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He laughed then, sounding genuinely amused. Then his voice lowered again.
“I’m not thrilled about taking my cousin’s sloppy seconds, but whatever. It’s not like I want to date you. Nah, we’re beyond that. But I do still want to sleep with you. One night together.”
“You’re absolutely disgusting.”
“It’ll be our little secret. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a night. You can meet me in my car after work, hike up that tight skirt of yours, and I’ll make it really quick, like the whore you are.”
Her vision turned red. Oh, God, if she only had the strength, she would throw this jackass over the high railing and off the building.
“This job is not nearly important enough for me to sleep with a slimy jerk like you.”
She saw her career swirling around the drain like the last bit of water.
But fuck this guy and everything about him. She’d rather be scrubbing toilets at a fast-food restaurant than get blackmailed into sleeping with him.
She’d already risen from the ashes of her childhood. She could do it again.
“Does James know, I wonder? About the job you had?”
Her breath caught.
No. It was the only thing he didn’t know about her yet. She’d begun to think maybe she wouldn’t even have to tell him. Hell, even Kris didn’t know.
Ryan took her silence for an answer. “I didn’t think so. You really seem to care about this little cousin of mine. Maybe if your job isn’t enough motivation, his will be.”
Nausea rose as her stomach dropped, but her fury surged.
“You have nothing to hold over James’s head. Who is your own flesh and blood, might I remind you,” she hissed. “And how about I walk over to Grace right now and explain that you’re trying to blackmail me into bed?”
“I’m a partner. You’re the new hire, barely out of college.” Ryan’s shrug showed how unconcerned he was. “And I’ll just explain you offered to trade sex for my silence. You know, since I discovered that James cheated on the bar exam the second time around.”
Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. “James didn’t cheat.”
“Didn’t he? So weird. Because I have a witness willing to come forward and swear he did.”
The world slowed, and she could hear the blood pounding in her veins. It mixed with the horn of the ferry as it crossed the water.
She knew with every fiber in her being, James hadn’t cheated, and that Ryan had clearly manipulated someone else to say otherwise. The way he was manipulating her now.
This whole disgusting scenario wasn’t just about her life anymore. It was about James.
The ice cream she’d just eaten threatened to come back up in a violent way.
“My cousin is finally on track to make a name for himself at this firm. Do you really think he’ll want to saddle himself to you once everyone learns about your college side gig?”
Ouch.
“On the flip side, my initial offer from April stands too. I can make sure your career only goes up from here.”
“How do you sleep at night?”
“I sleep great with the help of some melatonin. And, come on, don’t sound so depressed. It’s the Fourth of July weekend.” He gave an amused laugh. “And if you and I aren’t creating our own fireworks by Sunday night, Monday morning, all this heavy stuff comes out.”
“Your analogies are shit, you know that?”
“Well, I’m a lawyer, not a writer. Anyway, you’ve got my number. I’m sure I’ll see you this weekend.” Ryan paused. “Oh, and Victoria? Know that I mentally slapped your ass before walking away.”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
