Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
COLSON
There was nothing I loved more than watching Sophie squirm.
Since I had arrived at the restaurant, that was all she had been doing.
I could see the uneasiness in her eyes, her stare taking sharp turns from me to the guys but always returning, lingering far longer than needed.
Her body movement was no different. Her legs crossed and uncrossed in that tight skirt.
Her bare arms hovered over her stomach, where her tank was tucked in, and then they unraveled, fingers playing with the stem of her martini glass, only to do it all over again.
It was as though she were back at Lush and I was edging her to the point of exploding. But here, my words and presence were bringing her to that place. And that place had stripped her of patience, like she was breathless and done waiting.
I wasn’t sure if the guys had picked up on it.
If they knew her body language as fluently as I did.
What became obvious as the evening progressed was that they had been in her life for a long time.
Yet their dynamic was one I didn’t quite understand.
I didn’t want to dig. That would send a message that I had interest, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to drive down that road.
But still, I was curious as hell, especially when Jones said to me, “You know, we almost had our girl back in Lauderdale, and then she went and made partner. Damn that firm for recognizing her greatness.”
Our girl.
I tried to make sense of it. These guys were close to Hayden, and the little time I’d spent with her brother showed me that man did not fuck around. But I knew how tempting it was to taste someone forbidden. Or maybe it had lasted longer than a taste.
“You wouldn’t want me back full-time.”
Sophie’s smile was different from anything I had ever seen. Whatever these guys meant to her, it was genuine. Honest. A deepness that was the opposite of what she felt toward me.
“And why wouldn’t we?” Callum asked.
“You love me harder when you miss me versus if I were in your face every day.”
“Not even close to the truth.” Jones reached across the table and put his hand on hers. “We want you and Abbi here. One day, that’d better happen.”
Jones hadn’t been at the office while I was there, so this was my first time meeting him. From my understanding, he had nothing to do with the brokerage firm. That company was owned by Hayden, Callum, Talon, and Leo.
“Stop,” she said gently, a softness that made her even more gorgeous. “You’re giving me all the feels.”
Hold on … is she flirting with him?
“How did you choose Troy over Sophie when picking an attorney for your company?” Callum asked me.
Despite Callum’s question, I couldn’t take my eyes off Jones and Sophie. The way he gripped her hand, the eye contact between them. Callum’s fingers had been on her tonight as well, touching her shoulder, squeezing her arm. But the embrace between her and Jones was different.
More intimate. Personal.
Could he be … Abbi’s father?
I didn’t know where that thought had come from. It hadn’t registered until now that I didn’t know who Abbi’s father was. In addition, my daughter had called her Mrs. Rivers without being able to explain her reasoning, which I had yet to settle.
I cleared my throat, forcing myself to really focus on Callum’s question.
“We’ve been working with the Daltons since almost the very beginning.
Not when we opened our first restaurant, but when the idea of expansion became a real thing.
We needed a firm that could support us. We had a relationship with the Spade family, the owners of the hotel chain.
They work exclusively with the Daltons, so when the Spades referred them, that carried a lot of weight.
Troy isn’t the only attorney we use at the Daltons’, but lately, he’s been on speed dial.
” I nodded toward Sophie. “Especially when we’re going up against this one. ”
“Who won?”
I laughed at Jones’s question. “She didn’t tell you?”
“I can’t tell him. I can’t discuss the matter with anyone.” She flicked her bottom lip with her teeth.
My smile was to goad her—and for no other reason. “Go ahead. Tell them. I’m giving you my permission.”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Her tone was curt. “I can’t.”
I stared at the Manhattan that filled my glass and gave it a quick shake before I addressed Jones.
“Sophie tried to squeeze every last dime she could get from us, giving her clients something they don’t deserve.
” I shifted my gaze to Callum. “They essentially robbed us. And are still robbing us since the menu of the restaurant, which is the entire basis of the case, isn’t fully finalized.
To settle, we didn’t give as high of a percentage as we would have, so I guess that’s somewhat of a win, but ultimately, we had to give, and that’s where she won. ”
The anger was evident on her face.
“Sophie doesn’t like it when I point out the greed that fueled her.” I circled the top of my glass. “But that’s what this entire case was about. Greed, jealousy, and one hell of a goddamn ego.”
All eyes were on her. But she didn’t say a word. She just lifted her martini and took a drink.
“Sounds like our girl outdid Troy,” Callum said.
“We’ll need to give him shit for that,” Jones added.
“Troy did a hell of a job,” I told them. “Don’t discount his skills based on the result. Our defense was cut and dry. The prosecution, because their counsel happens to be a fucking shark, found a loophole. An unfair one that earned her and her clients a shit ton of money.”
Sophie’s top lip rose like she was about to snarl. “How is it that you make even a compliment sound condescending?”
“Don’t twist my words into something they’re not. I’m not praising you. What you did was fucked up—we both know that.” The first Manhattan had teased the edges of my nerves. The second had dissolved them. The third, which I was on now, was simply for fun.
