by KB Winters
“I sure do.” I gestured for him to head to the meeting room and glanced around at the people eyeing me from their various desks. No wonder they were looking at me with distrust. I was working for a man who could unsettle everything in this company, and I was doing it right under their noses. I felt like a traitor, but I was just doing my job, working for Mr. Rose and focusing on putting him above everything else.
“Okay, so what it is you want to go with?” He sat down opposite me in the small meeting room, and I had a flashback to the day before, when the two of us had been here, before I let him fuck my brains out. I moved back and forth in my seat, not sure what to do with the feelings that overwhelmed me. I should have just laid it out for him there and then, that nothing else was going to happen between us.
“I actually have a projected timeline here,” I replied instead, pulling out my laptop and opening it to the page I’d been on. “As you can see, we’d get things moving at some point this week and then take it from there.”
Soon enough, we were running through the nitty-gritty details of what we would need to do to get the plan into place. I should’ve run it by the guys back at the main office by now, but I also knew the plan was freaking crazy in some ways and would likely land me a slap on the wrist for coming up with something so questionable. I mean, Mr. Rose had gone along with it, but then again, he hadn’t been in his right mind for a long time. Maybe I should have taken his enthusiasm for my idea to mean I was barking up the wrong tree. I resolved to tell them as soon as this meeting was done, to make sure there were no secrets on my end. It seemed like the safest option, especially since I was so new in the business.
“You know, I’m impressed with what you’ve come up with here.” He nodded as the meeting ended. “It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I think this is going to work.”
“Well, it’ll give us a little time to come up with something more convincing.” I nodded, evading the question as best I could. “I don’t think it’s going to solve all our problems outright, but—”
“Do they know you’re giving a different plan then what they suggested?” He cocked an eyebrow, a grin curling his lips. Oh, that smile. That smile would land me in trouble sooner rather than later. I blinked and pulled myself back to reality, offering him a bland smile in return.
“No, but I’m going to them with the details of these meetings later today so we’re all on the same page,” I said. “I’m really just a representative of the firm. They just wanted me to deliver their plan to you.”
“Well, tell them you came up with a better one,” he replied, as though it were that easy. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him. Of course, for a man like him, everything seemed simple. He always got precisely what he wanted and probably never had to give any thought to what life was like in a world where people had the power to say no to him, to throw him out on the street if he made a wrong move.
I got to my feet, even though I wanted to stay longer, and let myself enjoy his attention. Yet, I knew being in here alone with him was dangerous. After all, these walls were almost soundproof, certainly thick enough to keep any noise leaking through if the two of us could keep our moans to a minimum.
“It was good seeing you again.” I stuck my hand out in his direction. “I’ll put you in touch with the firm, and you can talk further with them about all of this.”
He took my hand, and something melted within me, the resolve I’d done such a good job building up vanished all at once. If he’d asked to take me right there, right then, at that second, I didn’t have it in me to turn him down. Our eyes met, and I drifted closer to him, edging toward him. God, what was I doing here? Before I lost my mind, I withdrew my hand, my gaze dropping, and gestured to the door.
He stepped outside the meeting room, not noticing the burst of attraction that had just knocked me off-guard, and headed toward the exit. Before he got to there, he turned and called out.
“Walk me to my car?”
Everyone’s eyes turned on me. Was he trying to get me alone? There wasn’t much I could do to turn him down without coming across as rude or unprofessional. I took a deep breath, let it out, and then nodded. During the meeting, he hadn’t seemed interested, so maybe it was my imagination running away with me.
“Of course.”
I made my way across the room to join him, and we headed down in the elevator together, side by side, not saying a word to each other. We reached the door, and I saw the same limo that had picked us up the day before waiting for him. I tried to keep my brain on the job, not letting it get distracted by the memories flooding in. He stood by the door before he mentioned our night together.
“I had a good time last night.” He raised an eyebrow, giving me a devilish smile. “You free for dinner this even—”
“—I have plans,” I blurted before he could finish. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to give him an excuse instead of just turning him down outright, but the words were out before I could stop myself. He studied my face before he finally shrugged.
“Whatever you say,” he responded, slipping into the back seat of the limo. “I’ll see you again soon, Jessi.”
“You, too,” I replied, my voice more strangled than that of the casual, unbothered lawyer and fiscal adviser I was trying to portray. I watched as he shut the door and pulled away. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back toward the sky. I needed to find some way to act like a decent human around this man, and keep the rest of the office from finding out about our fling last night.
Chapter 9
Zach
Fucking hell.
I didn’t know how someone who had been so responsive and hot in my hands the night before was nothing but a straight-up ice queen the next day.
It must’ve been because she didn’t want anyone knowing what happened between us. And I got that. She had a right to keep our hot night private. But when we were alone, she shot me down, threw me an excuse before I could even finish offering her a date. I guessed I should have taken that as the end of our little affair, but hell, that was hard after what we’d shared the night before.
