Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,36

my fake, lying, husband, reading my rights as my lawyer and talking about the law and justice.”

“It also helped when I stated that we were newlyweds,” he said with a frown on his beautiful face as he watched me. “I also told them you got so wasted you didn’t know what you were doing.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Chase?” I shook my head, my laugh dying in my throat. “Did you not hear a word I said? I don’t give a shit how you got me out.” Anger started to pour out of me in long, thick waves. “I can’t believe you’re a lawyer. A man of the law. Out of all professions, this one is about the most unsuitable you could have picked.”

I took a sip of my wine. Then a few more as a tear ran down my face. I wiped it away angrily.

“Laurie?” he said taken aback. “I know how this looks,” he said again for the umpteenth time of the day.

“No. Let’s not go there again.” I put the empty glass down, and then looked up to his face. “Let me sum it up, Chase. You planned all this?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“And you learned all about sticking to the truth with an oath and all that shit?”

He closed his eyes and whispered, “Yes.”

“And you married me for real?”

“I think we’ve established that already.”

“For your own selfish reasons.”

He took his time with a reply. “Yes.”

“How do you lawyers call it?” I asked a little too forcefully. “It’s called fraud, Chase. It’s fucking against the law to marry someone based on ulterior motivations.”

He said nothing.

“You’ve just corrupted the law you should be believing in,” I said flatly. “It would make so much sense if you told me you were an assassin.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Seriously, Laurie? You’re being dramatic.”

“Am I?” I prompted. “The whole situation is dramatic. It’s fucking ridiculous.” I threw the napkin on the table, fighting the urge to walk away and never see him again. “I’m leaving.”

His fingers curled around mine with enough pressure to keep me frozen in place. “Don’t.” I watched his grip on me. He followed my line of vision and loosened his grip a little. “Please,” he said softly.

“Okay.”

“It’s not as a bad as you make it out to be,” Chase said.

“It’s not?” I smiled bitterly. “You were there on that day the floor crashed.” My voice broke. “You hurt all those people. And you’re saying it’s not a big deal? How could you do that?”

His eyes widened as shock flashed across his face.

“Come on, Laurie. You know me.” He sounded genuinely upset. “I didn’t hurt anyone.”

“Chase, I saw the folder. I saw the evidence that you were involved.”

“I wasn’t responsible for it,” he said again, this time his tone was harsh and brisk—like a whiplash. “Look, I might be a liar, and I most certainly broke a few laws by marrying you for a reason, but I’m not a killer.”

“I saw the folder,” I repeated. “You knew when to meet me.”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“So,” I cut him off, the words evading me. “You were responsible for the fire.”

His eyes narrowed. “I see what would make you think that, but honestly, you’re way off the radar.”

“Am I?”

“Very.” He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again as he inhaled deeply. “I’d never do something like that.”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

“Because that’s my work. I know those people.”

“How’s that your work?” I asked, confused.

“LiveInvent is a client. I come in at least once a week. I have business lunches with those people. We go out for drinks.”

My mouth went dry.

“You represent LiveInvent?” My voice came out too loud, and a few people turned their heads toward us. “Sorry,” I mouthed and cleared my throat.

“Yes,” Chase said, composed as usual.

“So…” I shook my head to make sense of it all. “You didn’t know I was coming in that day?”

“Actually, I did. That’s the thing, Laurie,” he said quietly. “In fact, I made sure you got that interview, and if that floor hadn’t collapsed, you would have been invited to attend a second interview, after which you would have gotten the job. But after what happened, you ignored all calls and invitations to attend another interview. What was I supposed to do to get to meet you, except befriend Jude on Facebook?”

He was right.

After the whole floor crashed, LiveInvent followed up with an email, another invitation to an interview, but I didn’t respond. They even called to tell me how

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