Page 66 of Token

Jack met his gaze. “Trevor Markham.”

“Who? The lawyer? What about him?” Nate wished he’d hurry up and get to the point.

“I told you I was looking into him since he seems to be the sticking point when it comes to arbitration. Just wanted to know what I could find out about him. What makes him tick and so on...and that’s when I discovered his connection to your—to Kennedy.”

Nate shook his head because none of what his friend was saying made sense. “What do you mean his connection to Kennedy?”

Jack absently scratched the back of his neck. “From what I was able to find out, it looks like they dated. I’m not sure how long, but it was before he started working for Goldberg & Johnson.”

So Kennedy once dated the lawyer who was currently suing his company. No big deal. He was sure it happened all the time.

“And you think this is important why?” Nate asked.

Jack straightened to his full height, his hand dropping to his side. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. She has no idea which firm is handling the case, much less the individual lawyers working on it.” In truth, Nate didn’t know shit. They’d never talked about it, but if he had to put money on it, he’d swear Kennedy didn’t know, because if she had, she’d have said something to him.

“She runs a PR agency with your sister. Do you honestly think she doesn’t know? After the show she put on at your press conference?” Jack scoffed.

Nate was trying hard to remain calm, but his friend was beginning to test his patience. “What exactly are you accusing her of, Jack?”

“I’m not accusing her of anything. All I’m saying is the guy is pushing his team to take this to court and you want to settle. He wants a jury to decide without knowing how much money’s on the table. My question is why. Why doesn’t he want to at least hear what you’re willing to offer?”

“And you think Kennedy has something to do with that? That she put some fucking bug in his ear? That she’s scheming behind my back to help a guy she used to date? Is that what you’re suggesting?”

Nate knew his friend had real trust issues when it came to women, stemming from his ex-fiancée, but this, what he was insinuating now, was bullshit. If nothing else, Kennedy was as loyal a friend as Aurora ever had, and she wouldn’t do this to him.

“All I’m saying is it doesn’t look good for you or the company,andI don’t want you to get hurt. Sue me for caring about one of my oldest friends and the best boss I’ve ever had. And tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing if the situation was reversed.”

What would he do if the situation was reversed? Nate asked himself.

Of course you’d tell him, if for no other reason than he had a right to know. And if there’s nothing to it, all is well. Nothing to see here, move along. The end.

“Okay, I get it. And now that you’ve proved your loyalty, you can tell me whether you’ve heard back from Duncan Flynn,” Nate said, quickly changing the subject. He didn’t want to talk to him about Kennedy, the woman he was sleeping with. The woman he was falling for, again.

“My, don’t you look bright-eyed this morning. Are you getting laid by Mr. Tech Billionaire?”

Besides Aurora, only Jonathan had the temerity to speak to her like that.

In the midst of hanging up her linen jacket on the coat stand near her desk, Kennedy turned with a dramatic huff and treated him to her fiercest mock glare. “Mr. Tech Billionaire? Really, Jonathan?” she asked with a supercilious arch of her brow. “I’d prefer if you referred to him by his given name.”

Julie, the agency’s contract lawyer, popped up behind him, the top of her head reaching his shoulder. “Did I hear something about someone getting laid? Who’re we talking about?”

“Jonathan.”

“Boss Lady.”

At the simultaneous answers, Julie’s gaze ping-ponged between the two before coming to rest on Kennedy.

“Right, except we know he’s getting laid,” Julie said, jerking her head at Jonathan.

“Now now now,” Jonathan tsked. “Assuming and knowing are two different things. I’m a professional, and I don’t discuss my love life at work.”

Kennedy’s eyes met Julie’s, and they instantly burst out laughing.

“Then I must have heard about your third anniversary trip to Hawaii and the romantic wedding suite you stayed in from someone else.” Julie’s brown eyes were sparkling.

“I’m not denying I told you, but it was during happy hour, which comes with entirely different rules. And I thought what was said during happy hours can only be mentioned during happy hours,” he mock admonished.

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