“Sounds like heaven.”
Her phone beeped. “Crap. I’ve got a telephone conference with a union rep in five minutes. Do you think you can find your way back to HR? They’ve got some papers you’ll need to fill out.”
“No problem. I’ll figure it out.”
“Drinks after work?” she asked.
“I wish I could. I need to pick Lacey up from the babysitter.” He smiled. “Once I get the childcare squared away, I’d love to take you up on it.”
“Deal. And there’s always lunch,” she added.
“Lunch would be perfect.”
“I’ll text you.” She headed for the door. “And don’t hesitate to find me if you need anything.”
“I will. Thanks.”
An hour later, after filling out a pile of forms for HR, Dan closed the door to his new office and took a deep breath. Three years of watching Lacey fall asleep at 7 p.m. on the drive home from the childcare center when he should have been tucking her into bed, and Dan knew he’d made the right choice. Now if he could only convince Mr. Tall, Dark, Incredibly Sexy, and Massively Pissed Off that hiring him was the right choice….
Chapter Four
GRAHAM sat at his desk and rubbed his mouth. Unbelievable. The disastrous almost-one-nighter turns into a new hire? At least Dan had the discretion not to mention they’d met in Wilmington. Graham didn’t want to deal with Terri’s questions.
To top it all off, Dan had shown up late to his first meeting. Graham might be able to put Dan’s disappearing act behind him, but he expected more from his colleagues. He hadn’t worked his ass off so that others could slack off. He expected a hard worker who showed up when and where needed. He expected the same of himself. Dan would either shape up or he’d be out the door. Graham would set the parameters, and as long as Dan complied they’d be fine. And if the little lady Dan had at home came to the firm picnic, Graham would make nice. Discretion worked both ways. He and Terri needed a skilled negotiator who was personable as well. With Dan’s experience, he was a perfect fit—at least on paper.
Business. It’s just about business.
Someone knocked on the office door. “Come in.” Graham looked up from a stack of papers to see Dan offering him a tentative smile. His unruly auburn hair projected laid-back confidence, and he looked at least as good in his impeccably tailored suit as he had in his tri shorts. His blue eyes shone with intelligence and focus.
Probably charmed his way through life.
“I’m really sorry about this morning,” Dan said without hesitation.
Graham waited for the excuse, but Dan said nothing more. A pleasant surprise. “Have a seat?” Graham gestured to the chair in front of his desk and tried not to focus on the way Dan’s thighs strained against the fabric of his pants as he sat.
“Thanks.” Dan seemed to consider his options before adding, “I’m also really sorry about last Saturday. I feel like I’m starting off with two strikes against me.”
Graham’s hackles rose. “Things could certainly have gone better.” He schooled his expression. He didn’t give a shit if Dan liked him, but Terri worshipped the ground Dan walked on. Graham would get along for her sake. Maybe later he’d find a replacement and Dan could work with Terri instead. “Is your office satisfactory?”
Dan raised an eyebrow in obvious surprise. Had he thought Graham would take him to task over a cold shower? “More than. And the view is amazing.”
“Good.” Graham repressed his fierce pride and pretended to look at something important on his computer. Meeting new people was an occupational hazard and something that made him extremely uncomfortable. Compliments were even more treacherous. And given how intimate he and Dan had nearly gotten, Graham felt even more inclined to keep to himself.
“I read the Fourth Circuit’s decision in the Weldon v. Denton’s.” Dan crossed his legs and looked entirely at ease. His blue eyes radiated warmth and quiet confidence. “Great work.”
“Thank you.” Weldon, a Whistleblower Protection Act case, had been a hard-earned success. “We choose our cases carefully.” Graham prided himself on his instincts. He also prided himself on the firm’s ability to get its clients fair compensation, even when a case wasn’t flashy.
A few seconds passed in silence. Graham wouldn’t fill the space with idle chitchat. He also needed a moment to tame the butterflies in his gut. He’d worked with plenty of attractive men over the years. Why the hell was this particular man getting to him?
“Terri tells me you’re from my neck of the woods,” Dan said and leaned back in his chair.
Graham met Dan’s gaze. The urge to shift in his seat passed as he reasserted control. “Oh? Where would that be?” He made it his practice never to divulge too much about himself. Even Terri, whom he’d met when they were both taking prep classes for the Tennessee bar examination, only knew so much. The past was best forgotten.
“Carletonville. My folks still live out there.” Dan chuckled. “They still go to all the football games at Merrill High.”
Graham pretended the name hadn’t made his stomach drop into his feet. The back of his neck felt cold and clammy. “How nice,” he said evenly. “Did you play?”
“I did. But that was a long time ago,” Dan said with a sigh and shake of his head. “A different lifetime.”
“I see.” Graham glanced at his watch. He needed to end this interview soon or he’d lose his composure.
Fortunately, Dan got the message and stood. “I’m probably keeping you from something. I’m sure we’ll have more time to chat later.”
“I’ll have my assistant set up a few hours for us to go over strategy tomorrow morning.” Graham smiled and added, “Good to have you aboard.”
“Thanks again.”
