Meredith looked up expectantly, her eyes fixed on Catalina.

“Well?”

The rounder girl sat on the opposite side of the desk and slid a nondescript file toward her.

“You won’t believe it until you see it yourself, Mer. The guy is a fucking saint,” Catalina sighed.

“No one is that big of a saint, Cat. There’s got to be something in his past I can use against him if need be,” Meredith insisted, the words sticking in her throat like glue. It made her nauseous that she was this ambitious over something she was likely to get in the future anyway. But a challenge was a challenge.

And Meredith loved challenges.

Particularly ones with abs of titanium and a lower lip I could sink my teeth into.

“Well, good luck finding anything,” Catalina scoffed. “He’s a decorated army vet. He spent five years in—”

“I know about his military record,” Meredith interjected, pulling open the file. “Tell me what happened after he came home. Or what happened in college. Tell me he’s got a Kavanaugh or something.”

More uneasiness accompanied her words and Meredith wondered what the hell was wrong with her. She couldn’t think of anything more sickening than the idea of using something that Luke Vaughan had done against him. But it was like the ruthless lawyer persona had overtaken the woman inside her.

What woman inside you? For years, you’ve been focussed on school and work. Sex hasn’t even come into play if it hasn’t been dropped into your lap.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had actively pursued a man. It simply hadn’t been necessary.

It wasn’t as if Meredith was some puritan saint. She loved sex and everything it entailed but relationships were the farthest thing from her mind.

Until now.

Don’t be stupid. Men like Luke Vaughan are not relationship material. Besides, he’s probably a selfish bastard in bed and once would be more than enough to show me that.

“I’m telling you,” the paralegal sighed. “You’re wasting your time. See for yourself.”

Meredith turned her eyes back toward the file and scanned more of the same information she had already learned.

“I asked for new information,” Meredith snapped, trying to sound stern but in her heart, she was glad there was no glaring arrest record to speak of.

“There is new information,” Cat insisted, leaning forward to jab a finger at a random piece of paper inside the folder. “Did you see this?”

Slowly, Meredith reached for the page and studied it, at first unsure of what she was reading.

“His financials…?”

“Do you see how much money he makes fighting?” Catalina asked, a breath of excitement lacing her words. “He’s a millionaire.”

Meredith’s mind flipped back to the condo in Bloomfield Hills, the tastefully but relatively sparsely decorated apartment which Luke called home.

It was obvious that Luke was well-off. Her previous research had told her that, but a fresh look made her wonder where all his money went. His bank balance certainly didn’t reflect the millions of dollars he earned.

He’s not spending it on clothes, anyways. An image of his torn jeans and bare chest popped into her head – again.

Why was it so difficult to get the picture of his eight pack out of her head?

“Gambling?” Cat asked, trying to force hopefulness into her voice. “Hookers? Drugs?”

The latter seemed improbable. Meredith was certain she’d know a drug user on sight by now, but some people did hide it better than others.

“Gambling,” Meredith said with confidence, sure she’d figured it all out. He fit the profile after all. A cage fighter with too much money, likely easily bored.

“I don’t think so,” Catalina grumbled. “Would you just read?” She was beginning to sound exasperated.

“What’s wrong?” Meredith asked shrewdly. “Have somewhere important to go?”

“No,” Cat retorted, rubbing her dark eyes tiredly. “I just stayed up all night digging into Luke’s past, as per your request and you’re not even looking at it.”

Sheepishly, Meredith continued to look over what was before her and then she froze, her eyes narrowing.

“This can’t be right,” she muttered, flipping through the pages. “There’s no way. Is this a front?”

“I know you’re cynical, Mer, but this is going above and beyond, even for you,” Catalina sighed. “I told you, this guy is beyond squeaky clean. Why do you have such a hard-on for tarnishing his name?”

“I-I don’t!” Meredith denied hotly. “But I need something on him…”

You would really blackmail this guy into taking on an inheritance he doesn’t want?

Guilt flooded her in a torrent and she wondered when she had become this desperate.

Have I been groomed to become a heartless, cutthroat bitch from birth? Was this always where I was headed?

Her childhood flashed through her mind in a series of picture snapshots, being lugged from private school to her parents’ office, joining debate teams and pouring over homework while her friends were off smoking pot and getting pregnant.

It had never occurred to Meredith to regret any of the things she’d missed out on.

Okay, maybe not the teen pregnancy bit, but is missing out on a normal childhood what led to becomimg this merciless when I’m in pursuit of something?

More importantly, she wondered why it mattered to her so much now, of all times.

If she was totally honest, Meredith admitted to herself that maybe it had nothing to do with her conscience and everything to do with the fierce attraction she felt toward Luke Vaughan.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Meredith said, reclaiming her composure. “He can’t possibly give away this much money to charity. He won’t even get most of it back.”

