If someone would have told me that watching Landon West in action would have been some sort of sexy aphrodisiac…actually, I probably would have believed them. Landon makes everything look sexy. Despite the fact that I was furiously scribbling down notes, I couldn’t ignore the way my skin heated up every time he objected to something the opposing counsel said. Every time he made a point that left the other side scrambling in defense, I squeezed my legs together tighter. He’s a brilliant lawyer, with a level of charisma that can’t be taught. It’s innate and all one can do is hope that by proxy the skills will rub off on them.
Now I’m thinking about him rubbing off on me.
Rubbing on me.
I cough back the tension bubbling up in my throat and I’m grateful that he’s been on the phone since we emerged from the courtroom because the way I’m feeling, I might ask him to touch me right here in the middle of the hallway. To kiss me like he did last night.
So, not only am I attracted to him physically, but now I am attracted to him mentally, too.
I am so screwed.
Yes, screwed, Serena. As in let him screw you.
“What did you think?” His words interrupt my train of thought. Our eyes meet and the crooked smile I’ve come to love spreads across his face.
“It was so exhilarating.” The words leave my mouth in a gush. “You were fantastic!” I hadn’t meant to sound like a fangirl mooning over a rockstar but the way he looks at me in shock, it’s safe to say he appreciates my praise. “Thank you for letting me tag along.” I hold my memo pad—with all the notes I took— close to my chest as we make our way through the empty hallway.
His hand skates over my shoulders, finding my lower back and I shiver at his touch. It stops me in my tracks and he follows suit, leaving us in the middle of the hallway. He moves closer to me, close enough to remind me of his cologne and the fact that he is currently chewing spearmint gum; it makes me weak in the knees. “You are most welcome, sweetheart. I’m glad I could be there for your first time.” His term of endearment warms my bones as well as other parts of me.
“I took so many notes.” I push my glasses further on my nose and tuck a hair behind my ear. “Do…do you want to see? I’m sure you’ve already thought of everything, but there was one card I feel like you could have played.” I fiddle with the notepad in my hand, suddenly feel stupid. He’s a smart, cunning lawyer, what could I possibly add that he hasn’t even thought of? “I…sorry.” I look down, regretting my words instantly when he raises my chin to look at him.
“Why are you sorry? I’d love to see what you wrote down. Good lawyers talk a lot, great lawyers listen. Remember that, Serena.” He winks.
I nod, soaking in all the advice that this man can give. We walk towards the exit and I feel like I’m floating on a cloud, when I’m suddenly brought back to Earth at the sound of my name being called.
I spin when I hear the familiar voice. “Dad! You’re not going to believe—” I start when I notice the frown on his face as he gets closer.
“Serena, what are you doing here?” My father rarely gets angry. Irritated or frustrated, yes, but it takes a lot for him to get truly angry, and rarely has it ever been towards me. But seeing the look in his eye, I can sense his anger flowing out of him in waves. His tie is loose around his neck and his jacket is slung over his arm. His hair is slightly disheveled like he’d run his hands through it several times and his eyes look tired behind his glasses.
“I…Lan— Mr. West brought me,” I stammer.
His eyes dart to the man next to me, and I wonder if he notices my slip of almost calling him by his first name. He told you to call him Landon in front of your father. Relax, Serena. Your father doesn’t know you kissed him. He doesn’t know you’re hanging out with him tonight.
“If I thought you were ready, I would have brought you myself, Serena.”
“There’s nothing to be “ready” for,” Landon interrupts. “She’s an intern it’s not like she needs to make closing remarks, P. Lighten up.” He chuckles, but I hear his defensiveness and, for a moment, I let myself dwell in that.
“You throw your interns in the deep end without so much as a life raft. I’m not about to let you do the same with Serena. She’s not ready,” He barks at Landon.
“She’s right here.” I perk up as I point at myself. “And Dad…”
“Serena, wait outside.” He gestures towards the mahogany polished door.
“Wait. What?” Is he…dismissing me?
“I said: Wait. Outside. I’m heading back to the office, you can ride with me.” I frown, hating this chastising tone he’s using. I chance a glance at Landon, but he gives nothing away as I make my way outside. I briefly think about calling Skyler to rant, but Skyler and my dad share a bond I don’t quite understand.
You understand it quite perfectly, she’s his favorite.
I take a deep breath trying to ignore the embarrassment that threatens to come out in the form of tears when my dad’s voice interrupts me. “He’s not your friend, Serena. It’s not appropriate for you to just go off with random men.”
His words are like a punch in the gut and I feel like the air slowly leaves my lungs. ‘He’s not your friend, Serena.’ “He’s not exactly random, Dad. I need material for my paper, and I wasn’t getting any sitting in your office like I have been all week.”
“You’re not interning for him, Serena.” He runs a hand through his hair and I can already hear the implication.
“So, it wasn’t that I came to court without you, but that I came with Mr. West?” Maybe, just maybe he had more faith in me than I thought. Maybe it wasn’t about wanting to keep me out of the courtroom. But just getting caught up in the charm that was Landon West.
