Page 3 of Monster

2

Charlotte

I drewin a deep breath as I slid my hands down the front of my dress. The shimmering crimson red really stood out, especially since the dress fell off my shoulders and fit my bodice perfectly. The trumpeted skirt flared out a bit in back, like a miniature train, and the red heels I donned made me feel powerful as it rounded out my back and gave me curves I always used to sway clients to my side of things. I wasn’t ashamed of what I had, or using it. As Mom always told me, ‘there’s no shame in flirting if there’s a professional endgame’.

And these client parties we always got invited to served as a wonderful way to network.

If there was one thing I’d learned during my time beside my mother, it was this: crime begets crime. And when one victim is gathering in a place with other people, there’s surely at least one other victim in the mix that needs help. That needs representation. Which is why I wanted to put on my best for tonight. This particular client kept my mother’s business on retainer and accounted for thirty percent of our portfolio alone. So, it wasn’t as if we could turn down a party invite, even if we wanted to.

And why would we?

This was a great place to stake out more potential clients.

With my clutch purse loaded down with money, my cell phone, and cards, I made my way out of my bedroom. I had woefully outgrown my crummy studio apartment, but I tried stomaching it every single day. I had a goal in mind; a particular place I wanted to purchase for myself. It was less than two blocks away from Mom’s law firm I’d take over one day, and it came with a gorgeous view that didn’t come with the not-gorgeous price tag. It was perfect for me, and I’d had my eye on it for a few months now.

A fixer-upper three-bedroom, two-bathroom condo with a balcony, a hot tub, and panoramic views thanks to the tempered, tinted glass that lined the entire outside of the condo building.

I couldn't wait to make that sucker my own.

“One step at a time,” I whispered to myself.

I walked out of my apartment complex and flagged down a cab. Not the classiest way of getting to one of these things, but I wanted to save the money I would’ve spent on a town car and throw it at the down payment I’d need for my future home. So long as Mom didn’t see me stepping out of the cab, we wouldn’t have an issue.

However, once I made my way into the party, I found a completely different issue altogether.

As I made my way into the ballroom where the party was being held, I felt eyes staring at the profile of my face. I put on my best smile and scanned the room, trying to find the source of the burning. And when my eyes connected with a pair of brooding orbs that followed me wherever I walked, I felt a warm shiver trickle down my spine.

This man looked delectable, and the idea of a fun romp in bed before an early flight to Italy sounded like perfection.

Especially with the way he kept staring at me.

I kept shooting him glances and tossing him smiles as I made my way around the room. And the entire time, I felt his eyes on me. Most women wouldn’t have enjoyed that, of course. ‘Good boys’, and all that. But, me? I salivated after men who knew what they wanted and weren’t afraid to go get it.

And this man clearly wanted me.

I introduced myself and gave out my card to potential clients that I thought might need my prosecuting expertise. I shook hands with new people and flashed my best smile. I even gave out my number to a couple of people that wanted nothing more than to talk shop and explain their problems to me before I consulted them. In the middle of a party! But every time I tried to get myself closer to Mr. Mysterious, he seemed to disappear. One moment here, and the next? Vanished.

Until I found myself at the bar.

“A glass of dry red, please,” I said.

An accented voice sounded behind me. “I would’ve never taken you for a dry wine kind of woman.”

A grin slithered across my face as I turned around. “And I would’ve never taken you for a Valentino lover.”

He paused. “The suit is Armani.”

“Oh, no no,” I said as I raked my eyes down his body, “that much I know. Your cologne is what I’m referencing. Valentino.”

He chuckled. “‘For the man who needs everything’.”

I reached for my glass of wine the bartender set down. “Hell of a tagline, if you ask me.”

He leaned against the bar. “So, let’s get particulars out of the way: who are you, and why have I never seen you around before?”

I looked up at him from beneath my eyelashes. “I’m going to call you on your first bluff, because you do know me. If you invited my mother to this party, then you understand exactly who I am.”

He chuckled, and the sound washed over me like warm dark chocolate.

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