The Do-Over (10 page)

“Ready for what?” she gasped.

“For me,” he growled. Kyle moved down, lowering her shorts and underwear, sliding them down her long legs. He could feel all her muscles clench under his fingertips. “Relax. Let me make you feel good.” She arched her pelvis in response, encouraging him. He glided his hands up and down her smooth legs and then along the insides of her thighs, gently spreading them. She was neatly trimmed, and he wondered for a moment if she had done that for him. The idea excited him as he ran his tongue around her opening and then inside of her.

She squirmed under his touch. Finally he placed firm hands on each of her thighs, holding them apart. “Stop moving or I’ll have to tie you up.” Lanie gave him a pleading stare. “Or would you like that, naughty girl?”

“I don’t know, but whatever you’re doing, please don’t stop!” she whimpered.

He licked his lips, stimulating her clit with his thumb, before devouring her again. Her moans heightened. Kyle loved every one. He liked going downtown, but he looked upon it as a challenge, wanting to see how fast he could get the woman to come. With Lanie, it was different. He wanted to take his time. The taste of her on his tongue was exquisite. What’s more, he enjoyed giving her pleasure and hearing the soft, sexy tones of her aroused voice that became more audible when he started thrusting his tongue into her sex. Then a fleeting thought entered his mind, punctuating through the intensity of the act. It hit him like a two-ton boulder, causing him to pause. Was she, in this moment, savoring the divine feeling of Kyle’s tongue exploring her folds but imagining Brad? It was exactly what Kyle had told her to do, but he found it so disturbing that he backed away.

“Please, don’t stop,” she implored.

“Do you like it, baby?” he whispered, blowing the hot breath of his words into her dripping sex.

“Yes, I love it,” she said in a garbled voice, scooting herself toward him.

“Then fucking say my name!” he demanded.

“Don’t stop, Kyle. Please don’t stop.”

He actually breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed his tongue to new depths, thrusting it with quick, forceful penetration. Every time she said his name, he changed his pace, wanting to hold off her climax. But then he felt all her muscles clench and relax one last time, and she screamed out his name as if it contained twenty syllables, not two.

She was still panting when he looked down at her and ran his finger across her mouth. “You’re delicious,” he whispered against her ear.

“I didn’t expect that,” she said, trying to regain her breath.

He jerked up to look at her, hoping he hadn’t somehow hurt her. “What do you mean, sweetheart? You didn’t like it?”

“No, I just felt like this great tension and then a”—she dipped her hand like a roller coaster’s path—“swoosh.”

“Swoosh?”

“It was an orgasm obviously, but I didn’t think it would feel like that.”

Kyle blinked at her, not hiding his amused expression. “See what you were missing?”

“Are we going to do the other stuff?” she asked.

“I think that was enough for your first lesson.”

She swallowed, reaching hesitantly for his hair. Kyle leaned his head into her hands, enjoying the feeling of her soft fingers against his scalp. “I feel like there was no quid pro quo here, Kyle. What can I do for you?”

He sat up and took off his shirt. He smiled when he heard her gasp. She sat up on her knees, staring at him. “You can touch, Lanie.” She was tentative, so he clasped her wrist and pressed her palm against his body. She trailed her fingers down his chest and abs, tracing the outline of his six-pack. He sucked in a breath, knowing he needed to stop her before they went too far. He gently took her hand and kissed each finger before placing it at her side. He lay down his stomach next to her. “Give me a back massage, woman!” he commanded.

He actually wanted to ask her to keep trailing those fingers until they reached his rock-hard cock, which was sorely in need of a massage much more than his back, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to screw up her first experience with sex like he had with the kiss. He wanted her to enjoy every moment. He’d take care of his throbbing erection later. Right now, he was just enjoying the weight of her straddling his ass and the way her soft fingers kneaded his muscles.

He didn’t plan to spend the night. That was one of his rules. It just caused all sorts of problems in the morning, and he rarely slept well away from his own bed. But he found he couldn’t leave her. It was a comfort to have her in his arms like she belonged there.

