Empire of Sin: Chapter 16

“Have you ever forgotten to wrap it?”

I realize the mistake in asking the question the moment it leaves my lips. The fucker Dan stares at me funny, tilting his head to the side and nearly dropping the cup of coffee from his hand.

He swallows the contents of his mouth slowly, then places the cup on the table. “Did you just say forget to wrap it? As in, you forgot to wrap it?”

I stand, facing the window that overlooks New York City, and think of a million ways to somehow go back a minute in time.

Or maybe a day, because ever since I fucked Anastasia in public, bare and against a fucking wall, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

About the way she felt, how she moaned and clenched and came undone around me.

She was a masterpiece, one I didn’t know I needed until she was there, at that moment, all mine for the taking.

And fuck me if I remembered to put on a condom.

Yes, I lied. I did in fact have a condom on me. Ever since that first time in the supply room, I always walk around with one.

But at that moment when she was completely at my mercy, her wetness soaking my fingers and her body glued to mine, I completely forgot about the bloody condom.

I never fuck without a condom. Fucking ever.

All that information was background noise with Anastasia. Completely and utterly unimportant.

“I’m just asking you. It’s a hypothetical situation, Dan.”

“Don’t give me that bollocks. It’s you, isn’t it?” He stands up and circles me like a curious cat. “You did! Who was it? Just tell me it’s not a blonde.”

“It is.” Originally, at least.

“Blimey, that’s a game-changer, but it’s fine.” He holds an imaginary microphone. “What’s her name? Her number? Why didn’t you invite me to fuck her?”

“That won’t be happening.”

“What? Why? Wait a minute. You found your girl from Jersey! She’s also blonde and you’re all secretive about her.”

“She’s not…” I trail off, because the thought of her being my girl turns my blood hot. If it were any other time, it would’ve been freezing cold at the thought of commitment.

I’ve never liked that, commitment, never seen the point behind it. Which is why I’ve never had a relationship or brought a girl home, never introduced them to Dad or my sisters.

The possibility of Anastasia meeting them makes me pause. I wonder how they’d feel about her and if—

I internally shake my head, forbidding those thoughts from going any further.

“She’s not what?”

“From Jersey.”

“Uh-huh. Give me her number and I’ll check myself. Something tells me you’re lying and she’s not a blonde. Which is uncool, mate. I don’t mind sharing with you, do I? So you should give me the same privileges.”

A red-hot fire grabs hold of me at the image of Daniel calling her or getting close to her.

If he touches her…I’ll fucking throw him out the window.

I’m not the type who has violent thoughts, usually, but because of her, I’m having constant pulses of strange emotions.

“You won’t be getting it, Dan,” I say with a calm I don’t feel.

“Why?” he asks with a wide smile that’s openly provocative. “Because you didn’t wrap it up and she’s probably pregnant with your child?”

“Jesus.”

“He’ll be visiting, too, when your baby mama gives birth.”

I flip him the finger. “Sod off, Dan.”

“Nope, this is getting fun.” He retrieves his phone and holds it in front of him.

At first, I think he’s taking a selfie since he loves flaunting himself all over social media, but then a ringing sound follows and a very familiar voice answers, “I don’t know about you, but I’m working.”

“Shut up, Ron. This is serious.” Dan grins. “I’ve got the scoop for you, right from the center of New York.”

My brother-in-law, and one of Dan’s closest friends, pauses. “Oh? Do tell, Danny boy.”

“Guess who forgot to wrap it?” Daniel’s smile widens and I wish I could punch him from this distance.

So I settle with a whispered, “Don’t you dare.”

“Let’s give it up for our one and only, the man, the legend. Knox Van Doren!” Daniel turns the phone so Ronan is facing me.

He’s in his office since he’s now leading his father’s company. My brother-in-law stares at the camera blankly. At first, anyway, before a slow grin stretches his lips.

“I need to tell Teal the news. She’s always thinking that you’d never settle down.”

“Don’t, Ron.” I breathe harshly. “And please hold while I kill a pest called Daniel.”

My friend jumps away from me. “Yes, do tell Teal, Ron. We should be planning global baby showers.”

“It’s that serious?” Ronan asks.

