by Shara Azod
“Okay.”
“Mr. Silver?” interrupted a soft, but firm voice through the doorway.
A zing shot through Kevin, gathering all his attention. The heavenly voice belonged to an attractive darkly-toned beautiful woman who appeared in the entranceway. With her hair swept back from her face, her dark round eyes stood out amongst artfully applied, delicate makeup coupled with smiling cherry lips. Diamond stud earrings framed a lovely face. Dressed in a scarlet sweater and black pencil skirt, she stood poised in ink-black leather pumps.
Who was this? His damaged car temporarily forgotten, Kevin adjusted his tie.
“Oh, come on in, Chloe.” Stephen came around his desk, his right hand extended for a handshake.
They shook hands before turning their attention to him.
“Kevin O’Bryan is my administrative assistant. Kevin, this is Chloe Reese, a lawyer from Carte Seay. Carte had to leave for Germany, so Chloe is going to settle some legal matter for us.”
Chloe could settle her fine self right on his lap, Kevin thought. When her deep chocolate eyes met his, he felt hot and prickly all over. His tie suddenly seemed to choke him. The sound of the office’s humming heater faded and for a few seconds, the gorgeous Chloe’s luscious lips moved, but no sound emerged. With sweaty palms, Kevin tried to produce coherent words while focusing on her mouth. After several attempts to form words, he spoke.
“I’m Kevin. Nice to meet you,” he managed after choking on a thick wad of cottonmouth.
She gave him a polite smile. “Nice to meet you, too.”
With her eyebrow wrinkled in suspicion, she took his hand in a firm shake. The warmth of her palm pressed against his and it felt like touching cotton. His knees nearly buckled. Fighting to keep his composure made him more aware of her soft-floral scent. All of his senses seemed to sharpen, as her scent-flooded his nostrils. Her supple flesh and the lyrical sound of her voice bewitched him. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but it felt like hours to Kevin.
And it ended all too soon.
Before he could make a clever remark or give some witty one-liner, Chloe had turned her attention back to Stephen. Kevin suddenly felt like someone had turned out the lights, leaving him in the shadows, like coal in his stocking. He didn’t like it. He fought back the urge to shove Stephen aside so he could stand beside her and bask in her glow once more.
It took him a few minutes to regain his composure. He shook his head slightly and smirked at his foolish behavior. Just a woman like all the others. Nothing special.
But something inside him vehemently disagreed. Chloe’s aura glowed with something refreshing, new, and very special. From the way she carried herself, to how she spoke, the way she dressed, and the way she smelled; the charming way a little spiral curl kept escaping her bun and bouncing into her face, and even the elf brooch on her blouse.
Kevin sighed. He had to regain control of himself. Sure, as an attractive attorney, Chloe could render an entire court room silent just by standing, but he had to resist her allure.
“So, let’s go have this meeting. The district attorney is only willing to prosecute, Mr. Silver, if Brooke confesses to her involvement in attempting to blackmail you. Otherwise, it is a he-said/she-said situation and the D.A. isn’t interested in spending a lot of time and resources pursuing it,” Chloe explained, pointedly ignoring Kevin.
Or that’s how it felt. Kevin ceased listening to Chloe’s cheery voice and thought back to the events of the last four months. Brooke Haven had tried to strong-arm Stephen into giving her additional monies for a marketing campaign she had been grossly behind on. He had refused, and she threatened legal action against C.A.K.E. because of Stephen’s relationship with Cree, his wife, and his employee.
Stephen had suspended Brooke and eventually fired her. She’d filed a wrongful termination suit, and, in turn, Stephen had filed charges against her for attempting to extort money from him, including filing a fraudulent suit.
In all the drama with his car, Kevin had totally spaced on the meeting.
“Don’t forget what I told you about Christmas Eve,” Stephen said. He gestured toward his office door. He allowed Chloe to leave first. Kevin slipped out after her, and grabbed his tablet from his desk.
“Sure.” Kevin tried to produce enough saliva to talk. Chloe had ruined his usual aloofness. He couldn’t get his body or his brain to cooperate or act in unison. What had Chloe done to him?
