Office Affair

Chapter 2

15 minutes later, Greyson casually leads the way into one of the trendiest restaurants in the city, and the waitress greets him as if he's their best customer. Wow, I can't believe he brought me HERE. Getting a reservation is almost impossible. The waitress takes our orders, and we're left alone.

"Do you bring all your assistants here?"

"No. As I said, I usually dine alone."

"Well, thanks for inviting me. I appreciate you taking time out to get to know me. Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot."

"Perhaps." He smiles, but instead of helping me relax, it only makes me nervous. "So, what made you want to do law?"

"I've always been passionate about pursuing justice. I want to make a difference. I want to change lives."

"You're passionate about this."

"I am."

"Well, we'll see if you have the ability to make it into the big league."

He winks at me and raises a glass. I'm not sure if he's teasing or being encouraging, but it almost makes me blush. "So, umm...I'd love to hear about some of your cases. How did you get to be as successful as you are?"

"My first case threw me into the spotlight a few years ago."

"A case I would have heard of?"

"Do you remember an American supermodel named Heidi Price?"

"Yes, she was America's sweetheart, until her doctor was careless. Wait. Don't tell me you were her attorney?"

"No, I defended her doctor."

I gasp in surprise. "How come?"

"No one with a reputable name wanted to defend him because of who Heidi was. So, the odds were stacked against me, a young, inexperienced, no-name lawyer. But despite all the media raging, justice prevailed. I managed to prove the doctor had no choice but to perform emergency surgery. Had he not cut her scalp, she would've died. His name was cleared of any wrong. And the next day, my name was plastered on the front of newspapers."

"Wow, I had no idea you were involved in that case. I feel privileged to be able to work so closely with you."

"Who said anything about us working...closely?"

"Well, I assume we'll be spending many hours together."

"Look, the real reason I brought you here was to set some boundaries."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know how many cases I've lost?"

"I'm guessing none?"

He nodded. "I don't intend on starting now. Just because you are my new assistant."

The insult is so sudden and unexpected, that I need a moment to react. "Mr. Howard, I would never do anything to get in your way."

"No. You don't understand. You don't need to do anything to distract me."

"What are you implying?"

"We were both in the elevator this morning." I looked at him silently. "Let's just keep things professional, okay? I don't display misconduct in my own workplace."

"Of course, Mr. Howard. The thought never crossed my mind."

That's a lie. He thought to himself. "Good. Now that we've cleared that up, let's finish our food before it gets cold." We do so, but there is an uneasy tension between us.

All of his moves are fully measured. Concentrating on his lunch to avoid eye contact with me. Repositioning his chair when our knees accidentally touched. "We should go. Our hour's almost up." We head back to the office in complete silence. I flop back down at my desk and hopelessly return to my paperwork.

It's impossible to focus, knowing an attractive man is sitting on the other side of the door. Minutes turned into hours, but it feels as if time is standing still. This is NOT what I was thinking my first day would be like. 30 minutes later, I'm lost in depth of old legal files, when I hear the door open. I raise my eyebrows to see a beautiful woman. "Hi, can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Greyson."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No."

"He isn't available today, unless by appointment. "My name should be logged in the system. It's Mia Brown."

"Nope, there's nothing here."

"You're being very unhelpful. Greyson won't be pleased when he finds out his new secretary won't allow his girlfriend to visit."

"You're his girlfriend?"

"That's correct. Look, just tell him I'm here. Also, I don't like waiting Ms... What's your name?"

"Jocelyn Brooks." She nodded. I already hate my job 6 hours in... I exhale and go to see Greyson. "I'm sorry to have to interrupt you, but..." He looked at her with irritation and said, "Did a high-profile client call?"

"No."

"Is the building burning down?"

"No."

"Then you didn't have to come in here and interrupt. What could be so pressing that would cause you to be incapable of following simple rules?"

"Your girlfriend is here, and I guess she doesn't like waiting."

"My girlfriend? What's her name? Diane? Jenny? Mia?"

"What? How many girlfriends do you have?"