Page 56 of Rebound

Come up to Freddie’s office, this is dragging on. There will be coffee waiting for you. Sorry, you know how it is.

I do know how it is to be married to someone you have to schedule time with. If Elijah and I decide to give things another shot, we’ll both need to make each other far more of a priority than we ever did before.

I’ve never been in Freddie’s office, but I follow the signs and ride the elevator up to the correct floor, and I’m greeted with a smile from a sleek-looking assistant. “Mrs. James?” he says when he spots me. “I’m Tom. Let me show you through.”

I follow the man toward a corner office, and he holds the door open for me. I walk through, looking for Martha, and he closes it behind me. Freddie Kemp jumps to his feet from behind his desk. Still no sign of Martha. Maybe she’s in the bathroom.

Although I’m decidedly off-balance, my normal instincts kick in. My face instantly schools itself into a friendly smile. “Hi Freddie, how are you?”

“All the better for seeing you, Amber. You look gorgeous, as usual.”

As he walks toward me, I immediately regret the low-cut red dress. His eyes are like laser beams running over my figure, and a sleazy smile forms on his slug-like lips. I have never liked Freddie Kemp, and not only because of the way he treats Martha. There’s something off about him, a predatory vibe. He is a touch shorter than me, especially in these boots, and apart from a flabby little gut that hangs over his belt, he’s skinny. It’s unbelievable really, the lengths that Martha goes to in order to keep the interest of a man like this.

“Is Martha here?” I ask, backing up slightly. He’s come too close too quickly, and I notice that all the blinds in the office are closed. The only natural light comes from his balcony.

“No, she’s not. I’m afraid that was a little ploy we cooked up to get you here.”

“Really?” I’m starting to freak out, but I manage to keep my voice haughty and in control. “And why is that?”

“Please, will you sit?” He gestures toward a big couch at the back of the room.

“No, I don’t think I will. I came here to meet your wife, and if she’s not here, I really must be going.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Amber. We’re old friends, aren’t we?”

We are not old friends, no. We are old acquaintances, and that is very different. He puts his hand on my elbow and attempts to steer me toward the seating area. I resist, but he’s stronger than he looks, the little turd. Years of social conditioning kick in, and I start to yield. Making a scene is one of the worst sins a girl can commit—I had that drummed into me from birth. Even as a toddler, I knew to cry in private.

“Um, actually, I’m in a bit of a hurry. What was it that you wanted?”

“I want to make you rich, Amber. I want to make you one of the richest women in the country.”

I stare at him for a moment, completely dumbfounded, and I finally manage to pull away. “Freddie, I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t have a clue what you’re going on about.”

He sighs and shakes his head as though I’m a silly little thing who doesn’t understand the real world. A horrible grin splits his face, full of overly white veneered teeth that make him look like a crocodile. “I want to represent you in the divorce. I’m the obvious choice. Elijah has all the money, all the power—he’s bound to screw you over. With me on your side, you can be sure that won’t happen.”

I’ve received multiple offers of representation from many different divorce attorneys, but Freddie was not one of them. Apparently, this particular shark simply had a different approach and used his wife to lure me here. A flare of hurt bursts inside me at Martha’s betrayal, but I clamp it down.

“Thank you, Freddie, but that won’t be necessary. I already have representation, and the proceedings are well underway.”

He’s still pushing, still getting closer. Every time I take a step back, he takes a bigger one forward. I really do not like the manic gleam in his eyes, not one little bit. Something is off about his pupils, and I realize the rumors about his cocaine addiction are undoubtedly true. This is the first time I’ve ever been alone with Freddie Kemp—and it will certainly be the last.

“Who?” he asks, dispensing with all attempts at charm. Spittle flies from his mouth as he rages. “Who have you signed with? You know I’m the best! The rest are all garbage compared to me.”

“My divorce is none of your business, Freddie. Now, get out of my way.”

He has backed me all the way to the corner of the room, and my ass hits the wall. There is nowhere else for me to go, and a rush of fear almost chokes me. What the hell is happening here? Freddie can be aggressive, and he’s used to getting what he wants in both his personal and professional life, but this is insane. The man is out of control. His eyes are fixed on my cleavage, and he licks his lips with his fat tongue. His hands go down to his groin, and I’m horrified at the sight of the erection that is clearly visible through his suit pants.

I raise my hand to shove him away, but he catches hold of my wrist and pins it against the wall. He squeezes it viciously, painfully grinding the little bones together. I want to scream, I should scream—there is an office full of people just through that door. Someone will hear. Someone will help me.

As his leering face comes closer, though, I’m paralyzed. I can’t scream. Can’t run. I am frozen. Immobile. All I can do is shrink away from his fetid breath. “You’re a stuck-up cunt, did you know that, Amber? You’ve always looked down on me, just because I’m from a small town in Michigan and don’t have the same fancy manners as you.”

“Freddie, I don’t know what you mean. I didn’t even know you were from Michigan. Let me go!”

“No, I don’t think I will,” he says, and I shudder at the sensation of his hard penis grinding against me. “Beautiful Amber James, always thinking she’s the queen bee, looking down her nose at the rest of us. I don’t suppose I’m good enough to represent you, am I? What about this, though, is this good enough for you?” He grabs my hand and forces it down to touch his hardness. His face dissolves into an expression of ecstasy as he rubs my fingers over his groin, and he closes his eyes and smacks his lips together. This man is utterly revolting. Why the fuck am I standing here taking this? His smug expression finally unfreezes me.

I snatch my hand away and slap him firmly across the face. He is so shocked at me fighting back that it’s his turn to freeze. I push him as hard as I can, and he topples backward, trips over a glass coffee table, and eventually lands on his ass on the floor. He stares up at me for a long moment before scrambling to his feet and stalking forward. “You fucking cunt!”

I dodge, too quick for him to catch, and race out of his office as fast as my feet will carry me. I need fresh air and to be as far away from Freddie and his grasping fingers and crazy eyes as I can get.

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