8. Hammer
HAMMER
Tugging my bottom lip between my teeth, I found it difficult to take my eyes off Merci as she made her way over to me.
She looked good as hell this morning, dressed in a silk two-piece set.
Her brown and black braids were pulled into a bun, showing off her beautiful, caramel-brown skin.
When she realized who I was, her slanted honey-brown eyes widened slightly before she smiled a beautiful smile that I couldn’t help but mirror.
Merci was slim, toned, and still short in comparison to my six-two frame, but she was tall enough for me to not have to crane my neck too low to lock eyes with her.
“Morning, Ms. Merci,” I greeted, extending the Starbucks in her direction. “Figured if I got your breakfast, you’d have a few minutes to spare before going into the office.”
She chuckled with a shake of her head as she accepted the oatmeal and latte. “Let me guess. Ariel told you my Starbucks order too?”
“Perhaps.” I let a beat of silence pass before I asked, “Why you block me?”
A soft sigh escaped her as she licked the corner of her mouth and avoided my eyes. “That was… a decision made based off nothing you did,” she confessed.
“So why am I being punished?” I asked, resisting the urge to grip her waist and pull her close. When she took a sip of her latte, I grabbed the oatmeal and set it on the trunk.
“I just… I called things off with David last night and decided I don’t want to date any time soon.”
As much as I wanted to be happy that she’d called things off with him, the fact that she wanted to not date led me to believe he must have fucked up. If she was hurt, that was nothing for me to be happy about. My plan was to take her after showing her a better option.
“If you decided not to date after cutting him off, I’m assuming he did something that hurt or disappointed you.”
Her eyes finally returned to mine, and they were watery.
“Yeah. I didn’t love him or anything like that, but I expected more loyalty and transparency than he was capable of giving.
And it wasn’t just him. It was a situation with an old friend as well.
Having those betrayals back-to-back makes me want to isolate and not meet anyone new.
I’m not saying you have ill intentions, but I don’t want to invite someone new into my life just to be hurt again. ”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her I’d never betray her, but I didn’t know if she’d consider me knowing the truth about our fathers as a betrayal since I hadn’t told her.
I didn’t know when I’d tell her, honestly.
A part of me felt like she’d cut me off when I told her, so I was in no rush to do that.
“I’m not pursuing you to hurt you. I would never intentionally hurt you.
I’m loyal, allegiant, and too love-deprived to get it and risk losing it by cheating or not treating the woman giving it to me the way she deserves.
” I paused and took her hand into mine. “There is something about me and my family that I don’t want to share with you, because I know there’s a chance it will change the way you view me.
What I can tell you is that, if things get serious between us, I promise to be transparent. ”
“Oh, so that’s why you won’t tell me your real name?”
I laughed before kissing her palm. “Hammer is my real name, sweetheart. I’on know why you don’t believe me.”
“What’s your last name, Mr. Hammer?”
“Freeman. But don’t look me up. Let me tell you when it’s time. Anything else you want to know about me, I’m an open book.”
Her body relaxed softly, but I could tell she still had her reservations. No longer able to resist, I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her between my legs and into my chest.
“Your secret… is it going to embarrass me? Put me in danger? Are you hiding a wife and kids?”
“Nah, nothing like that. It doesn’t have anything to do with me, actually, or you.
It’s just… something that happened a long time ago that’s hovered over my family for decades.
It’s strained our relationships to the point where I’m only really close to my grandmother and cousin.
You’ve already met my brother, and then there’s Ma.
But it won’t embarrass you or put you in any danger.
I’m not living a double life or no shit like that, and I don’t have a wife, girlfriend, or kids. ”
“Is there a woman emotionally or physically attached to you that can claim you and annoy me?”
“No,” I answered directly but with a laugh.
“What about a man?”
“Merci.”
“I just had to ask,” she said softly yet quickly, lifting her free hand in surrender with a smile. “You so sexy,” she mumbled, almost so low I wouldn’t have heard her if I wasn’t standing so close. “I wasn’t expecting a beautiful white smile under your gold grills.”
“Yeah, they in the car. I’ma put ’em in as soon as I leave the office.”
“What do you do?” she asked before taking a sip of her latte.
“I’m an attorney, and I run the crisis management department at MPWG Law Firm.”
Her eyes widened and head jerked back slightly before she rested her hand on my chest. “Yeah, I definitely judged you based on your appearance. I certainly didn’t think you’d be an attorney working with the big dawgs.”
