"You bailed on me last night, Ricky," Nikolas said settling into his chair. "what happened?"
He and Ricky had planned to have dinner together last night, hoping to discuss more on the matter on the ground,only for Ricky call him at the last minute and bailed on their dinner plans.
He wasn't upset though, he knew that it had to be something important for his best friend to bail on him.
Rick sank onto the visitor's couch by the side. "Just a minor setback, my apologies," he shrugged.
Nikolas's sharp gaze landed on the cut by Ricky's lip. "Did that minor setback happen to land that punch?" he said, pointing it out.
Ricky smirks. "You could say that," he hisses in pain as he touches the cut on his lip. I was helping a damsel in distress."
Nikolas raised an eyebrow in concern. "And where exactly were you playing hero?" he leaned forward, hoping his friend hadn't gotten himself into something dangerous.
"Near a convenience store," Ricky said, stretching his legs."not the best part of town."
Nikolas frowned, "And what was a reputable lawyer like yourself doing wandering around in that corner of the city?" he asked, pushing his chair back as he stood up.
His friend's story was just beginning to get interesting, and he didn't want to miss out on all the fun.
Ricky's jaws tightened, shifting as he straightened up in the chair in a more serious manner. "Tied to a case I'm working on. Can't say more about client confidentiality."
Nikolas chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, Mr. Lawyer." He studied his friend, knowing there was more to the story. "So, did you at least get your damsel's name?" he asked, resting his frame at the front of his desk.
Ricky shook his head, his face tight with a grim expression. "Didn't get the chance. By the time I was done knocking some sense into the bastard, she was gone."
Nikolas smirked. "Guess she wasn't too impressed by her knight in shining armor." he knew that must have hurt his best friend's ego.
Ricky leaned back, a grin creeping up his lips. "She did leave something behind, though." He chuckled, shaking his head as if reliving last night's event.
Ricky dipped his hands into his bag and pulled out a slightly worn-out journal.
He turned it over in his hands before holding it up the property of Sandy. "Figured I'd see if I could track her down with this, And no, I haven't read it yet. Hopefully, I don't have to"
Nikolas let out a teasing laugh; now this was the Ricky he knew, always doing a good deed to get something in return, especially with the ladies
His lips curled into a cocky smile. "Let me guess? Playing the noble savior just to get into her—"
"Oh, common Nik," Ricky said, chuckling as he shoved the journal back into his bag.
Nikolas rolled his eyes. "Don't play the saint. He scoffs, " I've known you all my life, "and you have never done a good deed without something in return."
Ricky groaned, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, his gaze mischievous. "You make it sound like I don't do good deeds out of the kindness of my heart."
Nikolas scoffs, "Oh! Please. Ricky, You 'help' women right into your bed." He pulls his two fingers out in mocking humor.
Nikolas' expression darkened. The mention of his ex was enough to sour his mood—especially since Cassandra was now engaged to his cousin. He swiftly changed the subject. "Enough about that. What's the latest on the Austin issue?"
Ricky immediately picked up on the shift in tone. "Not much. Your cousin and aunt decided to slow things down since the engagement." He reached into his bag and pulled out a file. "These are all the details I could dig up for now."
Ricky grinned. "Not this time, though," a familiar tugging at the corner of his lips
Nikolas knew that smile, the same look Ricky had on his face whenever he spoke of his first love back in college, but that was before she broke his heart, turning Ricky into the player he is today.
Nikolas narrowed his eyes. "Really? So you're just going to give her the journal and forget about her?" his eyes waiting for his friend's response, hoping he would see the need to change his ways.
Ricky's laughter was deep and amused."Hey, at least I'm getting some. Meanwhile, you haven't had any since you and Cassandra broke up… what two years ago?" he gazed, daring Nikolas to deny.
Nikolas stiffened, his grip tightening on the edge of his desk. The mention of Cassandra sent a bitter taste to the back of his throat.
Although It was entirely a lie, he hadn't dated or had sex in two years since he and her parted ways. And now she was engaged to his cousin
Nikolas's jaw tightened as he tuned out the annoying thoughts of those two together.
He cleared his throat, changing the topic to, "Enough about that. What's the latest on the Austin issue?"
Having his childhood best friend be the most reputable lawyer in the country had its perks.Ricky was good at what he did, and Nikolas had every faith in him that they were going to win this case whenever Austin decided to contest the will.
Ricky immediately noticed the change of mood. "not much. It seems your cousin and Aunt decided to slow things down since the engagement," he said
Nikolas's face hardened as he watched Ricky pull a file from inside his bag.
"These are all the information I could get my hands on for now," Ricky said, handing over the file to him.
Nikolas flipped through the contents—mostly photographs of Austin and Cassandra at various restaurants. Before he could ask further, a knock at the door interrupted them.
"Come in," he called out.
Nikolas's breath caught in his lungs as he watched Selene enter his office, and every muscle in his body tensed.
Her presence was like a spell, captivating him completely.