If You So Desire Read online

  When Sage glanced up and saw the intense passion in Ian’s eyes, she assumed he was about to kiss her—she would have bet money on it—but instead he lifted her back up. Ian and Sage were gazing into each other’s eyes and they didn’t realize the music had stopped until they heard the band clapping.

  “Ian, the dance ended.” His arms were still resting on the lower half of her back and he seemed reluctant to let her go.

  “I know,” he said smoothly, before finally releasing her. “Did you enjoy it?”

  “Yes, I enjoy Robin’s music,” Sage replied, barely hazarding a glance his way as she walked back to the couch. She wanted off that bloody roof with all the candles and flowers and champagne. She needed some sense of normalcy, but instead she listened as Robin Thicke sang several more of her favorite songs, “Lost Without U,” “The Sweetest Love” and “Magic.”

  Truth be told, the dance had awakened her. She’d felt sexy and womanly, but if the reason he’d brought her there was to loosen her up, his actions had had the opposite effect because she felt tenser than ever. “Are you ready to go now?” Sage reached for her jacket after the miniconcert was over. When she fumbled putting it on, Ian slid her arms easily inside.

  “After you, my dear.” Ian smiled as he followed her to the elevator.

  Soon they were in the Bentley again, gliding through the streets of Manhattan after Ian gave the driver her address. Sage surmised his investigation must have covered every aspect of her life, including where she lived.

  “So are you tired of fighting it, Sage?” Ian asked, shifting to face her until his knee was touching her thigh. “Fight what?”

  “Your attraction to me. The band saw it tonight. No, make that ‘felt it.’”

  Hell, Sage could feel it now, but she wasn’t about to back down. “Ian, you and I can’t have a relationship.”

  “Who said anything about a relationship?”

  Sage scoffed. “Oh!” Why should she be surprised? He was Ian Lawrence after all.

  “I want you and you want me. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Sex is never that simple.” Sage moved closer to the window. She knew from experience. Sex complicated things. She and James had been friends at NYU, but the night their friendship had become intimate, things between them had changed. Soon they were lovers as well as friends. Both ready to take on corporate America and get married. Who would have ever thought it would end so abruptly?

  “No, but it can be extremely enjoyable.” Ian scooted closer until he had Sage’s back pinned up against the window.

  Her eyes fluttered and Sage knew what was coming next, but she had no place to turn, no place to run. Ian was so close that her thighs were warm and her breasts began to ache with need.

  His large palm curled around her neck and he drew her face to him. “You have a deliciously provocative mouth and one that I think can give me immense pleasure,” Ian commented, seconds before his mouth covered hers.

  His lips were pliant yet demanding as they moved over hers, persuading her to open up to him. She tried to resist, but she couldn’t help responding by parting her lips. The invasion was swift as he tantalizingly stroked her tongue with his, possessing her mouth completely. Sage knew she should pull away and declare his kiss unwelcome, but she didn’t. Her eyes drifted closed and she curved her arm around his neck, succumbing to the mastery of his kiss.

  His tongue went deep into her mouth in one long thrust. Ian didn’t just kiss her. He made love to her with his mouth. There was no other way to describe the way his lips settled firmly over hers, while his tongue thoroughly penetrated her mouth, discovering and savoring her again and again while his hands took liberties with her body. He slid her suit jacket off her shoulders and boldly caressed her waist and hip. Then they moved upward to mold and massage her breasts through her dress. His thumb feathered over the hardened peaks of her nipples and Sage let out a satisfied sigh.

  When the car came to a halt, Ian released her and finally lifted his lips and said, “I’ve wanted to do that since the moment we met.”

  Sage sat up straight and pushed him away. She was furious with herself for having served herself up on a silver platter. Her breasts were rising and falling in rapid sexual agitation. What had happened to all the platitudes she’d stated earlier in the evening that she didn’t get involved with her clients?

  Sage reached for her suit jacket that had been discarded in the moment of passion. “I have to go.” She eased on her jacket, grabbed her briefcase and reached for the car door handle, but Ian stopped her.