Scowling, he shoved his thoughts aside and reminded himself that she didn’t differ from other females. Difficult or not, he had to pull himself together.
Stephen shot him a strange look before following Chloe out to the hallway. They headed to one of the conference rooms.
“Conference room A,” Stephen declared.
Already Brooke Haven mounted the stairs with her lawyer in tow. At one time, Kevin found Brooke incredibly hot. Most men in the office found her attractive, but now, compared to Chloe, in Kevin’s eyes, she paled. Not only because Chloe was African-American, but the new attorney possessed a glow about her—like a star, powerful and purposeful. He couldn’t stop staring at Chloe who walked ahead of him, but behind Stephen. From this vantage point, he had a full view of her thick thighs, wrapped in an ebony skirt, and long, lean legs that trailed down into a conservative pair of pumps. Her curves should have been outlawed. The normally boring black suit found all its kapow from the sexy woman wearing it.
Beside Chloe, Brooke looked like a dollar store mannequin—fake, plastic, and cheap.
Chapter 2: Spices
Chloe Reese sat beside Stephen Silver, her client, nestled in one of his plush conference room chairs. His administrative assistant, Kevin O’Bryan, sat across from her, while Brooke Haven stood haughtily before them, sneering down her nose.
The thicker woman beside her, a head shorter with a mop of curly brown hair, gripped a leather-bound ledger. Chloe didn’t recognize Brooke’s new lawyer, but it didn’t matter how many the porcelain skinned woman fired, Chloe wouldn’t let her get a piece of Mr. Silver’s C.A.K.E.
Not to mention that Cree Caruthers-Silver was Chloe’s sorority sister and roommate through their undergraduate years at North Carolina A&T. No, Brooke Haven wouldn’t take anything from Cree’s happiness, including her husband’s company, especially not if Chloe had anything to do with it. The attitude the former employee showed would aid Chloe’s plans, so she calmed her nerves, adjusted her tablet on the table along with her handwritten notes and prepared to make Brooke Haven wished she’d never been born.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I’m Chloe Reese, and I represent Mr. Silver, CEO and owner of Commercial Advertising for Kernersville Enterprises, an advertising firm in Greensboro. Hereafter, it shall be referenced as C.A.K.E. Miss Haven, we know. Please introduce yourself, counselor.”
“Mr. Silver, Miss Reese, I’m Margaret Miller. I represent Brooke Haven. Let me bring you up to speed. We’ve filed a wrongful termination suit. You called this little meeting and we’re here. So, are you here to concede and settle?”
Chloe unclenched her teeth. The lawyer’s rudeness must be borrowed from Brooke’s handbook of etiquette. Birds of a feather.
“Thank you for accepting our invitation,” Chloe said, keeping her voice shiny and pleasant. Inside she felt anything but. “Take a seat; we do have much to discuss.”
She gave the question of settlement the attention it deserved; she ignored it. Let them think what they wanted. Brooke’s eyes stayed on Stephen, and Chloe noted the deep-seated anger spilling from the woman’s eyes. Perfect.
“I told you I was going to own this company,” Brooke sneered at Stephen. “Quit now and save me the paperwork.”
“Let me handle this, Brooke.” Margaret stuffed herself into the chair opposite Chloe.
“Grand illusions were the reason your team was over budget in the first place,” came the response from the handsome redheaded assistant.
Chloe glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. Kevin. C
ute. Well dressed. And male. So, instead of addressing Kevin’s comment, she decided to ignore it. Perhaps some small verbal jabs would push Brooke into confessing to her role in blackmailing Mr. Silver.
“We do plan to record this meeting.” Chloe placed her brand new tablet onto the table’s center.
“Yes, that’s fine,” Brooke snapped, folding her arms. To Mr. Silver, she added, “I want it recorded that conceded to me.”
Stephen didn’t respond, but simply looked at her with what she thought of as pity.
“Brooke, please!” Margaret said firmly. She peered at Chloe. “Let me handle this.”
Chloe knew the other lawyer wanted to know what her game plan was, but before Brooke could change her mind, Chloe switched on the recorder. “Ms. Haven, you agree, with your lawyer present, to have this meeting recorded.”
