Deserve (9 page)

I grin. “Don’t tell my chief.”

God, when did I start
craving the sound of her laughter?

When we arrive at my father’s Tribeca apartment, the room is
already filled with the cream of New York society. The Senator makes a big show
of greeting me, drawing everyone’s attention, and I know the press must be
covering the event. I paste a smile on my face and don my public persona. I’ve
done this a million times, but it never gets easier.

He hugs Maggie and regards her with an indulgent smile. “How
are you, Maggie? You look beautiful.” He has always had a soft spot for her.

“Thank you. I’m fine, sir. How are you?” She shoots him a
sweet smile.

“I’m well. Are you enjoying school?”

“It’s great so far. We’ll see after final grades come out.
Maybe I’ll have to come work for you as a staffer after that.”

My father chuckles and touches her cheek affectionately. “I
doubt it, dear, but you’re welcome to work for me anytime.”

I shudder thinking about Maggie swimming in that shark tank.
“I’m going to introduce Maggie around,” I say and place my hand at her back.
Her flesh feels warm and supple under my palm. I can’t help noticing that if I
spread my fingers, I will touch the top of her ass. In her heels, her backside
is even more enticing than usual. I jerk my hand a few inches north.

“Thanks for inviting me, sir,” she says over her shoulder.

“Enjoy the party, my dear,” my father says before turning to
greet the next guest.

Maggie pauses to talk to Gail, but I quickly steer her past
my stepmother, who gives us a stony smile.

We are stopped by a number of my father’s political allies.
I hate idle chitchat, but I slide easily into the skin of the smooth-talking
son of a senator. I worry that Maggie will grow bored, but her innate curiosity
keeps the guests engaged. Growing tired of the inane conversations, I finally
guide us to a quiet spot near the bar.

“These things are always more bearable after a few drinks.
What would you like?”

“Ooh…do you think the bartender knows how to make a
chocolatini
?”

“A what?” I ask, half-laughing.

“A
chocolatini
. It’s made with
vodka, chocolate and Bailey’s.”

“That sounds like a chick drink.”

She laughs and elbows me. “I am a chick.”

My eyes drop to the unmistakable evidence that she is a
woman and I close my eyes in aggravation. Maybe Marc’s right and I need to get laid.
My last attempt was a disaster, but I can’t continue to lust after forbidden
fruit.

“Hi, Sean!”

My eyes pop open at the perky voice calling my name and I
groan inwardly. I hadn’t realized Alicia Samuelson was going to be here.
Recalling the benefit dinner two weeks ago, I shudder. She had clung to me all
night, giving everyone the impression that we were there as a couple. I had
been pissed as hell when I saw some of the tabloid headlines the next day. She
had called me a few times after our so-called date, but I had skillfully dodged
her attempts to get me to go out again with her.

Tonight, her beauty has been polished to a high shine. Her
blonde hair is draped over one bare shoulder. She stands with her weight on one
leg, showing off her toned thigh through the side slit of her black sequined
dress. Cynically, I consider how long she has practiced this pose in front of a
mirror to strike the perfect balance of appearing both seductive and artless.

I force the muscles in my cheeks to pull up in false welcome.
“Alicia! You look stunning. You put every woman in the room to shame.” The
facile compliment rolls glibly off my tongue.

She peers coyly at me through her lashes and laughs. “You
were always the charmer, Sean Rowan.” She wraps her arms around my shoulders
and kisses both cheeks. Her cloying perfume envelopes me and I breathe
shallowly. Why do woman want to douse themselves in this stuff? Men like
natural scents, like cinnamon—

I cut off my wayward thought.

Alicia’s lips linger a bit too long and I stifle a sigh of
annoyance. She may be stunning, but her beauty leaves me cold. I may as well be
dead below the belt when I look at her.

I pull back and smile woodenly. “My father didn’t mention
you’d be here tonight.”

“My firm is doing some work for his campaign and he thought
I should know a bit more about his inner circle.” She lays her hand on my lapel
and peers at me coyly. “We really should get together for drinks one of these
days.”

I hope my smile hasn’t morphed into a grimace. “What? You
mean a big shot lawyer like you will have time for a lowly public servant?”

