Page 47 of Legal Attraction
Regret filled him. He was so sorry that he’d hurt her. But sorry wasn’t enough.
“So we need to make it go away,” Simon said.
And Ronan had an idea about how to do that. “I’ve got a plan.”
“Your last one didn’t work,” Trevor reminded him. “You should have letmeseduce her into dropping the complaint. Are you willing to let me try now?”
“No!” Ronan snapped with such force that Stone grabbed his arm, as if he was afraid that Ronan might leap across the table and go for Trevor’s throat. He was tempted. But he relaxed back in his chair. “Simon has to do this.”
“No,” Simon snapped now. “She’s Bette’s friend. And I’m not cheating on Bette.”
“Have her join in,” Trevor suggested with a lustful sigh. “That would be fun.”
Simon cursed him.
“Two women too much for you to handle?” Trevor teased.
“I can barely handle one,” Simon freely admitted.
“This has nothing to do with women,” Ronan said. “I want Simon to seduce a man.”
“What?” All three of his partners uttered the question.
“Muriel’s ex,” Ronan said. “He checked you out the other day. I think you could get him talking.”
“He’s gay?” Trevor asked, his mouth hanging open in shock. “And he was married to The World’s Most Beautiful Woman?”
Simon sighed and just murmured, “Con.”
“Yes, he is,” Ronan said. “And if we can get him to admit that he asked those witnesses to testify and coached them on what to say, I think the bar would throw out the complaint against me.”
“I am not going to seduce a man,” Simon said.
“You don’t have to seduce him,” Ronan said. “Just con him.”
Simon’s blue eyes narrowed.
So Ronan goaded him, “Unless you’ve lost your touch and aren’t up to the task anymore.”
Simon cursed him now, but he was grinning. Then he asked, “This isn’t just about saving your license or the practice, is it?”
“Of course it is,” Ronan said. “What else could it be about?”
“Muriel,” Simon replied. “You’re falling for her.”
Ronan shook his head as panic clutched his heart. That was why he’d run from her apartment the night before—because of the emotions that had rushed through him. He’d wanted to stay; he’d wanted to hold her all night. He’d wanted to wake up and have her face be the first he saw. But it was, anyway; she was forever on his mind.
“No,” he said and wished that he sounded as if he meant it. “I am not falling for anyone. I just want to right a wrong.” And once that was done, he would forget all about Muriel Sanz. That was the problem. He had to clear his conscience. Then he would be able to get her off his mind and out of his...
Heart?
No. She wasn’t in there. No woman had ever been in there.
“I just need for this to be over,” he said. And for his life to get back to normal, to picking up women in bars for one-night stands while he focused only on work.
For some reason, normal sounded empty and hollow now.
* * *
