He wondered whether the housekeeper was there as he walked toward the bedroom, prepared to give Betty a fright. He liked the older woman, who always had a ready smile when he visited. She got a kick out of the occasional pranks he played on her, and she made him feel as if he were back in college.

Daniel listened. The sound was definitely coming from the bedroom. She probably had the TV on while she cleaned. Grinning and already imagining Betty’s shocked face, he gripped the door handle, pushed it down slowly, and yanked the door open.

“Boo!” He almost chocked when he didn’t see what he was expecting. This was definitely not Betty cleaning the apartment.

“Daniel!”

It was obvious that Audrey had decided not to go to the charity event after all. Naked, her hair a mess, her body sweaty and impaled on a naked male body, she’d never get ready in time. Not that she ever had any intention. Charity seemed to be furthest from her mind. The position she was in suggested anything but. Of course, Daniel could be mistaken.

Maybe Audrey was fucking his attorney out of charity.

“Judd. Audrey.”

Audrey’s long red hair cascaded over her breasts, strains of them sticking to her glistening skin. She’d obviously worked up some sweat riding him, and by the looks of the tangled sheets and the smell of sex in the air, this was a repeat session.

It also figured that Judd wasn’t quite as busy with revisions to the contract as he’d claimed, otherwise, how would he have found the time to screw his boss’s girlfriend? That he was screwing himself by doing that had obviously not yet crossed his mind. Maybe he wasn’t quite as bright as Daniel had always thought.

Strangely, as he looked upon the scene before him, Daniel felt detached. And oddly relieved. Audrey’s shocked face was the first genuine emotion he’d seen her exhibit in a long time.

“I can explain.” Judd made a feeble attempt at disentangling himself from Audrey, who still straddled him even though she’d had the decency to stop moving up and down on Judd’s cock, an action she would undoubtedly resume as soon as Daniel was gone.

Daniel lifted his hand. “Spare me.” The situation was pretty self-explanatory from where he stood.

“Audrey, there’s no need for you to fly out to California. Here’s your key. We’re done.”

He placed her apartment key onto her dresser and picked up his file.

“Daniel, we need to talk about this.”

He shook his head. He wasn’t one to make a big scene. Hysterics were for women and gay guys. He’d never been emotional like others, at least not since puberty. Tim used to kid him, saying he didn’t believe that Daniel’s Italian mother was truly his mother, and he couldn’t possibly be half Italian with the lack of emotion he showed.

At the door, Daniel turned once more. “And, Judd. You’re fired. I’ll finish the deal myself.”

“But, you can’t just fire me. You need me . . . ”

Even though Judd had actually done him a favor by taking Audrey off his hands, he couldn’t continue working with somebody, who went behind his back, especially not an attorney who he had to trust one hundred percent.

“You’re replaceable. Get used to it.” His stab at Judd wasn’t referring to the job he’d just lost but to the woman in his arms. She’d replace him with somebody else soon enough. What an idiot.

Two minutes later, Daniel was leaving her building and was out of Audrey’s life—for good. He felt as if his step was lighter when he walked toward the car, as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He realized the loss of a good attorney hit him harder than the loss of Audrey. He definitely needed to replace him right now. Without a lawyer by his side to finish the acquisition, things could blow up in his face.

Daniel pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed as he got into the car, instructing his driver to continue to the airport.

The call was answered within two rings. “Tim, it’s Daniel.”

“Oh shit, did I screw up on your arrival time?” Tim was no scatterbrain, but after returning to California his social life had taken on massive proportions, and he was constantly hopping from one party to the next.

“No, ‘course not. I’m still in New York.” He heard Tim exhale, audibly relieved. “Listen, I need a favor. I need the best corporate legal firm out there to take over the deal.”

“What, you ran out of attorneys in New York?”

“I fired Judd five minutes ago.” He didn’t feel like going into details. There’d be plenty of time to rehash the story when he got to San Francisco.