As intended, she laughs and before she can press the point,
I say, “I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Maggie Jackson. Maggie, this is
an old friend, Alicia Samuelson.”

“Hello, Maggie,” Alicia murmurs. Her blue eyes sweep
appraisingly over Maggie and I grind my teeth. Now I remember why I never liked
her. She always viewed every female as a competitor and every male as a
possible trophy.

“Nice to meet you, Alicia.” After shaking Alicia’s hand,
Maggie looks curiously between us. “How do you know each other?”

I stiffen when Alicia stands a little too close to me and
links our arms as if we were a couple. “Sean and I used to date years ago and
we recently reconnected.” She pats my chest, her manicured nails glinting in
the light. “Now, why in the world did we break up?” Her head tilts
flirtatiously, as if we are sharing an intimate memory.

Maggie’s eyes meet mine and suddenly my bowtie feels too
tight. “Uh…it was just one of those things, I guess.” I try to pull my arm
away. “If you’ll excuse us, Alicia, Maggie and I were just about to get a drink
and something to eat.”

She sticks out her lower lip and clutches my sleeve. “Oh, I
was hoping we could finish our last conversation from the other night...” She
trails off suggestively and winks. “Remember?”

“Uh…” Actually I don’t.
Shit,
how do I get out of this one?
I don’t want to insult her at my father’s
party, especially in front of the press.

Maggie makes a noise in the back of her throat, drawing my
eyes. There’s a strange fixed smile on her face as she looks at Alicia and me.
“You must have a lot to talk about. Don’t worry about me, Sean. I’m going to
get my
chocolatini
and go talk to Dr. Gupta again.
I’d love to know more about his work at the CDC. I’ll see you later.”

Before I can protest, she walks over to the bar and the
bartender leans over to take her order. He says something that makes her laugh
and my gut clenches.

“Oh, is that your girlfriend?”

“No,” I say absently. “She’s my friend’s little sister.” If
that Asshole bartender—capital A—leans any closer, he’d fall down
the front of Maggie’s dress. I need to find out who he is and make sure the
Senator never hires him again.

When Alicia presses her breast against my arm, I tense. I
want to shake her off, but I know I can’t cause a scene.

“Well, it looks like your friend’s sister is having a good
time with the bartender. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” she says. Without waiting
for my assent, Alicia tugs me toward a corner of the room. When I look back at
Maggie, she waves and then returns to her conversation with the Asshole.

I grind my teeth as he flashes a smile at her.
You won’t be smiling when you’re fired,
dumbass
.

I lose sight of Maggie for a while and Alicia hangs onto me
like a fucking limpet. The more alcohol she ingests, the clingier she becomes
and my patience is dangerously low. My eyes keep searching the room for a mop
of red hair, but I can’t see Maggie. I check the bar and exhale in relief when
I spot the Asshole pouring a glass of wine for another guest.

“Excuse me, Alicia. I need to check on my friend.” Why does
this woman feel like she has ten arms? I disentangle myself as gently as I can,
but I don’t want to spend another minute with her. Besides, I have more than
fulfilled my promise to the Senator by enduring her company for as long as I
have.

“She’s a big girl. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Her voice is
high and whiny, grating on my already raw nerves.

“I’m sure we’ll have time to catch up later, but I’m going
to look for Maggie,” I say firmly and walk away, ignoring her pout. My eyes
sweep the room, but there’s no sign of Maggie. The doctor we spoke to earlier
is in deep conversation with another man. I’m about to call her phone when I
spot the door to the balcony.

Just as I’m about to step outside, my father appears at my
side with a bearded man in tow. “Son, I’ve been looking for you.”

I try to hide my impatience and smile. “Hi, Dad.”
Always Dad in public.
Got to keep up the image of a happy
family. “What’s up?”

“There’s someone I want you to meet.” He gestures to the
other man. “Professor Matthews, this is my son, Sean. Professor Matthews heads
the School of Law at NYU.”

My father places his hand on my shoulder and I brace myself.
I already know where this is going and it doesn’t take long for the old man to
make his pitch.

