“That’s crap, Reeves. Besides, my daughter is very capable.” He spat the words at Mark as his forehead fell into deep creases.
Mark stared at him with utter disbelief. Where was the man’s sense? This was not the person he had gone to work for years before. He was putting his own desires above his daughter’s happiness. Not only that, he was putting the employees and partners of the firm at risk.
“Lindsey doesn’t even want to work at Paxton, let alone run it. For god’s sake , she has never even looked at the books. She is hardly prepared to deal with bankruptcy, irate partners, or anything of such devastating magnitude.”
“My daughter is a good attorney,” he stated in an almost childlike fashion.
Mark’s eyes grew wide and he sighed. He next words were spoken a bit more gently, but still with enough firmness to make an impact. “Lindsey’s ability as an attorney is not in question by anyone but her. Think about this clearly, Edward.” He hated what came next but it had to be said. “What if you don’t pull out of this? Do you really want to leave Lindsey with a load of problems?”
His eyes looked wild for a moment, even panicked, before he inhaled and exhaled several times. Then, through clenched teeth, he said, “I will make it through this.” No mention of Lindsey.
It was clear he wasn’t dealing with someone who had a grip on reality. Despite his differences with Edward, seeing his old friend in such a poor state was hard to swallow. There had been a time when they had been close. Lindsey needed his help, and he intended to give it to her. However, he had to go about making that happen. “Look Edward, I offered to buy your stock from you, but you refused. Now you are so deep in shit, you can’t wade out. Your options are few and far between.” Mark paused to see if he would get a reaction. When he didn’t, he continued, “You will go bankrupt without me. Be logical about this.”
“This is none of your damn business,” Edward ground out through clenched teeth.
Mark’s frustration was building. “Lindsey can’t stay with Paxton if it shuts down. The only chance you have of keeping Lindsey on board is to save the business. Lindsey has handed over the reins to me, along with full control.”
Edward’s eyes went wide, anger flashing in his face. He held up his fist, and shouted. “And I am taking the control away from you.”
Mark kept his voice steady. “If you interfere, you will lose any chance of getting your daughter to move back to Manhattan. She’ll close the shop and go back to Washington.”
Edward glowered at Mark, his eyes darkening. “I suppose you want the stock too? You bastard, you think you can just take over my company and my daughter?”
Mark’s stiffened, but he kept his expression blank. As much as he hated playing hard ball with a sick man, he had no option left. The man was too damn stubborn for his own good. “I know I can, and so do you. What options do you have? Lindsey and I have worked out an arrangement that guarantees her presence here for an extended period of time. If nothing else, that should make you happy.”
Edward pointed a long, thin finger at him. “You’ll run her off, is what you’ll do. You’ll make her hate the world of law. She wants it to matter. It’s just money to you. Leave her alone.”
Mark was silent a long moment. If the man only knew how much he wanted Lindsey to stay, how truly on the same page they were for once. “Your strategy of working for free certainly hasn’t worked, now, has it?”
Mark let his words linger in the air, watching Edward for a reaction. For the first time since he had known Edward Paxton, the man seemed unable to find words.
“Now,” Mark said. “I need a commitment that you are going to back off.” When Edward started to speak, Mark held up a staying hand. “Otherwise I am going to recommend Lindsey file for company bankruptcy.”
Edward’s face reddened. “Damn you, Mark Reeves.”
Mark’s voice was low, no pleasure in his victory. “We have a deal, I take it?”
“What choice do I have?” His voice was weak with resignation.
“You don’t, but what you do have is a chance to keep your daughter in Manhattan. Your way was a worthless effort. One day I hope you’ll see the truth. Lindsey needs your acceptance for who she is, not who you want her to be. I can only hope you get smart before it’s too late to make amends with her.”
When silence filled the air for a long moment, it was obvious to Mark that Edward wasn’t going to respond. “I’ll leave you with your thoughts. Good day, Edward.”
* * * * *
The phone on her desk started ringing the minute she stepped into her father’s office.
