Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“He’s interested in more than legal advice from you. Jackass actually thought he could hand me a wad of cash and I’d take a hike before dinner.”
“What did you say?”
“Told him you’d never date a client or an ex-con.”
“I see…”
“Anyway, it was the first pitch the named partners had you on, so I know it would be good if you landed the account. But the selfish side of me hopes he goes elsewhere so he isn’t hitting on you.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know you can. That’s one of the things I think is so sexy about you. You have balls bigger than most men I know. But this guy just got out of prison.”
“Federal prison for insider trading. He’s not a rapist.”
“Yeah. But I hate the idea of you around some guy with no morals or ethics.”
“If I didn’t spend time with people who lacked morals and ethics, I’d have very few clients. You do know I work for the securities side of the firm, not the artsy and upstanding copyright department like you?”
“Sad.” Oliver grinned. “But true. I gotta run—have a ten o’clock I need to prep for. Dinner this week?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
I asked Oliver to shut my door on the way out, feigning a conference call I needed to jump on. Once I was alone, I sat back in my chair, unfolded the crinkled card in my hand, and read it again.
Freckles,
I missed you. Take a chance and give me a second one.
X
Gray
I hated everything about what this man had done in the last twenty-four hours. He’d shown up without warning at my firm and insisted I give the presentation, demanded in front of the partners that I attend a dinner—a dinner where he was rude to Oliver, made me lie about not knowing him, and had the gall to send me flowers. But most of all… I hated that I had butterflies in my stomach when he was around.
***
The smell of roses permeated the air. Even though I hadn’t removed the cellophane or taken the vase out of the cardboard protective wrap at the bottom, a sweet floral fragrance wafted through my office. I’d caught myself staring at the arrangement on more than one occasion while my mind wandered. It distracted me while I tried to finish reading a stock purchase offering. I’d spent the entire morning and three hours after lunch attempting to finish going over the damn thing, when it should have taken me an hour in total.
Frustrated, I ripped my reading glasses from my face, tossed them on the desk, and sat back, glowering at the damn roses on the corner of my desk.
“You know, you’re a lot like him.” I’d definitely lost my mind, considering I was now talking to an unopened bouquet of flowers. “So pretty and smelling good. But give in and pick one up, and I’ll get pricked by a thorn.”
It was clear I wasn’t going to accomplish anything with the damn things taunting me on my desk. Blowing out a deep breath, I stood, picked up the bouquet, walked over to my garbage can, and tossed what was likely two hundred dollars worth of flowers in the trash.
Maybe it was symbolic, or maybe I was just that nuts, but I was able to concentrate after that. In less than a half hour, I’d finally finished up what I’d been working on and walked out to my paralegal to have her type up my handwritten notes.
I’d returned to my office and was rummaging through my file cabinet when someone knocked on my open door. I looked up to see Old Man Pittman in the doorway. I shut the cabinet.
“Mr. Pittman. How can I help you?”
It was the second time in two days he’d come down from the ivory tower to speak to me. I knew whatever he wanted had to be related to a certain potential client. For the first time, it dawned on me that the blow I’d dealt to Gray’s ego might’ve caused him to bad-mouth me to my bosses. I wouldn’t survive at this firm if the senior partners thought I’d intentionally sabotaged a large potential account. The shaky ground from my suspension had only recently started to steady.
“We thought we’d give you the good news, Layla.” Pittman flashed a rare smile.
“Good news?”
“Yes.”
He took a few steps into my office, and for the first time, I noticed he wasn’t alone. Gray strutted in like he owned the place. He flashed a wicked smile.
Pittman motioned to him. “Mr. Westbrook has just signed on with us. He said you were very persuasive at dinner.”
I fought against the headiness I felt. “Oh. That’s…that’s fantastic news.”
Pittman patted Gray on the back. “You’ve made the right choice. Layla here will take very good care of you.”
The fucker’s eyes gleamed. “That’s what I’m counting on.”