Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“Up,” he said, and she climbed off.
They did their best to pull themselves together. He tied off the condom, wrapped it in a napkin, and tossed it in the trash while she picked up her panties and made a face.
“I can’t wear my underwear again,” she said, blushing. “It’s too wet.”
He chuckled. “I take pride in that.” Grabbing the scrap of material, he shoved it into his jeans pocket.
Not meeting his gaze, she gathered her hair and put it up in a messy bun.
“Samantha.”
She looked over and said, “We just had sex outside.” As if she’d just realized what they’d done.
He touched beneath her chin. “Nobody saw,” he assured her. Leaning forward, he kissed her lips, something he should have made sure to do earlier. “Want to watch the rest of the movie?”
She shook her head. “Do you mind if we leave? I’m kind of a mess.”
He took in her wild hair and the makeup smeared beneath her eyes. She was every bit as sexy as when he’d picked her up. Even more, he thought.
“You’re still gorgeous but we can do whatever you want. Come on.” He clasped her hand. “Let’s go home and shower.”
She swallowed hard. “Only if we do it together.” She said the words and dipped her head.
But he grinned at her mix of sassy shyness. “That’s my girl.”
Her lips turned downward at the expression he’d casually tossed out. “Dex, remember what I said about my crazy life?”
Fuck. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off. Reminding himself of what he’d learned about her, that she needed someone to give her what she needed, he swallowed a groan. “I remember. We’re doing this at your speed.” He paused. “As long as we’re doing this.”
She didn’t reply but when they returned to her apartment, she pulled him inside and he spent the night.
Chapter Fourteen
Samantha sat in the conference room of Drake Blakely, Esq., listening to Tim Daley, the lawyer she’d hired, read the list of Jeremy’s demands before he would even consider dissolving the partnership, which included him taking their top clients.
“A buyout is off the table?” she asked, horrified.
“It’s a tactic,” Tim, her lawyer, assured her.
“You mean he’ll want an obscene amount of money to go away,” she muttered.
Tim, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a large stomach, sat at the head of the table. “Probably, but I have maneuvers of my own. I suggest we stall him by bringing in a forensic accountant to go over the books.”
“Are you concerned?”
“Irrelevant,” Tim said with a shrug. “It’s standard when dissolving a business or prior to a buyout. But considering Jeremy was willing to marry you and play the long game to get his hands on your money, once we inform him of the plan, he’s going to panic and we might see whether or not he’s operating on the up and up.”
She blinked, stunned at what he was insinuating. “You think he’s stealing from the business?”
“I’ve seen these situations before and I wouldn’t be surprised. Stay calm and work as usual. I’ll handle the rest. If he approaches you about things, refer him to me.”
Her stomach twisted as she rose from her seat. “Thank you, Tim.”
“My pleasure. Don’t worry, Samantha. I’ve handled worse snakes than your partner.”
She managed a smile but was happy she had this man in her corner.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said. “In the meantime, it’s business as usual for you.”
With a nod, she walked out of the conference room. Once she was in the hall by the elevators, she pulled out her phone and texted Dex, letting him know she’d left and would meet him at his brother’s bar as planned. She pulled up a rideshare app and waited on the corner.
By the time she arrived at the bar, she’d worked herself up over how Jeremy might react when he found out she’d hired the forensic accountant. Dex met her outside the back door, which was the main entrance and accounted for the bar’s name.
She walked into his embrace and relaxed for the first time.
As he wrapped his strong arms around her, she knew she was getting in deep with this man. At the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
“What happened at the lawyer’s?” he asked.
Stepping back, she met his gaze. “We went over Jeremy’s list of wants in order to dissolve the partnership.” She enumerated them for Dex as they entered the bar. “He says a total buyout is off the table but Tim, my lawyer, says it’s just a tactic.”
“More attempts to get his hands on your money,” Dex said in a low, angry voice.
“Exactly.”
“Hi, brother-in-law!” Raven walked over with menus in hand and kissed Dex’s cheek. “Table for two?”
“Yes,” he said. “Samantha, this is Remy’s wife, Raven. Raven, meet Samantha Dare.”
“Aah, Samantha. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the pretty woman said. “I admit to being curious.”