The Sweetest Love (Love Conquers All Book 5) (4 page)

The firm, congratulatory smacks on the back had been coming Adam’s way all afternoon. Cutting another Goliath off at the knees should have been a triumphant moment for him. But for some reason the victory felt hollow. His coworkers had insisted on going out for happy hour to celebrate the multimillion dollar case he’d litigated and won against one of the top automotive makers in the country.

Not in a mood for much socializing, he declined the offer, telling his coworkers he was headed home to start his much needed two week vacation. Walking from his Center City office to his townhouse at Sixth and Pine streets, he decided to stop for a beer. He needed to decompress in solitude.

Taking a seat at the bar, he ordered a Heineken. As he waited for the bartender to grab the cold green bottle, his anger toward the automotive giant flared once again. The company had been aware there were issues with the brake system of an earlier model. The greedy bastards figured it would be more cost effective to settle a law suit than to do a recall on the defective model.

Unfortunately for Emanuel Rosario, their greed had cost his wife and toddler twins their lives. All the Rosarios had wanted was a certified, pre-owned car with low mileage they could afford as a means of transportation for their family.

Adam thanked the bartender as he set the beer down in front of him.

Taking a swig from the bottle, the gut wrenching sobs of Emanuel and his family in the courtroom after the verdict had been read sent chills through his body. He attempted to detach himself from the scene going on around him of family members crying and hugging each other. His eyes kept going back to the large photo of a very weary, yet proud Mrs. Rosario beaming as she held her babies shortly after delivering them and another photo of them at a birthday party.

The twins had just celebrated their second birthdays a month before their mother collided into the back of tractor trailer as a result of faulty brakes that had suddenly stopped working.

Adam took another swig. Abby had been the same age as the Rosario twins when she had been injured in the accident that had changed the West family forever. Every case was important to Adam, but this one had felt really personal. A wife and two beautiful children had lost their lives. The big corporate giant hadn’t valued their lives or any other lives for that matter as precious. Doing the right thing would have interfered with their bottom line… money.
Just like those bastards who didn’t recall the toddler car seats.

The firm slap on his back jarred Adam out of his musing.

“Hey man, why you looking so down? You should be on cloud nine,” the intruder insisted.

“What’s up Walker? What are you doing here?” Adam questioned as he shook his colleague Tim Walker’s hand. He’d thought Tim was at the bar near the firm celebrating with everyone else.

Tim flashed his playboy smile. “I’m meeting a date. I just might get lucky tonight.”

Adam didn’t take the bait. He and Tim were cool, but he could care less about the man getting lucky or with whom he was getting lucky. He just wished whoever the mystery lady was would hurry up because he really didn’t feel like company. Nor did he feel like hearing about any of Tim’s latest conquest.

Sensing Adam wasn’t up to hearing any of his latest escapades, he tried his hand at making small talk. “You know the big boys are talking about making you partner?”

Before Adam could respond Tim let out a long whistle. “Would you look at the legs on that beauty?”

Laughing as she walked through the doors of the swanky bar/lounge with her coworkers Kay Billings, Jen Jennings and Sonia Hunter, Roxy was glad she had let them talk her into coming out to happy hour. It had been two months since she started at Dawson Investments and the three young women had been after her to go out with them for drinks.

Kay and Jen worked in the marketing department and Sonia worked with Roxy in accounting. The first time Sonia had invited Roxy to lunch, the others had come along. Normally, Roxy didn’t bother with building relationships with coworkers. She really didn’t see the point since her previous jobs were temp assignments. But this was different. She was looking forward to being with the company for some time. Having healthy work relationships was necessary in the workplace. And besides, these chicas were a hoot!

“Jen, you are absolutely crazy,” Roxy said nearly doubling over, holding her side from laughing so hard.

Jen in all her comical flare was telling them about the date from hell she’d went on last weekend.

