Destiny's Whisper (34 page)

“I’m bound by client/attorney privilege, I’m not at liberty to discuss anything that was said between Chloe and I, unless she wants to tell you personally. Which I hope to God she doesn’t,” he mumbled the last statement, finishing off his second beer and holding his glass up as he watched a waitress zip by them.

“Chloe and I don’t have any secrets,” Sergei stated.

“I didn’t say it was a secret. I said I couldn’t discuss what was said. If Chloe wants to discuss the subject with you, that’s between the two of you. I just wish to hell she hadn’t brought the subject up with me,” Hunter growled, smiling at the waitress who brought him his beer.

“Now you’ve got me curious. I can’t imagine anything Chloe would discuss with you that she wouldn’t talk to me about,” Sergei said, more to himself. “Are you sure it’s about me?”

Hunter choked on his beer, “Oh yeah, it concerns you. Boy, oh, boy does it concern you,” Hunter mumbled, downing another large swallow of the cold brew, feeling its path as it trekked through his chest and slid into his stomach.

“Okay. I’ll just ask her when we get back,” Sergei said with a light shrug.

“You think she’ll tell you?” Hunter gasped in disbelief.

“Why wouldn’t she? We don’t…”

“I know, you don’t have any secrets from each other,” Hunter finished grumpily.

“And that’s a problem for you?” Sergei asked.

“It is when she’s asking me the best way to get into your pants!” Hunter growled, making another grab for his beer.

Sergei’s eyes widened in surprise and he opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again and frown. “I beg your pardon?” Sergei couldn’t believe he’d heard Hunter’s statement correctly and he shook his head in disbelief.

“You heard me. I’m here looking for ways to prove you haven’t been coercing her into sex and to make sure you remain out of her pants and she’s looking for the quickest way into yours. How, in the name of hell, am I supposed to cover your ass, so to speak, and answer her questions at the same time?”

Sergei could only shake his head back and forth, a dazed expression making his dark eyes shine brightly.

“I told her how precarious your position is, how our best line of defense is to prove the two of you have no carnal knowledge of each other and all she can think about is the best way to seduce you! She’s only eighteen and speaks of sexuality as if she were discussing how to make a batch of Rice Krispie treats!” Hunter continued.

“She really asked you questions about seducing me?”

“Worse than that! She wanted to know what kind of prophylactics I recommended? As if I’m a fucking expert on the damn things!” Hunter hissed, taking a gulp of his beer, a bright red flush creeping up his neck.

“What?” Sergei barked, choking on his swallow of iced tea.

“You heard me! She’s rattling off all these brand names, practically giving me the run down on each one and asking me if
I
preferred ribbed or plain, latex or lambskin, colored or clear. And to top it all off, wanted to know if the ones that use the Spermicide, Noxinol-9, really ruined the finish on nail polish! All this, while she’s looking at me with those baby blue eyes.”

“What did you tell her?”

“What do you mean, what did I tell her? By that point, she had me so damn astonished she could have pushed me over with a feather. I’ve never even heard of Noxinol-9!”

“I can’t believe this,” Sergei mumbled, shaking his head in amazement, his expression a bit dazed.

“Oh, believe it buddy. That little girl’s planning on riding you hard, putting you away wet, and she’s trying to think of every excuse you might have to put her off and removing them!”

“She’s always been organized,” Sergei allowed.

“You don’t say? Military tactical teams aren’t as ‘organized’ as Chloe is!” Hunter stated cynically.

“Any suggestions on how I might be able to convince her that intimacy at this point in time is not a good idea?” Sergei asked.

Hunter’s inelegant snort was answer enough. “Not that I can see. The woman has no shame, but at least she’s showing responsibility!”

“By asking you about birth control?” Sergei asked loudly, then lowering his head as some of the diner’s patrons turned their attention on him.

“Well, yeah. She also wanted to know if I thought you’d be shocked if she pushed you up against a wall and demanded you make love to her? Just in case the question comes up again, how would you like me to answer that?”

Sergei’s shoulders lifted in another shrug. “Beats the hell out of me!” he groaned, shaking his head in disbelief. “Did you do anything to try to get her off the subject of sex?”

“I told her she was changing the subject and to get her mind back on the immediate problem; that being Andrew Manning.”

“And she responded,” Sergei urged.

Hunter sighed in frustration. “She asked me if I would be shocked if a woman I was attracted to demanded I make love to her.”

“And you told her…” Getting information out of Hunter was worse that pulling an alligator’s teeth.

Another deep sigh. “I told her I had never encountered that particular situation, but depending on the woman, I would in all likelihood be surprised, amazed, pleased, and more than willing.” Hunter answered truthfully.

“Oh, you’re a whole lot of help! What did she say to that?”

“You would have thought I’d given her a dozen roses, a five-carat diamond ring and a home in Monte Carlo. I’ve never seen a woman light up the way she did; she damn near glowed.”

Sergei cringed; running both hands through his hair before dropped his face into hands and shook his head in misery. “ Terrific, you’ve handed her my head on a platter. Worse, you gave her a hunting license–on me! I’m hanging on by the skin of my teeth trying to keep my hands off her, and you just gave her the go ahead to make my life truly miserable and have her way with me.” Sergei groaned. “What a pal!”

“I didn’t say she should,” Hunter argued.

“You didn’t say she shouldn’t!” Sergei countered.

Hunter looked doubtful for all of two seconds. “I said I’d have difficulty saying no to a lovely woman coming on to me. But everyone knows, we barracudas have no morals so we can’t held liable for our actions,” Hunter stated sardonically, lifting his glass in a mocking salute and taking another swallow of his beer.

