Dazzle her: Laws of Seduction Book 3

  Contents

  Dazzle her title page

  Copyright

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  DAZZLE HER

  Laws of Seduction

  Book Three

  AVA HAYWORTH

  Copyright © 2016 by Ava Hayworth.

  All rights reserved worldwide. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, locales, or events is purely coincidental.

  No part of the book may be reproduced, uploaded to the Internet, or copied without express written permission from the author.

  To join her mailing list for new releases, please sign up here:

  avahayworth.com

  Cover by Domi, Inspired Cover Designs

  CHAPTER 1

  Looking James in the eye, I slide my finger across my phone to accept the call. “Lainey,” I hear my brother Jett’’s voice, which is traveling thousands of miles from Taiwan to New York City.

  “Hello Jett.” Is it my imagination or does James’s face pale when I say my brother’s name?

  “Can you talk or are you busy?” My brother’s question brings me back from my observations.

  “Now is good, but you should know James is here with me.”

  “I thought I told you to stay away from that jerk.”

  “That can be a little difficult when we work for the same law firm.”

  “Can’t you go somewhere private so we can talk?” If he only knew how impossible that was. This morning when I arrived, I found that my office had been torched during the night. It was currently in shambles, with blackened walls and a soaking wet carpet. It was probably a good idea to keep this information to myself though, unless I want calls from worried relatives raining down on me all day.

  James indicates that he will leave, but I know he has a busy schedule. Standing up from his office chair, I indicate that he should sit down. I walk over to the window and gaze out with my back to James. “James is… working. He won’’t disturb us.”

  “Fine… Lainey, he killed Amanda.”

  I guess we were getting straight to the heart of the matter. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean he fucking sat there and let her die. He didn’t bother calling the paramedics until it was too late.” James felt a lot of guilt about not helping Amanda, who had been Jett’s girlfriend in law school until she had left him for James. What Jett is failing to take into account is that James was high on the same drugs that Amanda had overdosed on and not functioning in a rational state. Before I can point this out to Jett, he continues, “He thought it was all a big joke. Has he told you about his background?”

  “What has that got to do with anything?” Come to think of it, James had not spoken much about his past. Other than the fact that he was an only child and the tragic events that had happened while he was in law school, I knew virtually nothing about him. Then I remembered his best friend Rex, whom I had met. I had even stayed at his beach house in the Hamptons. Granted, he wasn’t there, but I did spend an evening with him in the city after that. I feel heat rising to my face at the memory of that inauspicious first meeting when Rex walked into James’s apartment to find me standing there nude.

  I hear the exasperation in Jett’s voice. “Lainey, it has everything to do with it. He is just a rich playboy who believes that everyone else is beneath him. I may not live in New York, but I have friends who still live there. They have told me how he treats women. He goes out with them until he gets them into bed and then throws them away like yesterday’s garbage.”

  Jett’s words hit a raw nerve. Has James been playing me? Stringing me along like all of his other women… like Elizabeth? James claims that he and another lawyer in our firm, Elizabeth, have always had a strictly professional relationship. If you talk to Elizabeth, you would think they were practically engaged.

  “Jett, you are not telling me anything I don’t already know.”

  “And yet you continue to let him play you. Lainey, you are going to get hurt.”

  “That may be true, Jett. You need to back off and let me make my own decisions, even if you do think they are mistakes.”

  “I am going to call Mom and have her try to talk some sense into you.”

  I shudder in dread imagining how that call would play out. Plus, my mother would already have a biased opinion of James, and that wouldn’t be fair. “Jett, please don’’t do that. Look, I’ll promise to be careful. Okay?”

  Silence echoes across the line, and I hold my breath hoping that he will decide not to involve my mother. “Fine,” he agrees grudgingly. “I will be there in a couple of weeks anyway, and I can keep an eye on you myself.”

  I roll my eyes at his overprotectiveness. “It will be great having you here. I hope we see a lot of each other.” Jett’s law firm is sending him to work in New York City for a few months.

  “Yea, I hope so too. Just be careful. I mean it, Lainey. That guy is trouble.”

  “Please don’t worry about me, Jett. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

  After ending the call, I remain standing for a few moments looking at the ocean of high-rises before me. Turning back around, I find James leaning back in his chair with his hands steepled together. His cold expression troubles me.

  The events from the morning, the fire, the text message from Elizabeth, and the conversation I just ended with Jett all work together to put me on the offensive. “What is going on with Elizabeth?”

  “I see your brother is doing his almighty best to warn you off me.”

  “Don’t change the subject, James. I want to know about Elizabeth. Did she start the fire in my office?”

  James stands up and paces back and forth while raking his hand through his hair. “I don’t know who started the fire in your office, but believe me; if I did, they would wish they hadn’t.”

  “I think there is something you are not telling me.”

