Chapter 4
Chapter Four
K ingston
The shocked look of bemusement on Remi's face irritates me. His dark eyes laugh at me as we wait for a server to come and take our drink order. The bar is still quite empty and I'm glad I'm able to hear myself think as we wait on Max and Gabe. Though, Remi is getting on my nerves. I'm still irked that I let him talk me into calling Skye. The smirk that crosses his face makes me wonder how any women fall for him and his arrogance. I narrow my eyes as he laughs at me.
"It's your turn to call Juniper now and tell her that she shouldn't have her hopes up of getting together with you."
"Are you crazy?" he says, shaking his head. "There's no way I'm going to call Juniper and tell her that."
"What?" I stare at him, fold my arms, and take a deep breath. "It was your idea. You're the one who said we should let our assistants know that there will be no more romantic dalliances between us and them at the office."
He bursts out laughing like I've just told the funniest joke in the world.
"I cannot believe that you just had two conversations with Skye about not wanting to be with her. I can't believe that you actually listened to me and my teasing comments."
"So you're not worried that Juniper is going to think that you and her will become an item?"
"Hell no. She knows that is never going to happen. Neither one of us looks at the other in that way. Juniper is the perfect assistant. For all I know, she's a lesbian. She has no interest in me and I have no interest in her. We have zero sexual chemistry. In fact, if you ask me what color her eyes are, I couldn't even tell you."
"You do realize I just made my assistant extremely mad at me because of what you told me. I don't have time for this, Remi. You know I'm trying to woo the members of the New York Penguins hockey team to the firm. I could have spent my precious time trying to make another meeting for drinks with Whittaker Matlock, the star center of the team. If we sign him, the others will follow suit."
"Well, you're the dumbass that called her and had the conversation," he says, shaking his head. "Plus what do those two obnoxious conversations have to do with signing Whittaker. Why don't you just call him now?"
"That's not the point." I growl.
"I can't believe you asked her to dinner, bro," he says, shaking his head. I want to slap the smirk off of his face. "And to think she turned you down."
"Well, that was the point, right? If she would have said yes, then I would've known she was too interested in me." I don't care that she turned me down. Not like I actually wanted to take her to dinner.
"You really told your assistant not to get any ideas about being in a relationship with you." He bursts out laughing again. "I cannot wait to see you guys interact on Monday."
"If she even shows up on Monday," I say, thinking of Skye's pissed off tone on the phone. I bet her fiery green eyes were blazing with fury. I wouldn’t mind seeing what she looks like all worked up.
"At least you know she's not interested. That has to settle your mind and put you at ease. Now you know that she doesn't want to see you naked and sit on your face at any point in her employment."
"You're an idiot, Remi. But you're right, she's not interested whatsoever." The thought doesn't fill me with as much pleasure as it should. "At least that’s what she wants me to believe."
"What? Now you're going to say you don't believe her?"
"I just think that it's a little bit weird that she was so vehement about the fact that she wasn't interested, especially considering the fact that she called me back to remind me that she wasn't interested."
"Kingston, dude. She's not interested in you."
"I know that.” I snap. “That’s good. I don't need any complications at work. Plus, I have plenty of other women," I say as I look across the bar and make eyes with a beautiful lady with long black hair and dark brown eyes. She smiles at me and offers me a small wave and I nod before giving Remi a satisfied look. He's not even paying attention to me, as there's a hot blond making eyes at him and he's making some weird gesture with his hands. I don't even want to know what he's doing.
The hot brunette sips her bright pink drink and pulls out a cherry with her tongue, while still making eye contact with me. "I wonder if I should go and practice my Spanish," I say, nodding toward the seductress giving me fuck me eyes. Remi leans forward and frowns.
"How do you know she speaks Spanish?"
"Because she's got on a top that says ‘ boricua forever’." I smirk. "This is why I'm the top partner at the firm. I'm observant. Now, if you don't mind, I think I might go and introduce myself." I'm not sure what my motivation is to talk to her, but what I do know is that I no longer want to talk about my interaction with Skye.
"Okay, if you have something to prove to yourself, then go ahead." He looks toward her. "She is pretty hot, but we're waiting on Gabe and Max, so I don't know that they would be happy to arrive and you're halfway to bedding a hot little mamacita."
"Yeah, well, they're late, so all bets are off." I shrug and stand up. I'm about to head over to the sexy woman when I see Max marching toward us with a beer in his hand. "Saved by the bell." I sit back down, give the seductress an apologetic smile, and look back over at Max as he takes the seat next to me.
