“Hey, when’s my future wife going to be here?” Tucker asked, standing at the grill with Charlie.
“Still, with that?” Ford said.
Charlie had a question of his own. “Speaking of Victoria, now that you two are hooking up, do you think you could put in a good word for me with her friends? You know, the two cute ones she was with at The Violet Hour.”
“You can put in a good word for yourself,” Ford said. “She mentioned she’s bringing her friends with her today.”
Tucker pointed with the spatula. “Ooh—I call dibs on whichever one looks hotter.”
Ford gripped his friend’s shoulder. “It’s a wonder you’re still single, Tuck. Truly.” Spotting a group of colleagues from the Trib, he headed that way. They were in the middle of a debate over the reasons for the mayor’s recent drop in approval ratings when Victoria stepped out onto the terrace.
Ford’s eyes slowly moved over her appreciatively.
She looked fantastic, wearing some multicolored sleeveless dress and killer turquoise heels that showed off those legs she liked to wrap around his waist when he was inside her. But what most caught his attention wasn’t what she was wearing. Rather, it was the white Pyrex dish she carried in her hands.
The woman had cooked for him.
He excused himself from his co-workers and made his way over to her. “You brought me a casserole. That’s so . . . neighborly.”
Victoria set it down on one of the fold-out tables. “Not a casserole. Moros y Cristianos,” she said with a flourish.
He blinked. No clue.
“Cuban rice and beans,” she explained.
He lifted up the lid and peeked. “Smells delicious. You actually made this?” He grinned when she gave him a dirty look—so much fun, pushing her buttons—and then he turned to her two friends. “I’m Ford.” He held out his hand to the woman he hadn’t met previously—Audrey, he learned—then shook Rachel’s hand in hello. “And I apologize in advance for everything my friends Charlie and Tucker might say today.”
“Speak of the devils and they shall appear,” Tucker said grandiosely from behind him.
“Starting with that,” Ford said.
After introducing themselves, Charlie and Tucker offered to show Victoria’s friends around the place and get them some drinks. As the four of them walked off, Victoria leaned in toward Ford. “Don’t worry—Audrey and Rachel will slap them around if they get out of line.”
He looked down at her. “I think Charlie and Tuck would like that. A lot.”
Victoria laughed just as Ford spotted Brooke heading over. He put his hand on the small of Victoria’s back, whispering teasingly in her ear. “That would be the blonde from my cavalcade coming this way.”
“Where’s Cade?” he asked as Brooke approached.
“Tucker talked him into manning the grill for a while.” She smiled and introduced herself to Victoria. “I hear you’re a divorce lawyer.”
Victoria looked at Ford. “Why is that the first thing everyone says? What are you telling people about me?”
“She met my mom earlier today,” he explained to Brooke.
Brooke looked thrilled to hear this. “You met Maria? Isn’t she great?”
“Oh, just briefly, out front on the sidewalk.” Victoria was quick to clarify. “It wasn’t like an arranged thing.” She smiled. “So, Ford mentioned that you’re a lawyer, too.”
And with that, she and Brooke were off to the races.
They did their lawyer thing, the two of them talking about This Funny Case and That Crazy Thing That Happened in Court with Judge So-and-So, and as it so happened, the two of them had a mutual acquaintance, some law school friend of Brooke’s who worked at Victoria’s old law firm.
Wanting to say hello to a group of new arrivals, Ford excused himself from the conversation. As he headed across the terrace, he glanced back and saw both women laughing as Victoria told some story.
First Nicole had called her a “saint.” Then his mom had described her as “lovely” and had given her a big hug. Now Brooke was hitting it off with her, too.
He sure hoped the women in his life weren’t getting the wrong idea about him and Victoria. Sure, the two of them had fun together, good conversation, and sex that rocked his world. But at the end of the day, he was the relationship layover guy and she was Victoria Slade. She had frozen eggs on standby and had made the decision, long before him, to stay out of the “happily-ever-after rat race.”
So if anyone was getting any bright ideas that this could be turning into anything serious, well . . . that would be foolish.
He paused, an odd feeling in his gut as he watched Brooke and Victoria walk over to the food table, still talking animatedly.
Yep, really foolish.
* * *
AFTER SEEING THE last guests out the door, Ford walked back to the terrace. Victoria leaned against the ledge, the sky behind her a striking mix of purple, orange, and gold as the sun set.
“No Nicole today?” she asked.
He rested against the ledge next to her. “She couldn’t make it work with their schedule. She and Zoe do this single moms’ playgroup on Saturday afternoons. But speaking of my sister . . . I heard you called Peter Sutter at work yesterday.”
“I did.”
Ford frowned. “You’re not going to tell him about Nicole and Zoe over the phone, are you? I assume you plan to meet him in person?”
Victoria shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on how the conversation goes. Why?”
“Because I want to be there when you tell him.”
She laughed, as if this was the funniest thing, and then cocked her head. “Wait. You’re not actually serious, are you?”
Hell yes, he was serious. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t go—your conversations with Sutter aren’t privileged. Just consider me there as Nicole’s representative.”
“No, I will be there as Nicole’s representative.”
