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Authors: Naomi Chase

BOOK: Deception (Tamia Luke)
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Brandon rolled his eyes and shook his head at his father’s obsession with ensuring that nothing compromised his candidacy. “You’ll be happy to know that I don’t have any major cases on the horizon. Not at the moment, anyway.”
“Good,” Bernard said approvingly. “Let’s keep it that way.”
Brandon frowned. “I’m a defense attorney, Dad. Do you honestly expect me to spend the next year shying away from potentially controversial cases just to protect your campaign from any negative backlash?”
“That’s exactly what I expect.”
Brandon clenched his jaw. “Dad—”
“Look, you’ve already accomplished more in your short career than over half the attorneys at that firm. After your masterful handling of the Quasar Diagnostics lawsuit, you deserve to take a breather. Let yourself ride high on the success of this past year’s accomplishments.”
Brandon narrowed his eyes. “Who are you, and what have you done with my father?”
“Beg your pardon?”
“Come on, Dad. When have you ever been an advocate for taking a breather? Haven’t you always taught us that the key to success is never resting on your laurels or being satisfied with yesterday’s accomplishments?”
“Well, of course,” Bernard conceded gruffly. “And I stand firm by those life lessons I instilled in you and your siblings. But it’s not as if I’m telling you to go on sabbatical or anything that drastic. I’m simply encouraging you to take time to smell the roses. You went straight from the Quasar trial to Tamia’s, and then you made partner. Starting after the holidays, you’re going to be traveling and campaigning heavily on my behalf. Which reminds me—don’t forget you’re scheduled to speak to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in San Antonio to help me shore up the Hispanic vote.”
“I haven’t forgotten, Dad,” Brandon muttered. “It’s on my calendar.”
“Good. Anyway, son, I have to run to a meeting. Gotta crack the whip on some of these troublemaking senators who’re holding up the passage of a budget bill.”
“Uh-oh,” Brandon drawled. “They must not know about you.”
His father laughed. “They must not. Anyway, think about what I said, Brandon. You’ve more than earned the right to take time to smell the roses.”
Brandon sighed. “I’ll think about it, Dad. Good night.”
“Good night, son.”
Brandon disconnected the call and set down the phone, his thoughts churning.
Although he resented the hell out of his father’s strong-arm tactics, he knew there’d been some merit to the old man’s argument. Brandon had spent the past eight years toiling slavishly to make partner, sacrificing everything—including his relationship with Tamia—to achieve that coveted goal. Regret assailed him every time he thought of the romantic getaway they’d hoped to take that summer but had never gotten around to scheduling. It was Dominic, not Brandon, who’d whisked Tamia away to St. Croix. Although their trip had been a disaster—served them right—it still haunted and angered Brandon that another man had made the time to arrange an exotic weekend tryst with
his
woman.
Now that he’d been named partner and had won the firm its most lucrative case of the year, there was nothing stopping Brandon from taking a few days off to “smell the roses,” as his father had put it.
And there was absolutely no reason he couldn’t take Tamia on that trip they’d been robbed of months ago.
Brandon drummed his fingertips on the desk for a few seconds, then picked up his phone and made a few calls before he could change his mind.
Chapter 32
Tamia
Tamia eyed Noemi Garcia sympathetically as the expectant mother rubbed her humongous belly, grimacing every now and then as her unborn baby stretched and rotated inside her womb.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go home?” Tamia asked her.
Glancing up from her computer, the petite, dark-haired young woman smiled wanly. “I’m okay.”
“You don’t
look
okay,” Tamia countered skeptically.“You look like you’re in a lot of pain. What’s that little man in there doing to you?”
Noemi grinned wistfully. “The ‘little man’ isn’t so little. Although I’m only thirty-four weeks along, he already weighs five pounds—”
Tamia whistled softly.
“—and his weight is putting a lot of pressure on my sciatic nerve, which causes my lower back and legs to hurt. It feels worse every time he moves.”
Tamia pursed her lips for a moment. “Okay, I’m not even gonna pretend to know what a sciatic nerve is, but what you’ve just described sounds painful, and it’s clear to me that you should be at home with your feet up, letting your husband rub your back and wait on you.”
Noemi giggled, brown eyes twinkling. “You’re so funny, Tamia.”
“I’m serious. I know we only met this morning, but I like you, and I hate to see you suffering like this.” Tamia glanced at her watch. “It’s after four anyway. Who’s gonna care if you cut out a little early?”
Noemi grimaced. “Not that I wouldn’t love to, but I really shouldn’t. It’s bad enough that I didn’t come back to the office after my doctor’s appointment yesterday. Which reminds me, I am
so
sorry for deserting you on your first day.”
Tamia waved off the apology. “Don’t worry about it. You left me great instructions, so I had plenty to do. And the template you provided for writing a report was extremely helpful, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad it helped. I’m taking your report home with me tonight, so I’ll give you my feedback tomorrow.”
