In Your Corner (8 page)

“Amanda.” Jake’s words fade away as I push open the back door and step out into the night.

First stop: Makayla. I spot her laughing it up with Rampage and Blade Saw beside an overgrown clump of weeds. I plaster a smile on my face and drag her away.

“You told me he didn’t have a girlfriend.”

Makayla frowns. “He doesn’t. At least not that Max knows about.”

“Her name is Sia.”

“Oh.” Her face pales and my stomach sinks. “Actually she is a girl and a friend but not a girlfriend in the traditional sense of the word. At least not that I’ve heard. He’s more like a stand-in big brother for when Fuzzy’s not around. Something bad happened to her a few years ago and Fuzzy never lets her go out alone.”

I give a begrudging sniff. “They seem pretty close.”

Makayla twists her lips to the side. “Well…they spend a lot of time together, but I’ve never seen them kiss or hold hands or be intimate in any way.”

Jake and Sia choose this moment to join the party. When she clasps his hand and leads him over to the picnic table, my heart squeezes in my chest. “I can’t stay here. We almost…in the kitchen…and now… It’s too humiliating.”

“No.” Makayla grips my arm and rearranges her features into her cute scowl. “Talk to him. That was your problem before. Too much sex. Not enough talking.”

Shaking her free, I take a step toward the exit. “If I talk to him, I’ll hear things I don’t want to hear. Better to leave now and imagine them than to stay and find out they’re real.”

DO NOT OPEN

A week goes by. The Redemption Renovation Extravaganza is a resounding success, as is my furniture and decorating shopping spree. My newly renovated office is clean and fresh and ready for clients.

Despite the Victorian fittings, I have decorated with corporate style. Navy and gray striped curtains hang from the windows in the massive reception room. Two navy couches and a wingback chair boast matching gray cushions and arm protectors. Glass tables, modern lighting, an abstract sculpture, and an abstract painting of navy and gray lines round out the look.

After two weeks of hard work and hours of financial analysis since agreeing to open the firm, I have started an eight-million-dollar civil lawsuit against Farnsworth for sexual harassment and effectively forcing me out of the firm. Max wrangled one of his litigation attorneys to help me with the finer details of preparing the complaint and to be on call to help when needed to compensate for my lack of experience. A security blanket. Max style.

The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee reminds me that I’m wasting my third cup of the morning, and I take a sip and stare at the blank piece of paper on my desk that was supposed to be a completed and actionable marketing plan three hours ago.

“Excuse me. I’m here about the ad for an office assistant.”

My head jerks up and my eyes widen when I catch sight of Penny in the doorway, neatly dressed in a peach pencil skirt, cream blouse, and a strand of pearls.

“Penny! What ad?”

Penny settles herself in the leather chair across from my desk. “I sensed you were about to advertise in the paper for a personal assistant. Here’s my CV.” She shoves a bundle of papers across the desk and smiles a cheeky Penny smile.

“What?” My brain is so busy playing catch up, it’s forgotten to tell me what to say.

“Am I too late?” She looks over her shoulder and then leans forward and peers under my desk. “Did you already hire someone? Is she or he hiding somewhere?”

“What’s going on?”

“If you’re planning on dazzling clients with your wit, charm, and eloquence, you may wish to expand your vocabulary.” Penny laughs and leans back in her chair. “Now, I can work eight until eight. Half an hour for lunch. On call weekends and evenings. I’ve taken a tour of the waiting room. A bit disappointing. It looks like a miniature Farnsworth & Tillman but with gray instead of teal. I also see you have monogrammed everything. Again, very Farnsworth & Tillman. I thought you would have taken the opportunity to do something unique…something you. But we can work on that. The room to the side will serve nicely as my office, but until you have a receptionist, I’ll sit out front.”

My jaw drops to the desk. “But…but…what about Farnsworth & Tillman? You have a great job there. I can’t pay you anywhere near what you are making with them. I can’t give you the same benefits. I don’t have big, exciting clients. And it’s just me. No gossip. It’s a lose-lose proposition all round.”

“You’ll need to work on your delivery for future interviews with office staff,” she says lightly. “You’re hiring people, not chasing them away.”

“I don’t understand.”

Penny smiles. “You don’t have to understand. I’m here and ready to work. Although you probably already know this, my favorite color is yellow. My favorite footie team is Man U. I love creamy desserts, shepherd’s pie, and, of course, I drink tea. I’m a closet death metal fan. Single. No dependents. Family lives in England. I’m still switched into the Farnsworth & Tillman gossip network. And I’ve just had a lovely breakfast with a hard-bodied private investigator named Ray who is looking to take on some extra work. He’ll be here later this afternoon.”