Chapter Ten

The next morning Lanie got a very important phone call that the Hayes case girls were ready for their interview. They went into her office, and Kyle sat on one of the rolling chairs, going over his interview notes. His journalistic senses were telling him this story was much bigger than she was letting on, and for the first time, Kyle was nervous before an interview. Lanie smile reassuringly at him and adjusted his tie.

“Remember what I said. Don’t look them in the eye, and if they don’t want to answer a question, move on.”

Kyle was a little miffed about her advice. “I know how to do my job.” He tried to hide the irritation in his voice, but his tone was clipped nonetheless.

He was surprised when she replied curtly, “So do I, and these are my clients. It’s my job to protect them, so you need to listen to me, Kyle Manchester, and agree to my terms or the interview’s off. And that’s regardless of any other contractual obligations we have. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled, embracing her. “Don’t worry. I got this.”

“I know. Like I said, I would have given this interview to you anyway. Just remember the article can’t have my name in it.”

“Seriously, you’re not going to take any credit for this case? You know it’s a matter of public record, right?”

“So let the public find it themselves. I don’t want it advertised.” She went back to her chair, which was a good thing because Kyle had an urge to kiss her.

Her assistant came in, carrying two foil-wrapped items. Lanie introduced her to Kyle. “Your lunch,” Kathy announced, tossing both on Lanie’s desk.

Lanie looked at her watch and back at Kyle. “Want to have lunch with me? We still have some time.”

“Sure, what’s on the menu?”

Lanie’s assistant answered, shaking her head, “What she has every day…hot dogs.”

“You eat a hot dog for lunch every day?” Kyle asked, wondering at the health risks of such a choice.

In typical Lanie fashion, she shrugged. “Yeah, why? You don’t like hot dogs?”

“No, I can go for a hot dog.”

“Really, Lanie, you should take better care of yourself,” Kathy muttered, clearing some files from Lanie’s desk.

“Do you have my court schedule yet, Kathy?” Lanie replied.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get it.”

“I’d really appreciate if you could work on that.”

Kathy nodded and walked out of the room. Kyle wondered if Lanie enjoyed being mistreated by others. He had heard of those women before, ones who didn’t mind if the world stepped on them. Yet Lanie was different. She didn’t quite fit that mold. In fact, Lanie didn’t fit any mold as far as Kyle could see.

They sat across from each other and ate. Lanie took a few bites while working on her computer and taking back-to-back phone calls. Kyle realized she probably stuck to hot dogs because they were easy to hold with one hand. This girl knew how to multitask. What’s more, she was very assertive with the other lawyers who peeked into her office and the people on the phone. It was strange how this didn’t carry over into her personal relationships.

Brad stuck his head in. “Hey, Kyle. Hi, Lanie. They’re in conference room A. Ready to walk down?”

“Sure. Thanks, Brad,” Lanie replied and threw away the majority of her lunch.

When Brad stepped away, Kyle discreetly asked, “Why is Brad here?”

“He’s my co-counsel,” she answered.

The idea irked Kyle because they would be working long hours together in the upcoming weeks. But it shouldn’t. After all, Lanie would get to know Brad better, possibly resulting in her attraction to Brad becoming mutual. That was the goal. Wasn’t it? He and Lanie were friends engaging in some sexual activity. Certainly, if she told him tomorrow that she was with Brad, he wouldn’t care. In fact, he’d be happy for her, but he still couldn’t shake the bitter taste in his mouth whenever he thought about it or stop his fists from automatically clenching.

They followed Brad down to the conference room. A striking middle-aged woman with stylish, cropped brown hair, wearing a pale pink suit, stopped them. “Lanie and Brad, just who I wanted to see.”

“Hi, Magda.” Lanie’s eyes shifted toward the ceiling in obvious annoyance. Magda regarded Kyle slowly and then looked to Lanie, clearly waiting for an introduction. “This is Kyle Manchester. He’s doing an interview for my case.”

Kyle shook hands with Magda and tried to avoid her flirty looks and the way her fingers rubbed his hand.

“Oh, a journalist, how nice.”

“Is there something you needed, Magda?” Lanie asked.

“I need to know if you’re bringing a guest to our black-tie event. I have to get the final numbers, and damn if I haven’t been chasing lawyers down for them all day.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you needed to know this early.”

