Chapter Three
Alexia
I was an hour into work Wednesday morning, at my desk preparing for court the next day, when Cora popped her head into my office. She was always a friendly face around the firm, even if she didn’t often bring the greatest news.
She was the executive assistant who supported all three partners. We started at Williams, Pritchard, and Pratt around the same time. Her in had been her uncle, Michael Pritchard. For the first year, she worked exclusively for Michael. She took on Jacob Williams when working for one partner wasn’t enough. By her third year, she’d taken on Elizabeth, too, when her assistant retired.
We weren’t a particularly huge firm, with about a dozen associates on staff. Still, Cora certainly had her hands full, and she was incredible at her job. Somehow, she was everywhere all the time and knew everything.
“Hey, got a sec?”
“For you, absolutely,” I replied, offering her my full attention. “What’s up?”
She stepped into the room and held up a folder. Her apologetic smile said it all.
“New client. I meant to drop this by yesterday evening, but I got caught up with something else and missed you. Jacob wanted you to have this one specifically.”
“Let me guess, divorce case?”
“Close,” Cora laughed, handing over the folder. “Custody battle. He called in yesterday. He’ll be in this afternoon. I already blocked your calendar. I saw you had the availability. Again, I’m sorry to drop this off last minute, but it’s just an initial meet, so you shouldn’t need much prep time.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault Jacob is allergic to family law.”
“Look at it this way, he trusts no one else as much as he trusts you to handle these things.”
I nodded, appreciative of her attempt to point out the silver lining.
“Thanks, Cora.”
“You bet. Court tomorrow, right?” she asked, backing her way out of the room.
“Yeah.”
“Happy hour drinks after?”
“I’d love that,” I agreed.
“Great. I’ll leave you to it.”
When I was alone, I blew out a sigh and peeked inside the folder.
Jed Barker. Working with the father as opposed to the mother made it somewhat interesting, at least.
I closed the folder and set it aside. I’d give it a proper glance after lunch.
Cases like Mr. Barker’s were why I was so adamant about hanging my own shingle one day. I was great at family law. Not because it was a specialty of mine or because I loved it, but because I had so much practice taking on cases of that nature. I was capable of much more, but I rarely got the chance to showcase my other skills.
Every once in a while, I got something really interesting or challenging—a case I could truly sink my teeth into. That’s when my job was really fun. Not to say it wasn’t generally fulfilling. It was. I just didn’t relish the constant onslaught of hand-me-downs from Jacob.
I knew I shouldn’t complain. Jacob taking me under his wing was an honor and a great show of respect. It’s what earned me an office. Granted, I worked in a shoebox, but it had a door, and that was something. The trouble was, it was hard not to feel like I was working in a boy’s club.
Sure, we had a female partner—but including Elizabeth, there were three of us in the office who practiced law. While I hated to play the gender card, I could count on one hand the number of custody cases Jacob assigned to any of the other associates.
“Get over it, Alexia,” I whispered to myself.
My paycheck was generous. My win-column was long. My respect had been earned with hard work and integrity. I had nothing to complain about.
What I did have was court in the morning, and I needed to focus.
I kept my head down until I was too hungry to concentrate, at which point I stepped out to grab a quick bite for lunch. There was a local coffee shop not two minutes’ walk from our building that had an awesome turkey pesto sandwich I ordered often enough I didn’t actually have to order it when I walked in. They just started preparing it when they saw me headed for the register.
I ate it there, enjoying a few minutes away from my desk, then ordered a hot tea to go before returning to work. I took the stairs to the second floor rather than the elevator, because it always felt like a good idea after lunch, but stopped short when I saw my office was not empty. There were two men inside, each occupying a seat opposite my desk.
I checked the time on my phone. I wasn’t expecting Mr. Barker for at least another ten minutes, and the rest of my afternoon was free of scheduled appointments. Aware I’d only find out who the men were if I approached them, I took a sip of my tea and continued to make my way to my office.
“Hello, gentlemen. Can I help you?” I asked, crossing over the threshold.
They both turned to watch me enter. In one glance, I knew something was off. They weren’t right, somehow. They had on suits, but they were ill-fitted and cheap looking. The shirts they wore were patterned and bold. One of the men had a tattoo on his face and another on his neck. He was scary looking and big. The other was smaller and less scary but sleazier, with slicked back hair and an obnoxious gold chain around his neck. He smiled at me, revealing a golden grill along his bottom teeth.
