“I don’t know what the deal is A, but I took her out to dinner, she met Bea and.”
“You took her to Bea’s?” Aaron looks dumbfounded. He looks like I have just turned wine into water and asked him to drink it. Seeing his reaction, makes me realise how rare it was for me to go on a date much less take a date to see Bea.
Bea is the one constant in my life, if Bea told me that she liked someone, no doubt I would keep them around just for her, to keep her happy. Never mind my happiness. Ergo nobody ever met Bea. Until last night. Until Rayne.
“Yes, I did. It was an impromptu date and I was planning on going to see Bea anyway so it was no biggie”
Aaron is still staring at me, jaw not as slack as it was, but his mouth still open.
“A, its no biggie, honest, we hung out and stuff”
His mouth instantly closes, lips now pursed, not a pout, more a snarl
“it’s the fucking “and stuff” that’s the issue brother! She’s family to us, do you understand, we defend her, protect her and keep her safe, that’s our job. The way you’re talking is pissing me off”
Aaron’s standing now, I can hold my own against most people, but if Aaron loses his shit, its over for me. He’s pacing the office, wearing an imaginary hole in my carpet. I am waiting for the navy on the floor to rub off on his crisp creps. Reaching for my phone for no reason other than to busy my hands, I contemplate calling Rayne and telling her as much fun last night was, we’ve got to call it a day.
I can see her face as I think about a conversation I will never have. She’s it.
Gathering my balls, I rest my phone next to my PC and stand to meet a still stompy Aaron.
“Yo! A, listen to me, this cannot come between us. We went out for dinner, the “and stuff” was a goodnight kiss, call me a chump but I don’t kiss and tell”
I hold onto Aarons shoulders, hoping he calms the fuck down. I send up a few silent prayers when he sits back down.
“I will not repeat myself on this, I also cannot tell you who to date, but I can tell you that one tear, shed over you by that girl and there’s no way back for you Connor. Dad and Trent? You don’t want to get on their wrong side, and fucking over Rayne would sign your death warrant”
“I understand, I hear you loud and clear A, but why so protective, is there something I need to know?” I am back to praying again. I don’t want to hear anything bad about her right now. Scrap that, I don’t want to hear a bad thing ever.
“All I can tell you is all I know. Trent has known Rose since Rayne was a baby. He took care of her when her dad took off and after an insane amount of years, they fell in love. Rayne may not be his blood but she’s his daughter, the only child he’s known. Dad told me that Trent made him, Rayne’s legal guardian in the event that anything happens to him or Rose. Dad promised Trent, that he’d protect her with his own life before he’d allow her to get hurt. I think its something to do with her dad, just from conversations I have heard over the years...
I can feel my pulse quicken, why are they so protective over her? I want to be the one who protects her, who is this man and why are they so scared? Where is he? I’ll make sure he never darkens her door.
Its only when Aaron answers me, do I realise that I said it out loud.
“I hear you man, all I can say is what I have already. Don’t take any chances with her. If you both want the same thing that’s all good, if one of you changes your mind walk away”
I nod in agreement, letting him know I’ve understood. Aaron sits back in the ridiculous chair, seemingly a lot more relaxed than 10 minutes ago. My phone buzzes again. I don’t want to look at it, but Aaron is watching me like a hawk.
It’s Rayne.
Swiping the screen to answer the phone I don’t realise how vigorous I am with it until it almost fumbles out my hand. Cursing quietly under my breath, I compose myself enough to answer.
“Hey” my voice is slightly higher than I’d like and I breathing like I just went 10 rounds with Aaron. Get it together son.
“Hey yourself. Is this a bad time?”
Her voice instantly soothes me, holds onto my rapidly beating heart, slowing it down.
“No, you’re fine, I was just going through some papers with Aaron but he’s leaving now”
I look up at Aaron expecting him to leave, he stands like he’s heading out but instead stalks over to my side of the desk and plonks himself in my chair.
I flip him my middle finger, he blows me a kiss. Douche!
“Hope he’s not working you too hard?”
I swing around to face the window, I haven’t got the same view as Rayne, I look out onto a one-way system filled with London traffic. Closing my eyes, I can see her, god I wish she was closer.
“He’s always riding my arse,
“You love me working your arse Connor, you’re my bitch” he says very loudly behind me, ensuring Rayne hears
I am going to kill him.
Rayne starts to laugh on the other end
“Do not encourage him beautiful, he needs no encouragement at all”
“Trust me I know, one of these days he’ll grow up, until then we’re all stuck with him”
I watch Aaron’s reflection in my window and he’s straining to hear the conversation. He’s a chick with a dick alright.
“Hold up beautiful”
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I turn to face Aaron. “Dude. Are we done?
Taking the hint, he stands to leave, with his keys in his hand he points at me “for now brother, just remember what I said” it’s a warning but a friendly one. I salute him as he goes.
“That sounded interesting, everything ok with you two”
“We’re good. He was just telling me to keep my nose clean when it comes to you”
“Did he warn you off me or something... hang on what did you tell him?” She’s snapping and sounds pissed.
