Quid Pro Quo (5 page)

back wall. The view of downtown Houston was stunning from up here.

"Make yourself comfortable," I remarked rather dryly and dropped my files and notes on the desk.

She snorted with amusement and crossed her legs. "You think Daddy can see us from here?"

I glanced at the glass wall. The headquarters of her father's multinational oil corporation was right

across the street. "Doubt it."

"We should test it out. You have any craft paper in the copy room downstairs?"

"Craft paper?"

She tilted her head and studied the panes. "I bet a ream of paper would work."

I shook my finger at her. "Don't even think about it. We're in a recession. You're not wasting our office

supplies on some art project."

"A recession?" She scoffed. "I've seen the retainer your firm earns from Daddy's company. You're not

hurting for cash."

"How the hell would you have seen that?"

She rolled her eyes. "This place isn't Fort Knox, Linus. Your accounting department was super easy to

infiltrate."

I didn't like that reply one bit. What the hell was going on down there? If Skye could get into our files

and nose around, we were in big trouble. I dropped into my chair and interlaced my fingers behind my

head. "I saw you taking notes at the deposition. Let me see them."

She pushed the legal pad she'd been carrying earlier behind her. "They're not that interesting."

"Skye," I said carefully. I recognized her
tell
in the way she dropped her gaze and acted nonchalant.

"Let me see them."

She held my gaze before sighing and handing over the legal pad. I leaned back and started flicking

through the pages. She had been paying attention at first. There were actual notes on the second and third

pages of the pad but then I discovered the caricatures and comic book-style panels. I wanted to be annoyed

with the way she emphasized my nose but couldn’t deny that the caricature was uncannily on-target. The

narrative of her hastily sketched comic revealed her acerbic, razor-sharp wit. I tried not to laugh but

couldn't squash the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Hmm," I murmured. "This isn't quite what I had in mind when I told you to take notes."

"The meeting was boring, Linus. I had to do something to amuse myself."

"On my dime." I caught her with a pointed stare.

"Your dime? I'd like to see these phantom paychecks."

I frowned. "You're not getting a check?"

She shook her head. "I'm here on my Daddy's dime, technically."

"I thought—"

"Nope. The lady in human resources told me this position was unpaid. I didn't argue with her." Her

shoulders bounced. "Like I need whatever crummy salary you pay interns."

I grunted in agreement. She probably spent in a week what we paid the interns in three months. The

thought of her living on an intern's salary was laughable.

I turned the page and read another comic panel from the deposition. "These are good." I wasn’t blowing

smoke. They truly were. Apparently, this was Skye's true talent. "This is what you're planning to study in

college?"

Skye shook her head. "I applied for the printmaking major. It fascinates me."

"Printmaking?"

"The college I'm going to has one of the best programs in the world."

"And what are you going to do with that?"

She smiled coyly. "Make good art."

With her family's deep pockets, she had the luxury of chasing that dream and developing her talent

without worrying about paying for food or rent or supplies. I scanned the comic panels and stopped short

when I spotted the bold lettering in one of them.
Liar
!

"What's this?" I turned the legal pad toward her and tapped the panel. "Who lied?"

She looked at me as if I were dumb. "The guy giving the deposition."

I recalled the accuser's statements. Nothing struck me as obviously false. "How do you know?"

She reached for the file on my desk and started to flick through the pages in it. "He says he's a

whistleblower who spotted the company accepting illegal hazardous waste from another company in

January of this year, right?"

"Right." I wondered where she was going with this. "The company's contract and permit to accept and

process hazardous waste expired in December. He has pictures snapped from his cell phone to prove they

were accepting waste in January and illegally profiting from it."

"I call bullshit."

I snorted with amusement. "You've seen the pictures in the file. They have time and date stamps on

them."

"Cell phones can be hacked, Linus." She pulled out one of the glossy photographs from the file. "But

this?" She tapped a bit of graffiti on one of the warehouse walls behind the sinister looking hazardous waste

drums. "This can't be faked."

I sat forward and stared at the picture. "What am I looking at here?"

"This tag?" Her perfectly manicured fingernail circled a bit of graffiti. "I know the guy who uses it."

"You know a graffiti artist?" I couldn't believe it. Miss Trust Fund slumming it with a some gangbanger

tagger? Never.

"Know? I used to run in his crew."

"What?
You
?"

