Sexy Bastards Anthology: Bad Boy, Biker, Alpha, Motorcycle Club, Contemporary Romance Collection (104 page)

“Mr. Steel…”

“I’m afraid that’s all I have time for today,” he told her as he walked away followed by his entourage. Art and Jeff clapped when they saw the backs of their suits on the television.

“You’re famous!” Crystal told them with a laugh.

“One of these days,” Art said. “He’s young now but by the time I’m his age he’ll be old and I’ll slip right in there to that position.”

“Sure you will,” Jeff said. “You know I’m the more charismatic one. What do you think, Crystal?”

Crystal laughed. “Oh no! I’m not getting in on that one. But let’s say that all interns might be off limits with the two of you in office.” They laughed.

“So you still haven’t met the grand master? I thought working with John you of all the rest of them would at least catch a glimpse.” Art asked her.

“Nope, but John is so buried in his own cases. I’ve been in court with him almost every day and the days that I’m not, I’m buried in research. I haven’t even run into him in the hallway.”

“That’s probably a good thing,” Art said.

“Why is that?” Crystal asked him.

“I’m not sure you’d be strong enough to resist his magnetism,” he said with a laugh.

Crystal rolled her eyes at him and the subject was changed to their final exams. She stayed long enough for one more drink before realizing that she was so exhausted she could barely hold her eyes open. She said good night to everyone and took a cab home. When she got there, Debbie was already in bed asleep. Crystal took a shower and then lay in bed for a while worrying about John and wondering about Eric Steel. John worked himself ragged, so that could explain the pale complexion and how tired he always looked…but that was before he’d told her he was taking two months personal time. What else could he need that kind of time off for? She could definitely see John being too proud to tell anyone that he was sick if that was the case. She tried telling herself that worrying about it wouldn’t change anything but that didn’t work, so she tried a different tactic. She called up that image of Eric Steel off of the news. She felt a tingle deep in her core when she pictured him. It wasn’t just that he was good-looking, although he was good-looking enough that might have been enough. It was the combination of the good looks and the brilliant mind that did it for her. Plus, there was something about him that was also sort of…edgy. She could hear it in his voice when he dealt with the reporters. He wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone and nothing they said could intimidate him either. He was more than comfortable in his own skin…he owned it.

She fell asleep with a picture of his handsome face in her mind and she drifted off into a dream unlike any she’d had before…at least about a man she didn’t even know.

Chapter 7

Eric came out of the bathroom and looked at the girl lying on the bed. He’d been warding off Sheila’s advances for weeks now. She was in the galley every day during this trial and her clothing got sexier…or maybe he should say sluttier every day. She wasn’t part of the trial. She was just one of those women who called herself a “fan.” It was weird and Eric knew it…but he wasn’t usually one to turn down pussy on a silver platter.

He knew for sure she was there for him after only a few days in. Her eye contact never wavered during the trial when he looked at her and a few times she actually ran her tongue across her full lips. She’s got long, wavy brown hair and big hazel eyes. For an obsessed woman she’s hot…there’s no denying that. He honestly doesn’t really like the ones that put themselves out there like that. He would prefer a little bit of a challenge…not that he seems to get that often…or at all lately. Once he started getting so much media attention, women came out of the woodwork to throw themselves at him. Even when they discovered that his tastes ran to the darker side of sex they wanted more. He rarely gave them more than one night.

After he saw that bastard he’d been trying to put away for the better part of a year hooked up and on his way to Ryker’s today though, he needed a release in a big way and he had the feeling Sheila would be up for whatever he was. He’d been right. She’d loved everything he’d given her and she’d even begged for more. He looked at her now spread eagled on the bed and still cuffed to the headboard and he felt nothing but exhaustion. He’d rented this hotel room specifically to fuck her and then he’d planned on going home and letting her have it for the night. Now all he wanted to do was sleep and he wanted her to leave.

He walked over to the bed and unlocked the cuffs. She reached up to try and put her arms around his neck…He pulled back. “I’ll call you a cab,” he told her.

She ran a hand across her nude body. She did have a nice curvy one. When her hand got between her legs she rubbed it across her pussy and moaned. “Spend the night with me baby. You won’t regret it.”

