he looks down at his smartphone. "Do you think he'd be available to talk to me tonight?"
"I think so," I offer. "It happened at his company's event."
"You're okay to get home on your own?" He motions towards the door of his office.
"I am." I'm surprised that my voice sounds as calm as it does. I've been dreading this moment since I left my apartment earlier. I know Clive will be waiting for me there.
"Can I get Parker's email address before you leave?" He doesn't bring his gaze up from his phone's screen. "Or do you have his number?"
"Parker's in Dubai." I tilt my head to the side. "Clive sent him there a few weeks ago on some work project."
"Did you have a personal relationship with Parker?" He looks directly at me. "I mean, was there ever anything between you two beyond the picture and emailing?"
"No." I shake my head violently from side-to-side. "I only met Parker in person once. It was at the bistro."
"He came to see you at work?"
I had one foot out the door and now I'm being pulled back into the pit of my mistakes. "He was there. Clive called him down there."
"Clive Parker was at the bistro?" He exhales audibly. "You've known him since then?"
"I met him at the bistro." I roll my shoulders back to try and get more air into my lungs. I feel out of breath.
"Have you seen him since then?" His voice is husky. "Have you seen him since you moved to New York?"
"Yes," I whisper. "I've seen him here."
"I'm missing something." He crosses his arms over his chest. "Fill in the blanks."
I want to but revealing my intimate relationship with Clive isn't something I thought I'd have to do. I'm not ashamed of it. The gnawing ache in the back of my mind that's telling me that Clive has been manipulating me this entire time won't stop. It's only becoming stronger and stronger the more I try and ignore it. "The blanks?"
"Lilly," he says my name slowly. "I'm a lawyer. I can tell when people are withholding. I'll help you but you need to be honest. I can ask you or I can ask Alec Hughes."
Shit. He's one hundred percent right. Alec will tell him that I'm dating Clive.
"I've been sleeping with Clive Parker." My eyes plead with his. I don't want his mouth to fall open or for him to launch into a lecture about how Clive is too old for me and I should be dating someone my own age.
I see his jaw flinch slightly but anything other than that is masked behind his experience as an attorney. "Is it serious or more of a casual thing?"
I'm tempted to ask if this particular line of questioning is relevant to my nude picture or not, but I opt for the honest answer. "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Any semblance of trying to appear to be a mature adult who is complete control of her life just flew out the window. "I thought it was serious but I'm not sure after what happened today."
He runs his hand over his chin. "You said earlier that Clive was the last person to have the picture of you?"
"Yes." I tip my chin forward. "He told me he destroyed it."
"But you saw it today?"
"Everyone saw it today," I mutter under my breath.
His eyes rest on my face. "This isn't my area of expertise, Lilly. I don't think we need to file a copyright notice. I'm certain you already own it. I'm going to consult with a colleague on your legal rights regarding the picture, but…"
"Thank you," I interrupt knowing that what he was about to say isn't something I'm certain I can do.
"Stay away from him for the time being." He rests his hand on my elbow. "Until we have a better understanding of what happened and who is behind it, I'd strongly advise you to steer clear of Clive Parker."
Chapter 6
"You can't do that to me." Clive pulls me into his chest the moment I step out of the taxi in front of my building. "Where have you been? Why haven't you answered your phone?"
They're the expected questions that a man asks a woman he cares for when she disappears after a
"I think so," I offer. "It happened at his company's event."
"You're okay to get home on your own?" He motions towards the door of his office.
"I am." I'm surprised that my voice sounds as calm as it does. I've been dreading this moment since I left my apartment earlier. I know Clive will be waiting for me there.
"Can I get Parker's email address before you leave?" He doesn't bring his gaze up from his phone's screen. "Or do you have his number?"
"Parker's in Dubai." I tilt my head to the side. "Clive sent him there a few weeks ago on some work project."
"Did you have a personal relationship with Parker?" He looks directly at me. "I mean, was there ever anything between you two beyond the picture and emailing?"
"No." I shake my head violently from side-to-side. "I only met Parker in person once. It was at the bistro."
"He came to see you at work?"
I had one foot out the door and now I'm being pulled back into the pit of my mistakes. "He was there. Clive called him down there."
"Clive Parker was at the bistro?" He exhales audibly. "You've known him since then?"
"I met him at the bistro." I roll my shoulders back to try and get more air into my lungs. I feel out of breath.
"Have you seen him since then?" His voice is husky. "Have you seen him since you moved to New York?"
"Yes," I whisper. "I've seen him here."
"I'm missing something." He crosses his arms over his chest. "Fill in the blanks."
I want to but revealing my intimate relationship with Clive isn't something I thought I'd have to do. I'm not ashamed of it. The gnawing ache in the back of my mind that's telling me that Clive has been manipulating me this entire time won't stop. It's only becoming stronger and stronger the more I try and ignore it. "The blanks?"
"Lilly," he says my name slowly. "I'm a lawyer. I can tell when people are withholding. I'll help you but you need to be honest. I can ask you or I can ask Alec Hughes."
Shit. He's one hundred percent right. Alec will tell him that I'm dating Clive.
"I've been sleeping with Clive Parker." My eyes plead with his. I don't want his mouth to fall open or for him to launch into a lecture about how Clive is too old for me and I should be dating someone my own age.
I see his jaw flinch slightly but anything other than that is masked behind his experience as an attorney. "Is it serious or more of a casual thing?"
I'm tempted to ask if this particular line of questioning is relevant to my nude picture or not, but I opt for the honest answer. "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Any semblance of trying to appear to be a mature adult who is complete control of her life just flew out the window. "I thought it was serious but I'm not sure after what happened today."
He runs his hand over his chin. "You said earlier that Clive was the last person to have the picture of you?"
"Yes." I tip my chin forward. "He told me he destroyed it."
"But you saw it today?"
"Everyone saw it today," I mutter under my breath.
His eyes rest on my face. "This isn't my area of expertise, Lilly. I don't think we need to file a copyright notice. I'm certain you already own it. I'm going to consult with a colleague on your legal rights regarding the picture, but…"
"Thank you," I interrupt knowing that what he was about to say isn't something I'm certain I can do.
"Stay away from him for the time being." He rests his hand on my elbow. "Until we have a better understanding of what happened and who is behind it, I'd strongly advise you to steer clear of Clive Parker."
Chapter 6
"You can't do that to me." Clive pulls me into his chest the moment I step out of the taxi in front of my building. "Where have you been? Why haven't you answered your phone?"
They're the expected questions that a man asks a woman he cares for when she disappears after a
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