes remained closed, her face turned ceilingward. “What do you think?”

“Lavender,” she said carefully, eyes still firmly shut. “And vanilla. Definite notes of both. Yet very crisp on the tongue.” She opened her eyes and smiled. “And I think it will go very nicely with the veal.”

Jake nodded approval. “Very impressive.
Very
impressive. Not many people can pick out those delicate flavors. You have the palate of a connoisseur.”

She laughed, picked up her fork and speared a morsel of veal
scaloppini
. “I don’t know about that. I just really enjoy wine, and while I was with Philip I had the opportunity to taste a lot of it. I guess I learned more than I realized.”

Jake tore off a hunk of crusty bread and dipped it into the little bit of marinara sauce that remained on his plate. “Tell me more about him. I’d like to know more about your life with him.” He could see that the question made her uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry, but perhaps you should talk about it. I don’t think it’s healthy to bottle it all up or pretend it didn’t happen.”

“No. You’re right. It’s not. And the truth is, I did have some very happy times in my marriage. When we first met, Philip quite swept me off my feet. He treated me like a princess, and what woman doesn’t long to be treated that way?”

“Of course. No one would blame you for that. But when did it start to go…wrong?”

She took another sip of wine. “Well, there were a few things. But one of the worst moments was the day I came across pictures of him and his first wife. Our relationship had already started to deteriorate at that point, but it certainly cleared a few things up.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“I looked so much like her that we might have been twins.”

His heart sank for her. “Oh. I see.”

“So that explained why he picked me out of the crowd, so to speak. And it also explained why his son despised me. Not overtly, mind you. He would never say anything, especially in front of his father. But I knew. His looks and body language left no doubt. Cyril hated me.”

“That must have been very hard. Especially with the marriage disintegrating.”

“There was a positive note though.” There was that shy smile.

“Oh? And what was that?”

“Evan. Evan Valerian was my sanity for the last year or so of our marriage.”

The mention of Evan’s name elicited a deep, visceral reaction in Jake. Just hearing the name reminded him of their tryst in Evan’s office that afternoon, and dredged up all kinds of conflicting emotions over what they had discussed. But this was important, and it was a question that he really wanted the answer to. “Evan does have that effect on people, doesn’t he? He’s steady and warm and brilliant. Kind of like the rising sun. When you see him, he gives you the feeling that all is right with the world.”

She laughed softly. “Yes. I suppose he does.”

“So you met him through Philip, is that right? They were friends.”

“Yes. They were business associates, and had been for many years. I’m not sure they had a lot in common beyond that, but they played golf together on a regular basis, and Evan’s wife—sorry, ex-wife—Nadine used to like to socialize with Philip and his family. He used to like Philip and respect him for his business and what he stood for.”

“Used to? Do you mean before his death?”

“No. I mean before he found out how Philip was treating me.” She shrugged. “At least that’s what he told me once. He was so angry that day. But I’m afraid he wasn’t only angry at Philip.”

“Why? Who else was he angry at?”

“Me, of course. He was furious with me.”

Jake felt his face flush with anger. Who could be angry at such a delicate creature, and one who was being victimized yet? “What? Why?”

Sadie reached out and laid her hand on his. “No, no. Don’t be upset. He had every right to be. Here I was telling him that Philip was insulting me, ordering me around and belittling me, but when he told me to leave, when he told me that I needed to take a stand and not allow myself to be treated like that, and walk out on Philip, I said I couldn’t.” She swallowed, moved to withdraw her hand, but Jake caught it in his and held on. “I told him I didn’t know how.”

Jake’s blood pressure calmed. “That’s a very common reaction in abusive situations. You weren’t alone in that.”

“Perhaps not, but that doesn’t make it all right. That doesn’t make it okay to go crying and wailing to a friend for help, but then not be willing to help myself. I don’t really know what I expected him to do. He couldn’t fix it. Talking to Philip would have only made matters worse, and he knew it. I was the only one who could fix it.” She licked her lips. “Then again I guess I did want something from him.” She looked away and lowered her voice to a whisper, a whisper that he couldn’t quite make out.

Before he could ask her to repeat it, the waiter arrived to clear the table and take their coffee and dessert orders. And soon that conversation fell by the wayside as they went back to talking about wine and Jake’s business and then headed off for an evening of martinis and dancing.

But Jake didn’t forget. There was something more to this story, and he intended to find out what it was.

“Karey!” Evan embraced his old friend in a long, warm hug, then placed his hands on her shoulders and held her there for inspection. “You look good, Kare. Really good.”

She snorted and batted his hands away. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m thirty pounds overweight and getting fatter by the second. I’ve got bags under my eyes and cankles that an elephant would envy. Which is why I wear these god-awful slacks all the time.” She held out her foot and lifted her pant leg to illustrate. “So do not tell me I look good.”

He laughed. “Well, you look good to me. And what do you expect after having
three
children?”

“I expect to look like Demi Moore, is what I expect.” She arched an eyebrow and placed a hand on an ample hip. To be honest the pantsuit did not flatter her figure, but Karey wasn’t about looks. Karey was all about substance. And sass.

“You, however, look like George fuckin’ Clooney. Better, actually. I bet you could entice ole Brad away from him if you wanted to.”

“George and Brad aren’t lovers,” said Evan with a grin. Karey was the only person in the world who knew of his bisexual adventures. And even then she didn’t know names or specifics. Only that he had…dabbled.

“Right,” she argued. “That’s what they want you to think.”

“Brad is hot,” he said on a sigh, thinking that Jake reminded him a bit of the star. “I’ll give you that.”

“Well, next time he’s in town maybe you and he could give me a threesome. It’s been ages.”

