by Jamie Knight
The Howell and Howell law firm’s building wasn't as grandiose as one would expect given the firm's billion-dollar status. There was no black, glass office buildings for them. Instead, the offices were housed in a five-floor, red brick, classic building with a flat roof. It was an antique they held onto mostly through the efficacy of their pool of property lawyers. There were always land developers trying to knock it down, the building being in a prime location. Yet, despite nearly ten years of trying, none had yet to succeed.
I liked a firm that stuck to their guns. That was what I needed by my side.
I walked towards the late added elevator, leaning on my cane harder than usual — my destroyed hip aching with the change in weather. I usually tried to hide my cane when I had to take meetings for work. Pulling more tricks than FDR to keep anyone from knowing the extent of my wartime injury, aside from my most trusted staff. It just wasn't good optics for the founder and president of Black Flag Security to have such an outward show of weakness, never mind the fact that it was literally caused by shrapnel.
Ann Howell, one of the partners here, had been really awesome helping me with a dispute over a building I owned, and happily, we were down to the last of the negotiations and just a few papers for me to sign today. I'd gotten Howell and Howell's name from Carl, one of my buddies from my former army unit, who now worked for me, and I was glad that I did.
The elevator made some disconcerting sounds as it cranked its way from the ground floor up to the fifth, but I ignored that. On the upside, the doors opened at the front desk of Ann's office. Her brother Jim was up here on the top floor too, the corridor behind the desk splitting off in two directions, Ann to the left and Jim to the right, but it was Ann I was here to see.
“Morning, Mr. Adams!” Ann's assistant Vicky said with a bright smile. Her flaming, red hair, pulled up into a ponytail, swung behind her shoulder.
Vicky was bubbly. She was also Ann's sister-in-law, which I figured would make their working relationship either easier or really awkward. Everything I had seen to that point suggested the former.
“Is she here?” I asked, trying to not lean on my cane so much. Even though I had an appointment, I knew full well Ann could get called into court at any time.
“Of course, she is expecting you,” Vicky said, getting up from behind her desk. Following Vicky to the corridor, trying to keep pace, I did my best not to look like a hobbled old man. At forty-five, I wasn’t old at all, but my body had seen better days. Fighting terrorists can do that to a person.
The office she led me to was brightly decorated in yellows and blues. It was a bit feminine for my taste, but it suited Ann, who had the sunniest disposition for a lawyer that I had ever met.
“Mr. Adams,” Ann said with a smile, getting up from behind her desk. Her black hair was cut into a sharp bob that framed her heart-shaped face with high cheekbones. “Ann, we’ve been over this. Please, call me Liam,” I said as we firmly shook hands. “Because Mr. Adams is your dad?” she joked. I shook my head, not cracking a smile. “No, I just prefer Liam,” I clarified. “Ah, I see,” Ann said, then, realizing that humor was not my forte. “Please, take a seat.”
Sitting like a good dog in the chair dedicated for clients, I tried to get more comfortable. The pain in my hip made me cranky, and I knew that my attitude could be off-putting sometimes. Ann did not deserve that.
She sat back in her ergonomically designed chair ordered directly from Sweden.
“How are things?” Ann asked, with genuine concern.
“Better now that you're involved in the whole mess,” I said. “Thanks, I think,” Ann replied, cracking a smile. “I’ll have my assistant bring in the paperwork.”
I shrugged uncomfortably. “At least I'll have one less thing to worry about before the wedding,” I murmured offhandedly.
“Carl's wedding?” Ann asked, raising both of her black, arched eyebrows.
“Yeah, next month. You were invited?” I asked curiously. She grinned and opened her eyes wider. “Is it that surprising?” Ann asked. “Oh, no,” I said, back-peddling, not sure how to not offend her. She lifted her brows higher for just a second. “Uh-huh, anyway, I went through basic training with Carl, hence the invite. Career army was not for me, so I used my GI bill to help get through college and into law school.”
“That can be very expensive,” I observed plainly. I had not realized that Ann was a vet, and it was making me see her in a new light.
Ann nodded.
Vicky came in with coffee on a little tray. She set the tray down on Ann’s desk and started mixing in sugar and cream in the first cup. When she looked over at me, I shook my head. I like my coffee back.
“How do you know him?” Ann asked, taking the first cup from her sister-in-law.
“Carl and I did our first tour in Iraq together. He now works for me at my security firm,” I explained.
“First to get married, is he?” Vicky asked out of nowhere as Ann buzzed to have the paperwork brought in.
I looked at the smiling redhead and shrugged. “The last actually, except me, of course. I guess I can represent all that is odd.”
“And that might well be how people will see it,” Ann smirked. She had a smile on her face, so I knew she was joking, at least somewhat.
Vicky handed me my coffee. “I don't mean to pry -” she started out.
“But she will. Give her time,” Ann joked.
Her sister-in-law stuck her tongue out in the most unprofessional manner then she turned back to me.
“You could try bringing a fake fiancée,” Vicky said, ignoring Ann’s eyeroll. I stared at them both blankly. “Like a cardboard cutout?” I asked.
“No,” Vicky said with a giggle and a shake of her bright ponytail.
