Chapter 3
Chapter Three
M ax
I am running late and the long crowd of young women lined up at the building next to mine threatens to make my bad mood even worse. I’m more irritated than is reasonable. Not that I care if I’m reasonable or not. I cannot believe my latest assistant quit and left me with unfinished work. She was totally unprofessional and I refuse to acknowledge that maybe I’m part of the reason she quit.
I’ve got two depositions and a new client meeting today and I don’t have time to worry about the files making it to the opposition on time.
"Yes," I snap into my ringing phone as I pull it out of my pocket.
"Max, don't forget our bet." Kingston's smug voice grates on my nerves as I continue on my way. "First person you meet that tells you they are looking for a job with the firm."
"Yes," I say, annoyed that I'd made the bet. "How could I forget?" I listen to the sound of Kingston laughing and try not to roll my eyes. I sure hope there will be some good candidates.
“I am most probably the best paralegal this city has ever known.” A sweet laugh catches my attention and I pause before walking through the doors of Chase, Parker & Spector. I watch as two women head my way, a blonde and a redhead, and smirk as I think about the last time I saw a blonde and a redhead. One was on her knees while the other one massaged my back. Good times.
“You are the best paralegal in the city.” The redhead states to the blonde and my eyes narrow as I give the blonde a once over. She must notice my eyes on her because she glances at me, offers me a sweet smile, then looks away. Her blue eyes meet mine once again and I take in her pretty face and bright red lips. Her hair hangs around her shoulders and she’s wearing an extremely short skirt and top. She may think she’s the best paralegal in the city, but she’s certainly not the most professional. She’s most probably looking to find a husband.
I hold the door open for the women because, even though I’m judging them, I have manners. I’m a good Southern boy and my parents raised me to treat women with respect. You don’t grow up in Aiken, South Carolina without becoming a gentleman.
“Thank you,” the blonde says, smiling at me as I nod. The redhead says nothing, but she’s too busy typing something on her phone to pay attention to me. “I’m not sure where we’re going...let’s ask at the front desk.” The cute blonde says just before she drops a stack of white papers on the ground, sighs, then bends down to pick them up. My eyes follow her movement and take in her shapely ass and long, bare legs. She’s hot, but dressed utterly unprofessionally for a law office.
“A quick word.” I step forward and look the blonde over as she straightens up and stumbles slightly in her bright-red “fuck me” high heels.
“Yes?” She looks at me questioningly, her blue eyes are clear as the sky on a cloudless day and I watch as she looks me up and down. She seems to appreciate what she’s seeing, if the slight curl to her lips is any indication.
“The best paralegal in the city would know better than to wear a skirt shorter than my little finger.” I wiggle my right pinkly in front of her and her jaw drops in shock.
“What?” She gapes and blinks at the same time and I want to laugh. My comment is completely uncalled for, but I operate by an honesty policy, whether or not my opinions are asked for.
“Just saying.” I shrug and smirk, and I think she’s about to say something else, but she mumbles something indecipherable under her breath instead and presses her lips together. She glares at me, the slight flirtation in her gaze gone, does an about turn with her friend, and I watch as they walk to the receptionist.
I head to the elevator, my mind going to my first meeting of the day. It’s with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He’s recently been let go and wants me to negotiate a golden parachute deal so that he stays comfortable as they kick him out of the hatch door. I press the brass button of the elevator and look over at the blonde’s legs again. I’m surprised to notice that she’s turned back to look at me, and the hostility in her eyes makes me want to chuckle. She’s still mad at my comment.
"Hey, Max." Kingston sounds amused. "Did I just hear someone in the background saying she's the best paralegal in the world?"
"Yeah, and?"
"Is she coming to our firm for a job?"
"I have no idea." I look over and stare at the two ladies, who are laughing about something. I'm surprised that neither one of them are looking back at me, checking me out.
"You should check. Because she may be your new assistant."
"I have no clue if she's even looking for a job." I purse my lips, very much doubting she'd make a good assistant, though I'm not going to tell him that.
"Then you should check..." He pauses. "Unless you don't think she'll last a month."
"I'll call you back." I hang up and take a deep breath. "What am I doing?" I mutter under my breath as I put my phone back into my pocket.
The elevator dings its arrival, but instead of going up to my office, I find myself walking over to the reception desk, curious as to where the two ladies are going. And if I’m honest, I really only care about the blonde. Maybe if she’s lucky, I’ll ask her out for a drink and let her sit her sweet little ass on my face for a night. Maybe. There's no way she's coming to get a job at my firm. No way I have to hire her. But she's the first woman that has stirred something in me in a long time. I'd take her out for a nice dinner before taking her back to my place.
“Hi, can you tell us how to get to Chase, Parker & Spector please?” The blonde asks the receptionist, and I freeze. She’s coming to my office? Shit. This is not good. Not good at all.
“You can ask Mr. Spector.” The receptionist gazes at me with pouted lips. Carmen has been trying to fuck me for the last six months, but I don’t shit where I sleep. She’s hot, but I’m not interested in having a stalker working in the lobby of my office. And I have a feeling that Carmen wouldn’t be able to accept one night with me and move on with her life.
