Resisting the Lawyer: Office Friends to Lovers Suspense Romance (Dirty Hot Resistance Series Book 3)

by Emelia Blair

  Resisting the Lawyer

  Office Friends to Lovers Suspense Romance

  Emelia Blair

  Copyright © 2020 by Emelia Blair

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Contents

  1. Lucas

  2. Elise

  3. Lucas

  4. Elise

  5. Lucas

  6. Elise

  7. Lucas

  8. Elise

  9. Lucas

  10. Elise

  11. Lucas

  12. Elise

  13. Lucas

  14. Elise

  15. Lucas

  Epilogue

  1

  Lucas

  “I said blue. Does this look blue to you?”

  I wince at the irritation in my sister’s voice and study the tie again, muttering, “It looked blue when I got it.”

  Unfortunately, Debra hears this and my twin, who’s getting married in three weeks, gives me a venomous look.

  I immediately turn my attention to the wall as if the pattern on it holds all the answers to the world’s problems.

  She sighs, and then grumbles, “It’s bad enough that Riley is dragging his feet, although it was his idea to get married in October. Now you’re trying to be a snarky little asshole.”

  October, hmm? I muse. Sophie will turn six months old this weekend. And Elise will come back to work. I completely ignore the comment about me being an asshole. Instead, I look around and frown. “Where’s Grace? Isn’t this her job, all this stuff that you’re making me do?”

  My sister levels me with a withering look, and asks sarcastically, “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I cutting into your time for mooning over your receptionist?”

  Not having anything better to say, I shift my feet guiltily. “She’s not my receptionist, technically.”

  Debra rolls her eyes and as she turns back to adjusting her wedding dress, drawling, “Yeah, that makes everything so much better.”

  I choose to hold my tongue.

  She glances at me from the large fitting mirror, and her tone is kinder as she asks, “Have you asked her out?”

  I bristle. “Jesus, Debra, the woman just had a child.”

  Debra scoffs, “I’m not the one who’s been in love with her for the past year and so. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to ask her out. Not my fault you’re a chicken.”

  The sound of footsteps cuts off my retort before it can even leave my lips and a leggy brunette enters the bridal fitting room, slightly out of breath, her light blue eyes wild, as she gasps out, “Sorry. Sorry. Traffic.” Her hair is sticking out and she looks like she just rolled out of bed. Compared to my sister who shares my light brown hair and sharp blue eyes, Grace Tanner looks more exhausted.

  Her slightly red nose makes me realize that when she called me last night, a cold might have been the reason for her slightly hoarse voice. “You look awful, Grace,” I say sympathetically.

  “Hey! You don’t say that to my best friend.” Debra turns and studies Grace who’s in the midst of catching her breath, and says bluntly, “You do look awful. Are you dying?”

  Grace just sticks up her middle finger and takes out a tissue to blow her nose, before telling me with a grateful smile, “Thanks for putting up with her until I got here.”

  My sister makes an insulting sound.

  I smile pleasantly. “No problem. I’ve put up with her for my whole life. What’re a few more hours?”

  Ignoring Debra’s huffing, Grace says, “I swear it’s like you got all the good part of the personality in the womb.”

  Debra finally has enough, and pointing to me, she growls. “You. Get out.”

  Laughing, I tuck the tie she had me buy for her absentminded fiancé, into my pocket, and then walk over to kiss her cheek, telling her, “Don’t forget pizza night at my place. It’s your turn to pick the movie.”

  Brightening up at this, my sister gives me a careful hug so as not to crease her dress.

  I wave at Grace as I leave, my black trench coat flapping around my knees. As I leave the fancy bridal boutique, I catch a glimpse of myself in one of the many mirrors which line this place to make it seem larger than it is, and I see a tall man with sharp blue eyes, light brown hair that desperately needs a cut which is mussed up because I keep forgetting to comb it and a French beard that I’m reconsidering. My lean and muscular body is hidden under an expensive business suit that is tailor made and my sharp cheekbones that my twin is super envious of since she never inherited those, are pleasantly lifted in a smile.

  I’m an attractive man, a successful corporate lawyer who is very much in demand, I have a good salary, a likable personality, and yet, I can’t seem to the get the girl I have my eye on.

  Elise Smith.

  The cheerful receptionist of Starr Industries with dark hair and pretty brown eyes that always seem to be smiling.

  I’d been attracted to her bubbly personality when I had met her more than a year ago. And then that attraction morphed into a crush and now, I’m head over heels in love with her.

  But after she found out she was expecting, she had sworn off men or something of that nature. I may have weaseled my way into her life by offering friendship but I’ve been careful never to cross that fine line between a friend or a lover, because I know it wouldn’t be well received. Whoever the father of her child was, he had done a real number on her heart.

