I couldn’t return the grin. Instead, reality started to sink in. I was now reeling from the fact I’d crossed a line. A big one. If the wrong person had come looking for me, it could’ve cost me everything. “This was a mistake.”
Her face fell. “Why do I feel like I’m the one getting the lecture here when it was you who initiated it?”
“I’m not lecturing. I’m simply stating a fact.” Shit. I was being an asshole and couldn’t seem to stop the runaway train. I was freaking out at the line we’d crossed. “We can’t do this again here.”
“Don’t worry. At this point, you could’ve left out the last word.” She then turned and walked out.
Self-reflection ran deep later that night as I nursed a bourbon in my living room, replaying the afternoon in my head. I was a dick. Kendall deserved an apology. I’d taken out my frustration with myself for crossing a line I never thought I would directly on her and it hadn’t been fair. Did I mention I was an asshole?
I texted her with, “I’m sorry.”
Nothing came back, but she was in class, so I waited. By the time nine o’clock rolled around, and she still hadn’t replied, I dialed her number.
“Hello,” she answered, sounding out of breath.
“Hi. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“I’m at the grocery store. I didn’t get a chance to shop yet this week.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were ignoring my text or just still out.”
“A bit of the first and all of the second.”
I smiled at her sassy response. “I took out my anger at myself for crossing a line on you. For that, I’m sorry.”
Her sigh was the only sound on the other end.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes. I am. And we can agree to no more office sex, but just don’t talk down to me ever again.”
I swallowed hard at the reminder of what a prick I’d been. “I won’t. Are we okay?”
“I think so. I mean boundaries are tough considering we work together. Do you still want me to come over after work on Friday?”
Relief finally made the tightness in my chest ease. “Yes. Definitely.”
“All right. Have a good night, Liam.”
“You, too.” I hung up, wondering not for the first time if I could treat her the way she deserved.
Chapter Forty-One
Kendall
I’d never been the type to hold a grudge. That’s why accepting Liam’s apology two days ago had been easy. But it didn’t mean, as I sat at my desk on a Thursday afternoon, I didn’t second-guess if in the long term, this relationship, or lack thereof, was a good idea. Case in point, Valentine’s Day.
It was the Hallmark holiday today, and I kept telling myself it didn’t matter, yet I kept wondering if he’d do something. Send secret flowers. Send a text asking me to come over for dinner tonight after class. Get me a box of chocolates. Something. But so far, it was after lunch and nothing. Because nothing was what a non-boyfriend did. Right?
I found myself disappointed. Then again, we’d see each other tomorrow night. Maybe he’d have something romantic planned then? I glanced up mid-thought to see Phillip, the managing partner, walking up to my desk.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Kinkaid. Mr. Davenport is finishing up a conference call.” My phone set’s panel showed Liam’s light was still on, but I knew he only had a few minutes left.
“Thanks. I’ll talk to him after he’s done, but first I wanted to speak with you.”
“With me?” My voice went up an octave while my mind instantly went back to Tuesday when Liam had me bent over his desk at lunchtime. Had someone heard us? Was something reported?
Phillip gave me a kind smile. “Yes. It seems Stephen Walsh was quite taken with your fresh perspective on the homeless which, as you’re aware, is a passion of his. Anyhow, he gave us an invitation for two people to attend a black-tie dinner tomorrow night at his home in Beverly Hills. He asked for you to be one of those people.”
Phillip was studying me as if I’d know why a client would do such a thing. “I, um, that’s a surprise.” Shit. I could feel my face turning red.
Then the door to my boss’s office opened. Liam did a quick glance between us, a frown marring his otherwise perfect face.
“What’s going on?” he asked a bit too forcefully with a hint of accusation. Or maybe it was my imagination.
Phillip was the one to speak because, frankly, I didn’t know what to say.
“I was telling Kendall about Stephen Walsh’s request to have her attend the dinner tomorrow night.”
Narrowed eyes, throbbing temple. Stiff posture. It was as if we were back to the beginning, before we were sleeping together, where I was just Ms. Tate, and he was still the dick I wrote secret entries about in the document I’d deleted last week. Perhaps it had been premature to do so.
“I see,” Liam finally said.
Phillip smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll make a much better date than I would. Can you make it tomorrow night, Kendall? I realize it’s last minute. The event starts at seven o’clock. As I said, it’s black tie, and the firm will pay for a car to pick you up.”
The timing couldn’t be worse. I had to work at the bar. I didn’t have a thing to wear. And I didn’t owe the firm this inconvenience in my life. On the other hand, it was flattering to have made an impression on a client. One who’d requested me. One who didn’t seem to care I was only a secretary. Unlike Liam, who appeared absolutely annoyed with the idea.
Perhaps he thought he should be taking someone like Tabitha instead of a girl who was still finishing her degree. Too bad. “I’d be honored to go.”
Phil appeared pleased with my answer. That made one of them. Although Liam had his icy poker face in place, I could definitely say he wasn’t pleased.
“Excellent.” Phil then turned toward my boss. “If you have a few minutes, Liam, I have a number of things to discuss with you.”
