by Dyanne Davis
“That’s not how this is generally done. Most people don’t meet the senior partners.”
“I’m not most people.”
“Sam, please.”
“I know what I’m doing?”
“Please don’t allow your dislike of Chase to cost you what can turn out to be your big break.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“You’re my friend.”
“Am I?’
“You used to be. I’d love nothing better than for us to recapture what we’ve lost.
With a long and exaggerated sigh Sam stared at Rebe until she dropped her gaze. He’d also like nothing better than to return to where they’d been before her brother died.
“Okay, Sam. I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. I am your lawyer and I will do everything in my power to make sure the contract is exactly what you want. I’ll let the partners know you want to meet with them and I’ll arrange an appointment.” She smiled then stuck out her hand to Sam. “Congratulations.”
With all the intuitiveness she possessed Rebe was fully aware that the last person that should have been painting the office mural was Sam. And the very last person who should have offered him the job was Chase. She wanted to warn Chase that perhaps he should make nice with Sam. Then again, in a perverse way she wanted to see exactly what it was Sam had in mind to do.
Chapter Six
The flurry of activity at the firm had been crazy for the past three weeks. There was no other way to describe it. Sam has swooped in with his sketch pads and taken over. He'd insisted on unlimited access to each of the partners, during important meetings, while they wined and dine the big wigs, even during meetings with clients. There was no way Rebe had thought the partners would agree to that. Of course the meetings Sam attended were with the clients’ permission.
Another unexpected perk that had been agreed to was that Sam would accompany whichever lawyer he chose out to sociable events, including lunches and dinners. And he would be given carte blanche for himself and a dining companion.
Suffice it to say, Rebe had been Sam’s dining companion. For three weeks they'd both eaten on the company's dime. Sam had also insisted on having a table in close proximity to the partner he was tailing, in order to better observe them. He’d even managed to wangle concert tickets and an excursion on one of the gambling boats in Illinois. Even for those he’d insisted on being allowed to take a date. Her. Chase of course had been semi-livid because he’d not been invited to either event by the senior partners.
To Rebe's surprise Sam was taking the job seriously, using a small notepad to jot down drawings, of a hand reaching for the check, or a glass of wine, a genuine smile, a handshake. He'd made a believer out of her. She almost believed he deserved the over inflated sum she'd gotten for him to do the mural. She’d expected the partners to want to haggle on the price, but not Sam. And he’d been right. Instead of haggling the partners seemed honored that he was willing to do the mural, as though he was a famous artist known by them. When she'd mentioned it to Sam he'd given her a quizzical look and said, “I guess they don't see all of my warts. “ It didn’t look as though he had any plans to let her frog prince remark go.
With most of the things Sam had demanded Rebe had merely laughed them off, pleased to have been on the receiving end of being his date and having the company pay for it. That is she hadn’t minded as long as they were tailing the senior partners. She’d forgotten he could intrude on any of the partners. With his focus firmly fixated now on Chase it was a bit uncomfortable. Rebe wondered how Sam was even aware of the business meeting they had with a client. Somehow he had a spy in the office feeding him info on the partners’ appointments.
She was more than a little annoyed because at the moment while she was preparing for her date with Chase, Sam had taken things a bit too far. He was more than being intrusive, he was downright attempting to sabotage the evening with Chase. Perhaps she should have warned Sam to be at his best behavior. It wasn’t just a date with Chase, or just a dinner. It was an important business meeting.
Chase was trying to woo a new client for the firm and she was to play his arm candy with a legal brain. Sam had insisted he come to her apartment and watch her dress for dinner. Never before had she worried so much about the way she would dress. There was one rule: Dress to impress. Tasteful and elegant, but there always had to be understated sex appeal that worked to her advantage, pouty lips made even more so with fire engine red lipstick, a tiny bit of expensive perfume, or a skirt with a discreet slit that would ride up just the right amount when she was seated. Sam was watching as she dressed, insisting it would help him capture Chase’s inner spirit with a better understanding since she was his woman. The way he said the words rankled her, made her feel dirty. Chase had only laughed at her, telling her that she should play along if it would help Sam paint a better picture of him.