  “You and I sleeping together is inevitable, Sage,” he replied. “You should accept it and stop running from it.”

  “I know you are used to getting what you want, Ian Lawrence.” Sage turned around to face him. “But that is never going to happen.” She rushed out of the Bentley before Ian could say another word.

  Once she was safely inside her condominium, Sage sagged against the door. Ian had gotten to her. He was so handsome and so virile. How had she gotten herself into this predicament and how the hell was she going to get herself out of it?

  Chapter 4

  The following Monday, Sage received a package from Ian, or should she say Jeffrey. It was a file from L.E.’s former counsel on the lawsuit. After reviewing the particulars, Sage saw that they had completed their own preliminary investigation and found that Lucas was treated fairly when he was relocated, but there was evidence of harassment in the form of racial jokes or derogatory comments made by an upper-level staff and board member, namely Bruce Hoffman as Ian had suspected.

  Sage contacted the firm’s private investigator Patrick Kelly to run a complete background check on Lucas Johnson and Bruce Hoffman. “I need to know all there is to know about these two gentlemen,” she said, zeroing in on her main targets. “Bruce Hoffman despised Ian. And I can tell you that Myles Lawrence encouraged a competition between Lucas and Ian. I believe Lucas harbored some resentment because of it, but why would both these men suddenly turn against each other and Ian?”

  “I’ll get right on it,” Patrick replied.

  She’d just hung up when Marissa poked her head into her office. “Interested in some lunch?”

  Sage glanced up. “I’d love a break.” She was tired of reading the Lawrence file. She pulled her purse from her drawer, swung it over her shoulder and rose from her chair. “Let’s go.”

  They headed to an American-style restaurant a couple of blocks away from their building. Due to the late hour, they were seated within minutes.

  The waiter handed them both menus and filled up their water glasses. “How did your dinner meeting go with Ian?” Marissa inquired after she’d given the waiter her order.

  “It was informative,” Sage replied, handing him the menu. “I’ll have the tomato basil soup and turkey club.”

  Marissa searched Sage’s face for the truth, but her brown eyes were clouded. “Okay, what gives?” It was unlike Sage not to expound on a case.

  “What do you mean?” Sage reached for her water glass.

  “You know what I mean,” Marissa returned, eyeing her suspiciously. “You told me you were attracted to Ian and that he had invited you to dinner. And all you have to say is it was informative? C’mon, there has to be more to the story, Sage.”

  Sage shrugged. “It was a business dinner, nothing more.”

  “Where did he take you?” Marissa pressed.

  Sage rolled her eyes. “Does it really matter?” When Marissa raised a brow, she responded. “All right.” She sighed. “We went to Jean Georges.”

  Marissa shook her head. “Sage, you’re on dangerous territory here. This is the biggest case of your career. You can’t afford to get involved with your client. You have too much riding on this.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Sage asked. She’d thought of nothing else for the remainder of the evening after Ian had dropped her off. But she also hadn’t been able to get the memory of that kiss out of her system either. There was no
doubt that Ian had rocked her to her core and she was still feeling the sensations of his soft lips brushing across hers.

  “I’m beginning to wonder.” Marissa noted the glazed expression on Sage’s face. “Did something happen last night?”

  “Other than dinner?” Sage asked. “Nothing happened.” She lied. She couldn’t share the kiss with Marissa, because if she did, that would mean she was giving it credence, which she wasn’t. She just had to chalk it up to being in the moment. It had been a long dry spell since her last lover and Ian had filled a particular need. “We discussed Lucas Johnson.”

  “The man who is suing Lawrence Enterprises?”

  “Yes, and his rise to power at L.E. It was very intriguing.”

  “Look who’s coming,” Marissa said, looking over Sage’s shoulder at two men walking toward their table.

  Sage turned around and saw the opposing attorney, Brock Campbell from Sullivan and Watkins, and a slick fellow wearing a designer suit.

  “Well, well, well, look who we have here,” Brock Campbell said.