  A year had gone by since she’d gotten pregnant and she still wouldn’t disclose who the man was. But he isn’t in her life. That much I know. And he isn’t involved in her daughter’s life as well. He simply doesn’t care about either of them.

  I know a lot about men like that.

  My father was a man like that.

  After he knocked up my mother, he vanished. It was only after Debra’s success in the fashion designing world and my own name being splashed across the business world as one of the top ten corporate lawyers in this part of the world, that he had shown his face, looking to make amends with his family.

  My gut tightens at the thought of him and how Debra had suffered.

  I enter my car and start the engine.

  Yes, I know men like that.

  The office is bustling with activity and I glance at the new male receptionist who would be working alongside Elise once she came back next week.

  I miss her.

  I miss the way she just brightens up the whole foyer with her cheery personality. Even Caleb likes her and he doesn’t like many people. Ever since the delivery, I visited her at her home, but she acted very wary of me and rather than make her uncomfortable, I’d chosen to leave.

  The look on her face had been strange to say the least as she had seen me walk in and walk out in a span of ten awkward minutes.

  Gloomily, pondering over my non-existent love life, I decide to visit Lana.

  The Head of Human Resources and married to Oliver Thornton, the famous British Crisis CEO who had somehow managed to get the prickly and smart woman to say yes to him.

  W
e grew up together, Lana and I, which is why annoying her is akin to annoying Debra. Only Lana won’t beat me up.

  She has been known to have tied me to a tree once though.

  Having opted to take the stairs, I’m crossing the cubicle area when I see a good looking man with pretty blue eyes and a head full of thick golden hair, leaning over one of the women’s desks, smiling at her in a way that speaks of intimacy.

  Something about him is so familiar that I stop and stare at him.

  Perhaps sensing my gaze, he looks up and his expression stiffens. He murmurs something to the woman with whom he was flirting

  Her expression turns dark for a brief second then she mouths something suspiciously looking like Elise’s name.

  I shake my head, telling myself I’m imagining things, and I continue on.

  I can still feel the man’s gaze boring into my skull but I get the feeling I’m missing something here.

  As I enter Lana’s office, I think back to whether I’ve seen Elise interact with any woman besides Lana or Caleb’s fiancée and PA, Kendall.

  My mind comes up empty.

  “Lucas?”

  I blink and see Lana staring at me, confused. Tall with dark flowing hair, which is currently tied into a bun, and stunning sea green eyes which are currently a mixture of confusion and suspicion, Lana could make a killing as a model, something which I often end up pointing out to her. And something which gets me rebuked every time.

  “What are you gaping at me for? Come in already,” she orders.

  I stride in, my eyes now on the half finished cupcake on her desk. “I just came to—”

  My hand hasn’t even begun reaching for the cupcake before she warns me off, “Touch that and I’ll hurt you.”

  “But I’m hungry,” I protest, my mouth watering at the sight of the cake.

  “Well, so am I.” She growls and puts the cupcake behind her, out of my sight and reach.

  My stomach now grumbling, I sink into her couch. “Who’s the guy outside?”

  Lana returns to where she is writing up a report and says dryly, “We employ over one hundred employees in this building along. Sixty nine percent of them are male. You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

  “The one who looks like he would jump anything in a skirt.”

  Lana stops writing and gives me a look. “You’re talking about Darren Hall. My personal belief is that he has managed to jump nearly half the females here. I’ve never seen women lose their shit over a guy like this before. He must be a smooth talker.”

  “How long has he been working here?”

  Lana stares at me. “Why the sudden interest in a simple data entry analyst? And to answer your question he’s one of the employees we retained from when Caleb took over the company.”

  I throw my head back against the back of the couch and stare at the ceiling, murmuring, “He looks very familiar.” I hear the scratching of the pen once again as Lana gets back to whatever she’s doing.

  “Well, considering you work here, I’m sure you must have run into him at some point or another.”

  I draw mindless patterns on the ceiling with my eyes as I try to recall his face. “No, it was somewhere else.”

  Hearing the thud of the pen on the desk, I look up.

  Lana is glaring at me. “Don’t you have an office somewhere around here? Why aren’t you in it?”

  I grin at her. “I was missing you.”

  “Likely story,” she scoffs. “What’re you really after?”

  I finally let out a long-suffering sigh. “How’s Elise?”

  Lana puts aside her work and levels a glare at me. “What is wrong with you?”

  I blink. “I just asked—?”

  “You follow her around like a lovesick puppy for an entire year and then when you see her in a little dirty clothing, you run away?”

  “Wait, what?” I’m floundering at this accusation. “When did I—what?”

  Lana clearly doesn’t intend to give me any room to speak as she scowls. “She told me you came to see her and then when you saw that she was shabbily dressed, you left almost immediately. She thought you were her friend!”