“It’s both. You weren’t ready. You still have so much to learn. And as I told you, they were both closed hearings.”
“Which is fine, but his hearing wasn’t. How am I going to learn if I don’t experience anything?” I cross my arms, suddenly feeling emboldened to speak my mind. My dad has such little faith in me. He believes I’m this naive, sensitive, innocent wallflower that needs shelter from everything.
And maybe I am.
But now I was ready to bloom and Landon is like the sun. He was those forces of nature that I needed to blossom.
“Just promise you’ll stay away from Landon. I know he’s charming and his cases are sexy and intriguing,” yeah, dad, his cases, I think, “but he’s not…he’s not a good guy.”
I frown. He’s always spoken so highly of Landon. Where is this coming from? “He’s your friend.”
“Which is why I know how he can be. He draws you in and then just…spits you out. I’ve seen what he’s done to…people. I don’t want him to have the opportunity to hurt you in any capacity.”
“Dad…” I start. “He just wanted me to see some action. I was bored sitting in your office.” I shake my head. “It’s not a big deal.”
He huffs and pinches the bridge of his nose, clearly over this conversation. “Let’s go, Serena.” He walks towards the adjacent garage, and I reluctantly begin to follow when something in my periphery catches my attention. Landon is standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall with a worried look on his face. He taps his phone, signaling me to check mine. I reach into my purse to retrieve it as I continue to trail after my father
LW: Did he give you a hard time? I told him it was my idea to bring you.
Me: It’s fine. Did he give YOU a hard time?
LW: I can handle your father, Serena. Tell me, what did he say?
I don’t respond because I’m not sure what’s worse; disclosing what my father alluded to about Landon or his lack of faith in his daughter.
My room looks like a tornado hit. Clothes are strewn over every surface and every pair of shoes I own is outside the boxes I store them in. My bathroom is just as chaotic; curling wands and flat irons sit on my sink while thirty different shades of lipsticks line my counter.
“You’re not helping, Zoey. How about this one?” I stand in front of my computer as I skype with my best friend, holding a dress up over my half-naked body. Zoey and I have known each other practically since birth, and she also went to UConn. She’d been royally pissed to learn that I would be living at home and not with her in the dorms or even once she moved off campus because, as she eloquently put it, I could not lose my virginity while living at Viv and P’s. Although, she used more colorful language. But even with me living at home, Zoey and I have still remained close despite the fact that we are complete opposites.
“I didn’t say I was going to help.” She takes a sip of a glass of rosé next to the computer and tucks a blonde strand behind her ear. “I said I would give you a pep talk for your big night. Who gives a shit what you wear, you could wear a trench coat and a smile for God’s sakes. He’s going to rip it off of you when you walk in, right? Did you wax?”
“I… shaved.”
“Not my first choice but whatever. As long as you’re groomed.” She takes another sip of her drink. “Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m nervous.” I sink into my chair and drop my head to the desk. “I’m not ready for this.”
“Yes, you are! He’s hot as fuck, Rena. You should go for it. You almost banged him in your car the other night. You want this.”
“I did not almost bang him.”
She blinks her eyes at me a few times as if she doesn’t understand what I’m saying. “Okay, Rena. Look, everything is going to be fine. Don’t do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. But…if you want to…go for it. You’re calling the shots here, alright?” She cocks her head to the side and gives me a smile. “You’ve always gone after what you want. This is no different.”
I take a deep breath, letting her words wash over me. I nod before holding the dress I was previously holding in front of the computer. “I don’t know what to wear.”
She sighs and lets her head fall back with a loud groan. “I already said this isn’t my lane.”
“What good are you? You’re supposed to be my best friend.”
“I would wear soccer shorts and a t-shirt. I already told you, I’m not the one to ask.” She points at the screen towards me. “Your hair looks good.”
I look at my hair that I haven’t touched since I got out of the shower. “Are you serious?”
“What! Less is more, Rena. He’s an adult. Like a real adult. You don’t have to do…” she points at the screen, “all that.”
“Fine. Should I forego underwear?” I ask.
“Now we’re talkin’!” she cheers as she holds her glass up to toast me.
Despite Zoey’s ‘do less everything is going to be fine,’ advice, I’m still nervous. Beyond nervous.
I’m walking up to Landon’s house with a bottle of wine, in a sweater dress over a pair of leggings and ballet flats. I thought about baking him something, but given that I spent most of the evening trying to find what to wear and removing every stray hair from my body, I figured wine would suffice. I’m halfway up the path when his door flies open and he’s walking towards me. His hair is slightly wet, like he’s recently showered, and he’s wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt that shows off his glorious muscles. I’m used to seeing him in a suit, so seeing him severely dressed down is making my mouth water.
I lick my lips, as my eyes skate over his crotch and on cue, I see something rise underneath the gray pants. “Hi.” I smile as I hand him a bottle of wine. “I brought wine.”
“You didn’t have to bring anything.” He leans down and presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth and the smell of soap, clean laundry, and man floods my senses, and I’ve instantly learned what my favorite smell in the world is. “Come in, I have something in the oven that needs to come out.”