  “Brock.” Sage nodded her head at her rival. She was not the least bit intimidated by Campbell; she’d just trounced him in court. If he wanted another beating, she was ready to supply it. “This is Marissa Rodriguez. Marissa practices family law at G.H.W.A.”

  “A pleasure,” Brock replied, leaning forward and shaking Marissa’s hand. “Sage, I don’t believe you’ve met my client Lucas Johnson. He’s recently returned to New York after he was exiled to Los Angeles by Lawrence Enterprises due to harassment.”

  Sage glanced up at Lucas. So this was the man who wanted to bring Ian Lawrence to his knees? He wasn’t bad to look at. He was tall, clean-cut and extremely attractive. Once upon a time, she would have found a man like him appealing, but there was something shifty behind his eyes that Sage didn’t quite care for.

  “I’ll be handling Lucas’s lawsuit against Lawrence Enterprises.” Brock brought him forward. “Lucas, this is Sage Anderson.”

  “Ian Lawrence’s attorney,” Sage added.

  The smug smile on Brock’s face quickly vanished as the thought of facing her again in court came back into play. “What?”

  “You heard correct,” Sage replied. “G.H.W.A. has been retained as Mr. Lawrence’s counsel.”

  Lucas, on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised at the news. Instead his brow widened and a smile spread across his face. “I can see why Ian hired you.”

  “He wants the best labor attorney out there,” Sage returned. “Isn’t that right, Brock?”

  “Hmm, I don’t believe that’s why.” Lucas smirked, eyeing her up and down. “Ian always did like beautiful things,” Lucas continued. “But a word of warning—you might want to be careful because Ian takes what he can get and when he has no further use for you, he discards you.” Lucas inclined his head to both women and sauntered away, leaving Brock to follow him.

  Sage fumed in her seat. The nerve of the man! She wanted to toss the glass of ice water in his face. “That bastard!” she said when they were no longer within earshot.

  “He does have a point.” Marissa shrugged after the two gentlemen had gone. “Ian is interested in you.”

  “Ian may have hired me because of the way I look, but I’m a damn good attorney and I’ll prove it. Lucas won’t even see me coming.”

  “You seem very pleased with yourself this morning,” Jeffrey commented to Ian as they sat eating breakfast on the hotel terrace. It was a beautiful morning with hardly a cloud in the sky, unseasonably warm for April in Manhattan.

  Ian smiled broadly. “I am. Everything is going along smoothly.” He cut into his Greek omelet and ate a generous helping.

  “I take it you mean your seduction of Ms. Anderson?” Jeffrey asked, bringing his coffee cup to his lips. “I must tell you, Ian, I think it’s a really bad idea to get involved with your lead counsel.”

  “I heard you the first time,” Ian returned sternly, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “But the attraction is not one-sided as evidenced by Friday night.”

  “What happened?”

  “Which part?”

  “Just spit it out,” Jeffrey said, biting his piece of whole-wheat toast.

  “Oh, maybe you mean the part when Gia Smith walked into Jean Georges with Bob McNamara on her arm?”

  “Gia is back in the States?” Jeffrey asked. Although he’d been working at another firm, he remembered the tension the woman had caused between Lucas and Ian all those years ago. She’d torn a rift between the two men that only time had healed, or so they’d thought. “Our last report on her about a year ago or so still had her stationed in London. This would explain why Lucas is all fired up. Lucas was always trying to prove he was worthy of her. What better way than to beat you.”

  “Out of millions,” Ian returned. “But I won’t let that happen, especially not with Sage at my side.”

  “So she’s succumbing to your charms.”

  “Oh, yes.” Ian smiled. “We had a romantic dance on Friday and one thing led to another…” Ian let the words dangle in the air and reached for his orange juice.

  “So you slept with her?”

  Ian sighed. “No. But her kiss was explosive. It won’t be long before Sage Anderson is in my bed.”

  Sage was researching case law later that morning when her direct line rang. “Sage Anderson,” she said absently, picking up the receiver.

  “Hard at work?” Ian asked from the other end. He was perusing several magazine figures when he’d thought of Sage and couldn’t resist picking up the phone. He had to see her again.

