“I keep damaging situations from escalating. Quietly,” I said.
“Which company do you work for?”
“I’m a contractor. I was right about you.”
“About what?” He smirked.
“I had you pegged as an attorney when you walked up to the bar.”
“I never told you I was an attorney,” he said.
“The Lawyer of the Year plaque on your dresser confirmed it. Why is it just sitting there and not being proudly displayed in your office?”
“I just received it a couple of weeks ago and keep forgetting to bring it to the firm.”
“You must be really good to have won that.”
“I am. My brothers and I are the best in California.”
“Were those the two men you were sitting with at the table?” I asked.
“Yes. And the two beautiful women are their wives. Well, one wife, and one fiancée.”
“Are you three triplets? Because you all look the same age.”
“We might as well be. We are the same age and were born a couple of months apart. Our father knocked up our mothers at the same time.”
“What?” I laughed.
“We have one father and three mothers. When our moms found out about each other, they kicked our dad to the curb, bought houses next to each other, and the three of them raised us together.”
“Is your dad in your life?” I asked.
“Oh yeah.” He chuckled. “He was the one who started The Hamilton Group. He’s also a brilliant attorney, or was. He’s retired now. The bar we were in. He owns it.”
“Harrison’s is his bar?” I cocked my head.
“Yep. You’ve never been in there before?”
“Uh, no. Tonight was my first time.”
“Lucky me.” A smile crossed his lips.
He took my glass from my hand and set it on the nightstand. Then wrapped his arms around me while his tongue softly stroked my neck.
“How about another round?” he quietly asked.
“Thought you’d never ask.” I pushed him back and climbed on top of him.
I lay there,his arm wrapped securely around me, while I stared at the clock. It was three a.m., the rain had stopped, and it was time for me to leave. Carefully removing his arm, he stirred and rolled the other way. I didn’t move until I knew for sure he was asleep. He had plans for us in the morning: a cup of hot coffee and a homemade breakfast. As good as that sounded, I wasn’t the type to stick around after sex, and I didn’t think he was either. But he insisted that I stay and have breakfast with him. I only agreed so he would go to sleep. I’d never see him again, so what was the point? I had things to do—work to do.
I quietly gathered my clothes from the floor and slipped them on in the living room. His house was beautiful and too clean for a bachelor. Light gray walls, crisp white moldings, and solid walnut hardwood floors graced the space. The floor-to-ceiling windows were the focal point of the living room, as were the views of the ocean. But what caught my attention was his luxury infinity pool, with crystal-clear water, all lit up under the night sky.
I stepped into his spacious kitchen, which featured white cabinets, black Italian marble countertops, and state-of-the-art appliances. Opening one of the drawers, I pulled out a piece ofpaper and a pen and wrote a note. Setting it on the pillow, I stared at him momentarily before I left.
I arrived home at 3:45 a.m. Taking the flash drive from my pocket, I set it on the dresser, changed into my nightshirt, and climbed into bed, where I slept until eight a.m.
“Hello,” I sleepily answered my ringing phone.