“Girl, stop lying,” Sonia chuckled as she spotted a leather sofa on the other side of the room. Pointing, she said, “Come on, hurry up before someone gets those seats over there.”

The clicking of high heels on the highly polished hardwood floors sounded like a mini stampede as they rushed to the seating area before the small party behind them beat them to it.

Plopping down on the leather sofa, Kay picked up where Sonia had left off. Her eyes held a bit of disbelief. “Jen, did he really do that?”

Letting out a dramatic huff, Jen put her hands on full hips. “I’m telling y’all that fool was crying.” Jen doubled over laughing, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, remembering that bizarre night. She had had some crazy dates, but this dude was from some planet way out in the galaxy.

Sitting up, she wiped away the moisture. Nodding her head she told them,
again,
what they refused to believe. “He was crying… begging me to take off my shoes so he could suck my toes!”

A ripple of feminine laughter filled air.

The young women abruptly stopped their cackling as the waitress approached their area. Quickly rattling off their drink orders and appetizers they all but shooed the waitress away. Getting back to Jen’s outlandish dating adventure was the highlight of this evening’s outing.

“OMG!” Roxy squealed. “Wasn’t that your first date with him?”

Digging in the bottom of her purse in search of her cell phone, she answered, “Yes, and my last! Can you believe him?”

Shaking her head, she pulled out her phone and put the setting on vibrate. Jen still couldn’t believe how many weirdoes were lurking out there. It was a darn shame he was so crazy, because brother was fine as all get out, had just got his doctorate and was newly hired as a computer science professor at Drexel University. A winning combination like that, brother-man probably had an above average credit score.
Darn it!

Snickering, Sonia pointed out, “I told you about meeting men on those damn dating sites.”

“I know, I know, I know,” Jen groaned. “Why can’t I find me a fine, well-off man like boss man Kevin Dawson?”

“Girl yes!” Sonia agreed snapping her fingers.

Kay started fanning herself. “Lawd have mercy. What about his friend Nick Stiles? That man can park his shoes under my bed any night!”

While the other women nodded their heads in agreement, Roxy was shaking hers in the negative. Her mother had always drilled into her head the sage advice of staying far away from married men.

True, she found their boss and his friend Nick to be very handsome men. She’d even witnessed the receptionist at the front desk salivating after them as they sauntered down the hall to the boss’s office. However, they were married men. And that’s one trap she wasn’t going to get herself snared into… lusting after a married man. She was old enough to know lusting after what didn’t belong to you had the potential of taking you some place you had no business going.

“Roxy, why are you shaking your head? Don’t you think those brothas are fine?” Jen questioned, raising an arched brow.

Nodding her head, she agreed with her new friends. “Of course I do. But they’re
married
.”

Sonia playfully rolled her eyes. “Girl, there ain’t no harm in looking.”

Roxy laughed. Shaking her finger at Sonia, she teasingly lectured, “As long as that’s all you do is look.”

Sonia agreed with her. “I know that’s right, I’m too old to be getting my behind kicked by somebody’s wife.”

Kay nudged Sonia. “Girl, hush up. You are not old! We’re the same age!”

Sonia gave her a weak smile. “Yeah, we are.” The truth was she had just turned thirty-three and all this talk about crazy dates and fine men was just a reminder that she didn’t have anything close to male companionship. She necessarily wasn’t in a rush to make it down the aisle and to the altar, but it certainly would be nice to have a set of strong arms holding her at night. It would be nice to have someone to do things with on the weekends.

“How old are you guys?” Roxy inquired as the waitress set their drinks and appetizers down on the table.

Each of them reached for their drinks and took a sip. As if on cue, they all let out a satisfying sigh. The weekend was here.

Setting her raspberry martini down, Kay answered for them. “Thirty-three and fab-u-lous!

“Wow, I thought y’all were my age.”

Sonia and Kay gave each other a high-five. “We’ll take it!” Kay teased, gently patting her smooth, flawless pretty face.

