Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable Book 6) Read online

  I fired off a text to Erin and another to Wittaker.

  “Deal.”

  As it turned out, Wittaker was not in the office that morning because he had court, but he did answer me in brief that he would like to speak to me before I spoke with Maddy and he asked for a copy of the letter from the apartments. I sent it over, and he promised to call later that day.

  Erin couldn’t fit me into an in-office appointment, but she did do a phone consult over lunch that I took in Jake’s SUV with the heat running, because the temperatures had continued to nose-dive below freezing. It wasn’t perfect, but it did help. More, Erin asked me a couple of important questions that I didn’t know the answers to.

  Not anymore.

  What did I want out of any conversation with Maddy? Besides telling her to leave me alone, since that was what she’d been doing before anyway, I didn’t know if there was anything I could get out of that conversation. But Erin challenged that answer and told me to think about it.

  Think about it, and we’d discuss it at our session on Thursday.

  The second question was a lot harder.

  If Maddy wanted to work on our relationship, would I be willing?

  I scoffed at that second question. I couldn’t imagine Maddy changing her mind after all this time. But had we ever had that kind of communication? No. Did I want it?

  Now?

  No.

  I spent a long time wanting her attention and being left without it.

  “I’m not that kid anymore, Erin, I might still be a kid…but I want other things. I want the things she can’t give me and has never tried as far as I can tell.”

  “That’s fair,” Erin told me. “So you know what you want to do about her getting in contact with you.”

  “I want it to stop. But…” She went silent and let me figure this out, because we’d danced around the DNA tests. I’d told Erin about them but in short form, because we didn’t know much more about them. “But she has answers that I want, too. At the same time, I don’t know if I’d ever be able to trust a word she said.”

  “Yet, there is always the possibility that she will reveal something.”

  Fuck me.

  “Yeah. But could I trust it? Could I rely on that word? Or is it just going to be something else to hurt and undermine me?”

  “I don’t have those answers either. So let’s dig deeper into this on Thursday. Do you think you’ll talk to her before then?”

  “God, I hope not,” I admitted. “I’m not ready to fight with her.”

  “Then don’t fight, you choose how you feel and how you act. You. Not her. You choose how to treat her, not her. You choose your ground. If she can’t respect that, then you can choose to end the conversation and walk away.”

  True.

  I could do those things.

  It just sounded a lot easier than it felt.

  I promised Erin I’d think about it, and I took a few minutes to pack some of the emotion away, but when I got back inside, none of the guys asked me anything, even if they all searched my face. I loved that they never asked. They were there for me, if I wanted to tell them or if I just needed them. Otherwise, they said nothing. In the library for study hall though, I threaded my fingers with Jake’s and leaned my head on his shoulder and I didn’t look at a single note.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A Day in Our Life

  Mr. Wittaker couldn’t see me until the following day, but Archie and I ducked out at lunch to go and talk to him.

  “Your mother has retained a lawyer,” he informed me as soon as we were seated in his office. He spared Archie a brief look. “And from this point forward, Mr. Standish, I am going to suggest you step out as well, in the interests of protecting attorney-client privilege.”

  “You’re still my attorney,” Archie reminded him. While they debated the point, I turned the idea of Maddy hiring an attorney over in my head.

  “Why?” I interrupted Wittaker’s explanation of the complications of attorney-client privilege. That wasn’t my primary concern right now. “Why has she hired an attorney? Is she counter-suing, or trying to stop me from getting emancipated?”

  “I only received a call from him today,” Wittaker informed me as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. His eyes were tired, and the lines around them deepened as he studied me. “He and I will be conferencing this week to find out what Ms. Curtis’ goals are, but with that in mind, do you want to be present for that meeting?”

  I’d sooner drill my own teeth. Except… “Will she be there?”

  “There is a solid chance, yes.” Wittaker folded his hands together. “The trick here is we have the temporary emancipation order. They are down to less than a week to file their contest.”

  A week? Really?

  “So it’s a natural game to push it to the last minute. There will likely be threats and intimidation. You have the information and the evidence in your corner, enough that a judge granted you the temporary order while we waited out the filing.” The confidence in his voice comforted me. Archie reached over and slid his fingers through mine, and I squeezed his hand in response. “But the fact that she has retained a lawyer says she wants negotiation or, quite possibly, she wants something else from you to not fight the emancipation.”

  Oh.

  “That fits,” Archie said, grinding his teeth.

  “Maddy tried to see me the other day… I sent you the texts.”

  He nodded. “Yes and I want to assure you that even though I do handle a great deal of Standish business, on this matter, I am your attorney and there will be no conflict of interest.”

  “At all?” Why had Maddy seemed so certain?

  Wittaker favored Archie with a look, then opened a folder on his desk and removed two sheets of paper. He slid both across to me. Archie and I both leaned forward. They were waivers releasing him from a conflict of interest—one was signed by Grandpa Ted and my eyebrows climbed. I hadn’t even been aware that he would do that, but the second one floored me.

  “Edward signed a release?” Archie stared at Wittaker.

