15 | codes
It was odd how having a degree to my name suddenly made me feel much older than I was. Wherever had my teens gone? I missed them. They had been such carefree days. All I thought about now was my career and how to advance it. At the moment, the way to do that was by showing up for my first day at one of the top City law firms, being Day William must have told her about us. Nevertheless, I was shocked. Was she implying that I ought to have given William a chance? She clearly wasn’t a possessive type, and the reality of that made me realise that their arrangement was indeed only casual, if it even existed anymore.
‘Consider me warned.’ I nodded.
Just then, William exited his office. I looked at him, and Violet followed my gaze. He froze, eyes flickering between us, and his blank expression made it impossible to guess his thoughts. Seeming to recover, he walked over to us.
‘Vi,’ he greeted.
‘Hi, Will,’ she replied fondly. ‘I was just introducing myself to our new paralegal.’
His gaze shifted from her to me. ‘I hope she didn’t scare you. She can be a bit intimidating, but she always means well.’
‘I’m still here,’ she said amusedly.
‘She didn’t scare me at all,’ I said. ‘She was just offering some words of wisdom to an aspiring solicitor.’
Sceptical, William knitted his brow and turned to her again. A message I couldn’t decode passed between their eyes before she faced me and said, ‘Anyway, lunch?’
‘Sure.’ I smiled.
§ § §
Lunch was an awkward event. Andy joined us for it, and re-encountering him was a strange experience, because I didn’t remember him being so aloof. While he was polite when he greeted me, he didn’t say much to me overall. I often sensed his eyes on me, but whenever I looked over, he averted them. He was obviously analysing me, and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
Ellie, who I was seated across from, initiated most of the conversations while Andy traded regular glances with William across the table. Neither Violet nor Ellie paid them any attention, so I assumed that they behaved like this on a regular basis. In the end, they were best friends, so it was to be expected that they would have secret and silent conversations that nobody else would understand.
Things took a turn for the worse when John Night arrived at our table, along with a few of his fellow partners. I met Mr Philip Day, for instance, who was John’s first partner in establishing their empire. He was a nice man of short build, with a big belly that strained against his expensive suit.
While asking how my day had been thus far, John grabbed his son’s shoulder.
‘It’s been amazing,’ I said. It wasn’t entirely a lie. The professional aspect of the firm had kept me on my toes all day, even if my boss had kept me on my toes for a whole different reason.
Looking John in the eye, while knowing I had slept with his son, was an unpleasant experience. Even though I had endured it before, it still unsettled me. I should not have been sitting on the knowledge of how William performed in bed, but I was.
I worried my gaze was a tad too fleeting, but I couldn’t help it. What I had done was unseemly, and I was scared John would pick up on it somehow. Underestimating his perceptiveness was not something I intended to make a habit of.
When it was time for William’s meeting with our client Clifford Paints, I was relieved. Finally, I would be provided with intellectual distraction.
Ellie was unlinking her MacBook Pro from her computer monitor when Violet caught my eye. She was walking beside Frederick Silverstone, a senior associate who was leading the team on the potential merger between Clifford Paints and Craft Interior.
The sexual power she wielded was outstanding. It was noticeable from her confident strut, which I paid keen attention to as she guided Mr Clifford and his son, as well as their company’s financial adviser, toward a conference room. Instead of watching where they walked, the three men kept their eyes glued to her firm bottom.
‘Ready, then?’ Ellie asked and gave me an encouraging smile.
‘Yes.’ I stood up and closed my laptop to bring it with me.
‘Good. Could you let Will know that they’re here?’
I nodded, a lump gathering in my throat. After a deep breath for courage, I turned for his office and scraped together what little strength I had left, but just as I was about to knock on his door, he ripped it open and nearly crashed into me. In my rush to dodge him, I tripped on my heel. As I was about to tilt backward, his hand shot forward and grabbed my arm, and then he yanked me toward him again with such force that I slammed face-first into his chest.
The irony of the situation was not lost on me. By trying to evade him, I had only ensured bumping into him. But since his intoxicating scent hit me before his muscles did, I didn’t notice any pain.
My goodness, he smelled amazing. But his scent instantly evoked the memory of our sensual night together, causing a throb between my legs.