Eric laughed. “I don’t do sleepovers. Get your clothes on.”

She sat up but still had her mouth set in a pout. “Eric…”

Eric scooped up her clothes off the floor and tossed them at her. He was willing to be patient if they only asked. When they went beyond that after he’d already said no, it just pissed him off. “Get dressed,” he snarled. He was finished with her, why was that so hard for her to figure out? She’d been willing to do everything and she had the welts and red marks on her body to show for it. The sex was crazy hot, but surely she didn’t think this was going to be the start of a beautiful relationship? If Eric lived to be a hundred, he would never understand the way women think. Besides, if she only knew that by ushering her out he was saving her life, she’d be thanking him. His ex-wife Emily was certifiable and if she happened to show up when Eric was having a sleepover, she was likely to kill whatever unlucky tramp he’d been screwing.

Sheila finished dressing and stepped up to Eric. She reached for him again. This time he took a handful of her hair and pulled her face to his. He kissed her, hard. When he let her go she looked like she could hardly breathe. He took her arm and led her over to the door, handing her the bag she’d come with and a fifty dollar bill. “For the cab,” he said.

“Can I see you again?” Eric waited until she was beyond the threshold before saying, “No.” He slammed the door closed with a sigh. Sometimes the sex wasn’t even worth what he had to do in order to get rid of them afterwards. Why did they have to be so clingy and annoying? He at least owed Emily one debt of gratitude. If not for his worry that she’d actually commit homicide, he might let one slip into his good graces and end up in another horrible relationship.

*****

“Coffee, cinnamon bagel with cream cheese and today’s calendar.” Sheri slammed them all down in front of her brother. Eric looked up and one look at her face told him she was in a pissy mood.

“Did someone piss in your Cheerios this morning? And what the hell is with the bagel? I wanted a donut. Is that so fucking hard?”

She ignored the bagel/donut comment and said, “No piss in my Cheerios, but I picked up my check from HR on the way up this morning. It’s depressing.”

“Good, go shopping on your lunch break and come back in a better mood.”

“I can go shopping anytime I want. I have a trust fund, in case you have forgotten.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “Then what is your problem?”

She narrowed her eyes and said, “My check. It’s a joke. I am worth so much more than you’re paying me. It’s insulting.”

“You were just bragging about your trust fund.”

“I wasn’t bragging, I was stating a fact. That’s not the point. This so called “salary” you give me is supposed to support me. Without dipping into my trust fund it never would. I work hard for my money…my paycheck should reflect that.”

“I don’t pay you, Sheri. I don’t set your salary. You are an employee of the State of New York and they are the ones who set your salary and pay you. If you feel you deserve a raise, talk to HR.”

“You know that you can put in a word for me if you want to. When the great and powerful Eric Steel wants something, he gets it. Tell them I need a raise.”

“What if they tell me that they will no longer support my nepotism?”

“Shut up, Eric.” Eric’s phone has buzzed three times. He finally looked at it. It was from Emily…of course.

“Call me now, Eric!”  Eric palmed his face. God these fucking women are killing me!

Eric text back, “I’m in a meeting, will call soon.”

“Within the hour,” was Emily’s reply. Shit!

“Who are you texting?” Sheri was trying to look over his shoulder. Damned nosy women! He stuffed the phone back in his jacket pocket.

“Don’t worry about it, it doesn’t concern you.”

“Of course not, I’m just my big brother’s personal assistant. Nothing concerns me…”

“Please Sheri, give it a rest. I’ll put in a good word for you with HR, okay? My head is pounding. Can we get this day started please so it can be over soon?”

She made a face but she opened up the calendar on the I-Pad in front of him. “You have a meeting with the lead witness in the Newbury case at ten…”

“Is that the girl with the lisp?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. You remember the girl with the lisp because she has big tits. It’s the girl with the limp and if she had big tits you would remember her too.”

“Why does she limp?”

“She has an artificial leg…”

“Okay, she’s the one who used it to beat Newbury over the head…good for her.”

“Yeah, it was good,” Sheri agreed. “So, a meeting with her at ten and you need to meet with John also sometime today.”

“Why? What’s going on with John?”

