Page 31 of Cocky Counsel

“I need to see Jeremy Rollings,” I said with as much cheer as I could muster.

“Do you have an appointment?”

I gritted my teeth as my frustration mounted.

“Yes,” I lied. “He’s expecting me now, so if you can please let him know that I’m here.”

“I don’t see you on his schedule,” she countered, looking over her shoulder to an office behind her.

“Well, I’m on it now,” I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes and walked past her, now knowing which office was his. I flung the door open and stood there, staring at him as his eyes went wide with shock before shifting to pissed off.

“You son of a bitch,” I snarled, my fist balled up by my side.

“What the fuck are you doing, storming into my office unannounced?!” he demanded, standing up behind his desk. It had only been three months since he walked out and left me, and apparently, he had been using that time to hit the gym. I couldn’t remember the last time that I had seen him in this good of shape nor did I remember his torso looking that defined under a dress shirt when we were together. While he had definitely made some improvements, he had nothing compared to Ethan. I shifted my weight, pulling my stomach in as I straightened my back and tried to find my confidence.

“What are you doing taking Lance on as a client?” I asked angrily, laying a hand on my hip.

“Who I take on as a client is none of your business, Eva,” he growled.

“It is when you’re representing the asshole who’s married to my sister,” I responded through clenched teeth.

“You and I aren’t together anymore, therefore I have no loyalties to you or your family. Lance is a client who is willing to pay what he needs to, to make sure he gets what he wants. It’s as simple as that.” He shrugged and let his hands fall to his sides. I wanted to reach across and slap the stupid smirk off his face.

“You are such an asshole,” I spit out, regretting that I had come here thinking that there would be any chance of talking him out of representing Lance. Deep down, I knew that I didn’t even come here for that. I came because I was pissed off and wanted to make sure he knew it.

I turned to leave and ran into a broad, strong chest. Sturdy hands reached out to grab me, holding me in place as my ankle twisted in the high heel below me. I slowly looked up and found concern on Ethan’s face as he studied me before looking into Jeremy’s office.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his hands still on my waist.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” I could feel Jeremy’s eyes on us as he stared.

“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, loud enough for Jeremy to hear. I watched as Jeremy walked over, standing too close to me for comfort. Ethan’s hand curled possessively around my waist while he waited.

“This is Jeremy, my ex-fiancé,” I said unenthusiastically. “He is representing my sister’s abusive husband in a custody battle after she asked him for a divorce.”

“And who exactly are you?” Jeremy asked, his eyes narrowed.

“None of your fucking business,” Ethan responded, his eyes shifting from Jeremy back to me. “You done here?”

“Yeah,” I whispered, enjoying the comfort of his hands on me. As we turned to leave, I glanced over my shoulder one last time.

“Be sure to tell your sister that I look forward to seeing her soon,” Jeremy said, his eyes darkening.

I could feel my body tense as I turned to go back into his office. Before I could take a step, Ethan’s hand grabbed hold of my arm and led me down the hall and to the elevator. My blood pressure was sky high, and my fingers trembled as the adrenaline shot through me. Once we were outside, Ethan walked with me over to an empty bench and sat down while I paced back and forth. I closed my eyes and rolled my head back on my neck, trying to alleviate some of the tension.

“I’m sorry about all of that,” I mumbled as I continued to pace in front of him.

“Don’t be,” he said coolly, giving me a few minutes to calm down before he spoke again. “So, I’m gonna take a wild guess and say this is what had you so riled up during lunch last week?” He leaned back against the wooden bench, extending his arm out along the top of it.

“Yes and no,” I nodded my head. “I’ve been stressed out about my sister’s situation, but I didn’t know that Jeremy was the lawyer representing her husband until this morning.”

The busy sound of people hustling and bustling around Manhattan filled the awkward silence that had fallen between us.

“Apparently, I didn’t handle the news that well.” I let out an awkward laugh and continued to pace. He didn’t say anything, just sat there watching me until I kept talking.

“Her husband is an asshole. She came to my apartment a few weeks ago with her face covered in bruises after he beat the shit out of her. It wasn’t the first time, and I know it won’t be the last time unless she goes through with getting this divorce. The problem is that they have a child together, my nephew, Jackson. He’s only four, and he needs his mother.” I could feel my voice crack as the tears started welling in my eyes. “She’s my baby sister, and she works her ass off to take care of her son. She doesn’t deserve what he’s doing to her, and I know that she can’t afford to hire a better lawyer. He’s playing these games with her, and it kills me that I can’t help her.”

I blew out a deep breath and looked over at Ethan. He had a somber look on his face before he looked away and clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees.

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