Page 38 of Legal Attraction
“I think I could be in real trouble,” Ronan said. “Those witnesses lied. If the bar association finds out, they might not believe that I didn’t know, that I didn’t suborn perjury.”
“So you might lose your license,” Stone murmured.
Losing his license was the least of his concerns at the moment. He was afraid he’d lost more than that, like his chance of ever being with Muriel again.
* * *
Her body tense, Muriel followed the man as he led her down a long corridor. She was stiff and achy. Maybe she should have used her vibrator before this meeting. But she doubted that it would relieve her tension anymore. She was beginning to worry that only Ronan could do that.
And that was why she was here.
“I’m surprised you would want to hire McCann Public Relations,” the man murmured over his shoulder, his voice pitched low.
Obviously, he knew Muriel and what his company and Ronan had done to her. Because of that, she wasn’t here to hire them. Hell, she didn’t need them. Not since she’d been labeled The World’s Most Beautiful Woman.
No. What Muriel needed was answers.
She hadn’t gotten any from Ronan. So she hoped she could get them here. From Allison McCann. The man stopped at the end of the hall and pushed open a door to a corner office. Sunshine poured through the two walls of windows and glowed like a spotlight on the woman behind the desk.
Allison McCann, with her deep red hair, silky white skin and bright blue eyes, deserved the label of The World’s Most Beautiful Woman far more than Muriel felt she did. But Allison McCann always remained in the background.
Muriel wasn’t sure how she managed that until the woman spoke, her voice so cool it bordered on frigid. “Ms. Sanz, please come in and have a seat.” She gestured toward the chairs in front of her glass desk. “Edward, close the door on your way out.”
As the man turned to do his employer’s bidding, Muriel caught the look that crossed his face. And she shivered. His boss’s voice wasn’t the only cold thing in this office.
The door snapped shut with a sharp click, and Muriel jumped. She hesitated a moment before walking toward that desk and that woman.
“I’m sorry...” the woman murmured.
“I didn’t come here for an apology,” Muriel said. She wouldn’t have expected this woman to offer one any more than she expected Ronan to do so.
“I meant for Edward...” Allison gestured at the closed door. “So, if you didn’t come here for an apology, why are you here, Ms. Sanz? Are you in need of our services?” She sounded politely hopeful—not pushy.
All the PR people Muriel had met were pushy. She was almost pleasantly surprised, until she remembered what this woman had done to her.
“Why?” Muriel asked. That was what she wanted to know the most.
The woman’s lips curved into a slight smile. “That is a fair question, given that you are already extremely high profile right now. But, of course, that is the best time to hire McCann Public Relations, so that we can help guide your career in the direction in which you’d like to go. Please have a seat and tell me where that might be.”
Muriel hadn’t realized she was still standing. But she was too tense, too anxious, to sit. She walked toward the windows, instead, and stared down at Midtown. Allison had a view of a park from her corner office.
“Do you want to cross over into acting?” Allison asked.
“No,” Muriel replied. “I’m no actor.” She was too honest for that. Arte was the one who’d wanted to act and dance and sing.
“Singer?” Allison asked.
Muriel laughed. “God, no.” She held up a hand. “And before you ask, I’m not a dancer, either.” She had no rhythm—except with Ronan. With him, she always found the perfect rhythm—their movements coordinated to drive each other out of their minds and to ecstasy.
“So you’re happy with your modeling career?”
Muriel turned back to study Allison’s face. Did she detect some condescension? Some judgment? “Yes, I’m happy being a model.”
“Why?” Allison asked.
That was the question Muriel wanted the publicist to answer. But she answered Allison McCann first. “I admire the creativity of the designers. I enjoy showing off their hard work.” Especially Bette’s. She knew how long and how hard Bette had worked to achieve her recent success.
Allison tilted her head and studied Muriel, as if trying to gauge if she spoke the truth. “I could use that quote to get you a lot more work,” Allison said. “Designers would love hearing that.”
