Page 26 of Just A Little Fling

When I was offered a drink, I downed them like water. By the time midnight rolled around, I was delightfully shit-faced drunk. How I was getting home or who I was going to get off with was still an open question. I needed to erase the memory of Babbo from my skin and this was the only way to do it.

“Hey, sexy,” a husky voice whispered in my ear as I threw myself into yet another song after yet another shot on the dancefloor. I whipped my head around to see a man in nothing but hot pants and a leather harness dancing beside me. He wasfine. Everything about this man was fucking hot, from his harness to his hairy chest to his tree trunk legs to his teeny-tiny hot pants. He was sex on a stick, and I felt nothing. No stir in my gut. No twitch of my cock. No quickening in my chest. Nothing. Again. Levi had ruined me for other men. This was a problem.

“Hey, yourself.”

“I think I’ve seen you in here before, right?” It was so loud in here that to be heard we had to shout directly in each other’s ear. It brought us closer together, and at first, I thought maybe the feel of his skin underneath my hand as I balanced myself against his shoulder would help me feel the stirring of something. Nope.

Even though this guy was, objectively speaking, five-alarm fire hot, he was gonna be getting lucky with someone else tonight. A not-so-small part of me was disappointed because I’d seen this before. You got sucked into commitment, and before you knew it, you were arguing in Costco about how many paper towels to buy. My parents' marriage was unattainable as far as I was concerned, and if I couldn’t have that, what was the point of having anything less?

And Levi said casual, but anyone who met him knew he was commitment. He was sensible chinos in boring beige. He was Saturday night movies and Monday morning kisses on the cheek before going to work. He was stability. He was safety. He was marriage material. And he was the only guy I’d ever dreamed about.

Goddammit.

CHAPTERSIX

LEVI

“Mr. Weatherly, I’m surprised to see you here this morning. I’m just getting back from court. Did you need something?”

“Yes, I need to speak with you on a private matter. Can we go into your office?” My boss looked aloof and bored. This didn’t bode well.

“Of course. Jack, would you mind getting us some bottles of water?” I asked my legal assistant.

“No problem.” Jack jumped up from behind his desk and hurried off to fetch cold water from the break room down the hall. Mr. Weatherly frowned for no discernible reason and watched him scurry out. I showed him into my office and shut the door behind us.

“What can I help you with today?”

“Levi, as you know, we value our clients’ time and energy and appreciate the trust they put in our firm.”

“Unquestionably. But I’m unclear about what this is about.”

“Did you know Jack leaves several times a week at four-thirty?”

“He’s going to college. Some of his classes are online, but a few are in person at night.”

“If he’s leaving at four-thirty, is he not finishing his work for the day?”

“He is a tremendously hard worker. He’s not accruing overtime either, so saving that expense. His schooling is important to him, making it important to me. He’s an excellent legal secretary. If I may be frank, I don’t see how anyone else’s thoughts on the matter are factors. But, to answer your question, he works through lunch on his early days.”

“Levi, it’s more a pattern of behavior the managing partners and I take issue with. We’re concerned you aren’t as dedicated to the firm and the firm’s targets as we need you to be.”

“I’m not certain why or where those concerns are originating. My billable hours have increased as have my recoveries. I’ve certainly been successful for my clients in court, as demonstrated by the retainer allocations.”

“We noticed you didn’t apply for partner this year.”

“I’ve applied for partner for the last five years and was denied. Last year, at the selection committee, I was specifically informed that they didn’t see the value of adding a family law specialist to the managing team. I was told I shouldn’t bother applying in the future, but the firm was happy to keep me on as a senior associate.”

“We said that to inspire you.”

“Well, I was inspired not to apply again. Jack is an absolutely fantastic legal secretary. I have no complaints about his work ethic, nor have I received any complaints about what he puts out on my behalf. He gets more done in his time before four-thirty than half of the assistants who are here until midnight every night.”

“Levi, do you enjoy working for the firm?”

“I think we’re done here.”

Mr. Weatherly took my words as the dismissal they were and gave me a curt nod before letting himself out of my office and shutting the door behind him.

Fuck a fucking duck. The writing on the wall said I wouldn’t need to worry about this shitastic case for much longer. My ass, and Jack’s, were about to be let go.Motherfucker.Obviously, this wasn’t my dream job, and I fucking hated working here, but I wasn’t foolish enough to think I wouldn’t need a job eventually. I hadn’t won the lottery yet, mostly because I never bought a ticket, and my family’s trust fund didn’t exist. A tentative knock on my door roused me from my brooding.

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