“Serious? Try monumental. He refuses to give me her number and I’m pretty sure he lied about her being blonde. I don’t know about you, but in my dictionary, that’s pronounced dead serious.”

“So Aiden was right and he’s shagging someone behind your back?”

“I know. I’m wounded, gutted, disappointed, but not as much as I’m ecstatic about the turn of events for our chap here.”

“Teal will be thrilled.”

“Don’t tell her, Ron.” I snatch the phone from Daniel. “You’ll give her empty hope.”

“It can’t be empty when there was no condom, Van Doren.”

“Damn straight.” Dan jams his face in. “Prepare for a weekend of celebration in London.”

“You got it, Danny boy. Leave all the parties to me and just take care of Van Doren’s baby mama.”

“Roger that.”

“Fuck you both.” I try to kick Daniel, but he darts away at the last second like a damn lizard.

As soon as he disconnects the call with Ronan, I grab him in a choke-hold. “Do you have a fucking death wish?”

“Don’t kill me yet, Knox. I still have to tell the rest of the guys about this hidden gem.”

The guys—as in, our friends from secondary school that we’re still close with. We played football together and the five of them, Ronan included, are married and have kids.

“Like fuck you will. Say a word about it and I’ll send a blonde hooker to your door every day.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have done that. Now that you’ve provoked me, I’m sure as hell telling everyone. Can’t wait for what they’ll say when they learn you’re expecting a baby.”

“I’m not.”

He tries to push me away and I use the chance to mess his hair the fuck up. The same hair that he spends half an hour to put every strand in order.

A knock on the door interrupts us and I release him with a shove. Thank fuck I kept the blinds down. Two lawyers fighting is probably frowned upon by the general public.

“Come in,” I say, and whisper to Dan, “Expect blonde hookers starting tonight.”

“Fuck you.” He flips me both his middle fingers, then heads to the door.

He leaves and Sandra Bell flinches back, giving him room. “Am I early?”

“No, you’re right on time.” I smooth my voice to a professional tone. “Come in, please.”

She does so hesitantly and I hit the intercom for my assistant. “I need Lauren and Chris here. Oh, and Jane from IT.”

“Right away, sir.”

I sit across from Sandra, and she tugs her skirt and then the sleeves of her jacket down. “Are you uncomfortable being with me alone?”

Her head jerks up. “It’s not—”

“Don’t lie.”

“A…little.”

“Good. You’ll be ten times more uncomfortable when you’re faced with him in front of people who don’t believe your story. Get used to this feeling.”

She gulps, her fingers linking and unlinking at a steady pace. But instead of sparing her the discomfort, I lean back in my chair and stare at her, mostly unblinking.

She instantly shifts focus to her lap.

Hmm. I called her therapist and asked her whether or not Sandra could mentally and emotionally handle the courtroom, and the doctor assured me she could.

Doesn’t seem like it.

If anything, Sandra appears more and more perturbed. Is the therapist even doing her job?

There’s a knock on the door followed by the shuffling of feet. My associate lawyer, Lauren, comes in first. She’s about my age but passed the bar a few years after me.

She usually works with Aspen, but she lent her to me since she has a knack for dealing with sexual assault cases.

Chris and Anastasia come in next. The latter remains near the door as if she’s looking for an escape route. Ever since I told her that Sandra wants her on the team because she feels comfortable in her presence, she’s had that weird expression on her face.

As if she’s about to faint.

Or maybe that’s because of what happened yesterday and the no-condom event in public.

Fuck.

Focus. This is work.

“You already met Lauren and Christoph,” I tell Sandra. “As you requested, Jane will also be sitting in. This is the only friendly face you’ll be allowed.”

Sandra smiles at her a little and Anastasia smiles back.

I stand and that gets everyone’s attention. “Have you read the questions I’ll be asking you?”

Sandra nods.

“No nodding in court. If it’s a yes or no question, that’s what you’ll say.”

“Yes, I read them.”

“Are you confident in how you’ll reply?”

“I think so.”

“Again, a yes or no question, Ms. Bell.”

“Yes…I can do it.”

“How about the prosecutor’s possible questions?”

“I learned them.”