  Baffled, I try to make sense of what’s happening here and I remember the way Elise had turned red and mumbled something about getting changed and how I had waved it off and then left. “I didn’t even look at her clothes, Lana!” I groan. “I thought I’d crossed a line by going to her place and she looked so uncomfortable that I left.”

  Lana is silent for a full two minutes before she shakes her head. “Well, then. You’ll have to explain that to her. You didn’t call her after that, not even a message. God only knows what she thinks.”

  “We’re not texting buddies,” I grumble. “I hardly know where my phone is half the time.”

  “Fix this,” Lana orders. “And get out. Take the stupid with you too, when you leave.”

  Just as I’m leaving, my pager vibrates and I check it. Since I misplace my cell phone on almost a daily basis, Roger, my highly efficient assistant has resorted to getting me a pager. Feeling a rumble of hunger in my stomach, I make my way to my office.

  Roger is neck deep in paperwork and when I open my mouth to ask him about lunch, he points towards a paper bag on the seat across from him.

  Grinning, I open it and bite into the burger, as I go into my office and gear up for a hectic schedule of meetings. Once the video conference begins… gone is the grinning man who can’t manage to keep track of his phone and often forgets to eat. In his place is the stone faced top tier corporate lawyer, who is called ‘The Shark’ in business circles because of his ability to close any deal he sets his eyes on.

  2

  Elise

  “Now you have to promise to be a good girl, Sophie.” I wag my finger in front of my six month old, who just kicks her arms and legs excitedly, her brown eyes laughing as she gurgles in response to the plea.

  I’ve chosen to come in early to set up a place where I can keep my daughter out of sight. Caleb had told me that the office daycare, while it is a brisk five minute walk from the office building, is still in the midst of hiring and vetting potential employees and it would still be a month until it will run properly. So, for the duration of this one-month, I’ll be bringing Sophie to work with me.

  “Well, this will be fun.” I smile at my daughter, my heart bursting with love.

  A year ago when I found out I was pregnant, my entire life had been turned upside down. I hadn’t known the first thing about babies. Could I even afford a child?

  And yet, when I had approached the man who’d impregnated me by taking advantage of me when I got a little tipsy during our third date, he had gotten angry and had refused to take any responsibility, ordering me to ‘get rid of the thing’.

  But the baby growing inside of me was innocent. I didn’t want to harm it. So, I had decided to keep it. At first, it had been a burden, a source of constant stress, and then, slowly and steadily, it had become more than that. It became a she and if there had been any doubts in my mind about keeping the baby, they were all dispelled.

  Of course, the father of the child had been furious when he had discovered I was keeping the child. From the very charming man who’d talked me into one date and then another, he showed his true face, the ugliness lurking beneath the surface. The accusations that had been hurled at me, the threats and finally that stupid piece of paper.

  Would I have signed it if I hadn’t been worried about my safety and that of my unborn child’s?

  Sophie gurgles again, waving her tiny fists in the air and when I smile at her, she laughs.

  Oh, how I love her.

  There’s still half an hour before the workday begins. The new receptionist who’d been meant to just be temporary, Howard, would now be working under me, had to take the day off. I’ve met him before and he’s a pleasant enough man. But I’m grateful that the first day back, I can simply get back into the flow of things without someone constantly looking ove
r my shoulder.

  The sound of the automatic doors opening has me blinking and I glance up before freezing.

  Lucas Black, the lawyer for Starr Industries, is entering the building.

  Lucas is one of those men who are handsome in that absentminded way. I swear I’ve never seen his hair combed since I’ve known him. He’s funny and sweet and he makes me laugh. He befriended me on my first day here and has been a constant source of support throughout my pregnancy, so much so that he was there in the delivery room with me when I was scared out of my wits. He’d been the first person who held Sophie.

  Yet, there were times when I would catch him watching me with a strange look in his eyes. A look, that if I didn’t know any better, I would call longing. But of course, I know better.

  I’m a new mother, so I still have most of my pregnancy body as in… I look and feel frumpy, thanks to my short height. Aside from the fact that Lucas could do so much better than me, why would he even look at me? I remember the look on his face when he’d shown up to pay me a visit and I’d been wearing faded pajamas with stains on them, my T-shirt ratty, my brown hair sticking up from all ends, whilst he had been wearing a pristine suit that probably cost more than my salary. He left within ten minutes of that meeting where I’d been stunned and had stammered out three times whether he’d like something to drink, which he’d refused.

  Also, after my last experience with a man, I’ve been very wary of them all together as a species.

  Although, now with me as a single mom, I don’t have time for a man in my life. Using that as an excuse to step over my slightly bruised ego, I pat Sophie’s stomach making her giggle.

  The sound attracts Lucas’s attention and when our eyes meet, although I had been planning to play it cool and casual as if his snub from that day hadn’t stung me, I can’t help the giggle that escapes my own mouth at seeing the piece of burnt toast hanging from his mouth.