Graham watched Dan leave, all the while struggling to keep his discomfort from showing. Dan closed the door behind him and Graham let out a long breath. How had he missed it before?
The Invincible Danny Parker. North Carolina All-State Quarterback of the Year. Full ride at Carolina. NCAA All-America Quarterback. A shoo-in for the pros until he tore his ACL in his senior year and had to quit the game.
Graham thought he’d forgotten what it felt like to sit in the mud as half the football team looked on and laughed, but he’d been wrong. All his memories came barreling back, and with them the pain and humiliation of fifteen years before.
The day after, he’d quit the band. When his mother remarried in June, they moved to Memphis and he took his stepfather’s name. He grew nearly eight inches his senior year. He put high school and the chubby kid behind him. In college, he learned he didn’t have asthma at all—he’d been allergic to the mold in the Carletonville apartment where he and his mother lived. He started to exercise. His roommate taught him to play racquetball and he started running regularly. He got into shape and learned to imitate the way the popular students dressed. He was accepted into a great law school and never looked back.
Fifteen years before, Jimmy Zebulon, the chubby kid with a face covered in zits, left Carletonville and never returned. Jimmy had moved on with his life. He’d banished the memories and the shame. He’d been absolutely fine.
Until now.
You aren’t that kid. He would never be that kid again. He’d suck it up and he’d do his job. He expected the same from the people he hired. If Dan Parker was as good as Terri said, he’d be fine working with him. There’d be no need for Dan to ever know about the pathetic kid who’d thought Danny was something special. Because Daniel Parker wasn’t special. He was just another high school superstar who became a regular guy with a regular job.
Just like the rest of us.
Graham grabbed the bottle of water from his desk and drank half of it in a few swallows. Relax. Forget about it. Still, his hand shook.
Holy hell. It wasn’t just that he and Dan had nearly ended up in bed—he’d just hired the guy at the epicenter of the worst year of his life! The year he’d realized he was gay. The year he’d had his first cr
ush. The year he’d only recently begun to erase from his memories.
The year James Graham Zebulon had ceased to exist and J. Graham Swann had been born.
Chapter Five
DAN took a deep breath and knocked on Graham’s door. After the lousy first impression he’d made by showing up late yesterday, Dan hadn’t honestly expected the guy would be warm fuzzy with him today. Even so, he hadn’t expected the entirely cold, controlled demeanor Graham exuded. He’d assumed any friend of Terri’s would be warm and open like her.
“Come in.” Graham’s commanding baritone was all business.
Rather than warming up as Terri promised, Graham’s demeanor was more like Minnesota in winter. Dan’s impression of Graham’s office was the same as before: this was Superman’s Fortress of Solitude in leather and chrome. Sophisticated, but offering no insights into the man himself. No family photos on the desk. Nothing even remotely personal. Even the artwork adorning the walls felt cold.
Graham was good-looking enough to play the Superman role too. And what difference does that make? He never intended to date the boss. And after he left Graham high and dry in the parking deck, anything that might have happened sure as hell wouldn’t happen now.
“Are we still good to meet?” Dan asked as he stepped inside.
“Why wouldn’t we be?” Other than his raised eyebrow, Graham’s face was expressionless.
So much for easing into things. Dan offered Graham a smile that went unreturned. He’d been around the block enough that he didn’t need coddling. He’d dealt with plenty of lawyers like Graham in New York. He’d hoped things might be different in North Carolina, but he could deal.
Graham pulled a stack of files off his desk and nodded to the round table by the window. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Dan sat.
Graham set the files in the center of the table and joined Dan. “Benson v. Crane, Ltd.,” Graham said without preamble. “Age discrimination. Whistleblower claim. Airplane parts company. Our client’s fifty-nine. Company’s got financial issues. Client says he reported safety concerns to his manager and nothing happened.”
“So he escalated?” Dan asked.
“And they fired him,” Graham explained. “He’s got plenty of documentation. Conversations with senior management and HR. All documented.” Graham’s voice vibrated with passion.
“Settlement?”
“I’ve been working on it, but I could use some new blood. A different angle,” Graham explained. “They’re stonewalling me.”
Dan was relieved to hear this. If Graham realized his own limitations, maybe there was hope they could work together. Tag-team it. “What’s the most recent offer?” he asked.
“Fifty thousand. And that’s up from a whopping ten grand. We’re asking five hundred in damages plus back pay. I want to get at least half that for the client.” Graham tapped a file marked Correspondence.
“They’re waiting to see who’ll blink.”
“I’ve dealt with this attorney before,” Graham said with a quick nod. “He’s got more bar complaints than I can count on both hands. Always manages to squirm out of it.”
“What’s his angle?”
Graham’s eyes narrowed. “A witness who claims our guy stole company property.”
“You think the witness is bogus?” Dan asked.
“We haven’t been able to find her. The address they provided is an apartment in Charlotte, but the landlord says she moved out a few weeks ago. No forwarding address.”
“And opposing counsel says they’re trying to find her.” The witness probably didn’t exist, but she was a great bargaining chip.
“Right.”
