Lawful Lover (Eternal Bachelors Club #2) (15 page)

“Good. I just got a job offer in New York, and with a bit of luck I’ll have my license in a couple of months too.”

“That’s fantastic. They’re lucky to have you, though I wish you had stayed here.” Helen laughed. “I miss working with you.”

“Yeah, I miss working with you, too. Speaking of work, how are things around there?”

“Peaceful.” Helen didn’t elaborate on her one word response and she didn’t have to. Sabrina knew exactly what she meant.

“I’m glad to hear that. Everyone in that office deserves a little peace from Hannigan’s harassment.”

“You have no idea how nice it is to see the women walking around, smiling, and not hiding in the women’s bathroom to avoid that pervert.”

Sabrina laughed. There were quite a few times she’d hid out in the bathroom with her co-workers in an attempt to get a reprieve from Hannigan. Of course, when they’d all eventually emerged, Hannigan had made crude jokes about why he wasn’t invited to the lesbian orgy. Just thinking about Hannigan, made Sabrina’s skin crawl. One way or another, she was going to make him pay for everything he’d done. Once she was done with him, Hannigan would never dare harass another woman again.

“How would you like to get back at Hannigan?”

“Get back at him, seriously? How?” Interest colored Helen’s voice.

“You remember Daniel Sinclair, don’t you?”

Helen sighed appreciatively. “What straight woman could ever forget a man like Daniel Sinclair?”

Sabrina felt pride swell in her chest, knowing that a desirable man like Daniel belonged to her. Whenever she was out with Daniel, she noticed how other women ran their eyes over him as if they wanted to eat him up, while they shot her envious looks. But Daniel was hers.

“So, how are things going with Prince Charming?”

“Wonderfully. Except for one thing.”

“Trouble in paradise?” Helen asked.

“Hannigan is suing him for assault and for being the reason Merriweather fired him.”

“You’re shitting me! That slime ball doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Merriweather should have fired him years ago for all the things he did to the female staff here.” Then she paused. “So you know about the fight, huh?”

“Yes. And I need your help.”

“What do you need?” Helen asked eagerly.

“I need you to interview everyone who has ever been harassed by Hannigan and collect the information in a statement. Get as much detailed information and include specific dates if they can remember them, specific incidents, locations, circumstances. Anything they remember. Once you have that, email it to me, then I’ll go over it and tidy things up, and email it back for you to get them to sign the statements.”

“You’ve got it. I’ll get right on it.”

Sabrina sighed with relief. It would be so much easier to have Helen coordinate with all the female staff rather than Sabrina calling each of them individually. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Helen snickered. “Are you kidding? The girls are going to jump at the idea of nailing that bastard to the wall. Now that he’s not looming over us, threatening our jobs, we’ll have no issues standing up for what’s right.”

“You’re a Godsend, Helen.”

“We’ll get him, don’t worry. It was so great hearing from you. Say hello to Prince Charming, will you? And if he has a brother, send him to San Francisco and give him my address. I’m available day and night.” She chuckled. “Especially nights.”

Sabrina laughed. “Wish I could help you out there, but Daniel is an only child.”

“Darn!”

“I’ll ask if he has a cousin, how about that?”

“You’re a doll!”

“Talk soon,” Sabrina said.

“Take care,” Helen answered.

Sabrina disconnected the call. Helen was extremely reliable. She had no doubt that she’d come through with the information to prepare the statements.

When her phone rang a moment later, she wondered whether Helen had forgotten something and answered it without looking at caller ID. “Hello?”

“Now that you’re living the high life in New York with your rich boyfriend, you don’t have time for your friends anymore?”

“Holly!” Sabrina cried out excitedly, happy to hear her friend’s voice. “What’s up?”

“Not that guy’s dick last night, I can tell you that!”

“Holly!” Sabrina laughed uncontrollably. Holly was a high class escort and used to entertain her with firsthand accounts of her
job experiences
. And she was a great storyteller, always infusing humor into every story she shared with her.

“So, how are things going on the other side of the country?” Holly asked.

Sabrina leaned back on the couch. “Good for the most part.”

“For the most part? That doesn’t sound very good to me. I figured you’d be having mind-blowing sex twenty-four-seven. Kind of like you did before you left for New York.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Daniel spends more time staring at his office walls than he does staring at me.”

