Alexander

I checked my watch, then gripped the back of the chair as I stood and faced the round banqueting table where our chambers was seated. As I glanced around, I saw faces I recognized. Some I’d worked with. Others were familiar because they always came to these kinds of events.

I’d been one of the first to arrive at the table. The sooner we were all seated, the sooner the night could begin, and the sooner it would be over.

“Alex,” a man called from my right. I turned to see Graham Ridley coming toward me, his arm outstretched.

We shook hands. “Graham. Good to see you.”

“Thank you for your help with the United Streets case.”

Graham was a managing partner at a law firm I worked with a lot. One of his partners had instructed me on some work last year.

“Thank you for the case.”

“We won’t be able to afford you soon. No doubt you’ll be taking silk within a couple of years.”

I was planning to go for silk as soon as I could, but it wouldn’t be for a few years yet. Becoming a Q.C., or taking silk, as it was called, was the biggest promotion a barrister could get and didn’t happen for at least a decade after being called to the bar and was more likely to be twenty years with the work I did. But my father had made it at eighteen years, and I didn’t want to be even a year later. “We are some way off that,” I replied. “What about you? How’s business?”

After chatting for a few minutes, Graham moved toward his seat and another partner from a law firm came over, another in his wake. Arriving at the table early had clearly been a bad tactic. I should have waited until the last minute.

The chambers’ table filled up with Lance, Craig, Jimmy, and others. There were only a couple of spaces left. “Who else is coming?” I asked, leaning across the table toward Craig.

“James will be here shortly,” Lance said, then nodded toward the staircase. “And Violet King has just arrived.”

Fuck. I glanced around the table. There was an open seat next to Jimmy and one seat next to me. So I’d either be facing her or next to her. If I’d know she was coming I would have made an excuse not to be here. We’d not seen each other for a few days and although the urge for her hadn’t left me entirely, it was subsiding. Her presence here would surely reignite my desire for her, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid.

“I heard she’s whipping you into shape,” Lance said.

“Is that right?” I replied.

“Jolly good thing too,” Lance said. “You know what I think about the state of your office.”

Lance had made it clear on many occasions that he thought my office needed to be sorted out. Lance had been my father’s junior and when I first joined chambers he told me that if he could be half the mentor to me that my father had been to him, it was all he could hope for. He was the only one I listened to other than Craig and he was more of a mentor than I could ever have wished for. He had a sixth sense for when I was close to breaking point and always managed to talk me off the ledge without me even noticing. He had a big brain and a light touch and I respected him a great deal.

Lance and Craig began to discuss something, and I couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to turn to see Violet. I spotted her instantly, halfway down the curved staircase, scanning the room for our table.

My heart began to thunder in my chest. Not seeing her for a few days had made things worse now she was here. She was breathtaking. Clearly, I’d always found something about her compelling, but I didn’t think I’d ever realized how fucking beautiful she was. Her skin was luminous and her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders. As she took a few more steps down, the slit in her dress revealed one of her long, lithe legs. Shit. My pulse pounded in my ears and drowned out the chatter and music, leaving only her. I wanted to barrel over to the stairs and drag her away from this godforsaken evening. Take her back to my hotel and just stare at her for a while, then peel that beautiful dress off and worship her.

My breaths shortened the closer she got to the table and although I knew it was reckless, I wanted to ensure it was me she sat next to and not Jimmy.

I caught a glance of James coming through the crowd toward our table and deliberately shifted to conceal the empty chair next to mine, so he’d take the chair next to Jimmy. I wasn’t sure if it was enough to put him off.

“Gordon,” I said, shaking the hand of another barrister at a competing chambers. “Good to see you.” I held his hand a little longer than was necessary, creating an additional barrier between James and the seat next to mine.

Gordon looked at me, eyes narrowed, forehead creased as if he might have slipped into an alternate universe. “Good to see you too, Alex. Good luck tonight.”

In my peripheral vision, I saw James skirt around the human barrier I’d created with Gordon and take his position next to Jimmy. “Thanks.” I grinned at Gordon. He’d probably never seen me smile. It didn’t happen often, but I was pretty satisfied with the way I’d manipulated the seating.

