Mad Love: Madison Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Kindle Press, Seattle, 2015

  A Kindle Scout selection

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, Kindle Scout, and Kindle Press are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER ONE

  TEN

  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22ND

  10:30 P.M.

  Madison Love shifted her gaze from the brightly lit colorful Christmas tree to the windows of the grand ballroom on the top floor of her office building. She gazed down at the city lights dotted along Man o’ War Boulevard as a light snow dusted the road below.

  She shivered slightly and rubbed a hand down her bare arm. It had been a relatively mild winter for Kentucky so far, but to her dismay, that appeared to be changing.

  Madison caught her reflection in the window and smoothed a black lock of hair back into place. Exhausted from all of the talking that she had been doing since her law firm’s annual Christmas party began, she took a drink from her champagne flute, trying to soothe the aching feeling in her throat.

  It was to be expected, she thought, with a glance toward the colorfully wrapped presents littered around the tree.

  She raised an eyebrow as she stared at them. Empty, no doubt.

  These things were never truly about celebrating the season. They were about one thing and one thing only.

  Clients.

  Acquiring new and retaining old.

  She didn’t do half bad on the first part tonight, and the last part, she noted to herself with a small smile at her reflection, was firmly secure.

  Shifting her gaze towards the ballroom, she tried to identify the remaining guests. Worried about the ice and the snow slowly accumulating on the street below, many of the partygoers had left early, leaving only the lawyers to celebrate. The middle of the room was practically empty. So were the corners near the exits.

  She glanced at the bar where most of the lawyers had gathered. They stood near the bar, knocking back drinks one after the other. Their voices grew louder and more boisterous as the minutes passed.

  Normally, she would be there with them. Not drinking but socializing at the very least, but tonight was different. It was her birthday and the last thing she wanted was to spend her thirtieth birthday with a bunch of old lawyers reliving past cases and arguing over new ones.

  She would’ve already gotten out of there thirty minutes before but her best friend at the firm had insisted that she stay a few minutes longer. Becca said she had a surprise for her and then promptly disappeared.

  Madison scanned the room again, searching for her friend.

  A man standing off to the side of the bar talking to one of the partners of her firm caught her eye. She couldn’t tell who he was since his back was toward her, but his long, lean, muscular build caught her eye. Her gaze followed the line of his strong back up to his thick, dark brown hair.

  Ethan? She thought as a wave of excitement swept through her.

  She stood up straighter as the man turned to the side allowing her a glimpse of his profile.

  Disappointment flooded her. Not Ethan, she thought, taking another drink. She glanced at her dress, which was reflected in the window.

  He had promised that he’d be here tonight and in anticipation, Madison had dressed with him in mind. It took her days to find the right outfit, which would be sexy enough to get his attention, but conservative enough not to shock the partners of her firm.

  It was a tough balance, but she had finally found the perfect dress this morning. As she slipped into the red silk dress, she imagined the look in his beautiful dark blue eyes when he walked into the ballroom and first saw her. She spent an hour on her hair alone, pinning up her long black tresses as she fantasized about him taking it down.

  She lightly snorted as she took another drink. Like that was going to happen.

  There were many words to describe Ethan Parker. Smart. Handsome. Strong. Sexy. Funny. Kind. Caring. Charming. Sweet, and last but not least, frustrating.

  Frustratingly unattainable and frustratingly beautiful. A deadly combination for her heart.

  An ex-naval officer, now a private investigator who was sometimes employed by the firm, Ethan Parker, had dominated her thoughts and dreams in a way no other man had ever done in her entire thirty years of life. And why not? She thought as she closed her eyes and pictured his face.

  Six feet two with a lean fighter’s body, a beautiful face, strong mind, a good sense of humor, a caring compassionate personality and the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen, he was the stuff of dreams and fantasies. She couldn’t have done a better job even if she had made him up herself. Even their beliefs, interests and goals in life matched up perfectly. From the moment they met, they just clicked and ever since then, he had grown to be one of her best friends. Every day, they shared their deepest thoughts, dreams and secrets with one another, and every day, she grew to care for him more and more.

  The man seemed tailor made for her, but there was just one thing that bothered her.

  She had no idea how he felt about her.

  Despite her subtle and sometimes not so subtle hints that she was interested in him, he hadn’t made a move or even asked her out.

  He didn’t seem like the shy type and she was sure he was just as interested in her as she was in him, so what was the problem?

  Surely, she hadn’t imagined the pleasure in his eyes whenever he saw her. Or the way he would seek her out whenever he was near her office for no apparent reason than just to say hello. Or how his eyes would darken with desire those rare times when they were alone and she would move in closer to him.