“Oh, bummer. Sorry to hear that. Need me to fly to New York and kick his ass? I warned him that I’d do it if he didn’t treat you right.”

Laughing, Sabrina said, “No, he treats me wonderfully. He’s just working too much. It’s just a big change for both of us, you know, living together. And I don’t really know anybody here.”

“You’re making excuses.”

“I’m not. Anyway, the good news is, I’ll start my new job soon.”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s fabulous! Well, you’re going to be so busy soon, that you won’t have time for anything anymore. I know you, once you get your teeth into a new job, you’ll bury yourself in it. I’d better come and visit you in New York before that happens.”

“You’re coming to New York?” Sabrina asked excitedly.

“If you have a spare guestroom, I’ll camp out there for a week. Of course, I don’t want to cramp your style—”

“Nonsense! I’d love to see you, Holly! There is so much we can do together! You’ll love it here. It’ll be like old times.”

Holly squealed with delight. “Perfect. I’ll get online right now and book a flight. I’ll email you my fight info. Can you pick me up from the airport?”

“Absolutely. I’ll come with the driver.”

“Driver?”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Yes, Daniel uses a private limousine service to get around the city, because you can’t park anywhere here. He only gets the car out of the garage when we go out of town. And I sure don’t want to drive in this city. So I’ll pick you up with the limousine.”

“Very fancy! I think I’m going to like New York!”

Sabrina chuckled. “You’ll have a blast!”

19

“You look absolutely stunning, Sabrina,” Daniel said as they rode up to Zach’s penthouse.

“Tell me again who this Zach is,” she answered, still fidgeting with her dress, a figure-hugging red number that had almost made his heart stop when she’d put it on an hour ago.

He’d contemplated asking her to change, afraid that every bachelor at Zach’s birthday party would want to wrestle him to take her from him. In the end, pride had won out: Sabrina was his, and he’d make it clear to that bunch of horny rich guys that they didn’t stand a chance.

“Zach is my mentor.” Daniel chuckled. “Though he’s not any older than I. But he dropped out of college and started his own business when he wasn’t even twenty. He made it big. He’s very influential, and he helped me when I was struggling at the beginning of my career. He taught me more than I ever learned in business school.”

“So you guys go way back?”

He nodded. “Yep. You’ll like him. He’s quite a ladies man, but he knows his boundaries—unlike other people.” Paul Gilbert came to mind immediately.

Sabrina pulled her lower lip between her teeth and the gesture made him want to press her against the wall of the elevator and kiss her until they both collapsed.

“Does that mean he knows Audrey?”

The mentioning of Audrey’s name drove all amorous feelings right out of his body. “I’m afraid so.”

When he saw Sabrina frown, he put a calming hand on her forearm. “But don’t worry. He assured me that he didn’t invite her. He’s aware that we split up, and he’s very cognizant not to create a firestorm at his party by inviting exes.”

A sigh of relief came from Sabrina’s lips. “Thank you.”

A soft ping announced that they’d reached the top floor, and the elevator doors slid open. Sabrina tensed and Daniel tugged on her hand.

“What if your friends don’t like me?”

He chuckled and led her into the elegantly appointed hallway. “I’m afraid they’re going to like you too much,” he confessed and let his eyes wander over her enticing curves.

When he lifted his eyes back to her face, her cheeks were flushed.

“You’re terrible,” she whispered. “Now you’ve made me even more self-conscious.”

“There’s no need for that. Once you’ve survived this crowd tonight—” He motioned to the only door on this floor. “—you can survive anything. And I know you can knock that bunch dead. By the end of the night, they’ll be eating out of your hand.”

“I’d rather they don’t take much notice of me.”

“Too late. There isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t take notice of you in that dress.”

Sabrina sighed. “It was the only one I had that seemed elegant enough for an occasion like this. I’m sure New Yorkers dress more elegantly than I’m used to in San Francisco. I still feel underdressed.”

“Trust me, if I thought you were underdressed I would have told you so earlier. You look perfect, Sabrina. In fact, you’ve never looked more beautiful.”

When their gazes locked, he saw the tension in her shoulders melt away and a smile light up her face.