"Hey, what's up?" he asks in greeting, putting a hand on my shoulder. His blue eyes are keen as he looks over at the brunette and bursts into a wide grin. "Oh, I see you're making friends."
"Not much. You made it finally." I ignore his latter comment.
"Sorry. Lila was showing me some dresses that she wants to buy and she wanted my opinion on my favorite two." He sips his beer slowly and I can tell by the smug look on his face that he's remembering what he'd seen earlier. "I told her to get all of them. Especially the one with the lace garter."
"Really, Max? Is this evening just going to consist of you talking about Lila's shopping tastes." I think about his blonde former assistant and girlfriend. She's pretty, but she's also extremely dramatic and has a penchant for jumping to conclusions. She's the sort of woman that would drive me crazy, though maybe I'd feel different if I'd been in love with her.
"What can I say?" He shrugs. "I'm pussy whipped."
"I can't believe you're admitting that." I also can't believe how proud he is to make the statement, like it's cool to be under lock and key. I loved Max like a brother. He's been one of my closest friends for years and I always thought we'd both be eligible bachelors for years to come.
I'd been shocked when he'd fallen so quickly for Lila. He'd changed once he fell in love with her. He was no longer the shark he used to be and that annoyed me. It used to be him and me bringing in most of the new clients, wooing them and making plans to get their business. Now it’s like he couldn't care less about money or being the top law firm in The City.
Chase, Parker and Spector still means everything to me and I’m still committed to bringing on clients that will show the world who we are. If I can get the top players from the New York Penguins to sign with the firm, I know other sports stars will follow.
"Well, I know if I didn't say it, you would." He grins at me, winks, and then looks over at Remi. "What's good?"
"Not much. You are not going to believe what Kingston just did."
Max's eyes snap back to me and all I can do is glare at both men.
"I don't think we need to discuss that anymore, Remi." Irritation pounds in my temple, coupled with embarrassment. I feel like an idiot, and also offended that Skye decided she needed to call me back to tell me just how disinterested in me she was. As if I hadn't been doing her a favor. I'd rather save her the stress of falling in love with me then realizing it was never going to happen.
Max turns toward me, his right brow arched as he gazes at me. "Whoa, what happened? You look pissed."
"Let's just say that you should never go to Remi for advice about anything." I grab my drink and sip. "Except for maybe the rules of evidence when it comes to?—"
"Hold on." Max holds up his hand as he looks at his phone. He's either getting a call or a text message, because his screen has lit up like it's Christmas and he’s just turned on all the lights. "I think Gabe just got here."
"Awesome," I say, genuinely excited to see our fourth partner. None of us have seen him in months. I look up and spot him strolling toward us with a cocky grin on his face. Gabe always has a smile on his face and a pep in his step. I notice the hot Latina from the bar staring at him in awe. He notices her and winks and I stifle a groan.
Gabe Lucas is like a candle and the women around him like moths. They cannot keep away from his dazzling flame. He looks like a male model in his dark suit and white shirt; his hair is a little bit longer, but still as dark as I remember; and his dark eyes seem to glow in his tan handsome face. He heads toward us with a leisurely gait to his stride and I shake my head. "Is Gabe still an attorney or did he take up the catwalks of Paris?" I joke as I stand up to greet him.
"Gabe, welcome back." Max steps forward and they hug.
"Hey, bro." He grins and looks over at me. I lean in and give him a hug.
"Looking as handsome as ever," I say, grinning.
"Not as handsome as you, old blue eyes." He grips the back of my neck before turning to Remington. "And you, Remington, brother. How's it going?"
"Not as good as you, I don't think." He grins and they give each other a hug, then we all just stare at each other. The crew is finally back together. It feels good. I love these men like my brothers. We have a lifelong bond. We’re like teammates on a sports team. We all want to be great, so we always come together to ensure we all succeed.
"We're back," Max says what we are all thinking. Even though we're in a packed bar, all time and movement seems to still. I look at each one of them and just take in their spirits and presence. These are good men. These are men I would trust with my life.
"So, Gabe," I say. "We've missed you. Are you here to stay or heading out again soon?" None of us really know where Gabe went and we haven't wanted to push for answers. He likes his privacy, and even though he’s confident and charismatic, he can also be very stoic about his feelings and what’s going on in his life. I’m much the same way, so I understand the desire to keep things to yourself.