“Well, there’s a great deal of planning, you know.” Magda appeared offended by Lanie’s lackluster apology, but she wasted no time in smiling brilliantly at Brad. “Brad, I assume you’re bringing a guest?”

“Yes, I’m bringing my girlfriend, Cassie,” he answered.

“And Lanie, I should mark you as a single again, right?” Magda seemed to be taking pleasure in the statement. Kyle wondered how many mean girls were in Lanie’s life. Her sister was a complete bitch, her assistant seemed cold, and now this Magda woman was taking enjoyment in Lanie’s discomfort. But when it came to business, Lanie was completely in control.

“I’ll be escorting Lanie,” Kyle answered. He wasn’t sure who looked more shocked, Lanie or Magda.

Magda nodded, regarding Kyle with curiosity. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were dating.”

“We have to go. I have clients waiting,” Lanie replied before Kyle could. She didn’t wait for a response but proceeded to walk briskly down the corridor.

Conference room A at Whitlow and White was a fancy affair with a signature mahogany table and thirty comfortable chairs surrounding it, a digital whiteboard, and the obligatory fake floral arrangements. Lanie’s beige skirt and blouse matched the walls perfectly. The three clients were brought in. All three girls were at least eighteen, but they looked much younger to Kyle, and it was clear they were nervous and frightened. After the devastation they’d been through working in a brothel that specialized in underage girls, Kyle could understand why. An ethereal melancholy followed them.

Lanie sat between them and Kyle while Brad sat on the far end. Kyle started his tape recorder and introduced himself, following Lanie’s instructions to keep his voice low and head down. At first, Kyle was insulted at the guarded looks Lanie gave him, but it soon became clear she was acting as more protector than lawyer for these victims. These girls could barely glance at him or speak above whispers. They were very forthright in their answers, but each one was a bombshell. Two of the girls had been wards of the state who had been taken in by the generous Melinda Hayes and her charitable home for young girls when they were only twelve. The other had been kicked out of her house by uncaring parents when she was fifteen and had found her way into Melinda Hayes’s clutches.

Their stories were so implausible they sounded like the plot of a horror movie. Each answer managed to shock Kyle exponentially. Melinda Hayes was the ex-wife of a senator, and she had run a successful escort service for very wealthy, notable clients for several years, making her extremely rich. Those clients wanted young girls, and Melinda had run short on prostitutes who looked young enough to meet their needs. She started a charitable organization as a cover to enlist real underage girls to fill the void. Kyle felt nauseous as each girl described in gruesome detail her horrific experience. All three of the girls had been beaten, abused, and raped by Hayes’s clients. All three had kept quiet because of the physical threats they’d received. The clients themselves read like Senator Hayes’s Christmas-card list. There were several aides, government officials, and even the good senator himself.

The interview lasted over three hours, and by the end, Kyle had experienced an array of emotions—none of them good. He was sickened at hearing the details of the crimes perpetrated on these girls. He also felt a righteous need to help Lanie seek justice for them. Part of him, though, experienced a great guilt because he was very excited at the prospect of this story. This was definitely the road to the Pulitzer. He just hadn’t bargained for the road to be so disgustingly vile and evil.

When he was finished, Lanie pulled him into a corner. “You did well. Thanks, Kyle.”

“Are you actually suing the senator? What you’re doing could be dangerous for you. Is that why you want me to keep your name out of it?”

She shook her head. “No, not at all. We’re hoping not to go to court, but we’re all protected either way.”

“How?”

“By your article, silly. Who would harm a hair on any of these girls or me or Brad once you’ve already exposed the crime? We’re using the power of the press to safeguard them. I’ve also got a multitude of protective measures being provided to ensure their safety.”

“When are you filing?”

“Next week. You have to wait to print until Sunday,” she said, smoothing out his tie.

“You want me to wait on this for a week?” he asked in disbelief.

“You’ll need a week at least to check sources, get approvals from your editor and in-house attorneys, and gather Senator Hayes’s and the other clients’ statements.”

She was right. All that would take at least a week.

“Fine,” he said grudgingly. Brad followed the girls out, leaving them alone. Kyle placed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “You were right. This is the road to the Pulitzer. Thank you.”