He spoke first.
“You Alexia Torres?”
“Yes,” I replied honestly. I set my purse and my tea down, but I didn’t sit as I faced them behind my desk.
“We got a message. You’ve got business with Rocco. But with that ass in that skirt, I think you might have business with me, too.”
I frowned and took a step back, feeling instantly uncomfortable and disgusted at the same time. I let my disgust wrap itself around my tone as I asked, “Excuse me?”
The sleazy one laughed while the scary one flashed an annoyed expression his way before addressing me himself.
“Alejo Torres gave us your name. He’s in deep shit, says you can bail him out. Rocco Borrero has summoned you. Friday. Three P.M.” He held up a card then set it on my desk.
Alejo .
I thought back to Sunday afternoon.
His clear eyes. His good mood.
It had been a show.
Great. Just great .
I didn’t have time for this.
“Okay—I don’t know who you are, I don’t know this Rocco guy, and I certainly am not meeting him at three o’clock on Friday.”
“If you’re smart, you won’t ignore his summons.”
“Yeah,” pipped in sleazy. “No one ignores Rocco.”
I shook my head in disbelief. This didn’t feel real.
“Again, I don’t know this Rocco you speak of, and the only summons I answer to come from the court. Now, you don’t have an appointment, and I have a job to do here. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
The scary one leaned toward me and warned, “You might not know him now, but you will. Rocco doesn’t play games with his money. We’re here as a courtesy. You can come voluntarily or by force. The choice is yours.”
“Oh, uh, I’m sorry—I don’t mean to interrupt.”
I looked toward the door, relieved at the sight of Cora.
“Mr. Barker just arrived. I was walking by, and I thought I’d show him in. Should I wait?”
“Nope. They were just leaving,” I stated, hopeful the nameless cronies would take their cue and go.
When they stood, both Cora and I watched as they departed.
She raised an eyebrow at me, silently expressing her intrigue.
I shook my head, silently informing her she didn’t actually want to know.
“Thanks. You can show Mr. Barker in. I appreciate it.”
“Sure.”
She disappeared, and I searched my desk for Jed Barker’s file. My unexpected guests robbed me of the chance to peruse the few notes inside. Now, I had five seconds to appear even a little bit prepared.
“Here she is,” said Cora.
Still hunting for his folder, I said, “Hi. I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. I just need one second.”
“Those guys friends of yours?” came his low, resonant voice as he filled the doorway.
“Definitely not,” I mumbled.
I then lifted a stack of papers, spotted his file, grabbed it, and finally shifted my attention his way. The minute I laid eyes on him, I was struck dumb.
I was single, but I wasn’t celibate, and I hadn’t always been alone.
When it came to the men I was attracted to, I couldn’t say I had a type.
I picked what I liked from the men who existed in my orbit.
My high school boyfriend was a football jock with a big heart.
I dated a guy in college who was studying journalism.
In law school, I had a pretty lengthy fling with another law student.
Each of them was one of many of their kind that existed in my orbit.
None of them looked anything like Jed Barker.
He wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
Fathers came in all shapes and sizes, but— my Lord.
The man who filled my doorway was like one of those bikers who only existed in the movies. Real bikers and rebel rousers like him, the ones I saw in courthouses and police stations, they were rough and dinged up and scary.
Jed was not that. He was hot—inarguably, unmitigatedly hot.
He had incredibly dark brown hair that he grew to his shoulders. It had a lazy curl to it, and it looked wind-blown and thrown to one side, as if he just ran his fingers through it to get it out of his face. And his face— goodness gracious —his face was magnificent. Thick eyebrows. Beautiful, light, blue-green eyes. The tiniest freckles across his cheeks and nose. A strong, square jawline and a biker ‘stache.
Honestly, he was so good looking, he didn’t just pull off a biker ‘stache…
He made it look like the concept originated on his face.
He was menacingly large. He wasn’t a giant, standing at maybe six-one, but he was broad . His neck was probably the size of my thigh, and his arms were both ripped and covered in tattoos. He was wearing well-worn blue jeans, a faded black tee—aviator sunglasses hooked over the collar—and a leather motorcycle vest.
