Chapter 20
She was truly getting on my nerves. At this rate, I couldn’t truly blame the other men because what the fuck? I didn’t even think she was doing it on purpose, but at this rate, intention was irrelevant because I was going to lose my mind. I couldn’t even pinpoint exactly what it was, but I knew it was eliciting reactions that were far from the norm for me. Maybe it was the way she stared into my eyes as though she was trying to communicate something. And then I would stare back as well, not wanting to be the one to cower, and then my fucking dick would begin to harden. And then afterward, she would walk away so nonchalantly as though absolutely nothing had happened, as though she had done nothing wrong.
And I loved how quiet she was. She responded mostly through gestures, only ever speaking when needed. Even though I had insisted on her doing that, I was truly beginning to regret my decision because this meant I had to pay even more attention to her to be sure that she was following my instructions. As a result, I couldn’t help but notice the fullness of her lips and the way she slowly nipped at them when she was deep in thought or just nervous. Most people chewed their nails, which I had considered recommending to her because every time she bit on those lips and they flushed even redder, I had to stop myself from lusting. She had done it now again and then looked out the window so innocently like she had done nothing wrong.
At this point, I was beginning to detest her, and it just all the more affirmed my consideration earlier of perhaps sending her to a different attorney. Now that I had the time to think about it, I came to the conclusion that she didn’t really need to work with me, and she didn’t need to be fired either.
She was a great secretary, but her low knowledge of legal affairs made her a bit slow, but she was quickly catching up. However, she could work with someone else.
I trusted Walter down in the torts department. He was elderly and happily married and wouldn’t even notice that she was a woman, and thus she would have less trouble, enjoy her work more, and be under less stress. And in exchange, I would be fucking able to get a good night’s rest. The only sour point was that I would have to cover the difference in her salary because it was above normal, and John sure wasn’t going to cover the difference. Thinking about it though, it was a very small price to pay for my peace of mind.
“After today,” I told her. “I’ll instruct that you be transferred over to the torts department to work with Walter Briggs. He’s elderly and very proper, so you won”t have any problems with him, I’m sure. And of course, the pace of work is a bit slower, so you’ll be able to catch up and feel less pressure when working.”
At my words, I expected her immediate gratitude and relief at not having to be under my scrutiny all the time, but instead, all I got from her was a heavy silence.
I turned then and couldn’t help but notice that for once she didn’t turn to meet my gaze. Instead, she was staring out the window wordlessly, almost as though she hadn’t heard me.
“Did you hear me?” I asked, and she still didn’t respond. After a few seconds, however, she turned to me and replied.
“Thanks,” she said, however, I didn’t miss the slight glistening of her eyes. I wondered why this was the case but decided then that it was best not to care. A few minutes later, however, and when I was relieved that the matter was dead and out to rest, she spoke.
“I really... I really didn’t do well?” she asked.
I considered this and told her the truth.
“You did. You”ve learned incredibly fast, and your work ethic is commendable.”
“So why?” she asked. “Respectfully. I mean if there’s something else you need me to do or a way you need me to improve, I swear I’ll do it. You just need to tell me, and I”ll ensure that I improve as rapidly as possible.”
To the unobservant onlooker, it would seem as though she was just speaking, but I was well aware that she was pleading with me. And I didn’t want to ignore this.
“Are you really worried about going to work with someone else?” I asked; however, she didn’t respond. “If you’re worried about the pay difference, there’s no need to be. It”s the same.”
“Um...” She smiled and once again turned away to gather her bearings. “No, I mean... yes, I meant it might look like a demotion.”
“It’s not. You aren’t being fired, plus not everyone gets to work with the managing partner.”
“Yeah,” she replied. “You’re right. To everything.”
After this, she didn’t say a word, and not wanting to poke unnecessarily, I let it go. Soon, we arrived at the restaurant and found that we were right on time as the men were just entering as well. We were here to discuss the purchase of an alcohol factory, and the owner was a long-time client of mine, so I needed to inspect the deal, question them on some concerns regarding the future of the factory and its current workers, and of course, drive up the price even further.
They spoke perfect English, at least their leader seemed to, so there was no need for a translator. After shaking my hands, I watched as their attention went to the woman by my side and didn’t miss the note of appreciation. She bowed respectfully, and they responded in kind, a bit too excitedly. Nearly rolling my eyes as their gaze lingered on her chest, I turned away and entered the private dining room.
I’d known this would happen, so I wasn”t in the least bit surprised. Covering her up was worse because it made her breasts seem even more impossible, bigger. The men could barely look at me for even a minute, and I supposed for once I wasn’t annoyed about this effect she had on them because it made them a bit more loose and relaxed, and we were able to talk comfortably.
Mix in some traditional Japanese alcohol, and we were almost like old acquaintances sharing experiences and perspectives even though we had all literally just met. Soon, the food was served, and although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Asian cuisine, I wasn’t averse to eating it.
It was tasty and presented so beautifully it looked like a picture. However, when I swallowed a bit of noodle resting in a flavorful sauce, I soon realized what was wrong. The sauce was made with peanuts. With all the spices combined, it had been hard to detect, but as I began to feel the tingling at the back of my throat, I understood that I had made a mistake.
Sighing, I turned to Hannah and couldn’t help but feel upset about it. She had been the one to arrange the dinner, and as such, it was her responsibility to ensure that everyone was safe and wouldn’t be consuming what they shouldn’t from the menu. However, she hadn’t done this, and as a result, I was now more or less about to have a severe allergic reaction.
Sighing again and trying not to visibly show how mad I was so as not to throw a rock in the current ease of the room, I leaned toward her and whispered.
“Can you get me the black bag from the car, please? Raul will know where it is.” She turned to me surprised, and I wondered if I needed to ask her again. Without a word, she nodded and got up, and soon enough, I was left with the businessmen on my own.