Page 18 of The Suit

I turned to Blake as my hand brushed the door handle. “Call everyone off.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going in alone.”

Blake’s forehead creased deeply. “Beulah...”

“I’m going in alone,” I repeated slowly. “If he wants to be the big shot and do this by himself, then so will I. He’s trying to intimidate me.”

“By coming alone?”

“Yes. He thinks I’m hiding behind a wall of lawyers.”

Blake’s brows shot up at my logic, but I was right, it was exactly what he was trying to do; put me off-guard. “Well then, you better go and show him you’re not.”

I narrowed my eyes at his sarcastic tone and handed him back the coffee he’d brought me. “Here, can you bring this into me in two minutes?”

He didn’t take it, but he did stop me from opening the door. “What is going on with you?”

“Blake, just do it will you?!”

I thrust the coffee back into his hand and didn’t wait around for an answer before marching down the corridor, because I knew he would. He was also the only person I was close enough to who’d recognize my behavior as out of the ordinary. Everyone else would just think I was being tactical.

Which I was… I think.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Rafe had been joined by a small, older woman, wearing a navy spotted floor length dress and classic Chanel pumps. Her hair was the color of Santa’s after that time she’d tried a new stylist and he’d highlighted it a startling shade of orange instead of her usual honey blonde tones, and Muscot had asked her if pumpkin hair was a new trend. Except Mrs. Maynard’s didn’t look like it had been an accident; her pale freckled skin and bright blue eyes were the classic compliments for someone born with that shade, both of which made her look fragile and scared, doe-eyed like a deer caught in headlights. Having met Johnson Maynard only once, I wondered how the fuck she’d survived twenty-five years with him.

A sudden alien and unwanted pang of guilt knotted in my gut before I pushed it away.

“Ms. Holmes, are you having trouble keeping time? I believed this meeting was to begin at ten a.m.”

That did it. The guilt whistled away only to be replaced by the usual need to control my temper.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting forfiveminutes.”

Rafe’s smirk met my simpering smile, because he knew I’d caught him in his little game to arrive late, just like he had for our first meeting. His eyes creased in amusement, but it made them no less piercing. No, piercing wasn’t right, although they’d always made me feel like they could laser right through me. They were too –something– to be piercing.

Ugh. Enough.

I glanced down as I took a seat, only for my gaze to stop on the rest of him; Blake’s words were still ringing in my ears. He was right; Rafe’s muscles were impressive, even more so as I could see the definition of them through his suit. He’d always been well built, even in college on the occasions when I’d see him playing ball with his friends as I walked to the library, smug in the knowledge I was studying and getting ahead while he was messing around. Sometimes,rarely, I’d watch from the safety of the shadows where he couldn’t see me, watch as he’d jump for the ball and run fast up the field, too fast for anyone to catch him. His physique was taut then, but it hadn’t been like this. Then he’d been a few years into his adulthood, now he was all man with thick, broad shoulders currently straining underneath the fine example ofbespoke Italian craftsmanship he was wearing. The button on his jacket was undone, but I could see from the cut that his chest was just as wide as his shoulders and tapered down to a flat stomach - no doubt adorned with tight, chiseled abs - and narrowed waist.

My mind briefly flicked to a visual of him in the gym, and whether he got up as early as I did to train. Or if he got as sweaty. He must do. He obviously trained hard which wasn’t a surprise, Raferty Latham never did anything with less than one hundred percent effort.

Just like me.

Mrs. Maynard clearing her throat brought me back to my horrifying present where I realized I’d been staring at Rafe Latham for an indeterminate amount of time. The cocked angle of his head said it was longer than I ever had before, and that he’d noticed.

Fucking Blake. As soon as I got out of this meeting, he was going to find himself banished to his desk for the rest of time, and far away from all clients.

I opened my file and sat down asthe culprit himself walked through with my coffee, placing it on the desk before turning to them.

“Mrs. Maynard, Mr. Latham would you like a drink? Apologies, it seems you weren’t offered one.”

Mrs. Maynard looked like she was about to answer before Rafe curtly replied for both of them. “No, we’re fine.”

Blake raised an eyebrow at me just before he closed the door behind him, though I could still see his expression through the glass walls. I ignored him.

“Good then, shall we begin?” I turned away from Rafe. “Mrs. Maynard, I’m your husband’s lawyer, Beulah Holmes. He apologizes that he couldn’t be here today, but he was called away on business. However, I have full authority to negotiate on his behalf, and he’s so keen to have this settled amicably and fairly. I know this must be very hard for you.”

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