Page 51 of Merciless Obsession

I crossed my arms and bounced my eyes between my brothers. It was a lot to swallow for Lucas and Nazai showed he was meant to take over. He was a resourceful man when he needed to be.

“I’ll see if I can learn more, but I need to get going. I gotta get Carson from Emmet’s then Cashlynn has a doctor’s appointment before I head to the club.”

“I’m out too,” I mentioned.

We said our goodbyes but Lucas didn’t seem to care about that. He walked around his desk and took a seat, waking his computer.

“You know he’s gonna hit the ground running with this, right?” I told Nazai when we were outside.

“I know, but Lucas is smart. I know he’s anxious, but I don’t think he’ll do anything stupid. I only got one brother who does shit without thinking sometimes.” He narrowed his eyes, causing me to chuckle.

Nazai smirked.

The two of us slapped hands before coming into a brotherly hug. “I trust you, Ez. I know you know your shit and you’re smart, but you gotta stop and think sometimes before you act. Got me?” he said into my ear.

I nodded and patted his back. “I hear you, big bro. I hear you.”

Releasing me, Nazai turned to leave. “Tell sis-in-law I said wassup!” I called out behind him. He tossed his hand up in acknowledgement.

Now that was all out the way, it was time for me to get ready for tonight. Tonight was my date with Ziora and I planned on making it a first date neither of us would forget.

____

Instead of letting myself in I decided to be a gentleman and knock on Ziora’s door then waited. After leaving Lucas’s clinic I went home to get some work done. I wasn’t due back in court until mid-next week and wasn’t accepting any new clients at the moment. My firm was running smoothly and the other attorneys under me were doing well. Everything was moving accordingly, Dad would be proud.

Just as I was about to knock again, the door was pulled open. Grinning, I held out the bouquet of red roses.

“Good evening, Bumblebee! It’s lovely to see you.”

Ziora frowned and dropped her eyes to the roses. “What are you doing here?”

“Why did you forget already? We have a date.” I stepped forward, forcing myself into the house.

“Hey!” Stepping past her, I looked around. “I told you I wasn’t going out with you.”

Grinning, I spun on my heels so I was facing her. “I think we both agree by now that I don’t take well to not getting my way. Good thing for you, I’m learning to be a patient man.” I looked her over. She was dressed like she was preparing for a cozy night in. Her hair pulled into a messy bun, she wore an oversized sweatshirt and I wasn’t sure if she had something on under it. I licked my lips.

“I figured you might not be sure of what to wear tonight so I took the initiative and had my assistant pick you out something to wear.” I stepped closer to her and this time forced the roses into her hands. Then I grabbed the dress bag hanging on my arm. “This is also for you.”

Ziora didn’t reach for the bag. She stared at me as if she didn’t recognize me.

“Ezra. Look, at first this whole thing intrigued me because… I don’t know, maybe I was bored and it brought some excitement to my normal routine, but this is getting crazy. You’re not thinking logically. You’re acting erratically. I think you should go and find someone else to fixate on.”

Her words went in one ear and out the other. Ziora could fight like she didn’t like or feel this thing between us but she was lying to herself.

“I got more information on your sister’s case,” I admitted after a few moments of silence.

That gained her attention. “What? Tell me!”

One corner of my mouth lifted. “I’ll tell you on our date.” I lifted the dress bag again, causing her frown to deepen. “Now gochange into this and do something with your hair. I’ll be waiting down here for you.”

It was written all on her face to protest. Ziora liked to be in control and didn’t do well with the unknown, that was clear. Still, I planned on breaking her away from that. I wanted her to bend at my will and trust me without any pushback. It might take some time, but I was a lawyer. I had made a group of jurors believe that someone who was guilty was completely innocent more than once when the cards were stacked against them. Even if my family did sometimes have to take those same clients and end them, in the eyes of their peers they were innocent. If I could do that, I could surely get Ziora to let her guard down and accept our relationship.

“You’re serious?” Ziora swallowed hard, eyeing the dress bag.

“I joke a lot, Bumblebee, but this isn’t one of those moments.”

Her nostrils expanded and her eyes flashed. “Fine!” she huffed, stomping toward me and snatching the bag from me. She tossed the roses on the table close to the door and stormed to the steps.