And just in time, as Violet was just a few steps away.

Jimmy spotted her, and he offered her his seat, presumably so she’d be next to Craig and then he’d take the chair next to me. That wasn’t going to fucking happen.

“This seat is free,” I said, raising my voice to ensure the table heard me.

Violet declined Jimmy’s offer—she couldn’t do anything else without being impolite. She might not take any shit from me but she wasn’t rude—no ruder than I deserved anyway. She made her way around the table, acknowledging each member of chambers she passed.

It seemed like she took forever to reach me.

She gave me a tentative smile as I held out her chair and she took a seat. I caught a whiff of jasmine and closed my eyes in a long blink. Maybe I should have let her sit next to Jimmy.

The table full, we all sat. My right leg was an inch from hers, her heat warming me, her breathing soothing me.

Fuck. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through the evening. Yet I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I knew it was wrong to want her. Hell, I hardly knew her, but the way she was utterly unintimidated by me, the way she spoke to me, it was as if she’d unpeeled all my layers and saw the real me. I wasn’t my father’s son as far as she was concerned. Nor was I the future of the bar, a failed husband, or a brilliant lawyer. I was some guy who made her job difficult but made her come. She stripped away everything that wasn’t relevant, and it only made me want her more. If it had just been her beauty I was drawn to, it would be easier to resist her.

To my dismay and relief, most of the dinner passed with Violet making conversation with the barrister to her right. I wasn’t sure I’d ever spoken to him. I thought his name was Robert. What could he be saying that was so bloody fascinating?

As pudding was served, the emcee of the evening introduced himself and made a few less-than-funny jokes. Then he told us about the obligatory charity raffle and how we had to write our names on a twenty-pound note and put it in one of the gold envelopes that sat next to our centerpiece in the middle of the table.

I sighed and took out my wallet and pen from my inside jacket. I removed two twenty-pound notes and placed them flat on the table.

Violet’s bag was on her lap and she was rummaging through it. I placed my hand over hers. “I have yours,” I said.

She looked at me, her eyes a little wide. “I’m sure I have—”

“Violet, you don’t pay for your own raffle ticket. There are many things about the bar that are old-fashioned and sexist, but this is just manners. Look,” I said, nodding toward the other side of the table. “Lance is paying for Craig and Jimmy’s ticket. This is how it works.”

She sighed and closed her bag. “Thank you.”

“It’s just—”

“How it works. I know. I’m not taking it personally.”

It wasn’t personal, but for some reason I wished it could be. I’d like her to feel special, because she was special.

I pushed the purple notes into the envelope and passed it to my left. All around the table, everyone was talking, occupied and not looking at me or Violet. I ran my fingers over the knee exposed by the slit in her dress. “You look beautiful tonight.” What was I doing?

She sucked in a breath. “Alexander. We agreed.”

I nodded. We had, and it had been the right thing to do for a thousand reasons.

Still, I slid my fingers further up her leg. It was involuntary. I couldn’t help myself. There were all these reasons to stop but they were powerless against this urge I had, the desire she created in me.

Violet placed her hand over mine. “Alexander.”

“You don’t want this?” I asked, trying my best to look as if we were just swapping small talk. “You don’t feel this . . . energy between us?” Jesus, I sounded trite and pathetic. I’d just never felt this connection with a woman before, and having her this close to me was diluting all the reasons I had to keep away from her.

“I do. And that’s a problem.” She looked at me from under her lashes. “Let’s quit while we’re ahead.” She glanced around the room as if she were looking for an exit. “Excuse me, I have to go to the ladies’ room,” she said, my hand drifting from her leg as she stood.

I ate my pudding as I watched her weave in and out of tables before she met Jimmy coming toward her. They stopped and talked and she became more animated with him than she had been with me. Her smile was wide and a couple of times she threw her head back and laughed. Did she find him attractive? Was she flirting with him? No doubt he was flirting with her—he had a penis and from what I could tell was straight, and really, who the hell wouldn’t flirt with Violet King? She was gorgeous.

