by Linda Verji
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.
CHAPTER 4
“I cannot believe that bastard has the balls to work in the same company as you!” Sin exclaimed later that evening when Kelly told her about Spencer’s presence at Chambers & Quinn. “I feel heated just thinking about it.”
“To be fair, he owns the firm,” Kelly said wearily. She was lying on their bed, her eyes closed, fighting a headache. This is what happened when one spent the whole day thinking about Spencer Chambers. She sighed. “I think I’ll have to quit. That town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
“What?” Sin’s voice crackled with unrestrained anger. “Bullshit! He’s the one who should quit.”
“Like I said - his firm.”
“Oh yeah. Forgot that.” With a frustrated sigh, Sin plopped down next to Kelly. The ladies were quiet for quite some time, each lost in their own thoughts, before Sin spoke again. “Don’t quit.”
Kelly opened her eyes into thin slits and turned her head to look at her friend. “I have to.”
“No, you don’t have to.” Sin shifted on the bed to lie on her side facing Kelly. “There are so many reasons why you shouldn’t.”
“Like?”
“One – he owes you,” Sin explained. “Look, I hate the guy as much as you do and I’d be the last one to suggest that you let your issues with him go – that’s A.J’s thing, but -” She paused to give Kelly a pointed look. “- he tanked your career. It’s only fair that he be the one to fix it. In fact you should be asking for a pay-raise to make up for the fact that the state won’t even compensate you for wrongfully sending you to jail, not quitting.”
“Maybe,” Kelly reluctantly agreed. “But if I don’t quit, I’ll have to see his face day-in-day out. It will be a living hell.”
“Then make his life a living hell too. But you know… do it sneakily.” Sin’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Behind closed doors when no one’s looking. He’ll probably feel too guilty to fire you, but if he does at least you can say that you went out with a bang. Not that you crawled out with your tail between your legs like this.”
Kelly winced at the image of the cowardly exit. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Her friend guffawed. “And if that isn’t enough to convince you to stay at that law-firm then here’s reason two; you need a job and money.”
Kelly sighed. “Can’t argue with that one.”
“Exactly. And Spencer wants to give you both. It would be a crime not to take them.”
Kelly had to laugh. “You’re crazy.”
“Just a little.” Sin grinned. Perhaps sensing that Kelly was still on the fence, she added, “Also you need to consider reason three before you decide what your next step is going to be.”
Kelly’s eyebrows shot up. “There’s a reason three?”
Sin nodded. “Number three; I already bought you a congratulatory suit. I don’t think that store does refunds so you better get your ass back to Chambers & Quinn so you can wear it.”
Kelly smiled. “You bought me a suit?”
“I did.” With a grin, Sin bounced off the bed and skipped to the closet. A second later, she pulled out a red skirt-suit. “Ta-da.”
“Why am I not surprised that it’s red?” Kelly said with a smile even as she got off the bed to close the distance between her and Sin.
“Red for sexy.” Sin rushed to add, “But the skirt is just as stupidly long as you like them to be.”
“Oh wow, Sin.” Kelly took the suit then drew her friend into an embrace. “This is really, really nice of you. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Sin patted her back.
Kelly pulled back from the embrace to test the fabric with her fingers. “The fabric’s excellent. It must’ve been really expensive.”
“You know me.” Sin shrugged. “I go big.”
“Where did you get the money?” Kelly asked. As far as she knew, Sin was as broke as her, maybe even broker since the lady thought of ‘budget’ and ‘saving ‘ as the two dirtiest words in the English language.
“I borrowed Teddy’s credit card.”
Kelly narrowed her eyes. “Does Teddy know you borrowed his credit card?”
“Weeeeeell….”
“Oh my God.” Kelly slapped her palm over her eyes. Sin just laughed.
* * * * *
RELIEVED WASN’T BIG enough a word to describe the emotion that swept through Spencer when Kelly turned up to work the following day. Even now, it was hard to hide his smile every time their eyes met across the conference table, so he did everything not to look her directly in the eye.
“Tan Greenfield murdered Edna Sommerset,” Angelina said as her gaze swept over the other four people seated around the table – Spencer, Kelly, Russell and Duke. Angelina added, “There’s no doubt about that; a neighbor saw him and he’s even confessed. That confession is our problem. He claims that it was a murder-for-hire, and that our client, Paul was the one who ordered the hit.”
“So it’s his word against ours?” Spencer frowned. “We can just refute his confession.”
“That’s going to be a little hard to do.” Angelina turned to Duke. “Did you make copies of the crime-scene photos?”
Duke nodded then passed around the copies to everyone else at the table. Spencer snatched a glance at Kelly only to catch her wincing and rearing back from the images. Obviously, she wasn’t used to seeing murder in all its gory glory.
Once everyone had copies of the photos, Angelina said, “Look at those pictures.”
The moment Spencer saw the images he realized what the problem was. “It was an execution.”
“Yup!” Angelina agreed. When she realized that everyone else at the table, including Kelly, seemed confused by the hypothesis, she added, “Look at the house completely untouched; nothing stolen. Look at the victim, bullet straight to the forehead, no signs of a struggle. He came there to kill her.”
“Ah!” Kelly gasped, finally getting it. When she looked up and realized that she’d unwittingly drawn everyone else’s attention, she offered them an embarrassed smile. “Sorry.”
“Please tell me Tan had some kind of relationship with Edna.” Spencer yanked everyone else’s attention back to their meeting.
Russell shook his head. “None at all.
”
“Are you sure?” Spencer asked the investigator.
“If there was, I would’ve found it,” Russell said, confidence oozing in his firm tone. “Everything I’ve found so far tells me the two had never met before he shot Edna. Unfortunately for us, Paul and Edna butted heads often and publicly over that strip of land between their ranches. Worse, there’s plenty of evidence that Tan and Paul knew each other. And if I found it, the prosecution will probably find it too.”
“Crap!” Spencer rubbed the bridge of his nose. The guilt was so obvious in this one, he was surprised it wasn’t wearing glittery clothes and waving a red cape like a torero.
“That’s not even the worst part,” Angelina said.
Spencer’s jaw dropped. “There’s worse?”
“Yup.” Angelina winced and nodded. “Paul’s bank records show that he withdrew ten thousand dollars from his account on the very same day that Tan claims he paid him ten thousand dollars to kill Edna. Fortunately, there’s no proof that Paul actually gave Tan that money.”
“Fortunately,” Spencer said, a note of sarcasm in his voice. When he was an A.D.A., a case like this would’ve been a walk in the park for him. The circumstantial evidence was so strong that a skilled prosecutor could get the book thrown at this Paul guy.
“So do you want it?” Angelina asked, holding out Paul’s file.
“Yeah, like I would touch that with a ten-foot pole?” Spencer guffawed as he waved away the file. “I’ll take the arson. You deal with Paul.”
“If you take the arson, then you’ll have to take Conrad Doherty too.”
“Not Conrad Doherty.” Spencer groaned.
Conrad was the son of one of their richest clients. He’d come in a couple of days ago because of a bullying incident that had left his classmate fighting for his life after attempting suicide.
As a trust-fund kid himself, Spencer knew Conrad’s type all too well; entitled assholes who came from homes with too much money and had been brought up to believe that the world should kneel before them. Kids like Conrad were a guaranteed pain in the ass because they often treated their lawyers like lowly servants whose only job was to shut up, take their money and make their crimes disappear.
