Chapter 4
Chapter Four
L ila
A billion thoughts race through my mind. Is this hottie lawyer really flirting with me? And did he really just hire me? Am I now gainfully employed? Do I want to be gainfully employed by him ?
Max Spector looks like bad news with his big, teasing blue eyes, dark hair, and navy-blue power suit. The man is the sort of handsome that has your panties off before you can say panties. The kind of handsome that gets you out of those practical Hanes numbers and straight into a slinky thong so you could make him rip it off with only his teeth. The very thought of Max’s mouth against my ass is turning me on, far more than it should be.
“Sorry, what did you say?” I blink as I gaze at his expectant expression. I’ve completely forgotten what he just said because my mind was in the gutter. Working for him is definitely not a good idea.
“Shall I show you to my office so we can get ready for today’s meetings?” His voice is smooth as whiskey and I shiver slightly at the knowing look in his eyes as he slowly bites down on his lip. Is this man a mind reader? Does he know that just a moment ago I was imagining his teeth in my asscheeks. “Lila?” he prompts, and I nod quickly.
Get your mind straight, Lila Haversham!
“Of course. I’d love to get straight to work, but don’t I have to fill out some paperwork first?” I peer up at him, a sweet, innocent smile on my face. I am not going to let this guy know I’m taking mental snapshots to think about tonight when I go to bed.
“You can do it on your lunch break. I’ll have HR bring the requisite forms to my office.”
“Doesn’t seem like much of a lunch break if I’m filling out W2s.” I tilt my head to the side. “Also, I don’t even know my salary.”
“You didn’t come to my office today to eat lunch. You came for a job.” He folds his arms and looks like a stern teacher. “If you want this job, you have to understand that you’re to work all hours. You can take the breaks you need, but this job may require you to work all hours.”
“I don’t know if I want it now.” I step back and look into the HR office. “I might try my chances for another position.”
“Then go ahead.” He shrugs. “Go and join your friend and see what you qualify for.” He turns around and my heart sinks. He takes two steps he turns and looks back at me. “The salary for this position is $150,000 a year, plus full health care, a ten percent match to your 401K, $25,000 a year allowance for education, and twenty-one days paid vacation.” He smirks. “Or you can see what’s behind door number two.”
“One second,” I say as I rush into the HR office. I can see that Max looks shocked. He probably thinks I’m a fool, but I’m not actually checking out other jobs. I need Skye’s phone number. I don’t often meet cool women in The City and I’m not going to let a potential new friend disappear out of my life. Skye is standing in a line behind two other women and I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Can I get your number?” I ask her as I hand her my phone. “We should hang out soon.”
“Of course. You have to work these weekend parties with me too.” She grins as she types in her number. “What’s up with you and Max?” She looks at me with curious green eyes. “Do you know him?”
“Never met the man before in my life.” I giggle. “But if he wants to offer me a job, I’m not going to say no.”
“I thought he was going to ask you on a date. Or at least to a hotel for an hour or two.”
“Skye!”
“ Sorry ...” She makes a face. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Oh, I’m totally not offended.” I lean in and lower my voice. “To be honest, if he asked me to go to a hotel for an hour or two, I may have said yes. Especially if he included room service and guaranteed me the time of my life.” I press my lips together. “But it’s probably better that he didn’t, because I’d rather have a six-figure income than a one minute orgasm.”
“He looks like he can give you five minutes at least.” She giggles and I know at that moment that we will be friends for life. It’s rare to meet someone that has your same sense of humor. “Here’s your phone,” she says as she hands it back to me. “Also, don’t look now, but your new boss is standing at the door glaring at you.”
“Good.” I wink at her. “He’s seeing who the real boss is.” I laugh at her shocked expression. “Yeah, I might be getting fired before I even get my first paycheck.” I give her a quick hug. “Nice meeting you, Skye, and good luck. Maybe we can grab a drink or dinner later this week?”