“He’s leaving next week, for two months and we have to divide up his cases, remember?”

“Fuck! Is that already next week?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Damn it. Okay, set a lunch meeting with John and have Tanya get us all of the open case files and I’ll go through them after I talk to John and find out which ones are most pressing. I’ll need one of his interns as well.”

Sheri was writing down what he was saying. “The interns only have two weeks left, you realize?”

He sighed. “Yeah, I know. This day is going to shit really quickly.”

“Like most days around here,” Sheri said. “It would be easier to bear if I made more money.” Eric shook his head at her. If it wasn’t for his father requesting it he would have never put in a word for Sheri. She drove him crazy most of the time. Besides Emily she’s the only woman who would dare defy him and it seemed like they both went out of their way to do it. Speaking of Emily, his phone buzzed again. He ignored it and finished going over the calendar with his sister. After she left he took the phone out. He read Emily’s most recent message. It said,

“You’re pushing your luck.”

Fucking Emily! He cradled his aching head in his hand.

Chapter 8

“So today we were interviewing this creep who is accused of raping three women on NYU’s campus…” Debbie was telling Crystal about her day. Crystal had a hard time imagining having to be polite and professional in the company of a rapist.

“How do you stand it? I can barely stand seeing them in court.”

Debbie laughed. “You know everyone deserves a good defense.”

With a sigh and an eye roll Crystal said, “Yeah, I suppose.” She smiled. Debbie knew she was kidding. Crystal believed that as strongly as her friend did…she just didn’t want to be the one defending them.

“Anyways, this guy is definitely a creep. I’m not saying he’s guilty of rape…but I don’t like him. He’s a little rich boy and his daddy is a big benefactor of the university. Daddy is also a big important client of the firm. I was with Wayne and he got pulled out for a phone call. He left me with this creep and he actually hit on me. He asked me out for a drink…wanted my phone number.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him I don’t date clients. I really wanted to add, especially creepy ones who may or may not have raped several girls at knife point.”

“Did you tell Wayne?”

“Yeah, later. He apologized profusely for leaving me alone with him. He’s such a nice guy.” Debbie got all starry eyed when she talked about Wayne.

“You like him, don’t you?”

“Wayne? Yeah of course. He’s a nice guy and one of my bosses…”

“No…you “Like” him.”

She rolled her eyes. “He’s gorgeous, he’s smart, and he’s well off financially…I’d be a fool not to like him. I’m not delusional enough to believe anything will ever come of it though.”

“Why not? You’re gorgeous and smart…someday soon to be a wealthy defense attorney. You’ve got so much going for you.”

Debbie giggled. “Do you want to date me?”

Crystal laughed. “I would…if you didn’t already have a line out the front door. What’s with the low self-esteem all of a sudden? It’s not like you.” Debbie wasn’t full of herself, but she never hurt for a date and she never had issues with her self-esteem. “You really, really like this guy, don’t you?”

Debbie wrinkled her nose and said, “Let’s talk about you.”

Laughing, Crystal said, “I don’t want to.”

“John leaves tomorrow?”

“He left today…tomorrow I become one of Eric Steel’s interns.”

“Ha! Speaking of gorgeous and smart and brilliant…”

“Yeah, I’m a nervous wreck.”

“John gave him to you because you’re his best, right? Isn’t that what John told you? I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“I’m sure I will too,” Crystal said, “As far as the work goes. Joe could have done it too…but he’d already made an impression on Kevin and Kevin requested him. I’m worried about myself, I guess.” Crystal was comfortable telling Debbie things that she would never admit to anyone else. “There’s just something about this guy, Debbie. I’ve never even seen him in person and I can’t get him out of my head.”

Debbie nodded. “He is hot.”

Crystal laughed. “Yeah, hot and brilliant. What was it you said, “How could I not like him?” I don’t know though, Art and Jeff like being able to learn from him and observe him, but as a person, neither of them like him. Maybe his personality will turn me off.”

Debbie made a hopeful face. “Maybe you could close your eyes when he talks to you.”

Crystal laughed. “If only,” she said. “I’m going home to see Dad as soon as this internship is over.”

