Lawfully His (A Dirty Business Novel Book 1)

by Michelle Betham

  “I haven’t had my coffee yet. And I need to make Evan’s.”

  We head to the partners’ kitchen, grab a coffee each and then make our way down to the file room. It’s the only place that’s anywhere near private around here. I’ll make Evan his coffee when I’m done.

  “All right. What’s going on?” Jess asks, perching herself on the edge of a table as she takes a sip of her drink.

  “What I’m about to tell you, you have to keep this to yourself, for now, at least. We’re not making this common knowledge yet, it’s way too soon.”

  She looks at me, and her expression is part curious, part confused. “Okay. Cross my heart and all that.”

  I take a deep breath, and I tell her everything, all of it, from my one-night stand with Evan to everything that happened last night. The whole messed up, complicated story. And as she listens her expression doesn’t really register anything, no surprise, not a flicker. Not until I’ve finished. Only then does she show any kind of reaction.

  “Jesus, Lola, you were keeping some serious shit from me there, girl.”

  “It wasn’t something I wanted advertised at the time.”

  “And now?”

  “We’re still keeping it quiet. For the time being. I mean, how does it look, Jess? One minute I’m engaged to Mike, and the next he’s suddenly off to Canada and I’m sleeping with my boss. The ex-husband of Dana Cavendish. And it just wasn’t like that. There was so much more to it than that.”

  “And Mike? He really just upped and left without so much as a word to you, huh?”

  “Yeah, well, that’s something he’s pretty good at, isn’t it?”

  She looks at me, and she smiles, a reassuring smile. “When it does come out about you and Evan… This place, it can be brutal when it comes to office gossip. But a lot of it, I’m guessing, when it comes to this one – a lot of it’s going to be based on envy, okay? Because a female employee who doesn’t want to do Evan King is a rare thing around here. And you – you’ve just hit the jackpot as far as some people are concerned. You got him. So you’re probably gonna be the recipient of a lot of icy glares for a little while. But ignore it all, you hear me? Whatever they say, whatever they do – they don’t know the history. You do. You lived it.”

  We both look over at the door as we hear it open, and Evan walks in.

  “I’m sorry, were you looking for me?”

  He smiles at me, and then he looks at Jess. And she gets the message. She slides down from the table and mouths ‘Talk to you later’ before she leaves us alone.

  “You told her?”

  “She knew something was going on. And she’s my friend, Evan. And I need to talk about this. She won’t say anything.”

  “Yeah, well, everyone’s gonna know soon enough, aren’t they?”

  “But we haven’t really talked about it yet, have we? Us. What us actually involves. We don’t even know how that’s going to work yet, do we?”

  He moves a little closer to me, and my heart starts to pick up a heavier, faster rhythm. “Why don’t we just run with it, Lola? And see where it takes us.”

  I smile, and I scrunch up my nose and reach out and pull him toward me by his tie. “Yeah. I kind of like that idea.”

  His mouth twists up into a smirk, and I pull him closer, kissing him slowly. “Where’s my coffee, Ms. Burrows?”

  “Still in the kitchen.”

  “Then you really aren’t doing your job properly, are you?”

  He rests his hand on my hip and starts nuzzling my neck and I throw back my head and moan quietly.

  “So fire me.”

  His hand snakes up under my dress and tugs at the sides of my panties. “You could make up for being such a bad secretary another way.”

  I gasp in mock shock. “What are you suggesting, Mr. King?”

  He rests his mouth against mine and smirks again. Such a sexy smirk. Such a way-too-hot-for-his-own-good smirk. “I need you to take something down, Ms. Burrows.”

  I smile, and my hand covers his as, together, we tug my panties down. “Something like this?” I whisper, and he groans as he slowly pushes my dress up over my thighs, his hand sliding between my legs as he kisses me deep and dirty, his tongue probing my mouth, his fingers exploring, touching, pushing inside me with the gentlest of thrusts that cause me to cry out quietly.