She laughed. "Don't look so surprised. I'm not exactly a goody two-shoes, Linus." She hesitated. "Linus,

you know I've been in trouble before, right?" She must have seen the shock on my face. "I got pinched for

graffiti when I was fourteen, fifteen and seventeen. I've never been officially arrested or books but I've paid

a shit ton of fines or, rather,
donations
to beautification projects around Houston."

I wasn't surprised she'd never been officially picked up or booked. Her father's money had probably

greased enough palms to keep her out of trouble. "What does your criminal past have to do with this case?"

"Criminal past? Yeah, because tagging is so hardcore, Linus." She grinned and shook her head. "But,

seriously, you've got nothing to worry about in this case. This piece here," she touched the picture, "was removed and painted over by a bunch of church volunteers over Thanksgiving weekend last year. In

November. Four weeks before this company's contract expired. When it was still legal to accept and process

hazardous waste."

I let her words sink in. "So this whistleblower who is suing our company is full of shit."

"Maybe," she said. "I mean, I wouldn't doubt that Jack Perillo's company is buying and exporting

hazardous waste illegally. The guy probably couldn't get a real picture of the illegal stuff so he used and

doctored and old picture. There's big money in hazardous waste—and in whistleblowing," she added.

"So I hear. For now, though, I'm more interested in proving our client innocent in this particular case.

Can you prove this?'

"That it was repainted in November? Sure. This bit right here?" She touched the swirls of bright yellow

and purple just barely visible. "That's mine. I keep track of my pieces and throw-ups. I like to see how long

they last."

"And if your records of illegal activity don't hold up in court?"

She grinned at me. "The folks who repainted this one belonged to a church. I think it's a Baptist group.

I'd have to ask around for the name. I'm sure they took plenty of pictures of their good work."

"Ask around and let me know what you find out. I'll send our private investigator over to take

statements and get pictures, if they're available." I picked up a pen and started jotting down notes. "This was

good work, Skye."

"Yeah?"

I glanced over at her and nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. I'm glad I could help." She preened happily. "I know I'm sort of a pain in your ass."

I chuckled. "Sort of."

When she placed the folder back on my desk, she twisted just enough to pull her skirt up higher. As

more of her slender thighs were revealed, I swallowed hard. My cock stirred to life in my pants. I felt the

rush of blood as my dick started to swell. My mind immediately went to my dirtiest fantasies. How many

nights had I sat right here and fantasized about fucking Skye's tight, wet pussy? How many nights had I

taken a break from poring over cases to imagine her on her knees sucking my cock? Too many.

"So what kind of reward do I get?"

"What?" She pulled me from my dirty thoughts.

"For helping you win this case," she explained and gestured to the file.

I eyed her carefully. "What do you want?"

To my utter shock, her gaze dropped to my lap. "Something I probably can't have." With a teasing

smile, she added, "For the first time in my life, I think I've found something I can't buy."

My mouth went dry at her blatant come-on. "And what's that, Skye?"

She uncrossed her legs and widened her thighs just a bit. My gaze fell to her legs. "I think you know."

I lifted my gaze to her face. A flash of interest sparked in her green eyes. "I think I know that we're

playing with fire even discussing this."

"I'm not afraid of a little burn, Linus."

"You should be. I'm old enough to be—"

"Don't." She pressed her fingertips to my mouth. "I'm old enough to make my own choices, Linus.

This," she gestured to her nubile body, "is perfectly legal."

"Legal and ethical aren't the same thing."

Her sweet mouth curved in a smile. "Do you always argue like this?"

"I'm a corporate attorney, Skye. It's what I do."

"And I'm a dirty little girl who wants a taste of her daddy's hotshot attorney," she countered, her voice a

bit husky. "What do you think about that, Linus?"

End Excerpt.

You can catch the rest of Linus and Skye's story in early October. Be sure to check out my website for

updates on new releases!

ROXIE'S BACKLIST

Chance's Bad, Bad Girl

Halftime with Craig

Tease

Eddie's Cuffs 1

Eddie's Cuffs 2

Eddie's Cuffs 3

Quid Pro Quo

Coming Soon

Legal Briefs

Moving Violation

Eddie's Cuffs 4

Eddie's Cuffs 5

ABOUT ROXIE

I like to write dirty books that make your pulse pound. I’m the naughtier alter ego of another erotica

and erotic romance author who wanted to write more taboo stories. You can find me online at

www.roxierivera.com

• CHAPTER ONE
  
• CHAPTER TWO
  
• CHAPTER THREE
  
• LEGAL BRIEFS EXCERPT
  
• ROXIE'S BACKLIST
  
• ABOUT ROXIE