Picking up a calamari ring, Jen popped it in her mouth. “I’ll be thirty-one in November. How old are you Roxy?”

“Twenty-six. I’ll be twenty-seven on December twenty-fourth.”

“Oh girl… shoot… you still got Similac on your breath. You barely look legal.” Jen joked, grinning at Roxy.

Sucking her teeth, she flashed Jen a sassy grin. “I’m legal enough to drink this here drink.”

Turning her lips up, Sonia smirked at Jen. “Mmm… she told you.”

Kay glided her hand over her smooth, straight shoulder length hair. “She sure did.”

Roxy burst out laughing as Jen gave her the evil eye. Standing, she told them, “I’ll be right back. I have to go to the ladies’ room.”

“Yeah, me too,” Kay said as she stood.

Adam found it hard to suppress a smirk. Walker was such a hound dog. Wasn’t he supposed to be meeting some woman?

Turning to see what woman had caught his buddy’s eye would perhaps momentarily chase away his melancholy blues. He nearly fell off the high barstool as a laughing Roxy entered the establishment with three other women.

He knew exactly which beauty Walker was talking about before he asked for confirmation. “Which one?”

“The babe in the red skirt and killer black stilettos.” Tim let out another long whistle. “Imagine those legs wrapped around your waist while—”

“I get the point,” Adam growled. His first instinct was to shove Tim off the barstool, sending him crashing to the floor.

Turning around back to his beer, he gritted out, “Are women and sex all you think about?”

Usually Adam would engage his friend, but this was Roxy, not some random woman. And for some reason the thought of Tim touching her had sent a fierce jealous streak up his spine.

Tim took a long draw from his bottle of beer before answering. Flashing a cheesy grin, he unashamedly admitted, “Um… yeah.”

Shaking his head, Adam chuckled. “Man, you’re sick.”

Tim Walker hadn’t changed since they met at George Washington Law. He was a panty chaser then and will most likely remain one until he was old and gray. Adam didn’t care one way or another. But one thing for sure, he would not be chasing or sniffing after Roxy’s panties.

Tim grinned as he boasted, “I just love beautiful things.”

The beer bottle Adam had lifted to his mouth stopped midair. Lifting a thick brow, he challenged him. “Love?” The only thing Tim loved was getting laid.

Shrugging a smug shoulder, he volleyed back, “Is enjoy more suitable?”

“Whatever floats your boat, man.”
When is his date going to show up?
Adam wondered. He really didn’t want to continue making small talk. He’d rather sit here alone so he could watch Roxy.

Fate must have been on his side. Tim spotted his ultra mini-skirt clad date coming through the door. Adam was relieved when he said a hasty goodbye and rushed off to meet his bed buddy for the night.

Adam ordered a burger and fries. The large tray of appetizers and drinks the waitress had just set down in front of Roxy and her friends told him they’d be staying awhile. He might as well have something to eat because suddenly his downcast spirits were lifting.

Returning from the restroom, Roxy and Kay suspiciously eyed Jen and Sonia. The expressions on their faces screamed that they were up to mischief.

“What’s going on?” Roxy suspiciously asked as she picked up her drink to take a tiny sip.

Sonia cleared her throat. “Well, while you were gone we decided the four of us would make a pact.”

Giving her friend support, Jen chimed in. Holding up her right hand and wiggling two fingers, she said, “In the next two years—”

“That’s twenty-four months.” Sonia piped in, grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary.

“The four of us are going to snag us a man, be on our way down the aisle, barefoot and pregnant.” Jen summed up, folding her hands in her lap, looking like the perfect, cultured Main Line socialite.

Kay immediately started patting Roxy on the back. The gasp of air she inhaled as she sipped her Moscato sent her into a choking fit. Still vigorously patting, Kay frowned. “Have y’all lost your minds?”

“Wait a minute. Hear us out,” Sonia pleaded.

“No.” Kay said, digging her heels in.

“Oh, come on Kay. You haven’t even heard us out,” Jen whined.

