Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) (15 page)

The phone kept ringing, the annoying sound echoing in my
brain. I pulled the pillow over my head, debating whether to throw the phone
against the wall or give up hope on any sleep and pick up.

It had to be Jude, I just knew it. Everyone else wouldn’t be
so persistent.

I stretched out my hand from under the covers and grabbed
it, keeping my eyes closed as I responded. “Yeah?”

“Laurie.” Jude’s frantic voice echoed at the other end. “You
promised to call.”

I winced at her shrill tone and pressed my eyes tightly
shut. The pounding in my head was merciless and hard—as if a sledgehammer
was working hard to split my skull open. “Please stop shouting. I’m so tired I
can barely keep my eyes open.”

Which was true. I barely got any sleep last night.

“Sorry. I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.”

I sighed and tossed the pillow aside. “All right. What’s
going on?”

“Clint called.”

The two words were enough to freeze my blood in my veins.

I rose instantly, all sleep gone, and blinked against the
glaring morning sun flooding in through the window. A glance at the bedside
clock told me it was ten a.m. so it had to be late morning in NYC, where Jude
was staying, and early morning in California, where Clint lived.

The sun spilled its unnerving rays into the bedroom,
lighting it up like a shrine. I got up and pulled the curtains, the
semi-darkness providing instant relief.

“Did you hear what I just said?” Jude asked. “I just got off
the phone with Clint.”

“What did he want?” I asked with a sense of dread in the pit
of my stomach.

“He wants to know where you are, but don’t worry, I didn’t
blab,” Jude said.

“Did he say why he wants to know where I am?”

“Yes, he did.” She paused, hesitating. “He asked why you
went to court behind his back. He said you and he had a deal, and that you
broke it.” She sounded concerned. “Are you taking him to court, Laurie? He
sounded real mad and threatened you with consequences.”

Oh, shit.

All the blood rushed out of my face as my hands started to
sweat. Letting myself fall on my back, I closed my eyes and willed myself to
take deep breaths.

They didn’t calm me down one bit.

Worse yet, panic rose inside me as my mind recalled Chase’s
words, his plans, his intentions.

He was moving forward with his plans.

It was all his fault.

I didn’t have to consider the possibility, I just knew.
After all, he had warned me of what he was about to do, but for some stupid
reason, I thought after last night he’d change his mind; that I had more time,
that he’d respect my wishes.

I had been wrong
again
.

“What’s going on?” Jude probed carefully, drawing my
attention back to her. “I’m sure this is some kind of misunderstanding. I mean,
obviously you didn’t take legal actions against your stepfather. He must be
crazy to think you’d do that.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Or would you?”

“No, I wouldn’t.” I shook my head and began to massage my
temples.

“See, I knew it. So, I’m—”

“It was Chase,” I cut her off. “He’s taking Clint to court.”

“Chase?” Her voice betrayed her shock. “Why would he do that?”

“It’s a long story.” I sighed and jumped to my feet.
Cradling the cell phone between my ear and my shoulder, I headed for the closet
as I considered my next words. Jude had grown silent. She knew better than to
pester me for details in such matters.

I decided, even if I wanted to, there was no point in
recapping yesterday’s events. I had to talk with Chase first and ask him to
redo his actions—and fast, before Clint made my life a living hell.

“Hold on a sec,” I said to Jude and slipped into my jeans
and shirt, regarding myself in the mirror.

In spite of the fact that I had never felt so tired, I
looked radiant. Yeah, sex did that to you.

“So, you really met up with him?” Jude’s question was fairly
harmless, but the inquisitiveness in her voice was palpable.

I rolled my eyes, cursing the fact that I had loved every
second with Chase—yet he had gone behind my back, as if the time we spent
together meant nothing to him. “Yeah, I saw him all right.”

“And?” Damn Jude and her curiosity.

“And we talked.”

And I also slept with him.

Kissed him.

Begged him to lick me and take me while he pleasured me, and
pleasure me again.

Relentlessly.

Oh, God.

The way he had fucked me slowly, hard, fast on the bed, in
the shower, and on the floor, in that respective order, it had felt as though
he couldn’t get enough of me. But I couldn’t admit that to Jude.

Not now.

Not ever.

Not when Chase spelled trouble with a six pack. Or was it an
eight pack?

I couldn’t tell her about the way he had pinned me
underneath him, run his tongue along my neck, moved inside me so quickly I had
let out a scream of delight. Nor could I tell her just how much I had enjoyed
every minute of him inside me right before I fell asleep on top of him.

