Her Chance at Love

by Nicki Night

  Blake held his hands up in surrender. “Okay.” Inside, his heart deflated.

  “Have a good night, Mr. B— Blake.” Cadence said, and then turned and walked out the conference room, leaving Blake and Amy behind.

  Chapter 26

  Cadence couldn’t get out of that conference room soon enough. When she reached her office, she didn’t bother putting down the files in her hand. She simply threw her blazer over her arm and headed for the elevator. She wanted to meet with Adam and get out of the building as soon as possible.

  Cadence wasn’t even sure how she survived the day sitting across from Blake. As much as she reminded him that their interactions were to remain strictly professional, she found it extremely difficult to focus. Flashbacks of their intimate times together broke her concentration. She tried to ignore the way his glimpses triggered warm sensations in her belly. Her heart palpitated when he licked those luscious lips of his as he spoke. Cadence didn’t know if he was trying to seduce her or if she was just taken in by the remembrance of those same lips across her molten skin. Her heart and body were making it clear that she still wanted him. Hopefully, her mind would keep her heart and body in check. In order for her to be successful in representing him, she had to find a way to turn her desire for him all the way off.

  Being firm with Blake was her only option. Cadence knew that at times she was being borderline rude, but she had no choice. Breaking down would allow him to get under her skin and she couldn’t afford to let that happen. She was still annoyed about how she’d been blindsided. Yet, admittedly, she wanted to know how he got involved in the scandal.

  On the train ride home, she thought of numerous ways to handle the case as quickly as possible. Of course, she wanted a winning outcome, but the sooner she could get Blake out of her way the better. She rooted for his innocence. Then there were her father’s words. He would see his only daughter and their family’s name being dragged through the proverbial mud regardless of whether Blake was guilty or not.

  Cadence’s mind was brimming with thoughts about the case. She hadn’t realized that she reached her stop until the recorded voice announced it a second time. Jumping up, she apologetically leaped over the person seated next to her and ran off the train just before the doors closed. Cadence walked to her car, dropped all the extra files on the passenger side and plopped into the driver’s seat. She let out an exasperated breath and sat for a few moments before starting the car.

  At the house, she kicked off her shoes, put on a kettle of hot water and headed to her home office. Spreading the files across her desk, she intended to find solutions and formulate her argument. If she had to work all night for the next few days or weeks, she’d do so.

  Cadence’s vision had begun to blur from hours of perusing documents and staring at her computer screen. She had developed plans for the case. Once she was done reviewing all of Blake and his law firm’s files for anything that could be incriminating, she would work with her team to scour the files from Banks’s lawyer’s office when they arrived. As long as Banks’s financial records didn’t show any activity that would hinder the case, she could stand before the media and Blake’s accusers with confidence.

  The chime of her cell phone broke the silence in the room. Seeing that it was her father, Cadence picked up right away.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Sweetheart!”

  Senator Payne’s tone put Cadence on alert.

  “Is it true that you’re handling that Barrington gentleman’s case?”

  “How...” Cadence was about to ask how he found out. Her father was a senator and a well-connected former prosecutor and this was a political scandal, so she didn’t bother. News traveled swiftly in some circles. “Yes, Dad.” She decided to just answer his question and then braced herself for his response.

  “I can’t tell you who to represent, but be sure to keep your distance. Don’t get caught up in the feelings you had for him.”

  “This is all business, Dad. Don’t worry.” Cadence hoped she came across as reassuring as she intended. Truthfully, she fought against her feelings for Blake every day. The fight was more grueling with her personal feelings invading her professional space. “Well, I need to put in some more time going over some briefs before bed. How about I call you tomorrow?”

  “You do that, honey. Good night.”

  Cadence jumped back into her work, letting hours roll by as she buried her head in her task. After a long while, she checked her watch and saw that it was after ten o’clock. She had done enough for one night. Tired eyes made it difficult to continue reading. Her phone rang and at first she was going let it go to voice mail but decided to answer the call. When she saw Blake’s number on the display, Cadence took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After spending all day with him at the office, her resolve was too fragile to deal with him now. She also thought about her father’s latest warning. She let the call go to voice mail and headed up to her bedroom.

  Cadence wanted to go straight to bed but figured a shower would help her sleep better. Despite her attempts to push thoughts of Blake from her mind, she pictured his face as she stood naked under the spray of the showerhead. A moan escaped, her eyes closed and her head hung back as she lathered her smoldering skin. She imagined his hands rubbing her down instead of hers but then shook the image from her mind, grunted and shut the water off. Cadence snatched her towel down from the curtain rod and wrapped herself inside the plush softness.

  “Come on, girl. Get it together,” she scolded herself and sucked her teeth. “He’s no longer a contender.”

  Back in her bedroom, Cadence slipped on a T-shirt and climbed between crisp sheets. Random thoughts and images of Blake continued to bombard her. Instead of the shower preparing her for a soothing slumber, it awakened urges that she wished she could get a handle on. Memories of Blake were alive. They taunted her.

