“Put his drink on my tab,” I tell the bartender, this time a guy, and raise my beer to John. “Welcome to Charleston.”
He clinks his glass to mine. “Thanks. So, Marcus says you’re a cop.”
“Cop, detective, part-time paper pusher. Basically, a hybrid.”
“Man of many hats, I like it.”
“You have no idea. But I’m not complaining. You specialize in divorce law, too?” I ask, sliding my eyes between John and Marcus.
“Hell no. Too much fucking drama for me. I’m a contracts lawyer. Sometimes, I cross over to help review, but it’s rare. I stay as far away from Family Law as possible. The firm did a large diversification recently, which opened a spot for a transfer.”
Marcus joins us, right as the sound of glass shatters behind me. The three of us turn to see a man pointing angrily at the blonde bartender from earlier. One hand is on her hip, the other pointed right back at the man. She’s speaking low, which seems to aggravate him more.
“Don’t give me that shit, Camille! Pour me another drink and keep your opinions to yourself. You have one damn job, do it!”
My skin prickles when he leans over the edge, reaching for the bottle of scotch. The other guy behind the bar is there in an instant, swiping the bottle and pushing the drunk man back in his seat.
“You’ll fucking regret that, barboy. I’ll have your job!”
“Fucking dick,” Marcus hisses under his breath. “Doesn’t know when to quit.”
“What’s his story?” I don’t take my eyes off him.
“Carlton Breen, spoiled little rich boy and town socialite. Thinks he can get away with anything. Word around town is that he believes he’s untouchable. He fucked around on his fiancée, and she gave him his walking papers a few weeks ago.”
“Good decision on her part. He looks like an asshole.”
“Yes, but breaking the engagement wasn’t the gossip. It was what came after.”
“What do you mean?”
Marcus opens his mouth to answer and his jaw drops. His eyes grow wide, staring over my shoulder. The entire bar quiets, and I turn to see two women walking in with all attention on them.
They stroll in casually, hugging the hostess with smiles on their faces. I focus on the taller of the two, whose mouth is moving fast as she waves her hands in the air. The three of them laugh loudly, the sound traveling through the bar.
My eyes stay on her as she follows the hostess, still smiling wide. Her hair is the color of honey, falling to the middle of her back in large curls that sway as she walks. The body-hugging blue pants mold to her body, plastered to the curves of her hips, thighs, and calves before disappearing into spike-heeled black boots. She twists, leaning into her friend to say something, bending slightly. The instant my eyes lock on her ass, there’s a stir in the pit of my stomach.
I’ve always been an ass man, and this woman has the most perfect ass I’ve ever seen. When the women disappear behind a wall, I have to consciously stop myself from leaning.
“Well, shit, things are about to get interesting,” Marcus mutters.
“What do you mean?” My attention is drawn back to him.
“That’s Emerson Baker and Maren Caine.”
“So?”
“Maren is the ex-fiancée of Carlton Breen. You can bet that was an orchestrated play. Word has it, Carlton wasn’t keen on her dissolution of the engagement. His last words to her were something along the lines that she wasn’t shit without him. That right there, the grand entrance, was the purest form of revenge. She just sent a huge fuck you message, loud and clear.”
“Jesus, Marcus, when did you become such a gossip?”
“Don’t knock it. Every divorce lawyer in this town was drooling over these nuptials. No doubt, the marriage wouldn’t have lasted a year. Her ditching him was the biggest news of the community. Like I was saying before they walked in, his shit is now plastered all over town. Rumor is he can’t touch pussy even if he pays for it.”
“I’m new in town, and even I knew this was happening,” John adds with a laugh.
“Sorry, small town gossip isn’t my style.”
“Charleston is such a mecca for crime and illegal activity. I can see how your days are buried in investigative duties.” Marcus busts my balls sarcastically, joking with John.