At this point, I would do anything to get a reaction out of her. That was how I won.
“Ooh, ouch,” Jones sang.
The humidity had caused some of her hair to loosen from the clip that held the majority of it back, and when she shook her head, those hanging pieces crossed her cheeks.
“We’re just beating a dead horse. There’s no reason to continue arguing about something we’ll never agree on.
” Her smile was nefarious. “Even though you love to bring it up.”
“Sophie …” I laughed, the sound of her name even tickling my tongue. “They asked. That’s the reason we’re discussing this.”
“We’re going to start calling you the shark,” Jones teased.
She looked at her friends—or whatever they were to her.
“Call me what you want, but my job is to find loopholes. It’s Troy’s job too.
That’s why we’re in this business. To maximize results for our clients.
Not that I need to justify any of this, but, Jesus, the man makes it sound like this was a personal vendetta against him. ”
“Was it?” My brows lifted.
She leaned into the table, a path that had already been cleared when the waitress removed our plates. “Why would I have it in for you?”
“You tell me.”
Part of me didn’t believe there was a reason. The only time we had met prior to the case was at Lush. And that night had been all about her. Was there a chance she felt different? Was there jealousy? I had no idea. But I knew I wanted to keep provoking.
“What I can tell you is that nothing pleases me more than the thought of never having to see you again.” She licked her lips.
“I thought the finalization of the case would make that dream come true. But then this morning happened … which has been nothing short of a nightmare. This dinner, the same. The only reason I’m still sitting here is because of them.
” She pointed at both men. “I tried to leave, Colson. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking I want to be here. ”
I’d almost forgotten we weren’t alone until I heard the sounds from the other guys. Noises that told me they thought she was in the lead after the last round of verbal lashing.
I tapped the table with my thumb. “I can think of much worse things than running into me at your brother’s office.”
I wiped the same thumb around my mouth, and her eyes told me her brain went just where I’d wanted it to. A reminder of the power I had in that thumb and the lips it was circling and just how both could make her feel.
“I wouldn’t call it running into you.” She finally tucked those strands behind her ears. “I would call it following.”
I laughed. “Now you’re reaching.”
“Hiring my brother is reaching?” Her hand flattened on the table, her rings making a thud when they landed against the wood. “No, it’s actually semi-stalking.”
“Can you believe this shit?” I asked no one in particular, knowing these dudes weren’t on my side, but the audacity of her was something else.
I sat up taller, my legs spread wide. “You can blame Troy for that. He’s the reason I’m here right now.
I had no intention of hiring someone on the other side of the country. But Troy told me how good he was and—”
“Save it.” Her hand lifted and swished the air. “I honestly don’t care. What matters is that you’re here and I’m disgusted by it.”
“Then it’s a good thing this dinner is over.” I smiled.
The table went silent, the timing almost perfect with the waitress appearing, holding our digital bill. I handed her my credit card without looking at the total.
“We’ve got this—”
“No,” I cut off Jones. “I’ve got it.” It was the least I could do for tonight’s entertainment.
The only thing that caused me to glance away from Sophie was the waitress setting the card reader in front of me. I pressed the necessary buttons on the machine to tip her and fingered my signature on the bottom.
Everyone stood.
I shook hands with the fellas, exchanging a few sentiments—an attempt to smooth out the last few minutes, an argument they shouldn’t have witnessed. While I was speaking to Jones, Sophie must have left. I was too busy to know which direction she had gone, not that it mattered.
When the guys exited the restaurant, I opted to relocate to the bar. My buzz had completely worn off from the showdown, so the sensation Sophie caused in my chest was hitting hard. I’d much rather drink the evening away than return to an empty hotel room.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked once I took a seat.
My exhale sounded like a bursting tire. “Something strong and unforgiving.”
Like her.
“I’ve got just the concoction,” he replied.
I pulled out my phone, making sure there weren’t any notifications from Lindsey about Ellie, and as I was putting it back in the pocket of my shorts, I saw her.
She was rounding the corner near the far end of the restaurant, which told me she hadn’t left.
She’d gone to the restroom, probably hoping I would be gone by the time she got out.
She was adjusting her outfit, pulling down her skirt, fixing her top, and the moment she lifted her head and looked up, her eyes were on mine.
“Here you go.” The bartender placed a tumbler in front of me.
“I might need another one of these soon.” I hadn’t even tasted it, but the sight of her made me want to drink more.
“I’ve got you. Just holler.”
I was positive Sophie was going to walk right past the bar and go in the same direction the guys had gone in. But as soon as she turned at the base of the bar, I knew I was now her target.
I pulled the drink into my fingers and took my first sip as she halted in front of me, tucking her small purse under her arm, as though she needed both hands for whatever she was about to do.
“How dare you talk to me that way in front of them?!”
“Me? I’m at fault?” I pointed at my chest. “I thought we were done. That we’d beaten a dead horse—isn’t that what you said?”
She took the glass out of my fingers and downed the entire thing. “Unfortunately, we’re just getting started.”