Page 4 of Rejection Overruled

“Brooke.” Sophia’s voice drew me back from the past.

“Hmm?”

“I think they’re here. I hear talking outside the door.”

As we got our coffee and headed back to our seats, the door opened and my cup almost slipped from my hand. I would know that face anywhere. His beautiful lips were the first things my eyes rested on. Those strong cheekbones and piercing brown eyes made my toes curl. Our eyes locked as we sized up each other.

It’s been fifteen long years and now he was standing in front of me, my rival for the day. Jamal Styles eyes broke away from mine, dropping to my full mounds beneath my beige jacket. As his eyes raked over me, I felt the disdain. My skin scrawled as my heart began a slow heavy drumming.

There he was in front of me and I found myself rooted to the spot. Everything around us faded as that old high school girl crush came crashing back. I felt the coffee cup slipping as my palms became sweaty. Those fifteen years of dreaming of revenge were quickly flying out the window as my eyes drank in the six feet three inches of hot chocolate in front of me. How was it possible that a man could become sexier with age?

Then reality checked in. This was the same guy who used me for a bet. I reminded myself that I was his punishment for losing a damn bet. No matter how scrumptious his lips were, or broad those damn shoulders were, I would not let him affect me. I tore my gaze away and shuffled to my seat.

“Do you two know each other?” Sophia asked, loud enough for him to hear.

“No, I’ve never seen him before,” I replied as loudly as I could without coming off as trying to get his attention. That was the last thing I wanted. What I wanted was to punch the lights out of him.

The door opened and in walked my client, with her husband right behind her. The two looked cozy as hell. This was not good. Were they planning to get back together? This did not auger well for my business, but who was I to get between a girl and her money? Because, that’s all this was. Marla did not love Devon one iota and I doubted that he loved her.

In addition to all this crap going on in my head, this arbitration was bullshit. Devon and Marla Anderson could more than afford a trial. I hated these proceedings, they always left me feeling high and dry. I wondered which judge they bamboozled into sitting through what was looking to be a dull event.

3 -Jamal

If there was one thing I knew for a fact, was that I was the best young divorce attorney in Los Angeles – Jamal Styles. My record spoke for itself at a rate of ninety three percent win. I was the best, not only because of my courtroom skills, but because of my ability to get my clients what they wanted.

Women loved the chocolate colored skin, the brown eyes that caressed their beauty and of course, my sexy ass. Not to mention that God gave me a double portion down yonder when he made me. I knew I was a little arrogant, but that’s what they all loved about me. My confidence was what made me who I was and I was damn if I would compromise that. I was scared of no one – until – well here’s what happened…

The last thing I expected as I was about to open the conference room door was to hear women talk about sex. Sex was my one obsession. My hand froze as her voice filtered through the wall.

“I haven’t had an orgasm in months.” The voice was low and husky… my kind of voice.

That intrigued me enough to eavesdrop. I wondered for a moment if she was my client’s wife. I listened to their conversation as she spoke about breaking up with her man John. I concluded it wasn’t my client’s wife, but someone from the opposing side.

Her voice washed over me that I was curious to see the woman who possessed such sexy tone. I didn’t know about other men, but for me a woman with a voice like got my blood pumping. With the right body and face, she’s be a perfect ten.

My entertainment was cut short by the arrival of my client. Beside him was a woman I assumed to be his gold digging wife. I had to talk Devon out of a trial in order to save him some money and property. Sweet talk her, give her a gift or two, make her think he may want a reconciliation, then calmly settle. It was working like a charm.

I pushed the door and entered the room, expecting a slender, tall hourglass figure to greet me. What stared back at me was my past. Our eyes locked and in that moment, I was reminded of the jerk I’d been. I was still a jerk, but a highly paid one.

I remembered that day in the locker room as if it was yesterday. My friends and I had been discussing my date with Brooke. I‘d lost a bet that I could get a date with my mom’s sexy young co-worker. It turned out that I lost the bet. My friends chose my punishment and that was a date with ‘Brooke the nerd’.

When we heard the locker room door open and shut we went to check who might be there. I saw Brooke running away crying. I tried to go after her but my friends stopped me. I never saw her again, but I never forgot her. So here I was in her presence and it all came flooding back.

Like the eel I was, my eyes dropped to her large mountains. Whoa, came to mind. Unwittingly my eyes strayed lower, to her hips, which tapered out from her waist. The truth was, she looked darn good. She wasn’t as chunky as she’d been in high school, but she hadn’t lost much weight. What happened was, she was distributed in the right places, which made her attractive – very attractive. She still wasn’t my type. I like my women skinny.

“You two know each other?” the other woman asked.

I was about to answer when she said she didn’t know me. With a soft chuckle, I set my attaché down and taking a seat on the opposite side of the table. I knew she was lying. Her recognition of me was evident in her eyes.

Devon did the introductions and the lawyer hesitantly took my outstretched hand for the shake. My hands clasped around warm ones as heat traveled up my arm, slowly spreading across my torso. While her smile was sweet, her eyes said something else. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.

The judge came in shortly and took his seat at the head of the table. For some reason, my rival and I sat facing each other. Every so often, our eyes met and the hatred she felt for me intensified. I felt it across the table.

The proceedings began and Judge Morris asked me to make my presentation. Without hesitation, I began to read from the list Devon and I drew up.

“Marla will get the beach house and the Range Rover. She will also receive a tidy lump sum of three million dollars as settlement.”

“Hold on there a moment Mr. Styles,” Lawyer Brook Owens rudely interrupted, holding up one hand. “Your Honor, I need to consult with my client.”

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