Holt leaned in and spoke in my ear. “I’ll leave you in her capable hands. Anything I tell you, she’ll just say it’s wrong and tell you something different,” he said, frowning at her, but his eyes danced with humor.
Mrs. Talbot shooed him away with a scowl, but it was hard to tell if she was pretending like Holt.
“Ms. Stone,” she greeted, “it’s a pleasure to have you up here using your talents instead of wasting them downstairs. I’ve no doubt you’ll catch on quickly.”
“I hope so,” I muttered. “I have no clue what I’m doing.”
“I’m sure you didn’t know everything when you began your clerking job, either. And yet you managed just fine, even streamlining the process for everything to go smoother.” She raised her dark gray eyebrows over her half-moon glasses, kept safe around her neck by silver chains with crystal beads. “I’ve been here a lot of years, young lady. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, some worth their salt and some not. I’m a good judge of character, young lady, and I’m sure you’ll do fine. Now,” she said, letting her glasses drop to her chest, “I’ve asked Ashley to help get you started and teach you our computer system.” She glanced over my shoulder. “Ah, here she is now.”
A petite girl who looked to be about my age approached us with a big smile. She reminded me of a pixie with her short, black hair that curled out below her ears, and bright blue eyes. After introductions, I followed her to her desk where we spent the next couple of hours going over several things I needed to know to get started and help Holt keep up with his schedule and cases.
“Of course, Mr. Andrews will have his own way of how he wants things done,” Ashley said, “but you’ll be able to style all this to what works best for both of you. You caught on fast,” she praised, then glanced at her watch. “Oh, crap. I’ve got to get some things done for Mr. Keller, but just holler if you need me! Maybe we can do lunch sometime?”
I liked Ashley and hoped we could be friends. “I’d love to.”
She smiled and flew down the hall. “Nice meeting you, Maddy,” she twittered over her shoulder.
I nodded and hurried back to my new little workspace. Holt’s door was open. He was sitting at his desk with his forehead propped up on one hand while he read over some papers. To my surprise, he was wearing a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. I’d never seen him wear glasses at home, but holy cow! They made him look sexy. I knocked softly, not wanting to startle him.
As soon as he saw me standing in the doorway, he took off his glasses and rose with a big smile on his face. “Everything going well with Ashley?”
I beamed. “I like her. She asked me to have lunch sometime.”
He looked pleased. “Glad you’re making a friend.” He glanced at the papers on his desk. “I have a court appearance next week, and I’ll need you to go with me, so I want to go over with you what to expect and what I need you to do. Feel like a working lunch? I’ll need you the rest of the week to help me put everything together.”
“Sure thing, boss,” I quipped.
I called in an order for us while he stepped out to seek out another lawyer for some advice. I started familiarizing myself with the computer to see where his last assistant had left off before her mother became unexpectedly sick. The intercom on my phone buzzed; it was Mrs. Talbot letting me know our lunch had been delivered. I cleared off Holt’s desk where we would eat and work, careful to not shuffle the papers too badly.
Mrs. Talbot wasn’t at her desk by the time I got there, but the bags containing our lunch were. I heard footsteps approach me from behind. I turned, expecting to see her, but was met with hostile eyes instead.
“Bitch!” Misty shrieked. “You knew I wanted this job, but no, you went behind my back and landed it for yourself.”
Doors opened and a couple of heads stuck out to see what the commotion was.
“Misty, that’s not how it was,” I tried to calm her.
“Oh, that’s true. We both know with your background, you’re lucky to work anywhere. Who’d you fuck to get here, Maddy?” she shouted.
I blanched. I knew she knew something, but how? Men and women began pouring out of their offices, pausing to watch when they saw where the commotion was. “Misty,” I hissed, “I think you better calm down and leave. Or if you’d like, we can go into the conference room where we can talk in private.”
