Leather & Lace

Chapter 9

The next morning Lacey woke to Brett sleeping naked on top of her. She doesn’t even remember when they fell asleep. She just remembers everything that led them to this. She looked down at him and he looked like he was at peace. No frown lines, just pure comfort. Too bad she had to be the bad guy and kick him out. She cracked last night and until he gets a divorce, if he gets one, they shouldn’t be sleeping together. She managed to get out of bed without waking him up. She got dressed and made some coffee.

Brett finally woke up and met her in the kitchen. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Uh-oh. Here we go with the one worded answers, he thought. “Coffee?” She asked.

He took the hot white mug with the words Good Morning written in black. “Thank you.” He leaned against her island and took a sip. Damn this the coffee I’ve ever had, he thought. She drank hers while scrolling through her phone and Brett watched at how she tried to be so nonchalant.

“Lacey?”

She looked up at him. “Hm?”

“About last night-“

“Stop. We can’t do this. At least not until you get a divorce, but I won’t sit around and wait for you to do that. I may have slipped last night and most of that was because I had a lot to drink, but Brett we need to end this while it’s still fresh.”

“So that’s it? You have s*x with me and throw me to the side.”

“I’m not throwing you to the side. I’m protecting my heart. I know that I can’t fully have you and I won’t be labeled as your side chick. Do I regret what happened last night, no, but it was still wrong and it can’t happen again.”

“So you’re just going to move on?” He asked. “With Eric?” Lacey scoffed.

“Oh, honey, jealousy doesn’t look good on you. Yes, I will call Eric, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to run off and marry the man. I was serious about taking things slow. He seemed like he’s a nice guy and who says he and I just can’t be friends.” She looked at him as she said each word and he knew she was being honest. It’s one of things he loves about her. He’s going to do whatever it takes to fight for her. But the divorce will cause him to lose everything he’s worked for. He granted his dad’s request and Shondra has changed since they got married. She became too accustomed to the wealthy life that she threw away her morals. She’s less humble and if it isn’t over five thousand, then it is considered cheap. It was too late for Brett to back out of the marriage, though. Contracts were signed and everything was official. He worked day and night to invest and expand his business. He would leave home early and come back late at night. While she enjoyed the rewards from his work, she actually never invested anything into the business. He wanted out and felt stuck until he met Lacey. She was a gem, a rare gem that you won’t find even in the most luxurious jewelry store. She was precious, handmade by God himself and he couldn’t just let her give up on him. He realized that he would have to give her space, even if she were to start dating again, he had to respect that, but he will also be working to show her why he’s the man for her.

“Brett?” She frowned.

“Yeah,” he huffed out.

“You blanked out.”

“I’m sorry. I get where you're coming from and you’re right.” Lacey’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry Lace, I shouldn’t have slept with you knowing that I was married. That was wrong. Just know that I don’t regret it.” Neither does she and that’s the problem.

“I really don’t want you to call him,” he confessed.

“I know. But I’m not your woman.” The sharp pain that pierced through her chest as she said those words were like a knife slashing her heart open.

“I know,” Brett breathed. He really wished things were different. The pain in his eyes made Lacey want to grab and just hold him, but that wouldn’t be ideal. He stood up and handed her the empty coffee mug. “Thank you for the coffee. I guess I should get home.” Home is where the heart is and that isn’t with Shondra.

“Yeah, I think that’s what’s best.” Lacey was almost unable to recognize her voice. Her eyes began to water but she turned so he wouldn’t see them. Why is she about to cry? She couldn’t be in love with him that fast. It isn’t love, but a strong like that will have her doing things that she won’t be able to explain.

Brett walked up and hugged her from behind. She turned to face him and hugged him back. He lifted her chin so their lips could meet. This kiss was pouring every emotion that they couldn’t speak. She will miss the taste of him, the way he smelled, and the way he made her feel. She broke the kiss this time before they ended back in bed.

Brett grabbed his keys and walked out of the door. Lacey had to go into the office today. She had a big case that she was working on, so she needs to read up on her notes. She changed clothes and left her house. Once she was in her office, she plopped down into her seat. She was here alone since the office was closed today. She looked at the folder on her desk before opening it. It was a divorce case and the soon to be ex husband wanted to split everything with his wife, but she wants to take everything. Lacey thoroughly read over the case. There was some infidelity with both parties. The wife cheated with the neighbor. How cliche? Lacey rolled her eyes. But the husband cheated with his coworker who ended up pregnant. Lacey made some notes and rehearsed what she was going to say to the judge. She was representing the husband who filed the divorce. By the time she finished, it was late afternoon. She grabbed the folder and put it into her leather briefcase and then left. When she was in her car, she pulled out her phone and texted Eric.

Hey..

Eric: Hey you. What are you doing?

Just leaving the office. I have a big divorce case this week so I was just going over the notes.

Eric: Yikes..Are you hungry?

Yes, starving actually.

Eric: Great. Me too. So late lunch?

Lacey giggled before texting him back.

Yes, that's fine. Send me the address and I’ll meet you there.

Eric: Sounds like a plan. See you soon.

