Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
M ax
"So what are you thinking now about the case?" Lila asks me, her eyes narrowed. I can feel the heat in her gaze and I know what she’s really asking. She wants to know if I’m going to drop the case.
I stare at her for a couple of seconds. "Sorry. What?" I don’t want to disappoint her or make her feel badly about me, but I’ve already told her several times that my job isn’t to ensure that Mrs. Whittington is provided for. The nuances of this particular case are none of my business.
She either accepts the settlement offer or she doesn’t.
A momentary ripple of guilt spreads through my stomach, which I try to ignore. Why have I let Lila infiltrate my brain and heart like this?
I blink as she leans forward. I want to kiss her again, but I'm not sure if she really wants that or not.
"Are you going to drop the case?"
"Am I going to drop a potentially multi-million dollar case because you had one conversation in a smoothie bar with someone?" I shake my head. "That's not how life works, Lila. I think I told you that."
"You said you were willing to see what her side of the story was and?—"
"And you found out that her and her husband have fun at clubs, and she openly admitted that she has slept with other men."
"But it was her husband that set it up and she didn't even want to."
"She was coming onto me, Lila. She said she wanted an orgy with the two of us and God knows who else."
Lila lets out a deep sigh. "Yeah, but you should have heard her when she was looking at us and she thought we were so in love. And I could tell from the look in her eyes, that's what she really wants. She doesn't want to be sleeping with these random men. She just wants the love from her husband. He's manipulated her. Can't you see that?"
"Lila, I cannot not take this case because you are now an actress, personal assistant to an attorney, and psychotherapist all rolled into one infuriating female."
"I'm not a psychotherapist just because I care about people."
Henry pulls up outside her apartment. She leans back and I wonder if this is how the night is going to end. What had been an amazingly sexy, fun, and flirtatious night full of banter had turned into something quite awkward. I have a professional responsibility toward my client. Unfortunately, that client is Jack Whittington. It doesn’t matter if he persuaded his wife to have threesomes, that isn’t my business.
"So this is me," Lila says, running her fingers through her hair. She gives me a small little smile and my heart races slightly.
"This is you," I say, nodding.
"So…"
"Yes?" I ask her, leaning forward.
"You interested in coming up for a nightcap?" she asks, and I stare at her in shock.
Did she just say what I imagined she did?
"Is that an invitation to come up to the apartment that you did not want me to see earlier?"
"It might be, or it might just be I'm asking if you want a nightcap so we can decompress from our kind of crazy evening. But I mean, if you don't want to…" she says quickly as she slides toward the door.
"Oh, I do want to," I say. "Henry, I'm going to get out here. You can go home. I'll find my way back."
"Certainly, Mr. Spector," he says. "Have a good evening, Miss Haversham."
"Thanks. You too, Henry."
She jumps out of the car and I step out and slam the door shut. I watch as Henry drives off and Lila walks next to me.
"He's going to think I'm a slut, isn't he?"
I look down at her in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"He's just dropped you off at my apartment and you told him to leave, so he knows you're not leaving anytime soon. He's going to think I'm a slut."
"Why would he think you're a slut?"
"Because…" She bites on her lower lip. "Well, you know."
"No. Why don't you tell me."
"Because, you know ."
I chuckle slightly. "Come on, let's see your apartment."
"Don't expect anything fancy," she says as we head toward the main door.
I look around, and I don't want to be rude, but the street is not exactly lending itself to be compared to Park Avenue or Fifth Avenue.
"Come on, we got a little bit of a walk," she says.
"No elevator?"
"There is an elevator, but it doesn't work all the time." She giggles. "You think I'd be in better shape from having to go up so many flights of stairs so often."
"I can help you get into better shape if you want me to."
"Max." She turns back to look at me. There's a glitter in her eyes. "You are incorrigible."
"Well, I like to think that I turn incorrigible into encourage-able."
She groans at my bad joke. "Come on."
We walk up a flight of stairs for what feels like hours until we finally get off at a landing and walk toward a door. The corridor we walk down is dark and dingy and there may or may not be wet spots on the ground. I try not to think about where they may have come from.
"Remember, don't expect much," she says, turning to me with a small smile.
"I'm not."
She opens the door and we step inside. My jaw drops as I look around. The apartment is empty save for a blow-up mattress pressed against one wall, a black bag full of clothes that's sitting on the ground, and two paper plates on a countertop.
"Have you been robbed? Do we need to call the police? Is this what…"
"No, silly. I haven't been robbed."
"But where's your furniture and?—"
"I don't have any," she says. "You're judging me, aren't you?"
"No," I say, but I am worried for her. "Why do you live in an apartment with no furniture?"
"I was living with my best friend and her sister and her niece and nephew, and we all kind of just decided to go our own ways. Oh, that sounds way worse than it is," she says. "My best friend ended up dating this amazing guy and moved in with him and then her sister and niece and nephew moved back to Florida to live with her parents. So we gave up the place and well, here I am."
"Here you are with no furniture."
