Page 4 of Behind the Scenes
I never pretended to have chosen this career because I wanted todo good.I wanted money. I wanted more out of my life.
I wanted excitement. And there was something sotemptingabout working with the worst of the worst—within boundaries, of course, but ones I established.
Watching criminal defense lawyers back in college had given me an epiphany.
I could make this job as interesting as possible. More money meant more risk, so I had to be safe, and the payout needed to be worth it.
And each time I succeeded, the more confident I got.
It wasn’t long until the little girl who got straight A’s and wore pigtails was a bloodthirsty woman who would stop at nothing to get her greedy fingers around her next goal.
“Seven counts of bribing with intent to influence an officer,” I concluded with a sigh as I read over the papers in front of me. I leaned back in the chair and took off my reading glasses. I had lost track of how many hours I had been staring at screens and small printed letters.
But forher,I would make an exception.
Even if it was three hours past the time I should have been at home with a glass of wine in my hand.
Her form slowly came into view as my blurry vision correcteditself. Her shoulder-length honey hair gleamed from the warm lighting in my office. I refused to turn on the overhead lights, as much as it might help my vision, especially since my clientele usually preferred a more private-feeling environment.
One that promised discretion.
“I thought you were a professional, Ax,” I said, my eyes searching her face.
She remained as impassive as ever, her face not once giving away her feelings on the matter. She was dressed in her signature suit, her hands resting on either side of the leather chair she was sitting on.
She ran a queer BDSM club that thrived on privacy and catering to high-profile patrons. It was hard work to get in with all the background checks, but once you were in, it was like heaven.
Live shows, matches, private rooms, and a beautiful mansion to house it all. It wasn’t easy to keep it running, and it made up for a good chunk of my billable hours, but I enjoyed it.
I wasn’t intimidated often, but Ax’s lack of tells got me almost every time. In my job, I always had to know how to read people. The ones I couldn’t were always the more dangerous ones.
But I had known her long enough to know that she respected me. Maybe only because I delivered, but it was enough for me. I didn’t needfriends. I needed to be friendly enough to keep the money coming and gain enough people’s trust to make sure both of us stayed out of jail.
“You’re the professional,” she replied, her eyes narrowing. “That’s why I hired you.”
Her bluntness caused a small chuckle to fall from my lips.
“I assume you’ll send me the names of these officers?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Once that’s done, I’ll take care of it.”
Ax had me on retainer for more years than I could count. I didn’t always win, especially when her friends at the FBI got involved, but I took pride in my success rate with her and her club.
She stood and pulled an envelope out of her jacket beforegently placing it on the table. It was stuffed with cash, and there was a handwritten sticky note on it in her handwriting.
“Just make sure it’s clean,” she added, her tone serious.
“Who do you take me for?” I sent her a look. “This is a walk in the park for me. Expect the charges to be mysteriously dropped by Monday morning.”
This got me a slight quirk of her lips.
It was one of the easier jobs. Most of the work would be to get enough dirt on the cops to get them fired and a mountain of blackmail on the prosecution before they could even build a proper case.
If that failed, I could always go after the judge.
“One last thing,” she said as she looked toward my office door just as the door opened and a well-dressed woman with long hair and a bright smile came in. I had wondered who Ax had brought with her and why they had stayed outside. I was also honestly shocked that it wasn’t her partner. Now it made sense. “A gift for your continued service.”
“Making house calls?” I teased and stood, my eyes wandering the petite girl’s form.
Heat twisted inside me.
