Page 14 of Hart of Vengeance
Jade
Two weeks had passed since I’d interviewed with Kelton Maxwell. I’d settled into my new job, feeling a great sense of accomplishment, and I was making new friends with the other ladies in the office. Mallory was my mentor and trainer, but I could ask anyone in the office for help, and they would drop what they were doing to help me. Before long, I would be a paralegal, and that excited me more than anything. With that title came more money, and I could finally breathe for the first time in years.
Mallory’s boss’s office was next door to Kelton’s, so her cubicle butted up to mine. It was nice to have someone I knew helping me. It took away most of my nerves, allowing me to concentrate better. According to Mallory, Kelton was a very demanding attorney, and his previous assistant couldn’t handle the late nights or him. So far, I didn’t feel as though Kelton was demanding. However, I was still new, and he was probably waiting for me to get up to speed. Regardless, I could handle whatever he threw my way. After all, it was my job to make sure he had everything he needed for his cases.
I typed as I listened to Kelton’s deep voice in my headphones, transcribing his notes and filing them into the clients’ respective folders. I’d been hard at work for the last hour when someone touched my shoulder.
I jumped about a mile in the air before removing my earbuds. I usually didn’t have both in my ears since I had to answer the phone, but Mallory had shown me how to set up the system so the phone would ring in my earbuds.
Kelton leaned against my desk, his bright white teeth flashing as he smiled. “Sorry to scare you. Meet me in my office in five minutes.” Then he waltzed toward the restroom, or at least in that direction.
Ladies at their desks took notice. They always did when Kelton was around. It was hard not to notice my handsome boss. His stark blue eyes popped against his black hair. The expensive tailored suits he wore only enhanced hisGQlook, making every woman in the office drool. I’d learned he had a girlfriend, so he was off-limits, not that I was interested.
Mallory peeked around her cubicle. “I think he wants you to accompany him to his meeting with Denim. He’s preparing Denim on what to expect at his parole hearing.”
The blood drained from me.
When Dillon had told Mallory and me that Kelton would be taking on Denim’s case, I’d been surprised that Mallory hadn’t known since she’d been filling in as Kelton’s assistant.
“I didn’t know,” she’d said as she walked me out of the building after my interview that day. “Kelton doesn’t tell me everything. Sometimes my own boss doesn’t tell me much about a client until he firmly decides to represent him. Besides, Dillon and Kelton are good friends. So I had no reason to question why Dillon had shown up.”
Mallory snapped her fingers, zapping the haze clouding my eyes. “You’ll be fine.”
My hands trembled. “I can’t see Denim for the first time with my boss next to me.” I kept my voice to a whisper as I rolled my chair closer to her. “I love this job. Kelton will fire me.”
Mallory had informed me that Kelton’s pet peeve was unprofessionalism. His last assistant had flirted with one of his clients. Granted, I knew one of my duties as Kelton’s assistant would be to attend meetings and hearings with him outside the firm, however I wasn’t ready for anything but work at my desk.
She giggled. The woman actually giggled. “He won’t.”
I sagged in my chair, pinning her with wide eyes. “I might not be in control of my actions with Denim.” I hadn’t seen him since high school. Since he’d broken up with me. Since he’d broken my heart.
I shivered as dread and excitement comingled in my stomach. I often wondered what he looked like, if his blond hair was still long and curled at the edges. Did he still have a baby face, or had he aged fast with the hard life he’d lived in the eight years since I’d seen him?
My BFF batted her blue eyes. “This is your chance to show Kelton how good you are. Plus, it will be a good learning experience.”
A wild laugh broke out in my head. “What do you mean how good I am?” Mallory had never seen me in action at any of my jobs. Sure, I carried myself in a professional manner and greeted clients with a smile and polite conversation. But we were talking about Denim Hart. He wasn’t a client to me. He was a man who could probably rattle me without even opening his mouth.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Mallory said. “I see how you are with clients that come in. You’re a natural. And I know you. You can tuck those feelings away for an hour. Remember when I was dating Noah? You wanted to punch him because he ditched me for a sporting event. Instead, you were sweet and kind to him when he showed up the next day.”
“Because you asked me to be nice.”
“This is no different,” she returned. “This is your job, Jade. You’re the face of Kelton and this law firm, and that means you leave your feelings at the door.”
I sat up straighter. She was right.
“Look at it this way,” she added. “He’ll probably be in shackles and cuffs. It’s not like he can throw himself at you.”
But I could throw myself at him.
Kelton returned, tipping his head toward his office. “Jade.”
“Good luck,” Mallory whispered before rolling her chair around to her cubicle.
The sun glinted off the John Hancock Tower in the distance as I followed Kelton into his office with a pen and notepad.
He waved his hand to one of two chairs in front of his mahogany desk as he circled around it. “Please, have a seat.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket then draped it over the back of his leather chair. “I understand from Dillon that you know the Hart family. Dillon tells me you and Denim dated in high school. I normally don’t get involved in others’ personal lives, but considering your past involvement with Denim and the fact that he’s a client, should I be worried?”
Absolutely.“No, sir.” My tone was small.
