TWENTY TWO

Griffin

Good thing I had some clothes to pick up from dry cleaning.

I had Kelly pick them up for me and stopped by my office very briefly to occupy the loft in my building.

I took care of myself, and then, with the contract Angelina sent me, I went to visit my best friend, Gabriel Adams.

Now, I’m here, sitting across the desk from him, watching as he does that annoying tapping noise on the desk with his pen.

He flips through the pages of the contract, and with each one his brows further crease, proving to me that something isn’t right.

I don’t want to believe something is wrong because I’ve handed Angelina my trust, but after stepping out of that hotel, peeling back the sunroof of my car, and allowing in some fresh air, I realized that I was out of my fucking mind.

I was about to agree to something, sign it just because I wanted to keep her pussy afloat. I was going to cave for that girl, and I thank God I didn’t sign it in front of her.

I’m glad I said I would wait it out. By the look on my friend and lawyer’s face, I now know that I was wise not to share my business so willingly.

Sighing, Gabriel lowers the papers in front of him, and after studying the last page once more, his brown eyes shift up to meet mine. “Well, it’s a damn good thing you didn’t sign this before coming to me,” he says, placing both the paper and his pen down.

I sit forward in my chair, one brow cocked. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, it seems pretty legit. It’s all been worded nicely, to the point that you wouldn’t read over it twice…”

“But?”

“But, and I’m sorry to tell you this, Griffin, the Clarks aren’t just trying to share. They are trying to get in closer, and soon, they will take what’s yours and own you.”

I narrow my eyes. “What would make you assume that?”

“Oh, I’m not assuming anything.” He grabs his pen and underlines a few lines, then he slides it across the table and I focus on him before snatching it up. He watches me as I read over the three lines. It is something I wouldn’t have thought twice about.

Basically, what it states is that after two years, all of my stock businesses that run well on Wall Street, like Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ and even Quarter Banking, will be assigned contracts to Clark. Meaning, they will no longer come to me to be their way maker, their deal settler.

The companies will go to Clark, and they will most likely sign contracts, which will put them in a position of never seeking my help again.

Losing assets that big will leave me practically broke. There are other companies like Apple and Samsung, but they aren’t as big as these. The people that work with NASDAQ and DJIA are pretty loyal to me.

They have trusted me for years because I spent years in New York gaining it, and when I finally got my business going, they came running into my arms, seeking my help, pretty much tossing me their money just so I could negotiate and make ways for them.

“Wow,” I breathe. I can’t believe she would do this to me. Angelina… she said things would be the same as they are now, and I guess she was partially correct because things would have been fine… but only for two years, as the contracts states.

I slump back in my chair, staring wide-eyed at the papers. I was almost served a cold, hard dish of bullshit, all because of some tight, young pussy that stole my common sense away.

This is what I get. This is exactly what I get for stepping out of line.

I drop the papers on the desk and stand, whipping out my cellphone. “What are you doing?” Gabriel asks, pushing out of his chair.

“Calling the Clarks. They think they can set some shit like this up and expect me to fall for it?” My head shakes, heat tunneling through my veins.

Gabriel walks around the desk and when he meets in front of me, he grabs my arm, forcing my hand down. “Hold on now, Griffin. Think about this. They don’t know that you haven’t signed, but I’m guessing they think you will? That you assured them of it?”

“Yes,” I snap.

“Why on God’s green earth would you agree to some shit like that? Sharing your business? You have never shared a thing in your life—nothing like this!”

I pull my eyes away from his, focusing on my cellphone. I can feel him trying to catch my eye, but it only takes several seconds for him to catch on.

“Oh... Holy shit? A woman? There’s a woman, am I right?”

I look up, but don’t respond. My look of blatancy is enough to answer him with.

“Griffin… you’re telling me that you—that you cheated… on Colette?”

“Don’t even put it that way, Gabriel. You and I both know Colette has been done with me for years. She’s over me. She doesn’t love me anymore. The only reason we’re still in this together is because of that fucking contract—which would have been broken by me if I’d signed that shit.” I point back with my thumb at Angelina’s full-of-shit contract.

“No, listen… this is good.” He holds his hands up, remaining patient with me, completely ignoring the fact that I’ve had an actual affair. “They don’t suspect anything. If that woman’s goal was to seduce you into signing, it means she’s confident… comfortable around you. And you are—well, were comfortable around her. Am I right?”

“Yes,” I mutter, walking around him and dropping down on his sofa.

“Right, so since they wanted to pull one over on you, how about we hand them back what they’ve just tried to dish out?”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I will write up a quick contract, one that looks similar to what she has created. They want to play dirty, oh, we’ll show them dirty. All she has to do is sign, which she will because her signature is needed too.”

“Okay… I’m intrigued.” I sit forward. “What exactly will the contract say?”

“It will have all the same words, but the little holes she tried to toss in there, I can change them. I will write it up fast, a quick copy and paste. Won’t take me too long. What she won’t realize is that what she’s signing is an agreement to pay up over fifty percent of what the Clark business makes… which means more money for you, and you will always have an eye on their accounts.”

“Their accounts? How?”

He shrugs, pride masking his emotions. “I can toss that in there too. I’m telling you, I will have it look exactly like hers. And the best part,” he says, grinning so hard I think his face might break, “is that she can’t sue. She won’t be able to because this is a binding contract. We have a copy of hers and I’ll file it, and if she ever tries to take this to court, she’ll know we will win. She’ll know because we’ll have a copy of her contract. Her lies. Her deceit. Yes, if it goes to court you’ll have to testify about the affair, but I’m certain it won’t go that far because she’s not foolish enough to lose everything over this measly contract. Imagine if word got out that she tried to sleep her way to the top. Their company would be ruined.”

I look Gabriel over, stunned by his wicked wisdom. This guy isn’t my best friend for no reason. He’s my best friend because he’s a fucking genius, and he gets me out of trouble every single time I make a mistake.

“This is good,” I murmur, standing again. “Really good. How soon do you think you can get the contract back to me?”

He shrugs. “By tonight, I’m sure. If not then, no later than tomorrow morning.”

I nod. “Good. That works for me. She’ll wait here as long as I have the contract.”

“In the meantime, try not to ignore her. I know you’re probably pissed about this, I would be too, but she needs to know you’re not onto her or her lawyer will revoke the contract, meaning that as long as it isn’t signed, they have the right to pull it from their records and demolish it’s proof. Our copy could look like a sham. A hoax. But, if you hand them the new contract signed, the girl will rush to file it, no questions asked. It will be on file then and it can’t be revoked because it will be considered a legal and certified contract.”