Defense Page 2

  “They haven’t tried to contact you?”

  “Before I left Boston, I wiped my phone and dumped it in the dumpster at the hotel I stayed at last night. I was going to go and get a new one before you came home.”

  “Have you figured out what you’re going to do?” she asked.

  “Somewhat. I’m definitely staying in New York and I want to take the bar exam here.”

  “Really?” A wide smile graced her face. “That’s wonderful. Well, you can stay here for as long as you need to.”

  “Thanks. Tomorrow, I need to start looking for a job.”

  “Do you have any money at all? Because I can loan you some.”

  “I have money. I closed out my account at the bank before I left. But if I want to get an apartment, I’m going to need a job ASAP.”

  “Well, first things first. Let me show you your room and then we’ll head to the cellphone store around the block.” She reached over and gave me a hug. “I really missed you, Ariana.”

  “I missed you too.”

  ****

  “Hey, Ari.” Harry smiled as Olivia and I stepped inside the apartment.

  “Hey, Harry,” I spoke nervously.

  This was the moment I was dreading the most. Seeing the man, after four years, who chose my best friend over me.

  “I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted,” Olivia spoke as she went to her bedroom.

  We stood there in silence for a few moments. He was just as uncomfortable as I was.

  “Is this awkward?” I asked. “Because I can stay somewhere else.”

  “I don’t think it’s awkward if you don’t. It’s good to see you.”

  “Thanks.” I swallowed hard.

  He still looked the same, even four years later. Six foot two, sandy brown hair, and brown eyes. The only thing that was different about him was now he sported a beard, which made him look more mature.

  “You look good,” he spoke.

  “So do you.” I gave a small smile.

  “Listen, Ari, I’m—”

  “Sorry. I know. I’ve had four years to get over it and I forgive you. Things with you and Olivia were meant to be, Harry. I’m a firm believer in that.” I placed my hand on his chest.

  “Thanks.” He shyly smiled as he looked down. “Do you want to talk about what happened back at home?”

  “I’ll let Olivia fill you in. It’s been a long day and I really don’t want to talk about it. I’m tired, so I think I may just head to bed and try to get a good night’s sleep.”

  “Okay. Sleep tight.” He placed his hand on my shoulder.

  “You too.”

  Chapter Four

  Luca

  I didn’t fall asleep until two thirty a.m. and the buzzing sound of my alarm jolted me out of bed at five thirty. After turning it off, I lay back down and rubbed my face with my hands, letting out a long yawn. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to that strip club last night with Brad and the guys. But it was my friend’s birthday and who was I not to show him a good time? I let out a deep breath as I dragged my tired ass to the bathroom and took a shower. After wrapping a towel around my waist, I walked over to my nightstand, picked up my phone, and noticed I had a voicemail message from my secretary, Lisa.

  “Luca, my father passed away last night and I had to fly to Georgia to be with my family. I’m not sure how long I’m going to be gone, but it will be at least a month. I need to be here for my mother. She’s all I have. I’m sorry. I hope you can understand.”

  I sighed. This was not a good time for her to be gone. Shit. I sent her a text message.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. Take as much time as you need.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. Again, I’m sorry.”

  I strolled into the office and headed straight to Olivia’s cubicle. Not only to tell her about Lisa’s father but to make sure she showed up an hour early.

  “Good, you’re here,” I spoke.

  “You told me to be in an hour early.” She smirked.

  “Lisa’s father passed away last night and she’s taking a month off to be with her mother. Do me a favor and send some flowers from the firm.”

  “I’ll get right on it.”

  “Also, call the temp agency and get someone over here as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll make the call as soon as they open.”

  “Thanks. Is the coffee ready?”

  “Yes. I made it when I came in.”

  “You’re a good employee, Olivia.” I smiled.

  “Can I have a raise?” She smirked.

  “Don’t push it.”

  I walked away and into the break room, which had a small kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, coffee maker, espresso machine, and a microwave. Pulling down my coffee cup, I poured some coffee and took it to my office. The first half of the morning was hectic and being without a secretary was already stressing me out.

  “Olivia, did you call the temp agency?” I asked as I walked over to where she was sitting.

  “Yes. They don’t have anyone available until two o’clock.”

  “For fuck sake.” I shook my head. “I can’t find the file for the Grayson Case. Have you seen it?”

  “Check over on Lisa’s desk. It should be there somewhere. She was the last one to have it. I have to run down to the copy room.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll look.” I sighed.

  Sitting down at Lisa’s desk, I began to look through the files that were neatly stacked on the corner of her desk. Nothing. Two lines starting ringing at once and I looked around to see that no one was at their desk, so I answered and put them on hold. Turning my chair around, I searched the back table for the file.

  “Excuse me,” I heard a soft female voice speak.

  Turning around, my eyes caught sight of the beautiful woman standing in front of me.

  “I’m looking for Olivia Shallow,” she spoke as she bit down on her bottom lip.

  Wow. Five-foot-six, slender figure, long brown hair with a few loose curls at the end, and the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen in my life. They weren’t dark blue like sapphires; they were more of a baby blue. Light blue. Intriguing. Mesmerizing. Cock raising. The outline of her bra showed through her sheer top. Perfect cleavage. C cup. No doubt in my mind. Natural. No silicone. My cock started to get hard.

