I’m sure he has a lot to say about the other day in court.
His office is on the opposite side of the floor as mine, and his views are awe-inspiring. Mine is nice, but it’s not a corner office by any means. I face the East River, where there’s not much to look at other than a few small concrete warehouses and some apartment buildings. He, however, has a panoramic view of the city with the Empire State Building on one side and all of Lower Manhattan on the other.
His office door is open. As I make my approach, the sound of my heels makes my presence known long before I enter. At the large desk in front of me is Seth Williams, his chair turned slightly to face the view. He looks deep in thought.
I take a step farther inside, and as soon as I cross the threshold, I catch the familiar smell of scotch.
He’s had a drink, and it was recent by the way the rich undertones still linger in the air.
“Celebrating without me?” I ask, and at my words, the chair squeaks as Mr. Williams turns from the window to face me.
When I see his face, it’s void of emotion. Maybe he’s not celebrating but drowning his sorrows.
The lines around his eyes are more pronounced than usual today, and his lips are set into a straight line. He gives nothing away at first glance, but I know something is wrong or something is different.
I’ve been working here full time for over a year, recruited straight out of law school. I started working here as an intern, and I worked summers. After graduating and taking the bar, I was scooped up for a full-time position.
It hasn’t been a long time, but no one works as hard as I do. I am here all day, every day. I have no social life. Everything I do is to get ahead, and it finally paid off when I was asked to sit as co-council for Mr. Bernard.
It was exactly what I wanted. He’s the goal.
Now that I’ve had his case thrown out, I anticipate Mr. Bernard will bring me on more. Of course, that all depends on Mr. Williams and how he feels about this. I don’t want my desires to be too obvious. People are strange. I need to tread carefully on how I handle Felix and my boss. I don’t want my boss to think I’m trying to leave him. Felix is his full-time client, and he might think I’m poaching one of his biggest clients right from under his nose.
I don’t want to steal his client. I just want to be in the thick of things. In the inner circle. That’s where the power is held. The knowledge. And I need those things.
“Take a seat, Skye. We have a lot to discuss.” Mr. Williams gestures to the empty chair.
“Okay.” It’s only a few feet to where the chair sits directly in front of him. With my head held high, I pull the chair out and sit down. Then I’m waiting for him to open his mouth and tell me why he summoned me to his office.
Maybe to mention last week. To talk about Mr. Bernard. Time stretches out as I wait, and I become impatient. Absently, I look down to see that my finger has been rubbing a circle over the vein on my left wrist, right over the tattoo I had placed there when I turned eighteen. I should wear a watch. Maybe it would help with my nervous habit.
But when I do, I can’t help but feel suffocated as though I can’t breathe. My pulse accelerates, and it feels like—
“Skye.”
Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I shake my head again, realizing that Mr. Williams is talking, and I tuned him out.
Not wanting him to know that I haven’t been listening, I meet his gaze head-on as he continues to discuss all the amazing things I’ve accomplished, all the cases I’ve won, and most importantly to him, all the money I’ve made for the firm.
He goes on and on about the money.
For him, that’s the most important thing—the billable hours. For me, that barely touches the surface of why I am here. That is not my endgame. I’m willing to take a ride down to hell, let a few criminals go free, if it means I will eventually get my revenge.
“You have done an impressive job this past year. You have risen to every challenge I have given you. This last victory proves I was right to sit you in that chair. There was speculation in the office that you would fail, I won’t lie. You’re young. Fresh out of law school with not a lot of cases under your belt, after all. But I do believe you proved them wrong.” His smile is broad and proud as if he won in court. Like a proud parent, he prattles on.
Will he be giving me more of Mr. Bernard’s business?
This could be the break I need.
“You have done such an amazing job that I know you will one hundred percent rise to this occasion.”
Here it is. The moment of truth.
Are all my endless hours and selling my soul to the devil about to pay off?
“It is because of all your accomplishments that I am giving you this opportunity. It’s a game changer, Skye.”
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his desk. His lips turn up into a big wolf-like smile.
“From this morning on, you will be working directly for—” His eyes aren’t looking at me. They are looking directly behind me. That’s when I realize someone is approaching. The sound of heavy masculine footsteps comes up behind me. I swivel in my chair, my own smile starting to form.
But it stops, just like my heart, when I hear an unfamiliar voice.
“Me.”
Rough.
Gravelly.
Sexy as hell voice, and certainly not the voice of Felix Bernard.
I allow myself to look up. Even though confusion and trepidation linger in my mind, I know apprehension is warranted when my gaze collides with the man behind the voice.
Because that voice belongs to Tobias Kosta.
7
Tobias
The look of shock on her face is worth every single penny it’s costing me to make this happen. And trust me, it’s costing me a fuck ton.
Money is not an issue, of course. But I want her, and I made sure to get her. There’s no question she didn’t see this coming.
Good, because I’m fucking ecstatic.
But I won’t let her see how happy I am about this. I always hold my cards close to my chest.
I can’t have either of them knowing how much I want this arrangement to happen. It’s a done deal. I know it. Williams knows it. Even if this spitfire doesn’t.
Her eyes are narrowed and her jaw set.
Confidence wafts off her like a strong perfume. Crisp and powerful, it’s a heady aroma. The perfect fragrance to my needs. I want to drown in it.
Since I can’t, I bask in the way her shoulders are pulled back and the way her chest heaves deeper.
She’s making it clear she’s not afraid of me. I can’t help but enjoy how her body reacts to my presence.
The fact our previous meeting meant so little to her makes my desire to ruin her even stronger. But it’s the look in her eyes that has me confused.
Does she now realize who I am?
I assume with the clients this firm has, she does know me. But when I saw her in the courtroom, she gave absolutely no recognition of who I am.
I start to wonder . . . but now she can’t hide under false bravado. She knows, but does she remember?
The way she swallows gives her away, but then she quickly stands, back ramrod straight.
The façade that I saw in the courtroom drops back down.
It’s extraordinary how quickly she can turn it on and off. I’ve got to hand it to her, she looks as tough as nails. Every bit the shark I’d expect and welcome from her. Standing tall and proud, she makes her way over to me.