I didn’t need to see the patches on the back to recognize him as a Wild Stallion. There was only one biker club in town that wore their vests like they were a uniform, and it was the Stallions. I wasn’t acquainted with any, but I knew Bella only ever took her car to get it serviced at Stallion Motors.
Except, she never told me why .
Now, I was beginning to understand.
As I tried to find my words, all I could think was— what woman gave him up? And why? What did he do?
He had to have done something. No man as stunning as him needed a lawyer to get access to his kids unless he’d done something awful.
Then again, there was the possibility his ex was insane.
“Shit,” he drawled, breaking the silence between us.
I sucked in a breath, suddenly aware I wasn’t the only one staring.
“I was told you’re the best at the firm to handle custody battles—but, darlin’, I might need the second best.”
I blinked and tried to shake away my embarrassing display of lust.
“Um, what? Why?”
“We walk into a room together with my ex, she will lose her fuckin’ mind at the sight of you. It’s not a competition, but with a face like you’ve got, she’ll make it one.”
“Oh.”
I wasn’t sure, but that sort of sounded like a compliment.
I didn’t dwell on it.
I needed to get us on track, fast.
“Well, I’ll be your attorney, not your date,” I replied light-heartedly.
“And ain’t that a cryin’ shame, cause I know one thing for damn sure—those lips were meant for kissin’.”
Wow .
My mouth opened in the shape of an oh as I gaped at him.
That was definitely a compliment. Or, if not a compliment, a line I might have fallen for if we were anywhere other than my office.
The crazy thing was, it was the second time in less than ten minutes a man had hit on me from the other side of my desk. In each instance, it was totally unprofessional. But, in this case, I found I didn’t mind.
“You leave your mouth open like that, I’ll consider it an invitation.”
I sealed my lips closed immediately, and realized the pressure I felt against my chest was actually me trying not to laugh.
I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I needed to bring myself back down to earth. Wildly attractive or not, I had a job to do.
I cleared my throat and managed to say, “I’m flattered, Mr. Barker, but—”
“Wrangler or Jed. Never Mr. Barker,” he interrupted.
My gaze found the patch with option one sewn onto the front of his vest. I was sure there was significance to that name, but I wished to remain as professional as possible.
“Okay,” I conceded, clasping my hands together. “Well, Jed, what you were told is true. I handle custody cases quite a bit, and I’m very good at what I do. I imagine you’re here because your kids mean something to you. Now, while there are other attorneys who can help you at Williams, Pritchard, and Pratt, I think your best bet is to stick with me. If your ex takes offense to the way I look, well…I’ll make sure I’m armed with enough ammunition on your behalf to counter anything she throws our way.”
I nodded when I was finished, quite pleased with myself for getting us back on track.
He stared at me for a little while longer and then replied, “Know this, gorgeous—only reason I’m not walkin’ out of here demandin’ another lawyer is because I love my kids more than life itself. Learned a long time ago I’m better off not thinkin’ with my dick. If you’re tellin’ me we’re doin’ this, I’ll just have to ask you out after we put this issue to bed.”
For a second, I let myself feel the sensation of weightlessness that accompanied his words. He called me gorgeous , and it felt like something out of a dream. It wasn’t merely that it was a nice thing to say—it was that I’d never had a man who looked like him think that of me. It felt good, and I let myself have that for just a moment before I considered everything else he said.
I respected his priorities and appreciated how he wanted my brain more than he wanted my body. So, I was going to give him my best. I didn’t know his story, but I hoped it was a good one, and I looked forward to hearing it.
I pulled out my chair and motioned to the one across from me.
“Mr. Ba—I mean, Jed—why don’t you have a seat, and we’ll get started. I’m Alexia, by the way. I don’t think I introduced myself.”
Wrangler
There was no doubt in his mind, he was going to taste those lips.
He wasn’t blind to her reaction to him, and it heightened his temptation.
She signaled for him to sit, but he needed just another second to let his dick calm down. He was damn near forty years old, and one look at her had his appendage confused about in which decade he’d been born.
Gorgeous was putting it mildly.
Her shiny, brunette hair hung in beach waves down to her waist.
Her olive skin was flawless, and her eyes were amber and stunning.
Her cheekbones and cute nose only drew more attention to her mouth and those perfect, plump, sweetheart lips.
