Watching the people walk by Marshall was almost comical to me at first, just before we started to talk business. It was clear everyone wanted something from him and you could see it in their eyes. Men and women both seemed enamored with him sexually and as a means in using the Marshall Kent avenue to become the next big thing on the silver screen. He was hot and in demand…not only because of his intense sexual presence, but because of the power he radiated from being one of the most powerful men in front of the screen and behind.
As far as I was concerned, even if I didn’t see him in his full-blown glory, giving one of the sexiest actresses an earth-shattering orgasm, I would be intoxicated by his beautiful face, his blue eyes, and full sensual lips itself. This man was sex on legs, and if I’m not careful, I would not be able to stay professional with him, which I could not afford, as a new attorney.
Chapter 3
I’ve always been a master interviewer, considering it one of my best skills ever since I had landed my first job when I was sixteen. I was confident, ready to share my experiences, and give the pitch of a lifetime as to why Marshall Kent should do business with Rowland Law Practice. I looked at him and he was staring back at me, relaxed and content, with those intense blue eyes looking like he was in the middle of some practical joke. What was going on? Finally after some intense scrutiny he talked. “So, why are you here?”
“I’m here to tell you more about the services that my firm offers. I’m sure you’ll gain confidence that we are best equipped to handle the services you require,” I said, taking my pause at just the right moment. Marshall stared at me, not responding immediately. I began to get uncomfortable as I waited for a reply…anything to show that I hadn’t lost him on the first question.
Marshall cocked his head to one side. “What kind of services, Ms. Rowland?”
“Whatever services you may need,” I replied. I instantly blushed, realizing the innuendo that came with that reply and added, “Legal services that is. You see, Mr. Kent, my father has many years of legal expertise in contract laws, negotiations, and tax structure, plus an associate who is highly skilled in entertainment law. We have the ability to fit all your needs…legal needs.”
I paused, waiting for a reply like a normal person would. There was no reply again. Instead Mr. Kent reached over to grab his glass of iced tea, swirling it around incessantly as if to mix it up, and then taking a drink. Okay fine, he’s thirsty. With a wetted whistle there were still no words that came from his utterly sexy plump lips. He kept staring at me the entire time and honestly, it began to unnerve me on more levels than I wanted to show. If I could have walked away from him at that moment or excused myself I would have.
Feelings of self-consciousness flooded me as I tried to assess what was going on. Part of me wanted to please him greatly and the other part of me wanted to wipe that smarmy look off his face. What was wrong with me? I’m a pretty smart, intelligent woman and I’m certainly used to having men look at me a certain way, but nothing in my frame of reference could have prepared me for the intensity of this brief moment. I didn’t get it.
As we sat there in silence my mind drifted off into a mini movie of what I’d seen earlier. I could see Marshall having sex with that woman and I knew it was the kind of sex I wished I could have at that moment. If Brandon would have been able to deliver like that it would have been amazing. And even more heart breaking when he left you. You can’t just replace sex like that, can you? Sometimes I really despised that argumentative side of my inner attorney.
Marshall licked his lips softly, making me wonder if he had read my mind just before. I sure hoped that wasn’t the case. I seemed to be like an open book with this guy and he somehow had an eerie way of tapping into what I was feeling. In an instant I knew that my form of small talk to break the silence would be utterly ineffective so I just chose to stare back at him for a bit. I felt like a kid in a staring contest and if this was like when I was a kid I’d likely lose. Marshall put his right hand up to his lips, rubbing his knuckle across that soft and sensual looking lower lip. I wanted to bite it so badly and in an instant I was backed into the emotion of horniness. I could safely say that I’d never experienced so many emotions with one guy in such a short amount of time.