  “He did, and I am not at liberty to discuss any of the details of it, other than he released me from any conflict with Standish in representing Frankie, here. I can also tell you the attorney Ms. Curtis has retained is not one retained by Standish typically. As the retainer young Mr. Standish here paid me to represent you was not taken from corporate funds, it relieves us of certain burdens with regard to the family.”

  “Huh,” Archie grunted, then set the page back down with the release from his grandfather.

  “This doesn’t feel like a good thing, but it is a good thing, right?” So why was my stomach in knots?

  “It is neither a negative or a positive,” Wittaker assured me. “It’s merely crossing a t and dotting an i. However, it does remove one threat from her arsenal, and I’m not going to speculate on whether she was aware of the release or not.”

  “When did he sign it?” Archie asked, running his thumb over the heel of my hand as though he was trying to smooth away some of the tension cording every muscle in my body.

  “Late on Friday…”

  Archie snorted. “So after Maddy’s threat.” He cut a look at me, his jaded smile softening some. “Sorry, babe.”

  “It’s—it is what it is,” I managed without trying to make light of it. I had no idea why Mr. Standish would make that call or if he had done so in spite of Maddy’s demands or… I blew out a breath. “When is the conference?”

  “Wednesday.”

  I had my internship at Standish then, and when I told Wittaker, he nodded and then checked something on his laptop screen.

  “If you want to be there, I’ll reschedule it to Thursday.”

  Did I want to be there? Not really. However… “What would you advise?”

  Leaning back in his seat, Wittaker studied us both. “As your attorney, I can represent you in this conference with no issues. It will likely be their issuance of expectatio
ns and possibly announcing their intention to file. Then we’ll have time after they file to counter it. Arguably, we can just run the clock out on this until your birthday.”

  “But you don’t think that’s what I should do.”

  Archie squeezed my hand, but I kept my focus on Wittaker. The older man shook his head slowly. “No, I think this is very much Ms. Curtis’ way, via her attorney, of getting you both in the same room. Clearly, she has things she wants to say to you.”

  I snorted, but I didn’t disagree. “Convenient,” was my only comment.

  “Be that as it may, your presence could mean she will step back from her protest once you’ve spoken. That would be the ideal situation, yes? That the two of you could resolve the issue, you get your emancipation and your freedom, and you are within your rights to cut her out.”

  He wasn’t wrong.

  “She could also use it as a chance to lash out at Frankie,” Archie cut in. “Since she seems to thrive on pointing out the flaws in her choices as everyone else’s fault.”

  “That is also a possibility,” Wittaker agreed. “And why I’ll be there. If it descends into name calling and accusations, then we end the conference and you step out, Frankie. The goal here is to get everyone’s cards on the table and manage the situation so that you get what you want. We have a strong case and we can run the clock out until your birthday, so you never have to see her if you don’t want to. It really does come down to how you want to handle it.”

  Leaning back, I stared at the ceiling. “Can you put it off until Thursday and give me a day or two to decide whether I want to be there?”

  “Absolutely,” Wittaker said, giving me an approving smile. Hey look, I made my lawyer happy. “I’m going to caution you, however, that you shouldn’t bring any of your gentlemen friends, including Mr. Standish here.”

  Archie glared at him. “We can wait for her if we can’t be in the conference room. I don’t trust a single thing that woman does, and I want Frankie covered on all aspects.”

  If Wittaker thought that was overkill, he didn’t reveal it. After another ten minutes, where we went over how the conference would work and he called the other attorney to leave a message for rescheduling the conference, Archie and I were alone in the elevator on the way down to the garage where he’d parked.

  “I’m not going to tell you what to do,” Archie said, hand firm in mine.

  “But you don’t want me to see her.”

  “No,” he answered, tone firm and unflinching. “She hurts you. No, I don’t want you seeing her or giving her the chance to get her digs in.”

  “I don’t want to be afraid of her anymore,” I said slowly, chewing my lower lip. “I don’t want her choices to dictate mine.” As much as I wanted to say that her choices didn’t impact mine, they did. “That said…” I blew out a breath as the doors opened and we headed for the Ferrari. “I’m not interested in her opinions, and at the same time, I have questions.”

  “About the DNA tests.”

  I nodded. “About that. About her mother. About a lot of things… I don’t want to blow it all up in my head as something much bigger than it is, and at the same time…”

  “You want to know.”

  He opened the passenger door for me and waited for me to settle inside before he closed it. Once he settled in the driver’s seat, he got the engine started and looked at me.

  “Then meet with her. See what she wants, but don’t let her control the narrative. You have goals when you walk in there. You can choose to ask the questions or not, no judgment either way.”

  I laughed. “And you’ll be outside waiting for me?”

  “Hell yes. Probably have to bind and gag the other guys to keep them away.” He shook his head, and I bit back another smile as he backed out. I didn’t think he meant more by that statement than what he’d said, but Ian was more likely to do the binding and gagging than be the one bound and gagged. “Wanna blow off the rest of the day and go home? Or anywhere else for that matter?”

  “I would,” I said with a groan. “I really would, but I need to keep up my attendance as much as possible with going to my internship twice a week starting this week.”

