Worth the Risk (Flirting with Forever #1)
1. Taylor
CHAPTER 1
Taylor
FIVE YEARS EARLIER…
“ I think we both know this interview is merely a formality.”
I smile politely at Dawson Metzler, one of the three named partners at Metzler, Dodson I don’t even notice the strange man on the train looking at me.
“Hi.” I glance up at the man who’s now smiling at me. His gray suit coat is draped over one thigh that extends impossibly long over the edge of the train seat. I look behind me, then back at him. “Yes, you.” He laughs. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I offer a single wave of my hand awkwardly, unsure if I’m making a huge mistake by engaging with a complete stranger on the train… alone. I’m about to tell him I’m really not interested in joining whatever religion he’s in or supplement he wants me to buy when he continues on.
“How’s your day going?” His smile seems genuine and not creepy. I glance down at his shoes, then notice his watch. Neither are outrageous luxury brands, but they’re nice enough, so I’m surprised to see him riding the train. Usually, men who look and dress like him are the ones climbing out of the back of a sleek black sedan in the financial district.
I shrug. “Okay, I guess. Could be either really good or really bad.”
His brow arches. “Meaning?”
“Well, if you’re insane and here to kill me, then really bad, but if you’re not and I get the job offer I’m expecting after my interview earlier, then really good.” He lets his head fall back as laughter erupts from his chest. It fills the car, echoing around us.
“I promise you I’m not interested in killing you—or anyone for that matter.”
“What about you—how’s your day going?” I’m not sure why I’m continuing the conversation. Maybe because his good looks and charming smile have actually disarmed me or maybe I’m just desperate to talk to anyone so my brain stops spinning in circles.
“Well…” He runs his hand down his smooth jaw like he’s considering my question. I take advantage of the small pause, taking in the rest of his handsome features. His long fingers tap gently on the knee of his clearly expensive suit. I wouldn’t say it’s custom but absolutely tailored and made with quality materials, not off the rack. During my time surrounded by some of Chicago’s most wealthy at Metzler, Dodson it saves money. I have no kids, no wife, and no reason not to take this risk.”
Jealousy hits me right in the chest. I want to have that attitude. I want to take the risks.
“It sounds like you’ve got everything figured out for the next steps.”
“What about you?” he says, standing up and walking toward me. “The interview this morning, is it your dream job?” His arm extends and he rests his hand against the metal bar above my head so that he’s looking down at me. The other hand slides into his pants pocket. He looks effortlessly sexy, his hair hanging down slightly over one eye, a few buttons undone on his dress shirt. He looks just like those sexy BookTok guys I drool over whenever I’m feeling too overwhelmed in the real world and need to escape to social media.
“Dream job?” I snort. “I’m not sure I have one of those but it’s definitely a huge opportunity. Like a set you up for life kind of opportunity. A you’d have to be a complete idiot not to take the job kind of opportunity.” I add the last part as an audible reminder to myself. Maybe if I say it out loud to someone else, they’ll confirm that passing up a job like this would be the mistake of a lifetime and I am a moron for even considering something else.
“That sounds like a dream, then.” He smiles and it makes my stomach do a little flip the way he’s looking down at me. “What do you do for work?”
“I’m a lawyer—well, I’m licensed and passed the bar, but I’m an unemployed lawyer at the moment.”
He whistles. “Damn.” Then he steps back a few inches to look me up and down. “Yeah, I can see it,” he says with a lazy grin. “You’re lawyer material, for sure.”
“What’s that mean?” I feel my spine stiffen in defense and my shoulders square.
“Nothing bad.” He laughs, taking a seat next to me. “You just look very polished and put together, like you could walk into a courtroom right now and deliver the closing arguments in a high-profile case without missing a beat or breaking a nail.” The warmth spreading up my neck and cheeks tells me what I already know—I’m blushing. “And you’d win.”
“Is that a complimentary way of saying I look uptight?”
He laughs again. “You’re really funny, you know that?”
“Thanks.” I smile, letting him think that I actually am that funny and not that uptight about being… uptight .
“But I get the feeling you’re not excited about this huge opportunity you mentioned.” His gaze stays focused on mine like he’s reading me. Instead of the urge to lie to him and dismiss the conversation quickly so I can move on with my day, I find my usual uptight demeanor relaxing.
“You would be correct.”
“Any particular reason why?”
“Would you believe me if I repeated your same speech about doing your own thing back to you?”
“Ah.” He leans back in his seat. “So your dilemma is going to be following your heart.” He looks over at me. “Or following your head.” I nod. “I imagine for an intellectual like yourself that’s hard?” I nod again. “When do you expect to hear back from them?”
“Tomorrow probably. What about you? When will you know if that client was serious?”
“Tomorrow probably.” He shrugs and laughs which in turn makes me laugh. “I’m Austin, by the way.” He leans over and extends his hand toward me. “Austin Blake.”