“I told him you’ve got the sweetest pussy I have ever tasted, that I want to tie you to my bed and snack on you for days on end”
There’s silence at the other end of the phone
“You know I am kidding right Rayne? Not about the sweetest pussy thing though, that’s the damn truth, but I didn’t tell him anything about last night. Just that we had dinner...”
A sigh on the other end of the phone stops me in my tracks
“Rayne…”
“I’m here” another deep breath
“Are you ok? What’s wrong?”
My hearts racing again. Two phone calls, one date, a couple kisses and this chick has got me by the balls. She owns me.
“Nothings wrong, nothing except you that is. I picked up the phone to call you because I wanted to say thank you for getting me home, for a wonderful date and for everything else”
“Everything else?”
I pause for effect. The chair that Aaron vacated ominously empty, door to my office closed, its just me and Rayne. For the next few minutes, nothing else matters. I need a release.
“Beautiful, in an ideal world, you’d be here with me and believe me we’d be adding to the everything else list. But I am here and you are there, so I want you to tell me exactly what you mean by everything else”
“Do you always get your own way Connor? Its like you tell me jump and I say how high, its frustrating me.”
“Frustrating you? Beautiful my balls have got your name tattooed on the motherfuckers, in big blue script it says property of Rayne Sinclair”
She laughs, and its music to my ears
“Glad you find it funny”
“If you’d have stayed with me last night Connor, your balls would be anything but blue. Empty maybe but not blue”
“Now this is the problem I have at the moment, they are cobalt, and very full. If you were anywhere near me, I’d immerse you in my legacy”
Fuck me she laughs again. That silent laugh, you can barely hear until she gets air in her lungs and the cutest noise erupts down the phone line.
“Ag
ain, keep laughing at my debilitating state”
“I’m laughing with you not at you. I just had visions of you standing in front of me, exploding like a burst water pipe”
“you joke but that’s not far off the truth”
“Good job I swim best underwater then eh?”
Sucker punch gain. I groan because I’ve got all kinds of images of her flashing through my mind, in the bath, in the pool, on her knees in the shower.
“killing me beautiful…k.i.l.l.i.n.g m.e”
“I don’t want to kill you Connor, not until I’m finished with you anyway” she clears her throat, which just encourages my image of her on her knees in the shower. Anything she says or does right now, I will just think of sex. Simple facts.
“We are a long way for finished beautiful, a long way!”
“will you stop interrupting me! Let me finish.”
“At least one of us will be finishing some time soon...”
“CONNOR!”
“ok, ok continue”
I’ve got the biggest grin on my face, she makes me smile
Clearing her throat again she goes on
“as I was saying...”
“What are you wearing?” I can’t help myself, she’s so easy to wind up
“if you interrupt me once more Mr, I am hanging up!”
“I’ll behave, go on…”
“As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, I wanted to thank you for last night, I had a great night, Beatriz is lovely and her food is amazing. I cannot wait to go back. Thank you for getting me home, and I promise the next time you see me, I won’t get drunk. Please delete that picture though, as much as your messages tickled me I looked hideous”
“you looked beautiful, you are beautiful. I have no intention of deleting that picture, it’s the only one I have of you and I kind of like it”
“I’ll send you another one”
“Right now,”
“no”
“yes”
“why”
“because I want to see what you look like right now”
My phone goes dead, she’s hung up. FUCK. Oh, maybe it’s not all lost, my phone’s ringing again and it’s a video call. She’s the best
“Hey again”
My mouth drops as I take her in, she’s at her desk, her hairs down hanging around her shoulders, she’s got black rimmed glasses on and a white shirt, its pulled tight across her chest, the top few buttons open, teasing me.
“Ma always says you’ll catch flies when my mouths open like that”
I close my mouth to swallow only to open it again instantly.
I’m trying to think of something to say, something other than “uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh” which is about all I can muster.
“I didn’t know you wore glasses” I slap my forehead as soon as the words leave me, she tips her head down and laughs. Lifting them up so they perch on her head she replies
“my inner geek is now revealed, I was so tired last night I slept in my contacts hence need the face furniture today”
“they suit you” I meant it, they fit her face perfectly. She looks like a classy but perhaps a little slutty secretary. You know the one, the one that is wearing a pencil skirt, killer heels and sinful stockings, the one who leans over the photocopier to give you a little glimpse of what she’s not wearing underneath... (I should probably stop watching the free shit on pornhub, even my fantasies are cheaper than Lidl)
Scrubbing my hand over my face, I stroke the scruff on my chin to clear my head and help me focus.
“Well! This beats any photo you could have sent”
She draws her bottom lip between her teeth, holding it in place. I would have thought it was because she was shy, but she’s staring at me and those eyes are playing with me. She’s far from shy.
“Now it must be you that’s drunk – in all seriousness, I had fun last night. I remember that you said I had to choose date 2, so… I wanted to see what you are doing this weekend?”