The hair at the back of my neck bristled. Jimmy needed to let her go or I’d fire him, punch him, or otherwise make a fool of myself.

Eventually he came back to the table and my urge to connect my fist with his chin subsided.

I needed to get myself under control. I was all over the place. I was letting my dick rule my head. Violet had been clear—whatever had happened between us wasn’t going to reoccur. It wasn’t as if I was going to sit next to her at an awards ceremony every week. We’d arranged things so I wouldn’t even have to see her in the office.

I stood, familiar self-control and discipline running through my veins. I rounded the table before stopping next to Lance. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to excuse myself. I’ve just had a call about an emergency injunction.”

Lance turned. “Of course. Good luck, my boy.”

“Thank you, Lance. See you in the morning.”

I made my way out of the ballroom, staring straight ahead, determined not to seek out one last glance of Violet King.

Violet

I’d had to excuse myself from the table. Alexander’s touch was like quicksand and I needed to escape before I gave in and he swallowed me up. I left the ladies’ room braver and headed back to the table. Ordinarily, I’d have been more than encouraging of a man as tall, brooding, and sexy as Alexander coming on to me, even if he was an arrogant asshole. I wasn’t in the habit of turning good sex down, but for the first time in my life a warning bell had gone off in my head when it came to Knightley, which was why I suggested we keep things professional. There were practical reasons around working with him, which meant it was a bad idea to continue our physical relationship, not least because I didn’t want to cause Darcy any embarrassment but more than that, something instinctive was telling me to keep away. I was enjoying being in London—focusing on myself and considering my future. I didn’t want anything to mess that up. And there was something in the way Knightley looked at me, touched me, in the way my body melted under his fingers, that told me he could be trouble. And I wouldn’t allow a man to make trouble for me. Not again.

Alexander wasn’t at the table. Had he come looking for me? I sat back down and twisted to face the stage as the emcee introduced the next category.

Fifteen minutes passed. Alexander hadn’t come back to the table and listening to a bunch of people I didn’t know win awards I didn’t care about wasn’t the most exciting thing I’d ever done. I wanted to fast forward to the Chambers of the Year category.

One of the other barristers who was sitting three seats down from me moved to Alexander’s chair. “So, Violet, we’ve not met. I’m Charlie.” There was a hint of camp to his voice, but I wasn’t convinced he was gay. It could’ve been a British thing.

“Nice to meet you, Charlie.”

“It’s an absolute pleasure. You look fantastic this evening. Elie Saab, is it?” he asked, staring down toward my cleavage.

Yes, definitely gay. A straight man wouldn’t know the designer.

“Isn’t it funny how whether we’re gay or straight, men just love beautiful women?” he asked.

I laughed. “I’m not sure I can comment.”

“Well, you are gorgeous,” he said, unashamedly fixated. He sighed. “I hear you’ve tamed our Mr. Knightley.”

Uncomfortable with his change in subject, I pursed my lips. I didn’t often feel uncomfortable, but I felt loyalty toward Knightley and I didn’t want Charlie to think I was going to sit here and bitch about him. At the same time, I didn’t want to look like the stupid girl with a crush by saying he was a joy to work with. “I’m trying to get his billing up-to-date.”

“And I hear you’re doing a fine job.” His eyes danced and he grinned at me as if he were up to no good. Was he insinuating something?

“I’m making progress. That’s my job.” I smiled tightly.

“I’m impressed. Many before you have tried and failed.”

I reached for my wine glass, hoping he might be reminded to drink rather than talk.

“You two seem to have a certain chemistry, may I say,” he continued.

I didn’t know how to respond. I had only ever been polite to Alexander in public. We hadn’t been flirting and no one would have seen his hand on my leg. I would hate for people to start talking and for it to get back to whoever Darcy’s contact was.

“If anyone ever convinces Alex to come to one of these events, he rarely says a word to any of us. He was positively chatty this evening.”

“Well, I imagine all that extra money I’m making him has cheered him up.”

Charlie guffawed. “I’m pretty sure he’s richer than the Queen. All that family money.”