“Perfect.” She nods and beams at me as she brushes back her long, red hair. There’s an impish look on her face and I realize that she’s even more stunning than I originally thought. “Oops, looks like your new boss getting impatient.” She nods toward the entrance and I turn to see Max Spector standing there, glaring at me. Our eyes meet and I feel a frisson of excitement as I head toward him. I’ve barely known this man an hour and yet somehow feel like I’ve always known him.
“What are you doing, Ms. Haversham?” There’s snark to his voice as I stop in front of him. “This is your first and last warning. While you’re working for me, you’re not to cavort with your friends.”
“Uhm, I don’t technically work for you yet. I didn’t say whether I’m taking door number two yet. Also, I wasn’t cavorting with friends. I literally only met Skye this morning as we were walking to the audition and I wanted to get her phone number because she seems like a cool person, unlike...” I let my voice trail off as I look him up and down. He raises a single eyebrow as his long silky lashes blink slowly. He’s too handsome for his own good and I’m almost certain he knows what he does to women when he makes that smoldering face. His blue eyes are distracting me from being annoyed at his grumpy attitude. I can already tell that he’s going to be a hard boss, but I’m a glutton for punishment. I love taking on hard tasks. In fact, the harder he is the better. I giggle at my dirty thought and his eyes narrow at me.
“What’s so funny?” he asks, staring at me in a way that stops my breath for a few moments. He reminds me of an old-school movie star: distinguished and untouchable to the likes of me. Though, I could get lost in his ocean-blue eyes. I don’t even love swimming, but I’d definitely take a dive into his waters. I have a feeling that even his stormy moods would find a way to carry me far away.
“Nothing. I’m ready to see my office now.” I walk past him into the corridor and pointedly look at my watch, like I’ve been waiting on him the entire time. I look back, expecting him to tell me to get out of the building, but there’s an amused expression in his eyes instead.
“You just met the redhead?” he asks in surprise, and I blink at him in confusion. For a brief moment, I wonder if he’s asking about Skye because he’s interested in her. Maybe he noticed how beautiful she is. Maybe he didn’t hire her because he wanted to date her, and he thought it was unprofessional to date his assistant. Not that I would ever date someone like him.
I’m into hot, funny, goofy guys that like to run in the park and recite moonlit monologues to statues. I like men that like to eat ice cream for dinner and fries for breakfast.
Max Spector doesn’t fit any of my wants—except that he is hot. Blazingly, smokingly hot. Okay, so he fits one of my wants. But just one.
And sure, I don’t know him, but I can tell from the way his pinstriped, navy-blue suit fits him that he is a man that doesn’t know the meaning of the word fun.
Plus, he’s a lawyer. Lawyers are dull, boring, and full of themselves. And they never appreciate my sense of humor or respect the fact that I am fine making minimum wage so long as I can chase my thespian dreams.
“Yes, like I just said, we were walking to the audit?—”
“You seemed like old friends.” He cuts me off as he walks past me, and I follow him to a large office. He stands to the side and ushers me in. On the right side of the room are four large bookshelves with red and black books. “Law treatises.” He smirks. “No Shakespeare here.”
“I have my own Shakespeare books, I don’t need yours.” I tilt my head to the side. “And besides, I’m more of an Arthur Miller girl anyway.”
“I speak my own sins: I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it,” he says smoothly, and my jaw drops.
“You know The Crucible ?”
“I’m not just a pretty face.” He winks and there’s a twinkle in his eyes as he makes his way to his large oak desk. There’s barely an empty space on the surface. Files and stacks of tabbed papers are spread everywhere. There’s a desktop computer in the middle of the desk and an open laptop next to it. Max walks over to his black leather chair, takes a seat, picks up a folder, and starts reading. I stand there awkwardly wondering if I’m expected to grab a pad and pen and say I’m ready to take notes. Or maybe I should push all the folders onto the ground, delicately make my way to the top of the desk, undo a few buttons on my blouse, and say, “Take me.” Max Spector does seem like the sort of man to get a joke, but then again, I don’t want him to think I’m actually offering up the goods.
