Page 59 of Legal Seduction
Chapter Sixteen
“SOWHATDIDyou think of that one?” Miguel asked from where he leaned against the jamb of Simon’s open door.
He glanced up from his desk and focused on his employee, his favorite one now that Bette was gone. He just shook his head.
“She’s not Bette?” Miguel wasn’t the one who asked this question. Trevor had replaced their male receptionist in the doorway. The two of them were too big to share the space. And Simon could hear the phone ringing at the front desk.
Simon sighed and admitted, “Nobody will be.”
“So go get her back,” Trevor advised him.
“She has a new job,” Simon reminded him. “In the field she always wanted to work in. Hell, she has her own damn line. She’s not coming back.”
“I didn’t mean to the office,” Trevor said. “Get her back to you.”
Simon shook his head again. “She’s damn well not coming back to me, either. Not after Ronan told her I was only sleeping with her to get evidence against her.”
“Ronan was upset,” Trevor defended their friend. “He ran his mouth when he shouldn’t have.”
“He doesn’t regret what he said,” Simon reminded Trevor. “He still thinks Bette was the mole.” Which left them vulnerable to the real mole. But Simon already had some other potential suspects—the women who’d been trying to take Bette’s place—in his bed more than her office. He had no intention of seducing the truth out of them, though.
“You don’t think she is?” Trevor said.
“I did for a little while,” Simon said. “That’s why I got close to her in the first place.” Why he’d seduced her. He hadn’t been able to defend himself against those accusations because they’d been right. Then Bette had defended herself. “But no, she’s not the mole.”
Trevor nodded. “I trust your judgment.”
“Bette will never trust me again,” he said. She thought everything had been a con. And they could never build a relationship—a real one—without trust.
For the first time in his life, Simon wanted a real relationship. And for the first time in his life, Simon knew that his charm and his drive wouldn’t get him what he wanted.
No matter what he did or said, he wouldn’t get Bette back.
* * *
Bette jumped as her doorbell rang. But she shouldn’t have been surprised. It was probably Muriel. She lived in the same building and was the one who recommended Bette find an apartment in it. And since she’d learned Bette had nothing to do with those notes from Street Legal, she’d felt so bad over using them that she kept apologizing.
Bette had forgiven her friend. It was Simon whom she couldn’t forgive. Sure, he hadn’t known her very well when he’d suspected her of betraying the firm. But once he’d gotten to know her, he should have been honest with her. He should have made sure she wasn’t blindsided at her own going-away party the way Ronan Hall had blindsided her.
At least she never had to see the sleazy divorce lawyer again.
But then she wouldn’t ever see Simon again, either.
Her heart dropped at the thought, hanging low in her chest. She missed him so much, even though she saw him everywhere in the apartment: in the closet, in her bed, in her living room.
She passed through it on her way to the front door. And as she reached for the knob, she allowed herself to hope that when she opened the door, it would be to him. But when she opened the door, Ronan Hall was the man she saw first. He wasn’t alone, though. The other two partners from Street Legal stood on either side of him.
Only Simon was missing.
God, she missed him.
“What do you want?” she asked the men. Were they serving her with papers? Suing her for breach of something or other? Not that she’d done anything wrong...
Ronan Hall had been scary mad when he’d confronted her at the party, though. Maybe he’d pressed charges against her or filed a lawsuit.
“We’d like to talk to you.” Trevor spoke for the three of them. Usually Simon spoke for the four of them. He was more than the managing partner of Street Legal. He was the gorgeous face of the law practice.
“Talk?” she asked, allowing her skepticism to creep out. “I already told you that I had nothing to do with those notes Muriel sent to the bar association.”
