Page 52 of Pride & Precedents

"That won't be necessary," I say, opting for a response that doesn't make me sound like a Stage 5 Clinger. I swear if I were a cartoon, there'd be hearts in my eyes.

She shoots me a look as I pass her desk. I smile reassuringly, and she looks even more concerned.Shit. I guess Sub Zero doesn't go around smiling at people.I take a calming breath as I push through the conference room door.Game face, Henry!

"Hi there, Henry," Naomi purrs, standing to greet me.

There's no denying she's beautiful. Long legs, silky hair that flows down her back, almond eyes full of secrets, and a mouth stuck in a perpetual pout. She looks the same as she did the first time I saw her, just with deeper smile lines and a sophistication she never could have pulled off in grad school. While my mind replays memories of Camila's melodic laughter ringing in my ears, her small hands wrapped in mine, her teasing smile eager for my kiss, my traitorous body reacts to Naomi, straining to rekindle a connection cut short years ago.

I reach into my briefcase for the documents that reveal Tanner's hidden properties, leafing through manila folders and stapled papers before I find it. When I turn back, Naomi's rightbeside me, her hand inches from my shoulder. I shift away, looking from her outstretched hand to her face with a question in my eyes. She looks at me with a hopeful smile.

"Can't an old friend get a hug?"

I eye her warily, and she raises her hands in a placating gesture.

"OK. I get it. So what have you got for me?"

She sits in the chair next to me, our knees nearly touching, and I remain on alert. Something isn't right.

"Tanner has been lying to you, Ms. Watanabe. We found three properties that weren't declared among the assets."

Her face goes hard, and I continue.

"There's a house in Vermont, a Chicago apartment, and a condo in South Beach." Her jaw and fists are clenched.

"These properties were all transferred from Tanner's name within the last two years."

Finally she erupts, jumping out of her seat.

"That son of a bitch!" Fury gleams in her eyes. "Two years ago is when I caught that bastard cheating on me with one of his fitness instructors. We worked it out, for our daughter's sake, and I thought we got past it." She's pacing back and forth now, getting more and more agitated as she speaks.

"I didn't file because he cheated. I filed because I wasdone! Done with the counselors, and the failed attempts to spice things up in the bedroom, and all that other bullshit.

"Things got worse when he started prepping for the IPO, then I got the job offer, and it was like a sign. Now I find out that asshole was planning to screw me this whole time?!"

I pull out the chair next to me, urging her to sit. She ignores me, continuing to pace.

"I'm sorry to have to share such upsetting news." I say calmly. As freak-outs go, this one is actually pretty mild. "Unfortunately,this is quite common in divorce proceedings, but thanks to these documents, we have everything we need to make him pay."

Her shoulders drop, and she finally walks back to the conference table and collapses into her chair. She looks tired.

"It's just such a fucking cliché, you know?Woman takes her cheating husband back for the sake of the kids only for him to jerk her around in the divorce."She leans closer and puts her hand on my knee. "This would've never happened ifwe'dstayed together."

And before I realize what's happening, before I can regain some professional distance, her mouth is on mine. I'm frozen in shock as her hands rove over my body, slipping inside my suit jacket, her fingers tickling the back of my neck. Like a fool, I open my mouth to object, to tell her to stop, and she uses that moment to push her tongue inside.

My body is in turmoil. Here she is, a shining paragon of what could have been, whatshouldhave been, throwing herself at me with a desperation that's almost unsettling. In this moment, I'm her life raft in the turbulent storm of her divorce, and I can't help but feel…flattered. To feelvindicatedthat she's back in my arms, begging me to forgive her betrayal with each brush of her tongue. My arms reflexively slide around her waist, pulling her close enough to feel my inevitable reaction to her.

Our undeniable physical chemistry is on autopilot, drawing us together like magnets, but alarm bells blare loudly, cutting through the sexual haze.What am I doing?Henry Jr.Jr.is quick to forget how careless she was with us. How easy it was for her to cast us aside in favor of a certified douchebag. How she never apologized for breaking my young, stupid heart.And what about Camila?

This is wrong.

I untangle my arms from around Naomi's slight frame and step back forcefully. Naomi wobbles on her heels, grabbing the edge of the table for balance.

Thoughts and emotions buzz around my head like hornets.I'll obviously have to report this to HR and the senior partners. VIP or not, hooking up with a client could cost me my license. I need to nip this in the bud. I also have to step down as Naomi's lawyer. Do I tell Camila? The kiss meant nothing. We're technically not together, but… Shit! This is a clusterfuck.

Naomi's quiet panting draws my gaze, and I whirl to face her, my eyes burning with outrage.

"Why did you do that, Naomi?" I shout, thankful for the sound dampening in all the conference rooms. She flinches.

"I-I'm sorry, Henry." She straightens the hem of her skirt, looking sheepish. "I honestly don't know what came over me. You're here, helping me get rid of Tanner like I should have done all those years ago. I just thought…" She sighs, looking defeated. "I just got swept up in the moment, I guess."

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