Page 106 of Three Sweet Nothings (The Blindfold Club)

Chapter

THIRTY-EIGHT

RUBY

The day was dragging, and yet going too fast.

I had anxiety about dinner tonight. Of course I was pleased Kyle wanted me to get to know his family, but my first run-in with Payton had been less than stellar. Her attitude toward me was barely warmer than the weather outside. At least she didn’t seem to view me as an enemy.

I had a feeling if she gave me a chance, Payton and I would get along just fine.

Kyle didn’t say it, but he didn’t have to. Tonight was important. His sister would see how much we cared about each other, and it would put her fears to rest of me hurting her brother again. And I was excited to lay eyes on the man who was always pitted against my boyfriend for the silly dollar bet. Who the fuck was better looking than my boyfriend? No one.

An angry male voice carried through the office. It unfortunately happened from time to time. Emotions ran high, especially when a lot of money or divorce was involved, and I’d heard several of my colleagues getting an earful when things weren’t going well. Hell, I’d been on the receiving end once before. My personal favorite was, “What the fuck am I paying you for?”

The shouting up front grew louder. Whoever he was, the guy wanted to see Henry, and he wanted to see him right this very moment. Wasn’t going to happen, though. Henry had worn his power suit early this morning as he’d swung through the office, which meant he’d be in court for the day.

I tried to tune out the noise, but then he yelled my name. Shit. It had to be Tariq Crawford. A split second later my phone lit up, and FRONT DESK blinked on the screen.

My heels tapped out a quick beat as I marched to the front, and sure enough, Tariq stood beside the receptionist’s desk, his eyes blazing and his expression furious. He looked intimidating, both his size and demeanor, and the administrative assistant cowered behind her desk.

I forced myself to look pleasant and stay calm. “Mr. Crawford?”

His wild gaze swung toward me. “Now we getting somewhere. I need to talk to my guy. It’s an emergency, and he won’t answer the damn phone.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Reed is in court.”

“Then you gotta help me.” His face was pained.

No, I couldn’t. It was a major conflict of interest. And what on earth had happened that was so urgent in his divorce? I glanced to one of the side conference rooms and saw it was empty.

Not that I really wanted to close myself in a small room alone with this large, wild-looking man who’d hit on me, but what was the alternative? If he told Henry I’d turned him away, one of the biggest clients to come through the door at Sterns and Clifford, I’d be in serious trouble.

I motioned to the room. “Do you mind if we talk in there?”

The only response from him was a look of relief.

I’d barely sat down before he unraveled like a hot mess. Tariq set his hands on his forehead, then swiped his palms backward, stroking back his thin, neat dreadlocks. “Okay, I—”

“Wait,” I said. “Before you say anything, I need to disclose I’ve been removed from your case due to a conflict of interest.”

“What?”

God, it was embarrassing enough having this conversation with Henry two weeks ago. Both men had witnessed me losing my temper at Kyle, and heard me in the elevator afterward. “Your wife’s attorney and I have a personal relationship.”

He scowled and shook his head. “Yeah, I already know that. I remember you cussing him out.”

“Right.” I gnashed my teeth. “Except our relationship is ongoing.”

Tariq blinked slowly, and suspicion crept into his eyes. “What’s that mean? You sleeping with him?”

I narrowed my gaze and struggled to pull in a deep, calming breath. Keep your cool, Ruby. “Yes, we’re dating.”

He stared at me with a dubious expression, and then the suspicion grew exponentially until his whole face was sour. “No, you ain’t.”

I wasn’t going to waste time arguing. “It’s in your best interest to wait for Mr. Reed.”

“I don’t have time for that. I need a . . . I dunno, a gag order or something.”

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