“Mr. Spector?” the redhead asks and looks back at me. Her green eyes widen in surprise, then change to a look of warmth. “Are you holding the job fair?”
“Oh, hell no,” the blonde mumbles. She obviously doesn’t intend for me to hear it, but I do. It looks like our World’s Greatest Paralegal isn’t so hot at keeping things confidential is she? Her eyes are spitting daggers at me as she turns around. Instead of acknowledging she’s still upset with me, I offer them both a warm, wide smile. The blonde rolls her eyes and I give her a quick wink, because I know that will annoy her all the more.
“How can I help you both? Is there a reason you two legal superstars are coming to my office?” I signal them to the side of the large lobby and listen to the clackety clack of the blonde’s heels against the white marble floor. They exchange “oh no” glances and I press my lips together. “Is there a?—”
“We’re going to the job fair.” The blonde pushes her shoulders back, tilting her chin up at me, and I wait for the tongue lashing. She readjusts her black handbag and pats her hair back as I slowly nod. Something about her comment rings a bell in my brain. Fuck it, I'm in trouble. If I am honorable to the bet with Kingston, I should hire her, but everything in me screams that all she will do is make my life hell.
“To grace my law firm with the best paralegals in the land?” I tease, and the blonde’s lips twitch. I quite like staring at her lips.
“I’ll have you know that I, Maria Conchita Violeta Estella Diaz, was the best paralegal in all of Mexico City and now have taken the City of Angels by storm. Don’t judge me by the heartache that Rodrigo Alejandro Suarez caused. Judge me by the work that I produce. Judge me by the cases I close. Judge me by the settlements I win. Judge me by the lawsuits I threaten...” She pauses and my jaw goes slack as tears form in her eyes. “You’ll never have my heart, but?—”
“What the hell?” I interrupt her as the redhead starts clapping. Had these two escaped from a facility recently? My heart starts racing. I cannot hire this nutcase. Even my small head thinks she's off. She's hot and there's something about her that glows, but I couldn't imagine working with her. I will have to lie and tell Kingston that I couldn't find the woman in the background that he heard because there is no way I'm hiring this nutcase.
“Oh, you need to go next door right now.” The redhead sounds excited. “You’re good. You’re really good. You even have tears in your eyes.”
“What is going on here?” I cross my arms in front of me. “Am I being punked?”
“No!” The blonde grasps her hand to her chest and throws her head up. A single tear falls down her cheek. “We’re actresses by day, paralegals by nigh...” Her voice trails off and she makes a face. “Okay, I can’t lie. I’m not a paralegal, never have been.” She shrugs. “We were going to the auditions next door. You must have seen the lines of women?”
I nod and she continues.
“We both wanted to audition for the part of Maria, but the job fair only lasts for three hours and I really need to make some money and I couldn’t even cry on the train, so I figured I wasn’t going to get the role. Plus, I’m blonde.” She holds up her hair and makes a face. “Not that Mexicans can’t be blonde as well, but I just felt like maybe making sure I got a job was more important.” She finally stops and takes a deep breath and offers me a warm smile. “Hope that makes sense.”
I blink as I slowly shake my head. This overly talkative lady is crazy.
“So, let me start again. I was on the train practicing my lines and?—”
“Lady, I don’t care.” I hold my hand up. “I think I get it. You are not really a paralegal. You were reciting lines to an audition you bailed on, so you’re here at my firm, looking for a job.”
“I mean, I don’t even know who you are.” She has the gall to roll her eyes at me, as if I’m the annoying one. As if she didn’t just hear my name a minute ago. I stare at her with a supercilious tilt of my head. I want her to know that I know she’s lying. When she blushes, I try to stop the smug grin from spreading across my face.
“I’m Max Spector, named partner of Chase, Parker & Spector. The law firm you’re trying to get a job at.” I look down at my Rolex. “And I have a meeting in thirty minutes I need to get ready for. You can follow me up in the elevator and I’ll show you to HR.” I head toward the elevators. “Also, if I were you, I would only apply for assistant positions. Paralegals don’t win settlements and they sure as hell are not threatening to bring lawsuits...unless you are filing pro se.”
She looks confused and I sigh loudly, wondering why I’m allowing this lady to distract me from my day. She has no business applying to work at a law firm. Especially not my law firm. There is no way I'm going to make her my new assistant.
“Unless you decide to bring the lawsuit for yourself,” I clarify.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” the blonde shoots back as the two women follow me to the elevator. “I’m only looking to be a part-time assistant so I can still continue to audition for roles.” I wonder if she realizes she’s not making herself sound like an ideal candidate.
“Sounds like you’re our ideal candidate,” I say with a straight face as we walk into the elevator. “Who doesn’t love an employee that only cares about the job between auditions? I mean, imagine if you make it big, you can help promote the firm.”
