Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
M ax
I make my way back to the office, curious about what information Lila may have dug up on Mrs. Whittington. Not that it will affect my decision, but Jack had been an asshole and I'd been literally seconds from punching the shit out of him. The comments he kept making towards Lila were completely inappropriate, and I felt like he was disrespecting both her and myself with the way he'd been flirting with her.
I hold the brown bag in my hand and look down at it as I make my way back to my office. I wonder if Lila's going to be surprised at the little present I've gotten for her. I know I surprised myself when I purchased it. I’m not normally the sort of man that buys gifts for my assistant.
"How is lunch Lila?" I ask her. She's sitting at her desk staring at her laptop as if she’s seen a ghost. She looks up at me, blinking slowly, and offers me a wide smile. When she smiles at me it's like the Earth stands still. There's something so calming and pleasant in her spirit.
"It was great. I went with some of the girls. We're actually going to be going to HR in an hour for some paperwork."
"Great," I say, standing by the desk and looking down at her. So did you find any information on Mrs. Whittington?"
"A little," she says, frowning slightly, and I can tell by the distress in her expression that whatever she's found isn't as great as she would've hoped.
"And are you going to impart that knowledge on me?"
"No, because I haven't finished my research and it wouldn't be smart of me to give you any sort of opinion without fully knowing what I'm talking about." A slow smile spreads across my face and I chuckle.
"Well, you are a thorough detective, aren't you?"
"I try to do my best." She grins at me.
"Well, then I'm glad I got you this." I hand her the small brown bag quickly and she takes it from me with a surprised expression.
"What's this?" she asks, raising an eyebrow, not opening the bag.
"A little gift."
"A gift? For me?" Her eyes widen. "What sort of gift?" She looks at the bag. "You didn't get me..." She blushes and my heart races.
"What do you think is in that bag, Lila?"
"I don't know. You didn't get me a thong or something, did you?"
"A thong?" I ask her, grinning. "Do you wear thongs?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but no, I don't wear thongs. I mean, unless, you know…"
"I think I get what you're saying, Lila. But no, I didn't get you a thong."
"It's not any sort of underwear like a bra or panties or…?"
"Lila, get your mind out of the gutter. Would I do such a thing?"
"I don't know." She shrugs. "Maybe this was your way of telling me that..." She looks down at her desk. Her face is deep red now.
"This is my way of telling you what, Lila?"
"I don't know. Forget it. You're right. I do watch too many romance movies and I'm definitely reading too many steamy romance books."
"You like the smut, huh?"
"I mean, the men in those books are always way better than the men I meet in real life."
"Well, that's a shame," I say, though a part of me is happy at her comment, because if she had met a man that she considered to be as good as a fictional character, then it would make me slightly disappointed. "So are you going to open it or are we just going to stand here awkwardly with you accusing me of buying you sexy underwear or sex toys?"
"I never accused you of buying me a sex toy."
"I have a feeling that was going to be your next question."
She giggles slightly. "Maybe." She puts her hand into the bag and pulls out the present I got her. There's a confused expression on her face as she stares down at the magnifying glass. "What's this?"
"You've never seen a magnifying glass before? You must get out more, Lila."
"No, I mean, I know it's a magnifying glass, but why did you get me one?"
"Because you're a regular Sherlock Holmes now," I say, laughing. "Or should I say Sherlocka Holmes?"
"You can call me Enola Holmes." She grins. "Thank you." She holds it up gingerly and studies the circular glass before lowering it to her desk and looking at a paperclip through it. "This is really cool. Thank you so much. You really didn't have to get me this."
"I thought it was a nice welcome gift to welcome you to the team. I mean, I know it's not a million dollars or a contract asking you to be my naughty little secretary, but I thought?—”
"No, this is great," she cuts me off. "This is really, really cool. You're really nice." She jumps up and gives me a quick hug, her arms wrapped around my neck. I hug her back, and for a couple of seconds we just stand there holding each other close. I can smell her shampoo as she pulls away from me. "Sorry, maybe that wasn't appropriate."
"It's fine," I say. "I'm your boss, sure, but you can hug me anytime you want.”
"Well, thank you, I think?" She bites down on her lip. "You're really not as bad as I thought."
"I'm glad to hear that. Though maybe I should be. I don't want to lose my touch."
"Your touch?" she asks curiously.
"You know, as the big bad wolf of the law firm?"
"Oh," she giggles again, the girlish sound delighting my ears. "So is there any other work you need me to do this afternoon or…?"