  He made a face. “I’d rather keep up with you naked and getting our time in that way.”

  “You boys wouldn’t bother with letting me get dressed if you had your way. Ian already suggested I just spend a day naked while you four played video games.”

  Archie snorted. “We wouldn’t be playing games for long. Though I could go for a little sudden challenge play.”

  I groaned. “Do I want to know what that would be?”

  A wicked grin curved his lips. “You bouncing on my dick while I kicked the crap out of the game.”

  “Wait, how is that a sudden challenge if you’re playing a video game while I get you off?” Not that I was wholly opposed to the idea.

  “Babe, if you’re on my dick, I guarantee you, my mind is not going to be on the game.”

  “Good to know,” I said with a laugh. At his suggestive look and grin, I flicked his ear. “I’ll think about it, drive the car.”

  “I’m driving…”

  At least I wasn’t thinking about Maddy. Not even a little bit. No, I was too busy fighting back the giggles every time Archie shifted gears and shot me a playful look.

  Coop rode with me to do deliveries that night after we discussed our meeting with Wittaker and worked out a schedule for not only homework, but chores. The guys were getting messier week by week, and even Archie was willing to tackle some of the chores, though he’d rather just have Jeremy swing by or hire a maid service.

  Thankfully, the guys helped me shoot it down. As I headed for my first pickup, I glanced over to find Coop staring out into the darkness. At least it wasn’t raining.

  “You’re quiet,” I told him. The restaurant for my first pick-up was fifteen minutes away, and there was a second order there, too.

  “Just thinking,” he murmured with a wry grin.

  “Well spit it out before those thoughts die of loneliness.”

  His snort echoed through the car’s interior. “If I ask you some personal questions, would you answer?”

  “Probably,” I said after considering his question for a moment. “I think it would depend on the type of personal questions. If it’s about me, sure. But…I don’t want to betray any confidences from anyone.”

  “Fair,” he said with a sigh and leaned back in the seat, tapping his knuckles against his lower lip. “The dad thing.”

  “You mean my sperm donor?”

  “Fair,” he said slowly. “If we find out who it is, do you want to meet them?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know anything about having a dad. The closest were Maddy’s boyfriends over the years, and the ones she let get close enough to meet me weren’t that many. And after Kenny…” I sighed and shrugged again. “I just didn’t want to get attached. Now she’s attached to the one I wish she wasn’t.”

  “Yeah, I guess I didn’t think about it that way.” Coop raked a hand through his hair. “I just…I just wonder if your dad—your sperm donor,” he self-corrected without me saying anything, and I loved him for it. “I gotta wonder if he even knows whether you exist or not. Because if he does know you exist and he’s ignored you this whole time? Well, fuck him. But if he didn’t…you deserve a good parent in your life.”

  “One,” I said. “It’s way too late for me to even want a parent rolling in to try and take over my life. I pretty much know how to take care of myself.”

  He scoffed. “You overdo everything, and yes, you have been looking after yourself for years. That is why you deserve to have someone care and look after you.”

  “Two,” I continued, reaching over to rub his thigh lightly. “I have you guys. You care about me enough to fight for me and to work together while we figured all of this out. I have you, Coop. I don’t need a ‘dad’ mucking it up.”

  He chuckled. “Worried we’d have to declare our inte
ntions to him?”

  I cut him a look. “First, that’s a little on the patriarchal bullshit line. He’s a sperm donor, and whether he knew or not, he hasn’t been a part of my life. Why would you have to explain shit to him?”

  “Woah,” Coop said, raising his hands then covering mine on his thigh. “Not looking to put down your feminism or your independence, just thought trying to explain four boyfriends might be fun.”

  I snorted. “You’d send Archie and Jake in first.”

  “Damn straight,” Coop said with a grin. “That’s how this boyfriend thing works—we all rely on our strengths. Archie can talk his way out of damn near anything, and Jake’s just got that this is what’s happening so suck it thing going on.”

  “But all of that aside…it’s still my life. Not his, whoever he might be.” I shook my head. “Where is this coming from? You having issues with your dad again?”

  “Yes and no. Mom and Sis have been going round for round on the subject, and I’m just not—I don’t want to be in the middle of it. Sis is just fighting this fight without having all the facts. She wants to blame Mom for everything, and Mom’s not correcting her assumptions. It pisses me off, because she gives Dad a fucking pass and he’s the one who fucked up.”

  I made a face. “I’m sorry.” Did I admit it? “I talked to Trina the other day. Not for long, just catching up at the mailboxes and she was…she was upset about being grounded.”

  Coop let out a growl. “Because she spent the night away from the house without cluing Mom in that there would be boys at the sleepover.”

  Yeah, okay, so not touching that one.

  “Anything could have happened.”

  True. Except… “Nothing did though, right?”

  “So she says,” he grumbled. But we were at the restaurant and I had to run inside.

  I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

  It didn’t take me long at all to pick up both orders and put them in the insulated sacks. Back at the car, I stowed them in the backseat and tapped the phone to get the directions for where I was dropping them off.