Temptations - The Complete Series Read online

  Home, where the demons haunted me much less.

  The party wore on. The guests were served dinner, and there was a silent auction, and the winners were announced. After the silent auction, the guests dispersed throughout the house. I wandered around, and, everywhere I looked, there was live music, and people laughing, dancing and talking. It seemed that everyone who was in the ballroom earlier was still in the house, enjoying themselves. I went out to the terrace and looked at the pool area below. There were a group of intoxicated people, throwing each other in the pool in their evening gowns and tuxedos, although one guy was enterprising enough to strip down to his underwear before doing a cannonball into the pool. There were peals of laughter as everyone splashed around, and one person after another got pushed in.

  I usually liked a good party myself, but I felt out of place with these people.

  As I stood on the terrace, a man joined me. Tall and blonde, fortyish and handsome, he stood next to me, looking out at the people below. “Looks like fun, doesn’t it?” he finally said to me in a thick Australian accent. “I’m Dane. I was a friend of Jordan’s.”

  I nodded my head. “Serena.”

  “I know who you are,” he said. “I asked about you, just because I’d never seen you around before.” He stood there with his hands at his side, and sipped a glass of champagne. “He did it, you know. He and Jordan had lots of words before Jordan died. He was the only one who would have motive.”

  I cocked my head at him. “Why are you here? You obviously have no loyalty to Slade. And you should know that I cannot discuss his case with you or anyone else.”

  He looked back at the crowd and shrugged. “I guess he’s just keeping his enemies close, as they say. Slade certainly isn’t a stupid man. Anyhow, I hope that you don’t get him off. A man like him certainly shouldn’t be walking free.”

  At that, Slade himself came out on the terrace. He put his arm around Dane. “Dane, my man. You’re being summoned in the great room. I suggest you go in there.”

  Dane shrugged his shoulders and walked back into the house without another word.

  “What did he say to you?” Slade asked when Dane was out of earshot.

  “I think you probably know. He has no love for you, that’s for sure.”

  “Of course not. Bastard’s been going to the news media, feeding them crap. I’m quite sure that he’s one of their many anonymous sources.”

  “Why is he here?”

  He smiled. “I’m quite sure that he probably told you that I’m keeping my enemies close, which is exactly what I’m trying to do. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people here at this party who would love to see me fry. I’m keeping tabs on every one of them, and I have more than one loyal friend who is reporting to me everything that they’re saying about me. That’s the best way to know who’s a rat, and it’s the best way for me to keep on top of things.” Then he smiled. “I hate that they’re eating my food and drinking my Dom, though, not to mention all the high-end liquors I always have at these things. Bastards have no shame, really. They’ll smile to my face, drink my $20,000 bottle of Scotch, and then spread lies about me to the media. Don’t think for a second I don’t know exactly who is saying what.”

  The two of us stood looking at the people below, who were still giggling and throwing each other into the pool. We could also see his hot tub in the woods, and we could just make out the fact that there were three people in that hot tub, all of them naked and groping one another. There were two guys and a girl, and the two guys were all over each other as well as all over the woman.

  He shook his head. “They’ll get what’s coming to them, though, once I beat this thing. Ostracized won’t be the word. Socially dead is what they’re going to be. And I can’t wait.”

  I saw the flash of anger in his eyes, and I felt it in my bones. This guy had a temper, that much was clear, and that worried me. But, really, everyone had a temper. A breaking point. That was just human nature. It would be odd if he wasn’t angry at these “friends” of his who were selling his story to the media.

  Still, I wondered. How bad was his temper, and could it have led him to do something like what had happened to Jordan?

  I hated that I still doubted him, but I couldn’t help it. I was having more and more difficulty getting a decent read on him. His emotions were too scattered, and I was getting more confused with each passing moment. One moment, he was unruffled, the next he was intensely angry. And, of course, there were moments that I was feeling pure desire from him. I hoped that wasn’t wishful thinking, in spite of myself, because, even if I couldn’t act on it, I could fantasize about him. I could imagine what it would feel like to have those sensuous lips on mine, devouring me. Those green eyes looking through my skin into my soul, drinking me in and twisting my insides like a pretzel. There were so many things that I wanted to do to him, and I wanted to imagine that he felt the same.

  Of course, imagining is all that could happen, because I was his lawyer.

  He finally smiled at me, and put his hand on my shoulder. “I better get back,” he whispered in my ear. The involuntary tingles flushed through my body as his hand lingered on my bare shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”

  Then I saw him go back into the house and go from one group to another.

  I sighed. I was really in trouble. Perhaps I needed to call Malcolm and tell him, definitively, that I was the wrong woman for this job.

  Then I thought better about that. I was a professional, goddammit. I wasn’t going to let this guy derail me. Perhaps that was his MO.

  I hated to think that I was yet another victim of his charm.

  Chapter 8

  The next day, I stretched and yawned and padded gingerly down the steps. To my surprise, there were still stragglers around, although they were no longer in their evening wear. They were wearing normal clothes, apparently anticipating staying the night. There were about five people in one of the many entertainment rooms, leisurely watching television while eating breakfast. There were more people out by the pool, sunning in their bathing suits.

