Kelly was an idiot.
Only an idiot would’ve missed all those clues. Maybe the fact that she’d ended up being called to Chambers & Quinn for an interview wasn’t enough to raise suspicion. However, when she’d met Spencer coming into the building the other day, she should’ve realized something was off, that there was no such thing as coincidence. She should have done her research.
“Good morning?” Marie, the receptionist, finally turned her attention to Kelly. “Can I help you?”
“H-hi,” Kelly stuttered even as her gaze remained locked on the hallway that Spencer had just disappeared through. “I’m Kelly Garner, the new hire. I was told to come in today.”
“Welcome!” Marie smiled brightly. “I’m Marie Scott. We talked the other day.”
“Ah yes!” Kelly shook Marie’s outstretched hand. “It’s great to meet you in person.”
“You too,” Marie said. “I’m told that you’ll be joining the Criminal Justice Division and working under Angelina. She’s not in yet but I can show you to your desk.”
Even as she followed the petite brunette, Kelly couldn’t help wondering what she was doing. Right now she should be leaving this office, not trailing the receptionist deeper down the wide hallway. There was no way in hell she could work in the same firm as Spencer. Sure, she probably owed Angelina for this position but still…
Wait! A sudden thought struck her. What if her new job had nothing to do with Angelina? What if this was all Spencer? God, no. She didn’t even realize she’d stopped walking until Marie stopped moving too and called out, “Hey, are you coming?”
“Sorry.” Kelly trailed after the brunette even as her mind reeled with the implications of her new dilemma.
“You’ll be sharing with the other junior members of Criminal Justice and the guys from Civil Lit,” Marie said as she led the way into a spacious and airy office.
Four of the five desks in the space were already occupied by men. The men looked up from their work when Marie and Kelly walked into the room.
“Guys, this is Kelly. She’ll be working under Angelina,” Marie introduced. “Kelly, this is…”
Kelly struggled to keep track of everyone’s names as Marie pointed them out one-by-one. There was Russell, the primary investigator for both teams, Casper, a paralegal under the Civil Litigation Division, Sam, a junior lawyer under the Civil Litigation Division, and Duke, a paralegal under the Criminal Justice Division.
They all looked like really nice people and welcomed her with smiles. Within ten minutes of talking, Kelly decided that she liked them. Her workspace wasn’t too bad either. Even though the five of them were sharing an office, the space was big enough that there was a sizeable distance between her desk and the closest one. Additionally, the firm had sprung for the best furniture, computer hardware and storage cabinets. She was even allowed to pimp out her corner the way she wanted. To top it off, the job also came with free membership to the gym in the next building, comprehensive health insurance, free lunch at the swanky restaurant downstairs and discounts at the bar across the street. It would’ve been the perfect job, if Spencer wasn’t here.
The introductions were barely over when Angelina herself walked in.
“Duke, where are the files-”Angelina stopped speaking when she saw Kelly. Her eyes lit up in unrestrained thrill and her mouth turned up in a smile. “Kelly, you’re here.”
“I am.” Kelly forced a smile.
Angelina looked so happy to see her. How in the world was she going to tell her that she was quitting because she couldn’t work in the same firm as Spencer? Just the thought of having to see his face every single day sent equal measures of distaste and anger pulsing through Kelly.
“It’s good to see you,” Angelina said. “Why don’t you come into my office so we can talk about your pay and the rest of that good stuff?”
“Actually, you can’t do that right now,” Marie cut in. “Lawrence has called a GM for nine-thirty. It’s nine-twenty-five.”
“Ugh!” Angelina groaned. “Lawrence and his impromptu GMs. Is it too much to ask that these things be scheduled in advance?”
“Don’t ask me. I’m just the messenger,” Marie trilled before skipping out of the office.
Moments later, Kelly found herself in an elevator with the rest of her workmates, sans Spencer, on the way to the firm’s general meeting. She’d quit as soon as they came back up, she promised herself.
As it turned out, Spencer was already in the conference room. Her stomach muscles knotted the moment she saw him. He glanced her way when she walked into the room and their eyes met, held. Kelly’s lungs immediately seized, her stomach muscles tightened and her top lip lifted in an automatic sneer. Spencer quickly averted his eyes. For the rest of the meeting he ignored her, and she ignored him right back.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
As is with most firms, only the senior and managing partners got to sit at the conference table. Kelly and the other junior staff were relegated to standing at the edges of the room. The meeting began with introductions.