Lacey smiled as she sat the phone down. Moments later her phone dings with the information. She connected her GPS and headed towards the restaurant.

Eric smiled when he saw her walking in. Her white coral sundress occasionally rose in the direction the wind was blowing. He stood and greeted her when they walked to the table. He pulled out her chair and she smiled as she sat. He was definitely a gentleman.

“So,” he started. “Thank you for being my lunch date.”

“You’re welcome.” She observed him even closer and he was definitely handsome. Clear skin, bright light brown eyes, and a gorgeous shy smile, she didn’t understand why he was single. Compared to Brett who is handsome, but forbidden. Stop thinking about him..Forget about Brett..Forget about Brett..She tried to silently tell herself.

“Sierra?” He called. Oh s**t, did he catch me checking him out? s**t, oh s**t. Why can’t I stop saying s**t? Am I nervous? Shit..Wait, he just called me Sierra. She was so nervous that she almost didn’t hear him. She needed to be honest and tell him her real name.

“It’s Lacey.”

“What,” he frowned.

“Eric, my real name is Lacey, Lacey Anderson.”

Eric slightly turned his head to the side as the middle of his forehead crinkled. “But you told me..”

“I know. I did it for safety purposes. My best friend and I always give fake names to strangers,” she confessed.

“I understand so I’m not mad and I won’t hold this one against you.” Lacey grinned at him and he smiled back at her. The waiter came and took their order and they talked about their work lives and favorite things to do. She learned that Eric played the guitar in high school.

“No way,” Lacey gasped.

“Yeah, I did. We used to perform for all of the homecoming and proms, of course the school didn’t pay us.” He playfully rolled his eyes. “What about you? Did you also play the guitar?”

“Haha, no. I was a dancer.”

“Really, I bet you did hip-hop,” he teased.

“More like ballet and contemporary.”

“Ahhh so a prima donna.” She laughed because people used to call her that. Not in a mean way, but because of her skills in ballet.

“So what made you go into law?” Eric asked.

“I have a family full of lawyers. My sister, Sharice, is a lawyer and so are my parents. Well, dad is now the DA. I always thought I was going to be a dancer. I loved it and was really good at it.”

“Wait a minute, your dad is DA Anderson of Remington.” Eric’s eyes bulged.

“Yeah. District Attorney Lawrence Anderson.” She loved her parents, but her dad told her he wasn’t going to pay for her education if she didn’t study law. His name was so big that if she would have applied for any scholarships, he would’ve found out and that wouldn’t have been good. She resented her dad for that. He got to live out his dream and she’s still living it for him. Lacey is a great lawyer and although she won’t admit it, a part of her loved doing it. It just wasn’t her passion. So anytime she was alone at home, she would dance.

“Wow, that’s insane,” Eric whistled. The waiter served their food and they ate. Lacey liked Eric and she liked that the conversations have been innocent so far. It was like that with Brett, it was intense, like her body had its own mind that yearned for him. Stop thinking about him. She internally screamed.

“This is delicious.” She said as she bit into her food.

“Agreed.” Eric paused. “Lacey.”

“Hmm?” She looked up at him.

“I would like to take you on another date. Of course, you don’t have to. I-“

“Yes.”

“Ye-yes?” He asked nervously. She thought it was so cute.

She shook her head. “Yes. We can go on a second date.”

“Okay, we can make it a double date. He beamed. Oh no! She knew that meant with Brett and his wife.

“We-“ she tried to speak but he already had Brett on the phone. He placed it on speaker and her heart raced at Brett’s voice.

“Hey, it’s Eric.”

“Hey, what’s up man?” He answered.

“So remember Sierra from the club?”

“Yeah.” She could hear the hint of annoyance in his tone. She was sure he was still salty about the way she ended things with him.

“Turns out her name is Lacey. We just had lunch and she agreed to go on another date with me,” he looked at her and she nervously smiled back. “So I was thinking of maybe having a double date. Me, you, Lacey, and Shondra. I know you and Shondra aren’t really on good terms, but I think it could rekindle something.” Lacey was silently begging Brett. Please say no. Please say no.

Brett took a deep breath. “So she lied about her name. You hate liars. I think that’s a red flag man.” The nerve of him! Lacey's body was starting to heat with the anger that wanted to surface. How could he down talk her like that?

“Typically, yes, but I understand why she gave me a fake name. It was for safety purposes. So this one doesn’t count. Come on, Brett. It's just one date.”

“I think I’ll pass.” Thank you! She wanted to scream.

“Well, if you change your mind, let me know.”

“Okay.”

Eric hung up the phone and looked at Lacey. “Sorry about that, beautiful. My friend can be a d**k sometimes.”

“It’s fine. Thank you for the lunch date.”

“No problem. So how about tomorrow night for that date?” Eric grinned.

“Tomorrow night is fine.”

“Okay, I’ll pick you up.” Eric left some money on the table as they both stood. He went to hug her and although her heart was beating faster, it wasn’t racing. She did have butterflies in her stomach. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. His lips were so soft. It wasn’t too warm or cold. It was the perfect mix. She blushed as he looked down at her.

“See you tomorrow, gorgeous.”

“See you tomorrow.”