Our food came and there was still silence. No word had been exchanged between us and the waitress who clearly desired Marshall was even silent, like she understood that’s what he wanted. It was so bizarre. I realized that I hadn’t even ordered the steak and veggies, but that’s what I’d gotten. The nerve…not asking me what I wanted or choosing my own food. Was he some sort of control freak? It wouldn’t have mattered anyway I determined. I was not hungry in the least. It was all too distracting for me to think about having an appetite. As for Marshall, that was a different case.
I watched Marshall begin to cut through his rare stake and devour big pieces of it like he was a carnivore eating in the wild. It barely took him a minute to eat and he still didn’t talk. I was beginning to think he had been starving and that’s why he’d stopped talking. Some people didn’t function well at all when they were hungry. I certainly knew he’d worked up a plenty big appetite that morning.
After the steak was devoured, the glass of red wine was drunk down in about three swallows. Did he even enjoy the taste of it? I had no idea. I knew it was an expensive bottle despite not being overly knowledgeable in wine.
I just kept staring at Marshall, completely ticked off by his mannerisms, and starting to think he was a real asshole. Just because you were rich and sexy didn’t mean you could act the way he was. It was uncivilized, almost barbaric. I could sense my eyes darkening as I stared at him, anger rising within me. Keep your cool. You can beat him at his own game.
Marshall hadn’t really taken his eyes off me and he finally asked, “Is there something wrong with the steak?”
Was he kidding me? Something wrong with the steak? The only thing wrong with me was the whole bogus interview.
“My steak is fine.”
“Then why haven’t you eaten anything?” he continued.
“This is an interview so I’m waiting for you to ask me questions. It wouldn’t do very well for me to shove a piece of steak in my mouth and then have you ask me a question, would it?”
“Oh, I see. I really only had that one question.” Marshall shrugged his shoulders like our conversation was normal. It was far from normal in any sense of the word.
“What about what I’ve done previously and what I’m capable of…”
Marshall cut me off. “I can see those things from your resume and your resume speaks quite well for you. Why waste my time asking what I’ve already read? I just need to know why.”
“So now you know,” I said, starting to lose my cool. I was irked beyond anything I would have thought possible at the start of my day, including the interstate chase that had made me late.
“Now I know,” Marshall agreed, void of all expression or emotion in his tone.
“Do you have anything else you’d like to know about me?” I asked, hoping to get this interview back on track.
Marshall paused briefly, assessing if he did indeed have anything else to ask me and eventually crinkled his eyes. “Yes I do have one more question.” I nodded, showing that I was listening. “I’d like to know if you work weekends and evenings.”
“Yes I do. It’s a priority to get the job done, of course, and many times that involves working outside the usual office hours.”
“Don’t you have anything other than work to keep those nights and weekends occupied?” he asked.
Rude and inappropriate were the first two words that came to my mind. It shouldn’t have been a surprise though because this entire interview had been off the charts crazy. “I don’t. I am very devoted to my career at this moment.”
“Good. I expected as much, but wanted to make sure. It would certainly put a kink in my plans if you didn’t have the same kind of work ethic as me. That’s good information to know should I choo
se to bring you on.”
“That won’t be a problem, Mr. Kent.”
He smiled at me widely. We’re talking that megawatt smile that can take a person’s breath away when least expected. It was a transformation from the silent quirky man I’d just witnessed and most welcome. He actually looked civilized and sweet. “That’s good to hear, Ms. Rowland.”
Then, as fast as it had showed up, the megawatt smile disappeared and I was looking at the brooding and contemplative man again. He has more mood swings than any girl I’ve ever met, I thought. That’s really saying something considering I had thirty sorority sisters that I lived with in college.
The server came over with a plate of apple pie and that was the end of the brief, yet awkward exchange between Marshall and me. He dug into that pie and devoured it like he was starving, ignoring me completely. Why was he acting so…so…dismissive? That was the word I was looking for.
I apparently was dismissed because not another word was muttered as Marshall continued to eat plate after plate of food. He had desserts, fruit, nuts, and wine. He didn’t pay any attention to me the entire time. I might as well have been a bum on the street corner at that moment. I have had enough.
