She looked me up and down, her disdain for me clear. “Langston told us how you behaved, the way you propositioned him and threatened to destroy his relationship with my daughter if he didn’t do what you wanted.”
“Wait a minute,” Maya interjected. “Who—”
I placed a hand on her’s and squeezed, effectively letting her know I didn’t need her to defend me.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you behaved the way you did,” the woman continued. “I’ve read that you enjoy wrecking homes. I’m just glad he fired you. My daughter doesn’t need that negative energy going into her marriage.”
“Thank you for your candor, Mrs. Turner,” I said. “Allow me the same?”
She stiffened. “That’s not necessary.”
“Oh, but it is. For the record, Langston fed you and your daughter a bunch of lies.”Bullshitwas a better word, and would’ve hit better, but we were in a very public restaurant. The last thing I needed was another headline detailing my potty mouth. “Just as he’s portrayed himself to be a standup man. Let’s be clear—in the interest of helpingyourdaughter,Ifiredhim. Meaning, I told him to find another attorney. The notion that I’d ruin my professional reputation by hitting on a client is ludicrous. The idea that I’d risk my license for Langston Sykes is laughable. Really.”
“Why would he lie, Ms. Young?” Mrs. Turner asked.
“Why wouldn’t he?” I countered. “Our one and only meeting ended when I asked him to leave my office. Langston demonstrated he doesn’t respectanywoman by insisting on adding unreasonable and archaic provisions in the prenuptial agreement. By the way,anywoman includesyourdaughter.”
“Don’t talk about my daughter. I will ruin you.”
“Bring it,” I said. “I don’t regret how I handled the situation. There was no impropriety on my behalf. Simply put, my commitment to the edification of women—ofblackwomen—would not allow me to continue serving as his counsel. Therefore, I released him and returned his retainer. How that translated to me throwing myself at him, I don’t know. But maybe it’s something you need to get to the bottom of before your daughter walks down that aisle to forever. Or until she gives him a reason to enforce one of the provisions he’d been too keen on including in their prenuptial agreement. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” I dropped my napkin to the table and stood. Yet, instead of making my bad-ass exit, I turned into a very hard chest.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist, holding me steady. “Sorry.”
I peered up, into the eyes of myman. “Preston?” I breathed.
“Run with it,” he murmured against my ear, right before he brushed his lips over my temple, then my cheek. “You did good. I’ll take it from here.” Before I could object, he kissed me. Well, it wasn’t a kiss so much as it was a soft touch of his mouth to mine. But it felt like he’d pulled me close, like he’d used his mouth, his teeth, and his tongue.
“Oh,” I whispered, unable to form any other words. I stared at his lips.
He looked over my head and smiled. “Hello, I’m Preston,” he said, stepping away from me to greet the older women.
Snapping out of the trance he’d put me in, I glanced down at Maya, who was grinning ear to ear. I watched him charm the other women at the table. While he was schmoozing, I raked my gaze over his tall frame. There was something about a man who knew how to wear his clothes. His navy pants and white shirt could easily segue from the office to the bar. His silver watch glinted in the dim light, drawing my attention to his arms.Lord. He had great arms—strong, defined muscles. Obviously, he spent a lot of time in the gym. But I also knew he didn’t mind doing manual labor and would often work onsite with his crew, nailing boards, hauling wood, carrying steel beams, or some shit like that. Either way, I appreciated his form, the way he moved. And the way Susan fluttered her eyelashes like a damn teenager when he’d complimented her let me know she did too.
After several more dimpled smiles and low chuckles, Preston turned his attention to Mrs. Turner. He didn’t introduce himself to her, though. Instead, he said, “Don’t let us keep you from your party.”
Mrs. Turner gaped. “Excuse me?”
Preston pointed toward the front of the restaurant, where a small group of people were watching the scene unfold. “I overheard them mentioning they were ready to go. Something about an art exhibit?”
She blinked.
“If you’re going to the Van Gogh Immersive Art exhibit, you should probably get there a little early. The lines are long.”
Mrs. Turner’s fair skin turned bright red, and she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she glared at me then walked away without another word.
Preston winked at me and proceeded to trace small circles over my hip. He smelled like wood, leather, and oranges.Delicious. Between his fingers working their magic on me and his scent, I struggled to maintain my composure. I had no idea what they were even talking about at this point, because I was laser focused on him.
I registered Maya’s laugh, which pulled me from my totally inappropriate thoughts about Preston’s dick. “Exactly,” my mentor said, laughing in delight.
I briefly wondered what I’d missed, and my need for self-preservation made me maneuver out of his grasp. But then, Preston pulled me back to him, pressing his warm lips against my forehead.
“I hope I didn’t interrupt something important,” he said. “We thought a little dessert after dinner would be nice. Date night.”
Susan’s face lit up. “Sounds lovely, Mr. Hayes.”
“Call me Preston,” he told her.
“Aren’t you the young man in the latest photo with our Dallas?” Susan asked.
