Page 37 of The Suit

“Beulah, I understandyou were at school with her lawyer. You’re friends?”

I shook my head, “No, sir. No, absolutely not.”

And we weren’t, that wasn’t a lie, but I prayed they didn’t notice the way my thighs rubbed together, or my voice pitched when they’d mentioned him.

“Well, then,” he replied in a way I knew trouble was coming, “I think it’s high time you became friends. A good time to reconnect.”

“I’m sorry?” I was having trouble following his train of thought.

“Beulah, we feel it’s time for you to reminisce over your college days and reconnect with Mrs. Maynard’s lawyer, and if anything comes up which you think might be useful pertaining to this case, or any case, then you must feel free to pass it on.”

What the fuck was happening right now?

“Sir, are you asking me to spy on Rafe Latham?”

He chortled like the old man he was. “Spying is such an ugly word. Let’s say it’s more like checking if he’s on the right track, and guiding him in the opposite direction.”

“Sir?”

“Beulah, you know we’re all vying for you for partner. You’ll be the youngest partner in history. We’re all looking forward to welcoming a woman of your stature and background to the board.”

My blood turned ice cold. His words were crystal clear.

“We’re looking forward to hearing an update,” leered Maynard.

“Let’s say weekly, shall we?” Feather took my silence as confirmation. “Great, no time like the present.”

Okay, this meeting was over. I almost forgot how to get back to my desk, except Blake yanked me into my office. “Are you okay? What was it about? I heard Maynard was in it? What was he doing here?”

I frowned, trying to make sense of the order I’d been given, along with the not so subtle threat.

“Beulah?”

“They want me to spy on Rafe. To find out what he knows about the case and this money they think is hidden.”

Blake gasped, his eyes opening dramatically. “How are you going to do that?”

Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“What am I going to do? Feather insinuated my promotion to partner rested on my success at it.”

He took a deep breath like he was weighing up the options. “He might not have anything; it might all be a bluff, so that’s all you need to say. Maynard is obviously shitting himself though. Least it means you can spend more time with Courtroom Ken and his muscles.”

“I don’t want to spend time with him!”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t look like you have a choice.”

I groaned as he walked out. There was no single part of this scenario that I liked. I’dearnedthat promotion. I’d made this company an obscene amount of money, and now I was once more having to jump through very questionable hoops to secure my future.

An immediate future that looked like I’d be spending time with Rafe Latham, which no good could come from - the churning in my belly confirming how wrong this whole situation was.

My feet kicked out, and hit something, which turned out to be the bag he’d left. The one he’d said was for me.

I rummaged through the tissue paper to find a dark gold silk shirt the color of my eyes, and I had a feeling he already knew that when he’d picked it out.

Guilt collided with whatever the other emotions were that were swirling in my gut.

This was not going to end well.

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