He moved closer, a little frustrated that she was pushing back on this. “I’m going to this meeting, Victoria. I found the guy, and I think that earned me the right to be there when he learns about Nicole and Zoe.”
“Why? So you can scowl and throw scary, no-one-messes-with-my-sister glares at him?”
That may have been part of the plan, yes. “I want to see how he reacts. Nicole is freaking out that this will make her a home wrecker, and I want to be there in case the asshole starts talking smack about her or tries laying the blame on her for getting pregnant.”
“Granted, I’m a cynic when it comes to these things. But I think there’s a decent chance that’s exactly how he’ll respond.”
“Let him try to say that about my sister to my face, then,” Ford growled.
“Wow.” Victoria gazed up at him. “Did you know the right side of your jaw does this weird twitching thing when you go into caveman protective mode?”
He gave her a look.
She smiled innocently, then clapped her hands. “Okay. So, I understand your concerns. And you’re absolutely right that I wouldn’t even be talking to Peter Sutter if it hadn’t been for the fact that you found the guy. With some key assistance from myself, mind you. But you still can’t go to the meeting, for several reasons. You can’t go because it would be unprofessional. You can’t go because your presence there, as Nicole’s brother, would likely put Sutter instantly on the defensive and that’s not good for strategy purposes. But most important, you can’t go because that’s not how I operate. I don’t bring big brothers of clients to meetings, or investigators, or henchmen of any sort. I will handle Peter Sutter, because this is what I do. And trust me when I say that if he tries to cast aspersions on my client, or shirks his responsibilities in this, he will find out very quickly just how good I am at what I do and how badly that can bode for him.”
Ford took in the heated way her eyes flashed with determination.
“What?” she asked.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “That speech was ki
nd of hot. Seriously, I’m at half-mast right now.”
She looked up at the sky. “I don’t understand how your gender survives. All the blood drains out of your brains the minute your penises get any bright ideas.”
He laughed hard at that, and closed the gap between them. “If I agree not to go to this meeting, it’s because I trust you to take care of my sister.”
“Of course I’ll take care of your sister.” Her eyes met his, her mouth curved in a smile. “But when you agree not to go to this meeting, it’s because I didn’t invite you in the first place.”
Always so saucy.
He rested one hand on the ledge on each side of her, trapping her in. “What am I going to do with you?”
When she opened her mouth to answer—undoubtedly, again, with some saucy response—he kissed her, hot and hard. All day and evening, he’d been waiting for this moment, when it was just the two of them. Now that he had her right where he wanted her, he didn’t intend to waste another minute.
Her breath caught when he nudged her legs apart and stepped between them. He trailed his fingers up her smooth thigh and underneath her dress. “Looking at you in this dress has been torture.”
She smiled coyly. “And here I’d thought you’d like this dress.”
“Not when I can only look and not touch.” He slid his hand into her thong and cupped her possessively, making her gasp. “But I can make up for lost time now.” She was already wet for him, and that only fueled his fire. “Spread your legs a little. No one can see.” The only neighbor with a view of his terrace was, well, otherwise engaged at the moment.
When she did as he asked, he shoved the edge of her underwear aside and slid a finger inside her, stroking her slowly.
She leaned into him and swirled her tongue around his in a hot, erotic kiss. Then she broke away, arching against his hand. “God, if you don’t stop, we’ll end up doing it right here,” she panted, in a low, throaty voice.
His cock swelled as he thought about ripping her underwear off and taking her right there, hard against the terrace wall, her dress bunched up around her waist as he covered her mouth with one hand to keep the neighbors from hearing her cries.
But right then, he had other ideas.
He gave her a wicked look—after all, he’d warned her that he would make her pay. “Just remember, sound does travel in this place.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”
In answer, he got down on his knees in front of her.
She quickly glanced around, undoubtedly confirming that no one could see them, and then gripped the ledge with her hands as he lifted her dress. Bunching the material in one hand, he used his other hand to slowly pull her underwear down to her mid-thighs.
For a moment, he just looked at her. Beautiful, so ready for him, and trembling in anticipation. Something tightened in his gut, a possessive, edgy sensation he’d never felt before. “So gorgeous,” he said in a guttural voice. “Now let’s see if you taste as sweet as you feel wrapped around my cock.”
He reached around to cup her ass in one hand and licked her.
She moaned quietly, tangling her fingers in his hair and completely giving in to him. Within minutes of using his mouth on her, her legs were shaking and he could tell she was close. Wanting to hold her there, right at the edge, he circled his tongue around her clit, then pulled back and blew on it gently.
She spread her legs wider, her underwear still mid-thigh. “Ford, please,” she begged, her voice a strained whisper.
His cock throbbed, hearing that. He loved seeing her like this, so turned on for him. Needing him. He slid two fingers in her, stroking her. “What do you want, Victoria?”
“You.” She arched her back. “God, you.”
Exactly the answer he’d wanted. He withdrew his fingers and stood up, and she immediately reached for the button on his jeans.
He groaned when she slid her hand into his boxer-briefs and wrapped her fingers around his cock. “Right here, baby? Is that what you want?” he rasped.