  Cadence sat up in bed and groaned. Racing thoughts chased her sleepiness away. Briefly, she entertained the idea of taking a sleeping pill, but it was too late for that. She’d never get up in time for work. Cadence reached over and grabbed the remote off the nightstand. The eleven o’clock news announced a second arrest and other new developments in the Banks scandal before going into a commercial break. Cadence flipped the channel. That was the last thing she needed to see or hear. At least she thought so until she saw the image of her ex, Kenny, on the screen standing between two women who looked as if they were about to claw one another’s eyes out. Cadence sat up straighter and then leaned forward, squinting at the TV. Through narrowed vision, she recognized that one of the women was Kenny’s new wife.

  Pressing the info button on her remote, the description told her that she was watching their reality show, The High Life. This particular episode was about a face-off between Kenny’s wife, Harper, and another woman regarding rumors of a bankruptcy. For a quick moment, Cadence thought about watching to see who was going bankrupt but thought better of how she wanted to spend her time. Evidently, the catfight ensued with Kenny right in the center, and Cadence laughed until her belly ached. If she needed more evidence to confirm that her ex was not the one for her, this was it. Unfortunately, those thoughts made her think about how Blake seemed to be so right—until now. Cadence continued flipping the channels but still couldn’t find anything to hold her attention. She flopped back on the bed and laid there, swatting away thoughts of Blake until her eyes grew too heavy to stay open. Maybe she could sleep without Blake invading her dreams.

  * * *

  Cadence woke with a start. Her body lurched forward. She blinked rapidly and looked around the room. She shielded her eyes against the sliver of sun peeking through the window. It was seven minutes before her alarm was supposed to go off. Her hopes had failed her. Blake had not only invaded her dreams, he’d lit them on fire. Cadence continued panting as she sat up in bed trying to untangle reality from the ill
usory. She felt Blake’s taut muscular body against hers. Her skin still burned from the electrifying kisses he had planted along her inner thighs. Both the perspiration that dotted her forehead and the flames ignited in her core existed without a doubt. She wiped her forehead and snatched the covers back. She was annoyed with herself for not being able to get him out of her system. She’d just have to work harder at pushing the effects of him aside, starting with a cool shower.

  Chapter 27

  By the time Cadence walked in, Blake was already set up in the conference room, flipping through papers with a cup of coffee in his hand. Blake’s heart felt as if it could stop beating when he looked up and saw her. Immediately she averted her eyes. Chancing a quick peek, he looked her over and tried to contain his reaction to her presence. Seeing her face made him want to smile, but he kept his lips pressed together. Even if the circumstances weren’t ideal, sharing the same space was far better than being on the other side of all his unanswered calls.

  Cadence made it clear that involvement was all about business. Her clipped responses and the standoffish way she treated him showed that she was serious. Yet, under that hard professional exterior, he knew that she had to be just as affected by his presence as he was by hers. It took all of his energy and determination to keep from pulling her into his arms and kissing her. He’d give her the space she needed, but he wasn’t going to give up on her—on them.

  “Good morning.” Cadence’s greeting was short and void of any kind of cheer. She spread several folders across the table.

  “Good morning to you.” Blake muffled a chuckle. Her staunch effort to be aloof tickled him.

  “What’s so funny?”

  She’d caught him. “Huh?” he asked, buying a few moments. “Oh. Nothing. You look tired.”

  “A little. I didn’t get much sleep.”

  Several near-inappropriate innuendos teetered on the tip of his tongue. Blake knew better than to let them fly. “Up late...working?”

  “Yes. On your case, of course.” Cadence sat for the first time since entering the room. She groaned as she reached across the table for one of the files. “There’s been a new arrest. The attorney general picked up Banks’s former campaign manager yesterday.”

  “I know. They must have found something on him.” Blake hung his head for a moment. “It’s bad enough that they’ve got my face plastered across every network along with these men. I can’t imagine being on camera while they’re carrying me out in cuffs.” Cadence tossed him a questionable look. “I didn’t do anything.” He responded to the accusations in her expression. “I’ve never been shy, but this is not the kind of attention a man craves.”

  “Last night I finished going through your company’s files to ensure that there was nothing in your records that we needed to worry about.”

  “Didn’t find anything, did you?” Blake was sure of himself.

  “No.”

  “Told you.”

  “We still have to wait and see what’s in the files that Banks’s attorneys are sending today. My hope is that they will come early. Once we go through those, I’d like to get the press conference scheduled, letting the media know that we are now representing you and we’re confident that we will be able to show the public that you’re innocent.”

  Blake sat all the way back in his chair. “I’ll be glad when this is over.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Really?” Blake put his hand on his chest, pretending his feelings were hurt.

  Cadence twisted her lips at him, dismissing his act.

  Amy came bursting through the door with her jacket sliding off one shoulder and her purse still hanging from her arm. “So sorry I’m late. I’m going to drop my things off, grab the new intern and a cup of coffee, and I’ll be right back.”

  As Amy shot back out of the office, Blake stood and made his way to Cadence’s side of the table. He could tell by the way her shoulders hunched that she was uncomfortable with how close he came.

  “I called you last night.” Blake leaned against the sturdy table and crossed his arms.

