“You want to get paid, don’t you?” was the heated retort.
He decided to ignore that. “I ask, because it’s fairly serious. Accusing someone of tampering with the will to the estate is no small matter.”
“If you don’t want the job, I can fire you and hire another lawyer who will actually do the work I’m paying them to do.”
Cal swallowed back a growl. “Well, you’re going to need statements from witnesses who were present when the will was signed, as well as medical records proving unsound state of mind.” He spoke quickly, purposefully not giving the other man time to respond. “Howevr, because there’s a terrorem clause, fighting might only make things worse.”
And right now, he thought,I would dearly love to see you lose.
A sound from the hallway drew his attention, and he turned, expecting one of his parents’ servants or perhaps even Odessa, and—there she was. Like he’d summoned her, she was standing there, clinging to the doorway, staring at his chest with those decidedlyunsubmissiveeyes.
Nadine Harnois.
She had come to see him, after all.
In his fantasies she was always wearing that scarlet dress so it surprised him to see her dressed so casually. She was wearing a cold-shoulder top and shorts, with her hair down. His cockhardened painfully as he imagined winding those long strands of hair around his fist as he took her from behind after ordering her to try and fight him off.
She wouldn’t be able to, of course, but he would still let her try.
His breath quickened and—fuck. The client. They were still on the line. “Call me back when you have the documents if you decide you want to continue,” he said, more harshly than he intended. “Something just came up that I need to take care of.”
Nadine stumbled back like an ungainly little fawn at his approach. “Nadine,” he said, smiling a little when she jerked to attention at the sound of her own name. “This is a unique surprise. What are you doing here? I know you didn’t come all this way for a consultation.”
“You’re a . . . lawyer now?”
She was gripping the door as if she believed it might save her from him.Poor darling, he thought.If I wanted you badly enough, nothing would stop me.
“Don’t look so worried,” he purred. “I only bite my clients.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “W-what?”
“It’s an old joke. You haven’t heard it?” He stepped back into his shoes. This time, she wasn’t quite as subtle in her attempt to flee, backing from the hips as he stalked her, only half-playfully. “The difference between a lawyer and a vampire is that vampires can only suck your blood at night.”
A noise left her, strangled and breathless. Her face was completely suffused with color now, a delightful pink wash that disappeared well beneath the neckline of that floaty blouse and had him wondering what other shades of pink might be concealed beneath those demure florals. His eyes lingeredbriefly on the rise and fall of her breasts before returning to her blushing face.
“Do you want me to bite you, Nadine?”
“I—n-no, what?” She shook her head wildly, and her hair shook with her, as if the thoughts now plying her mind were simply too much for her body to contain. “I—I got a note from Noelle. She didn’t sound like herself and I was worried so I came here, a-and the, um . . . maid . . . just left me in the hall? So I came . . . here.”
His amusement drained away. “What did the note say?” he asked urgently.
She took another step back. “Nothing. R-really. It was more how she said it. Is she here? Is she all right? Can I see her?”
With every subsequent question, her worry betrayed her. “I really wish you’d written,” he said calmly, silently cursing his brother’s ineptitude. “We could have made arrangements.”
“I tried to call my sister.” She met his eyes in a stubborn flash of grey.
“That was a mistake. Reception is terrible here.” Her eyes went pointedly to the pocket where he’d secreted his phone and without losing any of his frustration, he began to feel himself growing charmed as he rose instinctively to the challenge. “Oh, we have wi-fi. But it’s not reliable. We’re very old-fashioned here in Argentum. When the storms hit, we’re reduced to candles and carriages.Holly.”
The maid he had glimpsed in the hall came running, only slightly breathless as she came to a halt behind Nadine, boxing her in. “Yes, Mr. Cullraven?”
“Make up the bridal suite for our guest. See to it that she’s treated like family.”
“That’s not necessary,” Nadine blurted. “I’m staying somewhere else. Nobody needs to make up anything for me.”
“Ridiculous,” he said. “Where are you staying?”
She stood as tall as her frame allowed, giving him a missish glare of defiance that sent another rush of warmth to his cock. “Where is my sister?”