‘Careful there,’ he said when I tipped my head back and looked at him. Hyperaware of his closeness, I felt his thumb gently rubbing my arm. My skin tingled beneath his touch. No man had ever made me feel this way, where merely a touch could send my heart into overdrive.
Blushing scarlet, I cleared my throat and struggled to suppress the erotic memories his scent had triggered. Clutching my MacBook to my chest, I tried to ignore how hard my heart pounded against it.
‘Your client is here,’ I said.
‘Vi’s already notified me.’
I nodded. ‘Do you always charge out of your office as though you’re late for a flight?’
At the corners of his mouth, a smile threatened, but it never made it to full bloom. ‘As a matter of fact, I’m nearly late for a meeting.’
‘Right. Am I insured under the firm’s policy if I end up seriously injured next time you storm out of your office like a bull? Because I didn’t find that clause in my contract. “If your boss happens to run over you, you are entitled to compensation depending on the extent of your injuries”,’ I joked.
‘I’ll personally make amends if that happens,’ he said, and his tone was loaded with something I couldn’t distinguish. ‘Though, for next time, try not to be such a slow turtle. ’
I shrugged. ‘Or, and hear me out, you could try walking next time, instead of bolting out like you’re trying to outrun The Flash.’
‘ DC Comics ?’ His head tilted as he caught the reference. ‘That was unexpected. Batman’s my favourite. Which one’s yours?’
I blinked. Was he flirting or just being friendly? I couldn’t seem to read him today.
‘Er, same actually,’ I said as a new wave of heat coloured my cheeks.
He chuckled. ‘Of course.’
I glanced down the aisle beside us. ‘Weren’t you running late?’
I detected a flicker of intrigue in his light-blue eyes as he stared down at me. Slowly, he released my arm and settled his hand on my back.
‘After you.’
He ushered me down the aisle. Acutely aware of his hand on my back, I heard my pulse drumming behind my ears while my heart appeared to have relocated to my throat. I was tempted to ask him to remove it but, at the same time, I never wanted him to.
We were quiet as we went to the conference room. I was grateful for that, because I wasn’t sure I would be able to string together any coherent sentences. His touch was far too distracting.
When we reached the door, I was about to open it for him, but he beat me to it. Pushing it open, he ushered me in first.
‘Mr Night,’ Mr Clifford greeted immediately, rising from his seat.
‘Mr Clifford.’ William smiled. ‘This is Miss Cara Darby, a new trainee of ours. She’ll be helping Miss Tallis with the report.’ As he introduced me, his head jerked in Ellie’s direction at the end of the table.
Violet studied me from head to toe from where she stood beside Mr Clifford, but I couldn’t guess what her thoughts were.
‘Hello,’ I greeted and walked over to shake hands with them. As I escaped William’s touch, I was struck by how cold my back felt without it. Odd. I had never noticed escaping someone’s hold quite so consciously.
Once I had greeted Gerard Clifford, I moved to greet his son, Tom Clifford, and then finally their financial adviser, Bo Zhang. Then I grabbed a seat beside Ellie, put my laptop on the table, and huffed out a quiet, anxious breath.
The meeting was intense. Though Frederick was present, it was clear he had left William in charge. Was it normal for a junior associate to lead a meeting like this or was it a testament to William’s competence?
Overcome with admiration, I observed as William led Mr Clifford and his son through the process of the congeneric merger and what it would entail. They discussed which information Day & Night would require to proceed, the specific technologies and sensitive information Clifford Paints had that required added security and which would also be included in the mutual non-disclosure agreement, as well as how soon we could pass said agreement to Craft Interior for signing. In the event that Craft Interior would sign, Clifford Paints would return to us with more information regarding the financial details for how they wanted to complete the transaction, as well as material for the legal due diligence process.
I didn’t dare to question the state of my underwear while I watched William. He was in his element, and it was awe-inspiring to witness. I had never been so desperate for a man’s sexual attention before, never been so aroused. I could almost hear my ovaries calling his name. Clever as he was, he was tantalising to a fault.
I could hardly fathom that I had managed to find my way into this astounding man’s bed. His brain nearly gave me an orgasm in and of itself.
Tormented, I sat there till the meeting finally concluded. When it did, I remained paralysed in my chair, flabbergasted. My face had been constantly flushed. I felt out of breath, for heaven’s sake. Under the table, I squeezed my thighs together, desperate for some friction, and shocked myself in the process. My fluids had not only drenched my knickers, but they had also lubricated the better part of my inner thighs. My skin was moist and sticky.
