Free Waiting For You by Marie Higgins Page B

showed off her new dress and jewels—and the token man on her arm.
    He buzzed her front door, and within seconds she stood in front of him. Just as he’d expected, she wore a dress meant to weaken a man’s control. Red, glittery silk clung to her body and brushed the floor, displaying one bare shoulder and featuring a slit up the side that showed most of her thigh. Her hair was piled on top of her head in curls, with little wisps around her ears and neck.
    Nick gave her his best smile. “You look great tonight, Vanessa. Did I interrupt something important?”
    She pouted, a look he’d become familiar with. “Don’t be silly, Nicky. I’m dressed like this for you.”
    Silently, he groaned. “So, I assume you’re ready to go?”
    She hooked her arm through his elbow, but instead of leaving her apartment, she pulled him inside. “Would you like a drink?”
    “We’re not going to get one at the restaurant?”
    She laughed. “What restaurant? I’d planned on having dinner here.”
    That wasn’t something Nick had expected. “Are you kidding? Dressed like that? Why would you want to stay inside?”
    She slithered up beside him and cuddled against his arm. “Because we haven’t seen each other in a long time and we need to catch up.”
    Nick knew he was in trouble. He’d have to spend the entire evening struggling to get away from her. “If you say so, but I’ll have to call and cancel our reservations.” He broke away and walked into her apartment. “Do you have a phone book? Oh, never mind. I’ll just call information.”
    As he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started punching in the number, he glanced around her apartment. Vanessa loved to flaunt her wealth, and everything in the front room was expensive and flashy.
    She quickly took away his phone. “No need to do that. Maybe we’ll go there later.” She hung up the call, then placed the phone back in his hands.
    He slid the phone in his pocket. “How about that drink? My throat is suddenly dry.”
    “What would you like? Your favorite, bourbon?”
    “I don’t drink alcohol anymore. Do you have bottled water?”
    “What?” Her eyes grew wide. “You don’t drink alcohol?”
    “Haven’t for a few years.”
    “Why?” she whined. “You’ve changed too much, Nicky. I’m not sure I like this new man.” She marched to her kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. “You’re not fun anymore.”
    “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve learned many lessons over the past few years. I didn’t like the man who partied for a living.”
    She walked toward him with a bottle of water in her hand. “Was it because of that scandal with the movie producer’s wife?”
    He took the water from her and sat on the sofa. “That was the final blow, yes. But it started way before then. By the time I was sharing the front page of the tabloids with Leslie Blake, I realized what a shambles I’d made of my life. Living the wild life didn’t make me happy. I regretted ruining my life that way, and I promised myself to try each and every day to be a good, upstanding person. I want to be taken seriously as a lawyer. I’ve cleaned up my life, Vanessa and that’s the way my life is going to stay. Clean!”
    She tucked her long legs under her as she curled on the sofa next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. “Do you want to talk about Leslie Blake? I’m dying to know what happened between the two of you.”
    “Let’s just say I wasn’t thinking about my career like I should have been. I let her beauty—and her money—cloud my judgment. Of course, she made me believe she was in love with me.” He shook his head. “I’ll never do that again.”
    “So, now you’re putting your career before women?”
    “Yes—and my morals. I tried it the other way and it didn’t work. The way I want to live my life now will be so much better. I’m going to devote myself to my cases and my clients. They deserve that.” He casually pushed her off him