ChapterOne
An arduous schedule for the day ran through Julian Remington’s mind as he took care of some personal business first thing in the morning.
In.Out.Back in.Deeper this time.A hard push that drew a satisfied moan from his eager partner.
McDavid custody hearing first thing after eighteen months of wrangling.
Partner meeting midmorning if he made it back from court in time.
New client meeting over lunch.
Court at four with Jenna Simsbury, who should get full custody of her three children as of today—again—after months of back-and-forth.
A three-hour gig with his band at eight would round off a sixteen-hour day.
Any number of other things might arise to make an already chaotic day even more interesting.
As a partner at Remington Family Law, Julian never knew what to expect from one day to the next, and he liked it that way.He could be hit with anything, from an emergency custody hearing to a call from one of Hollywood’s A-list stars looking for help with a divorce that’d drag on for years, to one of the firm’s longtime clients seeking visitation with a grandchild.
Sharp fingernails dug into his back as he picked up the pace, ready for the big finish so he could get on with what promised to be another long, complicated day as one of LA’s top family law attorneys.
He doubled down on the deep strokes, going for broke.Come on, let’s get this done.
She went off with a shout, which gave him permission to take his own pleasure.“Oh,oh, Julian… OhGod, I love you.”
He stopped short.She what?No, no,nope.He abruptly withdrew from her.
She pushed silky dark hair off her stunning face.“What?Julian…”
He’d already dealt with the condom, pulled his pants on and was buttoning his shirt.
“Where’re you going?”
“To work.”
“But we were…”
“We’re done.”
Her big blue eyes got even bigger.“Th-this time or for good?”
“Remember when we started this, and I said it was just for fun?When I told you not to get attached?”
Her eyes filled with tears that he so didnotwant to deal with.“I… I didn’t mean it.”
“Yes,” he said with a sigh, “you did, or you wouldn’t have said it.”
“I take it back.”
Julian reached for her hand and kissed the back of it.“You need to find yourself a nice guy who’s available for the things you want.That guy isn’t me.”
Her lip quivered as more tears filled her eyes.“But it could be.We’re good together.”
“We’re good together in bed.”
“Isn’t that the best place to start?”
“It’s not going to happen, sweetheart.I’ve said that from the beginning when I told you I don’t do relationships.”