“I hate to end this interview, Mr. Kent, but I have another appointment to go to so I must be going.”
He looked up at me, nodding his head. “Oh, then I won’t keep you further, Ms. Rowland. Have a lovely day.”
Have a lovely day? Was he serious? I grabbed my briefcase and looked at him, thanking him for the opportunity to meet. I knew my voice was indifferent and sounded a bit irritated. After all, I could hear my irritation screaming in my head. It was when Mr. Kent responded with a likewise that I lost it.
Marshall Kent may be handsome and sexy, but his boorish behavior during the lunch was unacceptable. And then there was the even more shocking behavior with his little sexcapade earlier, in which he clearly wanted me to watch. I decided to turn my filter off and unleash the fury of what I was feeling at that moment.
“Actually, Mr. Kent, it was not all that nice to meet you. I’ve never met a more self-absorbed, rude, and boorish man in all my life. That’s really saying something because I’m usually very accepting of people. But having good looks and a body like yours is no excuse for rudeness. First of all you make sure I see you fucking the crap out of a woman in your private quarters and don’t seem to care about any impropriety. Then you put me through this awful waste of time interview while acting like an arrogant prick. All I’ve seen today is a man who doesn’t have any decent amount of people skills and it nauseates me. No wonder why you need a lawyer to manage your affairs and keep you from mishandling your own self. You are completely devoid of any decency. Were you raised by wolves or something?” I finally exhaled, shooting darts at Mr. Kent and challenging him to reply. The fact that many eyes were on me didn’t escape my attention either, but I didn’t care. Surely those people, ass kissers or not, felt the same way.
My heart was racing, but my scathing words barely registered in Marshall’s response. “No, I was not raised by wolves.”
“Well you sure act like it. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that I was right on,” I spat back.
“It was more like I was raised by zombies,” he replied, making me pause. I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion. What was this guy’s angle?
“What?”
“My mother was a doped out druggie, usually acting more like a zombie than a mother,” he said softly. “She made money to buy drugs by prostituting herself, sometimes right in front of me. But that really isn’t your concern is it, Ms. Rowland?”
I was taken aback at the direct honestly and vulnerability that Marshall had shown at that moment and suddenly felt like I was the one who’d been raised by wolves. I’d been rude and inconsiderate just because he didn’t respond the way I felt he should. I didn’t even know what to say and didn’t have to decide. Marshall held out his hand and shook mine. “Thank you for coming, Ms. Rowland. This concludes our interview.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kent,” I said and walked out. Of course once I was in the parking lot I realized that I didn’t have my car there. It was across the busy boulevard at Foothill Studios. Too embarrassed and humiliated to go back into the restaurant I started to make my way to the lights. It wasn’t changing and the crossing signal was burnt out. I seriously debated taking my shoes off to run across the street, risking a cut or whatever just to get the hell away from that restaurant. My head was aching from humiliation and my dismal flop at the meeting.
With no choice left, I did take off my beautiful red lizard pumps and placed them in my free hand, darting across the busy road. It must have been some sight and I got a few cat calls and whistles as I did it. The humiliation was great, but not as bad as what I’d just experienced with Marshall Kent.
No sooner did the guard let me through the gate at the studios than Marshall Kent drove by, not even looking my way. Yah, I’d blown that one, but good. I couldn’t wait to get home.
Chapter 4
By the time I got back home I was fuming once again. I was mad at myself and despite the story about his childhood, I was plenty mad at Marshall Kent too.
The self-directed anger came from knowing that I let someone get the best of me. I think it had been in my first year of law school that I learned that you can never let people get the best of you because your emotions take over and your logic leaves the building. Well, it was safe to say that my logic had left and it cost me a great client…not only me, but my Dad too. What would he say? He’d be so embarrassed of me.