The navy skirt she had on clued him in to her narrow waist and slim legs, punctuated by the curve of her hips. The tan blouse she wore was modest and mostly covered by her hair, and he liked that in a way that surprised him. Left something to the imagination.
But his imagination was precisely what he needed to shut down until further notice.
He resisted the urge to adjust himself in his jeans and took the seat she offered.
“Okay, let’s start from the top. Tell me about your kids. How old are they? What are their names?”
“Marlowe, she’ll be eleven in a few weeks. Axel’s nine.”
She jotted down a note and then inquired, “How long have you and your ex been divorced? And what is your current custody arrangement?”
“We never got married. We were together for eight and broke-up six years ago. First year was rocky with the kids, but for the last five, we split physical and custodial rights fifty/fifty.”
“Mmhmm,” she hummed, still writing. “And what does fifty/fifty look like in your case?”
“We swap on Sundays. Whoever gets the kids picks them up.”
She paused to look up at him. “That’s tidy.”
“Yup,” he muttered matter-of-factly.
“It would be helpful to get a copy of the written agreement.”
“I’m sure I’ve got it somewhere. I’ll email it.”
“Perfect.” Alexia lowered her pen then asked, “So, what changed?”
“I told you before, she can turn anything into a competition. It’s all about one-upping me for no good damn reason other than payback.”
“Payback for…?”
“She gave me an ultimatum. I didn’t choose her.”
“Ah.” Her eyebrows lifted and lowered, as if his response was enlightening.
Drudging up the past was the last thing he wanted to do, but if it would help his case, he was ready to lay it all on the table.
“We agreed on shared custody because it was convenient for her at the time. The kids were little, we both had jobs, and neither of us have local blood.”
“Pardon?” she asked with a slight frown.
“Parents. Siblings.”
Her face softened as she replied, “Right, okay. Got it.”
Wrangler tried not to stare at her too hard as he continued, “When we separated, she got the house. Took me a couple years, but I had one built just up the road. Got it for my kids. Figured if they were with me half the time, I needed to do my part to ensure their quality of life didn’t go down durin’ that half.
“Nicole got jealous of my place. We didn’t buy new. Couldn’t afford it at the time. But I was in a different place financially, so I got what I wanted. She told the kids I was tryin’ to buy their love so they would choose me over her, which was total bullshit.
“The way she puts them between us is fucked up. Couldn’t tell you whether or not she thought we might get back together. Sometimes, I think my house was her clue that was never gonna happen. Whatever her deal was, I know it wasn’t until after I moved in that she started datin’.
“Took her about a year to meet Evan. The second they got serious, she felt like she had the upper hand again. Didn’t matter to me. It got her off my back. Not to say she hasn’t fucked with me since. She gets bored and plays her games. I let her, on account of it bein’ easier than startin’ a fight.”
“Games? What kind of games, what do you mean?” asked Alexia, who was back at taking notes.
“She’ll plan trips or weekend activities during my designated days, claimin’ nothin’ can be done about it. If somethin’ comes up on my end and I need her to take the kids, she won’t swap with me, sayin’ it’s not her fault I’ve given up my time with them and she won’t give up hers.”
“Is any of this documented? Do you have specific dates and examples we can present?”
Wrangler shook his head. “Can’t recall the specifics right now, but I’m sure I could find out and get back to you.”
“Okay, great. Please do. Keep going.”
“Well, that brings us to now. Few weeks ago, Axel broke his arm on my watch. Can’t say for sure how her messed up brain works, but I’m bettin’ that’s what got Nicole thinkin’ she could come up with the bogus idea that my kids are better off only seein’ me every other weekend.”
Alexia looked up with another frown.
It was distractingly cute.
“Every other weekend? That’s what she’s proposing?”
“Yup,” Wrangler muttered.
“Okay, tell me about this broken arm. What happened?”
Wrangler leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “Ax likes to skateboard and ride BMX bikes. I built him a half-pipe in the backyard so he could practice tricks. I’d rather him be outside than glued to a screen like a zombie.”
“Sure, yeah,” she hummed, a small laugh accompanying her words.
“Well, he’s fearless. Trick went wrong, he fell hard and broke his arm. He’s been itchin’ to get back out there since.”
Alexia tilted her head slightly as she studied him contemplatively. “So, Axel had an accident, and your ex believes that’s grounds for renegotiating your custody agreement?”