"I'm here," he says, nodding. "I had some things I had to take care of and now I'm ready to get back to work." He smiles nonchalantly, like we aren’t all curious about where he was. "How have you bozos been? I hope profits are still up. I've got a new apartment to buy." He grins. "And a new bed to entertain the ladies in."
"Still a ladies man, I see." I point out the obvious and he runs his fingers through his dark hair.
"What can I say? The ladies love my silky hair and dark bedroom eyes."
We all groan at his words and sit down. There's a lightness in my shoulders as I relax back and just take in my environment. Some of my favorite moments in life have been had with these men. We laugh together, we support each other, and we strategize to be the best attorneys in New York. I'd been worried that everything would change when Max got together with Lila. I'd been worried that he would disappear. I’m grateful that he didn’t.
"You know profits are still up." Max leans back. "We've been speaking every other week and filling you in on all the work we've been doing."
"I know. So, Max, I hear congratulations are in order." Gabe chuckles. "You and your assistant are doing the dirty, huh? I'm taking it she's not as old as Ethel Wharton?" he teases. Ethel Wharton was the eighty-five year old grandma that had worked for Max for a few months before quitting.
"Well, she's more than my assistant now and she's nothing like Ethel. I can't wait for you to meet Lila. I think you'll really like her."
"Hopefully I don't like her too much. You don't want me to be Mr. Steal Your Girl."
"You won't be stealing Lila from me. Trust me, I have no worries about that. However, maybe you'll steal Skye from Kingston over there. Or maybe he wants you to steal her. I hear that relationship's about to blow up anyway."
"What are you talking about?" I frown as I stare at Max. Had he already heard about the call?
"I'm just saying that Skye doesn't seem to be too happy working for you."
"What? She loves me. We get along great." That's a bit of a lie, but it could be true.
"That's not what she has been telling Lila. In fact…" Max leans forward conspiratorially. "I've heard that the girls have formed a club."
"A club?" I ask. "What sort of club?" Remington holds his hands up like we're in school.
"I bet I know what the club's called."
"Oh, yeah? And what's that?" I say, looking toward him.
"The Bosses I'd Love to Fuck Club," he says, chuckling. I roll my eyes and Max laughs.
"You wish."
"Actually, no. I don't really want to fuck Juniper," he says, laughing. "But, hey. I wouldn't mind fucking Skye. Especially if you don't want her, Max."
"Hands off my assistant. I do not need her life being any more complicated."
"What's the name of the club?" I ask Max.
"I think they call it the Annoying Hot Bosses Club," he says, shaking his head. "And before you ask, yes, Lila is a member."
"No way!" I grin.
"You're taking this much better than I thought you would be," Max says.
"You just said they call us their hot bosses." I grin. "So they think I'm hot."
"Yeah, but there's an annoying part in front of that."
"I don't care about being annoying," I say. "I care that Skye was lying."
"What are you talking about?"
"He told her that he is not interested in her and that she shouldn't get any ideas in her head," Remi answers for me and I glare at him.
"You what?" Max's eyes widen.
"It's all Remington's fault. Look, I basically said just because Lila and Max got together doesn't mean that we're going to get together. So just in case she had any ideas or hopes, to get them out of her head."
"You did not." Max bursts out laughing, as do Gabe and Remi.
"I know. I sounded like a douche. I don't even know if I should call her and apologize or leave it alone."
"I am in shock," Max says. "What on Earth possessed you to do that?"
"Like I said...Remington did. He is the one who got into my head and."
"It's not my fault, bro. If I told you to walk off a cliff, would you?"
"No, Papa," I say. I let out a small sigh of relief when the waitress heads back to us with our shots of whiskey.
"Here you go, sir." She smiles at me as she hands me my drink. "Hi, guys." She looks over at Max and Gabe. "My name is Tropicana. I'll be your waitress, server, hostess with the mostest tonight. Is there anything I can get you guys?"
"I'll have what he's having." Gabe nods towards me.
"Whiskey?" Tropicana asks.
"Sure."
"Me too," Max says. "Make that six more shots of whiskey, please." He hands her his credit card. "And you can put it on this card."
"Oh, yes, sir. Anything else?"
"That's it for now," he says. "Let's sit."
We are all seated around the small table and I look at my partners and best friends for a couple of moments, then smile widely. "This feels good," I say. I look over at Max. "I'm glad you're here. I was a little bit worried you wouldn't make it."
He frowns slightly as he gazes at me.