“Taylor Harrington.” I shake his hand, our fingers lingering briefly before we separate. “Nice to meet you, stranger on the train I just had a weird heart-to-heart with.”
“My pleasure.” He bumps his shoulder against mine and for a brief moment, it’s like we really are friends, maybe old acquaintances that reconnected or long-lost lovers. “This is my stop.” He nods his head toward the doors before standing up and reaching into his pocket. He produces a small white card and hands it to me. “You know, I could really use a lawyer as I start up my own firm, someone to come on board and hold my hand along the way.”
“Oh yeah?” I take the card from him, my fingertips grazing his softly. I glance down at it to read his name embossed in simple black letters. “I just happen to be specialized in corporate law and financial services.”
“Please tell me you’re fucking with me?”
I smile and shake my head. “I love statistics and numbers and I had actually planned on studying actuarial—well, never mind, that doesn’t matter. Bottom line”—I wave my hand in frustration at my own nervous chatter—“I had better odds getting a good lawyer job in finance than insurance.”
His smile only grows wider, like he’s just as invested in my path to financial law as I am. He reaches his hand out and just barely grazes my chin. “You know what this is, Taylor?” He winks. “This is fate. You know that, right?”
“And what if I get the job offer from this other firm?”
He gives me a different smile this time, more of a half smirk that tugs at one corner of his lips. It’s sexy, something I imagine he’s used on women in bars over the years and it probably has a very high success rate. Apart from his looks and his approachable, easygoing manner, the man has a body like an athlete wrapped in a fitted suit.
“Then I can take you on a date instead.”
He doesn’t give me time to reply, just tosses his suit coat over one shoulder and walks off the train. I let my gaze follow him, finding myself gnawing on my bottom lip as I watch his ass in those pants before the train pulls away.
“ I ’m sure you were expecting this call.” Dawson Metzler’s wheezy laugh follows. “We would be more than happy to have you join our firm, Miss Harrington. Human Resources, of course, will be reaching out with details, but I wanted to be the one to call and congratulate you.”
My chest feels tight as I squeak out a response. “Thank you, sir. I-I don’t know what to say.”
He assumes I’m overtaken with excitement, I’m sure, but I’m not lying. I have no idea what to say. I hardly slept last night thinking about the conversation with Austin. I flipped his card over and over in my hand, debating if I should call him and say I’ll do it, I’ll be his lawyer.
“Listen, before you say anything, I meant what I said about taking some downtime. I’ve let HR know there’s no timeline on your start date. You tell them what works for you.”
“Thank you.” I sigh, grateful for the time this buys me but still no closer to making a decision.
“We can’t wait to have you on board.” He doesn’t offer any pleasantries after his comment, just the faint click of the line going dead letting me know he hung up.
I jump up from the couch and grab Austin’s card from my nightstand where I left it. Then I look down at my phone in my hand and think of Noah. Sweet, kind Noah who told me that if I get the job, I should absolutely take it. Then proceeded to tell me all the risks I’m taking if I were to walk away from an opportunity like this.
“You could seriously destroy your reputation in the lawyer space, especially with this firm. Do you really want to risk that?”
“I’m sure they’d be understanding,” I tried to explain. “I wouldn’t just not show up. I’d explain everything to Mr. Metzler.”
I close my eyes for a brief second, then I type out a quick message and hit send before I can talk myself out of it.
Taylor
Hey, girl from the train here… how’d things turn out?
My heart thuds in my chest as three little bubbles appear, dancing across the screen as he types out a response.
Austin
Hey, guy from the train here… come over for a drink. We’ll discuss.
My mouth falls open when a second later, his address pops into the text box. A giddy little feeling sizzles in my belly as I type out a response.
Taylor
Is this the part where you kill me? What time?
Austin
Now and no, I’m smart enough not to leave a text trail.
I imagine him saying that last part with his charming smirk and that sexy wink he tossed at me yesterday and my smile grows wide. Then I notice the time.
Taylor
It’s 3:00 p.m.… Little early for a drink?
Austin
Last time I checked we’re both unemployed… I think we deserve it.
I laugh, jumping up from the couch and heading to my bathroom to try and revive my unbrushed hair and add a touch of makeup. When I get to my closet, I’m suddenly overthinking everything.
Is this a date? He said he wanted to ask me on a date. Was that only if I didn’t get the job? I got the job, though, so it’s not a date then… unless I don’t tell him I got the job… But what about Noah?
“No.” I snap myself out of it. I promised myself last night that if I end up not taking the job and working with Austin, that is a line I don’t want to cross with him. As hard as it would be not to…
I decide on a simple button-down blouse and my favorite jeans. It says effortlessly chic with zero implications of anything more. I add my usual jewelry pieces and slip on my Tory Burch flats, grabbing my purse and heading over to meet up with a stranger I met on a train.