Why did I feel like a million bucks in spite of the fact
that Chase might just be about to get me into real trouble with Clint?
Obviously it couldn’t be the sex. Or the fact that I was sore from the dozens
of orgasms.

When I woke up at 2 a.m. to go to the bathroom, Chase was
gone. The disappointment was brief, but compared to now it was nothing.

Glancing at my dishevelled bed, at the blankets and pillows
that still smelled of him, I couldn’t help but wonder if it had been a mistake
to get involved with him.

What had I been thinking?

Obviously, if he looks like the devil, acts like the devil,
it is the devil. Chase sure had the charm. His body was pure sin.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jude asked cautiously. “You seem
awfully still.”

I laughed bitterly. “Would you sound okay if you harbored
thoughts of killing your new husband?” I groaned again. “Jude, can we talk
about this another time? I really have to see what Chase has to say on the
matter.”

“What about Clint?”

“Tell him I’ll call him back.”

“You better do that,” she said. “He threatened you. I don’t
believe he was joking.”

“Sounds exactly like Clint,” I mumbled. “I’ve got to go.
I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

“You promise?” Jude asked. “Because you already promised,
and I waited all day and night for your call.”

“I will. Bye.” I ended the call and regarded myself in the
mirror. My brown hair was a tangled mess, but my skin still carried the blush
from last night, giving away just how much fun we had.

But the worst was my smile—my silly post-sex smile as
pictures of my legs wrapped around Chase’s naked body began to flash before my
eyes.

“You crazy bastard,” I whispered. “You really did it.”

Clint had said there would be consequences. Knowing him, I
wasn’t stupid enough to believe otherwise. I had to take care of my interests
first, if only to protect myself.

My phone beeped again. This time it was a text from Jude:

Forgot to ask. Do you want me to give you my
attorney’s contact details before you talk with Clint? I hired her last month
to go over my work contract for my TV show. She’s really good.

I shook my head. As if her employment contract lawyer could
help me. What I needed now was someone to protect me mercilessly against Clint,
someone who took no crap from anyone.

Knowing my stepfather and his lawyer, I needed a bulldog. A
convincing, no bullshit, rabid bulldog.

Someone like…

I shook my head, then closed my eyes. I couldn’t believe I
had reached the point where I’d be saying what I was about to say. With a sigh,
my hands flew over the touch screen as I typed the message to Jude.

No need. I already have a lawyer.

Chase would take care of the mess he had started. He had to.

***

My fist came hard against the wood as I rapped at the door.
To a bystander, it probably looked like I was the raging wife about to confront
her cheating husband and beat his mistress to a pulp. But the truth was I would
have rather kicked Chase’s ass for the mess he had caused me, and give the
mistress a big fat kiss for stealing him from me.

Dressed in jeans and a white shirt, my hair still wet from
the shower, and my lips painted in a demure shade of red, I hoped I looked
civilized, but inside I was boiling. With every second that passed the anger
inside me grew to immerse proportions, any feelings of euphoria from sex
dissolving into thin air.

How dare he steal the contract and take Clint to court?

No surprise that Clint was angry. He had probably assumed I
tricked him.

I knocked harder. “Open the fucking door, Chase,” I shouted.
“I know you’re in there.” It wasn’t my imagination. The sound of the TV carried
over from inside. At last, footsteps thudded.

The door opened slowly and a woman’s pale face peered out.

My breath hitched and my heart stopped.

You know when I said I’d kiss the mistress?

Scratch that part.

She was beautiful. Like a real life doll, with flawless skin
and big, blue eyes.

A towel was wrapped around her delicate body, and her long
blond hair cascaded down her shoulders. “Yes?” Her accent was unmistakably
foreign. Maybe Russian.

But her beauty wasn’t what bothered me. She could have been
butt ugly for all I cared.

What bothered me was the fact that she was in Chase’s room,
and judging from the dark smudges around her eyes—her only
‘fault’—and the empty bottles of alcohol arranged on the bar, her night
had been a fun one, too. The thought of her in Chase’s bed, of him fucking her
right after he had fucked me, made me fuming mad.

Had I not been enough for him?

How the fuck did he hook up with her so quickly after
leaving my room, unless he had met her before and she had been waiting for him?

Something hard pierced my heart. Without thinking, I stormed
past her into the room.

 
“Where is he?” I
asked, taking notice of the unmade bed, the lacy underwear on the floor, and
what looked like room service. In the background, I could hear the shower
running.

Fucking hell.

First, he screwed me, then he went out to get dessert.

I should never have trusted him.

“Is he in there?” I asked.