So here they were, Chase critiquing her looks and making suggestion, wanting more sex appeal and Sam frowning and writing notes.
“Chase, how far do you expect Rebe to go with these would be clients of yours?” Sam had lowered his notebook and was staring at Chase.
Rebe's head snapped around and she glared at Sam, but still she waited for Chase’s answer.
Turning from studying Rebe to glare at Sam, Chase asked, “What are you suggesting, Sam?
“I mean it looks like you're her pimp and you’re getting her ready to make a sale. Why do you even need Rebe along? She's a lawyer same as you.”
“And that's why I need her. She's a lawyer. Besides that, she’s bright, beautiful, and female. The men I'm courting like to look at beautiful women while they eat. They like to imagine they have a chance with her even if they don't.”
“You could hire a hooker. Or you could take one of the other women from the office that you're always flirting with.”
Rebe's face flamed and she glared at Sam. But if she'd expected Chase to say something that would make either of them look better she was wrong. The instant Chase opened his mouth she was aware he would make matters worse.
“Did you not hear me say I need a lawyer? And guess what, Sam? I'm a partner. Rebe wants to make partner one day, and with my help she will. We have a very good arrangement, it's not one sided. If there's a male client who's a bit too aggressive I always put him in his place. Or if he bats for the other team then I'm there for her. If the client we’re trying to woo happens to be female, then I’m the one trying to look sexy. We look out for each other.”
“Could either of you possibly be more…?”
“Brilliant?” Chase suggested.
“Conniving, deceitful, egoistical, shallow, and arrogant. That's the list I'm going for, but keep deluding yourself. You two really are Barbie and Ken aren't you?”
“Well yes, but we're Barbie and Ken with law degrees.”
Glaring at both Sam and Chase, Rebe closed her eyes and groaned. Kill me now; please someone put me out of my misery. Did Chase miss the part that Sam was insulting them? That he thought they were pandering? She took a tissue and swiped away some of the bright red lipstick.
“No babe. Don't listen to Sam. What does he know about what a man of power wants, or what looks good on a beautiful woman? I would like to see his choice of a date.”
“You've seen her,” Sam tossed back. “Just imagine Rebe without all of the war paint, the glitz and glamour and the willingness to be a man's arm candy.” He watched as Chase picked up the lipstick tube and handed it to Rebe to reapply.
Staring for a long moment at Rebe as she held the lipstick between her fingers Sam sighed. “Look you two; I think I'll take my own car. I'll meet you at the restaurant.”
Rebe waited until she was sure Sam had left, in fact she glanced out the window to be sure, and when she saw him getting into his SUV she turned toward Chase. Tilting her head she stared up at him and waited for him to say something that would make her feel better about the two of them and their insane relationship.
“What has gotten into Sam?” Chase began his rant. “You'd think he'd be more grateful to me for getting him this job, but he's being awfully critical of me. If the other partners hadn't told me that his method works and speaks so highly of him, I would have gotten him fired. How the hell they even know him is a mystery.”
“You can't get Sam fired, not without paying him in full. It's in his contract. Besides you're right, all of the senior partners love him.”
“He's a strange man, more than a little weird. He's always saying things that I'm not sure if he's just being Sam, or if he's been serious. What the heck do you see in him anyway? I can't even believe you're friends.”
When Rebe thought of Sam, she smiled. She appreciated his brutal honesty. Sam pushed her to be her best. He'd done that for the past five years and she'd never realized it until now. She could tell Chase without a doubt that Sam wasn't kidding with him.
“Are you going to answer me, Rebe?”
“Yeah, then I want you to answer a question for me. Sam is a great friend, loyal, protective and wanting the best for those he cares about.”
“I take that to mean he now cares about you and that he doesn't think I'm the best for you. Since when did he care for you, since that stupid dance?”
