The Hot Lawyer (A Romance Love Story) (Hargrave Brothers - Book #4)

by Alexa Davis

  "Well, that's easy to remedy," she said as she held the kitten out to me. "Here, snuggle her while I get dinner ready."

  Reluctantly, I took the kitten from her and cradled it like a baby. She curled up in my arms, content to watch Viv pulling containers out of bags and piling food on the plates she pulled out of the cupboard. I stroked the kitten's tiny head and was rewarded with a loud purr and a big drop of saliva on my arm.

  "Oh gross," I said trying to feign disgust so that I wouldn't fall in love with this tiny creature. "She's drooling."

  "Yep, that's what kittens do when they're super happy," Viv smiled. "She likes you."

  "Well, she shouldn't get too comfortable. She's not staying," I grumbled.

  "Wally, don't be such a damn miser," she said as she spooned a healthy helping of tabouleh onto our plates. "Just because Josh is a loser doesn't mean you need to shut down and cut off all other outlets. Besides, this shouldn't be all that surprising. We knew he was an ass from the beginning. Hell, we used to joke about it before you went and got all lovey-dovey about him."

  "Why are you rubbing salt into the wound?" I asked as I ran my fingers up and down the soft gray fur and watched as the kitten slowly grew sleepier and sleepier.

  "Because you are a romantic dreamer and I am a pragmatist, my friend," she said, pulling open a drawer and cheering a little when she found the forks on the first try. Viv was smart, but she didn't have a mind for details. "We knew this was going to happen eventually. Just be glad it was before you got married and were saddled with kids."

  "Yeah, now I'm just saddled with a kitten," I muttered.

  "Gratitude is an attitude, Wally," Viv chirped. I wanted to smack her and she knew it, so she flashed a big brilliant smile as she set the full plate of food down in front of me with a flourish. "Eat. You need to keep your strength and blood sugar up."

  I held the sleeping kitten in one arm as I dug into the enormous plate of food that Viv had set before me. It was a little awkward trying to pull the shish kabob off of the skewer with one hand, but I didn't want to wake the warm, fuzzy kitten who seemed to have gotten very comfortable very quickly. As she purred softly in my arms, I knew she would be staying and I silently cursed and blessed Viv for the gift.

  "So, what are you going to do about rent, Wally?" Viv asked after we'd gorged ourselves on hummus, fresh pita, salad, and grilled meat. "You've got another mouth to feed now. You have to be a responsible parent."

  "Very funny, Viv," I said with a grim smile. "I have no idea what I'm going to do. Josh and I were splitting the rent and I was barely scraping by. I need something, and I need it fast!"

  "Well, first thing's first," she said in a bossy tone. "You need to get down to the office and talk with Peter about acting jobs. Then, you need to register with the temp agency in my building. I might be able to convince my boss to call and ask for you, if we've got any good work. Then, we need to see about what other options you might have."

  "Viv, I'm registered with every temp agency in town," I told her as I scooped up the last of the hummus with a bit of pita and popped it in my mouth. "There hasn't been much for months."

  "Hmmm, okay," she mused as she wracked her brain for something that might be useful. "Oooh, I've got it! How about modeling? There's a bunch of trade shows coming through town in the next few months! You could be a spokes-model for some of the companies that show their goods at the convention!"

  "I'm an actress, not a model, Viv," I reminded her. "How on earth am I going to get a modeling contract for those shows?"

  "I think I know someone," she said with a grin.

  "Of course, you do." I rolled my eyes and looked down at the bundle of fur curled up in my arms and felt a strong wave of love flood my brain as I looked at her. "Anna. I'm going to call you Anna Karenina."

  "What did you say?" Viv asked as she scrolled through her enormous list of contacts, looking for the one that would connect me to the trade show modeling business.

