Page 68 of An Irresistible Force (Vancouver Vice)

“Yeah, I just got back from biking with Jes. I’m going to stretch, do my physio exercises, shower, and then I was thinking of going out for dinner. Are you free?”

I sighed. “Unfortunately no. I have a family dinner I can’t get out of.” Ordinarily, I would invite Chris to join us, but Uncle Thomas wasn’t exactly his biggest fan. “I wish I could though. Dinner with you only sounds a hundred times better.”

“Sure you can’t change your plans? Maybe you need lessons in not being such a good girl.”

“Um. Well, maybe I can call you after dinner....” After I officially set the new Olympic eating record.

He made a low, sexy groan. Everything that came out of his mouth was sexy. “That’s disappointing, but if that’s all the time I get with you, I’ll have to settle for... dessert.”

“Stop it, Chris,” I complained.

“Stop what?” His voice was all innocence.

“Stop being so seductive and distracting.”

He laughed. “I’m sure it’s all in your head, Mandy. You seem to have a lot of tension. I thought I worked that out last night, but you may need another session.”

Okay, officially turned on beyond belief now with panties on flood warning.

I growled. “When I see you in person, you are paying for this conversation.”

“That’s a promise, right?”

“More than a promise.” I heard the faraway chime of the doorbell. “Sorry, I have to go now. I’ll call you when I’m done and see what you’re up to.” Then I said goodbye before he could make another dirty joke out of that. If I thought Chris was flirtatious before, it was nothing compared to what he was like when we’d had sex and he clearly wanted to have sex again.

I hugged myself. It wasn’t just for one night. Chris wanted to see me again! A rush of exhilaration went through my body, and I skipped downstairs for dinner.

“Hey, Uncle Thomas!”He was sitting in Daddy’s chair again, and I gave him a spontaneous hug, and then sat down beside my mother.

He gave me a surprised smile. “Your mother was just telling me how successful the auction was last night.”

My mother patted my knee. “It was in part due to Amanda. She won a big bid for a hockey package.”

His eyebrows went up. “I would think that you get enough hockey at work.”

I blushed. “This package is a little different.” And then I turned even redder. Luckily Chris wasn’t here to feast on that suggestive remark.

“And how is everything going at the Vice?” Uncle Thomas asked eagerly.

Suddenly everything I read in Stella’s deposition came rushing back into my head. How could I have forgotten? My mind had been so full of Chris that I hadn’t really prepared for seeing Uncle Thomas. I recoiled from him as I murmured something about things being the same as usual.

Luckily Bonita called us for dinner just then. My mother was so excited about how well her big gala had gone that she kept the conversation flowing and we managed to avoid work matters. After the main course dishes were cleared away, I was wondering if I could politely skip dessert and meet Chris. Then Uncle Thomas cleared his throat.

“I have some big news. The lawsuit has been settled, and I’m now free to return to work.”

Oh no, this was exactly the topic I’d hoped to avoid. Luckily, my mother was perfectly poised. “Ah, congratulations, Thomas.”

He nodded. But there was something not quite celebratory in his expression.

“Settled? So her suit has been dismissed?” I asked

“No. Mediation means that there is no ruling on the lawsuit itself. It’s more like a negotiation.”

I pressed on. “But what happened exactly?” Surely if he was guilty, he couldn’t expect to waltz back into work immediately.

He frowned. “As I said, it’s now settled. Stella has dropped her lawsuit. I’m now free to return to work, and you’re free to go back to Toronto. I would have thought you’d be happy to hear that news.”

Quite the opposite, I was horrified to hear this news. And he was being so evasive that I’d have to be direct. “Are you paying to have this suit dismissed?”

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