“You always say the right things,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

He laced his fingers with hers and rang the door bell. Behind the door he could already hear music and voices.

The door opened and a man in a dark suit appeared. His mouth twisted into a wide grin, his eyes twinkling mischievously, adding warmth to his handsome face. “Hey Daniel!”

Daniel reached his hand out for a shake. “Hi, Michael. So Zach roped you in for door duty?” He stepped inside, pulling Sabrina with him.

“You know Zach. He can’t help himself.” Michael shut the door behind them. “But his manners aren’t quite as bad as yours.” He motioned to Sabrina. “You haven’t introduced me to your beautiful date yet.”

“Yeah, and if my mother hadn’t taught me such good manners, I wouldn’t introduce her to the likes of you at all.”

Michael winked at Sabrina. “I’m sorry you have to slum it with this guy. Say the word, and I’ll remove him from your presence.”

Daniel playfully boxed him in the side. Then he smiled at Sabrina. “Sabrina, this is my old college buddy, Michael Clarkson. Be warned: he’s a shameless flirt and a ruthless businessman. Michael, this is my girlfriend, Sabrina Palmer.”

Michael laughed. “Nice to meet you, Sabrina.” He shook her hand.

“Likewise,” she answered with a smile.

Michael leaned in and dropped his voice. “Daniel forgot to mention that I’m also a member of the Eternal Bachelors Club.”

Daniel cringed. He hadn’t expected this to come up tonight.

Sabrina turned to him, her forehead creased in amusement. “Eternal Bachelors Club?”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Thanks a lot, Michael!”

His old friend beamed. “Any time!”

“This clown here and a few others we went to college with came up with a bet one night when we were way too drunk to think straight. We formed a club which we called the Eternal Bachelors Club. The deal was that every year everybody would contribute financially to the club’s coffers, and whoever turned out to be the final member in the club would get the entire purse.”

“The final member?” Sabrina asked.

“Yes, whoever remained a bachelor for the longest would be the final member and hence get all the money,” Michael continued in Daniel’s stead.

Sabrina shook her head. “You guys are funny. So how much is in the club’s coffers? A couple of thousand dollars?”

Daniel exchanged a look with Michael. They grinned at each other. “You’re the treasurer, Michael.”

Michael coughed. “Our investments have done well. Last time I checked we were at about three-and-a-half.”

“Thousand?” Sabrina asked. “Well, that’s not bad for a little prize.”

“Million,” Michael corrected her.

Sabrina’s eyes widened and she gasped. “Three and a half million? Oh my god! That’s crazy.” She visibly swallowed. “How many bachelors are still in the club?”

Daniel grinned. “All of them.”

Though he was sure that there’d be a change in the membership roster sometime in the near future.

“Myself, Michael here, Zach of course, Paul Gilbert, whom you’ve met, Jay Bohannon, Xavier Eamon, Wade Williams, and Hunter Hamilton. Did I forget anybody?”

Michael chuckled. “I think that about sums it up.”

“And they’re all still bachelors, because of this club?”

Daniel laughed. “I’m not sure about their reasons, but yes, they’re all still bachelors.”

“What do I hear about bachelors?” a voice came from behind them.

Daniel turned and stretched his hand out to greet his old friend Zach, noticing that he looked just as successful as he was. Some people’s success was written in their faces; Zach’s success was imprinted on his whole body: the way he moved, the way he held his shoulders, how he spoke, and how his eyes took in the world around him. Zach’s charisma was undeniable, his good looks undisputed, despite the nose that had been broken twice and the dark eyes that could make him look like the devil incarnate.

“Happy birthday, buddy!”

“Hey thanks! Good to see you, Daniel! Glad you could make it.” Zach’s gaze strayed past him to Sabrina. “You brought me a birthday present? You shouldn’t have!”

Daniel groaned. “Hands off her. This is Sabrina, my girlfriend. Sabrina, this is Zach.”

“Thank you very much for the invitation,” Sabrina said, smiling and taking his proffered hand. “Happy Birthday!”

Zach held her hand for a few seconds longer than Daniel thought was necessary.

Spotting a waiter carrying a tray with champagne glasses, Daniel saw an opportunity to occupy Sabrina’s hands with other things. “Can somebody get a drink around here or are you too hard up to serve your guests anything decent?”