“Good, because I think people might figure that out, and I don't have the money for any holographic technology,” I grumped, unsure of what they were getting at.
“Remember Carina and Leo?” Vicky asked Ann with a sly smile.
Ann laughed. “Oh yeah. Our friend didn't have a date for her high school reunion last year, so she hired an escort. They went and pretended to be an engaged couple,” she recalled and then took another sip of her coffee.
They couldn’t honestly be suggesting I pick up an escort. This was a legal firm!
“How did that turn out?” I asked skeptically.
Vicky grinned and bounced a little on her heels. “They realized that they were meant to be. Jim found Leo a job, and now they are getting married in a few months,” she said proudly like she had orchestrated the whole thing.
“Wow,” I said, really not expecting that and not sure what else to say. It sounded like a fairy tale. Certainly, it would take more that one night for two people to fall in love.
“It could work for you,” Vicky said with more excitement than was necessary.
“How?” I asked, giving both ladies a hard look like I thought they were crazy. Which I did. “How could that possibly work? How can I get someone to ever go along with it?” I clarified.
As if I put in an order to the heavens, one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen walked into the office with a thick folder of documents that still carried the smell of the photocopier. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five with bright ivory skin, curves that grabbed my attention, long, thick blonde hair, and the face of an angel.
Ann and Vicky looked at each other briefly, shared a cunning smile, and then turned back to the assistant. “Hayley!” they exclaimed in unison, making the poor girl jump.
“Yes?” Hayley asked, holding the folder up against her full chest.
“Are you single?” Vicky asked, and I started to worry about what their plan was.
I wasn’t the type of guy to date. A commitment was not my style. After I got out of the army, I figured that no woman could handle the man I had become, so why try. It was best to just have a string of one-night stands and leave it at that. Pretending to be in a relationship even sounded dumb.
> The woman, Hayley, seemed quite surprised and nervous at her boss’s inquiries. She tried to reply but started to choke on her own shock, managing to crumple the folder against her chest and creasing the pages inside.
There was something about her innocence that was really turning me on.
“Y-yes,” she stammered in a breathy voice that heightened my desire. The poor thing looked so flabbergasted that I thought she might faint. Part of me wanted her to fall right into my arms.
Maybe a fake fiancée wasn’t the craziest idea.
Vicky winked at me before leaving the office. I just looked at Haley for a moment, not sure if it was really a good time to ask her to go to the wedding.
Chapter Two
Hayley
It was my first real, grown-up job. Like so many of my friends, I had hidden in the halls of academia to keep from having to join the “real world.” While my twin brother was away in the army, I studied. Eight years and two degrees later, though, it was time to stop hanging around and start living. Or so said my parents, right before they kicked me out of their house. Well, that’s not quite accurate. They did set me up with a place in Silver Lake and an interview at the Howell and Howell Law Firm beforehand.
I had all the training I needed to be a legal aid, so the interview wasn’t a problem. They didn’t even call me back for a second interview, I just got the job right there on the spot. However, I didn’t really fit in at work.
It was partly because Vicky and the other girls at the office looked like they could have been supermodels. I wasn’t hideous, more average, but I knew what I looked like, especially next to them. “Softy pretty” was what my dad used to say. I could honestly see his point.
I also didn’t dress as fancy as the native city girls. I had gotten used to buying my clothes second hand and doing my best with what I could find. Even so, I felt like people knew. Like they could still smell the distinctive thrift shop smell on them, no matter how many times I put them through the dryer.
It also didn’t help that most of the other women at the firm didn’t socialize with me. The only ones I talked to were Ann and Vicky, and that was mostly business. They also had their sister-in-law thing going on, which made me feel very much on the outside. It was okay, I was used to being a loner.
I had just gotten back into Ms. Howell’s office with a fresh batch of thrilling photocopying. There was quite the little powwow going on with Ms. Howell, Vicky, and a man I recognized immediately as Liam Adams, founder, and president of Black Flag Security. The sight of him stopped me in my tracks.
The man was hot, unbelievably hot. His sharply carved face and bright blue eyes had been on the cover of the last issue of Forbes, and I had bought three copies just for that photo. However, the picture did not do his muscular body justice. The former soldier was fit with his tailored suit showing off every perfect line. The profile had put his company’s value at $5 Billion. A true example of the triumph of the American Dream, or so the writer had said. I wasn’t sure what that meant.
They had clearly been talking about something before I came in. Something about me considering how Vicky and Ann had said my name when I stepped in the door and how Mr. Adams had looked at me with intense eyes.
“Hayley, is it?” he asked as he stood, his voice soft and smooth, making me tingle all over.
“Yes,” I said.
He reached out a large hand. “I’m-”
“I know who you are,” I said, a bit too quickly, and then shook his hand just as quickly. “E-everyone does, Mr. Adams.”
“I see that my reputation precedes me,” he said with a deep chuckle.
“Yes,” I said, looking at the floor and wishing I could sink through it.
Mr. Adams let out another laugh. “And you seem to have me at a disadvantage,” he said.
“Oh, right, I-I’m Haley Booth,” I said after I finally put the file folder onto Ms. Howell’s desk.