  One of the people was Charlotte, who had a disturbingly perfect body. She was holding court outside by the pool, and she waved at me when she saw me.

  I went over to her. I had to remember that I was supposed to learn all that I could about Slade, and I supposed that befriending a woman who was his girlfriend at one time, who now appeared to be a stalker, would be a part of that job description. “Hello, Serena,” she said in a friendly manner. “Sorry about last night. I think that I had too much to drink.”

  I sat down next to her. “Don’t worry about it. You weren’t rude.”

  “Of course I was. Listen, I suppose that Slade told you that I’m not his girlfriend anymore. Technically, that’s very true. But I think that we’re going to be getting back together at any time.” Then she smiled sweetly. “I’m very surprised that you’re his lawyer. You certainly don’t look the part.”

  “What are lawyers supposed to look like?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I always imagined Susan Dey. I watched that show when I was a small child and it was on reruns. LA Law. I’m sure that’s before your time.”

  “No, it’s not,” I said. “I mean, it was pretty much off the air before I was old enough to enjoy something like that, but, like you, I did catch reruns. But I’m curious why you would use a show that was on in the eighties and early nineties as your touchstone on how a lawyer should be.”

  She sipped her mojito daintily. “These are delicious. You should get Slade to make you one.”

  I closed my eyes, and I felt her vibrations, which were surprisingly strong. She was far from the sunny person she was trying to portray. She was angry, extremely angry, and jealous. Her jealousy was the emotion that I felt most acutely from her.

  I opened my eyes, knowing not to trust her. Not that I ever would have trusted her anyhow, considering how much she always seemed to be glomming onto Slade.
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  “I’m sorry,” she said. “What was it that you were just asking me?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “And lawyers are nothing like on that show. Trust me, most of the work that we do is boring as hell. Very rarely do we get something juicy coming across our desks.”

  She nodded her head. “And this one is very juicy for you, isn’t it?” She narrowed her eyes, and I could feel, imperceptibly, the judgment from her. She was trying to trap me into admitting something, and I thought that I knew what that something was.

  She wanted me to admit that I was attracted to Slade, at which point she would go right to my law firm and rat on me. Her motives were becoming more and more clear. She wanted me out of the way.

  I guessed that I should have been flattered that she saw me as a romantic rival. I had to compose my face and give nothing, absolutely nothing, away. “Of course,” I said. “Murder cases do tend to be more interesting than, say, corporate mergers, although sometimes corporate mergers have a sexiness and an intrigue all their own.”

  She cocked her head, and then caught a beach ball that was thrown at her. Slade was approaching the pool area, and, with a sly smile, she took off her top, revealing her perfect, and apparently natural, breasts.

  Slade approached our chairs and sat on the end of mine. “Serena, I see that you don’t have anything to eat, so I brought you some of these vegan brownies and a tofu frittata. Marina made it this morning just for you.”

  I looked over at Charlotte, who was glaring at me. “Oh, you’re one of those,” she said. “A vegan.” Then she rolled her eyes. “A dime a dozen out here in LA. Probably only doing that because it’s the thing, aren’t you?”

  I opened my mouth, and Slade said “why Serena is a vegan is none of your affair, Charlotte. I would appreciate it if you would mind your own business for once in your life.”

  She said nothing, but turned her attention to the people who were in the pool, and then, with a perfect dive, she was in the water.

  I dug into the tofu frittata, which was amazing. I was always impressed when somebody who ordinarily prepared non-vegan food had a deft hand in preparing vegan food as well, and Marina was certainly in that latter group.

  Slade looked at Charlotte, and then back at me. “Sorry about her. She’s a beast.”

  “Yet she’s still here.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Either you like the drama, or you really don’t mind her presence.”

  He shook his head. “I’m trying to stop her from going to the media and the police and spreading lies. She’s one of the many people who I’m trying to control the best that I can.”

  It was then that I saw it in his eyes and felt it emanating from his every pore. He was worried. Very worried. I wondered exactly what he was worried about. Was he just worried about all the Benedict Arnolds who were feeding the media crap about him? Was he worried that he couldn’t get a fair trial? That he would lose? Or was he worried that I would catch onto him if I stayed there long enough?

  That was the bad thing about being an empath. I could feel others emotions, but their reasons behind their emotions weren’t always clear. Sometimes it was, as with Cindy back home. It was clear that she wanted the job that I got, and it was also clear that she had the hots for Slade. But Slade was more of a mystery to me. I was having a difficult time discerning where his various emotions were coming from.

  I put my hand on his and tried to get a better handle on him. But, like before, he was apparently able to cover up that negative emotion, because I no longer felt that he was worried. “I would chase all these people off, but I really don’t want to,” he said to me. “Believe it or not, I sometimes feel comfortable having a bunch of people around. It’s easier to escape that way.”

  He didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “escaping,” so I asked him. “What are you trying to escape?”

  He looked at me, and I felt like I was going to melt into the chair. “Nothing. It’s just a figure of speech.” Then he looked down at the chair, and he almost seemed like a young boy. “You look dry,” he observed, because I drank the orange juice that he had offered to me. “Let me get you another one.”