“Yeah,” Brooke said smugly. “Of course.”
“Mr. Silver?”
“I agree also.”
Chloe went around to each person attending the meeting for confirmation. She hoped that once she started reviewing the notes from the case, Brooke would forget about the tablet’s recording. The woman was a loose cannon and her mouth obviously didn’t stay tightly shut.
That was good news for Chloe.
“I’d like to review,” Chloe said, and proceeded to read—without waiting for anyone’s approval—from her notes. Her eyes connected briefly with Kevin and he gave a small nod as if he knew what she planned to do. It made her want to smile, too. Chloe pushed it aside and refocused on the job at hand.
“…Among those listed as witnesses are: Cree Caruthers-Silver, Kevin O’Bryan…”
“Cree is a bitch! You can’t believe anything she said,” Brooke interjected. She smacked the conference table for emphasis. “Take her name off the documents.”
“I beg your pardon?” Chloe paused, and tried to stop the hot flash of anger flooding her system.
“Brooke!” her lawyer wheezed. “Please, no more outbursts. Let me handle this. Now, Miss Reese, I don’t see the point of rehashing all of this…”
“I can’t believe you fell for her black magic!” Brooke’s voice barked over her attorney. She glared at Mr. Silver.
With the insult obvious, Chloe forced herself to push her outrage aside. She wouldn’t take the bait, because she wasn’t here to be hooked.
“Could you please clarify your statement, Miss Haven?” Chloe managed around attempting to hide her own growing anger.
Mr. Silver sat patiently quiet, waiting for his cue from Chloe to proceed or speak. The knuckles of his hands were white as he gripped the arms of his chair. Seeing her stare at them, he leaned forward, tenting his hands in front of him on the table, perhaps in an effort to avoid slapping Brooke. Chloe knew full well Brooke meant to rile them up. The woman had nothing but hate rimming her eyes, causing her face to contort with a sinister expression.
Chloe gave Brooke a few seconds before deciding to push ahead.
“Say it again,” Kevin blurted out, the dare in his tone making the tension in the room thick. All eyes shifted to the handsome man on her left; Kevin.
“Or what?” Brooke replied. The smile on her face was ugly and brimming with malice.
“You don’t learn. Do you?” he asked, doing what Chloe and Mr. Silver couldn’t do—push Brooke’s buttons. “If I were you, I’d leave on my own accord before this boils over and you’re dragged out.”
“Shut your mouth, secretary!” Brooke drew out his title as if it was an insult.
“Oh, I see. You can be rude to everyone and then hide behind your wide attorney,” Kevin retorted.
Brooke tensed, but her arms unfolded. “I’m not scared of you, them, or anyone.”
“Brooke,” her lawyer warned.
Chloe hid her smile behind her papers. Someone like Brooke didn’t take orders well.
“You just wait. You’ll be the first person I fire,” Brooke leered at Kevin. “After that bitch, Cree.”
Kevin grinned at her threats. “You’re so green.”
“Green?”
“With jealousy. It doesn’t look good on you; it’s not your color,” Kevin’s voice came across as polite and calm as if he was discussing a vacation to the Bahamas.
Brooke scoffed. “You can’t believe that I am jealous of an ignorant, stupid, black…”
“That’s enough! Enough!” roared Mr. Silver, shooting out of his seat, face flushed in anger.
“Oh ho, now. All fired up, Stephen? I warned you.” Brooke eased out of her chair.
“What did you warn him about?” Chloe asked softly.
“Brooke, don’t say another word!” her attorney shouted. “Just shut up!”
“See, I told you this would happen if I didn’t get what I wanted and I have. Sued you.” Brooke gloated. “Me. Jealous? Please.”
Mr. Silver simply seethed. “That day you were suspended, you said you’d get my company. Not going to happen. You lose.”
Chloe held her breath, waiting for Brooke’s response.
“I don’t think so. Your silly little lawyer called us. Don’t try to bluff me. I warned you about that bitch you married and about not giving me what I needed. I told you I’d own this company if you didn’t. Now I am.” Brooke tossed her brunette hair over her shoulder. “Now about my settlement.”
