He stared at Jaxson, who moved like a man without a care as he made his way across the room and into the bathroom, where he closed the door with a click that seemed to echo. The man raised a single eyebrow and gave me a mischievous smirk that made me want to smack him—but then again, that’s why he was here: to make my life hell. I stuffed my hands into my pockets.
“My name is Madden Polunin.” He gave me a bright smile. “And I’m with Demchenko, Weston, and—”
“You’re here for Roberts,” I said curtly and stomped around my desk. He dropped the flyers and took a step back with his head cocked to the side. I sat in my chair and laced my fingers together in front of me. “What does he want?”
“Ah, a man who likes to cut to the chase. I’d heard you were that kind of guy.” He flashed his teeth at me in another dazzling smile, and I felt my own lips twitching in response. Damn it, I hated men like him.
“Weren’t you here about that club that was having issues a while ago?”
“What? Oh, you mean Black Out? That was me. But enough of these pleasantries.”
“I’m not feeling pleasant.” I scooted my chair in closer to the desk.
He rocked on his heels, and I was reminded of a kid, but not necessarily in a bad way. He seemed like he had energy to burn. “Emotional distress. Battery. Property damage. Career—”
“What’s that, a lawyer wish list? I’m not Santa Claus.”
“Santa does wishes?”
I shrugged. “Only on the holidays.”
He snorted out a laugh. “No, all those special little things are what I’m going to drag you through court for, unless you agree to pay a settlement to Robert Roberts.” The smug shit drummed his hands on my desk.
“Wait, his name is Robert Roberts?” I boggled at that for a second while the lawyer laughed. “That’s fucking rich. No. No to all that bullshit.”
“How so?”
“You see that man who walked past you when I came in?”
“Why yes, I did.” His face went slightly red, and I wondered what that was about. I was fairly certain Jaxson had all his zippers and buttons done up when we arrived.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
Polunin blinked at me like he had dust in his eyes, and I continued before he could say anything else. “Your client was annoying me while I was out with my boyfriend—hell, was flat out harassing us. I’m not a lawyer, of course, but I bet I could find one just as unscrupulous as you and file countercharges.”
His smile faltered but came back to full blast. “You don’t want to handle this quietly?”
“Fuck it. Roberts wants to be an ass, let him explain to everyone how he was harassing me.”
He drummed his hands on the desk again in a way that got on my last nerve. “But I actually talked him down to this. Don’t you even want to know how much he wants?” Thank fuck he stepped back and crossed his arms, or I might have done something regrettable. He pursed his lips and the bottom one jutted. If he wasn’t on retainer for Roberts, of all fucking people, I might have thought he was adorable. It was rare that a grown man could really pout.
“Give me until the afternoon to think about it. If it comes down to handing him thirty grand—”
“Forty.”
“—or spending that amount of money to drag this through court? I’d rather go to court.” I stood and rested my hands on my desk, leaning forward. “Some things are about personal satisfaction, and seeing that dick try to explain to a judge why he wouldn’t leave me alone, after I was initially polite and spoke with him, would be worth it.”
Polunin hung his head. “Okay, well, I left my number with your assistant.” He gave me a wave as he stepped toward the outer office. “Call, or there will be consequences.” He passed Ross, who was coming into the room, and gave him one of those too large for life smiles. Ross frowned out my door after him, and then shook himself and fixed his attention on me.
“You look like shit.”
“Thank you. I didn’t get a chance to clean up yet today.”
Jaxson peeked his head, topped with freshly styled hair, out into the room. “Is he gone?”
“You’re safe,” I murmured, and he came over to the desk in a fresh suit, all the while shooting glances between me and Ross.
“Was that one of the lawyers who was up our ass over Black Out?” Ross asked, scowling.