  "Nothing, I just named the kitty," I said quietly as I leaned down and kissed the top of the fuzzy, little, gray head and whispered, "It's all going to be okay, Anna. We're going to be fine, you and me." The kitten purred loudly as she stretched her paws up and found a more comfortable position, and for the first time since Josh walked out the door, I smiled.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Max

  On my way back downtown after visiting Babi, my phone rang and; and when I looked at the screen, I sighed and answered. "What do you want?"

  "Is that any way to greet your friend?" the woman on the other end purred.

  "Natalia, I don't have a lot of time for nonsense," I said a little more harshly than I'd intended. "What do you want?"

  "Aww, don't be mad, Maxi," she pouted. "Why are you mad at me? What have I done wrong?"

  "Nothing, Natalia," I said through clenched teeth. The cab was slowly moving down Wabash and I was irritated by the traffic, so I tapped on the window, handed the driver a twenty, and motioned for him to pull over. I got out and began walking toward the office at a rapid pace. "What do you want?"

  "Will you go see the Ibsen play with me this weekend?"

  "Again?" I replied. "You know how much I hate that play, and yet you ask me to go with you not once, but twice. Why, Natalia?"

  "Because I want to see it again, darling!" she replied and then dropped her voice to a husky whisper and said, "I'll make it worth your while, Maxi. You know how I love to do that for you when you do me a favor, don't you?"

  Almost against my will, I could feel the blood rushing away from my brain toward my groin. Natalia had a way of turning everything into a sexual seduction, and while I wasn't in love with her, I couldn't resist her considerable skills and enthusiasm. She was a gorgeous woman. From her glossy black bob to her ruby red lips to her hourglass figure, she radiated an aura of sexual power that drew men to her in droves. She loved nothing more than to catch and release them, but she always came back to me when she needed to ground herself in something real. We were friends, but both of us knew it would never be more than that.

  "Nat, what are you doing?" I said as I swallowed hard.

  "Oh, you know perfectly well what I'm doing," she purred softly as my pants became incredibly tight. "You love it when I take charge and tell you what I want, don't you, Maxi?"

  "Jesus, woman," I groaned. "Fine, I'll go to the damn play with you! Just stop these obscene phone calls! I've got a business to run!"

  "Mmmm, you know you love it," she laughed. "I'll get the tickets, you meet me at the theater at seven sharp on Saturday. Oh, and Max?"

  "Yes?"

  "Wear something that I can quickly remove," she said. "And, I'll do the same."

  "Natalia!" I yelled as she laughed loudly before disconnecting.

  I turned the corner on Wabash and quickly walked to the store entrance. I'd rented this place when I'd decided to sell the jewelry that I'd seen during my travels to the Far East. For a long time, I'd wanted to bring together the Asian influences in fine jewelry with the Russian expertise in mental work, and when I'd run across a factory on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg that could not only replicate Faberge-style items, but also manufacture entirely new items, I'd signed a contract with them and vowed to get the business up and running within six months.

  That was four months ago, and now I was looking at launching my new line at the trade show in two weeks. I needed to hit the ground running and score a couple of big clients in order to ensure that my investment would continue to pay off. I knew that landing the big clients would not be easy in a city where there was an entire block devoted to high, medium, and low end jewelry, and being the new guy in town made my position even more precarious. No one had ever heard of me, and if they had, they probably wanted to do business with my father rather than me.

  I opened the door, entered the shop, and looked around. It was a small place, but I'd done some renovations to make it look shiny and new. I'd put in plush carpeting in a soft shade of gray and had the elec
trician install new lighting that hung lower and reflected in a way that made the metal and stones sparkle at any angle. I'd polished the jewelry cases to a shine and they were ready to house the gorgeous gems I'd purchased and imported.

  My office was in the back and had been sparsely furnished with a desk, chair, and a conference table for any private business that needed to be done away from the sales floor. I had a thin laptop computer that I took everywhere with me so that I could monitor the business no matter where I was, and now all I needed was an employee to help me sell the jewels.