“Talk?” she scoffed loudly. “Yes, let’s talk Madelyn Stone. Let’s tell all the good people here how you happened to get the clerk job downstairs, shall we?”
I started to shake my head but changed my mind. People had been trying to shame me my whole life. Maybe it would never change. But I could. I could quit cowering. Holt was right; I had to quit letting the past be the definition of who I was. I’d bent to enough people’s wills over my lifetime.
“Go ahead, Misty,” I said quietly. “I have nothing to hide.”
Misty seemed taken aback, but launched forward in her tirade, turning to the audience she’d attracted. “You all should know that Maddy is only here because she’s part of a new program to help convicted felons get back on their feet. She,” Misty pointed at me, “just got out of prison after serving time for murdering a man.”
Several people’s mouths gaped and those who were standing close together started whispering to each other.
“Is it true?” someone called.
“Yes,” I answered quietly, resulting in more chatter.
“Aw, leave her alone. Everyone deserves a second chance,” someone else said.
“I agree,” a new voice piped up. “Some people make a mistake, pay the consequence and learn from it, while others consistently repeat the same mistakes.” I looked up to see Ashley. She smiled at me as she linked her arm through mine before sending Misty a scathing look. “Maybe you could learn something from Madelyn, Misty. She’s the one who earned the job up here, not you. I’ve only known her for a few hours, and already I’m impressed by how fast she catches on and how she got right to work, while others think it’s fine to sit around and file their nails and let others do all the work.”
More murmuring and head nodding. I was speechless as Ashley, who had only met me hours ago, defended me to her peers. Our peers, I reminded myself.
Ashley wasn’t done. “I don’t know the reason behind what got Maddy in trouble, and neither do the rest of you,” she reminded them with a glare. “But I do know that if she got this job as part of a work program, it’s because she earned it, while you, Misty, got the job because of family connections.”
There were a few more murmurings. Some people still stared suspiciously at me; others kept a professional look of neutrality, while several gave Misty looks of disgust. Misty, who began to squirm as she realized she was becoming the bigger focus of attention, decided to let loose.
“Earned it? You mean by fucking her new boss?” She waved her arm at me while she scanned the crowd. “Did you know she leaves with him every day and comes in to work with him every morning?”
Ashley opened her mouth to retort, but I squeezed her arm. While I appreciated her support, I couldn’t remain a silent victim any longer. It was time to own who I was and how I wanted people to see me.
Squaring my shoulders, I did my best to hide the nervousness that hummed throughout me as I decided to bare myself to an entirely new jury of my peers. “It’s true. I did serve six years in prison after being convicted of murder. I won’t bore you with the details, and I won’t make excuses. I met Mr. Andrews when he escorted me from prison to my new apartment that was arranged for me as part of a new program established here, and he’s the only friend I’ve had, at least, until recently.” I smiled at Ashley, who smiled and nodded encouragingly in return.
“I’ll never be able to repay the opportunity the partners at this firm have given me, except to bring my best every day. Just over a week ago, I became homeless when my apartment building caught on fire. Mr. Andrews found out and offered me a place to stay so I didn’t have to remain in a shelter until I c
an make other arrangements. He’s been nothing but kind, respectful, and supportive. I’ll always be extremely thankful that he chose not to focus on how or where he met me, but has taken the time to get to know who I really am, and if any of you would allow me the same chance, I’d enjoy getting to know the rest of you better as well.”
A few onlookers broke out into applause while others hollered out words of encouragement. “Bravo! Well said.” “Welcome to the madness, Madelyn.” “Glad to have you here, Maddy.” “You go, girl. Show ‘em what you’ve got.” “Everyone deserves second chances.”
Emotions made my smile wobble as I felt a wave of support from my colleagues. A few people still looked unimpressed, but I knew they’d either come around or they wouldn’t. I was done trying to live my life to make an impression on others. How ironic that Misty’s attempt to hurt me actually drew out my pride and belief in myself. She must have sensed the same since she tried one more time to make her point.