I pointed to her then back to me, my finger pressed into my chest
“You are asking me out?” I fan myself, dramatically throwing myself back in my chair.
“Yes jackass, a simple yes or no would do!”
Yet again. She’s got me laughing. “I am all yours gorgeous, tell me where and when, I will be there”
Her killer smile invades my screen again
“good! I will text you the details”
I take one last look at her. “put your glasses back on for me please”
As if I pressed a remote, she does as I ask.
“now lean forward, just a little and say yes sir”
“fuck off”
Laughing we say our goodbyes and hang up the call. My phone beeps again a few minutes later. Its Rayne, she’s sent me a selfie. She’s leaning forward at her desk, her glasses back in place, hair falling slightly forward. She’s used some sort of filter and has written “YES SIR” in large letters at the top of the picture.
I quickly sent her a short message “you’re everything, see you soon x”
I save the picture to her contact wondering how I got here. I am half way down the road with her, its got me shook to my shoes, but I’m excited. Maybe its my time after all.
Rayne
“That would be great, I appreciate your help on this”
“WELL?”
Leilani is sat tapping her nails impatiently on my desk. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. We both look expectantly at Guy.
Its been a crazy few days. Since my date with Connor I don’t think I have left the office.
We were served with a toxicology report, conducted by a private doctor the day after Cherri claims she fell pregnant. She had high levels of sedative in her blood stream, her claim is that Malachi gave her the drug, she also claims the video is only of when the players joined them in the room. She says Malachi took her to the hotel room before they got there. Malachi has gone back up to the North West, which has made this incredibly difficult. We are now in a situation where it is a he said she said.
Guy has been on the phone to the hotel security team. We are trying to get copies of the CCTV.
“It’s a good job you are sitting down” Guy spits the words out and I can feel his frustrations from here.
“Copies of the tapes have already been requested and sent to Johan Terrence’s legal representative and here is the unbelievable thing. The request was signed by Trent Fitzgerald”
Not to sound like a cliché, but I audibly gasp. Full on, loud gulp of air.
“What the hell?”
Leilani is now standing, pacing the room. Guy is sat on the edge of my desk with his hands in his head – me? I’m speechless.
“your guess is as good as mine” I’m glad Guy is there to answer Leilani because I am at a loss.
“did you know your company represented Johan? How could you not know Guy, you’re a fucking partner!” Leilani spits the words at Guy.
He roars his head up, and goes toe to with Leilani. I expect him to scream and shout at her, match her aggression but he doesn’t. He puts his hand on her shoulder, practically pushing her back into her seat.
“You need to calm the hell down Leilani. This is as much a shock for me as it is you. No, he is not on our books, I had my secretary check the client list. He has not listed as a client, even our non- disclosure clients’ records have been accessed and he’s not there. Give me some credit, I haven’t got to where I am by cutting corners and not doing things the right way. So, sit the hell down and shut your damn mouth while we get to the bottom of this”
Open mouthed but seated Leilani just nods her head, “sorry” she murmurs
“I know Trent was keeping a few clients for himself, although he has retired from the practice, he is still a solicitor and able to consult, my guess is he kept hold of Johan because either the retainer was too high for him to turn down or his is still contracted to represent him. Either way, it gives us a bigger pr
oblem”
Guy is looking straight at me.
“What has this got to do with me? Why are you staring at me?”
“Rayne, your step father is legally representing the client who is happy for our client to take the wrap for something he didn’t do, Guy’s right it’s a problem”
I stare at Leilani, dazed by her comments “You cannot for a minute think I knew any of this?”
“Its not that Rayne, its more that with him being so close to you, you could inadvertently say or do something that will hinder our own case, it’s a conflict that we could do without”
Falling back into my chair, I feel like something is stabbing me in my chest. I can’t breathe. An unfamiliar stinging is present behind my eyes. I do not cry. Not about work, not at work.
“If that’s how you feel, I understand”
Liar! You don’t understand, you’re just saving face. I will not cry, I will not cry.
Guy’s phone rings on the desk and he excuses himself from the room to take it.
Leilani, stretches across to me, I can’t help it, I pull out of her reach, crossing my arms around my chest. It’s a protective instinct that makes me do it, I need to shield myself from any further attacks. Am I being dramatic, probably but right now, I don’t care.
“Don’t be like that Rayne, we always agreed when we started to cross paths that we wouldn’t allow work to get between us”
I watch as her ridiculously huge ink blue eyes bore into me, I love Leilani, but I am hurt.
“I get it. I do. Honestly. It just hurts that you think I couldn’t be professional, that I would jeopardise our clients or damage our reputations, my job is everything to me...”
“and that’s why, we have to look at this objectively”
I didn’t hear Guy come back in the room.
“Leilani, I have arranged for us to go up to Liverpool this afternoon. Malachi will meet with us after training. Rayne, understand as soon as we get a little more intel, you’re back on board – we’re going to need the best in the business to spin this and that’s you. Until then leave it to Leilani and me ok?”
Turning Point (The Point Series Book 1) Page 8