  I'd thought long and hard about whom I would hire, and I'd decided that it needed to be a woman. I needed balance in the store, and a woman would provide just the right image and give me the opportunity to serve my clients in the way that was most comfortable for them. Sometimes a woman's touch was needed in order to close a sale or encourage an additional purchase, and I was no fool when it came to ensuring that my business had every possible opportunity to succeed.

  The question was where to find a qualified, knowledgeable, and attractive woman who could do all of the things I was asking of her. I'd tried ads in the paper and through the local gemological society, but so far, they'd not produced any viable candidates. I was going to have to find someone fast if I wanted to have any hope of turning this business into a success.

  I went back to my office and began scanning the list of temp agencies in the area, hoping that maybe one of them could provide me with a suitable employee.

  "Dammit, I'm going to make this work," I swore under my breath as I reached for the phone and dialed the first number on the screen.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Lexi

  The next morning, I woke up early when Anna pounced my face and demanded breakfast. "You're going to be my new alarm clock, aren't you?" I laughed as I stroked her head until she rewarded me with a purr. Anna meowed in agreement and then hopped down off the bed and padded to the door, looking back over her shoulder to make sure I got the message that she was hungry.

  "Fine, fine, fine," I said as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. I called out toward the bathroom, "Josh, did you make coffee yet?" and then bit my tongue hard as I sat back down on the bed remembering that Josh was no longer here. I tried to wipe away the tears as they flowed fast and hot down my cheeks, but the memories flooded my brain and before I knew it, I was curled in a ball on the bed, sobbing.

  "Mrrow?" Anna chirped as she hopped back up onto the bed and began rubbing her head against my arm. When she didn't get the response she wanted, she began butting her head against my hands and trying to move them away from my face as she chirped louder. Her meows became louder and more distressed until I was forced to pull my hands away to look at her. She sat in front of me, staring at me with wide blue eyes, and then reached out and patted my face before she began head butting me again.

  "Okay, okay," I said as I choked back the sobs that still sat in my throat. "I'll get up and feed you. Just understand that you're here because of a breakup and it's going to take some time to get over it. Got it?"

  "Meow!" she replied as she hopped off the bed and headed back to the doorway. This time, she sat down and waited until she was sure I was following her before prancing happily to the kitchen and chirping as I poured food into her bowl.

  "Happy now?" I asked and got a loud purr in response. I pulled out the coffee and started making a pot. I was halfway through my morning ritual before I realized that I'd made enough coffee for two and that made me start crying again. I knew that this was a normal response to what had happened not twenty-four hours before, but I also felt a little panicked about the fact that if I couldn't pull myself together, and do it quickly, I wasn't going to be able to land a job. And, if I didn't land a job, Anna and I would be out on the street with no place to go.

  "I'm not going to let him keep me from doing what I need to do," I muttered as I poured myself a cup of hot coffee and walked over to the computer to check the job listings. I felt my stomach turn over when I saw the spot where the computer usually sat empty and then realized that Josh had taken our shared laptop. "Son of a bitch! That does it!"

  The computer had been a gift from my parents when I'd gotten into Northwestern. It was old and slow, but it was mine, and Josh taking it with him made something in me snap. I might have loved him, but he had been an extraordinarily selfish person who took care of his own needs – rarely mine. I'd stayed with him because it was familiar and comfortable and, if I was honest, because I was afraid of being alone. Josh didn't take care of me, per se, but he did take care of everything that affected him, and he was a control freak, which meant I never had to plan anything. I'd always chalked it up to his quirky sense of responsibility, but as I sipped my coffee, I started to see how this was really an indication of his deep-seated narcissism.

  I'd cooked meals for us, but he'd done all the shopping and decided what we'd eat and when. I'd done the laundry, but he'd decided what detergent we'd use and how the clothes would be cared for. I'd paid my share of bills, but he'd held the checkbook and all the passwords to our accounts.