  “It was after hours.” Cadence kept her eyes on the papers she was shuffling.

  “I know, but now that I’m your client, do you think you can pick up my calls?”

  “I’ll answer any of your calls during working hours.” Cadence straightened out the files in her hand, placed them back on the table and picked up a new pile.

  “Do you think we will get a chance to talk?” Blake asked. Cadence still hadn’t looked Blake’s way.

  “We’ve been talking for the past two days.”

  Blake’s frustration wrangled with his emotions and both got the best of him. He snatched the file from Cadence’s hand and tossed it on the table. The folder slid a few inches more after landing.

  “Blake!” Cadence stood, meeting him eye to eye.

  “This is the first time you’ve even looked me in the eye. This whole time, you’ve been treating me like a stranger that flattened your tires.”

  Cadence huffed. “This is neither the time nor the place for—”

  “Then when and where?” he interjected. “You won’t answer my calls outside of ‘business hours.’” He curled his fingers into quotes and stared at her dead on.

  “Besides this case, there’s nothing for us to talk about.” Cadence reached for the file that Blake had just confiscated from her.

  “So that’s it? Just like that?” Blake shook his head as his chest tightened. “We were building something special, Cadence. You can’t tell me you didn’t feel it, too.”

  Cadence didn’t respond. She busied herself doing nothing in particular with all the documents scattered across the table. Then she got up and walked to the window, creating more distance between them.

  Blake’s shoulders drooped. He didn’t mean to get upset, but he couldn’t take much more of her coldness. He also didn’t want this process to become rife with tension. He needed to be around her, even if he had to manage her cold shoulder. It was better than not being able to see her beautiful face. At least he was able to take in the sweet aroma of her perfume, despite the fact that her attitude toward him reeked. He would do what he could until things could be turned around.

  Blake walked to where she stood facing New York City’s West Side. “I’m sorry,” he said, touching her shoulder. She flinched. “I didn’t mean to get upset. It’s just that this thing between us—”

  Cadence spun toward him. “There’s nothing between us, Mr. Barrington.”

  Blake removed his hand from her shoulder as if it burned his fingers. Her words cut him. The formal nature in which she spoke made them sound even colder. Rejection never swayed him. He was that confident. Yet Cadence’s refutation punctured him. Now he questioned if continuing to pursue her would be worth it. Taking slow steps, he backed away, holding his hands up in surrender.

  “My apologies, Ms. Payne.” He felt his lips tighten as they normally did when he was irritated. He was done trying. Blake wasn’t sure if he could say that he loved her, but it did feel as if she had reached into his chest, pulled his heart out, slayed it and put it back.

  Just then, Amy returned with a slim, wide-eyed woman. It appeared as though she felt the tension in the room because she paused in the middle of announcing that she was back. “I...uh. I brought some more coffee.” Cautiously, she and the intern placed the extra cups on the table.

  “I’ll get out of your way. Please be sure to notify me of any developments on my case.” Begrudgingly, Blake made his way over to the chair he’d previously occupied, picked up his briefcase, copies of the documents and his coffee cup from earlier. “Amy. Thanks for the coffee, but I’m actually heading out.” Blake forced a smile in Amy’s direction and nodded politely at the other woman.

  “Oh, Blake.” She chuckled. “I mean, Mr. Barrington.
Sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine.” Blake dismissed her apology.

  “I’d like to introduce you to Katrina. She’s one of our new interns. She’ll be helping us out on the case.”

  Blake extended his hand to the young woman. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Katrina tittered and with a coy smile she took Blake’s hand and managed a firm shake. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

  “Hmm. Great handshake!” Blake nodded his approval.

  “Thank you, Mr. Barrington.” Her demure grin returned.

  Through his peripheral vision, Blake noticed Cadence’s disapproving frown. He wasn’t sure if her frown was meant for him or if it was because of the way Katrina gushed during their greeting. He hadn’t missed that, either. Yet, he wasn’t fazed. “Well, Amy,” he said, turning his full attention toward her. “I’ll assume that if you all need anything from me, I’ll probably hear it from you.”

  “Most likely,” Amy said optimistically, as if she was single-handedly trying to lift the thick cloud of tension that had settled in the room.

  “Enjoy your day, ladies.”

  “You, too,” Amy and Katrina said in unison.

  Cadence gave no response.

  As Blake walked out, he could hear Katrina whisper, “He’s gorgeous.” Amy shushed her.

  When Blake reached the pavement in front of the building, he realized he still had the entire day ahead of him. His brother had taken over most of his cases, so he wasn’t expected back at the office. He didn’t want to go all the way back to Long Island, but he had to find something to distract himself from the way Cadence had him feeling.

  Despite the few reporters still camped out at his office, he decided to go there to continue making notes in the case files. He wanted to be sure to explain anything that could come across as suspicious. At least that would give him something to do besides think about Cadence.

  Hunter wasn’t at the firm when Blake arrived. After greeting the others, Blake retreated to his office. The remainder of his morning was spent trying to focus and wondering how things had gotten so out of hand with Cadence. He regretted getting emotional. She was right; her company’s boardroom wasn’t the time or the place to deal with his questions.