Page 14 of Objection
Kaos
Back at the Office
“ T he rest of the partners are ready for you in conference room three,” Serenity told me over the intercom.
After pressing the button I told her, “Thank you. Please let them know I’ll be right down. I need to find that file Unc wanted me to look over before he gets here, and I can’t remember where I put it or the man’s name.”
Serenity giggled. “His name is Woody Simpson. The file is in your middle desk drawer.”
Relief quickly washed over me when I opened the drawer and saw the file.
“Thanks, princess. Did we get the—”
“I put the affidavit in there before we left for Greece. His first court date isn’t for another three weeks, so you have more than enough time to prepare should you decide to take on the case.”
“Perfect, thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
I set the file on my desk and stood to meet with my partners—Tristan, Carson, and Zander.
We all balanced each other out. While I was about action and had a shorter temper and small amount of patience for certain things and people, Carson was the opposite.
He was a talker, a planner, and believed in the power of words.
Tristan was straightforward and direct, and he had no time for games or nonsense.
He was very logical, maybe too logical. Zander was highly empathetic and compassionate.
As I made my way inside the conference room, I thanked them for meeting me. “I just want to make y’all aware of something before I go to HR about it,” I told them as I sat at the head of the mahogany brown table.
“You did it, didn’t you?” Tristan asked with a grin.
“Did what?” Carson inquired.
Zander sighed and sat back in his seat. “I think I know where this is going.”
“Y’all know I just got back from Greece two days ago. Serenity was with me. We don’t have a title yet but she’s mine. I ain’t coming up off her for nothing, certainly not this nonfraternization clause. I wanted y’all to know first before I went to HR.”
“I knew it,” Tristan said. “What happened? How did she react? I’m glad you finally made a move.”
I shared the least descriptive version of what happened with them to keep what happened between us sacred—I was bored, we went out the country, and had an amazing time.
“Wassup with y’all not having a title?” Zander peeped.
“If y’all ain’t together, are you sure it’s worth going to HR over?” Carson wondered.
“I’m not trying to rush her. She’s a little fragile from relationships that failed in the past. She’s mine, though, and definitely worth taking it to them.”
“Well, you got my support,” Tristan said.
“Mine too,” Carson agreed.
“Yeah, no doubt,” Zander added.
We talked a little longer before Serenity buzzed in to remined me of my uncle’s visit.
I appreciated the reminder, because I needed a few minutes to look over the affidavit before he arrived.
On the way back to my office, I stopped by hers and asked her, “You haven’t ordered my lunch already, have you? ”
“Not yet.”
“Good. We’re going out for lunch. Is that okay with you?”
Smiling, Serenity stopped typing and stood. Her palms rested on her glass desk as she leaned forward. My eyes lowered to her breasts before snapping back up to her eyes.
“You make it very hard to try and control this situation, Montgomery.”
“I know. You’re so much sexier when you submit and let me lead. I got a lot I want to give you, princess. Be a woman and receive. The more you do, the easier you’ll find it to trust yourself with me.”
She’d leaned forward after each statement I made, and when she realized it, she covered her mouth and shot back. “That made my pussy so wet I almost kissed you.”
After releasing a bark of laughter, I loosened my tie.
It’s getting hot as fuck in here.
“I’ll kiss both sets of your lips after my uncle leaves, then we can go to lunch.”
With a nod and sweet smile, Serenity agreed.
I made my way into my office and grabbed the file.
Walking to the window, I opened it and read the affidavit.
The more I read, the less willing I was to defend Woody.
By the time I got to the end, Serenity was calling to let me know Unc had arrived.
I told her she could send him back as I tossed the file onto my desk.
“Nephew,” he spoke as he stepped inside.
“Wassup, Unc?” We shook hands and I motioned for him to have a seat. “I ain’t even gon’ hold you,” I continued, sitting down. “I can’t have anything to do with this case.”
His brows wrinkled as he sat up in his seat. “Why not?”
“The man is being charged with rape, domestic assault, and attempted murder. I don’t play about any crimes against women and children. You know that.”
“Yeah, but can you make an exception? We have a deal in place. If I can get you to defend him and he’s found not guilty, he’s going to lend us his fleet of trucks.
We’ll be able to import and export through his company with less risks and a lower fee than what it’s currently costing us to rent trucks and pay our own team. ”
“Nah, I can’t. I’m not going against my boundaries to save you money.”
He released a hard breath before standing and shoving his hand in his pocket. “Maybe I wasn’t clear in my communication. I asked out of respect, but you really don’t have a choice. When I released you from the mafia—”
“Let me stop you there, Unc,” I said as I stood.
“I’ve made it clear to you over the years that though I don’t mind representing some people on your behalf, you don’t control me or who I take on as clients.
He raped a nineteen year old then tried to kill her when she decided she wanted to keep her baby.
He tried to kill a child just so his wife wouldn’t find out.
Thankfully she survived and had the courage to go to the police.
Even if I represented him, there’s no way in hell he's getting away with this.”
His knuckles tapped my desk. “If I lose out on this deal because you aren’t going to represent him, you’re going to regret this.”
“Out of respect, I’ma let you leave here alive even though you threatened me. Next time, that won’t be the case.”
The only thing that broke our gaze was Serenity opening the door and leaning against it. He looked down at her and smiled before walking out.
“Are you okay?” she asked carefully, taking small steps in my direction. “That looked kind of heated from outside the door.” I didn’t realize how tight my mouth and jaw were until she cupped my jaw and caressed my cheek with her thumb. “Hey,” she called softly.
Looking down at her, I relaxed my body when she wrapped her arms around me. I couldn’t feel violent and hostile with her softness pressed against me.
“I’m good, princess.”
“Hold me,” she commanded softly, forcing me to wrap my arms around her as a slow smile spread my lips. “Let me anchor you for a while. Keep you steady until he leaves.”
The longer we stood there, silently, staring in each other’s eyes .
. . the more confirmation I received that she was the woman for me.
Women in my past loved my violence, my temper, having a man that was on that rah rah shit.
Though I was still very much about that life, it felt good being with a woman who wanted to experience a different, safer version of me.
It gave me something to have hope in—hope that I never did anything to lose her. Disappoint her. Scare her.
“You make me wanna be better,” I expressed, squeezing her ass. “Thank you for coming in here. I honestly don’t know how things would have played out if you didn’t and he responded to the last thing I said.”
“I don’t know what that was about, but I saw the anger in your eyes and felt a pressure on my chest.” After I told her what our conversation was about, she said, “Oh, wow. I can see why you don’t want to represent him. You made the right choice, baby.”
“Yeah, I just don’t know what the consequence will be.”
“Consequence?” she repeated, reminding me that I hadn’t told her about my time in the mafia. She knew who my family was—almost everyone in our city did—but not the role I used to play.
“Let’s get to lunch. I’ll tell you about that a little later.”
“Okay, let me shut my system down,” she agreed before heading back to her office.
While I waited, I texted Pops to let him know we needed to talk to his brother before leaving for what I needed to be a peaceful lunch with my future wife.