  “Yeah. Something like this,” he murmurs, sliding his fingers out of me. And he unzips himself, and he lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his hips as he pushes into me, his cock filling me up, crashing me back against the boxes of files stacked on the shelving units, which hurts just a little but I don’t care. I don’t.

  It’s quick, of course it is. We’re in the file room, this is a public place, people come in and out of here all the time and even though there’s a lock on the door, neither of us has flicked that lock down. Anyone could come in, and then our secret would well and truly be out, so this is quick. He comes, and he takes my hand, and together we bring me to a satisfying, almost calming climax, and then we pull ourselves back together. It’s very, very quick.

  I crouch down and pick up my panties, but he catches my hand before I have a chance to put them back on. “Don’t,” he whispers, his mouth twisting up into that smirk again.

  “Don’t…?”

  “Put them back on.”

  I can’t help smiling as he takes my panties from me and tucks them into his pocket.

  “You can go get my coffee now.”

  I slide a hand around the back of his neck and pull him down for one more kiss, keeping my mouth on his as I speak. “You do know I could report you for sexual harassment in the work place, don’t you?”

  He grins and drops a hand to my ass. “You’re going there again, huh?”

  I slide my fingers into his hair, keeping my mouth pressed against his as I laugh quietly. And then he kisses me hard and fast, an urgent kiss, but we need to stop this now. It’s just a bit too risky, and we’ve pushed it far enough already. “I’m going to go get your coffee.”

  He rubs my ass and kisses my forehead and he lets me go, but he’s watching me as I walk away, and I smile to myself as I open the door. My heart’s still breaking, but I’m smiling. Because, this time, I might just be able to get over Mike Carrington. If I let myself…

  Evan

  I’m not naïve enough to think she’s anywhere close to getting over Mike. She hasn’t even started that process, it’s way too soon. He’s upped and left her again, under very different circumstances this time, but he’s gone. And again he didn’t say goodbye. As far as Lola was concerned she’d be seeing him today, here, at work, and getting over him was going to be a whole different process to the one she’s now being faced with. Am I relieved, that he’s gone? Yes. I am. And, yeah, I know that’s selfish, but I’m not going to stand here and lie.

  I watch as her perfect ass disappears out the door and I lean back against the wall, bow my head, and I smile.

  He’s gone, and she’s still here.

  She chose me.

  I’m a man who hates losing.

  But I didn’t lose, not this time.

  I won.

  Thirty-Two

  Lola

  “Happy Anniversary.”

  I look up, and Evan’s standing there, in front of my cubicle. “Huh?” I’m a little confused, to be honest. And then he holds out a small silver gift bag, and I’m still confused. “What’s that?”

  “Take it. It’s for you.”

  I reach out and take the bag from him, and he comes around the back of my desk, and he stands there with his hands in the pockets of his dark gray suit, all hot and handsome arrogance. I just throw him a puzzled look.

  “It’s been three months now, Lola. Three months since we officially became a couple.”

  “Since we became the talk of Cavendish King, you mean.”

  He just smiles and nods his head at the bag he just gave me. “You gonna open that?”

  “Who has a three month anniversary?�
��

  “Jesus, you really can be hard work at times.”

  I scrunch up my nose and he leans over me, his hands on my knees as he kisses me quickly. And I have to admit, being able to kiss him without feeling like we have to hide has been nice. I mean, we don’t do it often, he’s a named partner, he has to act like a grown-up not some sex-starved adolescent. He saves that for home. Our home. His crazy-expensive penthouse apartment has gone and we’ve got ourselves a new one, in a building not too far from his old place. But this apartment is ours. It still has stunning views of the city; still has a modern feel but with a bit more of a homely touch than his last one, and that’s probably down to my influence. And I love it. I love being with him.

  Are we rushing things?

  Maybe. A little.

  Did I move in with him too soon?

  No. You don’t have to be in love with someone to want to be with them as much as you can.

  I’m not in love with Evan King?

  I’m getting there. Every day is another step forward.

  Am I over Mike?

