Free Liquid Lust (The Club #3) by K. N. Lee

Chapter 1
     
    “ W hat is it this time?” Sohana overheard her boss ask as she got off the elevator to the twelfth floor.
    Dressed in all pink, and with even pinker lips, Ashley, Gavin’s secretary, held a finger up for Sohana to wait.
    Sohana stepped to her desk that stood in the center of the lobby of Pruitt and
    Associates law firm. She tossed her wavy black hair out of her way, wishing that she’d worn it in a ponytail instead of down. Leaning over Ashley’s desk top, she lowered her voice to a whisper.
    “What’s going on?”
“Who could he be accused of murdering now? The mayor?”
    Their eyes met at hearing Gavin’s question coming from behind his closed office door.
    Sohana cringed. “Tommy?”
    “Here we go again,” Ashley said under her breath.
    Holding a stack of files to her chest, Sohana sighed and looked toward Gavin’s office. She could only guess that he was referring to Tommy Mancini, one of their top paying clients. One dead wife, and he would always be known as the Wife Killer. Lucky for him, her boss had gotten the charges dropped and Tommy was back on the golden streets of the most expensive neighborhood in Karim, Texas.
    Good lord , she thought. She hoped they didn’t have to bring that man to the office again. Just being around him creeped her out. There was something in his dark, beady eyes that made her want to hide whenever he looked at her.
    “Come on in, Sohana,” Gavin said.
    Inside waited Kelly James and Gavin Pruitt, the name partner at the firm. With dark eyes, Kelly looked her up and down and turned her back to her.
    “Just give me a moment,” he said. He nodded to the sofa at the back of the office. “Wait over there.”
    With a nod, Sohana crossed his large office that was sectioned off into three spaces: one for his desk, another for hosting clients in the sitting area, and one for practicing his golf. All of the sections were full of too much clutter to actually move around with ease. So, Sohana stepped over his gym bag and sat on the leather sofa.
    “I just need to know if you will handle his bail hearing, or if I need to get Paul to go. It was an escort,” Kelly said lowering her voice. Sohana could hear the disgust in her voice. “It’s not going to be easy.”
    Gavin shook his head. “It never is.” He sighed and looked at his watch. “I’ll be there, just leave a note with the details on Sohana’s desk and she’ll remind me.”
    Kelly glanced back at Sohana with a grimace on her face. “Fine. Don’t be late.”
    Sohana looked down at her freshly manicured nails. She didn’t mind the looks. She didn’t like Kelly either.
    Once Kelly left, Gavin leaned against the back of his desk and looked over at Sohana.
    “The jerk just won’t lay low,” he said, shaking his head.
    Sohana shrugged. “There was nothing you could do to make him change his ways.” It was unsaid between everyone, but they all had a feeling that despite representing Tommy, that he was guilty.
    “You’re right.” He checked his watch again and stood to his full height. “Well, we have a potential client arriving in about half an hour.”
    “I know,” she said. “The British business man. I was the one who reminded you.”
    He cracked a smile. “Right. You did.”
    “Do you think he’ll sign on as a client? I’ve done my research on Sir Arthur Koenig and his sister, Elisa. They are a team, and it looks like you will have to win them both over. And her flight from Vienna was delayed, which means she won’t arrive until this evening. So…” Sohana’s voice trailed.
    “So, this meeting is probably pointless if they make decisions together,” Gavin said. “Good work. He sounds like a cocky bastard.”
    “I think you should still go through with it. It’s too late to cancel, and you can still make a good first impression.”
    The phone on Gavin’s desk rang. He pressed a button. “Yes, Ashley?”
              “Mr.—I mean, Sir Arthur Koenig has