As for Marshall Kent, did he think that a rough childhood meant he could just act so unconventional and use terrible manners? What person in their right state of mind had sex and let someone else watch, invited them to watch? Nobody that I’d ever met before. Still, you watched. I didn’t get it and I briefly wondered why Sophia would sent me over to meet with someone, even suggest dating them, if they were so obviously messed up. He had to have shown that side to others before.
There was nothing left to do but take an indulgent bath, pour a nice glass of wine, and drown my sorrows in my Jacuzzi tub. That was what I needed. I didn’t put the jets on so I could load it up with bubbles and enjoy their fragrant relaxing scent. I had chosen the jasmine blend—guaranteed to calm you. It was my modern version of the Calgon moment that I’d heard many an older woman talk about for years. I couldn’t wait.
I didn’t even take my cell phone into the bathroom, knowing that anybody who needed to talk with me could wait. I needed to diffuse and do it quickly so I could recollect myself and see if there was any way to recover the damage that I’d done.
After about five minutes of soaking I heard my phone go off. I had planned on ignoring it, but then I remembered that Sophia was supposed to call me. I got out of the tub as quickly as possible, wrapping my towel around me and ran out into the living room with little bubbles of foam falling off my body and leaving a trail on my plush tan carpeting.
“Hello,” I said. I could barely breathe from hustling to get to my phone so quickly.
“Hello Ms. Rowland. How are you this evening? You sound…winded.”
My heart sank, recognizing the voice instantly. “Mr. Kent, I wasn’t expecting a call from you.” What in the hell is he calling for?
“Why? Because you were so very rude to me during our interview and even walked out on it; also causing quite the scene in the restaurant, I might add,” he said matter-of-factly.
My fuming anger instantly arose again. He had some nerve. “You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s the other way around, Mr. Kent. You were the rude one, not me. Me pointing it out doesn’t make me rude, just honest. Something you’re probably not used to from all the ass kissers that flock to you on a daily basis. It’s disgusting and you’re just as disgusting for allowing it.”
“You know, you’re rather sexy when you’re angry, Ms. Rowland,” he replied. He was not even thrown off about my rant again. I guess he had
no reason to be. If it didn’t bother him face to face it was not going to bother him on the telephone. Wait. Hold on. Did he just say I’m sexy?
“There was a brief period in our interview, Miss Rowland, when I thought you were like all the other women around me. Always smiling and having a hidden agenda. You know, cool, vacant and too beautiful. It turns out that I misjudged you and I couldn’t be more pleased about it. In fact, it fits my needs perfectly. I can’t have someone looking out for my best interests if they are not tough enough to stand up to me after all. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I agree,” I said hesitantly. I was stunned and not sure how to respond. I chose my words carefully. “So, what is it that I can do for you, Mr. Kent? I’m sure you didn’t call just to tell me that I am sexy when I’m angry.”
I heard a soft laugh come from the phone, but no response to my snide question. Instead, Mr. Kent asked, “Can you come in tomorrow so we can get started on everything?”
“Yes.” He’s actually hiring me! I cannot believe this.
“Good. Be here bright and early tomorrow, and Ms. Rowland, don’t be late.”
“I won’t be. Same place?”
“Yes.”
I hung up the telephone and jumped into the air, letting the few bubbles that remained on my skin go flying off onto the carpeting. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t blown it and I wouldn’t have to tell my dad the distressing news. This was fantastic.
I ran to my closet, assessing what I should wear the next day. I wanted it to say something, but not too much. Why was I over thinking this? Because it’s a big deal.
My phone rang again and this time it was Sophia. I didn’t bother to tell her about the mishaps, but was more than happy to share that I’d gotten the account. She added, “He’s a hottie, isn’t he?” What could I say? There was no denying that. He was smoking and on fire hot.
Before Sophia and my call ended she added, “I bet it ends up turning into something more. Marshall always finds a way to get what he wants. You know who else is like that?”
Movie Merger (Bad Boys Billionaire Bachelors Club #2) Page 2