“A very, very, bad thing,” she whispered, licking her lips. “I’m looking forward to it.”

13

Daniel yawned even though it was only mid-afternoon, sat back in his chair, and rubbed his hands over his face. After their amazing night following a fabulous dinner at Per Se, he and Sabrina had barely seen each other. He continued to come home late when Sabrina was already in bed, and got up early to go back to the office. Too many things were going wrong with the deal he was handling, and he felt he had to be there around the clock to prevent the shit from hitting the fan.

Unfortunately, this meant neglecting Sabrina. Again. Something had to change with this pattern, because he was afraid that she would give up on him and leave. He’d seen the disappointed looks she’d tried to hide and the sad sound in her voice she tried to smooth over with a laugh whenever he told her he would be home late.

Maybe he should take time off and go away somewhere with Sabrina. Relax. Reconnect. Just as soon as this deal was sealed.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. “Come in.” He sat up straight.

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Sinclair, but this just arrived for you.” His executive assistant walked to his desk and placed an envelope in front of him, the word ‘Private’ stamped on it.

“Thank you, Frances,” he answered automatically, and barely noticed how she left his office and closed the door behind her.

Daniel picked up the envelope and immediately noticed the San Francisco address. Who was sending him something from there? The San Francisco acquisition had already been finalized before he’d ever left, and the only other people he knew there were Tim and Holly.

Curious, he opened the envelope and took out several pieces of paper. He glanced over the first page and his heart started to pound. He continued to read and shot up from his chair.

“Fucking bastard!”

His blood was boiling. Rage gripped him by the throat and squeezed him tight. In turn, his hands turned to fists and he slammed the papers down on the desk.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone. The call was answered on the first ring.

“Tim, it’s Daniel.”

“Hey, Daniel, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Tim chuckled.

“I need your help. Didn’t you date one of the best civil litigation lawyers in San Francisco? I remember you telling me he was pretty ruthless. I need him to take care of something for me.”

“I feel like your dealer. First you need a corporate lawyer, then an escort, and now you need a civil litigation lawyer. Speaking of, how is the lovely Sabrina?”

“She’s absolutely wonderful. In fact, she just got a job with Yellin, Vogel, and Winslow.”

“Oh, that’s fantastic news. I’ll be sure to tell Holly.”

“I’m sure she already knows.” Even though Daniel hadn’t talked to Sabrina about it, he was sure that she would have told her best friend about her good news.

“So, why the need for a lawyer?”

“That dirty bastard Hannigan, the attorney Sabrina used to work with, is suing me. I need the best lawyer immediately so I can quash this lawsuit before it becomes a serious problem.”

“I’d say a lawsuit is a serious problem,” Tim pointed out. “What’s he suing you for?”

“Remember when I found out that Hannigan had managed to get Sabrina fired from her job after he found us together at that Bed and Breakfast in Sonoma?”

“How could I forget? Guess that was the moment that slime ball realized that he wouldn’t get her into bed.”

Daniel shuddered at the thought of Hannigan’s dirty paws on her. “That bastard was harassing her from the moment she started working there! Anyway, I was mad as hell and told the asshole what I thought of him.”

“Told him?” Tim asked. “So he’s suing you for defamation?”

“Not exactly. I told him with my fists.”

A laugh burst from Tim’s mouth. “You beat the guy up? How come I’m only hearing about that now?”

“It’s not exactly something I’m proud of. I haven’t even told Sabrina. I don’t want her to think I’m a savage. So, don’t you dare tell Holly.”

“Hey, hey, no worries, it’ll be between you and me. But, whoa, I would have liked to play fly on the wall when that happened. So it’s his word against yours, huh?”

“Unfortunately not. Half the office saw the fight.” Which was why he needed a good lawyer.

“Danny, Danny! Have you no idea how these things are done? You don’t beat a rival up in plain view of a bunch of witnesses who’ll testify against you. You do it in a dark alley.”