“Certainly.” He didn’t give me another glance as they went into his office.
Liam said nothing to me for the rest of the day. The only thing I knew was the party started at seven tomorrow night.
After class, I went home and tried to enlist the help of Chloe with the one problem I could manage. A dress. Unfortunately, she wasn’t my size even if she’d had something formal to wear to a black-tie event.
“Can you hit the thrift shop tomorrow?”
“I’ll be cutting it close, but I can go during lunch.” The secondhand store I frequented was in Hollywood, and I could take the subway there, but I’d still have to find something my size. Here was hoping the dress gods were with me tomorrow.
“Your hot boss picking you up for the date?” Chloe asked.
“A driver is picking me up from the office. As much as I hate the idea of getting ready for a fancy event at work, I won’t have time to come all the way home, then try to drive in rush hour traffic to the party in Hollywood. I believe Liam is leaving from the office, too, although he hasn’t confirmed. In any case, it’s not a date.” I tried not to let that bother me. But I was quickly finding out it was starting to. Maybe because he seemed weird about it. As if I had somehow gotten myself invited on purpose. As if he was uncomfortable with me being a part of his world. Hadn’t he told me I’d rocked Stephen Walsh’s test? So then, why was he being a jerk about it now?
“I’ll tell everyone at the club that you’re almost better, but won’t be in tomorrow. I think they appreciate you not wanting to infect anyone,” Chloe offered.
“Thank you.” At least I had a plausible reason for missing work. Still, I felt bad they’d be short-staffed. I’d missed more days in the last month than I had in the whole two years I’d worked there. A small part of me was tempted to back out of the party. Maybe this was more trouble than it was worth. Yet I found myself curious as to why Stephen Walsh had asked for me specifically.
“How can you say it’s not a date?”
“I mean it’s a work function. And w
e’re not telling people we’re together. Not that we are together. We’re just— I don’t know.”
“Did he do anything for Valentine’s Day for you?”
I stared down at my hands before looking up at her again. “He’s not my boyfriend, so I didn’t expect anything.”
She offered me a sad smile. “Does it mean you’ll be okay with him not doing anything for your birthday next month, too?”
To be fair, I doubted he knew my birthday was in March. “Probably not.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to see you get hurt. He does seem to genuinely feel something for you. You could see it by the way he took care of you when you were sick. I guess the question is if it’s enough for you?”
It was the question indeed.
On Friday, during my lunch hour, I took the subway to my destination, praying I’d find a dress at a reasonable price for tonight’s swanky dinner. I’d brought in my black and my nude pumps, and also some silver sandals, hoping whatever I picked out would match. At least Chloe had helped me figure out what I’d be doing with my hair. The benefit of having long hair was it went up without a lot of fuss.
I was grateful there were no other customers at the secondhand shop when I walked in. “Hi,” I said to the older woman at the front desk.
“Hello, dear, how can I help you?”
“I’m hoping you might have a dress in my size. One for a black-tie event tonight.”
“We have lots of beautiful gowns. The upside of being in Hollywood. What size are you?”
“I’m a four, but I’m short and have a generous bottom half, which means sometimes I have trouble finding things that fit properly.”
“Ah. I think I may have the thing if you’re okay with showing a bit of skin.”
I wasn’t sure having my lack of cleavage on display would be a good idea, but as soon as she walked over and pulled a silver dress off the rack, I knew it was the one. It was pure Hollywood glamour with thousands of crystals strewn into the bodice. It was beautiful, but once she turned it around and I saw the back, I knew I had to have it. Holy shit. The back took this dress to another level. It was scooped out to show, as she’d said, a lot of skin, but it was the draping back jewels which really set it off. It was both sexy and sophisticated. The question was would it fit?
Five minutes later in the dressing room, I discovered it fit like a glove. And it was the perfect length, so I wouldn’t have to hem it up like I had to do with most dresses given my short height.
“It was made for you, honey. You certainly don’t need much in the way of jewelry. Maybe some small hoops, but no necklace. The dress takes center stage for sure.”
It certainly did. “How much is it?” I didn’t want to get my hopes set on it only to have it out of reach.
“It’s three hundred. But it’s been here a long time waiting for a home. How about I give it to you for half off?”
It was still out of my budget, but I couldn’t not have this dress. I mean what else would I do? Once again, I was tempted to back out. But the thought of Liam seeing me in this dress— Well, I couldn’t resist. “I appreciate it. I’ll take it.”
After forking over the money, I was back on the subway and back to the office with the dress in a garment bag.
Cinderella had her dress. Now I just wondered if my Prince Charming would be a dick at the ball.
At six o’clock, I dressed in the handicapped stall in the women’s bathroom at the office. Was I glamorous or what? It was too bad this party couldn’t have been on a Saturday where I could’ve taken more time at home to get ready. But at least I was getting a ride.
Luckily, there weren’t a lot of people still there at the office at this time. After dressing, I touched up my makeup, and put my hair up with a number of pins.
My red lipstick finished the look and then, because I couldn’t resist, I added a coat of strawberry lip gloss. Other than confirming the time for the car to pick us up, Liam had said little all day. I wasn’t sure where his thoughts were. But I was determined to find out tonight. I assumed I’d go back to his place? Or at this point, maybe not.