‘Cara?’ Ellie called when the solicitors had escorted our clients out of the room. My head jerked up, and I found her frowning at me.
‘You okay?’ she asked.
‘Yeah.’ I swallowed. ‘Just a bit overwhelmed.’
She smiled reassuringly. ‘Yeah, well, you’ll get used to it soon enough. It’s a fast-paced environment, but you shouldn’t feel intimidated. It’s always like that in the beginning. Everybody’s been there.’
All I could offer was a nod.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘now that I’ve written the first draft of the report, I’ll have to do some polishing. We should probably do it together. Will, Fred and Vi are likely to want it on their desks by the end of the day.’
‘Sounds good. Can I use the loo first, though?’ My voice had a pleading tone because I was anxious to clean up the mess that William had unwittingly made. Would I have to bring spare underwear to work from now on ?
‘Of course.’
§ § §
When Ellie had read through my polished version of the report, she leaned back with a grin. ‘This is actually really good work, Cara. Well done.’
I huffed with relief. Initially we had planned to do it together, but she had been called to attend another meeting with Frederick, so she had told me to attempt it by myself using her notes. I had appreciated that. I always learned faster when I was simply thrown into a situation and forced to sort it out on my own. Being guided was one thing, being micromanaged was another, and I was not a friend of micromanagement.
Her opinion made my day. It truly did. After all the chaos I had endured with regards to William being my boss, I was in dire need of positive feedback. During the meeting earlier, I had been genuinely concerned about my performance, seeing as I hadn’t had the mind to notice anything but him. Thankfully, it would seem I had managed to compensate for what I had lost by completing this report.
‘Thank you.’ My shoulders relaxed, and so did my heart. Not even my final exams had left me as battered as my first day here. I was glad I had reached the end of it.
‘Why don’t you print it and hand it over to Will?’ Ellie said. ‘After that, I’m sure he’ll let you leave for the day.’
‘Sure.’
Nervous hardly covered how I felt when I stood outside William’s door some minutes later, mustering up the courage to knock. My hand was trembling when I raised it to the dark brown wood.
‘Yes?’
I sucked in a deep breath and opened the door. Poking my head through the gap, I said, ‘I’ve finished the report.’
William ripped his gaze from the screen of his desktop Mac and gave me his undivided attention. ‘Have you? Well done. Let’s have a look, then.’
Stepping in, I closed the door after myself and approached him with some vigilance. I desperately wanted to impress him, so I hoped he would approve of the report.
Amusement crossed his face when I extended the document to him.
‘Your hand is shaking,’ he said, and I hated that he noticed.
‘Caffeine overdose,’ I lied.
He raised a brow as he grabbed the report. ‘Perhaps you should consider reducing your intake. ’
‘I’m an addict.’
‘Typical law student,’ he murmured and fixed his eyes on the document. When his brows eventually furrowed, my heart clenched in panic. Had he spotted something? Taking his sweet time, he turned the page and slowly began nodding to himself.
‘This is excellent. Great job.’
Air stormed out of my lungs, and I didn’t care if he noticed. ‘Really?’
He studied me with some surprise. ‘Really. Are you all right?’
‘I’m just a bit anxious. I want to get this right.’
His gaze softened. ‘Cara, calm down. You’ll do fine. I’ll make sure of it.’
His calm demeanour was strangely contagious. ‘Thank you,’ I said, finally relaxing.
He dropped the report on his desk. ‘You’re free to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Right, thanks. How long do you intend to stay? Just curious.’
He turned his attention to his screen. ‘I usually leave at eight or nine, unless Chelsea’s playing. But the season’s over, so work has got my full attention now.’
I laughed. ‘You are such a nerd about football.’
‘I’m a nerd full stop.’
I giggled. ‘And you should be proud of that.’
‘I am.’ He smiled crookedly, still looking at his screen.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow, then.’
‘Yes. Tell Jason you did wonderful on your first day, or else I will.’
‘All right.’ I grinned, and I was still wearing it when I exited the building and walked out on the street. Maybe shadowing him wouldn’t be as bad as I had feared. Thus far, we had managed to maintain a professional relationship impeccably, I thought.