Chloe stood up and glanced at the conference room door. “For the record, I am not little or silly.”
She nodded to Mr. Silver.
He pointed his fingers and two others barged in. At first, Chloe thought the guards were the usual ones, but she soon realized these guys were real police officers.
“Brooke Haven?” the oldest policeman asked with his fit body and grumpy face. He put his hand on his weapon as if Brooke was a threat.
“Yes?” Brooke snapped, clearly annoyed.
“You’re under arrest.”
Horror filled her features and disbelief mixed with fear made her movements jerky as she stepped away from the table. Chloe watched as the policeman removed the handcuffs from his waist.
“Ms. Haven, you’re under arrest for attempted extortion, harassment, and stalking. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law…”
Margaret Miller gaped at her before her face darkened in fury. “You set her up! I’ll see you disbarred, Chloe Reese!”
Chloe stopped listening to the lawyer’s threats and turned her attention instead to Brooke.
“I’m not under arrest. Take these off of me!” Brooke shouted. She rounded on Mr. Silver. “You bitch! You bastard! Let me go! Let. Me. Go!” She jerked away from the large cop. He snatched her by the arm. The grip looked painful and Chloe winced.
“Please don’t resist,” he thundered to Brooke. Something about his volume made her stop.
“So she can make smart decisions,” Kevin said softly, under his breath, but loud enough for her to hear him.
“Mr. Silver, you’ll need to come down and give a formal statement.”
“Of course.” Mr. Silver turned to her and added, “Thank you, Chloe, for the early Christmas gift.”
With that he followed the cops and a ranting Brooke out. Murmurs from a sea of co-workers leaked in from the hallway when the two uniformed officers escorted Brooke out of the conference room. She resumed screaming obscenities and wrestling against the cop.
Chloe heard Mr. Silver ordering people to get back to work as she picked up her tablet, switched off the microphone recording software, and collected her notes. She had tons of follow-up reports and work to do to be completely done with this situation, but she felt good. Now, Brooke would be the topic at the water cooler, not her friend, Cree.
Behind her, she noticed Kevin lingered in the conference room. Chloe looked at him and noted the muscle in his jaw worked furiously.
“You were pretty amazing. Remind me never to play chess or bluff with you,” he said. “Kept your cool when she clearly meant to make you mad with her racial baloney.”
“I’
m glad you didn’t,” Chloe said, letting the compliment slide off of her. Guys like Kevin carried compliments around like business cards. They only used them when they wanted some action. She didn’t look at him, but continued to put her items into her satchel.
“I did kind of lose it with her,” he agreed, picking up on her sarcasm. “I don’t know what got into me, but I didn’t like what she said about Cree.”
Chloe put her satchel over her shoulder. “You’re the reason she confessed. You must be good at pushing people’s buttons.”
I bet you really good at pushing all kinds of buttons. The thought shot through her before she could do anything about it. Her cheeks warmed at the buttons Kevin O’Bryan could push on her.
She offered her hand, but avoided his eyes—afraid he’d see the flame of lust in them. He shook it, allowing his much larger hand to linger on her fingers as she quickly reclaimed it. Chills sprouted across her arms. No. I’m not going to fall for his slick talk and smooth moves. I’ve seen this too many times before.
Without another word, she headed to the door, but he followed. Her stomach tightened in anticipation. Sure, she didn’t have a boyfriend or a wedding ring, but she didn’t want one. Men were only interested in slacking their lust before pushing on to the next new toy.
Although it was the holiday season, Chloe wasn’t in the giving mood.
Been there. Done that.
Because of the way Kevin’s touch made her feel, she knew at once she had to get the hell out of there—and quick. Her track record with men ranked in the needs improvement category, and she didn’t want to start with Kevin. She had an affinity for bad, womanizing men.
And she already liked Kevin.
She cracked the door and stepped into the entranceway. Successfully placing one foot over the threshold, Chloe thought surely she’d be able to get to her car without Kevin, the hunky and handsome redhead asking her out. Yes, she would like to have dinner with him—with him being dessert—but she couldn’t. It would end badly; they all ended badly.
This close to the holidays, she wanted to be with her family and friends.