"I have a blow-up mattress," she says, her hands on her hips. "And it's my own place. Do you know how much it cost for me to get this?"
"It's a studio in a not great part of town, but a lot?"
She giggles slightly and I'm glad she hasn't taken offense at my words. "It might not be a great part of town to you, but I love it and it's my own studio. The only place I've ever lived by myself, so yeah, I don't have furniture, but I'm going to get some as soon as I have the money."
I lean against the countertop for a couple of seconds and strum my fingers across the laminate and try not to flinch as I see some black drops in the corner. Does she have mice? I hope she doesn't have mice. I'm not going to say anything.
"What is it? Why do you look like that?" she asks.
"Nothing." And then, suddenly, it hits me. "That's why you didn't go to the audition that day, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about?" she says as she heads over to the fridge and opens it. "So, about that nightcap?"
"Yeah," I say.
"I have water, apple juice, milk, and two beers. I'm guessing you want one of the beers?"
"That would be nice, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind," she says. "Do you want a glass or..."
"That's okay," I say, shaking my head as I step forward.
She hands me the Corona and takes the other one out for herself.
"Cheers to being my first guest," she says.
"Well, I like the sound of that."
I look down at her lips. I just want to pull her into my arms. Instead, I open the beer and take a chug. It's cold, but it's not my favorite.
"So, like I was saying before you tried to distract me, you did it because you need furniture. You did it because you need a paycheck."
She blinks for a couple of seconds and shrugs.
"I mean, am I being responsible? Yes, but that's not the only reason why I didn't go to the audition. I just didn't think that I would get it and I couldn't cry on cue and well, I've just been a little bit stressed out, you know?"
"Why have you been stressed out?" I ask her. "Is it money?" I sigh. "That's why you took the job, isn't it? Because I offered you a shit ton of money and you couldn't walk away from it."
"You do remember that I decided to go for a job before I even met you. You do remember that, right? I had already decided not to take the audition before we met in the lobby."
"We met before you got to the lobby," I say, chuckling. "Or do you not remember that?"
"Oh yeah, we met outside." She shrugs. "Why?"
"I was just thinking about it." I run my finger down the side of her face and tug on her hair. "You never know. You may have gotten the role."
"It was unlikely. Anyway, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead. What is it?"
"Why did you hire me?"
"Huh?" I say, surprised at her question.
"Why?" she says, slowly. "Did you hire me?"
"Because I needed an assistant. What sort of question is that?"
"You are a named partner at a top law firm. You work on million-dollar cases and you hired me . I mean, I know I'm great, but you didn't really know I was great. So I want to know why you hired me." She grins. "And if you tell me that it was because you wanted me to sign a contract to be your sex slave for a billion dollars, you will owe me a million."
"Unfortunately, Lila," I say as I pull her toward me and kiss her forehead. "I did not hire you for a contract, no matter what your romantic brain may want you to believe. I hired you because of a bet."
"A bet?" She blinks as she looks up at me.
I kiss the tip of her nose.
"Yes, a bet."
"But—" she starts.
But before she can continue, I press my lips against hers and run my fingers down her back. She moans against me as she presses herself into me and I feel her arms around my neck, on my shoulders, squeezing. I run my finger down and up under her shirt until I reach the side of her bra. I go to pull her top up, but she pushes me away, blushing slightly.
"You need to tell me more about this bet. Is it something that I should be offended by?"
"No. Kingston just bet me that my next assistant wouldn't last a month."
"But that doesn't explain why you hired me ."
"Well, I told him that I could make any assistant last for longer than a month. He challenged me, I pushed back, then he said I had to hire the first person that applied for the job, threw some money in the mix, and well, there you were."
"But I didn't go in specifically to work for you."
"I know," I say. "But maybe, just maybe when I saw you with your big blue eyes and your beautiful blonde hair in that very short skirt, my mind was a little bit captivated."
"So you did want me," she says, grinning.
"I think we can both admit that we wanted each other, right?" I say as I pull her top off and stare at her in her bra.
She looks up at me and nods slowly before she reaches over and tugs on my shirt. I lift it off.
"Shall we christen that mattress of yours?" I ask her.
She licks her lips, grabs my arms, and jumps up slightly. I don't hesitate to grab her under her ass and hold her to me as I walk toward the mattress.
"You're a little spitfire, aren't you?"
"I mean, I'm not that little and I'm not really a spitfire, but if you want me to be, I can be," she says, grinning.
"I like that you're not afraid to let me know what you want."
"Oh, like you want me to tell you vocally what I want?"
"If you're willing to," I say.
"What? You want me to say ‘fuck me, big daddy’?"
I stare at her in shock and she bursts out laughing.
"Okay. Sorry I couldn't help myself, but you are kind of big."
"I'm glad that you like what you saw."
"I hope I'm going to like how it feels too."
"Oh, I have no doubt that you will," I say, as I lower her onto the mattress.
Her body sinks to the ground and I just stare at her in shock. She bursts out laughing.