I leaned back against the soft leather seats and glanced toward the spot where she’d sat. Surely, she couldn’t have wiped all that from her mind like it didn’t happen. I remembered our first kiss in this very car, the feeling of her soft mouth against mine, the moans that escaped that those lush lips as my hands traveled across her body. Fuck, she hadn’t even given me the requisite morning-after brush-off. She left while I was asleep. It was a trick I’d pulled on plenty of women before, but damn if it didn’t feel crappy to have that leveled at me.
It was still early in the evening, and I should have headed back home to catch up on some sleep and prepare myself for getting back into my business now that I was back in control. But the prospect of sitting around at home and thinking about Jessibelle for the rest of the night wasn’t exactly a turn-on. No, if I was in the city, then I was going to fucking enjoy myself, and I wasn’t going to let one little rejection get under my skin. I was single, out of the house, and I knew my name was big enough to get me into any bar I wanted. Time to use that to my advantage.
I headed back to the apartment, showered, changed, and sipped on the expensive bottle of scotch I’d stashed in the apartment months before. As soon as the time was right, I headed out the door and made my way downtown on foot. Time to see what this night had to offer.
I’d taken Jessibelle to my favorite club the night before, and I wasn’t ready to head back there quite yet, so I shot in the direction of this place I used to hang before Alana and I were together. It was upmarket enough to keep the paparazzi out, but the music was loud, the drinks were plentiful, and I was unlikely to run into anyone I knew there. The bouncer stepped aside as soon as he saw me, and I headed down the stairs and into a club pulsing with noise, lights and activity.
It was just as I’d remembered it, an enormous dance floor with VIP booths and tables lifted on small platforms above the fray. I h
eaded straight over to one and was instantly seated by a gorgeous young woman in a tight dress with a grin so wide, I was surprised it didn’t split her face in two. I enjoyed the attention. It was an ego-boost after what had happened with Jessi, and it was the reason I’d come to this place. I didn’t come here because I wanted intelligent conversation. I came here for one reason and one reason only.
Suddenly, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. Though I couldn’t remember giving her my number, I thought it might be Jessibelle, and I scrambled to pull it out. My heart sank when I saw the name. Johnny, my younger brother. This was about business, no doubt.
I headed toward the smoking area where it was quiet enough to hold a conversation and took the call.
“Hey, Johnny,” I greeted him, pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers. This wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.
My brother Johnny had come to us when he was just a few years old, after my mother had passed away. Dad always had this intensely compassionate streak, so he’d looked into foster care, and of course, when the social worker introduced him to Johnny and told him about the awful past he’d suffered at the hands of his blood relations, my dad couldn’t say no to him. He took him in at once and made him part of the family. We were raised as brothers, and I loved Johnny as much as Dad did. He’d stepped up to run a lot of the business when I retreated to the house. I appreciated it more than I could express to him. He could be a little uptight, but I knew he meant well, even if I was fully prepared for a lecture about how I was spending my evening considering what was going on at the company.
“Hi,” he replied, his voice already clicked to the “compassionate understanding” mode that so many people had learned to use around me. “How are things going with you?”
“Um, I’m actually out right now,” I replied, and there was a pause before Johnny spoke again.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at Club Z,” I replied, wincing slightly as I waited for him to chew me out for heading to a club over prioritizing the business.
“You’re out of the house?” He sounded surprised.
“I was in the office yesterday and today,” I shot back, already on the defensive. “Didn’t they tell you?”
“Wow. No, I didn’t realize.” He trailed off. “It’s good you’re actually getting out for a change, though. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay,” I replied, glancing back inside and wondering how long he was going to drag this conversation out. “What’s up?”
“I was calling to check if you heard about the real estate stuff.” He half-sighed the words, as though they pained him as much as they did me.
“Yeah, I heard about it.” I frowned. “I’m not worried, though. I mean—”
“I think it would be for the best if you were to sign the real estate over to me. Just for the time being,” he suggested, his voice soothing as though he were talking down a child in the middle of a tantrum. I frowned.
“But there’s nothing going on there,” I replied. “They can look into whatever they want. It’s not going to matter. Everything is in order.”
“But still,” he shot back, his voice more tense, a little firmer and less giving. “Don’t you think it would be for the best if I took control of it? Just to make sure everything is unfolding as we want it to?”
“We shouldn’t have anything to do with the investigation,” I pointed out. “It’s only going to make us look guilty if we try to get involved.”
Johnny cut me off once more. “I really think you should listen to what I’m saying.” I raked my fingers through my hair. I could really do without this shit on top of everything else I’d been dealing with the last couple of days.
“Honestly.” I spoke slowly, as though I thought the words were having trouble getting into his damn head. “I don’t want to do that. I want to stick with me in charge of real estate and prove to everyone else I’m not some crazy who’s going to fuck up the business. I want to get back to work as soon as I can, Johnny. You know that. I know it’s been a tough few months.”
I trailed off, not sure how to finish up because part of me knew he was right. When I realized I needed a break and had to step away from the business for a while, I should’ve handed over my assets to someone who wouldn’t let everything turn to shit like I had. But I was stubborn, and I wanted control of the business I’d helped build, and I’d be damned if I’d let go of it just like that.