“I hate poker.” Dan rubbed the back of his neck. At least talking to Graham about cases wasn’t as big a chore as the small talk.
“I’m not much of a fan either. Especially the dirty kind. But our client’s antsy.” A flicker of something flashed in Graham’s eyes. Anger? He’d seen too many plaintiffs with good claims settle for far less than they should. “He and his wife are struggling to make ends meet. His wife works as a clerk at a convenience store. They’re barely treading water, and this thing….”
“Could take years before it gets to trial.” Dan shook his head. “Where would you like me to start?”
“We’ve got a PI trying to track the witness down. My assistant, Sarah, can get you the contact info.”
Fifteen minutes later, after they’d reviewed the key documents together, Graham got up from the table and stretched. “Water? Soda?”
“Water’d be great.” Dan rubbed the back of his neck.
Graham pulled two bottles from a small fridge near his desk and set one in front of Dan.
“Thanks.” Dan opened the bottle and took a long swallow.
“Terri says you can do the job.”
Graham’s words rang with challenge. Dan was wary, but he’d navigated enough sticky situations that he knew he could handle this. “Thanks. From what she tells me, your practice is similar to my old firm. Some state, mostly federal.”
“We’ve grown faster than I expected.” Graham’s voice vibrated with subtle pride. The firm was barely five years old, and its track record in the region was unmatched, according to the local trade journals. “We’re looking at our first Supreme Court argument next term.”
“Terri mentioned that.”
Graham gazed out the nearest window. “I trust Terri, but the ultimate decision about whether to offer you partnership is mine alone.”
“Fair enough.” Dan drew a long breath to dispel the tension in his gut. He and Lacey would be fine even if this job didn’t pan out, what with most of Benn’s life insurance carefully invested. But the ink was barely dry on the closing documents for the house, and he didn’t particularly want to pick up and move again, not with Lacey starting pre-kindergarten at the end of the summer. There were other firms in the area that might be interested in him, but he doubted any of them would offer a contract as generous. Spending years working his way back to a partnership wasn’t an option—he and Benn had waited until he’d made partner before adopting for good reasons. He had no intention of subjecting Lacey to sixty- or seventy-hour weeks while he proved himself again.
“I realize you come from a firm where you called the shots,” Graham continued. He still hadn’t turned around, something Dan found disconcerting.
“Graham,” Dan said, “you don’t need to hold back. I don’t need a soft landing.”
Graham turned and set his bottle on the table. “All right.” A muscle in his cheek jumped, but otherwise his expression remained utterly controlled. He put a single hand on the back of the chair. “I’m less than impressed with your inability make it to the office in a timely manner. On your first day, no less.”
“My apologies. You have every right to expect me to arrive on time. It won’t happen again.” At least he hoped it wouldn’t.
“Your personal life is your own,” Graham continued, undaunted. “But I’ve no doubt you’ll discover that your New York lifestyle will cause you problems here.”
“No doubt.” Dan strangled a sigh. Did Graham think he partied all night? Probably. But the truth was none of Graham’s business. He’d dealt with far worse in his life than this sort of judgment, and he’d long since given up his guilt at not living up to others’ expectations.
“Are we clear?” Graham asked.
“Perfectly. And again, my apologies.”
“Good.” The tension in Graham’s shoulders eased visibly. “That’s all that needs to be said on the subject.” He reached for another folder. “Let’s get back to work.”
Chapter Six
“YOU alive in there?” Terri poked her head into Graham’s office a few minutes after six.
“Last time I checked.”
“Ouch.” She walked in and sat on the edge of his desk. “Bit tense, are we?”
“Are you offering a shoulder rub?” he parried.
“A chink in your armor?” She
slipped off the desk and began to massage his shoulders.
He sighed. “I might have overreacted.” He wasn’t afraid to admit his faults to her. She’d never use them against him.
“Might?”
“With the new hire.”
“You mean Dan?” she asked with a barely repressed grin. She loved fishing. “What did you tell him?”
He leaned his head back and looked at her. He’d been an asshole. “I might have suggested he change his lifestyle.”
“You… what? Graham, you didn’t.” She poked her thumbs into his back with such force that he flinched.
“He was late for his first day, Terri.” He might have overreacted, but tardiness still wasn’t acceptable.
“And if he had a good reason?”
“He didn’t mention it,” Graham said. Although Dan had apologized.
“Would you be less irritated if he’d given you an excuse?”
He frowned.
“He’s an adult and a professional, and you hate bullshit,” she continued. “Why not give him the benefit of the doubt?”
“Doing my best.” Why was he letting Dan get to him?
She went back to work on his shoulders. “You should get to know him. Why not take him out for a drink after work?”
His shoulders tightened again. He didn’t want to think about how taking Dan out for drinks might end.
“Want to talk about it?” she asked and kneaded the new tension there.
“Nothing to talk about.” She’d tried to get him to open up about his private life too many times to count. It was safer this way.
“Okay. How about drinks with me tonight, then? It’s been weeks. My treat?”
“I…,” he began, then changed his mind. “Sure.” He missed their weekly happy hours at the Landmark Tavern. “But it’ll need to be a quick one.”
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