She had hoped for a few minutes’ peace to get her thoughts together. Apparently that was too much to ask for. She began scurrying across the office when she heard Maggie over the intercom. “Lindsey?”
She forced the irritation out of her voice. It wasn’t Maggie’s fault that she couldn’t get any peace and quiet. “Yes, Maggie?”
Maggie cleared her throat nervously. Not good, Lindsey thought. “Greg on the line.”
Caught between a choice of avoidance and head-on collision, she pondered her options with no easy answer. Damn it, she didn’t feel like dealing with Greg, but she knew she wouldn’t later either.
“Ah, Lindsey?” Maggie questioned, letting Lindsey know time was up.
Grimacing, Lindsey gave in. Better to get it over with. “Put him through,” she said, sitting down, as she deposited her things on the desk.
“Good luck, honey.”
“Yeah, I need it,” she mumbled under her breath. Lindsey took several deep breaths and then picked up the phone line. “This is Lindsey.”
His voice made her flinch. “Hey, beautiful. How are you?”
Lindsey rolled her eyes. Spare me the sweet talk, please. Her response was clipped but polite. “Thanks for the flowers.”
“Just like old times, right?” he said in a soft voice full of intentions that didn’t match Lindsey’s.
No way was she letting him go down this path. “No Greg, it is not like old times, and it can’t ever be like old times again.”
He ignored her in favor of his own agenda. That part was indeed just like old times. “Go to dinner with me, tonight.”
It wasn’t a question, which set her nerves even further on edge, if that was even possible. What part of “over” did the man not understand? “I can’t, Greg. I have a lot of work to do.”
“That’s an excuse, and we both know it,” he said. “Go to dinner with me and you can find out what I know about the Williams case.”
Typical Greg tactic. Dangle something she needed as bait. Silently she cursed him. Lindsey bit her bottom lip, thinking hard. It was tempting to milk him for information. He owed her at least that for the hell of their past. Still, could she put up with Greg for an entire dinner? After only a moment of contemplation, she decided she couldn’t. “Greg, I really can’t.”
He paused as if considering his next attack method. Greg was, if nothing else, a practiced overachiever. The word “no” was not in his vocabulary. “Okay then, coffee. We’ll go to your favorite little spot.” His voice dropped. “I haven’t forgotten any of your little pleasures.”
Every muscle in her body tensed. The very thought of him understanding anything about her, let alone her pleasures, was a joke. Yet logic told her she could get a lot more scoop about Williams if Greg was playing to win her back. She hated being a user, but turnabout was fair play; and she’d been a token in his game for years. “Well,” she said slowly. “I guess we could do coffee.”
She could picture his cocky grin as he responded. “Good. How about seven?”
“Fine, seven.”
“I’ll pick you up at your office.” He didn’t give her a choice, which was so Greg. “See you then, Lindsey.” And he hung up.
No! Not the office. What would Mark think? Lindsey looked at the phone, realizing her grip was like a vise. He couldn’t come to the office. Her fingers punched the telephone buttons, dialing his numb
er, which was embedded in her brain like every other bad memory he represented. Seconds later, she was informed that he wasn’t in his office. Slamming down the phone, she sat unmoving, mulling over her predicament.
Why in the world did she say yes to anything with Greg? He would just cause her trouble.
After a few minutes of beating herself up, she resolved to make the best of her situation. Lindsey swung around in her chair and grabbed the Williams file off her credenza. If the man was going to screw up her life, she might as well do a good job of milking him. It was time to roll up her sleeves and study and make a complete list of questions.
Reviewing files and calling witnesses took up the rest of her afternoon. A call to the NYU Dean’s Office proved difficult at best. Convincing them to share any student information was like pulling teeth. It took threatening the school’s reputation to get any semblance of information. A few other phone calls proved completely fruitless. If Williams was innocent, there was a link to those girls somewhere else. And she knew there had to be.
He was innocent, just like Hudson.
