Читать книгу Evidence of Desire - Pamela Yaye - Страница 12

Chapter 3

Rittenhouse Square, a popular neighborhood named after the large, lush, tree-filled park in the center of the community, was overrun with residents taking advantage of the unusually warm October day. From his fourth-floor office window, Harper had a clear, unrestricted view of the park and marveled at how crowded it was. Joggers ran along the winding, leaf-covered path, kids darted around the jungle gym and pet owners played catch with their dogs.

On Thursday afternoons, Harper liked to go outside to the square. For an hour, he’d sit back and relax. He wouldn’t think about work and the long list of things he had to accomplish before quitting time, either. He’d eat his lunch, then do the New York Times crossword puzzle. But not today. Harper had a deposition to review, phone calls to make and more paper crowding his desk than a UPS office.

Harper tossed a handful of cashews into his mouth. Five more minutes, and then I’ll get back to work, he told himself, soaking up the sunshine pouring through the window in front of his L-shaped executive desk. Most of the offices at Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark were furnished traditionally, with mahogany furniture and Oriental rugs, but Harper had bucked the trend and hired an interior decorator to create his dream space. Leather couches sat along one wall, shelves displaying his certificates and awards were above the tropical-fish aquarium, and his favorite electronic gadgets were just an arm’s length away on the decorative glass stand.

Crossing his legs at his ankles, he rested back comfortably in his seat. He spotted a group of teenagers reading magazines under one of the leafy maple trees dotting the park, and immediately thought of Azure. The writer had been on his mind all day. Actually, ever since the photo shoot at his uncle’s estate. He was looking forward to seeing her tonight, and as soon as he finished drafting the settlement letter, he was heading home. He needed to shower and change before their date, and he wanted to buy Azure flowers from his favorite gift shop. Not that he went there often. Harper hadn’t been back to Gifts & Things since…

Scraping the thought and all images of his ex-girlfriend from his mind, he turned away from the window and picked up the manila file folder he’d abandoned ten minutes earlier.

“I thought you’d left for the day.”

Harper regarded his father, Frank, with a smile. His dad was fifty-eight years old and still going strong. He not only looked years younger, but he played the part, too. His dad was a jovial, well-dressed ball of energy who was always in a terrific mood. In court, he rarely sat down, and when he did it was only because his back was acting up. “I have a few more things to do before I head home,” Harper explained, gesturing to the document in his hands, “and since I’m in court tomorrow, I figured now was as good a time as any to get them done.”

“I was surprised when I pulled into the parking lot this morning and saw your car. What time did you get in?”

“Five-thirty. I would have been here earlier but decided to go to the gym first.”

“Some people shouldn’t be allowed to drink coffee,” Frank joked, pointing at his son’s oversize Philadelphia Sixers-themed mug. “You’d be one of them!”

Father and son chuckled.

“What are you working on?” Frank asked, closing the door behind him.

“Just reviewing the sworn testimony of the victims in the fraud case. The trial is fast approaching, and I want to be fully prepared.”

“Good, good, son. That’s what I like to hear.” Frank picked up the golf club that Harper kept in his office for his executive putter set, pointed it at the cup and bent his knees. “I wish I had one of these in my office, but if I did I’d probably never get any work done!”

Harper watched as his father practiced his swing. Over and over, he took shots at the hole. Harper didn’t know if his dad came by to see him or to play a round of golf, but he didn’t mind the interruption. He welcomed it. Maybe shooting the breeze with his dad would help him refocus, because he was so amped up about seeing Azure again he couldn’t concentrate.

“Son, when are you heading home?”

“I’m not sure, why?”

“Preseason basketball kicks off tonight,” Frank said, glancing up from the golf set. “The Lakers are playing in Miami tonight, and there’s been so much trash talking between the two teams, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a brawl in the first quarter!”

“I thought Mom banned you from watching basketball.”

“The Lakers got swept in the second round of the playoffs! Swept!” he repeated, throwing a hand up in the air. “It’s not my fault I got so angry I bumped into the coffee table and knocked over that frilly candy dish. It’s been six months and I still haven’t got over it.”

Harper chuckled.

“Besides, what your mother doesn’t know can’t hurt her,” Frank said, shooting his son a wink. “She’s in New York on business, so I have the house all to myself this week.”

A sly grin exploded onto his dad’s smooth, slim face, but Harper heard the loneliness in his voice and saw the flicker of sadness in his eyes. Harper considered canceling his date with Azure. He was anxious to pick up where they’d left off last night, but he didn’t want to leave his old man hanging.

“Your brothers are coming by, and some of your cousins, too.”

“Will Jake be there?”