  Again, I’m getting there.

  Do I still think about him?

  Not as much as I used to.

  Do I miss him?

  No.

  Yes.

  Sometimes.

  “Just look in the bag, Lola, and stop being a pain in the ass.”

  “I don’t need this job anymore, y’know.”

  He stands up, puts his hands back in his pockets and throws me that smirk again. “Oh yeah?”

  I stand up too, and I walk over to him, running my fingers down over his tie. “Yeah. I mean, I’m sleeping with the boss, aren’t I?”

  “Oh, baby, yes you are.”

  He circles my waist and pulls me against him and he kisses me a little longer, a little deeper.

  “Now look in the goddamn bag, Lola.”

  I reach inside and pull out a black suede box. And then I look back up at him. “What is it?”

  “Jesus… open it and you’ll find out.”

  I flip open the lid and I can’t keep the gasp down as I see the most beautiful, delicate white-gold bracelet nestled on a bundle of black silk. “Evan! This must’ve cost a fortune!”

  He carefully lifts the bracelet from the box and takes my hand, fastening the bracelet around my wrist. I look down at it, and then I look up at him. And I reach out and gently pinch his cheek.

  “Ouch! What the hell was that for?”

  “Just making sure you’re real.”

  He grins, and he pulls me against him again, kissing my mouth, his fingers lightly stroking the small of my back. “I’m taking you to dinner tonight. That little restaurant you like in the West Village.”

  I smile at him, trailing my fingertips over his jaw line. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For everything.”

  He rests his forehead against mine and he smiles, his hand on my back pushing me into him. “I’m falling in love with you, Ms. Burrows. So, I’m taking you to dinner, and I’m gonna walk into that restaurant the luckiest man on this fucking earth because you are gonna be the most beautiful woman in that place tonight.”

  “Oh, God, are you sure you’re real?”

  He laughs quietly and he kisses me one more time before he lets me go, throws me a wink and strides back into his office.

  I turn around and sit back down, my eyes on the bracelet so I don’t see Jess approach.

  “Still loved up with the boss, then?”

  I raise my gaze and she’s smiling at me; her tongue’s firmly in her cheek. Jess has been great since me and Evan went public. Well, both her and Dana have been great. They’ve stood by us, put an end to unfounded gossip and supported our relationship when others claimed it couldn’t last; wouldn’t last. When people labeled me as nothing more than a gold-digger who had her sights set only on bagging the best lawyer she could; accused me of hounding Mike out of the firm they were there, supporting us. Supporting me. And I’m grateful. Because a lot of that gossip hurt. Did it hit a nerve? Maybe. One or two close-to-the-truth comments might have stung a little. But I didn’t hound Mike out of anywhere. The circumstances just hadn’t been kind to us.

  “He’s like this walking, talking dream, Jess. And I know he isn’t perfect, God knows nobody is. But, right now, he’s kind of coming real close to that.”

  She leans on the ledge of my cubicle and sticks the end of her pen in her mouth. “It won’t last. Those feelings, I mean.”

  “Yes, thanks, I know that. So let me make the most of them while they’re still hanging around.”

  “What’s that?”

  She indicates the bracelet. I hold up my hand and show it to her.

  “Evan gave it to me, just now. For our three month anniversary.”

  “Oh, Jesus, you guys have monthly anniversaries? How frickin’ cute is that?”

  I pull a face, which she promptly returns. “And he’s taking me to dinner tonight, at my favorite place in the West Village.”

  “Can I come?” she sighs, her eyes still focused on my bracelet. “I don’t mind playing gooseberry.”

  I look at her and throw her a sideways smile.

  “No, I’m being serious. I can be your, y’know, chaperone. Humor me, I really can’t be bothered to cook tonight. And it’s pretty bleak out there on the dating front, so…”

  “I think we’ll be just fine on our own, thanks,” I laugh, opening Evan’s diary to see what he’s got on today.

  “Some friend you are.” She smirks, throws me a wink, and sticks the end of her pen back in her mouth, staying silent for a couple of beats. “Lola?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You heard from Mike at all?”

