Page 22 of My Office Rival

To: Elliott, Jason

From: Chen, Mitchell

Subject: call me

Of course, he would write me an email instead of just calling me. I slowed to a walk and dialed.Maybe he won’t pick up.And I could go back to semi-enjoying my Saturday.

He picked up before the phone could ring a second time. Classic Mitchell.

“Hey, Jason. How are you?” he asked, over the sound of conversation in the background.

Why did partners ask that when calling on a Saturday? The answer would always be, “better if we weren’t speaking.” But I couldn’t say that, so I settled for the usual response: “Fine. Just getting some stuff off my plate.” It signaled I would rather not be talking, but that I was, of course, always working.

“Great, great.” He sounded distracted. “Hold on a second.” He covered the receiver but I still heard, “Yeah, I want the turbo S in blue. No, not the cabriolet.”

Was he buying a car? Another one?He already had five, ranging from Ferrari to Porsche. Partner earnings must have been good this year. I shook my head. Mitchell knew how to spend it. That would never be me. I hoarded my money like a dragon hoarded gold, and I doubted I would ever change.

“Sorry about that,” he said, not sounding sorry. “I just had a call from Mr. Harris and Gene.” Gene was the CFO for our client and my primary contact. He was balding, usually dressed like a movie mobster, and quick to anger.

“They’re really freaked out about TJR representing the buyer. They called to ensure that we were going tocrush them. And those are exactly the words they used.” He sounded annoyed, and I didn’t blame him. That was a stupid directive from an inexperienced client.

“What did they expect?” I asked. “Argan is a national chain. Of course, they’re using legitimate counsel.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but they aren’t experienced with this type of work. You really need to show them you mean business tomorrow. They want an asshole. Give them an asshole.”

That shouldn’t be hard for you, he didn’t need to add. I made a point of crushing the opposition on every deal. I never showed weakness, and I came to every negotiation prepared to be ruthless and rude if needed. Each deal was one step closer to my goals. And the partnersrewarded me for it. I was the guy you called when you had a difficult client, or an opposing counsel that needed to be taught a lesson.

“Not an issue,” I responded coolly.

“Great, great,” he replied. “The Argan lawyers are good, so expect Gene to be up your ass and theirs. Gene’s a tough one. And he’s just volatile enough to fire us.” His voice was sharp. Getting fired meant no money, no freedom.Not fucking happening. If H Brands needed theatrics to feel like they were getting their money’s worth, then I’d give it to them. While we typically opted for cool professionalism, I could flip the switch to combative in a heartbeat.

I neared the house as Mitchell gave me a few more directives on things he wanted to see in the purchase agreement. The dusky twilight had deepened, and the air was getting colder. Winter in the country was bleak. The grass around the house was frosty and crunchy in the early mornings, and the wind had a bite to it. I still ran without a shirt on cold days, because I liked the nip of the wind and the way the sweat cooled immediately on my skin.

“I’m counting on you, Jason. This won’t be an easy one, but you’re looking at a huge amount in origination credit if you play this right,” he said.

“Thanks, Mitchell.” I rolled my eyes. Mitchell wanted the money nearly as much as I did.

We hung up, and I moved to the stately wooden porch to stretch. There were wicker chairs with deep cushions scattered about. Not a bad place to watch the sunset and have a drink, if it were warm. I didn’t hate this house, even if I hated the country. But I still didn’t know what to do with the other occupant of it. She moved past the double glass doors, and each glimpse was a sucker punch. I drank her in, finally, knowing she couldn’t see me. Her red curls were a true, fiery copper, glinting in the lights of the living room. Her hair was the first thing that had drawn me in on a long-ago video call. Her lips had caused me to linger, to fantasize about her. Full, lush, perfectly pink. I’d ached to draw that plush bottom lip into my mouth, to bite at it until it was even more swollen. Until I had. The taste of her had been everything I’d imagined.

I pushed open the sliding door to the sight of her shimmying in the kitchen. Headphones in, clad in a cropped shirt that looked more like a bra, and low-slung cargo pants. They hugged her ass and exposed her stomach. My mouth went dry. She was oblivious to my presence, and I leaned against the wall to watch. She opened the fridge, circled her hips, pulled out the sharp cheddar I’d purchased, swayed again. My eyes arrowed to her ass. High, full, round. My palms twitched at the memory of sinking my fingers into it while I’d pulled her back against me. They itched to smack it, just over the fullest part, where the pain would melt quickly into pleasure.

She selected some crackers from the cabinet and turned with a little pirouette.

“Those are my crackers,” I said, loudly. Her head jerked up, and she fumbled to get her headphones out.

“What was that?” she asked, reddening. She was struggling for bravado, but she knew I’d seen her dancing. I rolled my lips to keep from smiling.

“Those are my crackers. And my cheese, if we’re counting,” I said mildly.

She quirked a brow. “Are we? Counting?”

“It depends.” I cocked my head. “Are you going to keep eating my groceries?” I stalked toward her and her eyes went wide.Dangerous, Jason.

“I thought we wereroommates. Sharing. Besides, you’re taking up the whole fridge with your stuff. I can’t even find my cheese.” She drew herself up as I neared.

“My house,” I growled. “I’ll do whatever I want.” I stopped a mere foot away from her, breathing in her clean, warm scent, keeping my eyes on her face, instead of dipping down to where her shallow breaths pushed her breasts up.

“Your house,” she said. “Do you want to pee on the walls to mark your territory?”

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