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he said, taking my hand again, firmer this time, and kissing the back of it, making me blush furiously.
“I-I-”
Desperately nervous, I glanced around the room. My boss, Ms. Howell, was totally ignoring the situation. She had her chair turned slightly and was looking at her computer as if she was trying to give us privacy. I didn’t understand why.
Pulling slightly on my hand, Mr. Adams made me turn back towards him. “Would you like to go for coffee?” he asked.
“I-I have to work,” I said, nodding my head towards Ann.
“It’s okay, it’s about time for your lunch break anyway,” my boss said, suddenly paying attention to us again.
“O-okay,” I said, trying not to cry, taking her easy dismissal as an indication she didn’t think much of my work.
“Splendid,” Mr. Adam’s said, seemingly overjoyed.
I wasn’t sure why he was so excited. It never even crossed my mind that it might actually be me. He was so handsome and rich he could have almost any woman he wanted. Why on earth would he want me? Was it some kind of joke? A hazing for the new girl? I’d never heard of that happening at law firms, but I could have been misinformed, or things could have been done differently in Los Angeles.
Grabbing his cane, Mr. Adams turned towards the door. “Ann, I will be back up after lunch to finish the paperwork.” He held out his arm for me to take. “Hayley? Shall we?”
Still feeling awkward, I gently wrapped my arm around his, touching as little as possible.
As we walked out of Ann’s office and towards the elevator, Mr. Adams leaned in and whispered, “You can call me Liam.” I could feel his minty breath on my ear. A shiver went through me, and I hoped that he didn’t feel it.
My lungs froze. I could barely breathe, let alone think of something to say back.
I told myself that I went on the date mostly to please Ms. Howell. She wasn’t really forcing me to go but seemed like she would be disappointed if I didn’t, and I was really keen to keep my job.
If this was a hazing, Mr. Adams didn’t let on. Either he was a really good actor, or he was actually serious about his interest in me — not that that seemed possible.
I had been told that everyone had their own taste, particularly when it came to what they found attractive in a sexual partner, but I never thought it would apply to me. Statistically, I figured it was possible, but the fact that I was still a virgin at twenty-seven seemed to be a strong argument against the odds.
It wasn’t even that I didn’t want sex. Like I was on some kind of self-induced celibacy. There were times I honestly ached for it. I just had yet to find anybody willing. It could be that my standards were too high.
I had heard that Mr. Adams was an army vet, but the article I read had glossed over his limp. Going by the sight of it something, a bullet or shrapnel or something had got through his left hip. Not enough to inhibit his primary joint movement, but he did seem to have trouble with pain and walked with a strange shifting motion. Hence the cane, trying to keep the weight off the afflicted joint. He had clearly learned how to get by, but by the way he was holding his cane now, it seemed like he hadn’t accepted it.
I caught myself wondering if it affected him in bed. Could he still thrust, or would the girl need to be on top and ride him? This, in turn, got me thinking about what his cock might be like. I could feel my pussy tingle at the very thought.
There was a café next door to Howell and Howell’s building. I typically stopped in there in the mornings to get a cup of hot chocolate before work. I had never really liked coffee, and too much caffeine made me jumpy.
As Liam and I approached the café’s door, I wondered if I should tell him of my opinion or if I should just drink an icky cup and then let him get on with his day — ending whatever this was.
There wasn’t much of a line, and as we approached the counter, my heart started beating a mile a minute. It was pounding so hard that I thought that I might faint.
“Would you like a sandwich?” Mr. Adams asked
as we got to the counter to order.
I shook my head like a child, too embarrassed to speak. I could not get my vowels and consonants to cooperate.
He looked into my face. Under the scrutiny of his light blue eyes, I felt like I was turning crimson.
“Just coffee then?” he asked, a tiny bit of disappointment evident in his voice.
I suddenly became self-conscious about whether it was childish to find coffee yucky. I couldn’t say anything so dumb. So, I nodded, and he ordered two black coffees.
After the barista handed them over, we found a seat at a nearby table. My mind was spinning so fast I didn’t even realize that Liam was sitting next to me, asking me a question. But he was. His eyes were one me expectantly as he waited for an answer. I just wished I had the ability to respond or to properly engage — I couldn’t even keep myself from trembling.
That was when I dropped my coffee, my shaking hands fairly useless for their designed purpose.
Chapter Three
Liam
Hot coffee splashed all over the table.
At first, I didn’t quite understand what had happened. Did she burn herself? Why was she shaking so badly?
But the pool of scalding liquid soon became too much for the table and poured onto my lap. It burned so bad, I jumped up, bumping the table with my thighs and pushing it off-kilter.
“Oh, no!” Hayley gasped, grabbing at anything to soak up the coffee and getting her fingers scalded in the process. She pulled them back quickly, sticking them into her mouth — her face turned down in disgust.
One of the staff came over and helped, giving me a towel for my pants and soaping up the rest of the mess on the table. Needless to say, the entire crowd in the café was looking at us now. I hated causing a scene, and with the front of my pants ruined — and burning — my temper started to burn as well.
“Damn it!”
