Page 57 of King of Justice

Just by having her here to look at, I felt that my night had significantly improved. It was an incredibly surreal sight, since she was the only one here without costumes or the promise of exciting underwear. She was standing there in a floral dress, a cotton cardigan and a bomber jacket on top. On her feet, she was wearing her usual day boots over black tights.

She didn’t look like she belonged, and I absolutely loved it.

“I’m here to fight, Mr. Wright,” she said with determination in her eyes. “Would you rather do it here or someplace more private?” She spoke quickly, enunciating every word as she did. She was rushing, yet deliberate. Angry, yet for some strange reason, also inviting.

I knew she wasn’t going to like my next move, but I did it all the same. I lifted up my hand and grabbed her arm, gently tugging on it as I pulled her away from the stunned guest with her parted lips and wide eyes. “Come with me,” I commanded.

She let out a brief giggle. “Oh, she’s hot.” She then turned to me, making her body heavier than it should be to stall our movement. “What were you gonna do to her, tiger?” She continued to giggle.

“Are you drunk?” I strained from between gritted teeth, tightening my grip around her arm.

“Watch it, pal. You’re this close to a lawsuit!” She held up two fingers, signaling half an inch.

“Oh, you mean my hand?” I instantly lifted it up. “That’s nothing compared to fifty witnesses, who will testify that you broke into a private party.”

“Lighten up, Wright. People crash parties all the time,” she mocked, following it with a snort. “Especially low-lives like me.”

“Seriously, what are you on?” I was running out of patience, and it showed in my tone.

“I told you. I’m here to fucking fight you, Nathan,” she insisted.

Looking around, I realized that the corner we were now standing in wasn’t even remotely private. Sure, we were feet away from everyone and the music was doing its part. But Sophie seemed like a ticking bomb ready to blow at any minute. I wasn’t going to risk a scene—not after all the money and time I’d invested in putting together this elite event. Besides, judging by her appearance, Sophie could have easily been mistaken for one of my pro bono case beneficiaries. A part of me didn’t want anyone to think that.

Instead of grabbing her arm, this time I put my hand in hers, tightly yet gently tugging it as I pulled her toward the stairs. She let out a vibrant laugh, and a part of me wished it was genuine, even though I knew it wasn’t. As my foot touched the first step, I heard her say, “Scandalous. You're ditching your date for poor little me!”

I glanced in her direction before looking straight ahead. “What the fuck do you want from me, Jones?” Climbing quickly, I felt all eyes on us. Luckily, we disappeared as we went upward, gaining some semblance of privacy. In the hall, I let go of her hand and abruptly turned around. “What do you want? Answer me!”

“Let’s go in there?” She raised her eyebrows and nodded, pointing to the open door of my study.

“Fine!” I strained before I watched her march in there, moving her arms like a soldier.

The moment we were both in the room, I closed the door and turned to her, taking a deep, calming breath. “Now what?”

“Now I get to tell you that you’re a child.”

“Excuse me?”

“Who storms out like that without demanding an explanation? Weren’t you the least bit curious?”

I knew exactly what she was referring to, but wanted nothing more than to irk her. I lazily blinked, shrugging and throwing my arms in the air. “What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked calmly.

“You know very well.” She pointed a warning finger at me while her eyes shot a glare in my face. “Don’t play dumb with me, Wright. I know you better than you think.”

Leaning against my desk, partially seated, I rested my arm on my bent leg, smiling. “Oh, you do.”

“You’re the rich, coddled attorney who was born with a gold spoon in his mouth and everyone saying, ‘yes, sir,’ and ‘okay, sir,’ to his every whim. And when one thing—one thing—didn’t go your way? You threw a fucking tantrum and disappeared!”

“Oh, one thing.” I scoffed, looking away as my smile revealed how little I thought of her theory. “No, Jones. You seem to be forgetting the number of times I’d looked the other way—”

“Look at how you talk!” The pitch of her voice grew higher, as if in disbelief. “Looked the other way? Who made you king of the world?”

“I don’t give a flying fuck about who rules the world.” Standing up, I raised a finger. “But when things are in my realm? Concerning my life and my respect? I have a few demands that can’t be overlooked.” Pausing, I stepped closed, looking her dead in the eyes. “And you have no idea how much effort it took so I could overlook them… for you.”

Narrowing her eyes, she enunciated, “I am forever grateful, Mr. Wright.” Her lips then stretched into a thin line. “But guess what? It was my respect that took a hit that day when you watched Travis kiss me and instead of doing something… you just ran away.”

Widening my eyes, I took a step away and gestured with my arm as I shouted, “You fucking kissed him back!”

“No I didn’t!” she snapped back. “I was in fucking shock, you idiot!”

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