  “She’s down in the copy room. She’ll be back in a few minutes.” I smiled. “And you are?”

  She looked at me strangely for a moment before replying.

  “Ariana Williams.”

  Suddenly, all six lines began to ring at once and my chest heaved with irritation.

  “Russo, Greggs, and Butler. Please hold.”

  “Russo, Greggs, and Butler. Please hold.”

  “Russo, Greggs, and Butler. Please hold.”

  “Russo, Greggs, and Butler. Please hold.”

  “Russo, Greggs, and Butler. Please hold.”

  “Russo, Greggs, and Butler. Please hold.”

  As I put the last call on hold, I looked up at her and our eyes met.

  “You have your hands full.” She smiled.

  What I wanted were my hands all over her beautiful body. Her tits. Her ass. A floral scent radiated from her. Lilies and roses.

  “Busy day,” I spoke.

  “Well, I’m sure your boss appreciates your hard work.”

  I silently laughed to myself. She thought I was the secretary. I narrowed my eye at her as the corners of my mouth curved upwards.

  “May I get you a beverage while you wait for Olivia?”

  “I’m fine. Thank you. I’m here to meet her for lunch. Don’t you need to take those calls you put on hold?”

  “No. They can wait.” I smiled as I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  “What if they’re important?”

  “Of course they’re important. This is a law firm. I’ve never seen you around before and Olivia has worked here quite a long time.”

  “I just got in to New York yesterday.”

  A
h, she was the friend. The one Olivia left an hour early for. The one Harry dumped.

  “Welcome to the city,” I spoke. “Where are you from?”

  “Boston. I think you should take those calls. I would hate for you to get in trouble.”

  “Boston is a nice city. I’ve been there a few times. And as for my boss, he’s really a cool guy.” I smirked. “How long are you in New York for? I’d love to show you the sights.”

  “I moved here.”

  Fuck yeah.

  She looked down at the phone and then back at me.

  “All your calls hung up.”

  I shrugged. “They’ll call back. So about showing you the sights.”

  “Thank you for your offer, but I don’t think so.”

  Hmm. Women never turned me down. What the fuck was going on?

  “Why not?” My brow arched. “Would your boyfriend not approve?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Husband?”

  “I’m not married,” she spoke with an irritated tone.

  “Even better. Then you have no excuse. Do you?”

  “I’m flattered you would like to show me the sights, but I just moved here and I need to get settled.”

  And my bed is the best place to get settled.

  “Could you point me in the direction of the restroom, please?”

  “It’s down the hall. First door on your right.”

  “Thank you.” She cleared her throat as she walked away.

  My eyes fixated on her perfectly round ass as she walked out of sight. Getting up from Lisa’s desk, I went into my office. I had just found my new challenge, and I was going to win.

  Chapter Five

  Ariana

  He was brutally handsome. Short dark brown hair, a light well-manicured beard. Just enough to make him incredibly sexy. Strong jawline and perfectly shaped lips. Deep brown eyes; dark, hypnotizing. I didn’t know how tall he was because he was sitting down. For all I knew, he could be short. His black suit screamed designer. The type the lawyers in the office I worked at back in Boston wore. His shirt was crisp white and his tie was black with light gray dots. He looked to be late twenties, early thirties. Why was he a secretary? Weird. I frowned as I washed my hands. He wanted to show me the sights of the city. I was flattered, but I couldn’t let him. A guy was the last thing I needed for company right now. My life was in limbo. A mess. An apocalyptic mess to be exact. He was a secretary and I was almost a lawyer. Big difference. Should it matter? No, but it did.

  I stepped out of the bathroom and walked back over to the desk where the man had been sitting. He wasn’t there.

  “There you are!” Olivia spoke with excitement.

  “Sorry. I had to use the bathroom.”

  “Are you ready to go?” She grabbed her purse.

  “Yes. I’m starving.”

  Olivia took me to a garden café around the block and we had a nice lunch outside on the patio. I didn’t tell her about the secretary behind the desk because I just wanted to forget about him. It was no big deal anyway, even though he was sexy as hell.

  “Can you come back to the firm with me for a minute? I want you to meet my boss.”

  “Sure.” I smiled.

  We stepped through the doors and took the elevator up to the tenth floor.

  “Let me see if he’s in there first.” She smiled.

  She looked in his office and then waved me over. As soon as I stepped inside, my mouth dropped when I saw the sexy as hell man sitting behind his desk.

  “Luca, I would like you to meet my friend, Ariana,” Olivia spoke. “Ariana, this is my boss, Luca Russo.”

  I swallowed hard as he got up from his chair, buttoned his suitcoat, and walked over to me with a smile on his face.

  “We’ve already met. It’s nice to see you again, Ariana.”

  “Technically, you met me, but you failed to introduced yourself because you were too busy trying to get me to agree to go out with you.” I smirked.

  “Well then, let me correct that.” He held out his strong-looking hand. “I’m Luca Russo.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Russo.” I placed my hand in his and lightly shook it as I gulped at the electrical current that traveled throughout my body.