“But I don’t want to lose what little I have left,” I finished up, and he sighed, a crackle of static rushing down the line.
“Fine,” he shot back. He sounded a little pissed, but swiftly soothed his voice to neutrality once more. “I’m glad to hear you’re up and about. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, all right?”
“That doesn’t leave me a lot of space,” I shot back playfully, and we joked with each other for a minute, said our goodbyes, and then hung up. I turned to head back into the club, but as soon as I was through the door, I felt an overwhelming sense of something strange.
I looked around at all the women and men crowded out on the dance floor and felt next to nothing at seeing them there. Before, I might’ve felt a little thrill of excitement at getting in there, at the promise that being here meant something was going to happen tonight, but that evening I came up completely cold. I had nothing. Everyone was just there to be seen, to make themselves known, and I didn’t have to do that—nor did I want to. Suddenly, the music in the air became sticky, the flashing lights irritating, the smell of cheap perfume and aftershave suffocating. I grabbed my coat from the coat-check and headed for the street. This wasn’t my scene anymore, and there was no point forcing what didn’t feel natural to me.
It was a cool, clear night outside, the kind that could clear my mind of work as soon as I stepped into it. The only thoughts drifting through my head were of Jessibelle.
I had to find a way to get her to go out with me again. The chemistry between us the night before and in the office today—when she’d let it take over—was intense and real and impossible to escape. Not one of those girls in the club interested me the way she did. And I was going to prove to her I was worthy of a second chance.
Chapter 10
Jessibelle
I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror at the courthouse. I was terrified. Beyond terrified. My eyes were wide, and I was looking back at myself like I’d seen a ghost—though given the circumstances—I wouldn’t have minded an excuse to plead off this case.
Of course, my first time representing a client in court had to come about like this. I was just meant to be the second chair, but apparently, Mr. Rose had requested I lead the case for him. I couldn’t believe it. He had to have known I was inexperienced compared to the rest of the people who could have handled this case on for him. Or was this something more, about the night we’d spent together a couple of weeks before? I pushed the thought from my head. I couldn’t get hung up on that. I needed to keep my focus, stay in the game. I had a case to win.
His case. The case to prove his competency to lead the company.
I smoothed my hair into place and nodded at myself in the mirror, hoping I could pass for confident, though my nerves had me trembling from head to toe. I took a couple of deep breaths as I headed for the courtroom. I just had to get through this. I could do this. I was prepared. The firm was behind me, and so was Mr. Rose. It was ridiculous, since I’d only seen him a couple of weeks before when he came into the office, but I missed him. Which was ridiculous, and I needed to get him the hell out of my head.
I paused outside the courtroom door, rolled my shoulders back, and stepped inside. I could do this.
My eyes were drawn to Rose first, and I felt a little uptick in my chest when I saw him. He grinned at me, and I grinned back without thinking how unprofessional I’d seem and then glanced away to stop myself from gawking at him. He was dressed in an expensive suit, his long hair neatly pulled up into a man bun and a slight stubble on his ch
in. The man looked like a god. A god that made my knees weak every time I looked at him.
My gaze fell on the lawyer for the defense and my jaw dropped. Aston.
Aston fucking LaChase.
I couldn’t fucking believe it, not for one second. It felt as though someone had slapped me, the shock taking a second to settle in as I stared at the man I’d hoped to God I’d never lay eyes on again in my life. He was looking back at me steadily, a slow grin spreading out across his face. He must have known this was a win for him and his case because I was going to start out on the left foot. I knew who the defense was. The name of the firm and lead attorney was all over the court documents. How had he snuck in here without me noticing or figuring it out?
He strode toward me with a big, shit-eating grin. I glanced at Zach—Mr. Rose, I had to remind myself—and he was looking at Aston with distaste, watching the interaction between us carefully.
“Good to see you again,” Aston greeted me. “Didn’t realize you’d landed such a big case.”
“Same goes to you,” I replied tersely. “Just not the part about it being good to see you.”
“Hey, we can manage to be civil, can’t we?” He held his hands up, and then extended one to me. I took it, and he gripped my hand for just a second too long. The touch of his skin was familiar and disturbing all at once, and I pulled my hand away. I glanced over at Zach, who seemed to have noticed my discomfort at the interaction and scowled in Aston’s direction. I flicked my gaze back to Aston and pressed my lips together with resolve.
“Good luck out there,” he remarked cordially before heading back to his client. I went to mine, trying to keep myself steady, but I was shaking, my hands trembling as I went over the notes I’d laid out for the trial. I couldn’t believe I was letting him get to me like this. My emotions were a mess. Not only was I faced with my asshole ex for the first time since our break-up, but I was also seeing my current totally inappropriate crush only a couple of weeks after our crazy-hot hook-up that I tried to get out of my damn head. As worst-ever-court-appearances went—I was pretty sure I was about to set a world record.