Page 36 of Cocky Counsel

Eighteen

Eva

The tension that surrounded us was thick in the air as Ethan glared at the beautiful, very pregnant woman in front of us.

“I should go,” I said quietly, lowering my head and looking away as I started to walk off.

“No,” he said sharply, grabbing hold of my elbow to stop me. “You can stay. Cora is leaving.”

“I’m not leaving until we talk.” She put her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Anything you have to say, you can say to my attorney. We will not be having any private meetings and it’s absurd that you would think that I would even consider it.”

“Things have changed,” she bit out, angrily. “And we need to discuss those changes and your responsibility with them.”

“Cora, as I’ve said—you will speak directly with my lawyer. End of story. I don’t know who let you in, but you don’t work here anymore. Given our situation, you need to leave.”

“Why? Are you fucking her now? Is that why you are so eager to get rid of me?” Cora snapped and turned her attention to me. “He might be fun to look at, and he’s a great fuck, but be careful or you’ll end up in the same sort of mess as me. Knocked up by a man who tries to pay her off, so she’ll go away instead of doing the right thing.”

I felt my stomach drop as I looked at Ethan. His jaw was clenched, face etched in anger. But he didn’t bother to deny it. I looked between the two of them and wondered if there was any truth in what she was saying. I was also curious as to what their situation was and why Ethan had a lawyer involved. Suddenly, I had so many questions but didn’t feel like I was in a position to ask them. If he wanted me to know his business, he would have told me.

It was awkward and uncomfortable standing there, waiting for someone to say something as Cora’s gut-punching words lingered in the air. I wanted to leave, but Ethan’s grip on my elbow told me that he wanted me to stay. After what felt like a few minutes, Cora huffed dramatically before turning around and leaving. I waited until she was in the elevator and the door had closed before I turned to look at Ethan.

My words were so jumbled in my head that I couldn’t get a coherent sentence out if I tried, so instead, I just stared at him as I silently bombarded him with a million questions. His eyes softened as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry about that,” he started, stalling as he thought about what to say as well. “Cora was a former employee who—”

“Did you sleep with her?” I blurted out, feeling the need to know if she was telling the truth.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Yes.”

“When she worked for you?”

“Yes.”

“Were you guys a couple?”

“No.”

My heart started to race when I realized where my questions were going and how much I was dreading the next answer.

“Were you just fucking her like you’re just fucking me?”

He blew out a heavy breath and looked at me without answering. I could feel the anxiety flowing, pulsing through me as I waited. I raised an eyebrow at him and tilted my head, needing an answer.

“I wouldn’t say it that way,” he said softly, guilt plastered across his face.

“That’s all I needed to know,” I replied hastily as I turned and walked away. I could hear his footsteps right behind me as he followed.

“Eva, stop,” he pleaded as I kept walking. I went past the elevators and swung open the door to the stairs, feeling too angry to wait. I needed to get away from him and put some distance between us. “Can we please talk about this?”

He grabbed my arm to stop me. I swung around to face him, our bodies only inches apart.

“Is what she said about you trying to pay her to walk away true?” I asked, stopping briefly to let him answer. My ears flushed as my blood pressure skyrocketed.

“It’s not what it sounds like.”

I pulled in a deep breath and leaned against the wall behind me as I tried to gather my thoughts.

“You know, when I was with Jeremy, there were so many times that I would question something he had said or done, and he would always respond with it’s not what it looks like, it’s not what it sounds like. And the problem was that I believed him. I second-guessed myself every single time, and I forced myself to believe what he was telling me. Even when I caught him fucking his secretary on his desk when I went to go drop off dinner because he was working late. Do you know what he said to me? It’s not what it looks like.”

I tapped my foot angrily while I watched Ethan’s face as he listened.

“I’ve learned that when people say something isn’t what it seems—they’re usually lying. It is exactly what it seems. So, whatever your business is with that woman and whether or not you paid her off for whatever reason—it’s none of my business. You’ve made it crystal clear that you’re not a relationship kind of guy and now I see why.”

I turned and walked down the stairs, somewhat relieved and somewhat disappointed when he didn’t follow.

---