“Yes.” Her eyes dark and heavy lidded, she pushed his jeans and boxer-briefs down.
Fuck, it had never been like this with anyone else, this kind of urgency and need to be inside her, buried deep as he could be. He stepped back and helped her step out of her underwear, then kissed her, wanting her mouth on his as he pushed up her dress and—
He swore under his breath, the tip of his cock right at her wet entrance. “The condoms are inside.”
She groaned, then took his cock and slid it against her clit. “We need to get inside, then.”
His jaw clenched as he looked down and watched her. “Yes. Now.” Done with the teasing, he pulled his jeans up and took her by the hand and led her inside. She yanked his shirt off along the way to his bedroom, and when there, they quickly got her heels off along with the rest of his clothes. She climbed on top of him as he ripped open the condom and rolled it on. With her dress still on, and him sitting up, she took his cock and guided him to her entrance.
Then she sank down, both of them moaning as he filled her.
She went still then, gazing down at him, and something shifted deep inside him when he looked up into those beautiful brown eyes. As she began to move, he reached up and tangled his fingers in her hair. It was a slower pace, less urgent, but somehow even better and sweeter.
He smoothed his thumb across her cheek and something flickered in her eyes.
“It’s so good with you,” she breathed.
“I love being with you like this,” he murmured. Seeing her softer side, so open and vulnerable just . . . did things to him.
He grabbed her hips, guiding her in slow, smooth strokes. Their eyes never left each other, until she touched her forehead to his and said his name as she came. Her body clenched tight around him, and he groaned as he followed her over, thinking he’d never felt anything as good as this moment.
Afterward, they lay side by side on the bed, catching their breath. She looked at him and said nothing, just taking him in. With a tender look in her eyes, she reached over and brushed a lock of hair off his forehead.
He reached up and linked their fingers, and they stayed that way for a moment.
Then she took a deep breath and sat up, fixing her dress. She hugged her knees, her long hair spilling over her shoulders and legs, and then turned her head toward him.
“Think there are any of those brownies left?” she asked.
Brownies.
Right.
That was all she’d had on her mind, apparently, while he’d been lying there, thinking . . . well, he wasn’t sure exactly what he’d been thinking.
Obviously, it didn’t matter.
So he sat up and lightly kissed her shoulder. A playful gesture, nothing too serious. “Let’s go raid the fridge and find out.”
After all, the relationship layover guy and Victoria Slade didn’t do serious.
And they especially didn’t do it together.
Twenty-five
ON MONDAY, VICTORIA waited until mid-morning to make the call.
Peter Sutter’s stay of execution was officially over.
“Mr. Sutter, hello. This is Victoria Slade from Victoria Slade and Associates, a law firm here in Chicago,” she led in when he answered. “I’d like to speak to you about a matter regarding one of my clients. Do you have a few minutes?”
His tone was upbeat. “Well, that depends. On the off chance this is one of those calls you see in the movies, when you tell me some rich relative I never knew died and left me millions of dollars, then sure—I have all the time you need. But if this is about a legal issue related to the gym, then unfortunately all I can do is provide you with the contact information for XSport Fitness’s corporate legal department.”
“Actually, this is a personal matter that has nothing to do with the gym. I represent a woman named Nicole Dixon, who I believe you met fourteen months ago at a bar called Public House.” Victoria deliberately paused, waiting to see if
he had any reaction to that.
He spoke after a moment’s hesitation. “Um, what did you say this was about?”
Actually, she hadn’t said. But she saw no point in beating around the bush. “Ms. Dixon had a child five months ago—nine months after the two of you met—and she believes you are the father. I’m calling to make arrangements for you to take a paternity test—something I hope we can handle discreetly and without need for court intervention. If that’s not the case, then I’ll have no choice but to serve you with a subpoena either at home or at work.”
“Oh my God.” He exhaled raggedly. “No, please, don’t send anything about this to my home. Look, uh, I’m swamped at work this morning, but is there somewhere we can meet to talk about this? Maybe around noon?”
She thought about giving him her office address, but decided a less formal location could work better. “There’s an Intelligentsia Coffee bar on Broadway and Belmont.”
“I know the place. I’ll be there at noon.”
“You’re obviously welcome to bring an attorney, Mr. Sutter.”
“An attorney? I don’t have— Oh, my God, I can’t believe this is happening. I’ll see you there at noon.”
Victoria hung up the phone, thinking that the man who’d cheated on his soon-to-be wife and who’d also left without a good-bye after sleeping with her client sounded quite frazzled.
Good.
* * *
“MR. SUTTER?” SHE held out her hand. “Victoria Slade.”
Peter Sutter shook her hand, staring in surprise as she took the seat across from him. He’d arrived before her and had chosen, wisely, a table in the back of the coffee shop where they could speak privately.
“I know you,” he said. “You came to my open house last week, with the tall guy. You talked to me and my wife.”
Victoria had anticipated this reaction and had decided that the best defense was a good offense. “Since you ran out on my client without providing her with any way to reach you, we needed to get a little creative in confirming that you were, in fact, the right Peter Sutter.”