Tangled Temptations

Harvey played it cool, and Veronica's husband was in on it too. "Eloise Laurent, Veronica's college buddy, a real brainiac. She's a piano teacher."

Harvey chuckled. "Ah, Ms. Laurent!"-noveldrama

He extended his hand in an amiable gesture. The well-heeled men around them looked thoughtful, some even a tad envious. They could all see that the lovely Ms. Laurent had her sights set on Harvey.

Someone teased, "Attorney Horigan, you lucky dog."

Eloise, a bit of a shy one, hadn't seen this kind of crowd before and extended her hand hesitantly. Her soft hand was taken. Harvey gave it a brief squeeze and let go. He had a charming grin on his face. "Ms. Laurent, up for a round?" He headed towards the golf course, leaving no room for refusal.

Eloise had no choice but to follow. Behind her, Max held his golf club, his face dark.

Harvey was in high spirits. Even when Eloise said she couldn't play, he didn't get annoyed. "I'll teach you!"

With those words, everyone around knew what Harvey was up to, so their glances became even more meaningful.

Eloise wasn't stupid. Harvey's closeness indicated one thing - he wasn't a fan of Max!

Eloise stood in front of Harvey, letting him embrace her from behind. Her shorts exposed a long section of her legs, pressing against him. She could even feel his body heat. Eloise's face was red-hot.

"Focus, Ms. Laurent!" Harvey whispered into her ear, sounding like a lover's sweet nothings.

Eloise froze. Harvey had taken her hand and swung. Applause broke out around them, and the flattery was enough to make your skin crawl.

"Attorney Horigan and Ms. Laurent are a great team."

"It's all thanks to Attorney Horigan's guidance!"

"Just one more swing from Attorney Horigan, and it's in the hole."

The men were used to talking like this, not thinking much of it. Eloise's face was tinged with a blush.

Harvey leaned in close to her ear, chuckling. "Another round, Ms. Laurent?"

His skills were excellent, and sure enough, he got it in the hole.

More applause followed, and Harvey's handsome face was captivating, full of vigor. Eloise's heart fluttered. She had intended to lure him today, but instead, she was the one being led on. She had a feeling, that if Harvey wanted to, 95% of women wouldn't be able to resist him. But a man of his stature wouldn't lower himself easily.

Eloise was held in his arms, sinking a few more balls.

During the break, she sat next to Harvey. He didn't talk much to her, mostly discussing business with others, occasionally touching upon legal matters.

Eloise played along. She handed him drinks and fetched towels, and Harvey accepted with ease.

Veronica thought they had a shot. She pulled Eloise into the bathroom for a private chat. "Who would have thought, Attorney Horigan's got game! He always seemed so straightlaced."

Veronica was afraid Eloise would get in over her head, because a man of

Harvey's standing wasn't likely to marry Eloise, and not to mention Max was in the picture.

Eloise understood perfectly, she said softly, "At most, it's just a physical thing. I'm not that naive."

Veronica breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as they were about to leave, Max barged in. As soon as he entered, he pushed Eloise against the wall, his face dark as a storm. Veronica tried to pull him back. "Max, what the hell are you doing?"

Max shoved Veronica out and locked the door.

On the other side, Veronica banged on the door, muttering under her breath, "You bastard, Max, picking on a woman makes you a real man, doesn't it?"

Such things didn't bother Max. If he wasn't determined, how could he abandon Eloise and sever ties completely?