“He’s from a wealthy family?” I asked. I would have guessed the opposite. I would have thought the way he worked, he’d known what it was like to have no money at all. More contradictions from him. Whenever I thought I had him pegged he surprised me again.

“Well, his dad was Alexander the Great,” he said, as if I should know who that was.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t mean the ancient Greek king,” I responded.

Charlie laughed again. It was infectious and so loud that people at the next table glanced around. “No. But the greatest barrister ever to have been at the bar.” He paused. “So they say.”

“So he has a lot to live up to,” I said, half to myself. Was that why he was so driven?

“With that lineage he doesn’t have to try. All the judges love him because of his father. He gets away with murder in chambers—I mean, who else has a full-time assistant and his own office?”

Alexander was arrogant, yes, and moody and difficult, but I was surprised at the picture Charlie painted. Alexander wasn’t some kind of shirker who was riding his father’s coattails. He was the most hard-working person I’d ever come across. I admired his drive and his focus.

Before I got to ask Charlie more questions, the award we’d all be waiting for came around. Alexander was still nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone?

The nominees were read out and our table cheered at the mention of our chambers. The ballroom hushed as the gold envelope was opened. It was like the lawyer’s version of the Oscars.

Despite only working at chambers a few weeks, a weird sense of loyalty I’d never felt before rose in my body. I wanted us to win. There were some fantastic people working in chambers, even if some of them were a little eccentric. I liked the place.

When the name of our chambers was read out, I jumped up and began clapping just as Charlie did beside me. Where was Alexander? Surely, even he’d get a kick out of this. Someone should call him or something.

Lance and Craig made their way up to the stage to accept the award. Of course, everyone was far too British to give speeches, and after photographs, they came back to the table. We were all beaming and took our turns inspecting the acrylic, miniature glacier of an award marked Chambers of the Year.

As the evening wore down, and people began to grow restless, the winners of the raffle were announced. Charlie was whispering to me, telling me bits of gossip that were travelling around chambers.

“Violet!” Lance boomed across the table. “You won!”

“Congratulations,” said the young woman who approached me. “I really wanted this one.” She handed me an envelope and turned away.

I didn’t even know what I’d won.

“Charlie, you shouldn’t have been distracting her. She won the second prize,” Lance said. “We’re a table of winners here tonight.”

“Always,” Charlie said, raising his glass, then downed his drink and excused himself.

I turned the envelope around and flipped open the back. I never won anything. Even if it was a balloon and a party hat, I’d be delighted. I pulled out a thick white card with gold writing on it.

Fortescue Hall Hotel and Spa.

Holy crap. A spa break? There was no way I could accept this. Alexander had paid for my ticket. I had to give it to him. I glanced around, hoping I’d spot him somewhere so I could tell him, but all I saw was Jimmy coming toward me.

He sat down in the seat Knightley had started the evening in and Charlie had just left. It was like musical chairs.

“Congratulations,” he said.

“Thanks.” I pushed the card back in the envelope and slid it into my bag.

“So given this table is on a winning streak . . .” Jimmy said.

My heart sank. Like a juggernaut bearing down on me, I knew what was coming.

“I wanted to know if I could take you for a drink. Or dinner. Whatever you’d like.”

I took a breath before I responded. “A drink would be great—I don’t have many friends in London.” I emphasized the word friends.

“Friends?” he winced. “I’m not going to lie, I’m a little heartbroken.” He smiled, defeated, and I was relieved he’d clearly got the message. “But I’ll settle for friends.”

I nodded. “I’m glad. I’m not in London for long,” I said. “And I’m a way better friend than date.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t like Jimmy—I did. He was attractive, thoughtful, and good-natured. And had this been a month ago in New York, I would have said yes. But I didn’t have that urge to punch him in the face and kiss him at the same time. And after Knightley, anything less seemed like a compromise I shouldn’t have to make. Anyway, dating Jimmy, however casually, seemed a bit wrong when I’d fucked Knightley. I didn’t usually worry about shit like that, but there was something about what had passed between Knightley and me that deserved more. And if there was the slightest chance it might embarrass Alexander, I wouldn’t risk it.

He deserved more.