The Lawyer

[William Steiner]

He responded her by hugging her tightly for a moment, planting a kiss upon her cheek, before releasing her and moving to his desk. The shattered remains of what was once a representative of order and efficiency lay before him, his books discarded, papers now crumpled and illegible and the photographs of his brothers now reflected the discord that she had wrought upon him not an hour ago. Slowly he regained his sense and ordered a bath drawn for his 'guest' in one of the upstairs estate rooms. He also made it clear both would be staying here instead of returning to the Steiner manor.

There was a growing voice of concern that lingered at the back of his mind, concern not of what just happened, but rather his apathetic attitude toward a potentially scandalous situation. Protection or no protection, this was a woman who knew what she wanted and was entirely dedicated to getting what she wanted, sex was likely just a means to an end for her and while normally that would not bother him, he was aware that by having him on her side, she could inflict catastrophic levels of damage upon the family if she wanted. Wrapping him around her little finger would likely be her plan. As apathetic as he was to this sudden development he also knew that with her on side, she could be a powerful ally.

Hypothetical scenarios raced through his mind as he calculated the pros and cons of having her around as a Ward, a Lover and even a wife. What was increasingly clear to him was that his position at the moment was at best, disadvantaged, at worse, compromised. Still, the discussion would be had later but that did not stop him from quietly sending a message to Victor, telling him what had happened, just in case. A servant ran a small silvery bell from outside the office door, indicating that the bath she requested had been drawn for her.

Shall I see you at dinner then my lady?

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