“As some of you already know,” Lawrence said, “we have some new blood in our ranks.”
Spencer’s introduction had by far the most fanfare. Lawrence waxed on and on about Spencer’s virtues and qualifications. His over-excitement at Spencer’s arrival in the firm was enough to give Kelly pause, until Casper whispered to her that Lawrence was Spencer’s godfather. Apparently, the older man had raised Spencer after his parents (who were Lawrence’s partners) died.
Thankfully, Kelly’s introduction, along with that of the other new junior associates, was shorter. Lawrence didn’t even mention her stint in jail, but of course a few people immediately recognized her. Admittedly, the hushed whispers and shocked gazes that kept glancing her way during the meeting were uncomfortable, but she was used to it. This was her new reality – being the circus freak that everyone wanted to see.
The meeting lasted for just under an hour. When it ended everyone headed to the elevators to get to their respective floors. As it turned out, Kelly ended up in the same elevator as Spencer. All she could see was the back of his head, but even that was enough to annoy her. A red hot lump of anger built up in her throat and her muscles kept stiffening. How in the world was she supposed to work with this guy when just the back of his head was enough to give her heart palpitations? No, she needed to resign.
When they got to their floor, Spencer strode to his office on the other end of the hallway. Kelly headed straight to her desk, turned on her computer and started to type her resignation letter.
Dear Mr. Spencer Chambers,
Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am leaving my position with Chambers & Quinn by the end of today. Why? You already know why. Explain it to HR.
Sincerely,
Kelly Garner.
After printing out the letter, she strode down the hallway to Spencer’s office.
You can do this, Kelly. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and knocked on his door.
* * * * *
BOXES UPON BOXES of books sat piled up high at the corner of Spencer’s office. Though he’d had a lot of help while moving into his new office, there was no way he was letting anyone else touch his books. Most people would say that he was precious about his books, but none of those people knew just how valuable they were too him. Some of these books were law tomes passed on from his great-grandfather and grandfather. Others were from his parents, and others were collectibles that he’d hunted down on his own.
He tossed his jacket onto the black, plush, leather couch, before striding to the corner to pick up one of the boxes. Dragging in a heavy breath, he hauled the heavy box to the far end of the roomy bookshelf. He opened the box and was just about to grab a book when he heard the knock on the door. His forehead knotted, he turned to face the door.
“Come in,” he called out.
A moment later, the door flew inwards and Kelly walked into his office. The first thought that came to Spencer’s mind was that she was too damn sexy for a woman he was supposed to be keeping away from. Her vivid magenta dress did very little to hide the decidedly curvy body beneath it and was the perfect complement to her dark chocolate skin.
You’re not supposed to be checking her out. Spencer gave himself a mental slap even as his gaze slid up to her face. Brown eyes framed with dark lashes stared at him with resentment. Her eyes were like liquid honey - or at least that’s what had come to his mind when he’d first met her. But by the way they were shooting fire in his direction right now, they resembled that of a sorceress, ready and willing to turn him into ash with a flick of her fingers.
Her voice, when she spoke, was tight with restrained anger. “Was it you?”
“Was it me what?” Spencer countered, his calm tone belying the sudden tightness in his stomach.
Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “Did you tell them to hire me?”
Spencer’s first instinct was to tell her the whole truth. But after one look at her stormy expression and the tightness of her grip on the folded paper she was holding, he changed his mind. Something told him that his answer would only drive her to quit – something she couldn’t afford to do right now. He strode away from the bookcase to settle on the edge of his desk, directly facing her. “No, it’s a coincidence that we both ended up here.”
She glared at him in disbelief. “I don’t believe you.”
He shrugged. “I’m not asking you to.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that your father owned this firm?”
Spencer arched an eyebrow. “When was I supposed to tell you?”
His answer was enough to stump her. He could see the wheels in her brain turning behind those beautiful expressive eyes that were staring at him like he was Darth Vader brought to life. He was startled when she suddenly took a step forward, then another. Was she coming to hit him? Not that he would’ve blamed her. Though he stayed seated on the desk, he steeled himself for the worst. Fortunately, she stopped a few steps from him.
She held out the folded paper she’d been holding in a death grip. “Here.”
He didn’t take it. “What’s that?”