“Good! It’s been a while for you. I know you miss him. I’ve loved my internship too, but I will be really happy when it’s over. I’m tired.”

Crystal nodded. “Yeah, me too. And I do miss Dad, a lot. I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully it will get me through the next couple of weeks with Steel just thinking about getting out of this city for a while.”

Debbie winked at her. “You’ll be fine. I have faith in you.” Crystal kept telling herself the same thing, but for some reason the butterflies in her stomach just wouldn’t go away.

*****

The next morning, dressed in her favorite power suit Crystal got to work at seven a.m. sharp. She met Dana in the lobby. “Hey,” Dana asked her. “Are you ready for this?”

Crystal had been practicing her “not nervous” face all morning. She smiled at Dana and said, “Bring it on.” Dana laughed and she and Crystal got on the elevator. On the way up Dana said,

“Just remember you only have two more weeks. He’s a busy guy and you’ll be busy too. Surely you can resist him that long.”

Crystal laughed. “I don’t doubt that I can resist him. I’m just nervous because he’s the big guy; you know…the one in charge. I want to make a good impression.” Dana looked her over as they stepped off the elevator, taking in the pleated white skirt and green silk blouse that Crystal wore.

“You’ll make a good impression alright,” she said with a wink.

Crystal shook her head at the other woman. These people acted like he was Hugh Hefner instead of the district attorney of Manhattan. Dana led her into the suite where Eric’s offices were. The woman sitting at the desk in front was absolutely gorgeous. Art and Jeff had described her, but even their descriptions hadn’t done her justice. “Crystal this is Marla. Marla is Mr. Steel’s secretary.”

Crystal smiled. “Hi Marla. It’s nice to meet you.” Marla ran her eyes from Crystal’s head to her toes and looking at Dana then she said,

“Whose idea was this?”

“Eric told John he wanted his best. Crystal is his best.”

“Has Eric seen her?”

“Marla…” Dana’s tone was sharp. Marla rolled her eyes and with a fake smile she said, “Welcome.”

Shaking her head Dana led her to the next office. “I’m sorry about that,” she told Crystal. Crystal’s face was still hot from the interaction but she told Dana, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.” They knocked on the next office and after the sound of a female, “Come in!” Dana pushed open the door.

The woman that sat behind the desk wasn’t as pretty as Marla, but she was definitely pretty in her own right. She favored Eric Steel a lot. She had chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her teeth were startling white and perfectly straight. “Hello ladies.”

“Hi Sheri. This is Crystal. She’s John’s intern and she’ll be working with Eric for the next two weeks.” Sheri ran her eyes over Crystal just like Marla had. When she finished however she smiled what looked like a genuine smile and said, “Welcome…and I’m not responsible for my brother.”

Crystal smiled and said, “Thank you and I’ll keep that in mind.”

Dana led her into where the legal assistants were already at work and introduced her. They were polite, but rushed. She left her with Art and Jeff and mouthed a “Good Luck,” before stepping out.

“Welcome to the dark side,” Jeff said with a laugh. He handed her a case file and said, “This is where you start, right in the middle of a dark, nasty one, I’m afraid.”

Crystal sat down next to Art at the table. She opened the file. A mug shot of a guy about her age with some ugly scratches across his otherwise perfect face stared out at her. Something about his eyes caused her to shiver. “Jeff’s right, this is a nasty one. This “gentleman” is a senior at Columbia University. He is chemistry major. He’s brilliant, supposedly. He just has one nasty little habit…he likes to rape women at knifepoint. One of them finally fought back and followed through with going to the cops. Once she stood up, a few others came out of the woodwork. He was arrested on five counts of rape, sodomy, forced copulation…and some more disgusting things you can read about.”

“Nice. Where are we at? What part do I play here?”

“The woman who made those scratches on his face is the only witness who has refused to give a deposition. She reported the rape that night and underwent the whole rape kit trauma. His skin and blood was underneath his fingernails and his semen was inside of her…but she’s suddenly clammed up. She’s refusing to testify and without her…the case is out the window. There is no physical evidence in the other cases. We need this woman.”

Crystal nodded. “You think she’ll talk to me because I’m female?”

“Yeah…she’s scared to death. We’re hoping that she’ll feel more comfortable with you. It’s worth a shot.”

