Page 49 of The P Arrangement

After it was complete and half the room started filing out, Preston said, “I know you’re nervous, but you’re going to do great. You had my full attention.”

This morning, after I’d talked to Paxton and gotten coffee, he had encouraged me to try out my speech with him, and he’d helped me work out a few kinks.

We stood as the crowd started to clear so we, too, could leave.

“Thank you for your vote of confidence. I think doing Women in Law has been good practice for tomorrow, but kids and teenagers are not the same as adults who are our colleagues.”

He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I understand, and if you want to go over it again after dinner, we can.” He quickly let go as the group of people thinned, and we followed them out.

After we moved away from the conference room and the other attendees, I turned to Preston. “Thank you, but once was enough. However, I’m thinking maybe I should try to open with a joke,” I said even though I wasn’t a funny person.

Cupping the back of my neck, he rubbed his thumb under my ear. “Don’t force anything. Do what comes natural to you.”

“Yeah, like that little show you put on for me last night,” was the first thing Theo said to us after Preston and I had sex in front of him last night.

He was sitting on a padded bench with his phone in his hand, which he shoved into the inside pocket of his suit jacket as he stood.

Preston’s hand tightened on my neck, and he brought our bodies closer. “Don’t get used to it. It was a one-time thing,” he warned his friend.

“Such a shame. You two should start an OnlyFans page.”

I looked at Preston.

“Don’t even think about it,” he said to me while keeping his eyes on Theo.

I really hadn’t. Not with my career as a judge. Although I’d probably make more money.

Actually, maybe not. Maybe if I were twenty years younger.

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone wants to see my thirty-eight-year-old body. But I bet Preston would make bank,” I said with a grin.

His arm moved from my neck to my hip as he frowned at me. “Don’t say that.”

“Don’t say what? That you would make money, getting naked in front of a camera?” I’d only been teasing him even if it was true.

“No. About yourself. You have a beautiful body, Laney.”

“Preston’s right. You have a banging body, Laney.”

Preston’s eyes turned fierce, and he swung his head in Theo’s direction. “One, that will be the last time you talk about her body. Two, no one calls her Laney but me. Three, I swear to God, Vanderpool, you so much as touch a hair on her head, and I will make you regret ever getting to see our little show last night.”

“Okay, okay.” Theo put his hands up and rolled his eyes. “Sheesh. Are you sure you two aren’t still married?”

“Our relationship is none of your business.”

It was time to talk about something else.

“Let’s all just admit, last night was fun, but it was a one-time thing. It won’t be happening again,” I said.

“I’m a little relieved,” Theo admitted.

This made my eyebrows shoot up, surprising me.

“You two went at it all night. Bang, bang, bang—”

“All right, that’s enough,” Preston said as he swung us around and away from his friend.

“We’ll be quiet tonight,” I said over my shoulder.

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