by M. S. Parker
After giving the cabbie directions to my apartment building, I let my thoughts go where they wanted. I couldn’t get the exhilarating incident out of my mind. I wished that Gavin had somehow said goodbye before he left. But maybe that had been difficult for him because his boss was with him. No matter what, there had been something mysterious and exciting about Gavin that was hard to pinpoint.
I sank down deeper in my seat and imagined his breathtaking eyes staring right at me. Had it been foolish of me to give Leslie his number? How would I know if he was interested unless I took a risk? I was willing to bet that Leslie would take that risk, though with her looks and curves, it wasn’t much of a risk. Guys never turned her down, even guys as gorgeous as Gavin.
New York was a big city with over eight million people. Even if we both lived here for the rest of our lives, it would be unlikely for us to ever run across each other’s path again. Unless, of course, we both one day happened to be back at Huggins Bar and Grill for yet another happy hour. I made a mental note to come back next Friday. Just in case.
Chapter 2
As long as I could remember, I’d wanted to be an attorney of law and, finally, at age twenty-four, I was close to my goal. For almost a year now I had been working as a paralegal in the Law Office of Webster and Steinberg while finishing up my last year in law school. I needed the income to help pay for the tuition. Unlike many of my fellow students, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon, and scholarships only went so far. Now that I was close to graduating – hopefully by the end of the semester – it also likely meant I’d be saying goodbye to the firm, unless they decided to offer me a position.
I’d enjoyed working at Webster and Steinberg. The office had old-world charm with oak panels, dark colors and a scent of musk and leather that filled the offices and hallways. My boss, Mimi Styles, was a brilliant divorce lawyer, and I was assigned as her personal file clerk and paralegal. I liked my job, even though it was mostly repetitious secretary work such as sorting case files, but once in a while I was asked to help with case research. Despite the fact that working as a paralegal was nowhere as exciting as what was seen in popular TV shows, it did give me the opportunity to study and experience the job as an attorney in real life, instead of just learning theory from the books. Maybe the added experience would put me at the front of the line when it was time to approach a firm to apply for a position as an attorney.
“Carrie, where are the notes for the Howard Weiss case?” Mimi stood in front of my desk looking completely desperate.
“They’re almost ready, Ms. Styles.”
“Well, please hurry. The meeting starts in less than an hour and I want to go over the case once more before it starts.”
“Absolutely. I’ll bring them to your office in ten minutes,” I said, trying to hide my panic at being behind schedule.
I knew that the meeting was very important to Mimi, as it was the introductory meeting with a new and very powerful client, Howard Weiss. He was a true real estate mogul, but not just any real estate mogul. In fact, he owned some of the biggest office buildings in Manhattan, and had a net worth in the billions. He was also about to become single. The reason he was coming here today was to discuss his upcoming divorce. If Mimi got this case, it would be huge for the firm.
This morning had not started out well at all, much too hectic for my liking. First, I’d overslept. I had worked on my college paper until three in the morning, and then my alarm hadn’t gone off. A short power shutdown in the building had reset the clock sitting on the bedside table next to my bed, and of course, I hadn’t used my phone, even though I’d constantly told myself that it was smarter to have two alarms rather than just one. So instead of my usual eight-thirty arrival at the office, I had run in to work all flustered, ninety minutes late, which was not at all like me. I prided myself on always being very punctual, almost to a point where my coworkers could set their watches after my arrival.
I was able to finish the notes, collect all the research and organize it rather quickly. There were definitely some benefits to being organized, and I was smiling as I walked into Mimi’s office and handed her the file.
“Thanks, Carrie,” Mimi said with a sigh of relief. “Listen, I need you in the meeting taking notes, so don’t go too far, okay?”
“No problem. Actually, I’ll go get the conference room ready now,” I replied, eager to make up for being late.
I stepped into the large conference room and started preparing for the meeting. As I placed notepads and pens in front of each seat and set the table with coffee cups along with little plates for the butter cookies, my mind drifted back to last weekend. Krissy had been harassing me nonstop for refusing to go with her to a club for the third weekend in a row.
“You are becoming like a Mormon,” she had said mockingly. “You need to relax and get your mind off those stupid books once in a while.”
I knew she was right, but every time I’d tried taking a break from studying I felt guilty. I was the first in my family to ever finish college, so the pressure was in the back of my mind all the time. In reality, I doubted anyone would notice if I got an A- instead of an A+ on a test, but my personality was the type that insisted on giving a hundred and ten percent, nothing less.
I finished setting up for the meeting just as Mimi entered the room. Usually, she was the calmest person I knew, but today she was all over the place.
“How do I look?” Mimi asked and looked straight at me.
Surprised by her unusual question, I was dumbfounded for a second. “You look great,” I finally replied, thankful that it was the truth.