“Ray?” My mouth drops open. “Ray is going to work for me too? I’m just starting out. I can’t even pay myself, much less you and Ray. I have a handful of pro bono files I brought with me from the community legal aid clinic and only two cases: my lawsuit against Farnsworth and a case for one of the guys at Redemption. There’s also a bogus lawsuit against some of the Redemption fighters that I’ll handle if it becomes real, but that’s it.”

Her lips curl into a grin. “Good for you, suing Farnsworth. After you called and told me what happened, I wondered if you would. Someone needs to take that puffed up jackass down a peg.” Then her smile fades. “But you do realize he’ll pull out all the stops. A sexual harassment lawsuit could destroy his reputation and dent his humongous ego. He’ll come at you with both guns firing.”

“I know. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end, I couldn’t just walk away. What if he does it to someone else? How could I live with myself? Men like him get away with harassment all the time, and the more they do, the cockier they become. I couldn’t let it happen. I want him to pay for what he did to me. I’ll run it until I can’t run it anymore, and I’ll make his life damned uncomfortable while I do.”

She drops her jacket on the chair. “Then you’ll definitely need me.”

“But how will you live? Your rent, your car…”

“Secret.” Penny retrieves her CV and tucks it into her bag.

“Secret?”

“That’s right. Secret. Everyone has a secret. My secret enables me to pick and choose my jobs regardless of salary. Except for the boring, stuffy, corporate decor, I like it here. Now, where should I hang my coat?”

Three hours later, Penny has the office rearranged, organized, and dusted. I have lunch on my desk, fresh coffee in my cup, and a long list of supplies that are apparently essential for the smooth functioning of a legal practice.

Penny sips her tea and tries to convince me to ditch my new AW logo because the AW AW AW screensaver on her computer makes her feel pathetic. When I refuse to capitulate, she suggests changing my new gray and navy embossed stationery for something funky with bold colors and fancy designs. Then she tries to get me to change the name of the firm from Amanda Westwood, Attorney at Law to Westwood and Sons, despite the fact I have no sons and, given the abysmal state of my sex life, no prospect of ever having sons in the future.

I tell her I know how to project a corporate image and this is it. She tells me I need to step out of the Farnsworth & Tillman shadow and get a life. Our stalemate lasts a whole three seconds before she sucks in a warning breath and whispers, “Courier.”

Ten minutes later, we stand in front of my desk and stare at the large cardboard box with the words “Do Not Open Until Instructed” written in bold black letters across the top.

Penny runs her finger over the letters. “I think you should open it.”

“It says ‘Do Not Open.’”

“You don’t
always
have to follow the rules.” She rolls her eyes. “And I can’t stand the suspense. We don’t even know who it’s from.”

Biting my lip, I tap the box. So tempting. But I have strength. I have willpower. Amanda Westwood does not succumb to temptation. “Go get the scissors.”

But before Penny reaches her desk, my cell phone buzzes and Jake’s name flashes on my screen. I had forgotten we traded numbers after I’d agreed to rent the house from him.

Something in my face alerts Penny to the personal nature of the text and she gives me a wink and discretely makes her way out of the office.

Did u get my present?

If u mean big box with “Do Not Open,” then yes

Did u open it?

What do u think?

Things I think shdn’t be texted

Can I open it?

No

Why?

Want you to suffer

Seems to happen every time we’re together

???

Now can I open box?

No. Want to hear more about suffering

Didn’t know u were a sadist

Didn’t know u were afraid to talk to me

Didn’t know u had a girlfriend

**frowns** No girlfriend

Sia

Friend. Not girlfriend

Does she know that?

She wants that

What do u want?

Want u to open box.

It doesn’t take me long to cut open the box. Laughter makes my hands shake and for a moment I can’t text. Instead, I pull the midsize microwave out of its packaging and place it on the credenza. But when I open the microwave door, my laughter fades into something warm and fuzzy that makes my heart squeeze. The note inside reads, “Eating
is
important.”

The insistent buzz of my phone tears me away.

Office warming present. You like?

Very sweet and thoughtful, but there is a kitchen here

I know u won’t use it and I like my girls with curves

What girls?

U

U like my curves?

Thought about ur curves all night

I like pressie. Tx

How tx?

????

Sext tx

U want me 2 sext u 2 tx u?

**winks**

Respectable attorneys don’t sext

Naughty Amandas do sext

How about a selfie?

Depends what part of self is in selfie

Bad Jake

You can’t imagine

Cheeky. Although I’m not about to compromise my professional career with naughty sexts, I can send him something. After a fresh swipe of lipstick, I kiss a piece of paper, take a quick picture and Instagram my lips. After an interminably long silence, my phone buzzes.

