Page 9 of Rejection Overruled

Three hours later, Sophia was handing me the address of a restaurant across town. I frowned as I snatched the paper from her hand. This was too fast. I was beginning to doubt my idea. What if something went wrong?

“How did you do this so fast?” I ask.

“My secret friend just happened to know that Jamal likes meeting new women this way.”

“And he agreed?”

“Yes, my friend made a few calls. He said his source told him that the guy was more than happy to meet. All I told him was that you were beautiful and loved sex.”

“Oh God, you did what?” I jumped to my feet, my eyes widening.

Sophia backed away. “I had to tell him something.”

“And you couldn’t come up with something else?”

“It’s not like it’s not true,” my friend insisted.

I returned to my desk, pondering the situation. “And you’re sure he doesn’t know it’s me?”

“Of course not. They think she’s in entertainment.”

Jamal and I had a blind date. That thought made my stomach quiver a little. All the terrible things he said about me in high school came flooding back. That fatty, did you have to punish me like that? Don’t make me go out with her again, please.

Somehow, I felt like a stalker for setting this up, but I was desperate. I had no other ideas except beating him in the courtroom and that wasn’t my idea of revenge, it was something I did every day.

I needed to make this personal, separate from work. I could not allow my emotions to rule me at work the way it did on the day of the arbitration. Otherwise, Jamal would certainly gain the upper hand. No, my revenge would remain strictly detached from my work, that way it would be sweeter. The trouble was, I had no idea what to do once we met.

“Oh well, I’ll just have to wing it,” I murmured.

Sophia had backed away and looked like she wanted to bolt. She puckered her brows and looked at me puzzled. “Did you say something?”

“No,” I smiled. “Thanks for the info.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad? I do love sex.” We both laughed at that.

The date with Jamal was the following night and I started to seriously doubt this plan of mine. Who the hell set up a blind with a guy who rejected them? Was I crazy or what? I didn’t want to answer my own question as I was afraid what that answer might be. I told myself that this was just to make me feel better, but deep down, I was curious as to what he would do when he knew the blind date was me.

I ran through my mind the many possibilities. Should I insult him the way he’d insulted me? No, he’d probably find that amusing since he’d made it perfectly clear I wasn’t his type. That wouldn’t work. Should I pretend to be insulted that my date was someone like him? No, that probably wouldn’t work either.

I needed to do something that would make Jamal Styles squirm. What could I do that would make him unable to resist me? I had no clue as I’d never before seduced a man. I’d flirted, but never anything more than for fun. Now I wished I’d learned the art of seduction and I had exactly thirty-two hours to figure it out.

In the end, all those years of dreaming of revenge presented itself and I was quavering at the thought of history repeating itself. Unless I could get Jamal Styles to eat out the palm of my hand, I was doomed.

8 - Jamal

Being single was one of the best things about my life. I could do anything I wanted without the need for answering to anyone. One of the things I loved and did only for the heck of it, was chain dating. I’d go to one of those fancy café’s where people meet up. You were allowed five minutes with each person to get to know her. At the end of the session, you gave each participant a score and you can hook up with the one you liked most.

For most men, they go there to get a girlfriend. I go there to get numbers. With a face like mine, my charm and my profession, I’d be getting many calls to my office the day after. The women never forget me and I didn’t have to do much to get their attention. All I’d do was wait and let them contact me.

I also loved blind dates, as the women were always nervous about the man they were meeting. That, I would use to my advantage. My killer smile and charm would woo them within a few minutes and I’d be sure to score. These were a little more serious than the chain dates. My blind dates would lead to something more and so I took more care preparing myself for them.

When Mark called me about a blind date, I was excited. For the last three months, I’d been busy with a difficult case and hadn’t time to go on one of these dates. I was needing a new playmate and this blind date was exactly what the doctor ordered. Mark, not his real name, knew my preference so I wasn’t overly concerned about the woman he’d hook me up with. All I wanted to know was what her age and tastes were.

When he told me she was in entertainment and loved sex, I immediately thought, model. My favorite kind of woman, and yes, insatiable. This was going to be great and I was looking forward to it.

The anticipation of going on this date took my mind off things – Brook Owens in particular. I knew she hated me from what I did in high school, and I couldn’t blame her. I had to give her kudos for remaining professional as we worked on the settlement for our clients. The first day had been somewhat shocking for her, which caused her to mess things up. However, as the days went by and we met to discuss our best options, she seemed calmer, even civil.

---