Chapter 9
ARI
I proved Nathan wrong.
Three weeks later and I’m still here.
He set me a challenge, and that’s why I tore up my one-week tolerating plan at Hart Law into shreds, and it’s now burning in the fires of hell.
Which is what the last three weeks have felt like. Hell.
Truth be told, it’s been three weeks of suffering the insufferable man I’m unable to stop staring at or fantasizing over, recalling our first night together.
It’s the worst kind of torture imaginable.
I stare at the screen of my laptop and let my mind wander, remembering the way he touched me, kissed me, and how he made love to me.
It wasn’t love, it was sex, but at some points that night, it sure felt like he was making love to me and held intense eye contact with me, as if he could see deep into my soul.
I can still feel his hands on me, everywhere.
I snap myself out of my memories of him as heat pools at the apex of my thighs, which is becoming a ridiculous reoccurring problem, and return to reorganizing Nathan’s schedule, which I’ve spent the last half an hour rearranging.
Something he asked me to drop everything for and do urgently.
He’s so demanding.
And annoyingly sexy.
Clever, and I’m learning so much from him.
He’s also headstrong and… powerful, bossy… and I hate that I find myself drawn to him and utterly addicted to his crankiness.
I find it amusing.
If I didn’t, I don’t think I would have lasted this long.
The bottom line is, if I didn’t have to be here, I would have told Nathan Hart where to stick his job because sometimes his abrupt nature comes across as hurtful.
But having watched him work for the last few weeks, I’ve seen another side I didn’t think Hart men were capable of.
I know he’s on edge ninety-nine percent of the time and it’s only because he’s hard-working and fights for the justice of his clients.
He’s under a lot of stress and pressure as the court date looms closer on a high-profile case he’s been preparing for months, and the weight of public scrutiny and the stakes involved are starting to take their toll.
Easton Forbes, the top stunt double in LA, is one of ten stunt people who were injured in a controversial on-set accident.
He’s personally suing the movie production company, the stunt coordinator, and the special-effects team for poorly planning an explosion that was mistimed.
Easton suffered life-changing injuries and severe burns.
If Nathan wins the case, the other victims will sue and there will be a high probability the production company will settle out of court so as not to bring more negative attention to the movie they are still currently filming and damage the movie before it’s even released.
One thing for sure: Nathan is a force to be reckoned with.
He’s the best because he’s dedicated, never gives up, and has the highest track record, winning ninety-five percent of his cases.
Is this because he uses shady ways to win them?
I don’t think so because everyone at Hart Law follows strict protocol, which is all they ever harp on about, meaning I could be wrong about Nathan and his family. Which sucks.
Since becoming his secretary, I have discovered that Nathan is not only ethical, but he’s also not a quitter.
But neither am I.
I’m only here because I have a mission to complete but some days, I have considered telling Nathan where he can shove his demands.
Like a rabid dog, when Nathan is stressed more than normal, he barks instructions at me, Joseph—everyone.
With ladyballs of steel, I do not let him see how much he bothers me. Any small chink in my armor is like an in for him and I will not allow that to happen.
Not now.
Not ever.
I know his moods aren’t a personal attack on me. It’s like something comes over him when he steps through the doors of this building because the night we slept together I saw the other side of him.
He was kind.
Thoughtful.
Tender, even.
Which I find perplexing.
I still want to stick hot fire pokers in his eyes while at the same time nurse them back to health so he can see me again. The real me.
The one he saw glimpses of at his apartment.
My mind frequently drifts back to our night together, remembering the way he made me feel. There has been no better feeling than the way he held me, like I was precious cargo, and then waking up in his strong arms that felt like home.
How is that even possible? I want to hate him, but I can’t.
Maybe I do, just a smidge.
But he’s like a spell that pulled me under and into his dangerous charm.
He’s the kind of man I want to open a door for me with one hand and spank my ass with the other.
Sadly, I won’t ever get to sample that ass-spanking side of him again, which I’m fine with.
Not really.
Because every morning, I find myself daydreaming, imagining our hot night, but he blows it all to hell when he appears in the office like a bear with a sore head and then has me praying his inner ogre will go into his cave and stay there until my time here is over.