"Why would I not make it?"
"I mean, now that you're married up and all."
"I'm not married and even when I do get married, it doesn't mean that I'm not going to make time for you guys. We're brothers and we're partners and we run a law firm together. We will have meetings."
"Yeah, but I don't want you to say that all the meetings suddenly have to be in the office. I like these Friday night get-togethers at the bar."
“Don’t get your hopes up. I can't promise every Friday," Max says with a grin. "But Lila's independent. She likes hanging out with her girls just as much as I like hanging out with you guys. Plus, maybe you guys will get into relationships soon and we can go on double dates and stuff."
I shudder.
"No, thank you."
"Yeah, I don't see that happening for me anytime soon," Remington says with a shrug. Gabe holds his hands up.
"I just got back into town. I'm not even thinking about that right now."
"Fine," Max says with a grin. "You three will be bachelors forever and the uncles to my babies."
"You and Lila aren't pregnant, are you?" I lean forward, scowling. "Because?—"
"Calm down, Kingston. Don't worry. No, we're not pregnant, but we will one day be pregnant and we will have kids and you will be their uncle, so get ready." I stare at him.
"I'm not ready and I sure as hell hope you're not ready anytime soon either, because…"
"Because what?"
"There are a lot of strip clubs I want to go to and I don't think Lila will like you going to strip clubs."
He shakes his head.
"I think that's going to be the three of you."
"Fine," I say. "Anyways, shall we get down to business?" Gabe pulls out an iPad and white Apple Pencil.
"I'm high-tech now," he says, grinning. "I'm going to take some notes. I guess I should look for an assistant as well. Do any of you have any recommendations?"
"Not me," I say, shaking my head, thinking of Skye. I’m not the one to be recommending assistants. "I've got one that I'm currently trying to train, but if it doesn't work out, you can have her."
"Yeah, no thanks." Gabe shakes his head and looks over at Remi.
"Juniper is probably the best assistant at the firm and I'm not parting ways with her. I hit gold when I hired her." Remi smirks like he's just won gold at the Olympics. You'd think he was the second coming of Micheal Phelps, the way his smug tone hits us all.
"You only hired her because you weren't attracted to her," I say. "Big deal. You got lucky." He shrugs as he gazes at me.
"Yeah, well, at least I don't have to worry about us accidentally falling into bed and doing the dirty."
"I don't have to worry about that either."
"Only because she doesn't want to."
"I don't want to either."
"Tell me you haven't thought about Skye in that way."
"I have not thought about Skye in that way." My heart thuds.
"Liar."
"I'm not lying." I smirk and look over at Gabe. "Trust me when I say I have not thought about doing the dirty with my assistant."
"He's totally lying. Wait till you see her." Remi smacks his lips together. "She's gorgeous. Long red hair, green eyes. I bet you she is a lioness in bed."
"Um, just in case I haven't been clear, Remington, I don't want you doing my assistant either."
"Hey." He holds his hands up. "Would I do that?"
"Yes, I think you would." I'm getting heated so I turn to Max. "What about you, Max? Do you know anyone that Gabe could hire?"
"In fact, I do," he says, nodding slowly. "I mean, if you don't mind someone a little bit inexperienced." Gabe looks at him with a frown.
“I’m going to be honest here, but I would rather hire someone that has experience because I've been out of the office for a while, but who is it? If you're recommending them you must think they're going to do a good job."
"My sister, Marie, is in need of a job."
"What?" I look at him in surprise. "Marie wants to work at the firm?" His sister has zero legal experience.
"She wants to make some money," he says, nodding slowly and stifling a long sigh. He looks over at Gabe. "You may not know this, but Marie's pregnant."
"No way!" Gabe’s eyes widen. We don't know Marie very well, as we've only met her a couple of times, but I know he's as shocked as I was because Marie is only eighteen, about to turn nineteen.
"Yeah." Max sighs. "I don't even want to talk about it."
"Um, I'll think about it," Gabe says with a nod, the expression in his eyes dark. "I would have to interview her and make sure that she's not going to be a liability, but if you think she'll do a good job, I'll consider it."
Max shakes his head and shrugs.
"Honestly, I don't know if she'd do a good job, but I'd be grateful if you at least gave her an interview. She doesn't want to work for me because she thinks it’d look like nepotism."
"But working for me wouldn't?" Gabe asks with an arched brow, and we all just laugh because we all know Marie wouldn't even be a consideration for a job if it wasn't for Max.