Crystal smiled nervously. It’s a lot of pressure on her first day, but she was willing to take it on. “When will she be in?”

“She won’t be,” Art said. “You’ll have to go to her. One of us can go with you if you like, or you can take Sheri. She’s agreed to meet with you at her home tomorrow morning…but that’s all she’s agreed to.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Sheri. Maybe her going would be better, if men make her nervous. Or…I don’t know, I’ll think about it. Maybe it would be better to go it alone.”

“I knew you’d be up for it,” Art said with a wink. “Our illustrious boss is in court until late this afternoon. Mostly today all we have for you is a lot of depositions that need to be typed up so they can be ready to present to a judge Monday morning. We’ve split them up, evenly.” Art got up and came back with a file box full of case files.

“Wow,” she said with another nervous smile.

“Yep,” he said with a grin. “That’s what we say every morning too.”

Crystal thanked them and picked up the box and carried it down the hall to her office. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work right away. She thanked her high school computer science teacher for her typing skills as she dug in to the pile. She worked through lunch and at dinner time she ate a sandwich Art dropped off for her at her desk. Her neck was stiff and her fingers slightly swollen when she finished the last one. She packed them all back into the box and carried it down the hall towards Sheri’s office. The building was quiet and dark. Everyone had already gone home for the night. She looked down at her watch and was surprised to see that it was after eight already. She wasn’t watching where she was going when she hit a wall and everything in her hands went flying.

“Shit!” She realized then that it wasn’t a wall she’d hit. She was staring at the front of a man’s shirt. She reluctantly looked up at his face. It was Eric Steel in the flesh…and Jesus Mother Mary…what flesh it was. That chest she’d just run into was as hard as steel itself and attached to a pair of broad shoulders. His face was all hard angles…just like in the photo downstairs. His eyes were blue…but they had a steely, dark gray quality to them that gave them a sort of cold edge…really intense. His black hair once again looked like he’d been dragging his fingers through it. Crystal bit down on her lip to keep from cursing again. She’d just run into her boss. “I’m sorry!” She said, kneeling down and trying to gather her files. The next thing she knew, Steel was kneeling down next to her and doing the same. He smelled like expensive cologne but it was subtle and sexy. Crystal’s heart was pounding in her chest and she felt like she could hardly breathe. His masculinity practically overwhelmed her. The worst part…or best part, depending on how you looked at it, was that intense eye contact that he never broke as they shoveled the folders back into the box.

“Who are you?” he asked in a deep husky voice that resonated right through her.

“Crystal Reid…I was John Kramer’s intern. Now I’m…”

“Mine.” he said as if she was his possession. She shivered and hoped he didn’t notice. She bit her lip again. Their fingers brushed together lightly as they finished picking up the files and the touch of his skin set hers on fire. When they finished he lifted the box up off the floor and placed it in her arms. She bit her lip again and then said, “Thank you, sir.”

He looked at her long and hard again. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Did he think she was a clumsy fool…or was that desire she saw in his eyes. She told herself to stop being ridiculous especially when he suddenly said, “Stop biting your lip.” Crystal stopped and said, “Yes sir.” He walked away then and left her standing there. Her entire body was tingling. What the hell?

Chapter 9

Eric knew that one of John’s interns was a woman. He hadn’t even had time to consider what she might look like. John told him she was the best intern he’d ever had and that he had complete faith in her. Eric needed someone like that while John was gone. He’d taken her on, sight unseen and he’d told the young men interning for him to assign her to depose the young woman that was raped by the pig he was trying to prosecute. He had no idea if she could do it or not…but it was worth a shot.

He’d been in court all day trying to persuade the judge to revoke the son of a bitch’s bail. He’d been caught red-handed trying to intimidate the star witness…the one who could make or break this case. By the end of the day Eric was under the impression that the bastard’s rich father had paid off the judge. The old man refused to revoke the bail, citing the witnesses change in her earlier statement to the police. She’d changed her statement because she was scared to death and now his entire case hinged on her changing it back. It might hinge on the woman he’d just run into in the hallway. The way she’d suddenly invaded his mind…a lot of his own needs might hinge on her too.