She frowned, her eyes fixed on my lips as if she didn’t
quite understand me, her perfect plump lips pouting. “Who?”

“Chase.”

“
Chasse
?” she asked.

With my heart slamming against my chest, I headed for the
door and grabbed the knob. As I was about to open it, a familiar voice echoed
behind me.

“What are you doing?”

I stopped, my entire body going rigid, while I considered
three scenarios that could play out:

a) Chase had a threesome and I was about to find out if the
person in the shower was female or male.

I gulped down the horror stuck in my throat.

Oh, my god.

Please, don’t let it
be a threesome.

It was so far out of my sexual expertise that I couldn’t
even bare to think about it.

b) This was all in my head, and I was having a nervous
breakdown. People were probably holding me down that instant while someone was
calling for an ambulance.

c) I was in a dream from which I’d wake up any minute, which
was very similar to b) and absolutely my ideal scenario.

I turned around to meet Chase’s amused grin and the knowing
glint in his eyes. He was standing in the doorway, holding two cups of coffee
in his hands. The stunning woman eyed us both, confused.

“Chasse?
Est-ce
que tout va bien?
” she asked again in her accent and he turned around to
her.

“Tout va bien. I’m sorry. My wife confused the rooms,” he
explained to her. “She was actually looking for me.”

My cheeks flamed.

“Oh.” She let out a laugh, her finger going between her and
him. “She thought you and I had
une
liaison passionnée
.”

As it happened, I knew that word.

She was French.

“Come on, Laurie.” Chase winked. “I’ll show you to my room.”

My whole body burned with embarrassment as I stormed past him
and headed down the corridor with Chase chuckling behind me.

As soon as Chase closed the door behind us, I dropped onto
his bed and covered my face with my hands, muttering, “Please kill me. This is
so embarrassing.”

“Quite the contrary, I think it’s funny.”

I dropped my hands onto the bed and stared up at the
ceiling. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who knocked on the wrong
door.”

He let out another sexy, roaring laugh and sat down next to
me, the motion almost throwing me off the bed. My heart rejoiced, all too aware
of the sudden closeness. As he leaned closer, far too close for comfort me, a
whiff of his aftershave hit me, and I took a deep breath, eager to inhale his
scent.

 
“You know,” he
whispered in my ear, “you were lucky I heard you down the hall and saved you a
lot of trouble. God knows what might have happened if you opened the bathroom
door and saw him naked. The poor guy would have been traumatized for life,
thinking you were the wife and the divorce papers were basically lurking around
the corner.”

I had been yelling?

Earth, swallow me up whole!

“Just awesome.” I groaned, which only had Chase laughing
again. “What makes you think he was a cheater? Maybe that was his wife.”

I turned to regard him. His fingers brushed my hair back out
of my face gently and twisted a strand as his stunning eyes pierced mine. My
body heated up under his touch.

“His wife’s Indian. That was the paid help, if you get my
drift.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And your conclusion is based on
what?”

“I’m psychic.”

I rolled my eyes at his answer.

“Okay, I’ll share my secrets,” Chase said. “The picture
frame on the nightstand was a dead giveaway. I don’t know how you could miss
it. It’s like by bringing a family portrait with him, he felt less guilty
fucking a stranger.” He shook his head. “Anyway, you’ve got to admit, it makes
a good story, though. As a lawyer, I’ve heard so many of those, it’s
ridiculous. I don’t know why people get married, but don’t keep it in their
pants.”

He sure knew what to say and when to say it.

It took all my willpower not to give in and kiss him—until
he said the next stupid thing.

“That scene of yours—” He laughed. “And your face.
Priceless.”

“Oh, hilarious.” I let out a sarcastic laugh as I rose on my
elbows, facing him. “Enjoying yourself, aren’t you? Why the fuck didn’t you
tell me where your room was?”

“You didn’t ask.” He kept grinning. “You just assumed. Out
of interest, why didn’t you knock on the door to your left rather than assume
you got the door right? I mean, there was a fifty percent chance you got the
door wrong. That’s what usually crosses one’s mind when a stranger opens.”

“No idea.” I began to chew my nail

Honestly, it was one of those brain dead, impulsive
reactions, but I couldn’t exactly tell him that when it came to him, any
reasoning became non-existent. I decided to stick to parts of the truth. “Your
brother headed in that direction, so I assumed…”

“Ah, my brother again.” He shook his head, giving an
exasperated sigh. “This
is getting old, Laurie,
you know? Let me guess, you still don’t believe me that I had no idea he was
here?”

“Actually, I do now,” I said.