“Lesson of the day is to never judge a book by its cover. Especially this one,” I said with a wink before smacking her ass and pushing off the car. “I’ve taken up enough of your time, though.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and told her, “Unblock me.”
Her eyes rolled playfully, but she pulled her phone out and did as I said.
“You’re unblocked, Mr. Freeman.”
“Good. I’ma send you a link to access my calendar. By day’s end, I want you to go in and mark the days off with red that you’re available so I can start planning our time together.”
A slow smile spread her lips as Merci stared at me. She bobbed her head softly before agreeing with, “Yes, sir.”
After handing her the oatmeal, I dropped a kiss on the center of her forehead, then walked her to her car that was still in the garage.
I helped her get inside and wished her a good day before heading to mine.
A long exhale escaped me as I ran my hand over the top of my fade.
I’d have to make peace with her father before telling her about our families’ past. Otherwise, there was no doubt in my mind I’d lose her before I truly got her.
“You have two options,” I told Maya. “I can handle this as your lawyer or as your crisis manager.”
“What’s the difference?” she asked, voice shaking as she gripped the handle of her purse.
Even with me telling her that she was safe here, Maya was still on edge.
That was understandable. Currently, she was a suspect in her husband’s murder.
The police might not have cared, but Maya was a victim too.
The politician’s wife had done everything she could to honor and protect her husband while he lived…
and after he died. If Dennis had been just as loyal to her, maybe he wouldn’t have been in his current situation.
The gay politician was attacked while at a sex party with his lover.
To try and preserve his image, Maya had his body transferred to their home so he’d be found there.
Unfortunately, there was video footage of the men she’d hired carrying his body out, and rumors were spreading that she’d had him killed because he was cheating on her with a man.
She’d already been charged with murder and tampering with evidence, and it was her father’s idea to hire me.
“If I handle this as your lawyer, we’ll lie to defend your husband’s honor and name.
The risk with that is a murder trial for you that can be completely avoided.
Even if I do get you off, your family won’t be able to grieve and heal until after the circus of the trial dies down.
You don’t have an alibi for that night that you want made public because of where you’d spent your evening, so even though I’m confident I can get you off, it would be easier if I handled this as a crisis management case and told the truth.
It will tarnish your husband’s character but prove your innocence. ”
Her head hung as I gave her time to process what I said.
“If we tell the truth, I can present everyone in that house as a suspect, and the police won’t waste their time on you.
Eventually, the scandal of your husband’s infidelity and sexuality will be long forgotten.
You’ll be seen as the grieving widow and victim of your husband’s lies and betrayal, and you won’t have to face any jail time.
” When she gulped and bobbed her head, I continued.
“Martaveous told my team that you paid him that night for his silence. However, he’s willing to come forward and tell the truth with the caveat that he can keep the money since it’s untraceable.
He will tell the police they were together that night, and he has time-stamped video proof.
He will also testify that he heard Dennis arguing with a second lover who snapped when he saw them together.
While Martaveous didn’t see the murderer, he’s confident he can identify the person’s voice. ”
Sitting up in my seat, I told her, “You need to decide what matters more to you. Protecting the man who cheated on you, God only knows how many times, or your freedom. My team can have Martaveous give his statement first thing tomorrow morning, and I can guarantee you the charges against you will be dropped shortly after.”
Maya chewed on her bottom lip and rocked as she considered my words before saying, “Okay. Let’s tell the truth.”
Pleased with her choice, I stood and assured her that my team and I would take care of everything before giving the two members in the room with us their next set of instructions.
It took a couple of hours, but by the time everything had been confirmed with Martaveous and the D.A.
to meet in the morning, Maya appeared more at peace.
I couldn’t imagine how hard it was on her to not only find out her husband had multiple lovers but to also die at the hands of one and then be accused of his murder.
I wanted to get her out of this mess so she could grieve and heal and move on with her life.
Once she and her father left my office, I couldn’t wait to head out for the day myself.
Crisis management was exciting but draining as hell.
My days were often long when I was working with a client, and the only reason that hadn’t been the case with Maya was because her situation was pretty black and white.
All I needed to do was convince her not to offer herself as a sacrifice for her husband, and the truth would work in her favor, but that wasn’t always the case.
As I always did, I checked my phone notifications before I left to see if there was anything pressing that I needed to address before driving, and when I checked my calendar and saw the dates Merci had marked off in red, her compliance was the perfect end to a busy day.