I stop in my tracks and my eyes widen. “You cooked?”
He stops walking and turns to looks at me and then at his watch. “It’s eight. Of course, I cooked. We weren’t going out, and this is a date, is it not?”
A date! “Well, we hadn’t…I mean, I just…” I thought I was only coming over for sex…not food. “Right, yes.”
He grabs my hand interlacing our fingers and runs his lips over them. I almost combust, dying for another taste of his lips on mine as he leads me into his townhouse.
Although this space is supposedly only temporary, it is well furnished and appears to be well lived in. Pictures of him and his son line the walls of the foyer and the kitchen and living areas are fully furnished. A fire roars in the fireplace in the corner of the living room and I hear the sounds of what I believe to be Frank Sinatra playing quietly. This man is good.
“Wine?” he asks. I take a seat at the kitchen table, feeling so out of my element I’m sure that the ability to sit upright will leave me at any moment.
“Okay. Do you need any help?” I ask. Cooking I can do. Cooking is easy. It is this that is hard.
“Nope, all done.”
“You did this by yourself?” I crane my neck to see what he pulls out of the oven and I’m shocked to see a baked ziti. “You made something Italian?”
“Don’t look so surprised, Bambi. I’m a man of many talents.” He winks. “Your mom gave Jana the recipe a few years back…” He shrugs. “I like it.” Hearing his ex’s name fall from his lips sends a surge of jealousy through me that I don’t expect. Calm down, Serena.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “You think I’ll like it?”
“I’m sure of it.” He sits next to me as he lets the food cool and pours us both a glass of wine. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” I fiddle with my glasses nervously as I wait for him to make a move. A move I know is coming. He strokes my cheek gently and leans in. I expect him to plant his lips on mine, but he just rubs his nose against mine and presses a kiss to my cheek. I let out a sigh when he gets up again.
“Your dad had quite a lot to say earlier.”
“What did he say to you?” I ask, the sweet moment forgotten as my curiosity gets the best of me.
“He asked me to stay away from you. Says I’m a bad influence.”
“Whatever could make him say that?” I roll my eyes and giggle, and he shoots me a pointed glare.
“What does that mean?”
I gulp and stare at the glass of red wine that I’d only had a few sips of. Shit, I’m already feeling it? “I…I don’t know.”
“Sure, you do.” He raises an eyebrow at me and I raise one back.
“Landon, just because I don’t believe the rumors necessarily doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
“And if I said the rumors were true?”
I shrug. “It’s your business.” I look up at him and give him a small smile. “I don’t think any less of you.”
He prepare our plates and sets one in front of me before taking a seat to my right. “You’re not like most girls.”
“I know.” I look down at my food, unsure of what his exact intentions are behind that comment.
“Serena look at me.” I do as he says and meet his eyes. “Baby, that’s a good thing.”
We fall into a comfortable conversation, talking about everything and nothing while we eat my mother’s baked ziti. I help him clean the kitchen before he pulls me into the living room and we settle in front of the fireplace. Okay, this is it, Serena. Be calm. You can do this. You remember how good he felt. Our backs are against the couch, our legs intertwined and that familiar feeling takes over my body. Because I’m on my second glass of wine and feeling bold, I broach the subject I probably shouldn’t.
“Can I ask what happened? With…ummm…Jana?”
He stares at the fire for a second before turning to me, a cold look in his eye that I know isn’t meant for me. “Can I not answer?”
“You don’t have to. There’s just a few different versions of what happened floating around the office.” I take a tentative sip. “I was just wondering.”
“A lot of office gossip about me, huh?”
“You give people something to talk about. My father certainly doesn’t. And Frank is kind of boring.”
“Jana isn’t worth our time.” He nuzzles my cheek. “I want to know about you.”
“There’s not much to know about me.”
“I think that’s false.”
I change the subject again. I don’t want to talk about me. “What about your son? How is he doing…all things considering?”
He narrows his eyes at me before turning towards the fire. “Griff is…” he takes a long sip of his wine, “he hates me.”
“I find that hard to believe…” I whisper when he doesn’t say anything for a few moments.
“No, he does. He blames me for everything. The divorce. His DUI.”
“That’s stupid. You didn’t make him drive under the influence. I’m sure you would have gone to pick him up wherever he was.”
“In a heartbeat.” He pulls my glass of wine from me. “And if you’re going to keep drinking, I’m not going to let you drive either, young lady.”
“I’ve only had two glasses!”
“And you’re this tiny.” He holds up his pinky finger and shakes his head. “I’ll take you home later when you’re ready to go.”
“But then my car will still be here.”
“I’ll take you home in your car, and then take an Uber back.”
“You said Ubers were for drunk kids or…whatever.”
“For you, I’ll make an exception.” He taps my nose with his index finger and I giggle.
“Well maybe…” I trail off. “Maybe I can stay here and leave in the morning?” My sex thumps in response and I take a sip of my wine to try and calm my nerves.
“I’d love for you to stay…if you want.” Was Landon West…nervous? The look in his eyes makes me believe he’s never been in this position before, and he is also out of his depth.
“I want.”