More

***

Later that afternoon, after Penny drags me through the long supply list, I am shocked into speechlessness when Sandy breezes in looking exquisite in camel pants, a white silk blouse, and a cashmere shawl.

“She’s carrying a $10,000 handbag.” Penny’s eyes widen.

“She’s wearing $2,000 shoes.”

“You want me to knock her out and steal her stuff? That might solve your financial problems.”

“I’ll think about it.” And I do. For all of three seconds.

“I’ll get a bat.”

My eyes flick to Penny. “I never knew you had a bloodthirsty side. You’ve only been here a few hours and already I’m seeing a whole new you.”

Penny’s mouth opens and closes again. But her retort never comes. Instead, she sucks in a sharp breath and grips the edge of the desk. “Sweet mother of hotness. Lookit the man candy she’s got with her.”

My heart skips a beat. Jake.

They sweep into the office and stop in front of Penny’s desk.

“I’ve brought you a new client,” Jake says as if he doesn’t know what happened two years ago between Sandy and Makayla.

My eyes flick to Sandy. She bites her lip and twists her hands around her insanely expensive handbag, then has the good grace to look away. She knows exactly what I think of representing her, which is no with a capital N.

“Would you excuse us?” I try to sound gracious, but my words come out biting instead. “I need to speak to Jake for a minute. Penny will look after you.”

“What the hell?” I spit out as soon as we’re in my office. “I appreciate you bringing me clients, but you need to check with me first. I can’t represent her. I vicariously hate her for tweeting Makayla’s ass in revenge for what she saw as stealing Max away.” And because she picked Jake up on the rebound from me and still holds a torch for him. Not that I’m about to share that little tidbit of information.

He arches an eyebrow. “I admire your loyalty, but you have to get over it. You need clients, and she’s desperate for a commercial litigation attorney with experience working at a big law firm. She started a company to set up summer camps for underprivileged kids, but she got into a land dispute with some developers. She’s been conflicted out of the big firms because of family and business connections. It’s a high-profile, five-million-dollar lawsuit, and she has the money to pay.”

Summer
camps
for
underprivileged
kids? Sandy?
My resolve wavers.

Sensing victory, Jake closes the distance between us and rests his forearm on the door beside my head. His body is so close I can feel his heat and a tiny, betraying shiver of need races down my spine.

“What if she showed up at your legal aid clinic?” His voice softens. “You’ve never turned away anyone who needed help. It was one of the things I liked about you. Even though you were insanely busy, you always made time to give something back and that’s what you’d be doing by helping her. She’s trying to make life better for those kids. I know she’s made mistakes, but at heart, she’s a good person.”

I fix him with my best scowl. “You knew I wouldn’t be able to say no.”

“Hearts don’t change.” He taps my chest. “And yours is a good one.”

With a heavy sigh, I text Makayla. She texts back within minutes. She’s fine with me representing Sandy. In fact, she thinks it’s hilarious. She reminds me she revenge tweeted Sandy’s ass and it didn’t trend, so she considers them even.

“Makayla’s good with it too.” I tilt my head and give him a begrudging smile. “Thanks. I’m sure there are lots of Big Law escapees out there you could have recommended.”

Jake chuckles softly. “Is that all the thanks I get?”

“What else did you have in mind?”

He pulls me into his chest and teases my lips with his tongue. “I have a lot of things in mind,” he rasps. “Most of which I suspect would be inappropriate for a law firm. But if I had to choose one, it would be bending you over your desk in that fucking hot, tight little suit…”

My body heats in an instant and I gasp, cutting him off. He’s running hot and cold and I’m scrambling to catch up and deal with the sudden shock of arousal that has fired my blood.

He curls his hand around the back of my neck, holding me still as he leans in and ravages my mouth. My hands slide up his broad chest, twining around his neck to pull him down for more. With a groan, he curves one hand over my waist to grip my ass, fingers digging into soft flesh, pulling my hips so hard against him, I can almost feel every ridge of his hardened length between us.

My God. I’m sexing it up in my own law firm. All those years turning down offers to sex it up at Farnsworth & Tillman, I missed out. Big time.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful.” He tugs up my skirt and traces a finger along the elastic of my panties, blazing a trail of fire across my skin. Moisture floods my sex and my knees tremble. I don’t care if it’s unprofessional to have sex in my office. I don’t care that Penny and Sandy are just outside the door. I don’t care if this is all a mistake. He says he wants me, and I want to feel him inside me so I know it’s true.