Marissa walked briskly to her office. She was barely aware of Harper’s presence. He must have followed her.
“Hey, what were you and my mom talking about?” Harper asked in a low voice. “I saw you two in the hall.”
Marissa glanced over at him. “She invited me to lunch. I turned her down.”
“How did she seem?”
“Same as always,” Marissa said. “Why? Do you think she knows anything? Please tell me that you didn’t tell her.”
“I didn’t say anything to my mother and I don’t plan to. If anyone tells her, it should be my father.”
“Nobody should say anything to anybody,” Marissa declared. “Just let them both take it to the grave. My dad does not deserve to be hurt. Neither does Aunt Vanessa.”
“Knowing my mother, she would find a way to make Dad pay if she ever found out,” Harper said.
Chapter 4
“Are you feeling okay?”
Marissa looked up from the notes she and her assistant were going over in one of the conference rooms. She gave her a slight nod. “I think I’m coming down with a cold. I’ll be fine, though.”
“Why don’t I make you a cup of tea? You can close your door and lie down on your couch for a while. You don’t have any appointments until later today.”
“Some tea would be nice, Roberta. Thank you,” Marissa murmured. The idea of taking a nap was very appealing to her. She was feeling a bit tired.
She was in her office and sitting on the couch when Roberta entered the room carrying a cup of hot tea.
Marissa smiled as she accepted the tea from her assistant. “Thanks so much.”
“Go on and rest. I’ll see that no one disturbs you.”
Marissa began to feel better almost as soon as she lay down.
She could hear Griffin outside her office talking to one of the other associates. Marissa loved the sound of his voice. He reminded her of the smooth, late-night disc jockeys on the radio.
Marissa allowed her memory to drift into forbidden territory—one night five months ago. She had decided to work late. She had been surprised to find that Griffin was also there after everyone had already gone home. They decided to take their laptops into a conference room to work while they shared a dinner of shrimp fried rice, orange chicken and egg drop soup.
Maybe it was the adrenaline of working on a case; maybe it was sleep deprivation or maybe it was just inevitable, but Marissa and Griffin could no longer ignore their mutual attraction.
They soon decided to call it a night.
Marissa followed Griffin to his apartment. As soon as they were inside, they were in each other’s arms.
Griffin had undressed her slowly and then carried her into his bedroom.
He laid her on the bed. Griffin removed his own clothing before joining her.
“I’ve wanted this for a long time,” he whispered.
“So have I,” Marissa admitted.
Griffin captured her lips with his own, holding her close to his nakedness.
Marissa moaned softly as her passion ignited into a flame in the pit of her belly. She burned with desire for Griffin’s touch.
They had made love slowly that night, not wanting the moment to come to an end.
Marissa could still feel the heat of their passion from that night—it burned in her memory. The sweetness of his kisses lingered in her mind, filling her with the desire to be kissed by Griffin again.
But that night was long gone.
The special moment they had shared was just that—a moment.
As soon as the thought revealed itself, Marissa shook her head in denial. What she had shared with Griffin that night was only meant to last for a moment, but for Marissa, it would last a lifetime.
Marissa closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with Griffin consuming her thoughts.
When she woke up, Marissa could not believe that almost two hours had passed, but she felt so much better now and more energetic. She rose to her feet and went to the bathroom to wash her face.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Roberta commented when Marissa came out.
“I do,” she responded. “I feel so much better.”
It was almost time for her meeting with a new client, so Marissa spent the next half hour going over the file her assistant had prepared.
“Hey, what are you doing? In here playing lawyer?”
Marissa looked up and grinned at her oldest brother. “What are you doing?”
Jake strolled casually into the room. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with a sly smile.
“You are no angel,” she stated.
“How’s it going?” he inquired with a grin. “I know how overwhelming working here can be. Not to mention working with family.”
“I’m hanging in there.”
“Well, let me know if I can help you with anything.”
“You really don’t have to worry about me, Jake,” Marissa said. “I’m fine. I can handle my job.”
“I just want to make sure that you’re not taking on more than you can handle.”
Marissa did not bother to disguise her irritation. “I am not a baby, Jake. I don’t need you looking over my shoulder. Why don’t you focus your energies on your new wife?”
He ignored her remark. “It’s just that your sister said that you’ve been pretty moody lately.”
“Maybe all of you should just leave me alone,” Marissa sniped at her brother. She took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly.
“I’m sorry, Jake. I should not be snapping at you like this. It’s just that I’ve been with the firm a year now and I feel I’m doing a great job, but it’s frustrating when you all keep looking over my shoulder. I can’t breathe this way.”
He nodded in understanding. “I’ll back off, Marissa.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
Marissa leaned back in her chair. She hoped that Jake would keep his word. Now if she could get the rest of her siblings to do the same.