Frank shrugged. “I invited him, but I don’t know if he’ll show. He has a meeting tonight with Santiago Medina.”

In his haste to speak, Harper tripped over his tongue. “The resort heir?”

“The one and only. Apparently, Mr. Medina is looking for a new, American-based lawyer, and after speaking to Jake on the phone last week, he decided to fly in on his family’s private jet for a face-to-face meeting.”

Harper’s heart sank to the bottom of his leather Kenneth Cole shoes. Jake had scored another big-name client? And not just anyone. One of the richest businessmen in all of Mexico. Harper was pissed, but he didn’t show it. He couldn’t let his dad, or anyone else, know that he was jealous. Harper loved Jake, and would never do him any harm, but he was tired of playing second string to his flashy, cocky cousin. “Why would Santiago Medina sign with Jake? He’s arrogant, obnoxious and—”

“One hell of a closer,” Frank added, picking up the golf club and lining up his feet on the putter. “You’re an incredible attorney, son, the best in the firm as far as I’m concerned, but you need to toughen up. You lack that killer instinct that all great attorneys have, and without it, you can only go so far in this business. It doesn’t matter if you’re closing a deal, or trying to get a babe into bed, when you see an opening, you have to go in for the kill.”

Harper wanted to plug his ears. He didn’t want to hear what was coming next. His dad—like most of the Hamilton men—loved women, and back in the day had had a reputation with the ladies. Always on the move, he laughed, joked and flirted with the opposite sex as if it was his favorite pastime. And Harper suspected it was.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but you could learn a thing or two from Jake.”

“On what? How to seduce and bed my paralegal?”

“No, on how to get more bang for your buck! Jake’s parlayed his engagement into a huge news story and is attracting wealthy clients left and right.”

Harper’s shoulders slumped, caved in under the weight of his disappointment. Feelings of resentment and despair filled him. He couldn’t believe it. Now his father, the person who’d always been his biggest supporter, had jumped on the I-love-Jake bandwagon, too. And the president thinks he’s got it bad, Harper thought sourly, stewing in his leather executive chair.

“I better get going,” Frank said, glancing at the wall clock. He returned the golf club to its rightful place, then checked himself out in the mirror hanging beside the wardrobe. “My next client is due to arrive at any moment, and I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

Long after his father left, Harper sat at his desk, thinking. He wondered what it would take to upstage his cousin Jake, because he was sick of being the number two guy at Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark. It was time for him to shine, time for him to represent the firm’s big-dollar clients. Harper was nothing if not focused, and tonight, after his date with Azure, he was going to sit down and prepare a plan of action. He had to do something to steal the spotlight away from Jake, something that would garner national headlines. The only question now was what?

* * *

“Is this seat taken?”

Harper glanced up from his cell phone. A redhead with fake eyelashes and glossy lips was standing beside his booth, smiling so brightly Harper wished he was wearing sunglasses.

“Yes, as a matter of fact it is.”

“Then I’ll be brief.” The redhead slid in beside him, got so close he could feel her double Ds pressed against his forearm. “I saw you interviewed outside the courthouse last night on the evening news, and I just had to come over and say hello. I’m, like, your biggest fan!”

Harper wanted to send the buxom redhead on her way, but he nodded and produced a winning smile. Had to keep the public happy. Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark had been founded in 1960 by his grandfather, Jacob Hamilton Sr., and his business associate, Albert Clark, but these days the firm was more popular than ever. Harper enjoyed all the perks that came with being a Hamilton, but he could do without the aggressive gold diggers and so-called fans. This was the third woman who’d approached him since he arrived at the Clearwater Grill and she was by far the pushiest. The small, cozy restaurant was overrun with love-struck couples, but there were plenty of scantily clad women out on the prowl.

“The cameras don’t do you justice, Harper. You’re even sexier in person.”

“Ah, thanks.”

“On the news, they said your client was awarded a half-million-dollar settlement. I bet that’s chump change to you, I mean, you are a Hamilton....”

Harper didn’t want to talk about the sexual harassment case he’d won last week, or his family’s staggering net worth, either. All he wanted to do was sip his cappuccino in peace while he waited for his date to arrive. The last thing Harper wanted was for Azure to walk in and spot him talking to this Pamela Anderson look-alike, so he slid to the edge of the booth.

Harper glanced over at the waiting area and strangled a groan. Too late. Azure was standing at the entrance of the lounge, and she was staring right at him. “It was nice meeting you, miss. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” Grabbing his cell phone, he leaped to his feet as if the booth were on fire and took off before the redhead could give chase.

