Page 20 of Resisting the Lawyer (Dirty Hot Resistance 3)

I don’t know where I got the nerve to confront the woman but the whispered words that were laced with smugness and anger sparked a fire inside of me, reminding me of how a few days ago, someone had shoved me, nearly making Sophie fall.

The woman, Melissa, looks taken aback by my cold words and her eyes widen in shock. She clearly hadn’t been expecting me to retaliate.

Fortunately for her, one of her friends gathers her wits and immediately bites out, “Stop making up stories, Elise. Melissa didn’t say anything!”

The rest of the women chime in, in agreement.

I feel frustration bubble up inside of me. However, with all of them siding with her, I can only grind my teeth.

Melissa takes a step closer to me and whispers, “You can go around spreading your legs for every man here and act like a princess but we know what you are, slut.”

I press my lips together tightly, knowing that whatever I said right now would be loudly refuted by the group. I’ve never been a vicious person but their words fill me with a burning desire to claw out their eyes. However, I keep my composure, and say coldly, getting into Melissa’s face, “At least I don’t go around threatening defenseless children.”

I don’t let her get a word in and turn towards the staircase that leads down to the basement. I’m halfway there when Lucas grabs my arm and turns me around, gently. The sound of the elevator doors opening and the clatter of heels as the women rush in, reaches my ears and I know that I’m wearing an ugly expression on my face but I simply can’t be bothered to care.

I refuse to meet Lucas’ eyes.

He grasps my chin firmly, forcing me to look at him.

I meet his sharp blue eyes and although he’s wearing a pleasant smile on his lips, his eyes hold a chilling fury that makes me tremble when I see it. I’ve never seen this side of him, this detachment on his face even as his eyes burn me. “What did she say to you?”

I’m not frightened of him. Even like this, I can’t find it in me to be scared of this man.

“So angry,” he murmurs.

The light amusement in his tone despite the fury raging inside of him, makes me part my lips, and nothing comes out. I can’t even retaliate as he raises his thumb to press down on the frown on my face to smooth it out.

Where is the laughing man that I know? Where is the man that sneaks me sweets and buys my daughter silly looking bibs? The man standing in front of me, gripping my chin and smoothing out my scowl exudes danger and my legs quiver, not from fear but from another emotion that I force down, refusing to acknowledge it.

When he lifts a brow, I realize he’s still waiting for an answer and I struggle to find my bearings. “Don’t worry about it.”

Lucas blinks languidly. “Want me to go ask her?”

It’s like a bucket of cold water has been thrown over me and I look away, feeling my own anger surge up again. “Go ahead.” I wrench my chin from his hand, suddenly furious and upset at being abused like this when I’ve done nothing to deserve it. My anger needs an outlet and I open my mouth to vent it on the person closest to me before snapping

my mouth shut, horrified at myself.

What am I doing?

Lucas has been nothing but nice to me and I was about to say something nasty to him, to unload the injustice and hurt inside of me.

He’s still watching me with that same unnerving intensity.

I take a step back, feeling plagued with guilt and disgust. My hands go to Sophie’s back and I look down to see her watching me with wide eyes, her face unusually somber. “Maybe we should do this some other time,” I say, slowly. When I’ve not been accused of being the office whore and my baby a bastard.

Lucas stares at me for a few seconds before turning on his heel towards the staircase. “Wait here.”

Startled, I cry out, “Where are you going?”

He looks over his shoulder and states, “To have a word with the women who were bullying you.”

I gape at him before letting out a horrifying sound, “You can’t!”

He stills, not looking at me now. “Why not?”

I take a step towards him, my hand unconsciously reaching out to grasp at his sleeve, almost desperately. “You’ll only make things worse.”

He whirls around and this time his anger is directed at me, “Worse than you not feeling safe in the workplace?”

---