“How am I supposed to handle this, Mr. Attorney? How do I deal with a female who has it in her head to seduce me, despite the consequences of said actions and convince her it’s in our best interests to maintain a platonic friendship until this whole mess is settled. It’s to the point where every time I’m with her, all I want to do is make love to her?” Sergei growled deeply.

“That’s a good question.”

“So give me a good answer,” Sergei pleaded.

Hunter finished his beer, crossed his arms across his chest and pondered a thoroughly miserable Sergei before he finally spoke. “I have two words for you: run fast!”

Sergei blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve never met a more mature, responsible woman than Chloe.” Hunter answered quietly. “The Manning’s claim of sexual assault isn’t a legitimate claim. Chloe is a legal adult, capable of making her own choices and decisions pertaining to her life and well being. If she so chooses, she can have her way with you, ravish you to her heart’s content, and you don’t have to worry about any legal repercussions. Although, after spending the morning with the young lady, dodging her questions and knowing what she’s got in mind for you, I’d say you better finish your meal, because she fully intends to…how did she put it? oh yeah, ‘make love to him until his legs refuse to hold him, and he’s begging for Nirvana!’ or words to that effect,” Hunter finished.

Sergei’s smile turned decidedly wicked and his eyes glowed darkly. “I suppose Nirvana’s not such a bad place.”

“I don’t suppose it would make a difference if I suggested the two of you wait until this situation with Manning is resolved?”

“It doesn’t sound like Chloe plans on waiting much longer,” Sergei stated.

“If you had heard her this morning, you would know she fully intends on hunting you down, dragging you into the first available place, private or otherwise, and ravishing you; with or without your consent.” Hunter growled.

“Believe me, she has my consent, hell, she has my whole hearted agreement! My question to you is, will it jeopardize the case if our relationship changes?”

“As your attorney I wish you’d reconsider and try to keep your relationship with Chloe platonic until this problem is resolved.” Hunter recommended.

“You’re not answering my question. Do you really think it will make a difference?”

“I’m the attorney, I don’t have to answer questions. I get paid very well to ask them. Remember?”

“Fine, I owe you fifty dollars, now take thirty seconds and give me an answer,” Sergei demanded.

With a casualness that frustrated Sergei, Hunter swallowed the last of his beer, leaned his elbows on the table, laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his knuckles, a thoughtful expression on his face, his gaze steady on Sergei’s face. “ I believe what’s meant to happen will happen. Fate has a way of stepping in despite your wishes otherwise.” Hunter stated.

“You believe in fate?” Sergei asked in skeptically.

“To a degree, I have to accept something leads us through life. But, I also believe, you have some control over what happens in your life and you can’t just stand by and wait for things to happen to you. Sometimes you have to take charge and make a decision, good or bad, right or wrong, and live with the consequences of your decision and/or actions.”

“Do you believe my relationship with Chloe moving on to the next level to be a bad decision?” Sergei asked seriously.

“You’re asking the wrong person about the intricacies of relationships. I’ve had very little luck dealing with women and can honestly say, although I have found them to be entertaining on occasion, I wouldn’t want to be involved with one on a permanent basis. Women are high maintenance and I’m not into maintaining anything.”

“You must be great fun on a date; nothing a woman likes better than a sensitive man in touch with his feminine side,” Sergei stated cynically.

“I never claimed to be a sensitive male and if I’ve a feminine side, I’ve not seen it yet and really don’t care to. Macho’s just fine with me.” Hunter growled.

“You just haven’t met the right woman,” Sergei commented.

Hunter’s snort of disgust told him he disagreed.

“You still haven’t answered my question. What could the repercussions be if Chloe and I became intimate?”

“Other than you having your head screwed with, probably nothing. Legally Manning can’t touch the two of you. If your relationship is consensual, and from what I’ve seen, Chloe seems to be the one doing the chasing, there is no case to be pursued. They can make allegations, and question your character, perhaps damage your reputation, and Chloe’s, but they can’t legally bring charges against you.” Hunter offered.

“Could they make enough noise the U.S. Figure Skating Association bans us from competing?” Sergei asked quietly.

“I honestly can’t imagine them pushing it that far. Andrew’s name is involved by association, and there is the matter of Chloe’s destroyed vehicle and the fact that he was videotaped on the mall’s security camera vandalizing it. Other questions could arise pertaining to medical records indicating her injuries are conducive with cases of physical abuse and that could open up a whole other can of worms. In this particular instance, he stands to lose just as much as you and Chloe. I would assume his father’s advised him of that possibility and that’s why we haven’t heard anything from them in the last couple of days.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“You don’t give up, do you?” Hunter chuckled.

“I want my fifty dollars worth of advice. What do you suggest?” Sergei pressed.

“I suggest you and Chloe decide what’s best for the two of you and do it! If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a stop before we head back,” Hunter stated, pushing away from the table and heading for the men’s room.

Sergei was still busy pondering Hunter’s parting words when Smitty dropped the check off and set a paper bag on Hunter’s side of the table. “What’s that?” Sergei asked, nodding toward the plain white bag.

“The barracuda asked me for a half-dozen cinnamon rolls,” Smitty answered with a shrug.

“You never did say how Dani told you about the barracuda,” Sergei said, handing Smitty the money for the check.

Smitty’s cackle of laughter was decidedly wicked, “Get with the program, Rocmanov. Haven’t you heard of e-mail?”

Sergei was still shaking his head in amusement when Hunter returned from the men’s room.

“What’s so funny?” Hunter asked.

“You don’t want to know. And by the way, don’t forget your cinnamon rolls,” Sergei nodded knowingly toward the bag, watched as Hunter flushed in embarrassment and nearly dropped the bag as if it was suddenly on fire.

“I happen to like cinnamon rolls,” Hunter tried to explain; almost stammering at Sergei’s suspicious gaze.

“Yeah, I know someone else who likes them too,” Sergei offered casually.