Sex and the Billionaire Crime Boss - Season 2

Ch. 23: The New Normal

"What do you mean you lied?" I stare into his face, just inches away from mine. "The one thing you promised was that you'd never lie to me."

"Not to you, to your grandfather."

"You lied to my grandfather?"

"When I told him I'll get past using your legal services as soon as practicable, and sever all ties." He pauses. "I have no intention of stopping using your legal services. If I can't have you in my bed - which we've established is not a good idea - the least I can do is having you meeting with me and drafting my legal documents."

"You do realize that being with you, and not being with you, is a form of torture. It would be easier if we could just make a clean break."

"Bullshit," Max says.

I narrow my eyes. "That's the second time you've said that to me today."

"Let's just see how it goes."

"How what goes?"

"Our new relationship as professional colleagues. In many ways," he says, face close to mine, "there's nothing more intimate than the relationship between a lawyer and a client."

"This is crazy," I whisper.

"Is it? I think I'm looking forward to working closely with you on the many legal documents my art gallery is going to need. And flirting with you in public when we attend events." He runs his knuckles softly down the side of my face, and I shiver.

"We need to make sure we are photographed together. It's the best way I can protect you."

"The only better way," I hear myself say, "would be to never see each other again."

"That's not an option," Max says. Then he glances down, sees the bracelet dangling just below the sleeve of my jacket. Something changes in his expression and he lifts my hand up by the wrist and presses it to his lips for a moment.

"Hadley."

Then the elevator stops and he steps back as the door opens and several people get in. We all ride together down to the Lobby level. Max gets out last, turning to look at me before the door slides shut again.

"I'll be in touch very soon," Max says.

Then I press the button, the door closes, and I'm on my way back up to the 50th floor.

***

When I get back to the office Martina is waiting for me, her eyes wide. She follows me into my office and closes the door.

"So spill," she says. "I've been dying to talk to you since you called me from the conference room and had me check out that FBI guy. What's going on?"

I let out a long sigh and sit down on my desk chair. Martina sinks into one of the visitor chairs and looks at me expectantly. "Does this have to do with one of your cases? Or is it you know?"

"If by "you know" you mean Max, that would be correct."

"Wow."

I tell her the story about it being the FBI special agent who was following me all along and tried to force me into a car.

"So he said he was just reaching into his jacket for his badge?" she asks, her voice sounding skeptical.

"It's pretty clear to me that he wanted me to think he was going for a gun, even if he wasn't. He wanted to scare me."

"But why?"

I shrug. "Intimidation, I guess. Wanting me to report it back to Max, which is exactly what I did."