4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

~ James ~

I couldn't help but watch her, saw her stiffen, and couldn't believe my fucking luck.

The one gorgeous woman I saw, wanted to fuck, was the bitch wringing out this case? This did not make sense in my head. However, I sure as fuck couldn't believe Bri pulled that shit either.

Because, even if, on a cold day in hell, I wanted to continue talking to this woman, she wasn't going to do it now. And who the fuck was to say that I would even do that?

But within a blink of an eye, she relaxed her shoulders and then leaned back in her seat, taking her wine with her. Every nerve that ran over my body came alive with that movement. Something was off and I sure as hell didn't like it.

"What?"

"Nothing," she responded, eyeing each of us for another moment or two before setting her wine down and picking her fork back up. "I gave you my name, do give me yours," she quietly pushed, slipping the piece of pasta into her mouth.

I debated my next course of action.

I could be honest, and tell her who I was. Since there had been no in-person discussions, she might not know my name. Or I could lie, make it up, go on a little hunt.

Though that may be the safer course, it wasn't the best one. And for some unknown fucked up reason, I didn't want to lie to her. Don't ask me why, couldn't say!

"James." I saw the slight pause, the quick intake of breath, and the subtle nod of the head. She didn't need a last name, she knew.

"Interesting," she muttered, dabbing at her mouth.

"You could say that. Watching this little interlude has been fucking fantastic. And to know we're stuck on the same boat for the next two weeks is even better," Bri said, taking a sip of his beer.

I turned my head to glare at him. I'm not sure why his comments bothered me, but they did. I mean, I was just thinking the same thing, so I didn't have the right to be pissed but I was. And I wanted to punch him to shut him up.

"Don't look so upset, James," she told me, and I glanced at her.

"Who said I was?"

"Let's not play that game. It's bad enough we're already doing that in the courtroom. You don't need to be mad at your friend because he spoke the truth. And it's not the first time I've been called a witch." She paused, took another sip of her wine, and lifted her shoulder nonchalantly. However, something told me that the name bothered her a lot more than she let on. "I'm also sure it won't be the last time I'll hear it from your team, either."

"Now we've never said that to your face."

"You don't have to," she replied. "It's a common thing when I'm up against anyone. I earned that name and I'm proud of it." Again, a quick intake of breath told me that she wasn't so into it. "Besides, it's not like I call you any better."

"Oh?" I wasn't sure why I wanted to know what she thought. My lawyer often told me that the way things were worded, or the tone of the letters from her expressed her thoughts about me quite loudly. So, I knew nothing was good in her mind.

"I mean, you have many names in my office. Your ex-wife even has a few."

I watched her over the rim of my glass as I took a sip of my own wine and nodded.

"I'm sure she does. She always had such a high opinion of me, even if it was wrong half the time."

"Come now, she wouldn't have left if she was always wrong, right?"

What. The. Fuck?

My ex told her lawyer she left? She didn't leave. She didn't walk out. It wouldn't help my case, I'm sure, but I'm the one who ended things, not her. I kicked her out, told her we were done, not the other way around.

"What?" I forced out, quite stunned.

"Her names for you? Or our names for you?"

"Neither…well…." I was at a loss for words. I was still focused on the lie. And that was a huge one. So given that, I could only begin to imagine the names that were being flung my way. No wonder why this woman was pushing so hard. She was fed lies. How the fuck could she not see that?

"You're not making a very good impression that you should win your case, sir."

That brought my focus back and it was sharply pointed at her now. I smiled at how my intense stare had her shifting in her seat.

Good. She was about to learn.

"I don't need to impress you; I just need to impress the judge. But do share. What names do you have for me?"

"Oh, you know, the good ones. A dick, douche. There's even asshole. Because, let me tell you, you do have quite the asshole persona. I ignored it when I first talked to you. But now," she started, waving her hand in my direction, "I can clearly see it."

"Interesting." This time it was my turn to lean back in my seat. I was going to let her express whatever she thought. Because even though I didn't want to focus on this at all, it was going to tell me where her thoughts were and then maybe I could make this more of a fair fight.

"What is?"

"The fact that you saw that at that moment when you were falling for my charm."

Her jaw clenched and her knuckles turned white as she held tight to the bottom of her wine glass. Oddly enough, I loved her reaction and noticed the etiquette she had while handling the glass.

"And there is the last name we have for you."

My eyes narrowed at that. Knowing my ex, and now getting a taste of this lawyer, I could only imagine what the special name was.

"Oh, please enlighten me."

"Womanizer. You're quite the womanizer, in fact, and I'm quite glad your wife left you." With that, she stood her glass in hand. "And I'll make sure that simple fact will null everything I need it to."

I saw nothing but red as she left with that parting remark.

Now, the question. Was it because of her trying to take me down that I was upset?

Or was it because I hated the fact that she thought of me that way when I wasn't?

And if that was the case, why the fuck did it bother me so much?