“Great! And remember what I said earlier. Be brutally honest with me. I can take it.”
Noemi grinned at her. “We’ll see.”
Tamia laughed.
Seconds after Noemi had returned her attention to her computer, she was back to rubbing her stomach and wincing.
Tamia sighed. “Okay, you really need to go home.”
Noemi met her exasperated gaze. “I can’t—”
“Yes, you can. Look, for all you know, those pains you’re having could be contractions. So you could be in labor right now. If I don’t know what a sciatic nerve is, I damn sure don’t know the first thing about delivering a baby. Besides,” Tamia continued pragmatically as Noemi opened her mouth to argue, “you just said you’d be reading my report this evening, right? So, technically, you’re taking work home.”
“Well,” Noemi conceded slowly, “that’s true.”
“Of course it’s true. So what is it you need to do before you leave this evening? Maybe I can take care of it for you.”
Noemi wavered, biting her lower lip. “If you’re sure ...”
Tamia gave her a pointed look. “I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”
“Well, I need to make copies of the minutes from last week’s partners meeting. As the newest partner, it’s Brandon’s responsibility to provide copies for everyone before the next meeting. Never mind that the minutes are saved on the network and everyone downloads them to their PDAs anyway,” Noemi added with a disgusted eye roll. “All that matters to Russ is that they’ve been printing hard copies for years, so he insists on maintaining the status quo.”
“Russ?”
“Sutcliffe. One of the firm’s senior partners”—Noemi lowered her voice—“and a major league asshole. Just to give you a heads-up, he and Brandon are sworn enemies. I’m talking Superman versus Lex Luthor, and you know which one is the despicable villain. Russ has always hated Brandon’s guts, and he was strongly opposed to his hiring you. So just keep your head up and watch your back, ’cause Russ Sutcliffe can be a spiteful son of a bitch.”
Tamia nodded slowly. “Thanks for the warning.”
After Noemi left, Tamia got up and headed to the copy room, relieved to find it empty. She had a lot of copying and collating to do, and she didn’t feel like waiting on anyone else. She also craved some privacy to daydream about Brandon and the incredible night of lovemaking they’d shared.
She was disappointed that she hadn’t seen him all day, but she understood that he was very busy. She’d checked out his schedule, so she knew that he’d spent the entire day running from one meeting to another. But she wondered whether he, like her, had found himself frequently losing his concentration as he replayed memories of last night. She hoped he had. And she hoped that he didn’t regret what they’d done. Didn’t regret telling her that he loved her.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t realize someone had entered the room until a woman’s voice drawled, “Hey, new girl. We don’t allow that around here.”
Startled, Tamia glanced up from the humming Xerox machine to encounter the coolly amused gaze of an attractive, thirty-something brunette wearing a two-piece power suit and kitten-heel pumps.
Tamia blinked at her. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“I said we don’t allow that around here,” the approaching woman repeated. She was conspicuously empty-handed, which meant she’d either left behind what she wanted to copy or was there for the sole purpose of meeting Tamia.
“Allow what?”
“Daydreaming.”
Tamia flushed, glancing away.
When she offered no denial, the brunette chuckled knowingly and sidled up to her. “Judging by the smile on your face, girlfriend, that must have been some
gooood
dick.”
Tamia gasped, taken aback by the crude remark and the woman’s bold familiarity. Raking her with an annoyed look, Tamia said tightly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”
“Addison.” She stuck out a manicured hand. “I’m an associate here.”
Tamia hesitated, then shook the brunette’s hand. “I’m—”
“No introduction necessary. Everyone knows who you are.” Cool, assessing green eyes roamed across Tamia’s face and body—a frank appraisal that ended with Addison shaking her head. “I must admit. You’re downright gorgeous in person. No wonder.”
Tamia narrowed her eyes. “No wonder what?”
But Addison merely smiled. “So how’s it going so far? This is, what, your second day on the job?”
“That’s right.” Tamia turned back to the copy machine, which was slowly cranking out the collated pages of the meeting minutes. She wished Addison would take the hint and leave, but no such luck.
After glancing toward the doorway, Addison leaned close to Tamia, further invading her personal space as she confided, “I’m sure it won’t surprise you to hear that there were some grumblings among the administrative staff when you were hired. Certain people were offended that you were hired with practically no legal experience. Most of the assistants who work here have bachelor’s or associate’s degrees in paralegal studies, so they’re rightfully insulted by the notion that you think you can just waltz in here and do their jobs with limited training.”
Tamia nodded slowly, keeping her expression neutral. “I can certainly understand their concerns. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably feel the same way.”
“Wow.” Addison stared at her with a combination of surprise and admiration. “
That
was a very mature response.”
“I’m just speaking the truth.”