His fingers twisted in my hair again, playing with a strand,
pulling gently.

“What changed?” he asked absentmindedly, as though my hair
was fascinating and he could barely focus on anything else. “Was it my
excellent performance last night? Or this.” He leaned forward and placed a kiss
on my mouth, the unexpected motion both infuriating and intoxicating. For a
moment, our tongues connected in that slow dance I loved. And then he pulled
back again, leaving me breathless, wanting more.

Wanting him.

 
“No, it’s the
fact that I didn’t find him in your room,” I said, giving him a playful shove.

His heated gaze brushed my lips, then met my eyes, his
glance going back and forth between the two, as if he considered whether to
kiss me again.

“
Je veux
lècher chaque partie de ton corps,” he said slowly, his tongue darting out to
lick the corner of his mouth.

I stared at him, transfixed by his mouth, his tongue, the
memory of the two so vivid I could almost feel his touch on my body, and a
blush crept up my face.

I had no idea what he’d said, but it kind of sounded dirty.

And hot.

Hell, I loved it when he was dirty.

His eyes lingered on me for too long, reminding me of our
sinfully sexy night and all the fun we had. His tongue brushed his lip skillfully,
silently inviting me to play. There was no doubt he was focused on a lot of
things—just not on a serious conversation.

I wanted a replay of last night so badly, I almost winced at
the soft tug between my legs.

But there were more pressing issues to deal with, like
Clint’s phone call.

“What does this mean?” I asked, taking the bite, even though
I should have known better.

“I could show you.” He grinned, his eyes glinting with
amusement, challenging me to take him up on his offer.

I shook my head. “There is no need to show off your
linguistic skills.”

“I could have sworn you were about to compliment them,” he
said smoothly.

“You already proved that last night.”

And boy he did.

“That’s right, baby.” He grinned. “
Je me suis beaucoup amuse.”

“No idea what you said right now, so I’m going to pretend I
didn’t hear that one. We have far more important things to do than praise your
tongue, and stroke your ego.”

“Yeah? Like what?” His lips twitched. He ran a finger down
my neck, and I shifted as another surge of wanting pulsed through me. “Like
your jealousy issues? They were about to spiral out of control.”

“I’m not jealous,” I said, slightly defensive. I plucked a
loose thread from the bedspread, unsure how to explain my motives. “I just
thought you fucked someone hours after me.”

My honesty surprised me. It also made me feel oddly
self-conscious. After all, I knew how I sounded: insecure and yeah, jealous.

“Whoa. Let’s stop there,” Chase said. I raised my head and
caught his hurt expression, my heart speeding up a little. “I’m offended that
you think so lowly of me. Come on. What do you think I am? A sex addict? A
cheater? We have a contract. I tend to respect those.” He pressed a hand to his
chest theatrically, which made me snort. “My reputation as your husband means a
lot to me.”

“Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I was ridiculous in my
assumption.”

He gestured with his hand, prompting for more. “And?”

“And what? Don’t push it, Chase.”

“You forget the most important fact: we’re married,” he said
proudly, as if I was missing the most obvious thing. “That means in our
relationship you won’t ever have a reason to be jealous. I’m very committed to
our cause.”

What the hell was
our
cause
?

“Being married has never stopped anyone from cheating,” I
mumbled.

“That might apply to a lot of people out there.” He leaned
closer. “But I only have eyes for you, baby.”

“Says the guy who agreed to a pretend marriage and married
me for my money without even knowing me.”

“Which only shows my level of commitment.” He brushed aside
a strand of hair that clung to my cheek. “Have I ever disappointed you?”

I cocked my head. “Seriously? You’re asking me that after I
basically summed up our entire relationship?”

He waved his hand. “Yeah, let’s leave aside the ‘I married
you for a reason’ part. Other than that?”

His words had me silent.

I stared at him. A tenuous ball of fear formed in my belly
as I remembered Jude’s words. “Clint called today. How about that?”

“Good.” He sighed and got up. “Let’s grab some coffee.”

“Good?” I frowned. “Is that all you have to say?”

He shrugged. “Well, what else do you want me to say? It was
to be expected. That guy is about to lose all your inheritance and his
business. Of course he’s going to be mad. Next thing he’ll appeal to your
goodwill. Then he’ll start threatening you. My advice?” He stared at me, his
playfulness gone, replaced with a thick layer of ice. “Tell him you’re not
interested in talking to him. That’ll save us both time.”

He stopped in the doorway, waiting for me to follow him.
That’s when I noticed the suitcases. I scanned his room. It was tidy—too
tidy. It looked like he was about to move out.