Mimi actually looked better than usual. Her outfit was sexier than her standard skirt or pants suit, and she was wearing more makeup. “Thanks. I can’t believe I’m actually a little nervous about this meeting. Oh well, I’m sure it will be fine.”
There was a knock on the door, and Mimi’s secretary, Elise, entered the room. “Howard Weiss is here,” she announced.
I was busy shuffling through the file, so I didn’t look up when Mr. Weiss entered and said in a deep voice, “Good to see you again, Ms. Styles. This is my friend and consultant, Gavin Manning.”
The mention of the name Gavin made me stop everything I was doing. It was as if an electric shock had just gone through my body, and when I looked up I was staring directly into the same deep blue eyes that I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind. He didn’t seem as surprised to see me as I was seeing him, but he remained quiet. I assumed that he didn’t want anyone to know that we had already met before. Explaining how we’d met would be a bit embarrassing, and I appreciated the discretion.
“Good to meet you, Mr. Manning,” Mimi said. “This is Carrie Summers, my paralegal. Please sit down and let’s get started.”
My mind was running like wildfire. I couldn’t believe that Gavin Manning was here. And to make matters even more bizarre, Howard Weiss was the same guy who had been in a deep conversation with Gavin at the bar.
Was it a coincidence? It had to be, right?
I quickly gathered myself, and as the meeting went along, I did everything I could to avoid eye contact with Gavin, focusing on jotting down notes from what was discussed. Instead of giving in to my desire to look at him, I turned my attention to his boss and, hopefully our future client, Howard Weiss.
He was an impressive figure. Tall and in great shape for a man in his forties. Up close, he was even more handsome than I remembered from the bar. He reminded me of a strong, old-fashioned leading man straight out of a classic movie. It was obvious that Mimi was affected by him. She acted very different from her usual demeanor. Could it be that she was nervous about representing such a powerful client, or was there a more passionate reason? I was betting on the latter and permitted myself a small smile. Good for her.
After almost an hour, the meeting was coming to an end, and as soon as Howard Weiss and Gavin had left the conference room, I quickly gathered the notes. Before leaving, I turned to Mimi to ask her the one
question that had been pressing on my mind ever since Gavin had entered the room.
“Ms. Styles, sorry for asking, but how did this meeting come about? Did you know Howard Weiss from anywhere?”
“Funny you should ask,” she said. “I have no idea how he found me, but I’m glad he did. Seriously, this could be the biggest case of my life.”
“It’s pretty amazing. When did he set it up?” I hoped I sounded more casual to her than I did to myself.
Mimi shuffled the pages in her calendar. “Hm…it was booked Monday. His secretary called and arranged it. Why?”
“It’s just…I’ve seen both of them before. Last Friday at Huggins Bar and Grill, at the happy hour. I even talked to Gavin for a brief moment, but I never mentioned where I worked. I hope it’s not—”
“Oh. I’m sure that’s a coincidence, Carrie,” she interrupted. She gave me a sharp look. “Tell me this isn’t going to affect your ability to help me with this. Because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting this case.” Her mouth spread into a thin-lipped smile.
“No, of course not,” I said firmly. “Nothing happened between us, and I’m committed one hundred percent to you and this case. Always, Ms. Styles.”
“Wonderful.” The smile widened and warmed. “I’m glad you’re here to help. One day, you’ll become an excellent attorney, Carrie.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I’m just grateful to be here.”
I left the room with my papers in hand and walked towards my desk, ready to start putting the notes together into a presentable format. To my surprise, I saw someone waiting for me.
“How did you know this was my desk?” I asked as my eyes met Gavin’s and a shiver ran through me.
“The lovely lady over there told me,” he said, pointing towards Leslie, who was following the conversation from her cubicle.
She raised her eyebrows at me, her eyes darting to Gavin and back again.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I murmured. I glared at her and she grinned. I turned my attention to Gavin. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m helping out my friend Howard, obv—”
“No, I mean, why are you standing here in front of my desk waiting for me?”
Gavin smiled. “I came here to collect.”
“Collect what?” I was puzzled for a moment, then I remembered. “Oh, I get it. You want your favor.”
“Exactly,” he chuckled. “How about going out for lunch with me and we’ll call it even?”
As he stood there with a cocky smile, I couldn’t quite figure out if he was coming on to me or if this was part of a game for him. Usually, I was good at reading people. Gavin, however, threw me.
“I had a feeling that I’d regret that promise.” I sighed. Might as well bite the bullet and get this over with. “All right, let’s do it. So where are you taking me? I only get an hour for lunch.”
“I know just the place. Are you ready now?”
“I need to file this, so give me ten minutes and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Wonderful. See you in a bit.”
As I walked towards the file room, my mind was running wild with questions. It had to be a coincidence, right? I mean, how could he have known where I worked? He didn’t know anything about me. Not really. And stranger things had happened. I couldn’t think of any off the top of my head, but I was sure that they had.
