Page 4 of Love’s Decree

“Shut the hell up,” I replied, taking my seat. The server had just dropped off our wings and another round of drinks. For the rest of the night, I tried not to look over at the table where Rory sat. It’d been a long time since I’d approached a woman in public and asked for her number. I had to admit that getting Rory’s number made my night complete.

3

RORY

Ihad been staring at the same screen on my work computer since I sat down, a pounding headache mixed with rampant thoughts of Aasim all night. I had been married to my work for years. Men had come and gone, but everything about Aasim screamed mystery and danger. He left me intrigued from the moment he pulled my hand into his. I was gone. Electricity swept through my body when he touched me. I bit my bottom lip as I recalled our short interaction. I surprised myself when I gave him my number. A knock on my office door interrupted my thoughts.

“I know you didn’t forget about the meeting?” Ava questioned.

“Nope. I was just checking some emails before going.”

“Hmm. Have you heard from your new friend?”

“No, and it’s perfectly fine if he doesn’t reach out.”

“Oh, he’s going to call. Girl, the way he kissed the back of your hand? He was like a gangsta and a gentleman all in one,” she teased.

I laughed as I stood from my desk. With my legal pad, phone, and a pen, I walked out of my office. The conference room was at the other end of the suite. I always took in the photos of the partners that hung on the walls. It was a daily reminder of how hard I worked. Just like in law school, there weren’t too many people around Schwartz & Barnes that looked like us. There definitely wasn’t anyone who looked like us that adorned the partner wall.

Ava and I made small talk because there was always someone listening. When we entered the conference room, it was half filled. Ava and I took seats on opposite sides of the long, cherrywood table. As the partners came in and closed the door, I braced myself for yet another boring meeting. While I loved my job, the stuffy corporate politics could be exhausting.

“Good morning, everyone. Before we get started, let’s first congratulate Ms. Towns on her recent victory in court. A win for one of us is a win for the firm. Keep up to the good work, Rory,” Jack, one of the partners, said.

I smiled and basked in the applause from my colleagues. Once they settled down, the meeting continued on. We reviewed the potential clients and upcoming cases everyone had on their calendars. Halfway through the meeting, my phone vibrated from a number I didn’t recognize. I pushed the button on the side to silence the vibration. A moment later, a text message came through.

Unknown: Hey beautiful, don’t make me chase you.

I knew who it was without him even saying it. Instead of replying, I made him wait until I got back to my office. If I started talking to him now, I would never be able to focus on the rest of this meeting. After another dreadful twenty minutes, the meeting was finally over. Ava and I walked back to our offices, but I didn’t tell her Aasim reached out. She would have a bunch of questions that I didn’t have any answers to.

Back in my office, I closed the door and sat at my desk. I was a little nervous about speaking to him. Shaking off the feeling, I picked up my phone and hit the number that called me.

He answered on the first ring. “I was on my way to your office,” he teased.

“No, you weren’t. Wait. How do you know where I work?”

“Let’s just say I did my research. It’s not every day I see attorneys that look like you.”

“You looked me up, huh? That’s interesting.”

“What’s interesting about me wanting to know more about you? Join me for dinner tonight so I can do that.”

I took a deep breath before I answered him. “I can’t, Aasim.”

“You can’t or you won’t?”

I grew silent as I wondered how much of a risk I was willing to take to see this man. My gut told me to stop before I got wrapped up in him. My curiosity got the best of me and wanted to see what this could be. Before I could answer, Aasim spoke first.

“I’m sending you an address. I’ll see you this evening at eight.”

Aasim didn’t give me a chance to protest; he simply disconnected the call. I held the phone in my hand as the address came through the text. Just because he sent the address didn’t mean I would go. What were the chances that he was a straight-laced biker who didn’t dabble in any illegal activity? Based on the people I had come across in my line of work, the chances were slim. How ironic would it be—a criminal defense attorney to be dating a criminal?

If I went to see him, I had to be okay with knowing this would be a short fling. Or I could take my ass home tonight. At least I would avoid the future disappointment that came along with a man like him. It was only 1 p.m., so I had plenty of time to decide if I wanted to flirt with danger this evening.

Several hours later, a knock at my office door disturbed my internal tug of war. When I looked up from my computer, Ava was making her way to the seat in front of my desk.

“Girl, you good? You look a little perplexed. Did he call?”

“He did, and now I don’t know what to do. He wants to see me, but what would be the point?”