"I think that you continue your research on Mrs. Whittington and I'd like a full update tomorrow morning as I will be contacting her then."
"Oh. Really?"
"Yes. I've put in an appointment with her personal assistant and we're talking sometime next week, but I’d like the full intel before then.”
"Oh, wow. Without her attorney?"
"I assume her attorney will likely be on the call as well." I shrug. "I have some other work to finish up right now, but you feel free to go to your meeting and also feel free to leave at whatever time you need to today. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, I think."
"Oh, really? Why is that?"
"Because we'll be going to New Jersey."
"New Jersey?" she asks in surprise. "Why are we going to New Jersey?"
"Before you ask me if I'm taking you to a hotel, the answer is no. We're going to meet the CEO of a bank."
"Oh, what, is he going to just give us money or something? That would be cool."
"No, but he needs help getting money."
"What?" she asks.
"I'll explain to you tomorrow. I don't want to fill your head with too much information."
"I'm not a little kid. I can handle information in my brain."
"I know," I say. "But I wouldn't want you to think I'm overworking you in your first week."
"You don't care if you're overworking me. That's why you message me at night to get you bagels."
"Oh, about that," I say. "I need your phone number."
"What?" She looks at me in confusion. "Why?"
"Because I would like to be able to text you instead of email."
"I don't think that's needed," she says, laughing. "I don't need to give you any more access. Plus, I only get a limited amount of data."
"Really?" I say, staring at her.
She nods slowly, a wicked expression in her eyes, "Yep, so I don't really want to waste it on messaging back and forth with you about what I should or shouldn't be having ready for the next day."
"Then I guess I'll get you a work phone." I grin. "That way, you'll be available twenty-four seven and you don't have to worry about the data."
"But…" Her jaw drops. "I don't need a work phone. I'm only…"
"You’re only what?" I ask.
"I'm only an assistant. It's not like I'm running the company."
"No, but you do work for one of the managing partners, and as such," I pause, she rolls her eyes.
"And as such, I need to be available at any moment, et cetera, et cetera. La-di-da-di-da Pooh-Bye-Ah, Kum ba yah, my Lord," she says dramatically, and I can't stop myself from laughing. I can see why Lila is in the acting field. She is super dramatic, super over the top, and super funny. I feel slightly sad for a moment because I know that's where her heart lies, and as such, it's unrealistic to think that she'll work for me forever. In reality, I'll be lucky if she stays for the month, and maybe not just because I'd want to fire her, but maybe because she wouldn't feel like she was being engaged enough.
I realize then that I like the banter back and forth with her and she's not a bad assistant. Sure, she has no idea what she's doing and she doesn't really understand what it means to be a lawyer, but I kind of like having the yin to my yang, the devil's advocate on my shoulder, reminding me that sometimes representing a client is not just about helping them win. It's about the fairness of the situation as well. I swallow hard as that thought hits me. Have I lost my mind? Is Lila working a spell on me and I'm already losing focus on what my task should be as an attorney.
"Anyway," I say abruptly. "I have a phone call and I'll be busy for the rest of the afternoon, so please just take any messages. Unless, of course, Marie calls me." She looks up at me, a question in her eyes, but she doesn't ask it. “By the way, may I have your phone number, just in case I need to get in contact with you before your work phone arrives?”
“You can send me emails.”
“I’d like to be able to call or text, just in case it’s an emergency.”
“What sort of emergency?”
“Really Lila? Who can predict which emergencies are going to pop up?”
“Fine.” She reaches down for a piece of paper and scribbles her number on it. “You better not text me to fetch you dinner or anything.”
“Would I do that?” She nods enthusiastically and I can’t stop myself from snort laughing. She knows me too well. “Thanks.” I say as I take the paper from her. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
"Okay," she says. "Thank you again for the magnifying glass. It means a lot and I will strive to do my best detective work."
"I'm pretty sure that you will. Thank you." I nod and head right into my office and close the door behind me. Even though the walls are made of glass and I can see her sitting there, it feels nice to be back behind a barrier. It feels nice to be in my own space again. Lila Haversham is already under my skin and I don't know why. Maybe hiring her hadn't been the best decision. My assessment has nothing to do with the fact that she had no legal experience and everything to do with the way she’s making my heart feel.
"It's only lust," I mutter to myself as I start to wonder if love at first sight is actually real. "It's lust, Max," I repeat. "Trust me, there is no such thing as love at first sight."