Which I might be.
But not really because I don’t even know him and I’m a good girl.
Though I’ve been wanting to be bad for a long time.
A long time equaling the forty-five or so minutes I’ve known Max.
“Is there something I should?—”
“So you’re really not the best paralegal in the city,” he says, sighing and sitting back. “If you were, you would know that I don’t like being disturbed when I’m reading case files.” His tone is full of judgment, and while I want to keep my mouth shut, I just can’t. I hate condescending pricks. And just because he’s offering me the largest salary I’ve ever earned, I’m not going to put up with his crap.
My dad always said, “Start as you intend to continue.” I’m definitely not going to let Max Spector think he can talk down to me.
“You can’t expect me to know the ins and outs of this office and how you like to work in one minute,” I say. “I’m not a mind reader.” I shoot him my best Lady-of-the-Manor stare. I know I’m in no position to take this tone, but I don’t care. “I don’t know what you expect of me. I don’t even know the details of the job. You can either explain it to me, like a good boss would do, or I’m going back to HR to apply for a different job so I can work with someone that’s not so much of an a...” My voice trails off as I silently reprimand myself. Calling my new boss an ass feels like a bridge too far, even for me.
“What were you just about to call me?” He puts his folder down and raises a single eyebrow. His lips appear to be twitching but I’m not sure if it’s because he’s pissed or amused.
“I was just saying that...” I pause again and cross my arms. “Are you going to tell me what you want me to do or are we just going to sit here chatting all day?”
“I think that?—”
“Max, you busy? I need to talk to you about the Fabricant case.” A gorgeous man with dark hair and vibrant blue eyes walks into the office as if he owns it. My heart thuds as I stare at him in his dark suit and crisp white shirt. He doesn’t seem to notice me as he continues to the desk. “Sheila fucked up the settlement. I swear to God I’m going to fire her.” He slams his hand on the desk and pauses when he sees the smirk on Max’s face.
“And you thought I was bad.” There’s a pointed tone to Max’s voice as he looks at me. “Kingston, have you met my new assistant, Lila? Lila, this is one of my partners, Kingston Chase.” I watch as Kingston turns his perfectly sculpted face toward me and gives me a curt nod. His blue eyes are keen and they narrow as his gaze settles on me. I’m sure he’s wondering how I got the job and it makes me blush.
“Nice to make your acquaintance.” He steps forward and offers me a very warm and solid hand. “I missed your name in the stack of résumés I was handed earlier today.” He looks toward Max. “I thought we were both going to?—”
“I’ve already made my choice,” Max cuts him off. “You can choose from the others. There are a lot of candidates in HR.” He sits down again. “Trust me when I say I don’t think you would have hired Lila.”
“Excuse me?” I step toward him. “What does that mean? I’m highly capable and?—”
“I didn’t say you weren’t. I just know that Kingston values experience, whereas I value more…” He pauses for a second and shoots me a look that I find hard to read. “Unconventional skills.” I blush again and he continues. “What I’m saying is, I’m willing to give you a chance. God knows, my last few assistants have been shit, and they had years of previous experience in the legal field.” He grins at me, looks me dead in the eye, and for some reason my heart feels like it has officially stopped. Shit, Max Spector is not only devastatingly handsome, he’s legit approaching gorgeous. “So let’s see what you have, eh, Maria?”
“I thought you said her name was Lila?” Kingston frowns slightly and Max just chortles in response. “I’m going to leave you both to get acquainted, but Max, please come and see me within the next hour. I have a call with opposing counsel early this afternoon and I think we might want to settle.” He nods, then looks me over. He looks like he wants to start laughing and I’m not sure why.
“Sure,” Max agrees. “Should we let Remy know as well? Wasn’t Fabricant his client?”