“I was thinking that I guess it’s possible…that it could be part of a money laundering deal,” Catalina confessed, and the idea sent a pang of despair through Meredith. “I have Denise in accounting doing a trace on the funds but there wasn’t enough time. I should have word later today, but from what I could find online, all the recipients and foundations are legit and have existed well before Luke was even in diapers.”

Relief almost knocked the wind out of her.

“What kind of charities are they?” Meredith asked, casting the file aside to look into it later. Her long fingers ran over the keyboard to investigate further.

She’d been in the office since six a.m., unable to sleep, as her future hung in the balance.

“They’re a compilation but all of them deal with helping children,” Cat explained. “Covenant House, scholarship funds, women and children’s shelters. There’s a monthly donation to a suicide prevention hotline and from what I can see, his money is keeping them afloat. The place has been about to go under due to lack of funding for years.”

This time the wind was knocked from her chest and she flopped back to study Catalina’s face, shame coloring her cheeks wildly.

“He’s a fucking saint,” she mumbled.

A fucking saint who makes me wet just to think about.

“You seem relieved,” Catalina pointed out. “If we can’t get something on him, how are you going to get him to take over the company?”

Meredith scowled at her.

“You’re not even supposed to know about that,” she reminded Catalina. “Don’t talk about it aloud.”

Cat grunted.

“I’m not telling anyone else about it,” she replied defensively. “Should I speak in code? Why are you acting like such a weirdo about this?”

“I’m not!”

The phone on Meredith’s desk began to ring and she snatched it up before Catalina could call her out on more of her bizarre behavior.

Yeah, I know I’m acting stupid, Cat. I don’t need a reminder.

“Meredith Ruiz-Maddox.”

“Do you eat lunch?”

A thousand hot and cold needles assaulted her simultaneously. She didn’t need to ask who it was. She was sure he had been whispering in her ear all night long in her dreams.

“I’m sorry, who is this?” she asked and instantly cringed when she heard the weakness in her words. He laughed and for a terrifying moment, Meredith thought he might hang up.

“Fine, we can play that game,” he replied. “It’s Luke Vaughan.”

Her body sagged and tensed at the same time, her gut twisting like she was being pulled in two awful directions at the same time.

“Luke!” Again, her tone was off and she could hear it, but Catalina didn’t seem to notice, her eyes bugging as she leaned forward in shocked interest.

“Are you still looking for someone to take over Carter’s company?” Luke demanded. He seemed to be losing the amusement in his tone.

“I-yes! I am. Sorry, y-you just caught me off guard. It’s a busy morning around here.”

“I see. Does that mean you won’t have time to meet for lunch? I have a proposition for you.”

“No! I mean yes, I can make time to meet with you, Luke,” she assured him. “Should I have a car come and get you?”

“No,” he replied. “I’ll have one come for you. Noon?”

“Perfect,” Meredith replied without looking at her schedule. She had no idea what was lined up for the day, but nothing was more important than seeing Luke Vaughan.

Because of the company, of course.

It took her a minute to realize that he had disconnected the call without saying goodbye and Meredith slowly replaced the receiver, a dazed look in her eyes.

“Luke?” Catalina echoed, the teasing awe in her voice almost palpable. “You’re awfully cozy with someone you just met.”

“He wants me to call him Luke,” Meredith said defensively. “Don’t judge me.”

“Only God can judge you,” Catalina intoned with a grin. “I’ll just look at you skeptically when you tell me your face isn’t bright red right now.”

“It’s hot in here.”

“I bet.”

“Just cancel my afternoon, Cat. And get out. I have work to do.”

“Cancel your—how long do you expect this lunch to be?” Catalina asked dubiously without moving from her chair.

“As long as it takes to get the deal negotiated, Catalina. You know, if I get this partnership, it means a promotion for you too.”

Catalina smirked.

“Why do you think I’m not speaking my entire mind?” she replied slyly. Meredith stared at her.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Cat rose with surprising agility.

“Nothing,” she replied, ambling toward the door.

“No, if you have something to say then spit it out,” Meredith insisted, stopping her.

“I’m just saying that I’ve never seen you so taken with a client before,” Catalina replied, averting her gaze. She could tell that her words were not happily received.

“I’ve never had a client be worth a name partnership before,” Meredith retorted. “That’s all this is about.”

Catalina shrugged.

“Everyone in here, from the cleaning staff to the managing partner knows that you’ll be name partner one day, Meredith. There’s no reason for you to work so hard on this…unless you’re motivated by something else.”

Cat left then, leaving Meredith to stew in the truth of her words.

He’s just a smoking hot man who I may or may not sleep with…

Meredith’s hands balled into a fist and she dug her manicured nails into her palms as if to shock some sense into herself.

You can’t sleep with a client.

But he wasn’t a client…not yet, right?

And that was when Meredith knew she was in trouble.