“I think he's cared for me for a very long time.”
“But he dislikes you almost as much as he dislikes me.”
“Yeah, but I think he still has hope for me. You not so much.” Rebe chuckled then turned serious. “Chase, how far would you want me to go to help you reel in a client?” There was a strange gleam in Chase’s eyes that made her wonder if he'd actually tell her.
“Don't listen to Sam. We're a team and we help each other out. There's nothing wrong with making the most of your assets, Rebe. You're valuable asset.” Chase paused, “And I'm an even more valuable asset to you. Now since I know where your pretty little mind is going, I'll answer the question. Do I want you to sleep with any of the clients to get more business for our firm? Hell no. I want you to myself.”
To prove it Chase took Rebe in his arms and kissed her until he could feel her resistance melting. Then he righted her. “Do you think I want anyone else tasting you? Do you think I'm that low? After dinner tonight I think maybe it’s time we had a reminder of just how good we are together.”
“I said no more sex.” Rebe attempted to make her words have that no nonsense quality, but her voice was soft and wispy and without power. A shiver claimed her as Chase ran his fingers over her curves, the look in his eyes hungry and pleading. She wanted him and wasn’t sure how long she’d continue to hold out.
“It's been too long, Rebbie. How about we wait and see what happens.”
“Do you have condoms?” Rebe asked, “Just in case. Chase laughed and she reapplied her lipstick
Sam sat across from Kandi, scowling as he drew bold black lines in his sketch pad. His annoyance had risen from the moment Rebe walked into the restaurant with Chase. One look at her and he was able to tell she’d reapplied the lipstick she’d blotted off. It was such a little thing but the disappointment in her filled his chest and saddened him. He was trying to tell himself it was her life. He wanted to forgive her for failing herself, her brother and him. He wanted so much more for her. For the moment the only thing he could do was glare at her.
When the clients Rebe and Chase were meeting joined them, Sam watched intently from the table next to them. It annoyed him that Rebe was laughing prettily as though she were really enjoying herself. Cringing inwardly he knew he wanted it to not be true. He didn’t want her to enjoy being with Chase, or cozying up to men for the sake of getting a client for her firm.
Toying with the appetizer on his plate Sam made an attempt at conversation with Kandi. He tried to keep his gaze from the table across from them, tried not to hear the conversation, the flirting, the suggestive innuendos. He didn’t hear a single word that sounded like business. He was aware that he was watching them intently. He was also aware he was frowning. But when Kandi snapped her fingers beneath his nose he realized he’d been ignoring Kandi.
“Sam, why don’t you admit that you have a thing for Rebe and perhaps later you can tell her?”
“I do not have a thing for her, so drop it. I’m here to sketch Chase.”
“Sure you are. Why are you so angry? And why are you looking as though you’d like to kill someone?”
“I don’t like the way that guy is looking at Rebe.”
“You’re not her boyfriend, Sam.”
“I beg to differ. I’m a boy and I’m her friend.”
“If you’d concentrate on talking to me you wouldn’t have time to notice what’s going on at Rebe’s table.”
Kandi’s voice was so sharp that Sam was taken aback. Didn’t she see what was happening at Rebe’s table? Didn’t she care? “Kandi, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to ignore you, but I can’t help but to be worried about Rebe. Why is she laughing as though she’s enjoying herself?”
“Maybe she is.”
“She can’t be. I’m going over there and put a stop to the way that guy is looking at her.”
“Sam, don’t you dare. Rebe is an adult. She told you this is just a business dinner, leave her alone. She doesn’t need to be rescued.”
Turning his eyes away from Rebe, Sam tried, he really did. But it was her laughter that drew him back. Irritation flared as he turned to see Rebe’s potential client began to take even more liberties by allowing his eyes to roam all over Rebe’s body. Sam wanted to leave the table and deck the man. Chase however was smiling. Rebe had a half-assed smile pasted on her lips. She was behaving like an android. He was right to have called her a Barbie, she was behaving like one.