  “My legs work,” I said, getting up off the chair. “You don’t have to bother.”

  He grinned. “Oh, I wasn’t. I was going to get one of my help to bring you something.” Then he looked down again, and I could tell that he was teasing me.

  I laughed and made my way up the stairs into the kitchen.

  While I was standing in the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water, I felt Slade come up behind me. He stood there, his chest on my back, and he put his arms on either side of me. “Let me help you,” he said, taking the glass of water out of my hand. His breath, hot and moist, was in my ear.

  My breath caught as I felt him pressed up against me. It felt uncomfortable, yet completely exhilarating. “I got it,” I said. “I know how to get a glass of water.”

  He ignored me, and turned on the sink, filling the glass to the brim with water. He was still right behind, pressed up against me, his hands on either side of me.

  I turned and tried to sneak underneath one of his arms, but he didn’t move. I was now facing him, and he was extremely close to me, his hands on either side of me, gripping the side of the countertop. “You feel it, don’t you?”

  I swallowed hard. “Feel what?”

  “You know what.” Then he put his finger underneath my chin again. “You’re goddamned beautiful. I hope you know that.”

  I felt my face flush scarlet. “I-“

  Then it happened. He gently put his full and sensuous lips on my own, and I literally lost my breath. I closed my eyes, and got completely and utterly lost as his lips were gliding over, sucking and biting my own. His tongue found mine, and the electricity that I felt before was magnified by a thousand. By a million.

  I sighed as he continued to kiss me gently, his hands running through my hair. He leaned into me, and I could feel his erection, enormous and proud, through his shorts. I reared back my head, wanting, longing for him to continue, yet, at the back of my mind, I knew that it was completely, and utterly, wrong.

  His lips made their way to my clavicle and neck, his hands gently stroking my hair. His kisses left burning trails all over my skin. I summoned every nerve in my body to tell him to stop, but it was useless. I felt like I was being consumed by him. Consumed by his touch, surprisingly gentle, and his kisses, which were also gentle but were becoming much more heated and passionate with every passing second.

  As his hands were making their way to my sides, and then were planted firmly in the curve of my back, I finally managed the strength to push him away. “No,” I said. “I’m your lawyer, and, I’m sorry, I really don’t want to be another notch on your bedpost.”

  He looked stricken at my words, and I felt how my sudden rebuke stung him to his core. I sensed that nobody had ever rejected him before, and, at first, I felt that he was hurt. Then, as with the other times before, I didn’t feel his hurt anymore. I felt nothingness. His wall had returned.

  He simply raised an eyebrow and turned on his heel and walked away.

  Once he was safely out of the kitchen, I turned back to the sink, putting my hands on the edge. I was trembling all over, and my mind was going 1000 miles per hour. I had never felt desire like I just felt with him, and that worried me. I was already having problems trying to get a read on him, and this was just complicating matters that much further. And I was his lawyer. I knew the ethics of sleeping with a client, and that was that it was generally frowned upon. It could very well leave me open for a major complaint or a lawsuit for malpractice. I knew this. There wasn’t a law against it, but it was well-known to be an ethical grey area that was like the third rail – you shouldn’t ever touch it. And the American Bar Association’s model rules for professional conduct, which was what all attorneys observed, stated that attorney-client sexual relationships were forbidden. California’s rules were more lax, but, still, there could be an entire Pan
dora’s Box that would be opened if I gave into my desires.

  I took a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts. Every cell in my body, however, was on fire and screaming for Slade. I wanted him to do things to me that nobody ever had. However complicated it would be to have sex with him, I didn’t care. My body didn’t care, anyhow, but my mind was still focused on how wrong it would be for so many reasons. Not just the ethical reasons, but also because I wouldn’t be able to do the job that I was sent to do. There would be no way I could get a good reading on him if sex complicated the matter.

  I had to be a professional. Besides, what I said to him was how I felt – I didn’t want to be another notch on his bedpost. Slade was a notorious womanizer. At least that was the story that was always reported to the tabloids. I could think of nothing worse than sacrificing all – my career, my peace of mind – for a fling that would mean zero to him.

  I therefore made up my mind. I was going to keep it together. I wasn’t going to give into my body, which was still feeling the heat from where Slade had touched it. My body might have been aching for him, but I had to ignore that.

  I went out to the pool area, and my mind was made up still further. Slade was sitting on a pool chair, talking to Charlotte, who was still topless. She was giggling and touching him, and he didn’t seem to mind.

  I sighed, watching him interact with Charlotte, whom he allegedly couldn’t stand. It certainly looked like he was into her from my vantage point. I just sighed, and stopped watching them after a little while. As far as I was concerned, those two deserved one another. They were both fake and superficial and hot as hell.

  I then fielded a call from Malcolm, who was calling right at that moment. “Serena,” he said. “How are things?”

  “Not so good,” I said. “I don’t think that I’m going to be able to get the information that you’re looking for. I can’t always get a decent reading, and I feel that maybe my talents aren’t going to be on point for this case.”