Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“You’re new,” he stated, eyeing me up and down, his leer making me want to cringe.
“Can I help you?” I asked, keeping my voice polite but cool.
“Yeah, you can. I want to buy you a drink.”
“No thank you.”
He stepped closer—far too close for my liking. He had struck me as sleazy earlier, and up close, even more so. He was decent-looking but had an unpleasant scowl on his face. I’d had the feeling he was the sort of lawyer that liked to coast along in his career—taking the easy cases, ones he could make a lot of money on, without really caring about the outcome.
“Come on. One drink.”
“I said no.”
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
I was about to tell him where to go, when Jaxson was beside me. “Grace. We need to head back to the office.”
I felt relief. “Of course.”
The jerk-off didn’t take the hint. In fact, he edged closer, his hand hovering in the air as if he was going to touch me.
“I was asking your girl out for a drink, Richards. Give me a minute.”
Jaxson glanced at me, his eyes cold. “You interested?”
“No,” I stated for both their benefits.
Jaxson took my elbow. “My girl said no, Franklin. So, fuck off.”
We left Mr. Franklin gaping after us. I tried not to giggle at his shocked expression as I hurried to keep up with Jaxson. He pushed open the stairway door and began to descend to the parking lot. I shook off his grip. “Slow down—I’m going to fall!”
He snarled out a reply. “Keep up.”
At the bottom, I stopped. “What is your problem?”
He whirled around in the semidarkness of the stairwell, his face like thunder.
“You need to keep your personal life outside office hours.”
“What?” I gasped.
“You can’t date other lawyers—especially those on the opposing side.”
“I wasn’t planning to!”
The sound of footsteps heading our way made me realize how close we were standing.
“We’ll continue this at the office.”
“Yes, we will,” I snapped.
I stewed the rest of the afternoon. I couldn’t keep up with him. One minute, he was fine. The next, he was breathing fire. I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet it seemed I made him angry. Even though I wanted to learn from him, perhaps it wasn’t going to work. We were like chalk and cheese.
Finally, Michael left, waving goodbye. “Have a great weekend, Grace.”
“You too.”
“Don’t stay too late.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
After he left, I locked Jaxson’s outer door and approached his private office. I rolled my shoulders, knowing what was going to happen would determine my future.
I knocked and went in after he bellowed for me to enter. He was obviously still angry.
I sat down across from him, each of us eyeing the other irately.
“What is your problem?” I repeated my earlier question.
He didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “Did you want to go for a drink with him, Grace?”
“No!”
“He was standing awfully close.”
“And I was trying to step back when you showed up. In fact, I would have told him off before you rushed in to save the day.”
“He kept looking at you during the meeting.”
I hadn’t noticed. All my attention was on Jaxson. “He can look all he wants. I’m not interested.”
He drummed his long fingers on the desk. I tried not to stare at them.
“It’s your outfit,” he announced.
“What the hell is wrong with my outfit?”
“It’s too damn sexy.”
I gaped at him. “It’s pants. I’m wearing pants, for god’s sake.”
“Your blouse. It’s too…too much.”
I glanced down. Nothing was showing, my collarbone barely visible. The neckline was modest, the sleeves long, and I was wearing a shawl.
“You are being ridiculous. The lawyer, that Sabrina woman who came in here this morning, was showing more skin than I am. There is nothing wrong with what I’m wearing.”
“Do not compare yourself to her.”
An irrational flash of jealousy hit me. “She’s out of my league is what you’re saying?”
He glared. “Don’t push it.”
I threw up my hands. “I give up. Why don’t you write me a list of what I can wear, who I can talk to, and what I should think, Jaxson?”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Stupid? This from the man who thinks wearing pants is overtly sexy.”
“They are,” he insisted.
“Don’t be an ass,” I hissed before I could stop myself. “You’re acting like an idiot, and you’re being irrational.”
“You’re pushing my buttons.”
“Your buttons? You’re the one with the over-the-top reaction here. You’re being a jackass—again.”
“Fond of that word, are you?”
“It suits you.”
“Shrew,” he replied.
“What did you call me?”
“You heard me. You’re a shrew. I was trying to help you earlier.”
I was done with this insanity. The man was clearly deranged.
I stood. “For the record, he came over to me. I said no—twice. If you hadn’t shown up, I would have walked away or, if I had to, pushed him away. I can take care of myself, Jaxson. My father taught me how to throw a punch if required, so I don’t need you to rescue me, and I don’t appreciate your overreactions. My outfit is perfectly acceptable, and you are, in fact, a jackass.”