Page 54 of Pride & Precedents

Camila

Henry charges down the hall and points at me on his way into his office.

"Camila, I need you.Now." His tone is too lethal to argue, or to point out he called me Camila where anyone could hear. I scurry into his office and quickly close the door behind us.

"Henry, what's wrong?" I've never seen him like this.

Instead of sitting at his desk, he walks to his sideboard and pours a generous glass of whiskey from the fine crystal decanter. In all the years I've worked for him, I've never seen him drink in his office. I assumed it was purely decorative.

"Naomi fuckin' kissed me is what's wrong," he growls, sinking down into a chair in his seating area.

"What?!" I gasp. I drop into a chair across from him, mouth agape. Henry nods.

"Yup! I told her about Tanner's hidden properties and she snapped. She said he made a fool out of her and even cheated on her before. Then she starts talking about how she wishes we'dstayed together and before I know what's happening, she stands up and kisses me."

So, Little Miss Lawyer Barbie thinks she can come in here and shoot her shot! She gets to waltz in here with her perfect hair, and her perfect body, and her perfect wardrobe and just pick up where things left off back in the day?I bite back all the colorful language running through my head and take a breath.

"Oh my God! I should have known she might pull something like this after her little, private meeting to 'talk about us'," I say, making air quotations with my hands. Henry looks at me, confused.

"Youheardthat?" I wince.Busted.

"Youmayhave forgotten to turn the intercom off when she came that day. And Imayhave accidentally heard your entire conversation." I try for an innocent smile, but Henry frowns in response.

"So, how did she react when you pushed her off?" I ask, hoping for a subject change. Instead, Henry's frown deepens, and a knot settles in the pit of my stomach.

"I…may have…very brieflyreciprocated the kiss." My shoulders slump, and he rushes to defend himself. "It was practically a reflex, Camila," he says pleadingly. "As soon as the shock wore off, I pushed her away. It didn't mean anything."

I can see the remorse in his face. He's truly sorry. I shouldn't be mad at him. We never made any promises to each other.So why does my chest feel tight?

I do my best to hide my disappointment and summon all my powers of professionalism.

"So…What does this mean? What's the protocol for this situation?"

Henry clearly wants to keep talking about the kiss, but he must be able to tell from my voice, from my rigid posture, that the topic is closed. He clears his throat and sets down his glass.

"First, I'll have to report what happened to the other partners and HR." He anxiously scratches the back of his neck. "Assuming they believe I wasn't the one to initiate the kiss, in light of our history, I'll be removed from the case. I don't know what happens after that."

IhateNaomi. No, he shouldn't have kissed her back, and I'll deal with my feelings about that at home over a pint of Ben & Jerry's, but he's not a creep. The other partners shouldn't punish him because a client crossed the line, even if she is basically his ex.

"You might have history with Naomi, but you told them about it before you even took the case. Everyone who knows you knows that you play by the rules. Why would you suddenly start breaking them now?"

Henry gives a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"I hope you're right."

We sit in silence, and he takes a swig of his drink.

"Speaking of rule following…" I pause, reluctant to pour salt in a still bleeding wound. "Would now be a good time to tell the partners about what's happening between us? You know…to avoid any appearance of impropriety?"

Even sayingusmakes my shoulders tense. Our weekend together seemed like a turning point tome,—from something fun to something…more—but who says Henry feels the same? I mean,shit, he just kissed his ex!

Still, I know I'm right. He can't come clean about Naomi and still keep us a secret. Not if he wants the full trust of the senior partners.

His jaw is clenched, his brow is furrowed, and his fingers are tapping nervously on the rim of his glass. He looks the most uncomfortable I've even seen him, and my heart drops. It seems Iamthe only one who thinks there's something real between us.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. It'll be hard enough convincing them a client kissed me. What are they going to think if I tell them I'm sleeping with my paralegal?"

Right. Because all we're doing is sleeping together.

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