Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 81(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 81(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
“I’m full,” I say.
“Enjoy your meal?”
“Yes.” I nod, feeling giddy. Grant pulls his chair closer and runs a hand up my dress under the table.
“You don’t know how badly I want to take you home tonight, but…”
“But you’re a big-time attorney and you have work in the morning,” I reply. “I know. You know, I’m a big-time barista, and I also have work in the morning.”
“Oh, is that right?” Grant chuckles. “I’ll have to come down there one day during one of your shifts and fill up the tip jar.”
His fingers move up past my knee, causing my tummy to do a somersault. I close my legs and frown. “No more of that, mister. You’re going to get me all hot and bothered and I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
“Sorry,” he laughs, pulling his hand back and setting it on the table. “I just can’t help myself around you. How about I see you tomorrow after work?”
I take a deep breath and lean forward over the table.
“I think that sounds wonderful. If you have time, of course. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your big case.”
Grant runs his fingers through my hair, causing me to close my eyes and practically purr with happiness.
“Tomorrow it is then, gorgeous.”
I nod, overwhelmed with delight. “Tomorrow.”
6
Grant
On big days like this, even after years of being an attorney, it generally takes me about a half an hour to get my mind fully set for the day and what’s ahead of me. However, today, I wake up feeling ready to face the world and maybe actually take it over. And I know exactly why.
Nikki.
The girl has lit a fire inside me so strong and so hot that as I march into the office, I feel absolutely unstoppable. Everyone else can see it in me too. I can tell by the looks in their eyes as I walk past. Even the secretaries and interns let their gaze linger on me an extra few seconds beyond what they normally would. There must be an extra “pep in my step” today, as they say.
I meet Tom, one of my senior associates, at the door to my office. I can see he’s got a lot to go over with me today, but as I approach, he cocks his head slightly and gives me a look.
“Have a nice day off?”
“You could say that,” I reply. “You might even say I’d prefer to have had another one instead of coming back in here today, so give me something good.”
“Well,” he says as we step into my office, “a lot came up in discovery. I had the junior associates look into those compounds you mentioned, and as it turned out, the ones used on the walls on sites 241 through 248 had been marked hazardous eight months prior to the start of construction and that the contractors hired out knew about it before they started the job.”
“We have that in writing?”
“We have the e-mails as well as some texts. Copies are being made as we speak.”
I give Tom the nod-finger-gun combo he loves and watch as his face brightens.
“That’s big. We can move on that.”
“Great hunch, sir. That will really pay off.”
The buzzer on my desk blinks, and I press it. Barbara, my secretary’s voice comes through. “Mr. Whitney. I have Elaine, your ex-wife, on the line.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Tom says as he excuses himself.
With a deep sigh, I glance down at the phone on my desk. I can already guess what this is going to be about. Reed’s gone crying to Mommy, and now I have to hear about it. I almost don’t want to take the call, but I know she’ll just keep pestering me and possibly even show up at the office if I don’t, so I thumb the buzzer and tell Barbara to put her through, then pick up the receiver.
“Hello, Elaine.”
“I thought we talked about this.” Her voice is shrill and annoyed. She sounds like she’s already had six cups of coffee or maybe something stronger.
“I remember you doing a lot of talking and me listening—”
“Don’t be a jerk, Grant,” she snips. “Reed told me you’re going back on our agreement.”
“Did he also tell you about how he’s been treating women lately?”
Pause. “Excuse me?”
“Why don’t you ask your son about his little virginity chart and how it’s coming,” I say, wishing I could see her face right now. “Ask him if he’s even capable of looking at women as anything other than something to conquer.”
Another long pause. I wonder if Reed’s actually there with her right now. That would be something special.
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Grant, but we agreed you’d get him this car, so can you just get him the car like you said you would?”
“A college boy does not need a Porsche, Elaine,” I say firmly. “And maybe…maybe if Reed was humble and knew how to ask nicely for things, I might consider it. But we all know you haven’t bothered to teach him any of that. I mean, you don’t know how yourself, so it’s no surprise.”