  "Oh God, Anna! He has all the passwords to the accounts! I have no money!" I groaned as I realized that without Josh, I was pretty much destitute. The tears began to well up, but before they fell, I sternly told myself that I was not going to fall to pieces. I was not going to crumble and become a sobbing mess because I was strong and capable and…

  "Fuck!" I shouted as I slammed my fist on the counter spilling coffee and causing Anna to jump and run behind the couch. When she peeked around the corner, I smiled at her and said, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just mad and a little scared."

  "Purrt?" she chirped as she head butted the couch and cautiously approached me. I reached out and scooped her up, bringing her to my chin where I snuggled her and kissed her fuzzy little head.

  "Indeed," I said as she purred happily. "I'm going to make this work, Anna. You're not going to be out on the street or in some shelter. We're going to keep this place. I just need to figure out a way to do it."

  As I stood at the counter holding the kitten and sipping coffee, my phone rang and when I answered it, I heard a familiar voice shouting, "Kid! I got a role for you! Can you come to the office today?"

  "Hello, Peter," I laughed. "What's up?"

  "I just told you," he shouted. Peter Baxter had been my agent for the past six years, and while he was great at being an agent, he wasn't so good at mastering the finer points of technology. I had gotten used to him shouting into the phone after several lessons on cell phone etiquette had gone nowhere. "I got a role for you, and I need you to come to the office to pick up the information and get the rundown on what the client wants."

  "What is it?" I asked as Anna licked my chin and made me giggle.

  "What's going on? Why are you giggling?" he yelled.

  "It's a kitten, Peter," I said as I kissed Anna on her tiny little nose and then set her down on the floor.

  "A what?" he shouted. "Why is a mitten making you laugh? I don't understand you kids these days. Weird things are going on."

  "Peter, just tell me what the role is," I said as I fought back a bubble of laughter. His hearing wasn't the best even on good days, and the phone presented a whole other series of challenges. Most of the time, I found it entertaining, and since he was one of the best agents in Chicago, I let it go and tried to only have conversations with him face-to-face.

  "I can't, you gotta come into the office, kid," he said sounding distracted. "What time can you get here?"

  "An hour?" I offered.

  "Can you be here in an hour?" he repeated. "An hour would be good."

  "Yes, Peter, I'll be there in an hour!" I shouted into the phone.

  "Good!" he yelled back and then added, "Hey, why the hell are you shouting at me?"

  I burst into laughter and was only able to say, "Bye, Peter!" before hanging up and heading into the bathroom to shower and get ready for an audition for a mystery part.

  "I'
m going to do this, Anna," I told the tiny kitten. She chirped as she batted around a dust bunny that she'd pulled from under the couch. I smiled at her antics as I said, "I'll get the part and then I'm going to clean this place."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Max

  "Dammit!" I cursed as I slammed the phone down for the third time. There wasn't a temp agency in town that could find me an employee who could fulfill my sales needs, and I was running out of time and patience. "This is utter bullshit! How can they not have someone who can sell jewelry on their staff?"

  I sat staring at the picture of my mother I'd hung over the doorway. I'd hung the picture when I'd first bought the shop, and now, I wondered what she would say about this venture and what she would advise me to do. I thought about it for long time before I got up from my desk and walked out to the front of the store. I stood staring at the sales floor as I thought about how to go about getting what I needed. My mother had been a resourceful person, and she would have told me that if I couldn't get a real salesperson, then I simply needed someone who could play the role of a salesperson – at least, until I could hire someone who actually knew what she was doing. I needed someone who could act the part convincingly.

  "Hell, I'm sure this city is full of out-of-work actors!" I said smacking my hand down on a case. I quickly walked back to my office and did a search for talent agents in Chicago. The first name that came up was Acting Aces, a company that had its offices a few blocks from the shop and listed a number of well-known Chicago actors among its clients. I dialed the number and waited.

  "Acting Aces, where we make stars out of everyone! This is Gina, how may I direct your call?" an enthusiastic voice said.

  "Mr. Peter Baxter, please," I said.

  "Who may I tell him is calling?" she asked.

  "A client who has a desperate need for an actor and is willing to pay whatever it costs to find one," I said in an even tone.