Her instincts said so, and as much as she feared trusting them, as always, they drove her actions. Regardless of the past, she had to go with what had always worked for her. And if Hudson was innocent, then her instincts had really never failed. She’d just thought they did. Getting back to her roots was the only way she would succeed.
She was looking through the police investigation reports on the Williams case, lost in deep concentration, when a noise made her jump. Her eyes darted upward, and she was shocked to see Mark standing in front of her desk. It scared the hell out of her that she had been so absorbed that she’d never even heard him enter. “Do you know how to knock, Mark?” she asked sharply.
Mark’s eyes immediately flashed to the roses sitting on Lindsey’s desk and then back to her face. “Funny, I thought we were past certain pretense.” His voice was sweetly sarcastic.
Lindsey avoided looking at the roses. He was angry, but he had it tucked neatly behind his business mask. Still, it was there, in his eyes and in his tone of voice. And that made her angry. Between her father, Greg, and the men she had encountered in her field investigations, she was well past her quota of the overbearing opposite sex for the day. She didn’t need Mark sending her into overload.
“One romp in the sack does not discard my right to privacy at work,” she threw out sharply.
Mark’s eyes narrowed and a flash of anger darted through them before he carefully offered her a blank stare. “So that’s how it is, is it?” He thumbed a rose petal.
Lindsey pushed her chair back and stood up. “You know, at the moment I have had it to about here,” Lindsey put her hand to the top of her head, “with men and their territorial claims on me and my time.”
Mark’s eyes darkened into deep pools of heat as he stood completely still, not moving a single muscle, just staring at her. There was a long, awkward silence before he turned and headed to the door. If he had said something, anything, it would have been easier to deal with than his cold silence. Lindsey felt regret like a sharp pain, and her chest tightened. “That’s it?” she demanded to his back. “You’re not going to say anything?”
Mark stopped walking but didn’t turn around for several beats. When he did, she hated the cool detachment that filled his face. His voice was brittle and low. “I am not playing this game with you, Lindsey. Press me, and I’ll leave you with this mess.”
As much as she knew she shouldn’t lash out again, she couldn’t seem to contain her temper. Crossing her arms in front of her body, she stared back at him. “Ah, I see. Looking for an out.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped, but he kept his expression emotionless. “If I was looking for an out, I wouldn’t have dealt with your father today. I have every intention of keeping my word to help you, but I will only put up with so much.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You fixed things with my father?”
He nodded and then turned back towards the door.
Lindsey stepped out from behind her desk and started crossing the room towards him, once again speaking to his back. “What happened? Mark?”
Mark’s hand was on the doorknob, his words spoken without turning. “We’re late for the partnership meeting, Lindsey.” He opened the door and left before she could stop him.
* * * * *
All eight partners were already seated when Lindsey entered the conference room several moments later.
Mark sat at the head of the table, a sturdy business face securely in place, ensuring she had no hope of reading him. She regretted how she had treated him. Her feelings for Mark were confusing, and she’d allowed her own inner turmoil to escalate her temper. He didn’t deserve to be smashed because of what other men in her life had done to her, yet it was so hard to separate him from them.
And terrifying. What if he turned out to be like them?
Mark was so stone-cold it was like watching a stranger. He was aloft and cold, with his cobra-like instincts alight in his dark eyes. He was prepared for battle, and she wondered if it was with her or the partners. Without speaking, she found her way to the empty seat next to Mark.
“Well now that we are all present, let’s begin.” Lindsey knew Mark’s words were aimed at her tardiness, and she felt her cheeks turn red with an anger that she managed just barely to tuck beneath her surface. She was late. No question about it. It had taken her a few minutes to pull herself together after his abrupt exit from her office.
Speaking to the group, Mark continued, “For those of you who don’t know, I’ve taken control of Paxton.”
There was whispering around the table. Several people made remarks about being happy to see him back. Mark went on to explain the state of financial distress the firm was experiencing. Going into detail about caseload and expectations, he ignored the mumbling around the table.
