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“Excuse me, boss,” his beautiful and curvy research assistant interrupted, standing in his doorway.
Brice smiled at the tall and lovely sight before him. A fact that others had pointed out in hopes that he would consider dating her and move on from Brooke. Most people couldn’t see past her beauty to her brilliant mind. “Come in, Amy.”
“Everything’s set up for Mrs. Kingsley and her team’s arrival.”
Amy’s words were like a shot to the gut. He used to love it when people addressed his wife by his last name. Now, hearing it was like nails on a chalkboard. “Thank you.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“Yes, actually.” Brice handed her a list of cases he needed researched. “Those are all relevant to the new pipeline. We need to make sure we cover our bases with the affected communities. We don’t want the EPA back in our lives.”
Amy smiled. “Really? I thought you wanted to handle that project on your own.”
Brice moved to his stationary desk, sat down and fired up his computer. “Yeah, well, I’m a little distracted,” he admitted, which was an understatement. “Also, can you call my cousin Kristen and tell her I’ll need to take a rain check on dinner tonight?”
“Sure thing, and I’ll be down the hall in the law library if you need me.”
“Thanks and close the door behind you, please.” Brice only wished he could stay hidden in his office during Brooke’s short stay.
* * *
Brooke stood in front of Brice’s office door, pushed out a quick breath and raised her balled fist to knock—only she couldn’t do it. She was suddenly hit with the memory of the first time she’d met Brice in that very office nearly three years earlier.
* * *
She walked into the office to find the most handsome man she’d ever seen wearing an expensive-looking gray suit and wireless headphones while he stared at his computer. Brooke had never found herself at a loss for words, yet the man before her, with his light-colored skin, dark, curly hair and full, sexy lips, were wreaking havoc on her system. “Excuse me,” Brooke said, walking up to his desk and waving, trying to get his attention.
Brice removed his headphones and quickly got to his feet. “May I help you?” His eyes roamed her body. Brooke fought the urge to look down to make sure her black pencil skirt, matching jacket and white blouse didn’t have a stain or something on it. She was extremely happy she’d worn her five-inch heels to raise her five-foot seven-inch frame because she just knew he had to be at least six-feet tall.
Brooke looked up at the handsome man with a sparkle in his eyes and a smile on his lips, hoping her nervousness wasn’t showing. After all, this was her first major client for her new firm. “I apologize if I’m intruding. They sent me up from downstairs but no one’s out front. My name is Brooke Smith and I’m looking for Mr. Brice Kingsley.”
“I’m Brice Kingsley,” he replied, smiling and showing off a beautiful set of white teeth.
Brooke extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Brice gave it a small shake. “Likewise, but it’s six fifteen in the morning. Why are you here so early?”
“I like to get started early while it’s still quiet. It’s usually the only time I can enjoy my jazz at full blast before others get in and I have to wear my headphones,” she explained.
The corners of his mouth quirked up. “You like jazz?”
Surprise was written all over his face. “I love it,” she assured him.
“I do too. Please have a seat. Can I get you some coffee?”
“Yes, cream and sugar, please,” Brooke replied, taking a seat in one of the large round chairs in front of his desk.
Brice walked over to a small table next to his desk where a vintage coffee station had been set up. He poured her a cup, pulled a vanilla-flavored creamer from the desk drawer along with several packets of sugar. He handed her the cup and placed the cream, sugar and a stirrer straw in front of her.
“Please.” He directed her attention to the condiments. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you.” Brooke added the sugar and creamer to her coffee and took a sip. “Very good.”
“You sound surprised.” His brows were standing at attention.
“Honestly, I am.” Brooke smiled over her cup at the amused look on his face. “But I’m also impressed. A lot of men can’t make a good cup of coffee.”
“You have to have the right mixture of water to bean,” Brice explained.
“Now I’m really impressed,” she admitted. “Most men don’t know that.”
