Brent's Law by Ylette Pearson Page A

attorneys to consider playing cougar. Besides, he is your client’s husband, for heaven’s sake. She forced air into her lungs and her mind cleared a little.
    He stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Owen.”
    The deep timbre in his voice unzipped her spine and resonated somewhere below her navel. Under her clothes, gooseflesh riddled her body.
    “Ahem…pleased to meet you too.”
    Her hand disappeared into his large one and the heat of the contact seared her all the way to her core. Her nervous system short-circuited and rational thought fled. Get a grip on yourself. You want to fight with him here, not jump his bones .
    Right.
    She extracted her hand while her heart threatened to climb out of her chest. The flames in her face could ignite a bonfire. Turning, she pointed a shaking finger at the table.
    “Have a seat.”
    While proud of the strength of her voice, she prayed her knees would carry her weight as she walked toward the rear of the office. The heat from his body warmed her as he followed much too close. She gritted her teeth as he pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit before rounding the table to his own seat.
    Amber hadn’t lied. Brent Russell was a womanizer and, judging by her own struggle to regain her composure, an experienced one. For the first time since meeting Amber, she felt a sliver of sympathy toward the girl. Young Amber had never stood a chance against the sensual onslaught Brent packed.
    Samantha flipped open the file and pulled out a settlement agreement. Carefully avoiding looking at his client, she addressed the other attorney.
    “I trust you received the revised settlement agreement?”
    Rob nodded and Samantha ignored the amusement flickering in his eyes.
    “We have, but my client feels it is unreasonable. As you know, the prenuptial contract stipulated your client is entitled to claim for maintenance for her or any children born from the union. What your client demands, exceeds the bounds of the agreement.”
    With a slight shrug of her shoulders, she folded her hands over the file in front of her. “My client is entitled to be kept at the standard of living she has become accustomed to during the marriage.”
    “True, but she’s asking for a quarter of my client’s assets which amounts to much more than just maintaining the living standard.”
    Samantha met the attorney’s eyes and a pebble of dread lodged in her stomach. She’d seen the same twinkle in Rob’s eyes before. He had ammunition that would put a different spin on things and was waiting for the right moment to pounce. Damn Amber for holding out on her.
    Amber plonked her phone on the table and pointed toward Brent. “You owe me, you son of a bitch.”
    “My client owes you what’s stated in the contract—nothing more.”
    In the corner of her vision, Brent clamped his fingers together on the table, his expression impassive. At least he had the sense to ignore the bait thrown out by his hopefully soon to be ex-wife.
    “Let’s be reasonable. We called this meeting to try and resolve these issues so the divorce could be finalized, not to go on a bout of mudslinging.” She concentrated on Rob again. “While your offer is generous, my client feels she would need more to maintain her lifestyle. She needs a new apartment and transport, which explains the amount requested in our revised agreement.”
    Brent straightened in his chair. “I bought your client a house and a car two years ago. Maybe she needs the money to fund her cocaine addiction?”
    The pebble in her stomach grew to a rock while all sympathy for her client evaporated. She glared at Amber who shrugged her shoulders.
    “I am not a drug addict. Using a drug once doesn’t make you an addict.”
    Rob leafed through his own stack of documents, pulled out a sheet of paper then handed it to Samantha. “We have an affidavit from a private investigator detailing all the times your client used cocaine during the past two months. It details