“And I don’t need to because this is a bunch of foolishness,” she spat, glaring at Jen and Sonia. They were always up to no good.

Kay wrinkled up her nose when Sonia flagged her and put Roxy in the hot seat. “Roxy, aren’t you tired of being alone? Don’t you want to have a man and kids someday?”

Her eyes darted between the three women she’d just met two months ago. She didn’t know what to say. Could she be honest with them and admit she’d love to have a steady beau? And yes, she would love to have a couple of babies, preferably before her thirtieth birthday. Finding her voice, she squeaked out, “Of course I want those things. But why should there be a timeline?”

“Exactly!” Kay huffed, thrusting her chin out.

Jen rolled her eyes.
She gets on my nerves.
“Let’s face it. We’re not getting any younger. If Mr. Right is out there – and I know he is – I want to find him as quickly as possible.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Sonia cosigned, holding her drink up in a mock toast.

“I don’t know.” Roxy said, skeptical of this pact. “How do you go about searching for Mr. Right?” Leaning over Sonia, she laid her hand on Jen’s knee. “No offense honey, but I’m not about to go on the internet to find some weirdo who wants to suck my toes.”

Another wave of feminine laughter filled the air.

Jen winked at Roxy. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

“Oh God,” Kay groaned, slumping back against the leather seating.

Adam barely tasted his food as he watched Roxy. Whatever they were discussing had the women huddled in hushed tones. Every now and again there would be an explosion of giggles and laughter. Was he imagining it or could he identify her melodious notes of laughter from the others?

He looked at his watch. It had been almost three hours since he entered the lounge. He’d had a long, draining day. It was time for him to get home so he could really unwind with a hot shower, more beer and an action movie. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a credit card and handed it to the waitress that was servicing the bar. “Put their bill on here, too,” he told the waitress as he nodded to Roxy’s table.

“Sure thing,” the young woman beamed as she bounced off to finalize the bill.

Roxy hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. That darn crazy Sonia and Jen had a long list of how the pact could be successful if they worked it right. They tried convincing her and Kay that they could find Mr. Right if they would just open their minds to a vast world of possibilities.

Sonia began ticking off these possibilities on her manicured fingertips.

“We could go to professional mixers, go to different churches, go to basketball or football games.”

Jen chimed in with, “We may even have to cross over.”

There was a startled, collective gasp. Was she crazy or what? Putting her hand on her hip, Roxy railed, “I know you have lost your ever-loving mind. If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting…”

“I may be a little horny, but I’m not about to travel down that path,” Sonia balked, pressing her lips together. “I mean… to each her own… but that’s not for me.”

“Amen to that,” Kay mumbled under her breath.

Jen’s head snapped back as if she were smacked across the face. “Girl, no! Not that! I’m talking about dating White, Latino or Asian men! You know someone other than the brothers.”

“Oh!” The others sang out in unison, erupting into another fit of giggles.

They went on chatting, munching on appetizers and sipping sodas after their round of cocktails were done. Noticing the hour, Roxy decided it was time to go. She and her mom had an appointment for manicures and pedicures at eleven. Although it wasn’t all that late, she wanted to get home, take a shower and watch a movie.

“Well chicas, this has been fun. I’m so glad I came out tonight.”

“You’re leaving already? It’s not even nine yet!” Sonia said, looking at her watch.

“I know,” Roxy playfully whined, “but I’m meeting my mom in the morning.”

“That’s so nice that you and your mom do stuff together on the weekends,” Sonia complimented.

Roxy smiled. “Yeah, that’s my girl.” Just as she was going into her purse to leave money for her share of the bill, the waitress came over.

Pointing across the room, the waitress informed them, “The gentleman over at the bar paid the bill for you ladies.”

The four women craned their necks around the waitress to get a look at their mystery benefactor.

“Which one?” Kay asked of the three men at the bar drinking.

Looking over her shoulder, the waitress frowned. “I think he just left.”