Wrangler smirked, appreciative of the way her tone implied the stupidity of the whole thing.
“She also got hitched a couple weeks ago. She says she and Evan can provide a normal home life for them, and it’s what’s best for their wellbeing.”
“I see.”
Ridiculous and weak as it sounded, he knew Nicole wouldn’t leave it there. Not if she was fighting to win.
While he rarely took her bait, she always fought to win.
“She’ll throw the club in my face, too. We need to be prepared for that.”
“The club? You mean,” she pointed her pen at him, “the Wild Stallions Motorcycle Club?”
“Yup. Our babies were born long after I’d established myself as a Stallion. She knew good and well the man she had in her bed. Her problem was thinkin’ I’d pick her over the club. I’d do anything for my kids—except tie myself to a woman who would make me chose between her and my brothers.”
“Alright, let’s explore that. Has your membership with the club ever negatively affected your ability to parent?”
“Nope.”
“Has your membership ever put your children in danger?”
“Nope.”
“Do you have a record?”
“Nope.”
She smiled and tapped the end of her pen against her notepad. “Do you ever bring Marlowe and Axel around the club? Are there other members who might have a record your kids associate with?”
“Clubhouse is fair game for offspring so long as the sun is up. I don’t bring them around all the time, but they have been. I’ve got brothers who’ve got kids. Besides, I’m part Stallion, which means they are, too. As for any records amongst the guys—there might be a couple who’ve been arrested once or twice, but not for anything serious.”
“I’ll run some background checks. If you think your ex will use your affiliation with the Wild Stallions against you, I’m sure they’ll do the same. Could you provide me with a few names?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Okay…” She paused for a moment, looking down at her notes as she thought. “What about child support? I assume that’s part of the arrangement and you’re current on payments?”
“She gets thirty-five percent of my income each month.”
Alexia’s manicured eyebrows shot up her forehead before she muttered in disbelief, “Thirty-five percent?”
“Yup.”
“But you have your kids fifty-percent of the time.”
“Yup. And at my house, their closets are full. They don’t have phones yet, so the only thing they lug from house to house are their backpacks during the school year.”
“Jed, at most, you should be paying twenty-five percent. Maybe even twenty-two. Thirty-five, given your arrangement, is outrageous.”
Wrangler shrugged. “I’ve got plenty. I work two jobs.”
“Okay,” Alexia murmured, finally setting aside her pen. She folded her hands in front of her and sat up straighter in her chair, as if she meant business. “May I be blunt?”
“Please,” he replied with a dip of his chin.
“I don’t like to count my chickens before they hatch, but unless you’re keeping something from me, I don’t see how we can lose. Honestly, I’m surprised Nicole found an attorney who thinks a custody mediation in this scenario makes any sense.
“Now, that’s not to say I’m going to handle this lightly. Most of the time, mothers have a natural advantage; but in this case, you come with your own merits. Rest assured I’ll do my due diligence. I’ve got court tomorrow, but I should be able to knock this out before the end of the week. If you could send me what we discussed by the end of tomorrow, it would be very helpful. And let’s plan on meeting again on Monday to regroup.
“As far as strategy is concerned, it is going to be my recommendation that your current custody arrangement does not change. You haven’t broken the written agreement signed off by the court. Regardless of Nicole’s baseless concerns, her marital status has changed her circumstances but not those of your children.
“And, on that note, I’m going to get your child support obligation within a reasonable amount. I’d also like to get in front of Nicole and her attorney as soon as possible. I don’t like to drag these things out for too long, especially when we’re the ones playing defense. I’m going to aim to have this sorted in the next two weeks. I believe you’ve already shared her attorney’s information, but if I have any follow-up questions, I’ll reach out.
“If we can’t settle this via mediation, I dare them to take us to court.”
When she was finished, she stood and held out her hand decisively.
Wrangler guessed that meant they were done.
He smirked and fought a broad smile as he joined her on his feet.
Her hand was small in his, but warm with a sure grip he liked.
He’d come to the right place.
Alexia Torres was a two for one special.
“Thank you.”
She nodded and released his hand. “Of course. We’ll be in touch.”
At that, his smile broke free.
He aimed it at his feet as he turned toward the door.
We certainly will be , he thought, headed for his hog.
He was kissing those lips the first chance he got.