  I slowly look up. It’s been over three months, why would she ask that now? I haven’t really spoken about Mike, or even wanted to speak about Mike since he upped and left. And he certainly hasn’t tried to contact me. So why on earth would she ask if I’ve heard from him?

  “He’s been in touch with his brother, but, I’ve told Eric I don’t want to know. Anything.”

  And that’s the truth. I don’t want to know. Anything. I’m moving on. I’m assuming he is, too.

  “Why not?”

  “Is this really any of your business, Jess?”

  “Call it a concerned friend making sure, that’s all.”

  I frown slightly, keeping my eyes fixed on hers. “You can see how happy I am with Evan, and yet, you start with this shit about Mike. Why, Jess?”

  “Have you really moved on, Lola?”

  I stare at her. And I stay silent, just for a second or two, because I don’t understand why she’s doing this. “You know I have.”

  “Aren’t you even curious?”

  “About what? Jess, he chose to leave… Okay, in some respects I might have driven him to it, I might have been the reason he went; it might have been my fault, but I made my choice. And so did he. I just never thought he’d leave again without saying a proper goodbye, that’s all. But I’m not letting him destroy me twice, so, no. I haven’t spoken to him, heard from him, or even wanted to know anything about him or what he’s doing now. I made my choice. I moved on.”

  “Okay. Okay, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “No. You shouldn’t.”

  “I really am sorry, Lola. But, like I said, I’m just a concerned friend.”

  “You’ve got nothing to be concerned about.” I throw her a smile, and she throws back a relieved one. “Really. Everything’s fine, Jess.”

  “Okay… Anyway, I’d better go do some work, huh? I’m due in court this afternoon and I’ve still got a pile of paperwork to wade through. Which reminds me, I should go kick some associate ass. I’ll see you later?”

  “Yeah. Later.”

  I watch her sashay along the corridor, exchanging greetings with everyone she passes. She’s become one of my best friends has Jess. And I know she only said what she did just now because she cares about me, but I r
eally am fine. This time I let go, of Mike, and everything I once felt for him. I had to. Once I knew we could never really go back to how we’d once been, I let go. And I let Evan catch me.

  I turn my head and look over my shoulder into Evan’s office. He’s on the phone, pacing the floor, one hand in his pocket, looking every inch the lawyer he is.

  I glance back at my laptop, at the diary page open on the screen in front of me, and for a second or two I can’t actually remember what it was I was doing. I need some air, so I grab my coat and leave my desk and I head to the elevators.

  Once I’m outside I feel like I can breathe again, and I head straight to Albi’s cart for a coffee, exchange a few pleasantries with Albi himself, and then I sit down on a bench just around the corner from the Cavendish King building. And for a few moments I just enjoy my coffee while I watch everyone around me rush about. This city, it’s so busy, and it’s nice sometimes, to just take a moment to think. To stop. To let a little bit of time go by without doing anything.

  I take another sip of coffee. Albi does the best black coffee, because sometimes that’s all I want – something simple and uncomplicated. And the irony makes me laugh, because when I think about the past few months there’s been nothing simple or uncomplicated about any of them.

  I slide my hand into my pocket and find my phone, and I pull it out and stare at it. And then I make to put it back in my pocket but I stop myself. And I look at it again, and it’s like my fingers belong to someone else, they’re doing this without me having given them prior permission and before I know it I’ve pressed call, and I could just hang up. I could kill this dead before I go any further but I think I’ve already gone too far. So I place the phone to my ear and I close my eyes and I wait. And then the ringing stops. He’s picked up. He didn’t reject it, because he could’ve done. He could’ve ignored it. He hasn’t.

  “You didn’t say goodbye,” I say quietly, surprising myself with the ease at which the words fall from my mouth.

  “I didn’t think you wanted me to.”

  A brief silence follows, and I close my eyes again and take a deep breath before I speak. “I’m sorry, Mike. I’m so sorry.”