  “I’m sorry. Did I miss something?” Olivia frowned.

  “Your boss was sitting at the desk outside his office when I walked in, and pretended to be the secretary.” I smirked.

  “I wasn’t pretending. You just assumed I was the secretary,” he spoke.

  “You said your boss was cool.”

  “I was stating a fact.” He smiled. “And I am my boss. So, you were just assuming.”

  Narrowing my eye at him, a small smile crossed my lips.

  “You had an opportunity to tell me that you weren’t the secretary, but instead, you led me to believe you were because you answered the phones, put them on hold, told me your boss was a cool guy and then evaded my questions because you were too focused on convincing me that I should allow you to show me the sights of New York. When I told you that you had your hands full, that was your opportunity to tell me that you weren’t the secretary. But it was at that moment that you knew I thought you were, so you played it out. Therefore, you pretended and took advantage of my assumption.”

  He cocked his head and arched his brow at me. God, he was sexy.

  “You’d make a damn good lawyer, Miss Williams.” He smirked.

  “Thank you.” I grinned.

  He gathered some files on his desk and placed them in his black leather designer briefcase.

  “Again, it was a pleasure to meet you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to court.”

  I glanced over at Olivia, who was standing there with her mouth open.

  “What?” I asked.

  “He asked you out?”

  Waving my hand in front of my face, I spoke, “He just wanted to show me the sights of New York since I told him I just moved here. You didn’t tell me your boss was hot.”

  “I didn’t think about it.” I followed her out to her cubicle. “Are you into him?” She turned and looked at me.

  “No. I just think he’s very handsome and I like his name. Anyway, I should get going. I still have to look for a job.”

  “Did you check into the bar exam?”

  “I did.” A sad expression overtook my face. “The next exam is in two weeks and it’s way past the deadline for registration. So, it looks like I can’t take it until November.”

  “That’s four months away.” She pouted.

  “I know, but what can I do? I’ll see you at home.” I smiled.

  ****

  I scoured the streets of New York, got lost, and still didn’t have any luck finding a job. I was offered a position from a sweet older woman who owned a bakery, but she could only pay me minimum wage, and there was no way I could get an apartment on that. I did have enough money to potentially rent one right now, but only enough to cover the rent for the first couple of months if I planned on furnishing it, paying utilities, and buying food.

  I was feeling tired, so I stopped into a Starbucks before hailing a cab back to the apartment. The line was long, but I didn’t have any problem standing in it for the coffee that I desperately needed.

  “Hello, Miss Williams,” I heard a man’s voice from behind speak.

  Turning around, I swallowed hard when I saw it was Luca.

  “Hello, Mr. Russo. What a surprise seeing you here.” I smiled.

  “I just got out of court and needed some coffee.”

  “Did you win?” I asked.

  “Of course. I always do.” He smirked. “I’m assuming you need a midday pick-me-up as well?”

  “I do. Looking for a job has taken its toll on me.”

  The line started to move.

  “You didn’t already have a job secured before you moved here?”

  “No. It was a bit of an impulsive move.”

  “I see.”

  Finally,
it was my turn.

  “Can I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked.

  “I’ll have a Grande café latte with non-fat milk and a double shot of espresso.”

  “I’ll have the same and this is together.” Luca smiled as he pulled out his wallet.

  “Mr. Russo, I can pay for my own coffee.”

  “No you can’t. You don’t have a job.” He winked. “Plus, it’s the least I can do since I pretended to be the secretary and all.”

  “Well, in that case, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” The corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards.

  We walked over to the pickup counter and waited for our coffee to be ready.

  “Do you have time to sit down?” he asked.

  “Where? Here?”

  “Yes.” He chuckled. “There’s something I would like to discuss with you.”

  “If it’s about you showing me the sights—”

  “It’s not. I promise.”

  “Sure. I have time. Actually, I have all the time in the world right now.”

  “Good. Why don’t you go grab that table over in the corner and I’ll bring our coffees?”

  I walked over to the table and took a seat. What could he possibly want to discuss with me? I hadn’t a clue, but if it had anything to do with going out, he could forget it. I wasn’t looking to date anyone. I had too much on my mind and I was trying to get my life under control.

  Chapter Six

  Luca

  The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The fact that I walked into Starbucks and she was there was a sign. A sign that I should get to know her better. A sign that she would be the perfect body to sprawl across my bed in nothing but some type of sexy lingerie. She turned me on. And the more I saw her, the more my cock ached to have a taste of her. She appeared to be intelligent and that was what I craved.

  I grabbed our coffees from the counter and took them over to the table where Ariana sat.

  “Thank you.” She smiled.

  Unbuttoning my suitcoat, I took a seat across from her.

  “So, what did you want to discuss with me?” she asked as she picked up her coffee and took a sip.

  “A job.”

  “A job? Seriously?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “I was sitting at my secretary’s desk looking for a file I needed because her father passed away last night and she took off to Georgia to be with her family. She plans on being gone at least a month, maybe longer. So, that means I need a secretary until she returns and you need a job. Are you interested?”