Rebe’s gaze met his and she wet her lips with her tongue. He noticed her shoulder sagged and she gave him another look, this time pleading with her eyes for him to behave. He wouldn't. He had no plans on sitting there while she was used as a closer in a business deal. One glance in Kandi’s direction and he knew she was getting angry, and not with Chase or the men who were ogling her best friend. Or even with Rebe herself. No she was getting angry with him, apparently the only person who had sense enough to see what was going on.
“Sam, for the last time, would you please stop glaring at Rebe? You knew she was going to be here with Chase. And you knew she was going to help him bring in a new client to the firm. You didn't tell me that you were going to try and ruin the evening for her. If you had, I wouldn't have come,” Kandi scolded.
Sam had gotten himself so worked up that he was beyond listening to reason. He did what any man in….well, what any friend would do. He went to Rebe’s rescue. He stood in front of her looking deeply into her eyes, then he held his hand out to her. He was surprised when she took it and stood.
Now what? he wondered. He was the frog prince in her mind. What was the frog prince supposed to do in these situations? She was waiting for him to speak, Chase and the clients were frowning at the interruption and Sam was standing there making everyone himself included uncomfortable. He glanced at his own table and saw Kandi shaking her head at him using her finger to beckon him back to their table.
Not just yet. He’d not done what he came for. The princess needed to be rescued. The villain needed to know she had a knight willing to fight for her honor sitting just a few feet away. In that instant Sam knew exactly what he was going to do. He used the palm of his hand to cup Rebe’s face and gently kissed her. When she squirmed his arms encircled her and he took the kiss to a new level, one filled with passion. When he broke off the kiss he looked toward the client who’d been eyeing Rebe and then at Chase.
“I'll be sitting just over there if you need me.” He glanced again toward the client. “I'm Sam,” he said and moved away
Kandi laughed. “And you don't have feelings for Rebe?”
“Shut up,” Sam growled low. “That was a huge mistake. I had no plans on kissing her, none whatsoever. I don't even know why I went over there. But I didn't like the way the guy wa
s looking at her. And I definitely didn't like that all Chase was doing was smiling. Why in hell does she go along with this nonsense? Does she really want to make partner that way?”
“I didn't know Rebe wanted to make partner,” Kandi glanced at the other table. “She never mentioned it to me and she tells me everything, well almost everything, because surely something happened between the two of you when you took her to her event.”
“Chase said it, that Rebe wanted to make partner and Rebe didn't correct him.” He’d decided not to mention anything that had happened between him and Rebe when he’d taken her to her event. “Rebe is not…”
“Not who you thought she was? Yes, she is. She just doesn't want to be the person you think she is. But she is that person, Sam. Don't give up on her.”
Glaring toward the table next to them Sam wasn't surprised to see Chase giving him a, ‘what the F’ look with both arms opened wide. The client, same thing, without the open arms. And Rebe, she looked petrified, like a deer caught in the crosshairs. If he could have thought of a better clique he would have. That was the look Rebe was wearing and as far as he cared a clique was one because of a reason. Damn, he thought, he shouldn't have kissed her like that. But realization dawned. She'd kissed him back. He glanced at Kandi and broke out in a smile.
“The last thing I plan to do is give up on Rebe. I think she needs me in her life.”
“And you?”
“This isn't about me.”
“Right. You kissed Rebe the way every woman would want a man to kiss her, with such gentle passion. And it didn't mean anything to you? Sam, you're a terrible liar.”
Sam sighed and gave up trying to convince Kandi that he was not interested in Rebe. “Rebe has way more imperfections than I'd like to deal with. I just don't want her to sell herself short. She needs to know she's so much more than arm candy.”
He glanced again at Rebe’s table. “She can't want to make partner so badly.” The pretense was shattering. He was fuming, being bad company, but unable to prevent himself from glaring at the group of people seated across from them.