“Professor Matthews, I’ve been telling my son he should
consider attending your program. He’s currently in the NYPD, but I think he can
do better. He would make an excellent attorney or maybe even a judge one day.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sean. Your father has told me so
much about you. We would love to have you on board next fall. I’ll be happy to
give you a personal tour of the school if you’d like.”

My smile scarcely qualifies as a
baring
of teeth.
Sorry, but you won’t be getting
that money for a new library from Senator Rowan after all.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Professor Matthews and that’s a
very generous offer. I’m sure NYU has a wonderful law program. I don’t know
what my father has told you, but I have no ambition to be anything other than a
cop.”

The professor shoots my father an uncomprehending look, as
if he couldn’t fathom someone not wanting to go to law school.

“Sean, it wouldn’t hurt to see the school,” my father prods.

I open my mouth to curtly decline the offer again, but a
voice next to me says defiantly, “Who wants to be a scummy lawyer anyway?”

All of my annoyance and hurt vanish at Maggie’s scornful
question and the corners of my mouth curl up. My father and the professor look
aghast as she glares at them.

Placing her hand on my arm in silent support, she juts out
her chin. “I think what Sean does is amazing. He works hard to keep everyone in
this city safe. Did you know he has the highest clearance rate in the city? Why
would you think he could do better? What do lawyers do but suck the blood from
their clients?”

The professor starts to slowly back away from her like she’s
a rabid animal ready to rip him to shreds. “Um…I need to talk to…uh…” He turns
tail and scurries away.

But the little dynamo isn’t done with my father. She jabs an
accusing finger at him. “You should be proud of what Sean has done in his
career! You should be singing his praises to everyone. Do you know how hard it
is to become a detective? Do you?” Her voice grows more irate with each
sentence, garnering a few curious glances from other guests.

Her spirited defense of me makes my heart swell with
emotion. Nobody has ever stood up for me like this and I don’t know how to
describe my emotions, but my heart feels too big for my chest cavity.

My
avenging angel.

My father’s mouth opens and closes like a trout out of
water.

She takes a deep breath as if she’s ready to blast him some
more and I place my hand over her mouth.

“Maggie, enough!” I admonish with a short laugh. A minute
ago, I would never have thought I would find this scenario amusing, but she’s
completely cowed one of the most powerful men in the country with her tirade.

She shoots me an apologetic look and removes my hand.
“Um…sorry.” Looking at my father, she mumbles, “I’m sorry for yelling.” Then
she adds pugnaciously, “But I’m not sorry for what I said.”

To my utter shock, my father starts to laugh. When he
sobers, he takes a step closer to her and holds her face between his hands.
“Thank you, my dear. You’re right.” He bends down to whisper something in her
ear. Whatever he says renders her cheeks bright pink. She drops her eyes and
stares at the floor in embarrassment.

Releasing her, he turns to me and claps me on the shoulder.
“Sorry, Sean. I didn’t mean to imply I was ashamed of your choices. We won’t
talk about graduate school unless you want to.”

“Uh…” I can’t find my voice to respond because my brain is
short-circuiting. This is the first time he’s ever said anything that resembles
approval.

“Now I’m going to find the professor to smooth over the
waters.” He looks at Maggie and says, “Maggie, I’d love for you to come to
dinner at the house in a few weeks. Sean will let you know when I’m back in
town.” Without waiting for a response, he leaves to search for the offended
academic.

Now that the heat of her anger has burned off, she looks
uncertain. Her chin drops to her chest and she mumbles, “I’m sorry I got
carried away.”

Chuckling, I clasp her hand and squeeze. “There’s no need to
apologize. You were magnificent.”

“What I said is true. I think cops are pretty incredible.
You make people feel safe and that’s pretty damn important in my book.”

My throat fucking closes up on me. In a few simple sentences
she humbles me and makes me feel like I’m on top of the world.

I try to lighten the mood. “Did you see how scared they
looked when you started to advance toward them? The NYPD needs to hire you to
teach our new recruits intimidation tactics.”

She hides her red face in my shoulder and makes a mortified
sound.

“Want to get out of here?” I ask.

She jerks her head up, eyes searching. “What about Alicia?”