Lust on the Rocks Read Online Free Page A

woman.  As an adolescent, her parents forced her to share an overload of responsibility for the care of five younger siblings, despite the fact her brother was scarcely a year behind her.  In college she was offered more sexual advances than internships with law school providing more of the same.
    Sam sighed.  Baker, Schofield, Martinez and Brown had been the one interview where she felt wholly respected—wholly appreciated for her talent and not her looks.  Because of Raul.  He focused on her abilities and she responded.  From there, the man taught her everything she knew, from the law to the lowdown, and groomed her into the legal shark she was proud to be.
    Her thoughts chilled.  Yet now, he was encouraging interference on her caseload from the new guy.  It didn’t make sense.
    Sam honed in on Vic.  “Give me one good reason I should include you on Perry.”
    “You said it yourself, I’m good.”
    “So am I.”
    “It’s a big case.  More than one attorney can handle.”
    “I have Diego.”
    “I have experience.”
    “So I hear.”  Sam lifted her glass from the table, but never took her eyes off him.
    “It could work to your benefit.”
    “I work to my benefit.”
    Vic eased his neck from his collar and reached for his glass.  “I’m offering to help, Sam.  Most attorneys would jump at the opportunity.”
    “If you hadn’t gathered by now, I’m not most attorneys.”  Sam took a sip from her water, noting his sudden discomfort.  Was he agitated?  “Vic, help me out here. Is there something I’m missing?”
    “Missing?” he asked innocently, but his expression took the hit.  “Like what?”
    “You’re working Memorial, right?”
    “Planning to.”  Vic sat back in his chair.
    “So why Perry?”  She gave a terse shake to her head.  “What’s in it for you?”
    “Nothing’s in it for me.  Diego ran a few details of the case by me and I said I’d help.”  He shifted about in his chair.  “Forget it.  Sorry I asked.”
    Sam pulled her arms into a cross over her chest and smiled thinly.  “I didn’t just roll off the mango truck.”
    “What?  What the hell are you talking about, mango truck?”
    “You know, mangoes...beautiful golden red on the outside, luscious tasty sweet on the inside?”
    Vic looked at her as though she’d lost her mind.
    But she hadn’t.  Not even close.
    Sam flicked a glance to his plate.  “Finished?”
    He slugged back the last of his water then smacked the glass to the table.  “Yeah, I’m finished.”
    But Sam felt the distinct sense this was far from over.

Chapter Three

    Vic chugged water from his bottle, tempted to dump the entire contents onto his head.  Two hours, not a frickin’ cloud in the sky—how did people live with this heat?  Yet here he sat, feet buried in hot sand, sweat pouring from every inch of his body, the temperature had to be pushing a hundred.
    Sitting here, because Diego left him no choice.
    The man was a volleyball fanatic, his every weekend devoted to some city league tournament.  Vic shook his head.  Squinting against the glare, he watched Diego make a vertical leap and pound the ball into an opposing player.  The other guy’s reactions were good.  He rebounded fast, sending the ball flying high into the air whereby another player pelted it back onto Diego’s turf.
    For the score .
    He frowned. That sucked. If Diego lost, his mood would crash rendering his play for information fruitless; the only reason he was here.  Vic threw back a swallow of water.  He was getting nowhere with Sam and opportunity was quickly slipping away.  He had to get inside the Perry case if he wanted a crack at putting Scaliano behind bars.
    Vic ground his jaw closed and allowed his gaze to drift over the bodies scattered like sea lions across the beach. Not settling on a one, his mind was content to coast.  It burned him that Scaliano continued to walk scot-free for what he did, but one thing was for sure.  As