  He stops his pacing to stare at me. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

  “I don’t know. Forget it. I didn’t mean anything.”

  I try not to flinch under James’s penetrating gaze. “I think you did mean something by it. Come on Lainey, what is it?

  “Nothing, alright. Just forget it.”

  “Well, I can’t forget it. Tell me.”

  “Where did you go last night after you dropped me off?”

  A look of utter shock falls across James’s face. “Are you asking me for an alibi?”

  “No… no, of course not.”

  “Have I given you a reason not to trust me?”

  The hurt look in his eyes tugs at my heart strings, and I long to reassure him. “James, I know you didn’t start the fire.” I can tell that he doesn’’t believe me, so I press on. “It isn’t the fire. It’s the women… It’s Elizabeth.”

  James falls back into his chair. My heart breaks a little at the defeated look on his face. “Lainey, has nothing I’ve said convinced you that I am not some kind of heartbreaking Casanova?”

  I sink down into the chair across from him. Unable to meet his eyes, I focus on his silver tie. “It’s just that there is so much evidence weighing against you.”


  “Come on, Lainey. You’re a lawyer. All that evidence is hearsay and circumstantial.”

  “I know you’re right, but it’s my heart talking, not my head.”

  James starts to say something, but the ringing of his cell phone distracts him. He looks down at the display. “I have to take this.”

  “That’s fine. I’m going to take a walk.” He nods and I leave so that he can take his call. I head for the ladies’ room, but I don’t get that far. Nora and Patti stop me as I walk past their desks.

  “Oh my God, Lainey. Are you alright?” Nora rushes over to me and gives me a hug.

  Patti soon joins her. “We’ve been so worried.”

  I rush to reassure them. “I’m fine.”

  “Do they know what caused it?” Nora asks.

  “Not yet, but they are working on it.”

  Patti narrows her eyes at me. “Did we just see you come from G-man’s office?”

  I try my best to force back the blush I feel spreading across my face. “He was in the meeting earlier with the fire investigator and insisted that I stay in his office, since mine was… well… you know.” I wave my hand in the general direction of my office.

  Patti gives me a knowing look. “He must really like you.”

  Although I try my best to will it back, I feel my blush intensify. I swiftly change the subject. “Do you think I could sit here with you all?”

  I am gratified by Nora and Patti’s positive response. Soon I am catching up on all the latest office and family gossip. Patti calls IT over, and they set me up with a new laptop. I try to lose myself in my work, but my mind keeps wandering back to my troubling conversation with James. Why can’t he understand that his blowing hot one moment and cold the next wreaks havoc with my confidence in our relationship and plays upon my insecurities? Plus, he is not being completely upfront about his relationship with Elizabeth. Other women come to mind too, like Jenna from the restaurant. There is also the fact that my brother hates him. I can’t forget that either.

  I decide I need someone to talk to and pick up my phone to call Sam. Before I can make the call, Becca and Bethany pop up at my desk and invite Patti, Nora, and me to lunch. I realize that I am famished and think longingly of the coffee and deli bag that I left in James’s office.

  Since it is still raining, we opt to have lunch delivered and eat in one of the unoccupied conference rooms. A few of the other associates join us, and they are all full of questions about the fire. Since I don’t know much, that conversation quickly runs its course. I am sitting next to Becca, who seems particularly fascinated by the topic. I manage to shut her down by keeping my answers short and not addressing her wild speculations. She definitely has a flair for the dramatic. Although she is being friendly today, there is something about her that puts me off. It could just be her infatuation with “G-man” that annoys me, but there was also her catty behavior on the firm cruise around Manhattan.

  After lunch, I buckle down to get some work done to make up for the lost time in the morning. By seven o’clock, I am ready to pack it in and call it a day. I haven’t heard anything from James and assume that he is also suffering from not working this morning. I can’’t help the small niggle of doubt that it isn’t just work that is keeping him from contacting me. I try to reassure myself that some distance is what we need right now. My phone pings with a text. I feel a flutter of anticipation that disintegrates when I see a text from Nick.

  I heard what happened. Are you still at work?

  Yes ):

  Sam and I will pick you up in 15.

  My heart wrenches at my friend’s kindness.

  If you were here, you would see a happy dance. Meet you out front.

  Nick and Sam take me to Hungawi, a cozy Korean place on 32nd Street in Midtown. The restaurant requires its patrons to take off their shoes at the door. We pad over to the low tables and sit down on the cushioned seats. Meditative music plays in the background and I feel some of the tension from the day leave me. As we eat, I recount the drama of the day. Nick’s eyes widen when I tell them about my confrontation with James in his office. “You accused James of setting the fire?”

  “Not in so many words, but you could interpret it that way.”

  Nick appears at a loss for words. “And you haven’t heard anything from him since this morning?”

  A sigh escapes me as I shake my head no.

  “Oh, honey, you have to go over there right now and apologize.”