“What?” The blonde blinks at me suspiciously and presses her lips together. “I’ll have you know that I’m a consummate professional.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it.” My phone beeps and I pull it out. It’s from my former employee telling me she forgot to send me a memo about discovery on a multi-million dollar case. “If you hadn’t quit, I would have fired you.” I mutter under my breath. I am absolutely fed up with everything right now.
“Everything okay?” The blonde steps forward and lightly touches my shoulder. I glance into her wide, clear blue eyes and nod. She really is pretty. She has the looks to make it as an actress, that’s for sure. “Anything I can do to help?” I stare at her for a few seconds. I’m about to make a crude comment, but I stop myself. There’s something about the genuine warmth and concern in her face. She reminds me of a puppy, innocent and sweet. And then I picture Kingston's face and the bet we made. If I were an honorable man, I would hire the blonde. That was the deal I made. The first person I came into contact with looking for a job with the firm was to be my new assistant. Could I make her the envy of the legal community?
“How good are you at scheduling meetings, going through documents with a fine-tooth comb, and thwarting the mechinations of eager women?” I ask, half-joking, wondering if I am really considering hiring this woman as my new assistant. She’s goofy in a way I know will irritate me on a daily basis if I’m around her. I don’t come to work to joke around. I come to work to win cases and make money. I’m trying to make a name for myself. I need to win big cases if I want to make it to the Supreme Court one day. My dad won’t be able to say I walked away from the family business for nothing if I become a Supreme Court Justice. One of only nine. Clubs don’t get more exclusive than that.
“I am great at scheduling meetings, I have an eagle-eye for detail in documents, and no eager women will ever find their way into your presence, other than me.” She giggles and offers me an exaggerated wink as she flutters her hand back and forth in front of her face as if she needs air. Is this lady flirting with me? Seriously? I just basically offered her a job and she’s flirting with me? My lips twitch as I watch her. Her friend is standing in the corner of the elevator gaping. Even she looks shocked that her friend is coming on so strong.
“Are you hitting on me, Ms. I’m-the-best-paralegal-in-the-world-but-really-a-wanna-be-actress?” I still have time to change my mind and walk away. Kingston will never know.
“Oh, you misunderstood me.” She’s blushing heavily now. “I didn’t mean I’m an eager woman that wants to be in your presence, I just meant I’m a woman that would be in your presence. And also I’d be eager. To work you. I mean to work for you. I mean, yes, you’re hot, but that doesn’t mean I want to bed you. Can I say that here? Bed you? I mean, I have standards. Not that you’re not up to the standard, but you’d have to admit you were a bit rude back there and I prefer my men to be romantic and sweet and woo me with flowers and chocolates and you rather seem like the sort of man that thinks handcuffs equal romance and while I’ll admit that sometimes I’m up for some role-play, which is neither here nor there, by the way, it’s not exactly the fantasy for most women. Not that I think you want to take me on a first date or care about my fantasies...” She stops and goes a bright red. “I mean, you got me. I do think role-playing as cop and criminal would be kinda hot, but...” She slaps her hand over her mouth and looks over at her friend, whose eyes are bulging now. I stare at the two women and laughter escapes me because this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. And I don’t hate it. This blonde is definitely never going to be paralegal of the year. She likely wouldn’t even make a good assistant, but I’ve had the best assistants in the world assigned to me and they didn’t last. What do I have to lose by hiring this woman? And maybe this is a good test to see if I really do have the skills to make anyone great at their job. I do love a challenge.
“You’re hired,” I say as the elevator dings and stops on my floor. “Follow me,” I say, walking out and leading the two women down the corridor. I may have lost my mind, but the blonde is making me laugh harder than I’ve laughed in years and it feels good. Everyone needs some comic relief now and again. Maybe she won’t be half bad. And if she is, I’ll fire her. After a month. The bet was that she wouldn't quit, not that I wouldn't fire her. I won't be able to sleep with her though...as disappointing as that is. I don't cross that line with assistants.
I stop outside the HR office and nod toward the redhead. “You can fill out an application here, tell Wendy that Max Spector said you were to be hired today.” I then turn toward the blonde. “Now you, come with me.” I pause as I realize that I still don’t know her name.
“Lila,” she says, as if reading my mind. “Lila Haversham.” She looks slightly shocked as she swallows hard. Her throat is long and slender and she’s wearing a gold necklace with some sort of charm that I can’t make out.
“Nice to meet you, Lila,” I say, shaking her outstretched hand. “Just so you know, this is a full-time job and you won’t be taking off for any auditions.” I look her up and down, my eyes lingering on her cleavage as I take a visual photograph of her. “Unless we’re doing some sort of role-play in my office, comprendo?” I grin at her. She frowns in confusion and I watch her freeze as her mind wonders if I’m saying what she thinks I’m saying. I want to snicker, but I pull out my phone instead and send Kingston a text message. "I hired my new assistant and she's going to be absolutely amazing." I hit send before I can stop myself. I don't often lie, but I'm not going to tell him that I think I may have hired the worst possible person for the job.