Page 8 of Boss with Benefits

He shrugged his burly shoulders. “In the old days, judges generally ruled in favor of the mother, but things have changed. Your ex’s attorney will try to make you look unfit.”

“Let him try.”

“I understand he recently got married? Your ex, I mean.”

She nodded.

Mr. Haverdash sighed. “He has a strong case. He is married with a house that is paid for, and he’s got a steady job. I doubt he could get sole custody, but he’ll probably wind up with joint custody.”

She blinked. “Randy has a steady job? He’s a musician traveling the country ten out of twelve months.”

“Actually, he says he is a music producer now with a steady income. Add that to the fact he’s married and has a home in a good neighborhood, and his case is looking better than yours. Do yourself a favor and buy a new home. Fast. Level the playing field. Take away his advantages.”

She left the law office with those fatal words ringing in her ears.

No matter what she had to do, she would not lose her son.

She couldn’t lose him.

∞∞∞

Brady told Jessica to go home after she called from the law firm. She should be there when her son arrived, because that was where her heart was at the moment. If she had Axl on her mind, she wouldn’t be able to get anything done anyway, and Brady had already met with their new client. He, on the other hand, worked late rather than go home to an empty apartment. The sheets probably still smelled like her. In two short weeks, she had become more important to him than he cared admit. Of course, it was just sex. Their time had been cut too short. That was the problem. If they had been able to enjoy each other for a few more weeks, maybe a few blissful months, their relationshipwould have run its natural course. One or both of them would have gotten bored.

He talked to his new clients and did a photo shoot with one of his favorite models. This time they were doing a layout forLoveLifemagazine, showing off an expensive new line of original jewelry. The French model, Greta, wore skimpy lace lingerie and a white feather boa around her bare shoulders. Her idea.

Their clients wanted to make sure nothing distracted people from looking at the jewelry. Because her near nudity would be a distraction to most, he took close-up shots of her throat with just her jawline and mouth visible. If they did the photo in black and white with her lips red and the ruby necklace in color...

Brady lost himself in the zone. Nothing existed for him outside of the artistic content he caught on film. He took some digital shots as well.

The hours flew by. Before he knew it, they were done, and he had several great photos the clients would undoubtedly love. He looked forward to seeing his work in the popular magazine.

Although he wouldn’t admit it to another living soul, taking photos of models for ads wasn’t doing it for him anymore. He yearned for freedom and danger. In his youth, he had traveled the world and taken brilliant pictures of wild animals. In fact, he’d caught some photos other photographers only dreamed about, and he had gotten some shots of dangerous places the average person would only see in photos.

His favorite award-winning photograph was of an icy cavern. He had repelled down, dangling halfway between the top and bottom of the cave’s mouth. The icicles appeared as razor-sharp teeth. One wrong move and he would have plummeted to his death, impaled on one of those sharp icy stakes.

Another photo that filled him with pride was an exciting shot he’d snapped of an erupting volcano. He’d gotten closer than anyone else, capturing the awe-inspiring beauty of nature at its most dangerous. Most photographers he knew relied on giant zoom lenses. Not him. He preferred to get close, to feel the raging heat.

After following his dream of snapping photos most were afraid to get, how could he possibly be satisfied with a safe (boring) life? Taking pictures of models didn’t have a chance of fulfilling him now. He needed adventure.

Everyone packed up and left... except for Greta.

Deep in thought, he didn’t realize she was still there until he was putting his camera away and her hand caressed his shoulder. “I always love working with you,” she said. “You are a genius, Bray.”

“Uh-huh,” he absently said, not really listening.

“We should go for drinks. Celebrate.”

That got his attention. The problem with Greta was timing. Either he was in a relationship or she was with someone. Although he tried not to mix business with pleasure, there were a few models he enjoyed on the side. He couldn’t hook up with Greta now; he wasn’t done with Jessica.

He raised an eyebrow at the beautiful model. “Celebrate?”

“Of course. It was an exceptional shoot. I feel it in my veins. This will be a famous ad campaign and will make us both incredibly wealthy.”

“We already are incredibly wealthy,” he said with a smirk. “How much money do you think you need, Greta?”

“All of it, darling. I want all of it.”

She pressed her big lips against his; he felt nothing. Nothing at all. Jessica had ruined him for other women by being the best damn kisser in town. The things she did with her talented tongue should be illegal in all fifty states.

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