“Wouldn’t Adam object?”

“My hubby? Are you kidding? He’d wanna watch. He’s such a pervert.”

They both laughed out loud. Karey had the ability to make him laugh until he cried on a regular basis, and he wasn’t sure why he didn’t see more of her. And then he remembered, because she was so damn busy. Or perhaps they both were.

He plopped himself down on her couch. “So what the heck are you doing at the office at eight o’clock on a Friday night? Don’t you have little mouths to feed and a husband to fuck?”

“No worries there. He comes by at lunch.” She winked. “But now that I’m a partner I’m busier than ever. Don’t ask me why I accepted the promotion with three little kids at home. I’m insane, I know.”

“Definitely. But that’s why I love you.”

She heaved an enormous sigh. “Yes. Everybody loves me. It’s a cross I must bear. Along with the cross of my caseload.” She motioned to the stack of files on her desk. “I take on way too much, I know. But I can’t seem to turn anybody away.” She cocked a finger at him. “As you well know.”

“I know. And I appreciate it.”

She waved it off. “Don’t be silly. Sadie was a good cause. I would’ve probably taken her on pro bono, even if you hadn’t offered to pay seventy-five percent of her fees.”

“Oh great.
Now
you tell me.”

She winked. “You’re rich. You can afford me.”

Now he leaned forward, suddenly earnest. “Speaking of rich. How is Sadie’s financial situation now that she’s out? I know she’s been working at a diner, for God’s sake. Surely she shouldn’t have to do that to make ends meet.”

Karey leaned against her desk, her expression grim. “Well, once the charges were dropped, she did get access to her prenuptial settlement, but that was nominal, and really only covered my fees, plus enough for her to live on for a few months after she got out.”

“But I thought—”

“I did offer to waive my fees, but she insisted on paying me. She said my rates were too reasonable as it was.”

Of course Sadie had no idea that Evan had been paying much of Karey’s retainer, so would be surprised at how reasonable her rates were. “But still. I’m surprised at how fast that money went.”

“It wasn’t a lot, believe me. That prenup was a nightmare, and frankly it was very questionable. There is also the question of a life insurance policy that I think she should have some access to.”

“But? I hear a but in there.”

“Yes, there’s a big one. It’s the son.”

“Cyril?”

“Yes. She doesn’t want anything to do with him, and she knows that if she pursues this she’ll have to face him, deal with him. Talk to him. He may be handsome as sin, but he can be ugly, Evan. Frankly, I don’t blame her.” She shrugged. “Plus she says she just wants to put all this behind her and move on with her life. And who can blame her for that?”

“No one, I suppose. I certainly can’t.”

“But tell me something, Evan.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you asking
me
all this? You obviously know where she is. Why not ask her? I know she’d love to see you.” She cocked her head. “And I have a sneaking suspicion you’d like to see her. Preferably naked.”

That shocked him enough to bring him to his feet. “What the fuck?”

“Oh come on, Evan. It was so obvious. You two were just gaga over each other.”

“Oh Christ.” He sank back onto the couch. “It was?”

“Of course it was. The question is, why haven’t you done anything about it? There’s nothing standing in your way now.”

“It’s complicated. Very complicated.”

“Yeah well, life is complicated. But if you’re ever going to find happiness, you better deal with it and
un
complicate it.”

“Yeah. I suppose.”

Suddenly she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “But one thing that isn’t complicated is my growling tummy. How about you buy me an extra-large pepperoni pizza before driving me home?”

He stood and hooked her arm though his. “You got it, baby. It’ll be just like old times.”

“Yup. Just you, me and my cankles.”

Cyril ran his hands over creamy smooth flesh. Her breasts were full and firm with large amber nipples that he’d sucked to full attention. And thanks to her position, arms held high above her head by a soft leather strap attached to the ceiling, her breasts were lifted high, the skin pulled tight and the nipples lifted.

He pinched one with a thumb and forefinger, hard enough to elicit a soft moan and make her lift her head.

“Let me down,” she pleaded again. “My arms are going to sleep.” Although she wasn’t suspended from the ceiling—her feet rested on a low stool—there was the implied threat of having the stool removed, and her being at his complete mercy. So although there was no stress on her limbs, there could be no denying the effects of gravity on the blood supply.

“Soon enough, angel,” he said softly, running his hands down over her belly to the cusp of her thighs. He slid his fingers between the lips of her sex and thrilled to the soft groan of protest that rumbled in her throat. She was tender, no doubt, thanks to his rather vigorous attentions earlier. But he’d grown tired of routine fucking and had decided on something a bit more adventurous, not to mention less taxing. For him, at least.

“Are you sore, angel?” He called all of his pets angel, but not because they were sweet and angelic. Not by a long shot. Rather, it elevated him to the status of God. He became the deity who wielded his power over the glorious beings of his dominion—his angels.

“Yes,” she whispered, wincing slightly as he inserted two fingers into her channel.

“Then tell me to stop.”

But true to her instruction she shook her head. He’d told her never to tell him to stop. The moment she did that she would find her naked ass out on the street looking for a new job. “Don’t stop.” She sucked in her breath, parting her legs slightly. “Don’t ever stop.”

He rubbed his thumb over her clit, gratified to feel a growing dampness on his fingers. “Beg me.”

“Fuck me. Please fuck me.”

“No.” That simple word, so definite and so powerful, sent a rush of excitement to his cock. He pushed his fingers in deeper until he found her G-spot and her head fell backward in obvious pleasure.

“Please?”

“No.” He pumped her hard, until his hand was covered with her essence. And then, abruptly, he withdrew. “I have a better idea.”