“Yeah.” Kingston strides out of office. “Tell him, will you? I’m headed to HR. Hopefully they’ve got some competent applicants this time.”
“See? It could have been worse.” Max chuckles as he steps toward me, his blue eyes bright with laughter. “I don’t seem that bad now, do I?”
“Do you want the truth? Or would you rather I lie to you?” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I swallow as he pauses in the doorway, leans back, and licks his lips slowly. His eyes narrow and he leans forward to whisper softly, “I don’t think you want to know what I really want, Ms. Haversham. The thoughts in my mind are not suitable for innocent young actresses.” He smirks and straightens up before reaching over to brush something off of my cheek. “Eyelash,” he explains before turning and walking into the office.
I stand there in absolute shock. I am going to faint.
He touched me and that one brush of his fingertips made my heart explode and awakened sexual feelings in me that I didn’t think could be awakened by a brief touch of a finger.
Max Spector is going to be trouble and I’m not sure I’m the smartest woman in the world for walking into his office, but then again, I never claimed to be Marie Curie.
I look around the office. Aside from the desk, it’s pretty tidy. Plus, I don’t see another desk, so at least that means I don’t have to work in the same office as the man. Which is probably good because my body is giving me some seriously conflicting vibes about being around this guy.
And I need the paycheck more than I need hot sex on a desk.
Cause I have no doubt that the sex would be hot and that I would be so embarrassed that I wouldn’t be able to go back into work again.
I debate running out of the office and going to the audition next door. I still have time. If I run out of money, I can swallow my pride and ask Zara and her billionaire fiancé for a loan. She’d give it to me in a heartbeat. Or I could ask my parents. They’d love that too much though. “Ready to grow up and give up that silly little dream, Lila?” That’s what my dad would say. As if acting isn’t my life. As if being on the stage isn’t my everything.
“You’re thinking about something.” Max’s voice is soft and I realize that he’s standing right in front of me. I wonder if he thinks I’m fantasizing about him.
“Not you,” I say quickly. “I’m dating someone. His name is Hank. He’s an actor. He’s amazing. We starred in a play together.” My voice trails off as Max smirks. I don’t know what possessed me to lie. It’s not like Max is interested in me. And I’m for sure not interested in him. I do not do corporate men. No men in suits for me, unless I’m seeing them as research for an acting gig. Which this is not. Though the suit certainly fits him well. Really well. I wonder if he has a six-pack.
“As much as I’d like to know more about your love life, I’m a lawyer, not a therapist, and I have a call to take. A work call, just in case you get the idea that you can make personal calls to Wank while on the job.”
“His name is Hank.”
“Whatever. I don’t care about your personal life, Ms. Haversham. I think you’ll find that having a real job is nothing like the life of leisure you and Wank have been leading.”
“I haven’t been leading a life of leisure. I’ve been acting.” I ignore his new name for Hank. This man is not going to make me lose my cool.
He stares at me with a blank expression. “Why don’t you go and get me a black coffee and an everything bagel with lox and cream cheese from the deli on the corner?” He glides back to his seat and picks up a black phone on his desk. “I should be done with the call by the time you’re back, and then we can go over your duties.”
The sneer and disdain on his face make me want to ask him why he hired me in the first place, but I don’t want to push my luck. Besides, I don’t even care. The pay sounds amazing, and right now, money is all that matters.
As soon as I get my big break, I’ll be able to tell Max Spector where he can stuff his everything bagel. I bet his eyes won’t be so sparkling then.
“Yes, sir,” I say in my best Cockney accent while giving him a small curtsey. “Is there anything else, sir? Shall I clean your shoes before I go as well? Or perhaps you would like a massage?” I rush over to the desk and stand behind him and squeeze his broad, firm shoulders. He tilts his head to look at me and the expression on his face makes me swallow hard. Max Spector doesn’t look upset, like I’d expected. In fact, he looks amused and, if I am reading his face correctly, he also looks turned on.
Shit! I’m in trouble.