by Bay, Louise
I ticked the last one off the list and went to find Violet. I needed to rip the plaster off, tell her straight that nothing more should happen between us and that we should keep our relationship purely professional. Better sooner rather than later.
I swung the door open and headed right toward the clerks’ room, nearly walking right into Violet.
“Vi—Miss King.”
She dipped her head and moved to the side, trying to pass me.
“Actually, I was coming to find you.” I held up the spreadsheet by way of explanation.
“Oh,” she said, scanning it. “You looked at it?” Was she not meeting my eye on purpose or was she really just enthralled by paperwork?
“I did. Can I have a word in my office?”
She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Okay,” she said.
I turned and opened the door.
“Close the door behind you, will you?”
The door clicked behind me as I headed to my desk. When I turned, Violet was still by the door.
“I think it’s best if I stay here.”
I rolled my eyes and sat on the corner of my desk. I might want her to keep her distance, but she didn’t need to act as if I were toxic waste. Jesus, this woman did nothing to flatter a man’s ego.
“I just wanted to give you your spreadsheet and suggest—”
She put her hand up to silence me. “I just want to keep things professional,” she said. “You over there. Me over here. The less we see each other the better. You can just email me if you need anything. Professionally, that is.” Her eyes trailed over the room, fixating on anything that wasn’t me. “As your assistant.”
This wasn’t how I’d seen this conversation going. I’d expected to have to explain myself, convince her that we needed distance.
“I agree,” I said, standing and thrusting my hands into my pockets. “We’re colleagues. I don’t think we should be blurring any lines.”
She looked at me for the first time since she’d come into my office. “Oh.” She nodded. “Good. Just what I was thinking.”
“I’m glad we’re agreed,” I said, not being able to stop a grin from tugging at the corners of my mouth. She’d clearly been expecting me to protest. I imagined most men did when she turned them down. Thank God she’d made this easy for me, for us both. We could be adults and now go about our jobs like nothing had ever happened between us.
“I’ll come and collect files when you’re in court or at lunch.”
I nodded. “Sounds sensible.”
“Any questions I might have, I’ll email you or leave a note in your office.”
“That’s fine.” She really did want to keep away from me and, despite me wanting the same just a few minutes ago, her need to keep away intrigued me. Did she find me so irresistible that she couldn’t trust herself to be around me? That was exactly how I felt about her.
“Good,” she said.
“Excellent,” I replied.
As she looked at me with those blue eyes and blinked slowly and deliberately, I wanted to unbutton her blouse and feast on her breasts. To shove my hand up her skirt and feel her silky pussy just one last time. She inspired a primal urge in me that I’d never felt before.
What was I thinking? She must be wielding witchcraft. There was no other explanation. Women didn’t get under my skin like this, didn’t ever hold my attention like Violet did. I cleared my throat and held out her spreadsheet. “So, if you’d close the door on your way out.”
She stepped forward tentatively and reached for the spreadsheet. “Thank you,” she said, our fingers touching. Her touch magnified my need for her, the desire to pull her toward me. I resisted, stepped back and watched as she turned away, a crease between her eyes as if she were thoroughly confused.
I looked up as the brass handle of the door squeaked. She glanced over her shoulder. “Goodbye, Alexander.”
“Goodbye, Violet.”
I turned back to my laptop. Back to my work—something I could easily navigate, the part of my life I knew I was good at.
Chapter Thirteen
Violet
“You’re welcome to any of these, really,” Darcy said as I sat cross-legged on the floor at the foot of her huge four-poster bed, facing into her closet.
I winced at the scrape of the hangers against the rail. Darcy was going through her closet looking for dresses I could borrow to wear to the awards ceremony.
“But which one do you like the least?” I asked.
“They’re dresses, not ex-boyfriends,” she said. “Take whatever you like.” She snatched a hanger off the rail and spun, holding the plastic-covered dress in front of her. “This color would look beautiful on you.”
“Purple?”
“It has a diamante belt. It’s so pretty.” She unzipped the bag and pulled out a fountain of purple-blue chiffon. “It’s cornflower blue.”
I leaned forward to grab some of the vast amounts of material. “It feels expensive—it’s way too nice for me to borrow.”
“Don’t be so ridiculous. Try it on.”
I stood, deliciously tempted by the fairytale dress but unable to escape the feeling I’d never pull it off.
“Come on. Strip and take off your bra. It’s one-shouldered.”
Darcy looked at me expectantly and I began to undress. “So, how’s the man situation?” she asked, her eyes dancing as she spoke.
I still hadn’t told her about Alexander. “No situation,” I said simply, peeling off my jeans.