"It's kind of a cheap air mattress. I think we might have to blow it up before we do the dirty."
"We can always do the dirty at my place if you want," I say as I grab her hand and pull her up again. I can’t believe I’m calling it the dirty, who am I right now?
"No, we’re already here and I kind of like that you're in my space," she says, reaching up and running her hands down my chest, her fingernails digging into my skin, and I just love the way that she makes me feel.
"Okay then, where's the pump?" I ask, looking around.
I spot it plugged into the wall so I go over and turn the switch. We watch as the air mattress takes about ten minutes to inflate and I decide then and there that I'm going to buy her a bed because this is not going to work out for either one of us, and this sure as shit is not going to be the only time that I fuck my beautiful Lila.
When the mattress is done blowing up, I pick her up again and lower her onto the mattress. This time, I don't let go. Instead, I lower my body next to hers.
"Are we really doing this?" she asks as she runs her fingers down the side of my face.
"I think we are," I say. “So, Lucinda wanted us to have her orgy with us, did she?" I say as I unclip her bra and bury my nose between the valley of her breasts.
I kiss her soft, delicate skin and move my lips over to her nipple, where I suck and tug gently.
"She did," she moans. "In fact, she wanted a foursome. She told me that Jack would be ‘very attracted to me'.”
I growl as I look up at her and move my lips over to her other nipple, which I tug a little bit harder than the other.
"Ooh," she cries out in a moan. "I wanted to tell her that I already knew that he wanted me, but obviously I couldn't blow the secret plan."
"Obviously," I say, winking at her. "So shall we call her?" I ask with a grin.
"You're awful," she says, pushing me back slightly.
Without giving an inch, I grab her and roll onto my back so that she's on top of me.
"That's not funny, Max."
"I was just joking," I say as I roll her back over onto her back.
I then reach down and pull down her pants and underwear before spreading her legs. Her entire body is shaking as she stares up at me.
“You are absolutely gorgeous," I say as I plant my nose in her belly button and kiss my way down until I’m nestled between her legs. She's not completely bald, which I like. She's clean shaven with a trail of hair down the middle. I don't know if it was a design done on purpose or what, but I find it attractive.
I spread her legs open as wide as I can, then lower my tongue and lick up her slit. She moans, her cry of pleasure ringing around us making me feel harder and hotter as I slip my tongue inside of her.
"Oh, shit," she says as she clasps my head with her thighs.
I eat Lila like she's my last meal. She tastes absolutely delicious. I've never known pleasure and excitement like this before. As she cums hard and fast, I groan and kiss my way up to her mouth and kiss her lips. I position my cock between her legs and look down into her eyes.
"Fuck me, big daddy," she says, and she doesn't have to ask twice before I slowly slide into her.
She wraps her legs around my waist as I settle her around the base of my cock, then I fuck her hard and fast. All I can think about is coming, and just as I feel that I'm about to erupt, I pull out and explode all over her stomach.
I grin down at her sleepy face.
"Wow," she says.
I laugh as I reach over, grab my T-shirt, and wipe my cum off of her. I kiss her and pull her into my arms.
"So have you ever heard of cock warming?" I ask her.
She looks confused and shakes her head. "No. What's that?"
"It's actually just something I heard about recently."
"What? Do you want me to get a towel and warm your cock or something?" she asks.
"No, that's not exactly what it is. I can show you if you want."
"Okay." She nods sweetly and I roll her onto her side and lift her top leg. She stares at me in confusion as I slip my cock inside of her and still my body.
"Are we about to fuck again?" she asks.
I shake my head as I pull her into me and kiss her. I can feel her vagina wall tightening on my cock and I want to thrust again so badly, but I love the feeling of just being inside of her.
"What exactly is going on?" she asks in surprise as we just lay there while I stroke her arm.
"Supposedly, cock warming is when your vagina keeps my cock warm all night long," I explain. "Without any sexual activity."
"Oh," she says, looking surprised. "Wow."
"I think I kind of want to see what it feels like, don't you?" I ask her.
I'm not sure if I'm crossing a line that I shouldn't be crossing. We're not in a relationship. We've never even been intimate before this evening, but somehow I just need to feel her, be inside of her, remember everything about this moment.
"No," she laughs. "I think it's kind of romantic in a weird way."
"Are you calling me weird?"
"I'm sure I'm not the first person to call you weird."
"Maybe not," I say, kissing her again.
She reaches up idly and plays with my hair. "I'm tired," she says.
"Me too. We should sleep," I say. "We're going to be so warm. I think it'll be okay," I say as I hold her to me.
My right arm is already feeling stiff from the weight of her body lying on me, but I don't care. I don't care what aches and pains I'll have in the morning, I'm just enjoying this moment too much. I don't want to even think about what it means, but it feels like something special. Lila came into my life for a reason and I don't think it was to be my assistant, because as much as I enjoy being around her, I can tell from the way she reacted to the Whittington case that she is not cut out for this job.