Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
“I’ve seen her. She wants you. You might think she’s innocent and professional but I can tell she’s not the person you think she is.”
“You’ve met her a total of two times.”
“And I only needed one time to figure out her game. For once, I’d just like you to listen to me. I understand you can’t have her fired based on something that hasn’t happened yet, but mark my words, she’ll make a move on you if she hasn’t already. Or maybe she has and you liked it.”
“Grow up, Riley. I’m going to bed. You can join me if you want to but frankly I don’t give a shit if you do or not.” He walked away.
It wasn’t their first fight about Doreen and it wasn’t their last. A few weeks later, he and Riley were barely talking, the stress from home was starting to wear at him so he spent even longer hours at work. And despite what Riley believed, he always kept things professional with Doreen. He couldn’t help that the woman was a friendly woman who often got him lunch and leant him a sympathetic ear when he wanted to vent about work related issues. He never spoke to her about Riley because it seemed almost like a form of betrayal to bring up his marriage to another woman no matter how many issues he was having.
One particular weekend his sister came home from school to visit. Instead of staying with their parents she opted to stay with them so she and Riley could hang out. Ethan thought Megan showing up might raise Riley’s spirits so he took advantage of her being occupied by going into the office on a Saturday. He generally tried to stay away from the office on weekends unless it was necessary because Riley complained enough about his hours as it was.
He was surprised when he walked in to the office that morning to find Doreen already there with coffee and bagels set out on his desk. “Doreen, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d help you out. You mentioned coming to the office today and I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“You’ve been putting a lot of hours with me and I didn’t expect you to come in today. Thanks for breakfast.”
“It’s no problem. I don’t mind working on the weekend. My cats are self-sufficient and I had no plans. And I know how important this case is to you. I feel invested in it myself.”
Ethan smiled at her. She was a sweet lady. Ethan would have been blind not notice she was an attractive woman. She had the wholesome All-American blue-eyed blonde look that many men went crazy over. Ethan himself had dated many types like her before but his only interest was in one woman even though said woman was frustrating the hell out of him. As far as he was concerned, Riley had nothing to worry about. Doreen just happened to be friendly and was good at her job. Riley was simply paranoid.
They worked throughout the morning when he developed a crick in his neck. Ethan’s vision became blurry from looking through all the law journals. He stretched and pushed himself away from his desk. He looked up and noticed Doreen staring at him. “What?”
“You look tense.”
“We’ve been sitting here for the past three hours. I believe I’ve developed a cramp.” He rubbed the back of his neck. It ached from hunching over his desk.
Doreen stood up. “Let me help you. I can make your neck feel better.”
She was behind him before he could protest, massaging his neck. Ethan had to admit whatever she was doing felt nice but something about this situation didn’t feel right. He gently, but firmly removed her hands from his neck. “Doreen, this isn’t a good idea.” He stood up.
She seemed distressed by his rejection. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I only wanted to help.” Tears welled in her eyes and he was sure she was about to cry any second.
He hated seeing women cry. It had been a weakness of his since he was kid. “There’s no need to be upset. It’s no big deal.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to ruin our relationship. I admire you so much and I’d hate you to think less of me.”
“I could never think that.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” She wrapped her arms around him and embraced him. She rested her head against his chest and for the first time he wondered if there was anything to Riley’s allegations about Doreen’s feelings toward him. He didn’t fully get a chance to process what she was up to next before she kissed him on the lips.
He was too surprised to notice someone enter his office. “What the hell, Doreen.” He pushed her away.