Page 14 of Legal Passion
CHAPTER FIVE
JUSTASHISclient was being led off to jail again, the billionaire said something ominous to Stone. “You’re playing a dangerous game here.”
Stone automatically glanced over to the prosecution’s table. But Hillary was already gone. He turned toward the back of the court and caught just a glimpse of her bright blond hair as she slipped out into the hall. He wanted to chase after her, but members of the press, that Judge Harrison had banned from the proceedings, surrounded her now in the hall, shoving microphones in her beautiful face. And he wasn’t sure he could hide from the media how he felt about her now, how he wanted her.
Then the doors swung shut again, and he lost sight of her and the reporters. And he was able to focus on his client again. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
Byron Mueller tilted his head and reminded Stone, “You have a million reasons to do your best.”
“I am...” Maybe not today in court. But last night...
That had been his best. Well, it had felt the best. But he’d been quick and out of control. Had Hillary enjoyed it, too? She’d seemed to, but the minute it was over, she’d vowed it would never happen again. That it was a mistake.
And given how distracted it had made him today, she was right. It had been a mistake. One that they could not repeat. Not that she would want to repeat it. She was furious with him for bringing her bra to court.
Maybe Byron was right. Maybe he was playing a dangerous game. Stone would be lucky if she only went after him in court. And she had gone after him today. She hadn’t brought up the alibi yet, but she’d used other witnesses to paint Mueller’s short marriage as a contentious one.
Stone had seen the concern on his client’s face. No wonder Byron uttered that warning as the guards led him from the courtroom. He didn’t want to go to prison for a crime he had not committed.
But Stone was not going to allow that to happen. Hillary Bellows hadn’t beaten him in court yet, and she was damn well not going to beat him this time, either. And beating her again was more incentive than even the million-dollar bonus that Mueller had offered him if they won.
Hillary could not find out about that bonus. She would think that Mueller was just trying to buy his way out of trouble. She had already convinced the judge to deny bail, because she’d argued that Mueller would use his billions to elude justice if he was allowed out before the trial.
Despite Stone’s arguments to refute her claims, bail had been denied. But Stone didn’t count that as a win for Hillary. Judge Harrison rarely granted bail to anyone, so it was no surprise that he’d denied it to a billionaire. He wouldn’t have wanted to be accused of bias or being bribed.
But he was actually biased against Stone’s client, and he was probably biased against Stone as well. As the judge was leaving the courtroom, he’d sent Stone a warning, too. It had been silent—just a glare as he’d walked away.
The courtroom was almost empty now with the day over, but Stone hesitated before closing his briefcase and taking it from the defense table. Instead, he reached into the open case, pushed aside a folder and fingered the lace of Hillary’s nude bra. It was nothing like her skin, like her breasts.
He wanted to feel her again. But that wasn’t going to happen. He doubted he’d be seeing her again anytime soon outside of court. She would probably make certain of that.
But he had another woman he needed to see, one he’d already stood up in order to talk to Hillary the night before. He needed to meet with Allison McCann. The publicist was beautiful but she didn’t excite him like Hillary Bellows did. He’d never been attracted to her like he was to the curvy blond assistant district attorney. Of course, Allison McCann was all business.
Until last night, Hillary had been, too. But when he’d seen her leaning back in her chair, moaning over that chocolate, all he’d been able to think about was making her moan again. And he had—a lot.
He let the lace slip through his fingers. Then he snapped the briefcase closed. Someone was probably going to shut off the lights soon. At least when he stepped into the hall, the reporters were gone.
They probably thought he’d gone out of the courtroom a back way. Judge Harrison had denied them access to the courtroom—per Hillary’s request, of course. But Stone didn’t consider that a win for her, either. While he and his partners used the media to help with their cases, they didn’t need them in order to win. Maybe that was why he hadn’t rescheduled his appointment with Allison yet.
But instead of reaching for his phone, he pushed the down button for the elevator. The doors of one of the cars slid open as if it had been waiting for him. He stepped into the empty one and selected the L button. Moments later, the doors slid open to a nearly empty lobby. Only the guards stood near the entrance. One nodded at him as he walked out. The others ignored him. They were ready to be done for the day.
But since daylight savings had gone into effect the weekend before, night came early again. It was almost dark as Stone walked down the block toward the parking garage. Despite New York traffic being a pain in the ass most of the time, Stone preferred to drive around the city. He was aggressive enough to handle the other drivers on the streets—and the pedestrians who paid no attention to the walk signs.
A chill chased down his spine, and he suppressed a shiver. It wasn’t like he was nervous or uneasy. It was just cold out. A few snowflakes even fluttered down between the tall buildings. The first snow of the season, although in November it really shouldn’t have been snowy yet. It melted the minute it hit the ground. He turned off the sidewalk and walked into the parking garage. The attendant didn’t even glance up from the screen of the device he held.
So much for the security the place advertised. The attendant in his security guard uniform was the only human on the premises besides Stone now. He walked past several empty parking spaces as he headed toward the level where he’d left his luxury SUV. The outside of the vehicle didn’t appear very luxurious anymore, though. The black paint was scuffed in several places, and there were a few dents.
Stone drove as aggressively as he fought for his clients. That was why he’d brought Hillary’s bra to court. He’d just wanted to get a little edge on her.
Instead, he’d made himself edgy. Restless. Tense...
He wanted to relieve that tension like he had the night before—inside her, her inner muscles squeezing him as she came.
A soft groan slipped through his lips.
Just as his tactic to distract her had done in court, it distracted him once again, so much so that he didn’t realize that he was no longer alone in the parking garage. He didn’t realize it until it was too late and something struck him hard across the back and shoulders. He flinched and whirled around to defend himself.
But when he saw who his attacker was, he had no defense. He could do nothing but chuckle.