Then he put everything on the line. “We are going to have to make big changes around here. If you don’t like these changes, you are welcome to leave Paxton. Your shares will be purchased at a fair price.”
Mark picked up a stack of papers and asked Lindsey to start passing them around the table. “The requirements for each partner’s performance are detailed in this literature. If you can’t meet your billing requirements, you simply won’t be here. We’re not a nonprofit and we do not do charity work,” he paused for a beat, “contrary to what our current caseload indicates.”
Heads dropped in concentration as each partner read the material. Mark let his eyes trail around the table and then stop on Lindsey. “Questions thus far?” he asked the room without looking away from her.
Lindsey met his gaze squarely, her eyes full of respect. It wasn’t difficult to see why Paxton needed him. His tactics were hardcore, but she admired his ability to control the room and the firm. There was an inner strength, a power to Mark that drew her like a magnet. Sitting in the midst of a room of her peers, Lindsey understood why he rose to the top. Others found him as compelling as she did. His enemies found him dangerous, a true threat. His clients found him competent, a true defender. His lovers found him caring, as she did. The thought made her pulse quicken as vivid images of their bodies naked and wrapped together swirled through her mind.
Mark’s eyes narrowed as he watched her, as if he sensed her mind was on their relationship and not the business of the meeting. For a moment, they sat absorbed with one another. It was Mark who broke the eye contact as he looked around the room.
“No questions?” he asked again.
Todd Walker, a gruff-looking man Lindsey guessed to be in his fifties, spoke up at that point. “What does Lindsey have to do with this?”
Mark answered. “Lindsey will take over in six months. I won’t be staying. Next question.”
The man sneered. “What? You are going to leave us with some young broad who appears more into style than law?”
Lindsey opened her mouth to offer a tongue-lashing, her eyes throwing daggers at the man, but Mark was
already responding. “I assure you, Ms. Paxton’s exterior assets only work as an added plus in the courtroom. She is not only a fine attorney, she’s a member of the FBI. Cross her and you might find yourself learning more about her skills than you’d hoped.”
The room filled with laughter. Lindsey sat dumbstruck by Mark’s sharp response on her behalf. Clearly considering the subject closed, Mark began reviewing case files. It was several hours later when he adjourned the meeting. Lindsey was one of the first to leave as several partners stopped to speak to Mark. She walked through the lobby, ready to get some alone time, deep in thought.
“There you are Lindsey.” She looked up to find Greg. “I was afraid you might have backed out of our date.”
Lindsey stood face to face with Greg, wondering how she’d forgotten something she so dreaded. “No,” she said in a strained voice. “I just need to get my stuff. I’ll be right back.”
Lindsey walked with a quick, long stride, nervous as hell that Greg and Mark would cross paths. And her worst fears were confirmed as she found her way back to the lobby. Mark and Greg were talking. She tensed the minute she saw them, Mark’s stiff demeanor telling her all she needed to know. He’d condemned her without knowing the whole story. Rigid coldness etched his features, and he refused to make eye contact with her. She wished she could explain, but somehow she doubted he would listen. The cobra had not stayed in the conference room. He was alive and well in the lobby.
Greg smiled as she joined them. “There you are, Lindsey,” he said. “I was just asking Mark what your father did to convince him to come back.”
Lindsey’s eyes darted to Mark’s face, but he still didn’t look at her. “What did he say to that?” Lindsey asked tentatively.
“Actually, I don’t believe he answered me.” Greg said.
Mark stared at Greg a moment and then turned his gaze on Lindsey. She hated the coldness in those dark eyes of his. She longed to see them tender and aroused like the night before. And when he spoke, his voice was downright frigid. “If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. I’ll let you two be on your way.” He turned on his heels and disappeared without another word. Lindsey felt her stomach churn with downright nausea. It took Herculean strength to fight the urge to run after Mark and explain. Yet she also knew she shouldn’t have to explain. Should she? She had no commitments to Mark Reeves, and he had no commitments to her. Yet she couldn’t shake her need to explain things to him.