“Read it, you’ll see.” Kelly shook the paper.
Spencer stared at her for a long moment before plucking the document from her fingers. The moment he took it, Kelly turned on her heels and started for the door. One quick scan of the words on the paper and Spencer got the gist of what she was trying to do.
“Kelly!” he barked out sharply just as she turned the doorknob.
Kelly paused and her gaze whirled in his direction. “What?”
“I’m not Human Resources,” Spencer said tightly. This wasn’t how he’d expected this to go. Sure, he wasn’t expecting a thank-you card from her, but quitting Chambers & Quinn in her position was just idiotic. His eyes locked on hers, he added, “And like I said, I didn’t hire you.”
“Oh!” Her top lip lifted in her sneer. “Then just send it to HR or whoever it is that hired me.”
“I’m not your errand boy either.” He held out her resignation letter. “If you want to quit, then you’ll have to hand in your resignation yourself.”
Kelly’s eyes practically crackled as she glared at him. If her eyes could fire lazer beams, he would’ve been toast by now. For a moment he thought she was just going to walk away, but with a kiss of her teeth she started back towards him. When she was just a step or so from him, she tried to grab the letter.
Instead of letting her have it, he held it above his head. “I thought you were better than this.”
If looks could kill, he would’ve been six feet under. The fierce glower she gave him would’ve made a weaker man melt into a puddle.
Ignoring her glare, Spencer continued, “I know we have issues-”
Kelly’s guffaw was as unexpected as it was loud, but there was no amusement in her eyes as she mocked, “Issues?”
“Fine, more than issues.” His eyes met hers. “But this is business. You’re really going to tank your career just because of me?”
His question caught her off-guard, and doubt flashed in her eyes, but in a blink of an eye she was back to angry, resentful Kelly. “Yes.”
With a suddenness that caught him off-guard, she lurched forward and her arm lifted to grab the letter. Instinctively, he curled his arm around her waist. Maybe if he was prepared for her sudden jump, he wouldn’t have done that. Maybe if he hadn’t been admiring her beauty just minutes ago, he would’ve been more careful in his reaction to her jump. Either way, his actions ended up bringing her body flush against his.
The moment her body touched his, immediate heat consumed him. Like a switch, she sent electricity zipping through every nerve in his body. He’d had a few dreams of how it would feel to have Kelly in his arms but nothing could compare to the real thing. She was lush, warm and fit perfectly against him. He could feel everything; those heavy, fleshy breasts pushing against his chest, those thick thighs pressing against his, her v perfectly cradling his groin. His cock swelled in immediate response, seeking what his brain knew he could never have.
“What the-” Kelly’s hands shoved against his chest so hard that had the desk not been behind him he surely would’ve fallen. His arm dropped from her waist and she quickly stepped back. Her eyes spitting fire, she bit out, “What the hell was that?”
“You shouldn’t have jumped at me,” he countered smoothly even as he struggled to keep his gaze from lowering to her heaving breasts.
Kelly’s mouth opened as if she wanted to come back with something snappy, but all she managed was, “Give me the letter.”
He held it out, but when she tried to take it, he pulled his arm back. The scorching look she gave him would’ve boiled water. He said, “It’s not my job to keep you from quitting, but here’s a piece of advice. Learn to separate your personal feelings from your job, otherwise you’ll end up setting your career on fire.”
She raised her chin. “I don’t need your advice.”
“You look like you do.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Only a fool would quit their job without having a plan B.”
“How do you know I don’t have a plan B?”
His eyebrows lifted. “Do you?”
The look in her eyes was answer enough.
“I’m going to hold on to this.” He waved the letter. When she opened her mouth to protest, he quickly cut in, “Just for today. Finish the day, go home, think about this job, your situation and whether you really want to resign just because of me. If you don’t show up for work tomorrow, I’ll hand this over to HR and you can be done with me. If you show up, we’ll forget today ever happened.”
What he really wanted to do was beg her to stay. He wanted to tell her that this was the only way he could think of to make up for ruining her life and by extension her career. Even though he knew that he’d done the best he could to fix his mistake, he couldn’t help feeling guilty every time he thought of Kelly suffering.
Please stay, he mentally begged even as he watched her mull over his proposal. When she didn’t say anything, he prodded, “Deal?”
She didn’t actually say yes or even nod, but the softening in her eyes said that they had a deal. She was staying. For today.