  She opened her eyes.

  No, she wasn’t imagining those things, she decided firmly. He was definitely interested, but for some reason, the man was determined to take things slowly.

  She couldn’t really fault him on that, she thought with a sigh. They hadn’t known each other that long. Only three months, and she had to admit that she tended to be rather cautious when it came to new relationships. She had never been one to take risks, especially with her heart. Although, out of all the men available, she thought glancing back at the bar, Ethan Parker would definitely be worth the risk.

  However, she had to acknowledge the risk wasn’t all on her side. There was the added difficulty resulting from the fact that her firm was a major client of his. If they started a relationship and something went wrong, he was probably naturally worried he might lose out on a rather lucrative piece of business.

  Then there was Nicole, one o
f the partners in her firm. She glanced toward the older lawyer seated at a table with one of the other partners and a major client. The problem with Ethan was that Madison wasn’t the only one who noticed his many wonderful attributes. Nicole seemed just as smitten as she was. Madison felt she had an edge in that she wasn’t married, but Nicole never seemed to let that pesky little fact stop her. Ethan wouldn’t be the first man who had come through their office doors that Nicole hadn’t added to her personal employ. Ethan didn’t seem like that type of man, but Nicole could be very persistent and determined when she wanted something, and she wanted Ethan. She made that clear several times over the last few months. Even going so far purposely as to interrupt whenever she discovered that Ethan and Madison were alone with one another and then making excuses to steal him away, each and every time.

  Nicole was definitely persistent and determined to have Ethan, but so was Madison.

  “Happy Birthday,” Becca Vickers said in a singsong voice from behind her.

  Madison turned toward her friend. “There you are. I thought you left me.”

  “A client caught me in the hallway on her way out. Sorry it took me so long.” She brought her hands out from behind her and held out a present in one and a chocolate cupcake in the other.

  “Oh, no.”

  “Oh yes.” Becca pressed the present into Madison’s hands.

  Madison took the reindeer wrapped box with a rueful smile. “I thought we weren’t doing presents this year.”

  Becca gave her dark curly head a definitive shake. “We’re not doing Christmas presents this year, but no one said anything about not doing birthday presents.” She stuck a candle into the cupcake and lit it. “Happy birthday, Madison,” she said holding out the cupcake. She gestured to the young man in the seersucker suit, hovering nearby holding a large open box filled with a couple more presents and cards. “Those are from everyone in the office. The three headed hydra’s gifts,” she said gesturing to the firm’s partners, “are on the top. They would’ve given them to you themselves, but they have far more important things to attend to than this.”

  Madison laughed. “Thanks a lot.”

  Derek, the firm’s newest paralegal, shook his head in horror. “No, they really wanted to be here.”

  Madison watched in amusement as Becca’s expressive brown eyes did a dramatic eye roll.

  “Nicole was even going to make a small speech,” Derek continued as he set the box down on the nearest table.

  “Really?” Madison asked glancing at her friend.

  “That’s what she said,” Becca said as she sat down. “But do you see her?”

  Derek pointed to the corner of the room. “The guy she’s talking to over there owns one the biggest horse farms in the state. He just fired his last attorney and is thinking about using us.”

  “Nice,” Madison set the present down on the table and took the seat between Derek and Becca.

  “Ah, enough shop talk.” Becca promptly set the cupcake down in front of Madison and sat back with a grin. “Don’t forget to make a wish.”

  Madison gave her friend a look before closing her eyes, blowing on the candle, and making a wish.

  “What did you wish for?” Becca asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

  Madison took the candle out and peeled the wrapper off the cupcake. “If I told you then it wouldn’t come true.”

  “That’s alright,” Becca said with a smug grin. “I think I already know who you wished for.”

  Derek’s green eyes widened. “Who?”

  “No one,” said Madison, giving her friend a look as she took a bite of the cupcake. Only Becca knew how obsessed Madison was with Ethan and she took great delight in needling Madison about her secret crush for the handsome detective. Licking the frosting off her lips, she said, “I wished for everyone to have a safe and merry Christmas.”

  “Yeah, right,” Becca said pushing her present closer to Madison, “and on that note, open my gift.”

  Madison set the cupcake to the side and tore open a corner of the reindeer wrapping with her fingernail. “Thank you but really you shouldn’t have.”

  Becca propped her head in her hand as she eagerly watched Madison unwrap her gift. “Nonsense. We all felt sorry for you.”

  “Sorry for me.” Madison chuckled as she pulled the wrapping off, revealing a purple box. “Is this another joke about me turning thirty?”