But that’s wishful thinking.
When Joseph informed me Nathan’s mood is even worse when he’s mid-trial, my shield of armor grew even thicker.
Gee, I can’t wait for those days. I think I’d rather have a root canal.
I’m ready though, because I won’t let him see me falter.
Fingers crossed I only need to put up with Mr. Crankypants, Joseph’s nickname for him, until I get my hands on what I came here for.
Until then, I’m trying to be patient but it’s wearing thin, and I still haven’t achieved what I came here to do.
It doesn’t help that Nathan continues to test my patience daily.
Although, I shouldn’t complain. The salary he’s paying me is more than compensating me, and I’m going to take whatever I can from him and his family while I can. The Hart family are my enemy and that’s never going to change.
And with the raise, I’ll finally be able to make the down payment on a house in the area I have wanted to move to.
My very own family home.
A deep painful abyss lives inside of me. It’s like I am empty without my family—not me, not completely whole—and I loathe the Hart family because they have each other when I have no one.
For me there are no family dinners, celebrations or vacations.
Are my family resting in peace, or unsettled, restless even, like I am about their deaths?
Because that’s all I ever feel, and I plan on uncovering the truth surrounding their deaths. The unknown is burrowed under my skin, writhing like a parasite.
And I will find what I am looking for because the evidence I need is under the very roof of the building I am in, and I need to stop Nathan, and everyone, from distracting me.
Until I find what I am looking for, I will use him, play the dutiful secretary; I’ll smile, play the game and use my time here to get what I want.
Accountability, truth, and atonement.
Soon, Ari, soon.
I open the last email Nathan sent me and reread it to double-check the meetings he wants me to change. It’s to the point. Blunt. Zero airs and graces.
While Joseph’s nickname for Nathan is a bit tame, I much prefer Bosszilla.
It fits him perfectly, but he’s nothing I can’t handle.
After all, I worked as Nick Williams’ legal secretary for years, and if I have anything to thank him for, it’s the way he taught me how to deal with difficult people because he was one.
When I questioned Nick about meetings with a few unmentionable characters, where he agreed to defend them, I began to suspect that he might be involved in some shady dealings with the local cartel.
While I can’t prove it, the signs were there, and it left me uneasy.
It’s the reason I knew it was time to leave Williams and Jones.
I used my time at Williams and Jones wisely, and once I had gained all the knowledge I needed to help aid me in uncovering the truth I’ve been searching for my entire life, I knew it was time to leave.
I’m finally ready to act. It may take me longer than I first hoped now that my role has changed within the company and I find myself not having daily access to the archived records I thought I could get my hands on quickly and easily.
At least I’m inside the walls of Hart Law though, and no matter what obstacles arise, or how hard Nathan pushes me, I’m here to stay until I achieve my goal.
Breathe, Ari… Inhale patience… Exhale any hint of doubt.
I click save on another calendar appointment I have rearranged and skim read Nathan’s hectic schedule to see where I can squeeze in another client consultation. I have one spot left should we have an emergency.
This afternoon, one of Nathan’s clients decided to settle out of court, but part of the agreement is that it’s done face-to-face tomorrow.
So for the last hour I’ve been shoehorning a day’s worth of meetings into any free time he has, which isn’t much.
Williams and Jones was busy; Nathan is busier solo.
“Are you ready to go for a drink at The Golden Spirit?” Joseph asks, pulling my attention away from rearranging Nathan’s calendar.
“I’ll inform Mr. Hart I’m leaving,” I reply and pull a face.
He laughs at my reluctance to ask. “You can’t avoid him forever, sweetie.” Joseph points his head in the direction of Nathan’s office, implying that he’s right there .
“Watch me,” I reply confidently.
Although I have done a very good job of avoiding Nathan as much as I could all day because he’s been in a level-ten super-tornado mood since lunch, I’m sure he’s trying to destroy my own good nature from its very foundations.
I even made use of the times he left his office to sneak in and leave a coffee on his desk, which means there has been a very limited amount of physical interaction between us today.
Which I hate.
And enjoy in equal amounts.
I’m still floating between heaven and hell; between worlds.
It’s a truly hellish place to be and I don’t know how long I can stand it.