“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re living with your boss.”
“A point that has already been addressed,” a deep voice said from behind me. “And I don’t appreciate anyone starting rumors about my personal life.” He moved to stand beside me, his strong arm snaking around my waist.
I stood sandwiched between Holt and Ashley, a line of solidarity against Misty’s unwarranted attack. Misty visibly shrunk when she saw Holt and knew she’d been called out on her lies.
“I think we’ve wasted enough time this morning arguing the merits of recent decisions at this firm,” Holt continued. “If anyone has anything else to say, they can say it directly to me and not behind my or Madelyn’s back. And if anyone chooses to further malign the character of myself or Madelyn, they’ll deal directly with me.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” a voice boomed from the elevator. No one had heard the elevator’s ding above all the chaos or saw Mr. McCloskey and Mr. Barnes emerge from it. Mrs. Talbot was by their side. Both partners had stern expressions on their faces, while Mrs. Talbot had the same grim mouth she usually had. Everyone scattered like rabbits with a wolf in their midst until only Holt, Ashley, Misty and I remained.
When Misty tried to leave, her uncle stopped her. “A word, please.” He took her forearm and none-too-gently guided her to the elevator and in seconds they were gone.
Holt tried to run interference with his boss. “John, I—“
Mr. M held up his hand. “I heard enough.” He looked at Ashley. “Young lady, perhaps you should consider a career as a defense lawyer. In the meantime, if you’d excuse us for just a minute.”
She smiled nervously and hurried back to her office. The rest of us returned to Holt’s office.
“Madelyn,” Mr. M continued when we were alone, “I’m sorry your past was made public. I promised you anonymity if you got the job here. I have no idea how Misty found out, but unfortunately, your conviction is public record if anyone cares to look. She must have quite a grudge against you. But I assure you, Barnes will take care of his niece. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about her anymore. You conducted yourself well, though, my dear. In light of what happened, however, I need to know if you want to continue in your current position. Right or wrong, true or false, everyone is going to speculate about the two of you. If it weren’t for your safety, I’d remove you from this job without asking, but truthfully, I feel better knowing that someone like Holt always has his eyes out for you. But if you’re uncomfortable, we can talk about other ways to keep you safe.”
“Absolutely not,” Holt growled.
I turned to Holt. “Maybe it would be for the best. We can talk to the police...”
He was shaking his head. “Despite our suspicions the police won’t provide you escorts. Anything could happen to you.”
“But it could happen even when I’m with you, Holt. I don’t like endangering you.”
“Give me a week or two. My investigator is really good. With any luck, we’ll be able to figure out what’s going on. You’ll help me with what I need, and I’ll be able to keep an eye on your safety. With my military training, I’m just as good as any security the police would assign you. Plus, they have to follow you from a distance, and I can stay right by your side. Plus, I’m in a crunch since Susan left unexpectedly. I need help, and I know you’ll do better than any temp that an agency would send me.”
His argument made sense to me. “Okay. We’ll try it,” I agreed. “But completely professional at all times,” I warned.
His eyes twinkled. “I can handle it if you can,” he grinned.
And that was part of the problem. I wasn’t sure I could.
35
Holt
Life in the office remained calm and quiet after that upstart Misty tried to start her drama. I hadn’t seen her around since then. I knew Maddy was a bit nervous about how everyone would treat her now that they knew her background, but most had liked her before and didn’t let the new knowledge change their opinion. Others remained politely distant. As long as they didn’t hurt her feelings, it was fine.
Maddy was every bit as good as my assistant as I knew she’d be. She didn’t know legal terminology, but she was learning fast and caught on quickly to what I needed for her to do. She was an efficient note-taker, could lay her hands on any paperwork I needed, and turned out to be a remarkable researcher. I could see how she’d been a good student.
