Nemesis(13)

“Here,” he says, leading me towards a posh looking restaurant.

I roll my eyes. “Of course this is the place you would choose. Do we even have time to eat here?”

“No one else is even in the office.” He smirks. “They won’t know how long we take.”

“Yeah, but no one will be there to answer the phone,” I point out.

“They can leave a message, and you can get back to them,” he says as he opens the door for me. “After you.”

I walk in and look around. It isn’t so posh that I’m scared to breathe in here, but it looks really nice. “This is where you usually go?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. I’ve never actually been here before, it’s new. I wanted to check it out though.”

A waitress seats us at a table, and I pick up the menu to browse.

“If you get the burger and fries, I will never speak to you again,” he murmurs, glancing at me over his menu with a grin.

“Don’t try and change me, Cohen,” I tease. “They don’t even have a burger option. What kind of place is this, anyway?”

“A good one,” he says, putting the menu down. “What do you want to drink?”

“Want to live on the wild side and get some wine or something?” I ask, wiggling my brows. “Since we’re such rebels as of late.”

Cohen watches me for a second, his expression blank, then he throws his head back and laughs.

Hard.

“What the f*ck is so funny?” I ask as he hugs his stomach, which I hope is starting to hurt from all his laughter.

“You,” he chokes out, trying to contain himself. “You… Fuck. Jacinta.”

“Lawyer who can’t even get his words out,” I grumble, still waiting for him to explain.

“You think me coming over and f*cking cuddling you, with not so much as a kiss, is being a rebel? Fuck, Jacinta, you kill me.”

“I’m about to,” I grit through clenched teeth.

Okay, so it isn’t really rebellious, but it’s not like it’s something I can go around telling people either. Like, ‘Oh, Cohen stayed at my house, but don’t worry, nothing happened.’ People would talk, judge and look down on me if it got out. So yes, it might not be worthy of the term in his eyes, but I’m a good girl, and this is my version of being a rebel.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he continues, reaching over and taking my hand in his. “If they try to lock you up, I’ll get you out. No matter what.”

He says it with a straight face which makes me want to laugh, but I refrain. “Are you done, Cohen?”

“Maybe.” He grins, showing off his straight white teeth. “Have you decided what you want?”

“Whatever is most expensive,” I say, pursing my lips.

He laughs more.

Oh, wait. I’m going to pay today, so maybe not.

“Hear from Rob?” he asks after we order.

“No, but Ian and Sadie have hit it off, so I’ll probably be seeing him around.”

“Hmmm.”

“Hmmm, what?”

“Nothing,” he says, smiling and thanking the waitress who pours him some water, and me a glass of red wine. When she leaves, I lean over the table and ask, “What happened the other day?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” he says, leaning back and watching me expectantly.

“You came out of your office looking a little… dishevelled, right after your client, Lucy, left your office,” I whisper, deciding that we’ve gone past the point of boundaries. “Did you do something with her?”

“Like give her legal advice?”

“Like f*ck her,” I blurt out, getting straight to the point.

“And if I did?” he asks, taking a sip of water.

“She’s your client.”

“Do you work for human resources now?” he jokes, then puts the glass down and leans forward. “I didn’t f*ck her, Jacinta. I’d need more time for that than one thirty minute appointment.”

I swallow. “But something did happen.”

I’m not stupid. I know something did. I also know it’s not my business, but I’m curious. This man went from someone I checked out when he wasn’t looking to someone I see and interact with every day. Someone who slept in my bed…with me. Someone I now feel comfortable enough with to ask personal questions.

He licks his lips and looks away. “She hit on me. Kissed me and ran her hands all over me, which was probably why I looked a little dishevelled.”

“Why would she do that?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.

“You might not believe this, but I’m not completely distasteful to some women,” he replies, flashing me a displeased look.

I roll my eyes. “I mean, surely it’s not normal for a woman to come in for legal advice and then hit on the lawyer. There has to be a reason, or an explanation.”

He grimaces, and I know I’m right. “I’ve f*cked her before, years ago. Not when she was my client.”

“I see,” I say, finally piecing it all together. “And she thought she’d just pick up where you left off?”

“Something like that,” he says, then turns the tables on me. “Would you have slept with Rob if I wasn’t there that night?”