It only took me a few minutes to file the notes but, not wanting to seem too eager, I waited a little over ten minutes before leaving. As I rode down in the stainless steel elevator to meet Gavin, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I glanced at my reflection. My hair was a mess, my face flushed. I seriously needed to pull myself together.
As an aspiring attorney, I was supposed to be calm and collected. Not acting like a high school girl about to go on my first date. I smoothed down my hair, and I felt the elevator slowly brake down to a stop. Hopefully, the color would fade from my cheeks quickly.
As I exited the elevator, I spotted him right away. He was waiting for me in the lavish high-tech lobby of the Goethe House building where the Webster and Steinberg office was located.
Now I was actually glad that I’d been late this morning. In my hurry getting ready, I had picked the first thing in my closet, which just happened to be my beige dot-laced Kensie skirt with a black top instead of my usual long pants suit. Paired with a set of Jennifer Lopez heels, the miniskirt made my legs look longer than they were and the top showed off my curves perfectly.
I appreciated that when I noticed the beginning of a smile tipping the corners of Gavin’s mouth as he watched me walk towards him.
“I wasn’t sure you were still coming.”
“I’m sorry for the wait. I had to double-check the notes from the meeting. I’m meticulous like that,” I said.
“Well, as long as you will still allow me to entertain you for a full hour, you’re forgiven.” He turned up his smile a notch and offered me his hand. “Let’s officially meet. My name is Gavin Manning.”
I shook his hand in a businesslike manner. “I know. I’m Carrie Summers.” His smile was infectious. I couldn’t help but smile back at him.
Damn, he was sexy.
As we were no longer in the meeting, I gave in to my previous desire to give him a thorough look. He was wearing a well-fitted gray shirt with collar, and dark tight jeans that didn’t leave much to the imagination, tucked into a pair of black Calvin Klein boots; I could only imagine how hot he would be, naked, on top of my bed. Even when standing in front of me now, fully clothed, he was sexier than any other man I had ever met.
I had to do something to keep myself from voicing my admiration. “So tell me, why are you taking me out for lunch, and how did you end up in my office? Was it a coincidence, or are you stalking me?” I looked up to meet his gaze as we walked towards Stella’s, a nice New York deli two blocks down the street from my office. He was taller than I remembered. Even with me in high heels, he was towering over me by a head. He laid his arm over my shoulders in a gesture that seemed natural, almost casual.
“You don’t hold back the questions, do you?” he chuckled, seemingly unaware that his touch had sent my heart into palpitations.
“Well, I am studying to be an attorney. Asking questions is part of the job description,” I replied while removing his arm. His touch made it hard to think straight.
“An attorney? Impressive.” He nodded. “It’ll suit you well. I can already tell you’ll be a sharp and dangerous opponent in a trial court.”
“Will you stop avoiding the questions, Mr. Manning, and just answer me, please.” I exaggerated the tone of my voice as if I were interrogating him in a courtroom.
“All in good time, Ms. Summers.” He laughed again. “But now that you are pressing so hard, I do have a confession to make. Ever since I met you last week, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. You never called me back,” he said in a sad voice. “I was very disappointed.”
“I never thought you wanted me to call. After all, I assumed you were just being polite and helping out a ‘damsel in distress,’” I countered, using his own words against him.
“Hmm…I did say the damsel in distress line, didn’t I?” He gave me a charmingly sheepish grin. “Can you believe what I dork I am? Dishing out clichés like that?”
I tugged the hair behind my ear. “I actually thought it was kind of sweet. A little lame perhaps, but also sweet. But you still haven’t answered how you ended up at my job. At least tell me that much.” I was so caught up in our conversation that I hadn’t noticed we were now standing in front of the deli.
“What do you know? We’re here.” Gavin smiled down at me. “Let’s get a table and I’ll tell you everything over lunch.”
Like a gentleman, he held the door open for me, and a few minutes later, we were sitting comfortably in a small booth, perusing the humongous lunch menus. Stella’s was an old-fashioned deli, typical of something seen in the movies. It was bright and colorfu
l, and the end wall featured a floor-to-ceiling wall painting of the Brooklyn Bridge. I loved it.
“You don’t sound like you grew up around here,” he said, looking up from behind the menu.
I could sense a genuine interest in his eyes, and it almost made me want to squirm. “Nope. Alabama. I guess I can’t hide my roots. It’s not easy getting rid of a Southern drawl.” It was my turn to chuckle.
“I think it sounds cute.” The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice.
“Thank you.” There was something almost hypnotic about him. The smooth tone in his voice and the Nordic blue of his eyes were dragging me in deeper. I felt the need to change the direction of the conversation before I lost control of the situation. Part of me wanted to jump over the table, rip open those almost too-tight jeans and...I cringed at the place my mind was taking me. I blamed it on how long it had been since I’d gotten laid.