“Are you leaving?” I asked. An unexpected pang of shock shot
through me.

I met his gaze, and for the first time I noticed his face
was cleanly shaven, his hair still wet.

“I’m going back to L.A.,” he replied, his tone sober.

“When?”

“My plane leaves this afternoon.”

“Because of Clint?”

Why did I feel faint? That he was leaving was the best thing
that could have happened to me, and yet I wanted him to stay.

He nodded. “Yes. I need to get to work. It’s going to be one
of many trials.”

“But I thought we couldn’t leave for a week.” My throat
closed up. As he cocked his head, his lips drawn into a tight line, realization
hit me.

He had lied to me.

The disappointment at having been lied to yet again hurt me,
but not as much as the fact that he was about to leave me. “I thought we were
being honest with each other.”

“I’m working on it,” he said softly. “Would you have
listened to my explanation if I told you I was only here to bail you out?”

He was right.

I wouldn’t have.

“You ignored my wishes, Chase,” I whispered. “I asked you
not to go against him, but you went ahead with your plans. Why?”

He sighed and turned around. “I already told you that I
don’t have a choice. I owe this to my family.” His footsteps thudded in the
silence of the room. The bed moved under his weight as he sat next to me, only
inches away.

 
“I owe it to my
family, Laurie,” he repeated. “Please, you have to understand. Don’t you want
your inheritance back?”

I fell silent. Did I want it back?

Waterfront Shore—the place had never been one of
happiness. A place where I never had a father to grow up with, a place where my
mom had killed herself.

Somehow, it didn’t matter either way. It held no importance
to me.

“What if I don’t want it?” I asked, casting him a sideways
glance. “Will that change anything?”

His lips tightened again. “I’m taking him to court. I’m
going to fight for you, for us.”

“My mom set up a Will, Chase. I’m not the heiress. You’re
going to lose.”

“No, I won’t,” he said firmly. “Your grandparents were the
sole owners at the time your mom died. Your mom would have been their heir,
followed by you. If that won’t win us the case, then her letters will.”

“In her will, she wanted Clint to have all her money,” I
tried one more time. “There’s no way her letters will say otherwise.”

“How do know? Have you read them?” Chase asked, his tone
challenging me.

His question rendered me silent for a moment. “No, but
that’s not the point. What matters is that I’m not interested in the money.”

“This is crazy. You listen to your mom even though the law
says you’re entitled to a huge estate. The estate has been in your family for a
long time. Why do you want to give it away to someone who ruins other people’s
lives?”

“Because my mom told me so.” I almost choked on my breath.
He was right, of course, but—

 
“You said she
loved you,” Chase continued. “Well, there’s no love deeper than a mother’s love
for her child. I don’t believe she was in the right frame of mind when she made
that decision, which is why I’ve applied for an order to get access to her
medical records.”

I shook my head. “Stop talking as if you’re doing it for
me,” I whispered. “You’re doing it for yourself. It’s all about you and Kade.”

He grew silent.

 
“I do care about
you, Laurie.” He intertwined his fingers with mine. “I’m not lying. I really
like you. But the thing with Clint, it needs to be done. For my family’s sake.
I promised. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do this. But I sure I
cannot let you go.”

I turned my head to him, marveling at the beautiful color of
his eyes—the color of cloudy days and summer storms.

His words choked me up, brought tears to the back of my
eyes.

“You’re really serious about destroying Clint,” I whispered,
feeling weak as I took in his words. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“I told you yesterday.”

“I thought I had time. Why didn’t you tell me before, so I could
prepare myself?”

“It wouldn’t have served the purpose. Besides, I didn’t know
you well. I couldn’t trust you.” His gaze darkened. “Twelve months, Laurie.
That’s how long I need. After that, you can do what you want.”

“Please,” I whispered. “There’s always a choice. You don’t
have to do it.”

He sighed. “It’s too late. I can’t go back on my word.”

In the silence of the room, I watched him stand and squeeze
into his jacket. His broad shoulders looked amazing, just like every other inch
of him.

“What do you mean?” I asked when his statement finally sank
in. “We’ve been married for less than three days. How can it be too late?”

“Under the
Inheritance Act, you’re entitled to make an application to the court for an
order,” he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “As your
husband, I have the same right as you, but as your lawyer
I already
applied for an order before we got married.”

I felt faint. “How?”

“While you were busy with your wedding gown, I flew ahead
and pulled a few strings to get things moving. You can’t stop me, Laurie. I’m
good at what I do, so don’t even try.”