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Insult had the muscles in his shoulders tightening, but he willed himself to relax. Just because his personal history made him a little more sensitive to such comments was no reason to lash out at the woman who was not only his boss, but someone he considered a good friend.
And because she couldn’t have known the impact her words would have, he kept his tone light. “Ha. I’m loaded, but not that loaded, Maggie.”
“Well, whatever it is, keep it up. Maybe one day, you’ll tell me your secrets.”
Returning her sharp smile, he shook his head. “A gentleman never tells.”
With a roll of her eyes, she waved a hand at him. “Get out of here, then. And tone down the charm around the office, would you? You’re distracting the staff. Save all that Libra magnetism for the jury.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Despite Maggie’s warning, he detoured by Bonnie’s cubicle on his way back to his office to check on her. “Everything good in here?”
Bonnie’s head whipped up, her bright, eager smile driving home Maggie’s point with painful significance. “It’s great, Mr. Banks! Thank you again for finding someone to help me.”
“Any time. Have a good day, Bonnie.”
“You too, Mr. Banks.”
Swinging back by his office to grab his briefcase, he headed to the courthouse, which was a short, convenient walk from the district attorney’s office. As he approached the bottom of the steps, he spotted Mina Ouranos making a beeline for him.
Well, perhaps she wasn’t headed for him, specifically, considering she was scowling down at her phone, her fingers tapping away at the screen as her long-legged stride ate up the distance between them.
How the hell did she manage to walk so steadily in those ankle-breaking heels she always had on? It wasn’t the first time he’d wondered about it, since it was far from the first time his gaze had been drawn to those long, shapely legs she liked to show off. Mina wasn’t above using her considerable assets to get people to talk.
It was a trait he admired, when it wasn’t him she was trying to pry open.
Slowing his steps, he watched her, deliberately staying in her direct path until she nearly collided with him. She looked up at the last minute, her eyes going wide with surprise as she pulled up short, teetering on those too-high, too-thin heels.
Instinctively, he reached out, grabbing her by the arm to steady her. “You should be more careful, Ms. Ouranos,” he scolded playfully.
“Maybe you shouldn’t stand right in the path of traffic, Mr. Banks,” she shot back, tugging her arm out of his grasp.
The moment he released her, he missed the connection. If she’d been any other woman, he would have gotten her into bed years ago. But since she was one of the top reporters in the city, with a nose like a goddamned greyhound, he’d made it a point to keep a safe distance from her, both professionally and personally.
It didn’t make it any less frustrating, unfortunately, to have her so close on a regular basis. Her scent teased his nostrils, tantalizing in its familiarity. Peppermint, he’d decided a few months after their first meeting. And something else he couldn’t place.
Taking a step back from him, her expression cleared of any annoyance and her sly reporter’s smile was in place. “Since you almost knocked me over, the polite thing to do would be to give me a statement, Mr. Banks.”
Cheeky little brat.“Is that so?”
More than one woman in his acquaintance had been brought to heel by that particular phrase, especially when he infused the words with such deliberate coolness. But not Mina. Her smile shifted from sly to almost greedy, and triumph glittered in her eyes.
“It is.” With a tap of a button, she held up her phone, obviously ready to record the statement he supposedly owed her.
Leaning in so his lips hovered just above the device, he looked up at her, amused to see her eyes widen slightly, the pupils dilating just enough to tell him she wasn’t completely unaffected by him. “My statement is…watch where you’re going next time, Ms. Ouranos.” He straightened again with a wink and a quick flash of a smile. “See you inside.”
ChapterTwo
Turning off the recording, Mina stuffed her phone into her purse and turned to climb the steps up to the courthouse. She deliberately ignored the tingling of her skin where his breath had caressed her wrist.
If there was one universal truth in the world, it was that Cyrus Banks was Washington’s biggest flirt. Harmless, mostly, as long as you were careful not to fall under his spell. DC was littered with women who had spent their nights crying over the capital’s most eligible—and unattainable—bachelor.
So far, Mina had managed to dodge that bullet, but she couldn’t deny she was wildly curious about what made him so…potent. Sure, he was rich, gorgeous, witty—the whole package, basically. But there had to be something more to it than just that, and part of her was dying to know what that “something extra” was.
“For the love of Olympus, get it together, woman,” she muttered under her breath as she approached the front door. The Compton trial would be wrapping up either today or tomorrow, and she needed to be on her A Game.
Cyrus was already seated at the prosecutor’s table, alongside Stacy Merrick, a leggy blonde who had turned out to be a complete shark during cross examinations despite her wholesome, girl-next-door looks, and Franklin Pierce, one of the city’s oldest prosecuting attorney’s. Franklin had come in handy when they’d had to put the kids on the stand, probably because he looked and acted like everyone’s kind, doting grandfather. His skill was drawing scared, reluctant witnesses out of their shells so they could tell their stories. That sweet, grandfatherly demeanor was part of why he was Mina’s favorite of the trio. And because he had a soft spot for her, and often let things slip whenever she managed to get him alone for a conversation.