After I walked back to my desk, I logged out of my computer, locked my laptop in the drawer, and turned to see Tabitha coming down the hall toward me. Her steps were hurried, her voice shrill when she asked, “Why are you all dressed up?”
“I was invited to Stephen Walsh’s party tonight.”
Her eyes raked over my dress, then flicking toward Liam who was coming out of his office in his tux.
“So, your secretary is your plus-one now?” The way she said the word secretary let it be known how she felt about someone with my title going to a party she didn’t deem me worthy of attending.
I braced myself for Liam’s response. But he surprised me. “She is the very reason I’m invited tonight. The reason Stephen Walsh is probably signing with our firm. He invited her directly.”
I hadn’t expected him to stick up for me.
Tabitha only sneered. “Yeah, I bet he did.”
Liam bounced his gaze between me and his colleague. “A moment please, Tabitha.” He ushered her into his office but stopped in the doorway, turning toward me. “I’ll meet you downstairs in the car, Ms. Tate.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Liam
As soon as my office door was closed, Tabitha started with her tirade. “What the hell, Liam? A secretary is attending Stephen Walsh’s party? Seriously?”
“Seriously. And like I said, if it wasn’t for her impressing him on Tuesday, I doubt very much anyone would be going.”
“What did she do, promise him sexual favors?”
My temper hit a boiling point. “Enough,” I said in a low tone, serving notice that I wasn’t about to hear another disparaging word. “You need to stow your jealousy and figure out a way to deal with it. Not one more word to Kendall or to anyone about this.”
“It’s Kendall now, huh?”
For an attractive woman, pettiness made her uglier than ever. I’d had quite enough of her snotty attitude. “Yes. It’s her first name. Just like you call Helen, your assistant, by her first name. You’re still getting your fifteen percent origination, as discussed.”
Her expression remained hard. “Fine. But I still don’t like it. We have a pecking order here at the firm for a reason.”
I didn’t want to hear about her outdated views of how things should be at a law firm. This wasn’t a caste system. It was an organization, all the people of which needed to work well together in all aspects. “I don’t give a fuck if you like it or not.”
Her face when red before morphing into something else entirely as she adjusted my bow tie. “You’re right, of course. I was out of line. Call me after. Tell me how it goes?”
I had to physically keep myself from recoiling, but it would do no good to upset her further. “I’ll let you know in the office on Monday, Tabitha. Have a good night.”
I let out a sigh of relief as I watched her walk out.
By the time I got downstairs and to the car, I had a raging headache. I was aware none of this was Kendall’s doing, but her accompanying me to this event posed a number of challenges. Tabitha was only one of them. This was where the line between professional and personal threatened to get obliterated completely especially since I was sure Kendall saw tonight as a date. But it couldn’t be.
“Hi,” she greeted when I got into the back of the black Lincoln town car with her.
“Hi.”
“Everything okay?”
I gave her a small smile. “Yes. It’s fine.” I was about to tell her how damn beautiful she looked, but I couldn’t. The driver was a regular for a number of partners in the firm. “Were you able to deal with the club tonight without any issues?”
“Yes. They think I’m still recovering.”
“How are you feeling?” This was at least a safe topic.
“Back to normal, thankfully. Lucas called yesterday to check on me—”
/> I shook my head, a finger to my lips, and watched her shut down her thought. I didn’t want her to mention her doctor was my neighbor or friend.
“Oh. Right.”
I immediately winced when I saw her retreat. It reminded me of our ride from the airport to the Airbnb the first day we’d flown to Virginia. She gazed out the window, and we both were silent.
We arrived at Stephen’s house forty-five minutes later. He had a large mansion in the Hollywood Hills with an amazing view. I got out of the car first, taking her hand to help her out, regretting when I had to let go.
As soon as she stepped in front of me, I sucked in my breath. Jesus, her dress was backless. Given the way it fit her ass, I felt like making her wear my tux jacket to cover up.
It was going to be a long night.
After we walked in through the front door, she took a glass of champagne that had been offered on a tray. She seemed starstruck as she looked around at the opulence of the house and all of the beautiful people walking around, some of them famous.
She turned to me. “Should I stay with you, or—”
“I think it’s appropriate. But no touching or personal talk. We never know who might be watching or overhear us.”
She stiffened. “I understand.”
“Also go easy on the champagne.” She’d just downed half of it in one swallow.
Her glare prefaced her words. “Good thing I have you here to tell me how to act at a fancy party. Or maybe I should be grateful you’re talking to me at all considering you’ve barely had two words for me since I was invited.”
Shit. Of course she was right. But not for the reason I was sure she imagined. “I didn’t mean—” I was cut off from an explanation when none other than Stephen Walsh came up to us.
“Ah, Kendall, you look ravishing. Doesn’t she, Liam?”
I wasn’t sure what his game was. All I knew was he was one eccentric dude, and he seemed to have taken a liking to my assistant. “Yes, Ms. Tate looks lovely,” was the best I could come up with.
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