* * *
One of the other qualities that Griffin loved about Marissa was her genuine smile, which seemed prominently on display at all times. She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh.
Griffin released a sigh. He missed her laughter.
He also missed spending time with her.
The memory of the one night they had shared flashed to the forefront of his mind. What he and Marissa shared that night had been beautiful. Griffin held on to that memory as if it were a lifeline. He never wanted to forget the way she looked at him as they made love or the way her lips felt against his.
A tremor of disappointment slid down his spine because he knew that they would never share another night like that one. The experience was once-in-a-lifetime. Still, he couldn’t turn off his feelings for Marissa as if they were controlled by a switch. And those feelings frightened him.
It was time for a reality check.
He had crossed the line when he slept with Marissa.
Afterward, he had apologized for taking advantage of Marissa, although she tried to assure him that she did not feel that way.
Marissa confessed her attraction to him and assured Griffin that she wanted him to make love to her.
Griffin told her that it should not ever happen again. He and Marissa both had worked hard to prove themselves at the firm—if word ever got out that he had slept with the boss’s daughter, he would be fired, and Marissa’s reputation would never be the same. Griffin did not want to see her hurt beyond that one night, so he told her that they should keep a professional distance going forward.
Professional distance. It was one of the hardest things to do. He hungered for Marissa’s touch, her kisses… Griffin could not stomach the thought of Marissa with
another man. He did not even want to think about the idea, despite the fact that they had no future together.
Griffin shook his head, trying to erase the image of the beautiful woman who dominated his thoughts.
As if he conjured her, Marissa appeared in his doorway. “Didn’t mean to disturb you,” she said. “Daddy wanted me to tell you that he can meet with you right now if you have some time. He’s thinking about coming in late tomorrow.”
He silently took in her appearance. Marissa was as beautiful as ever, although there was something different about her—something he could not put a finger on. Griffin did not like the gulf that existed between them. They used to be able to talk easily, but now…well, things were different.
“Thanks, Marissa.”
“Not a problem.” She turned to leave.
“Hey,” he called out. “Do you have a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
“How are things going with you?” Griffin asked her. “I know we haven’t had a real chance to sit down and talk about your development, but—”
“Everything is good,” Marissa interjected a little too quickly.
He pointed to a chair. “Would you like to sit down?”
Marissa shook her head. “I really need to get going, Griff. Besides, my dad is waiting to meet with you.”
There was more that Griffin wanted to say to Marissa, but he simply nodded. Things were different between them now for sure—and it was all his fault.
He reined in his errant thoughts and went back to work, until his cell phone rang just as he was preparing to leave the office.
“Hello.”
“Griffin, hey…it’s me, Colin. I know this is late notice, but we’re playing at the Blue Nile in Center City tonight. If you don’t have any plans, why don’t you come out? I would love to catch up.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Griffin responded. “I’m on my way home. Give me a chance to freshen up and I’ll see you shortly.”
Griffin normally did not go out on weeknights, but because he had not seen his friend in months, he made an exception. He and Colin were childhood friends who grew up in the same neighborhood. While he had chased after his dream of being a lawyer, Colin had chased after his music. He was a phenomenal keyboard player.
Griffin was actually looking forward to seeing Colin and his band perform. Years ago, he used to sing with them, but only to help earn money for college. He never seriously considered pursuing music as a career. His first love had always been law.
For a brief second Griffin considered calling Marissa and inviting her to join him, but he changed his mind. Things were still very awkward between them.
* * *
“I don’t know why I let you talk me into this,” Marissa told her friend.
“Because you need a night out,” Cheryl responded with a smile. “I bet you haven’t been to the Blue Nile in forever. Besides, we haven’t spent much time together lately. I want to know what’s going on with you.”
Cheryl had been Marissa’s best friend since high school. She regretted not having enough time to see her regularly. “I’ve been working hard to stay on top of my caseload.”
The place was crowded. Marissa glanced around, scanning the room for an empty table. They found one in a corner and sat down.
“How do you like teaching at Temple?” Marissa asked.
“I love it,” her friend said. “What about you? Are you still loving law?”
Marissa nodded. “It’s a lot of work, but I do enjoy it. What I don’t like about the job is working with family. They treat me like a child—watching over me and constantly checking on me.”
Cheryl laughed. “What did you expect? You are the youngest in the family. My little sister complains of the same thing.”
“Obviously, not this. Your sister is only fourteen. I am a grown woman.”
“The last time we talked, you were telling me about this guy you work with,” Cheryl said with a grin. “How is that going?”
“We work together,” Marissa responded. “That’s about it.”
“What happened?”