  “Who is this?” She knew who it was, but she wasn’t about to let Ian know that she would recognize his voice anywhere. The smooth sexy timbre of his voice was impossible to forget.

  Ian smiled on the other end of the phone. “It’s Ian.”

  “Mr. Lawrence, what can I do for you?”

  “Sage, don’t you think after Friday night we’re beyond salutations?”

  She supposed he had a point, but she needed boundaries. “I met the plaintiff at lunch yesterday.”

  “You met Lucas?”

  “Yes, he was with his attorney, Brock Campbell. Campbell is shrewd, but I’ll make mincemeat of him.”

  “You sound awfully confident.”

  “I am. I just beat Brock on our last case.”

  “You certainly don’t lack confidence.” That was what Ian admired about her—her ability to go after what she wanted despite the odds. He’d seen it that first time they’d met when she’d sneaked into his suite.

  “It’s the reason you hired me, is it not?”

  Ian paused on the other end. It was one of the reasons. “Of course.”

  Sage doubted it, but asked, “Was there a reason for your call?”

  Ian smiled inwardly because Sage refused to give an inch; she had to call the shots. “Yes, there is. As I told you the other night, I’m relaunching Craze, the latest acquisition to the Lawrence Enterprises brand. Craze is a lifestyle magazine similar to Essence.”

  “And?”

  “I’d like to invite you to the launch party on Saturday. I’ve chartered a private yacht for the evening and we’ll cruise the Hudson River. There will be a dance floor, plus all the champagne and all the appetizers you can stand.”

  “I’ll be busy working on your case.”

  “You can’t work all the time and the party is on the weekend.”

  “I clock over seventy hours a week, Ian, which means I work weekends.”

  “Well, then look at this as an opportunity.”

  “An opportunity for what?”

  “To gain insight into L.E. should I choose Greenberg, Hanson, Waggoner and Associates to take over as my corporate counsel once this case is resolved.”

  Sage wanted to scream. Of course, he’d dangle the bait of hiring her firm permanently to lure her into his web. She should resist, but the chance to get the firm’s foot in the door was impossible to resist as he knew it would be. “All right
,” Sage conceded. “What time should I be there?”

  “The cruise leaves at 6:00 p.m.”

  “Fine. Count me in,” Sage said and hung up the phone. Now all she had to do was find a date. Unfortunately, her black book was pretty small these days. As she’d told Ian, she rarely had time for a social life, which meant she was going to need one of the men in her life to fill in and she knew exactly who to ask.

  Shortly after 7:00 p.m., Sage strolled into the Henri Lawrence Gallery in Soho. Quentin’s fiancée, Avery Roberts, was a buyer at the gallery and having an art showing that evening to introduce her latest protégé. Sage smiled as she watched Avery work the room in her usual poised fashion.

  Avery was breathtakingly beautiful in every sense of the word. Tall, slender, with striking green eyes and wearing a high-waisted dress with a black upper bodice and plaid bottom, Avery was the epitome of class. Sage would never have thought Quentin would have gone for the ice princess, but he’d proven them wrong. When she, Malik and Dante had made a bet over a year ago that Quentin couldn’t melt Avery’s heart after crashing one of her showings, Sage was sure he’d lose. She’d been wrong. Quentin had not only melted her heart, but he’d also fallen in love and now they were to be married in three months. And along the way, they’d all discovered Avery to have a warm center underneath that cool exterior.

  Sage nodded at Avery as she made her way to the bar where Quentin stood admiring his fiancée. “Q.” Sage planted a kiss on his cheek.

  “Sage, I’m surprised to see you here,” Quentin said. “I thought the firm had you shackled to your desk.”

  “Ha-ha.” Sage chuckled. “They do allow me to come out for bread and water.”

  “I’m glad you could make it. I’m sure Avery will appreciate your support.” He glanced adoringly at his fiancée.

  “What’ll you have?” the bartender asked Sage.

  “An appletini, please.” She plopped her clutch on the bar.