Brice took a seat behind his desk. “I’m the one impressed. Your catch saved us millions of dollars. I still can't believe our former tax accountants had been using several incorrect forms and overlooking valuable deductions. I can’t imagine your bosses at the IRS are very happy with you.”
“Not at all. They fired me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, frowning.
“Don’t be. If they hadn’t fired me, Victoria wouldn’t have convinced me to come work for her.”
“But only as a consultant. I understand you wouldn’t come on board full-time.” He gave her a quizzical look.
“No offense, but I want to be my own boss. I don’t want to be tied down to one company. Thankfully, your mother understood that and hired me anyway. Kingsley is my first client.”
Brice raised his coffee cup. “Here’s to a long and fruitful relationship.”
Brooke smiled and raised her cup. “Shall we get started?”
* * *
Brooke broke away from the past, pushed her shoulders back, raised her hand and knocked on the door. “Come in.”
Chapter 3 (#ue6cc7da0-edd9-51fe-8c4e-a47008de4e4c)
Brooke opened the door and walked into the office to find Brice seated behind his desk, signing several documents. “Did you forget something, Amy?”
The sound of his voice sent waves of desire throughout her body, just like they had from the first moment they met. She’d missed it... She’d missed him. “It’s not Amy, Brice,” Brooke replied, closing the door behind her, knowing this conversation wasn’t for the public.
Brice dropped his pen, raised his head and sat back in his seat. “Brooke,” he said, his face expressionless.
“Do you have a moment for a quick chat?” She tried to project confidence when in reality she was a nervous wreck inside. Her heart was beating so fast she just knew the whole building could hear it.
Brice tilted his head slightly to the right and his forehead crinkled. “You tell me after six months of what I thought was a wonderful marriage that you want out. I convince you to give us time to work things out, at least I thought I had, and go out for your favorite seafood only to come back to find that you’ve left me with a note.” He leaned forward slightly. “You disappear for three months, only communicating through your lawyer, and now you want to chat.” His tone was hard but even.
“I... I—”
“Sure, please, have a seat.” His words were laced with disdain and sarcasm.
Brooke moved forward on unsteady legs, reaching for the support of a chair. She swallowed hard. “You make it sound so—”
“So what? Honest? Is that not what happened?”
“I didn’t want to fight. Not then and certainly not now,” she explained, trying to hold his angry glare.
“What do you want, Brooke?” Brice asked, sitting back in his chair.
“It’s simple. I’d like to get through these next several weeks as painlessly as possible. We’re both professionals with a job to do.”
Brice sat up in his chair. “That we are.” He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a manila envelope. “We can start by you signing the settlement papers so the lawyers can move forward with the divorce.”
He slid the envelope to Brooke. “I told you I don’t want your money. I just want to keep my name.”
“You mean my name, and I’m sure you do. It’s not like Brooke Smith would bring in the big clients.”
Brooke could nearly see the anger radiating from his body and he had every right to be furious with her, especially with the cowardly way she’d handled things but she felt she had no choice. Brooke thought her past, specifically the things she had done to put herself through school, and her present health issues would be too much to ask anyone to handle. Brooke knew how bad her request sounded, but she couldn’t tell him the real reason she wanted to remain a Kingsley—it was the only way she’d always have a connection to him and his family. They were the two things she never had before and didn’t think she ever would again.
“The only way you get to keep my name is if you take the settlement.”
“I don’t want or need your money. I can take care of myself,” she reiterated.
“I don’t give a damn if you want the money or not. It’s a few million dollars—give it to a charity if you like. I won’t ever be accused of not taking care of you,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Fine!” Brooke opened the envelope and pulled out the documents. “Got a pen I can borrow?”
“Sure.” Brice handed her the Montblanc she’d given him last year for his birthday. He handed her the pen and their eyes met, and for a brief moment, Brooke thought they’d softened until he broke contact and reached for his buzzing phone. Brooke signed in all the highlighted spots. She returned the documents to the envelope, handed it and his pen back to him. “Happy?”