Marissa shrugged. “He has this thing about not getting involved with the boss’s daughter. He loves his job and apparently it means more to him than I do.”
“How does it make you feel?”
Marissa met her friend’s gaze. “I wish my name was something other than Hamilton at times. This guy—he’s great and I understand his feelings, but I just thought that… Anyway, it doesn’t matter what I thought. We decided it was best to keep a professional relationship.”
A waiter appeared to take their order.
Marissa ordered a glass of water.
“You’re not drinking tonight?” Cheryl questioned. “Not even a glass of wine?”
“No, I have an early day tomorrow.”
The band members took their places onstage.
“Have you heard them before?” Marissa asked her friend.
Cheryl nodded. “A couple of times. They’re really good.”
Marissa settled back to listen to the band. Truthfully she was grateful to be away from the house. Her mother should be asleep by the time Marissa arrived home later in the evening. She was still trying to avoid her mother as much as possible.
She bobbed her head to the music. “This band is great.”
Cheryl agreed.
Marissa’s eyes traveled the crowded room. There were a lot of people out tonight. The first time she had ever come to the Blue Nile Club was with Griffin. They had come here to celebrate the win of her first case.
She enjoyed being here with Cheryl, but it reminded Marissa of Griffin. Even now, she felt his presence.
Marissa gave herself a mental shake. There was no use thinking about a man who would never return her feelings.
Chapter 5
Seated in front of the stage, Griffin tapped his foot to the music. It had been a while since he’d been out like this, relaxing and listening to a live band. He made a mental note to change that going forward. It was fine to stay focused on work, but Griffin realized that he also needed some downtime to relax. It wasn’t healthy to hold on to pent-up emotions and energies.
The room exploded in applause when the song ended.
Onstage, Colin took the microphone. “It’s wonderful to be back home in Philly,” he said.
“Welcome home,” someone in the audience yelled out.
He laughed. “I have a special treat for you tonight. Who remembers the tall, cool dude that used to sing with us?”
Several people in the audience clapped and screamed in memory.
Colin laughed. “Well, we have Griff in the audience and—”
The sound of applause drowned out the rest of
Colin’s words.
Smiling, Griffin met his friend’s gaze and shook his head. He had not come here to perform. It had been years since he had been on a stage. He had planned to just come out, listen to music and reconnect with old friends.
Colin refused to take no for an answer. “You hear that applause—that’s for you, bro,” he told Griffin. “C’mon…”
Griffin rose to his feet and made his way up to the stage.
Colin handed him the mike.
Music filled the stage and its surroundings.
Griffin moved to its beat and began to sing. He soon felt as if he had never left the stage and he allowed his love for music to take over.
* * *
Marissa could not believe her eyes when Griffin walked up on the stage. She had no idea he could sing.
“I don’t believe it,” Marissa uttered.
“What is it?” Cheryl asked. “You know him?”
She nodded. “That’s Griff.”
“The guy you work with
? The one you’ve been telling me about?”
“Yes,” Marissa responded.
Marissa was very entranced by the bass timbre of his voice. Griffin had never shared this side of himself with her before. Obviously, they were not as close as she had imagined.
As if drawn by an invisible web, Griffin met her gaze.
His eyes registered surprise, but he never interrupted his singing.
“He has a nice voice,” Cheryl said.
Marissa agreed.
Griffin received a standing ovation and thunderous applause as he thanked everyone and left the stage. Instead of returning to his table, he walked over to where she and Cheryl were sitting.
Marissa spoke first, making the introductions before saying, “I didn’t know about this side of you.”
He met her gaze and then smiled. “This is the first time I’ve been on a stage in forever. When I left the band, I never really thought much about it. It just became a part of my past once I passed the bar.”
“You never really talk about your life.”
Griffin shrugged in nonchalance. “There isn’t a lot to tell.”
“Well, I guess I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did.” Marissa tried to hide the disappointment she felt. She had shared so much of herself with Griffin, even her personal feelings and insecurities.
Apparently there was much to Griffin that he’d kept private.
“I enjoyed your singing,” Cheryl told him.
“So did I,” Marissa interjected after a moment. “You can really sing.”
“Thank you both,” Griffin replied with a smile. “I didn’t know that you liked places like this, Marissa. I figured you were more of a jazz lover.”
Cheryl chuckled. “Marissa…she hates jazz.”
“No, I don’t,” she countered. “I just like classic R & B more.”
She was saved from further embarrassment when the band took a break and Griffin introduced them to Cheryl and Marissa.
Marissa was thrilled that she had decided to come out with Cheryl. She was really having a great time. It was nice to see Griffin relaxed and having a good time. She really liked this side of him and wished he would display it more.
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