  “No,” Becca said. “We all felt bad that your birthday was so close to a major holiday. You must really have gotten cheated on the presents growing up.”

  “Well, it was a struggle, but after years of therapy, I managed to make something of my life.” She turned the box over, which according to the picture on the box contained a pretty gold frame. “Oh nice,” she said as she opened the end of the box and pulled out the frame. “I needed a new frame for my parent’s picture.” She turned it around and stared down at the eight by ten picture of a man in a Navy uniform. Ethan Parker’s gorgeous dark blue eyes stared back at her. She felt a blush steal across her face as she quickly turned it over and shoved it back in the box. She gave her friend an amused look. “I’ll cherish it always.”

  Ever the prankster, Becca laughed in delight.

  Derek looked at them in confusion. “What? What happened? What’s wrong with it?”

  Becca waved her hand at him. “Nothing, I just gave Madison what she wanted for her birthday.”

  “You are so cruel,” Madison said with a chuckle.

  “You should thank me. It wasn’t easy to get that picture.”

  Horrified that her friend might have asked Ethan himself for the picture, Madison said, “You didn’t.”

  Becca quickly caught on. “Of course not. Bill,” she said referring to her husband, “was in the Navy too. He contacted an old buddy who is still in the service and had him get it.”

  Madison breathed a sigh of relief.

  Becca lowered her voice as she leaned closer. “Don’t tell anyone where you got this from. I don’t want to get Bill’s friend in trouble just in case this wasn’t okay.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “I don’t know,” Becca said rolling her eyes, “it’s the military. They probably have rules about this sort of thing. I just know Bill said he owed his buddy big so I figure the picture wasn’t easy to get. Then again, Bill might have only said that so I’d let him go to New Orleans with a few of his old naval buddies in a couple of weeks.” Widening her eyes innocently, she raised her voice back to a normal level and asked, “So, how did that client meeting you had yesterday go?”

  “It was just fine, thank you,” Madison said.

  “What happened yesterday?” Derek asked running his hand over his short cropped brown hair.

  “Nothing. I met a client near Triangle Park for lunch.” Madison shrugged nonchalantly. “Everything went smoothly.”

  “I heard that Ethan was there,” Becca said.

  “Now, how did you know that?” Madison asked in amazement. She planned to tell Becca all about it earlier, but she had been too busy with client meetings and a deposition to chat with her.

  “I have my ways,” Becca said mysteriously. “You were awfully late coming back to work.”

  “He wasn’t at my meeting, but I ran into him afterwards by the ice rink.” Madison’s lips turned up in remembrance. “We spent an hour watching some guy trying to skate. He didn’t seem to be enjoying it but his girlfriend kept pulling him out onto the ice. I bet his knees were black and blue by the time he left the rink.”

  A look of distaste crossed Becca’s face. “Well, there goes my theory as to why you were late. I almost wish I hadn’t asked.”

  Derek tilted his head to the side. “Why were you watching some guy skate?”

  “Ethan’s after a jewel thief,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “He was just keeping an eye on one of his prime suspects.”

  “And you decided to lend him a helping hand. How very considerate of you,” Becca said teas
ingly.

  Madison rolled her eyes as she held out her hand. “Give me another present.”

  Derek leaned over the brown box. Knocking the three white envelopes off the top, he reached inside and picked up a small red box, which he proudly presented to her. “This is from me.”

  “Oh, Derek, thank you,” Madison said with genuine warmth. She knew he was struggling financially and was touched that he had thought of her. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I wanted to. You’ve been so great to me, Madison. I think if you hadn’t been here my first week, I would’ve quit.” He turned to Becca. “You too, Becca. I can’t begin to tell you how much you help me. I owe you both so much.”

  “You would have been just fine,” Becca said. “You’re a very hard worker.”

  “You definitely saved me the other day,” Madison said. “I’d probably still be working on that brief if you hadn’t helped me with the research.”

  Derek ducked his head, embarrassed by the praise. He gestured to the gift. “I hope you like it,” he said a bit awkwardly.

  “I’m sure I will.” Madison opened the box to find a twenty-five dollar gift card to a movie theater enclosed inside.

  With his face still red, he said, “You’ve been talking about how much you want to see that new romance movie that just came out for weeks now, so I thought I’d help you with that.”

  Madison and Becca exchanged looks. Derek was right. She had been talking about seeing that particular movie for weeks now, usually when Ethan was nearby. She kept hoping he would take the hint and would ask her out.

  Oh well, she thought as she placed the card in the box, for a private detective Ethan could be a bit oblivious at times. “Thank you, Derek. It’s just what I wanted. I need it after that deposition I had today.”