  “What? You mean go over to his apartment... Now?” I look over at Sam to see what she thinks of this advice, only to see her nodding her head in agreement.

  “Don’t worry about the check. We’ve got this. Just go.”

  “But…” I trail off, not knowing how to resist their arguments.

  “What are you still doing here? Go, go, go.”

  I dodge Nick’s hands as he tries to push me. “But I can’t just drop by.”

  “Why not? You’re his girlfriend, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe I should try calling first.” I look at Sam again for support, but I can see that she is completely on Nick’s side on this issue.

  “After what you did today? I don’t think so.”

  “That’s not the only problem though. I feel like he is holding something back from me.”

  “Like what?” Sam questions.

  “I have the feeling that there is more to the situation with Elizabeth than he is letting on.”

  Sam puts her hand over mine and gives it a squeeze. “Talk to him. I know it’s hard for you to open yourself up, Lainey, but I would hate for you to lose him over this. Don’’t call or text him either. You don’t want to give him the chance to brush you off.”

  Defeated, I try not to drag my feet as I head over to the door and step back into my rain boots. In a last ditch effort for a reprieve, I look back at our table. Sam wiggles her fingers in a little wave and Nick makes shooing motions. Okay, I tell myself. You can do this.

  CHAPTER 2

  In an amazingly short period of time, a taxi has whisked me over to James’s Tribeca apartment building. I find myself standing in front of the concierge, who motions me towards the elevator after a brief call to James. At least he is at home and this has not been some wild goose chase. I try not to let my nerves overtake me as the elevator approaches his floor. Am I anxious because of the way we left things this morning or because I am dropping in on him unannounced?

  I expect James to be there waiting for me when the elevator doors open, but he isn’t. I take off my boots and leave them beside the elevator doors. My heart sinks when I hear voices, a female voice in particular. I follow the sound of conversation and find James standing in the kitchen with a beautiful blond. I am really beginning to regret listening to Nick and Sam. James has a stubborn set to his mouth as he listens to the woman. They finally seem to notice me and turn as one to look at me. As silence descends, I wish for the floor to open up and swallow me. The woman looks elegant in a black cocktail dress, black tights, and flats. James is still in his blue suit from work, but his tie is missing. Was she the one to remove it? The woman is not as young as I at first thought. Her slender figure and long blond hair make her appear younger. Upon closer inspection, I see fine lines around her eyes, which are a startling shade of blue. Her eyes strike a chord of familiarity, but I don’t remember ever having met her before. Is this why James was so put out by my age? Is he into older women? Some men go for cougars, after all. I look back at James, who is looking at me with an expression I can’t identify. “Lainey, this is my mother, Alana Ward.”

  His mother? The tension that is holding my body rigid eases.

  “Mother, this is my girlfriend, Lainey.”

  A rush of pleasure suffuses me when James introduces me as his girlfriend, and I give him a warm smile as I walk over to stand next to him. At the same time, I am aware of his mother’s intense inspection.

  “Girlfriend? Since when do you have a
girlfriend?” His mother’s tone reflects her disbelief.

  “Not long. Don’t worry Mother, I haven’t been keeping secrets from you.”

  His mother gives a huff of exasperation. “As usual I am one of the last to know. Who are her people?”

  Who are my people? She makes it sound like I am from another planet.

  “Not anyone you would know.” James says as he snags his arm around my waist and pulls me to him.

  “You mean she is a nobody.”

  “Mother…” It is impossible to mistake the warning in James’s voice.

  I’m getting a little tired of being talked about as if I am not in the room. “James and I work together at Houghton Mills.”

  “Are you a lawyer too or one of the staff?”

  “A lawyer. I graduated from NYU last spring.”

  “For a moment there I thought you were going to say that you’re his secretary. That would be beyond pedestrian.”

  James breaks in, “Where did you say you were going tonight?”

  “Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. I would love to stick around and chat, but I am promised to the Harvey’s. I think he will be our next senator, you know.” She steps up close to James and gives him air kisses on both cheeks.

  James lets go of me to walk his mother to the elevator, and I catch snippets of their conversation. Alana wants something from James, and he seems unwilling. After his mother has gone, James returns to the kitchen and pulls out his bottle of scotch. Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, he tilts the bottle and gives me a questioning look. I shake my head no. My last experience with his scotch is still fresh in my memory. Instead, I walk over to the refrigerator and pull out a bottle of water. James quickly throws back his drink, and then pours himself another. “Damn, I needed that.”

  “Bad day?” I ask innocently.

  James gives me a dirty look. “Don’t push me, Lainey.”

  As usual when he makes that kind of comment, I want to taunt him into reacting. I don’t understand this impulse. Do I want to see how far I can push him? Do I want an extreme reaction from him? Confusion unsettles me, and I search my mind for a neutral topic. “Has your mother remarried? Is that why she has a different last name?”