“Surely another whole week hasn’t gone by without you having a man under your spell?” Darcy handed me the dress and I stepped into it. The chiffon floated against my skin like a thousand kisses. I shivered.
“Wow. That looks amazing on you.” She fiddled with the material at my shoulder. “The shoulder kind of acts like a train or a scarf,” she said as the material of the sleeve floated behind me. On the hanger the bodice had looked like it was just loose material but it fit snuggly around my ribcage, draping across my body in a close fit.
“It’s too beautiful,” I said, looking down. “I can’t possibly borrow this.”
“Of course it’s beautiful; it’s Elie Saab, and you must borrow it. Take a look in that mirror.” She pointed at the full-length mirror on the other side of the room. “You look amazing.”
I stood on my tiptoes to avoid trailing the skirt across the floor. “Oh wow, it has a slit,” I said as the fabric parted, revealing my leg almost up to my hip.
“Just on one side,” Darcy replied. “With your legs, it’s the perfect dress for you.”
I stood in front of the mirror—I looked so different. And I wasn’t sure it was just the dress. Things were different in London. I was different in London. The bravado I normally wore as a shield had been replaced with a genuine eagerness to learn and experience new things.
“If you’ve not found yourself some guy in London yet, you will in this dress,” she said, grinning at me.
I’d never worn anything so beautiful and certainly nothing as expensive. I turned to the side. My waist looked half the size it really was, and the sweep of the fabric over my hips made me feel like I’d just stepped off the set of High Society. For a second, I imagined Alexander’s face as he spotted me—that reluctant grin he had made me want to curl my hand around his neck and kiss him. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thought.
“Maybe,” I said. There was no way I was going to be able to wear anything but this dress now. I’d fallen in love with it. But I wasn’t so worried about finding a guy. I was just enjoying my life here in London.
“I’m glad you’re going out, finally. You don’t seem to be out as much as you are in New York. Are you sure you’re having fun?”
In New York I went out as often as my tips would allow. Of course, I had fewer friends in London. I’d been asked to go to the pub a couple of times by the admin staff or the clerks, but I’d always found an excuse. For some reason, I didn’t want to drink and flirt my
evenings away. In London I looked forward to going to work in the morning instead of cursing each step I made on my way to the restaurant. I reveled in nights alone at home instead of finding random colleagues to go out drinking and hunting for boys with.
“I am having a lot of fun. It’s just not my usual fun.” It was the first time in a long time I’d felt as if I were in the right place. In New York, I’d worked so hard at living in the moment, not worrying about what was farther down the track, that I’d failed to make sure the moment was worth staying in. I’d just assumed that working toward something in the future was a waste of where you were, but I wasn’t so sure anymore—in chambers I was surrounded by people working hard toward the future and it didn’t seem so scary. I was beginning to see that maybe things could be different for me—I didn’t have to be weighed down by my past. I could choose a new path.
“I’m so pleased that you are. It’s so nice having you just down the road.” Darcy and I stared into the mirror at my reflection.
“And you’re sure you don’t mind me borrowing it?”
“I insist you do. Now what about shoes? What size are you? Oh, and a bag!”
Darcy was possibly one of the most generous people I’d ever met.
We wandered back into her closet. “Try these,” she said, handing me some silver, strappy heels.
“I can’t. They’re way too high.”
“They look perfect with that dress, and you have a few days to practice. Wear socks at first to stop yourself from getting blisters.” Darcy was clearly used to this world of fancy parties and London events, but I wasn’t. I’d watched Scarlett get ready for these things a million times, but I’d never thought I’d ever want to attend one, let alone be a little excited about it. Which I was. Being in London, I felt freer than I could remember ever feeling. I’d never felt trapped in New York, but looking back, I had been. I might have worked in a hundred different restaurants with a thousand different people, but my days had all been the same. I’d been constrained in a way I wasn’t here. In New York, my past trailed along behind me and it felt as though everyone kept glancing at it over my shoulder, reminding me it was still there. Here no one knew me.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Darcy.”
“I told you, it’s no big deal. I’m pleased it’s being worn—it’s too pretty to keep in a cupboard.”
“I don’t just mean the dress. Thank you for suggesting I come to London, for letting me stay in this house. I can’t tell you how much better I feel.”
She grinned. “I’m happy you’re happy. All we need is for you to find a knight in shining armor to rescue you and everything will be perfect.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need rescuing.” I meant it. I always meant it when I said I didn’t need a man, but normally I was fucking some random guy I knew would last no more than a month before I got bored with him. Now I wasn’t fucking anyone and I was okay with that. I was more than okay with that. London was changing me.
Chapter Fourteen
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?
