Philip’s POV
"Philip, darling, why don’t you just trust me for once?" Maria leaned over the table, her eyes glimmering with something I couldn't quite identify, but I'd seen that expression long enough to know it wasn't good. Her voice was honeyed.
I smiled wryly and leaned back. "Trust? It's funny that you said that."
She swirled her wine glass and laughed. "Oh, come on. I support you. You are aware of that."
Although she spoke in a persuasive tone, the document that was between us spoke more than she did. I gave it a quick enough look for her to see, then held up my glass as if I were taking another sip. Actually, I had been nursing this one drink throughout the night in order to maintain my composure.
As she poured glass after glass and brought the bottle closer to me, Maria believ
