Part 19 (2/2)
The look in her eyes said it all. They could just imagine just how glowing the recommendation was. h.e.l.l knows no fury like a woman scorned.
”So there's a chance you're not one of Carrington's favorite people,” Trevor said, trying to hide his smile.
”No, but then he's not one of mine.”
”When was the last time you saw him?” Tori asked.
”The day of the wedding.”
The room got quiet again. ”How about telling what happened after your broken engagement, about the men you dated and why you dated them,” said Blade.
Sam s.h.i.+fted her gaze from him to the other five pairs of eyes focused on her. ”After Guy, I was on a mission to make men pay. So I decided to get even and became a bona fide player hater.”
Alex lifted a brow. ”A player hater?”
”Yes.”
Five pairs of eyes s.h.i.+fted from Sam to Blade. He returned their stares with a shrug.
Alex cleared his throat and returned his gaze to Sam. ”So as a player hater, what exactly did you do?”
”The usual.”
Sir Drake, who had been leaning against the edge of Jake's desk, asked, ”What's the usual?”
Sam smiled. ”I would lead them on, convince them I was interested in them and that I was easy. I would build up their s.e.xual expectations and when the time came for me to deliver, I didn't.”
”You deliberately set them up? Strung them along? Teased them?” Trevor asked incredulously.
”Yes,” she responded proudly. ”I played them.”
Trevor shook his head. ”I'm sure a number of them must have been angry, even have threatened your life,” he said.
”Yes, they did.”
”Didn't you take any of them seriously?” Alex asked.
”No. I figured they would eventually get over it. I just wanted to show them that two could play their games.”
”What about that guy a few years ago, Sam?” Ashton asked. ”Mac mentioned that some guy was arrested and served time for trying to exact revenge on you.”
”Someone tried to get even?” Blade asked.
She rolled her eyes. ”Yes, Belton LaSalle. I met him the first year I moved to Oklahoma. He believed that he was G.o.d's gift to women.”
Five pairs of eyes sought Blade out again. This time he smiled.
”Anyway,” Sam said, ”I thought he needed to be taught a lesson. I must have seriously p.i.s.sed him off. About a week or two later, he called and invited me out, claiming he just wanted to apologize and show me that there were no hard feelings.”
She s.h.i.+fted in her seat and noticed the she had everyone's attention. ”Mac and Peyton didn't trust him and suggested that I meet him in a public place. I picked a well-known restaurant downtown, but I didn't know that Mac still had misgivings about him. She and Peyton had made reservations at the same restaurant and got a table not far from ours.”
She drew in a deep breath. ”To make a long story short, when my back was turned, Belton slipped a date-rape drug into my drink.”
”The b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” said Alex, to everyone's surprise.
Blade and the others understood Alex's outburst had to do with a situation involving Christy a few years ago.
”Lucky for me, Mac and Peyton saw the whole thing before I drank anything. They called the police, and Belton was arrested and sent to prison. He was given four years, but only served two.”
”So you know for a fact that he's out of prison now?” Ashton said.
”He's supposed to be. I got a letter from the parole board a few years ago saying he was being released two years early for good behavior.”
”Have you seen him or has he tried contacting you in any way?” Drake asked.
”No, the last time I saw him was in court-the day he was sentenced.”
”Okay, what about male friends?” said Alex.
”There's only Frederick.”
”Frederick?” Ashton asked.
”Yes, Frederick Damon Rowe. We call him FDR. We started working at my family's law firm on the same day and became best friends.”
”When was the last time you saw him?” Alex asked.
”I saw him when I was home visiting my family about three weeks ago. He calls periodically to check up on me, and even comes to visit me. However, he's been busy lately and hasn't had a chance to get away,” Sam said.
”Are there any other names that come to mind-male or female-that you feel I should check out?” Alex asked.
Sam shook her head. ”No, I can't think of anyone.”
”What about cases you've handled? Anyone that you've really p.i.s.sed off?”
She shrugged. ”There's always one or two, but none that I think would want to retaliate.”
Alex smiled. ”Share the names with me and let me be the judge of that. And I would like a list of the names of all your employees.” He closed his notepad. ”How soon can I get it?”
”I can fax that information to you when I return to the office Monday,” Sam said.
”Good. I have some free time between a.s.signments. I should have some information for you in a couple of weeks.”
”That soon?” she asked.
Alex smiled. ”Yes. I have contacts, and usually they're not only efficient, they're fast.”
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