“Hardly. Just one more thing. We’d appreciate it if any extracurricular activity you may have going on is kept under wraps.”
“Excuse me?” Her eyebrows stood at attention.
“Just continue to be discreet and so will I.”
Brooke’s heart sank when she caught on to what he was talking about. Although, Brooke wasn’t entirely sure what he meant about her activities, she wanted to kick herself for being hurt by the idea of Brice moving on with his life. It’s what she wanted...what she thought was best. Brooke couldn’t get passed the lump in her throat to speak so she simply nodded.
“I’ll get the papers to the lawyers right away. In sixty days, you’ll be several million dollars richer and free of me. All just in time for our first anniversary.”
“Can you not do that?” Brooke looked down at her intertwined hands lying in her lap, hoping to hide the slight tremor.
“Do what?”
Brooke raised her head and met his leer. “Act like a petulant child.”
Brice raised his chin and narrowed his eyes but quickly relaxed his face. “Absolutely. We will keep things professional and limit our interactions.”
“Fine. Maybe we can get through this almost painlessly,” Brooke said, rising slowly from her chair. The last thing she wanted was for her legs to give out from under her. Brice stood, walked around his desk and came to stand in front of her. “We both know in our business...the world of finance...a world of precision, ‘almost’ doesn’t count.”
Brooke looked up into Brice’s eyes and they were no longer devoid of emotion; they had softened. She actually had a sliver of hope that maybe they could salvage some type of friendship from the mess she’d made. They had been close before anything else and she missed him.
“Excuse me, Brice,” a familiar voice interrupted. Brooke turned toward the door and saw Amy standing there, smiling at Brice with an excited look on her face as if she couldn’t wait to see him or something.
Before Brooke knew it, her old insecurities about Amy resurfaced. Their old arguments that Brice had dismissed as ridiculous and a growing friendship that the two shared annoyed Brooke to no end. Without warning all types of nonsense came flying out of her mouth. “Amy, you’re still here? Shouldn’t your internship be up by now? Don’t tell me you didn’t pass your class.” So much for not acting like a child. Brooke could feel Brice’s eyes on her, but she kept her own on Amy.
“No, I passed and graduated magna cum laude, in fact.” Amy frowned at Brice.
“Amy works for me now,” Brice explained with a confused look on his face.
“Does she now?” Brooke murmured.
“Do you need anything, Amy?” Brice asked.
“It can wait. I just needed to talk to you about the dinner—”
“We’re still on, right?” His eyes jumped between her and Brooke.
“Yes...of course,” she replied, her smile widening.
Brooke felt sick and needed to escape. “Don’t let me interrupt. I have to get to work, anyway.” She turned and walked out the door.
* * *
“What was that all about?” Amy asked, bug-eyed.
“Sorry about that. It’s just...” Brice ran his hand through his hair. He felt awful for using Amy in such a way and misleading Brooke. But the hurt and anger he tried to suppress surfaced at the thought of Brooke moving on with someone else, especially while he'd been pining after her, and made him want to strike back.
“I get it. You wanted a little payback for something she did. It’s not my business, but if you want to talk, I’m here,” she offered.
“Thanks, but I’m good. About what I said...” Brice rubbed the back of his neck.
Amy held up both hands. “No worries. You’re fine and all, but you’re not my type.”
Brice laughed and went to sit behind his desk. “I’m not?”
“Nope, but your cousin Travis on the other hand...” she informed him, smiling.
“Yeah, well, I hate to burst your bubble but you’re a bit young for him.”
“I’m only four years younger than you,” she reminded him.
“Yes, and six years younger than Travis. Trust me, you’re too young.”
Amy sat in one of the chairs that faced his desk. “I know. He already told me.”
Brice frowned. “He did? When?”
“When I asked him out,” she stated nonchalantly.
Brice chuckled and shook his head. “Fearless...”
“No disrespect, boss, but why was your ex being such a B toward me, anyway?”