As he approached Azure, he fought the overwhelming urge to kiss her, to caress her flawless brown skin. She looked sensational from head to foot, and her lush, scarlet-red lips were tempting. So tempting, in fact, kissing her was all he could think about. For the past six months, his life had been an endless stream of business meetings, and the thought of spending the rest of the night with Azure Ellison excited him.

Instead of succumbing to his needs and planting one on her, Harper settled for a peck on the cheek. She smelled delicious, heavenly, as intoxicating as a bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo, and thinking about those infamous shower-scene commercials made Harper wonder what Azure was like in bed. He’d bet that she was vocal, confident, a woman who didn’t hold back, who gave as good as she got.

A grin claimed his lips. Maybe if he played his cards right tonight he’d find out. The thought stunned him. Harper hadn’t had sex in months, hadn’t wanted to—until now. The pain of being betrayed by his ex—a woman he’d been prepared to spend the rest of his life with—ran deep, and until five minutes ago, he hadn’t given anyone a second glance. But there was something about Azure Ellison, something about her that appealed to him on a physical and intellectual level. And it didn’t hurt that her figure was a thing of beauty. Everything about the magazine reporter was sexy. Her lush hair, her lean arms and hips, the graceful way she moved through space. Harper was burning up, so blinded by his attraction to her he narrowly missed crashing into the lanky busboy cleaning tables. An ice pack in his boxer briefs wouldn’t cool him down, and when Azure smiled at him, his blood pressure spiked and his skin felt hotter than the flames crackling in the stone fireplace.

* * *

Azure looked Harper over. Not once, not twice, but three shameless times. His argyle sweater fit his very sexy, very gorgeous body perfectly, and his dark slacks accentuated his long, lean legs. Looking casual but polished was an art, and Harper Hamilton was the master. His smile, his energy and those warm brown eyes got her every time. And obviously she wasn’t the only one. The redhead sitting in the lounge was staring longingly at him, like a woman desperately and hopelessly in love.

“Harper, my man, great to see you!”

Nodding at Louis, the affable restaurant owner with the moustache and slicked-down black hair, he said, “Likewise, sir. How are things?”

“Great, great, can’t complain. What have you been up to? It’s been months since you paid us a visit,” he complained, wearing a forlorn face.

“Work’s been keeping me busy.”

Louis grinned like a leprechaun with a pot of gold. “Work? Or this gorgeous woman standing beside you?”

“Azure is stunning, isn’t she?”

“You can say that again.”

Harper slid his arm around her waist, held on tight. A thousand volts of electricity rushed through Azure’s body. Why did that keep happening? she wondered, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach. Azure didn’t know what was wrong with her. She was a bold, confident, take-charge kind of sister, but around Harper she became a different person. Shy, skittish, as nervous as an Amish girl on her first date. And the more Harper flirted with her, the more her hands and legs shook.

“Your girlfriend caused quite a stir when she walked in. My cooks were so busy checking her out they bumped into each other and spilled appetizers all over the floor!”

“Then you better find us a quiet, secluded table far away from the kitchen,” Harper joked, clapping a hand on the restaurant owner’s shoulders, “because they’re liable to burn the whole kitchen down if we sit out here!”

Azure lost the use of her tongue and the ability to form words. She waited for Harper to correct the manager, to explain that they weren’t a couple, but he didn’t. Instead, he requested his favorite table and led her into the dining area. The cream-and-beige space was outfitted with candlelit round tables, a stone fireplace showered the room with warmth and the padded leather booths along the far wall were large enough to fit an entire basketball team. The restaurant had the perfect ambience for romance or a clandestine magazine interview, and once their orders were placed and their drinks arrived, Azure got right down to business.

“I appreciate you meeting me tonight,” she said, setting her tape recorder on the table and her trusty notebook on her lap. “I know you’re a very busy man with no time to waste, so I’ll try my best to keep my questions brief and to the point.”

“Why don’t we talk first, off the record, and do the interview after dinner?”

“Or we can do it now while we wait for our entrées to arrive,” Azure countered, hoping he didn’t hear the apprehension in her voice. Her mind was fuzzy, and she had a hell of a time meeting his gaze. Azure didn’t know if she was feeling light-headed because of the delicious scent of Harper’s cologne or because he was studying her so intently. Either way, she had to get it together, and quick. Azure had a lot riding on this interview—her career, her reputation, a job she loved more than anything in the world—and couldn’t afford to blow this opportunity.

Determined to uncover the “dirt” her boss was dying for, she took a deep, cleansing breath and pushed the record button on the tape recorder. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

“Ask away, Azure. I have nothing to hide.”

Guilt pricked her heart. I wish I could say the same.