“I know. Which was what made it so ... refreshing.”
Tamia gave her an amused look. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the reaction you were obviously expecting or hoping for. But you didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. The other assistants resent me for getting a job I’m unqualified for, so as an act of protest, they’ve decided to give me the cold shoulder.”
“Pretty much,” Addison confirmed.
Tamia gave an unconcerned shrug. “That’s their prerogative. I’ve never cared about winning popularity contests, and I’m not about to start now.”
A slow, delighted grin stretched across Addison’s face. “I think you and I are gonna get along just fine, Tamia Luke.”
Tamia had her doubts about that, but she kept the thought to herself.
As she checked the progress of her copy job—wishing the damn machine would collate faster—Addison eyed her with fascinated curiosity. “So what’s he really like?”
“Who?”
“Brandon.”
“Brandon?”
“Yeah.” Addison looked amused. “You know, your ex-boyfriend slash lawyer slash new boss.”
“Got that part. What I
don’t
get is why you’re asking me what he’s like.”
Addison smiled. “I’m curious. I mean, Brandon has so many different facets to his personality. He’s a consummate professional at the office, a total gentleman who opens doors for the ladies, and a sweet guy who remembers people’s birthdays. But then he’s a ruthless mercenary in the courtroom and in meetings with people he doesn’t like. Since I’ve never had the pleasure of hanging out with him after work, I just wonder whether he’s one of those brothas—”
Tamia’s brow shot up.
“—who lets it all hang out when he gets around his friends. Does he get loud and rowdy? Does he curse like a sailor? Does he act really silly and playful?” Addison chuckled softly. “I just figured, next to Deondre, you know Brandon better than anyone else.”
Tamia eyed her suspiciously. “And you want to know all these things about him because ... ?”
Addison shrugged nonchalantly, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger. “Like I said, I’m just curious about him.”
“Ohhh, I see.” Tamia nodded knowingly. “You’re one of those.”
“One of what?”
“An MSWG.”
Addison frowned. “What’s that?”
Tamia hesitated, then decided since Addison had been so forward with
her
, she’d return the favor. “MSWG is an acronym my best friend made up. It stands for Mandingo-Seeking White Girl.”
Addison gaped at her for a moment, then threw back her head and laughed. “I love it!”
“You do?”
“
Yes!
I’m totally gonna start using that.”
Tamia smiled sardonically. “I’m glad you weren’t offended.”
“Not at all.” Addison’s green eyes twinkled. “I love black men, and I make no apologies for that.”
“Umm-hmm.”
I see I’m gonna have to keep an eye on this heffa
, Tamia thought.
“I hope I’m not interrupting this, ahem, bonding session.”
Tamia and Addison glanced toward the doorway. Cynthia stood there smirking at them, a manila folder in her hand.
“Hey, Cynthia.” Addison made an exaggerated show of glancing at her watch and gasping in shock. “Oh, my goodness! It’s after five and
you’re
still here?”
Cynthia’s mouth tightened, but only for a moment. “Of course I’m still here,” she said with stinging sweetness as she entered the copy room, “but I’m surprised that
you
are. I heard you totally bombed in court today, flubbed your closing argument so bad that the judge may have to declare a mistrial.” She tsk-tsked
.
“Poor baby. Better luck next time.”
Addison’s face reddened.
Watching the barbed exchange with keen interest, Tamia thought,
Well, what do we have here?
Was it possible that she’d finally met someone else who didn’t belong to the Cynthia Yarbrough fan club?
Recovering her composure, Addison plastered on the fakest smile and volleyed back, “Gee, thanks for your concern, Cynthia. It’s remarkable that you have time to keep up with
my
cases when you have so much on your own plate, which apparently includes planning your wedding. Or was that someone else’s bridal magazine and invitation sample book on your desk?”
Tamia stiffened with surprise.
Cynthia darted a glance at her before glaring accusingly at Addison. “What the hell were you doing in my office?”
Addison smirked. “I went to ask you a question, but you weren’t there. Your door was open, so I decided to leave you a note. But after I saw all the wedding paraphernalia on your desk, I got distracted and left.” Addison raised a brow at Tamia. “Did
you
know that your boss was getting married?”
Tamia glanced at Cynthia, who looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. “No,” she murmured. “I didn’t know.”
Addison sighed. “I don’t think
he
knows either. Especially considering what I overheard last ... Well”—her wickedly amused gaze met Tamia’s—“
that’s
another story for another day.”
Tamia’s face flamed at the realization that Addison had overheard her and Brandon last night. Although most of the offices had appeared dark and empty, Addison must have been lurking around somewhere. She’d shamelessly eavesdropped at the door as Tamia and Brandon rocked each other’s worlds, which might explain why she’d been asking all those weird questions about Brandon and had known what Tamia was daydreaming about.

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