There hadn’t been any more communications from Charly, and we hadn’t noticed any further ‘stalkings.’ But I didn’t for a minute believe she was out of danger. My investigator, Dave, checked in daily, but we hadn’t learned anything of further help to track down who or why they were interested in Maddy.
Living with Maddy was the other bright spot in my life. I loved waking up with her every morning and a routine fell into place easily for us, as if we’d been doing it for years. I even found myself picking up on a few of her expressions which made her giggle hysterically when I botched them. In the evenings, we’d fallen into an easy pattern of either eating out or fixing dinner together, which she preferred and I was totally on board for.
Then we’d clean up and sometimes start to watch a television show, but I don’t think we’d caught the end of a show yet; we always ended up making love somewhere – on the couch, in the kitchen, on the living room floor. We’d even managed to make it into the bedroom a couple of times before we practically jumped each other. Maddy’s passion closely equaled my own and her shyness had given way to growing boldness.
With Sara’s help, she’d put together what she called a more professional wardrobe to go with her new job. It made me happy to see her finally making some real friends. She and Ashley took their breaks together, and one night she and Sara had come over and they’d had a ‘girls’ night,’ whatever the hell that meant. Cal and I had hidden in my study to get away from all cackles and laughter. I wished we’d been able to go out, but even though I felt like my apartment was safe I was not taking any chances and leaving her side. When it was over and everyone had gone home, her eyes were alight with happiness. She flung herself into my arms and kissed me with enthusiasm and then skirted around chattering about ‘Sara this’ and ‘Ashley that’ while she tidied up. I had to admit it gave me a lot of pleasure to see Maddy blossom and act like a young woman her age should.
“It’s good to see that they put such a smile on your beautiful face,” I told her.
She smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s boring for you to hear about it over and over. I just never had girlfriends to do silly things with, like trying out makeup or sharing the latest gossip or…” she paused. “Oops. Sorry. I’m doing it again.”
“If it puts more smiles on your face like that, I’ll gossip with you. In fact, I heard just today that Dan Sullivan was looking for a good mechanic and Mallory Kirkland mentioned she was going to…wait for it…go grocery shopping after work! I mean, can you believe that?”
She slapped me playfully on the chest. “Oh, stop. But if you h
ave any makeup tips, I’d be interested in hearing them,” she giggled.
“Here’s one. You don’t need it to be beautiful.”
“Aw, you flatterer,” she said and stood on her toes to kiss me. Her arms stayed wrapped around my neck and I brought mine to rest on her hips. “Those girls do put a smile on my face. But you,” she tapped on my chest, “you put one in my heart.”
I used the rest of the evening to show her just how many ways I knew to put a smile on her face as well.
Thinking back to that night and how we’d fallen asleep with our bodies sweaty and exhausted, I struggled to keep my mind on my work. I’d always thought she was a natural beauty, but recently she was drop dead gorgeous. Some of it was wearing some minimal makeup and better fitting clothes, but most of it was just the way she smiled more and carried herself with more confidence.
I studied her over my reading glasses. She was focused on typing up some notes. She was wearing a white silky blouse that was fitted at the waist so that it showed off her curves, and some kind of black skirt that was shorter on one side than the other. At that moment she yawned and stretched, and I could see the curves of her breasts strain against the material. Yeah, I might have kept her awake a little too late into the early morning hours last night.
I yanked off my glasses and dropped them on my desk. “Miss Stone,” I called and bit back a smile as she jerked forward from stretching. “May I see you in here for a moment, please?”
She scurried to her feet and came in.
“Shut the door, please,” I commanded.
She looked puzzled, but did as requested and moved to stand in front of my desk.
“Madelyn, I’m starting to think this arrangement isn’t going to work.”
She looked stunned and hurt. “What? Why? I thought you were happy with my work.”
I walked around my desk and stood before her. I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Because I keep envisioning calling you into my office so I can bend you over my desk and fuck you.”
Yesterday's Tomorrows Page 24