“Good. Now, we’ll move on to the possible questions the opposing counsel could ask you.”

Lauren gives her documentation. “These are the points we believe they’ll focus on. Reginald Pearce is known to play offense at the first chance he gets so you need to be extra ready.”

“We’ll help you out.” Chris smiles at her and she stares at her lap again.

“From this point on, I’m Reginald.” I stand in front of her, pacing slowly like he does in court. “Ms. Bell, you said that your father has been touching you against your volition. Is that correct?”

She swallows. “Yes.”

“Since when?”

“Since I was young.”

“How young exactly? Nine? Eight?”

“I…I don’t remember.”

“You claimed it was since around eight, right?”

“Objection.” Lauren stands. “Counsel is leading the witness.”

“That would be overruled, Lauren. Counsel has the right to lead the witness in a cross-examination,” I say, still pacing without breaking eye contact with Sandra. “Now tell me, do you remember when the first time he touched you was?”

“Not really, I…”

“So, you don’t remember. You’re only placing these allegations on faulty memories that even you don’t have a recollection of in order to slander a man of your father’s standing…”

“Objection…”

“The truth is, you’ve been in a consensual relationship with him all this time. There are pictures of you wearing provocative clothes that you sent him from your phone.”

“That’s not true!” Sandra’s bawling. “I didn’t…he made me wear those and took the pictures…I didn’t…”

“Ms. Bell, there’s hard evidence that points to it being consensual, whereas the evidence of the claimed sexual assault is nonexistent.”

“Objection. Counsel is stating his own conclusions…”

“He did it…he…” Sandra stands abruptly, her whole body shaking. “He did it!”

“You can’t say that when there’s no evidence. Isn’t it true that you’re just doing this to slander my client’s reputation? That you came up with these allegations so that you could take his hard-earned money? Are you—”

“Stop.” The low voice catches me off guard.

It’s Anastasia. She’s grabbing Sandra by the arm, tears shining in her eyes. “Stop it, please.”

“If she can’t take this, she won’t be able to be a witness in court.”

“I just need a moment.” Sandra sniffles before she bolts out of the office.

Anastasia stares at me funny, like she wants to punch me. “You don’t have to be a monster to drive a point home.”

I step closer until I’m toe to toe with her. “Didn’t you say you needed a dark warrior of justice? This is what we look like.”

Her lips purse before she releases them. “I’m going to see how she’s doing.”

And then she’s out the door, too, her orange blossom scent lingering behind her.

Or maybe I’m the only one who smells it.

I grab a file the prosecutor sent us and fall back into my seat.

Lauren rolls her chair so that she’s facing me. “Ms. Bell needs a lot of prepping and we don’t have much time before the trial.”

We don’t.

Sandra reported the charges against her father a few months back after she ran away from home and lived off the trust fund her mother left her. Since they’re paid off by Matt and his defense, the police and the DA office attempted to sweep everything under the rug, but Sandra was smart and sent the report to the media. Considering her father’s public status, the press latched onto the case like hungry sharks after smelling blood. As a result, the prosecutor was obliged to file the criminal case against Matt Bell, but he’s been carefully backpedaling and hoping this whole thing will be old news so he can drop the charges.

But the press wouldn’t leave this alone. There are support groups and women organizations involved now and they all have their eyes on how the prosecutor will handle this case.

Sandra had a restraining order against Matt, but she got her recent bruises when she went back home to get something and he suddenly showed up and beat her again for daring to go against him.

Which is why she decided to sue him civilly as well.

Point is, the prosecutor could take the criminal case to trial any time now. Especially since Matt’s defense attorney used every trick under the sun and underhanded methods to push the civil case forward. I assume they’re counting on Sandra to freak out and handle the civil case poorly, which will give the prosecutor all the reasons to dismiss the criminal case.

I don’t trust the prosecutor. I don’t trust the whole fucking system, which means in order for Sandra to get her justice in both cases, I need to twist his arm with evidence I will present in the civil trial.

“Let’s brainstorm, Lauren. We have to get more media attention and for that, we need to play harder on their emotions.”

Even though I’m sure Anastasia won’t like it. But this is what she asked for and this is what I’m going to give her.

And the world.