Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 22937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
“You blatantly lied to that jury.”
“No, I gently stretched the truth.”
“Gently?” She snorts. “I wish you would’ve told them the truth about my past instead of that ‘honor student gone astray’ nonsense you made up.”
“My apologies, Miss Ridgeland,” I say. “Cocaine lover who’s made a decade’s worth of terrible life choices didn’t have that good of a ring to it.”
“I love heroin, not coke.”
“Don’t admit that to anyone else.” I roll my eyes. “I just saved you from serving eight years in prison, so you shouldn’t be complaining about anything. You’re welcome.”
“Yes, well…” She steps closer. “Thanking you is what I wanted to talk to you about.”
I arch a brow.
“I can’t afford to pay the final three thousand on your invoice, so—”
“Set up a payment plan,” I say. “That’s it.”
“I can’t afford that either.” She lowers her voice. “Since you clearly don’t have any morals, I can pay you with a night you won’t forget…”
I give her a blank stare.
“There are things I can do with my mouth that’ll blow you away.” She bites her lip. “Want to know the details?”
“Not really.”
“I think that’s a yes.”
“The word ‘not’ is literally ‘no’ with an added ‘t.’”
“I would make you sit down in your favorite office chair,” she says, continuing anyway, “unzip your pants and pull out your cock, rubbing it between my hands until it was rock hard for me.”
“Do you have a hearing problem?”
“I’d lick your tip until you moaned, until you looked into my eyes, and then I’d swallow all six inches of you down my throat.”
“It’d be nine, but it’s still a no. Thank you.”
“When I felt you throbbing between my lips, I’d let you finish on my face so you could leave it dripping wet with cum.” She presses her hand against my cheek. “You’d probably like that.”
“I like people who understand what the word ‘no’ means.”
“Depending on if you were up to it afterwards...” She bats her fake eyelashes. “I might let you fuck me for free. How does that sound for payment, Mr. Tate?”
“I’ll zero out your invoice.” I push her hand away. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Oh, I see how it is.” She looks offended. “You think I’m not good enough to have sex with you.”
“No.” I look at my watch. “I’m too good to have sex with you…”
“Excuse me?”
“Miss Ridgeland, even if I did sleep with clients—and I don’t—if I fucked you once, you’d get addicted and want it all the time, and then I’d have to charge you for taking up my time that’s better spent on legal cases.”
“You can’t honestly believe that.”
“It’s the truth.” I start walking. “But just so you know, next time you want to proposition someone like me for sex, lead with the pussy offer first. Given the fact that you struggle to breathe, a blowjob from you isn’t that good of a deal.”
“What?” Her face pales and she sucks in a breath. “I’m reporting you to the bar, Mr. Tate. You won’t get away with talking to me like that!”
Watch me…
TENDER (V.):
TO PRESENT TO ANOTHER PERSON AN UNCONDITIONAL OFFER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT.
JAMESON
Two hours later, I park my Porsche in front of my firm—a sleek glass building that overlooks the edge of the Hudson River.
It’s part of an office complex I purchased years ago, back when I foolishly believed that the justice system was fair.
Alas, every few months this place gives me a new reason to regret ever signing the papers.
Today, my main sign is missing the lights under the first “T” and the final letters, so it currently reads “ate & ass.”
Groaning, I pull out my phone and call my top contractor.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Tate!” he answers on the first ring.
“It’ll be a good afternoon when you finally fix my sign, Mr. Julian,” I say. “It’s been two weeks since I called you about it.”
“Yeah, I know, but…”
“But, what?”
“I’m taking my time until I see what happens with that Marbury case you’re handling,” he says. “Word got around that he’s hiring you to represent him.”
“And?”
“And I don’t know if I can work on something that might benefit that boy.”
Jesus Christ…
“With all due respect, Mr. Julian, my clients and their lawsuits have nothing to do with my firm’s lights.”
“Teenager or not, Marbury is not a good person, and you know as well as I do that his drunkenness caused that accident.”
“My sign is supposed to say Tate & Associates.” I ignore his comment. “That’s the only reason I’m calling you.”
“What if the accident had severely injured someone you know, Mr. Tate?” he asks. “Someone you love?”
I don’t love anyone.
“Do you have an ETA on fixing this issue, or do I need to hire someone else?” I ask.
“If Marbury was born to poor parents instead of wealthy ones, I bet you wouldn’t take his case.” He pauses. “You have like twenty cars already, so I doubt you need the extra money.”