Cort stopped drying himself off and slanted me a glance from under wet waves of hair. “You’ve been mentioning him a lot lately.”
Those blue eyes of his missed nothing. “Have I?” I took the towel from him and hung it on the rack. “I didn’t realize.” I kept my gaze focused downward so I didn’t have to meet his. No matter how much I’d changed, my stomach still churned over my disgusting treatment of Oren.
“You suck at lyin’.” A warm hand settled on my cheek, forcing me to raise my eyes to meet Cort’s, and I winced at the sympathy I saw residing there. Knowing I didn’t deserve it.
“I think I know you by now, and I can tell it still bothers you. It’s like the final piece of who you were is still hanging out there, preventing you from becoming the whole, happy person you need to be.”
“But what if I can never be happy? And what if he doesn’t accept my apology?” Like a child, I looked to Cort as if he were Solomon, able to solve the most impossible of problems. I could hear the frustration in my voice.
“Well,” Cort said, walking with me out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. He pulled on a pair of boxers while I sat on the bed. “You’ll never know if you don’t try. And as I see it, you ain’t never gonna get any rest if you don’t reach out to him and make the effort.” He sat down next to me. “I’ve been waitin’ on this.”
“What?” Cort’s close proximity distracted me from our conversation. Being with him was like setting myself loose in a candy shop where all I wanted to do was revel in taste and sample all the creamy middles. “Waiting for me to speak to Oren?” I leaned against him, kissing his freshly washed shoulder, while the pleasure blooming inside me beat an insistent tattoo.
“Yeah. I think you should do it as soon as you can. With me buyin’ the bookstore, it’s the perfect opportunity for both of us to start fresh. Me by giving up the dancing and webcamming, and you by makin’ amends and setting things right.”
“I guess.” I flopped down on the bed, momentarily forgetting about how badly I wanted to jump Cort. “How do you feel about all of it? I still can’t get over James and you as business partners.”
A laugh rumbled from Cort. “Yeah, I gotta tell you, that was a shocker. But if you look at it, he’s been helping each of us. It’s like he wants us to leave the club and find our dreams. First Austin with design, then Frankie working at Sparks, and now me. I know he’ll have my best interests at heart.”
I ran a hand up his leg, loving the roughness of hair and the heat of his skin. “I have your best interest too. Only mine’s in other places.” I palmed my rapidly stiffening dick and quirked a brow.
“Yeah?” A slow smile tipped the edges of Cort’s lips, and he yanked down my boxers, his burning eyes never leaving mine. “I can see.”
The bed dipped as he kneeled and took me in his mouth, and I forgot everything else except the rush of desire and the hungry need to be in his arms.
The next morningin the store we sat behind the desk, going over the inventory. Cort nudged me. “You gonna call today?”
Fear dried my mouth. Funny how when I walked around too drunk or stoned to know what I was doing, I had more courage. “Uhh, maybe this afternoon.”
“Harlan, come on.” Cort took the coffee cup from my suddenly trembling hands. “It’s gonna be okay. And even if it ain’t, at least you made the effort.” He picked up the phone. “Go on.”
From the gossip I’d listened to when my former colleagues dropped by the bookstore to poke fun at me, I’d learned Oren now worked for the law firm Davis and Frank. I couldn’t simply call Oren and ask to have a coffee. As a prior defendant, even though the lawsuit was settled, I’d need to tread carefully, which meant first contacting Asher Davis, the attorney who’d wrangled the huge settlement against my firm.
“Fine, but can you put the phone down a second while I look up the number?” I opened the browser on the computer and searched for Davis and Frank, LLC. The number popped up, along with a thumbnail picture of Davis, who looked as intimidating as the lawsuit he’d filed. I summoned up the old Harlan bravado and picked up the phone. Cort rested his hand on my back, and his simple touch gave me the courage I needed.
“Davis and Frank, how may I help you?” I bit my lip. How could anyone sound so perky, so early?
“Good morning. I’d like to make an appointment with Mr. Davis.”
“May I have your name please?”
Cold sweat broke out over my body. “Harlan DeWitt.”
“One moment, please.”
I waited, bouncing on the balls of my feet while Cort massaged my back. Thank God we had no customers.
“I must’ve heard my secretary wrong. She said that Harlan DeWitt was calling.”
The smooth, slightly amused voice of Asher Davis filled my ear, but I heard the undercurrent of steel. Davis was no fool.
“No. She was correct. Good morning, Davis.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. The criminal coming back to the scene of the crime.” He paused. “So to speak, of course.” His voice sharpened. “What do you want, DeWitt? Legal advice? I hardly think you can afford my rates. Not anymore.”
I gritted my teeth, holding back the snappish response I desperately wanted to let loose on him. “Not exactly. But hear me out please…before you hang up on me.” Holding my head, I hunched over the desk. I had one shot with Davis to get this right. “You know my situation changed drastically after the lawsuit was filed.”
“Yes. I heard you’re no longer with the firm.”
