by Anna Stone
Behind Closed Doors
Anna Stone
© 2018 Anna Stone
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be replicated, reproduced, or redistributed in any form without the prior written consent of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover by Kasmit Covers
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Contents
1. Emma
2. Lillian
3. Emma
4. Emma
5. Lillian
6. Emma
7. Emma
8. Emma
9. Lillian
10. Emma
11. Lillian
12. Emma
13. Emma
14. Lillian
15. Emma
16. Lillian
17. Emma
18. Lillian
19. Emma
20. Emma
21. Lillian
22. Emma
23. Lillian
24. Emma
25. Lillian
26. Lillian
27. Emma
28. Lillian
29. Emma
30. Emma
31. Lillian
32. Emma
Epilogue
Afterword
About the Author
Also by Anna Stone
Preview of Being Hers
1
Emma
Emma stood on the busy sidewalk and looked up at the skyscraper looming over her. She took a deep breath and entered the lobby.
It was the first day of her new job. But for Emma, it was so much more. It was the start of her new life. Everything was going to plan. She’d found the perfect, surprisingly affordable apartment, and now she was starting the perfect job. She’d signed up for an employment agency when she moved to Chicago a few weeks ago, and they’d finally found her a position. The pay was amazing, and the benefits were even better. She didn’t know how she landed such a good job, but she wasn’t complaining. And she was not going to mess it up.
Emma scanned the list of businesses next to the elevator. There. Avery, Gordon & White. They were on the top floor. The “White” in the law firm’s name referred to Lillian White, the woman Emma was going to be working for. Emma wasn’t sure what exactly her job entailed; the position was for an assistant of some kind, but the description the agency gave her was vague. It was all very last minute.
Emma rode the elevator up to the top floor and stepped out of it into a wide, open lobby. The firm took up the entire floor. The modern office was almost all white, with marble accents and clean, neat lines. The reception desk was made entirely of marble and had a sign with AG&W written in large black letters behind it. It all felt a bit too artificial to Emma.
The people were much the same. A thin woman with light brown hair sat behind the reception desk. She wore a form-fitting black dress, and her makeup was flawless. A man in a crisp, gray suit with carefully styled hair stood beside the desk, deep in conversation with her. Emma looked down at her own outfit. Her cream-colored blouse, black skirt, and flats were professional enough. But she barely had any makeup on. And she looked nowhere near as stylish as everyone else.
Emma walked over to the desk. As she got closer, the man leaned down toward the woman and quietly said something to her. The woman let out a flirty giggle. The two of them didn’t notice Emma until she spoke.
“Hi,” Emma said to the woman behind the desk.
The woman smiled. Her teeth seemed unnaturally white. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Emma Cole. Lillian White’s new assistant.”
The man looked Emma up and down, one eyebrow raised. “You’re Lillian’s assistant?”
“Yes,” Emma said.
“How long do you think this one will last?” he asked the woman.
“Leave her alone, Tom.” The woman turned back to Emma. “My name’s Bridget, I’m the receptionist. Don’t listen to anything Tom here says.”
“Someone should warn her,” he said. “Don’t be fooled by her looks. The interns call her the Ice Queen for a reason.”
Emma’s stomach fluttered. What kind of woman was she working for? She was suddenly overcome by the feeling that she was out of her depth.
Bridget rolled her eyes. “Ms. White is in a meeting right now, but she’s expecting you. You can wait in her office.” She pointed to a hall beside the desk. “It’s the third office on the left.”
“Thanks,” Emma said.
Bridget smiled, a little more genuinely this time. “Good luck.”
Emma walked down the hall into a large, open office. It was a hive of activity. Every desk was occupied, and phones were ringing constantly. She continued until she came to the third door on the left. The nameplate read Ms. Lillian White. Emma opened the door and entered the room.
The office was huge. Two of the walls of the corner office were made entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows. Another wall was covered in tall bookshelves filled with thick tomes. There was a large glass desk at the far end, and some seating around a coffee table to the side.
Emma sat down in front of the desk and looked around. Everything in here was as monochrome and sterile as the lobby, if not more so. She settled into her seat and waited.
After a few minutes, the door swung open and a slender blonde woman walked through.
Lillian White. She was breathtaking. Her light hair was pulled back into a neat bun, and her lips had a pink sheen. She wore a dark gray dress, and heels that made her slender legs seem even longer. She had an effortlessly feminine, delicate beauty. But it was clear that Lillian was anything but delicate. Her face wore a hard expression, and her pale blue eyes shone with ice-cold focus.
Lillian strode into the room, a mug of coffee in one hand, her phone held up to her ear with the other. She didn’t even glance at Emma as she made her way to her desk.
“Listen to me,” Lillian said. “Do not accept that settlement.” She paused. “I don’t give a damn how much it is. Don’t accept anything less than what we discussed.”
Emma stared intently at the hem of her skirt, pretending that she wasn’t listening to Lillian’s conversation. But she was mesmerized by her commanding voice.
“William. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to reject the offer. You’re going to sit patiently and wait while they sweat it out. Then, they’re going to come back with another offer. And you know what you’re going to do?”
Lillian paused while the man replied.
“No. You’re going to reject that offer too. And then they’re going to come back and offer what we originally asked for. Then, you can accept. Do you understand? Good.” Lillian hung up the phone.
Without saying a word to Emma, Lillian sat down in the high-backed leather chair behind her desk. She took a sip of her coffee, then grimaced. Finally, she looked at Emma.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in my office?” Lillian asked.
“I’m your new assistant,” Emma said.
Lillian’s eyes swept over Emma. “Is your name Emma Ward?”
“No, it’s—”
“Are you fifty-six years old?”
“No.”
“Then you’re not my new legal assistant.”
“My name is Emma Cole. Maybe there was a mix-up?” She should have known this job was too good to be true.
“Obviously,” Lillian said. “I’m going to call the agency.”
Emma sat and waited while Lillian dialed
the number of the agency. Lillian stood up and paced behind her desk. When someone answered, Lillian began to speak to them as if Emma weren’t even in the room.
It soon became clear that Emma was right. This was all a mistake.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. How are you going to fix this?” Lillian asked. “Then send me someone else.”
Emma’s stomach dropped. She was back to where she was a couple of weeks ago. Unemployed and with zero prospects, not to mention zero money. She would have to move back to her hometown. Back to her family. Back to living next door to her ex-fiancé, the man she’d practically left at the altar.
Emma was not giving up on her new life. Not yet.
“What do you mean?” Lillian paused. “That’s because everyone you send is incompetent.” She raised her hand to her forehead and rubbed her temples. “Then I’ll have to look elsewhere.” Lillian hung up the phone.
Emma shifted in her seat. A tense silence filled the room.
“There was a clerical error,” Lillian said. “Apparently, Emma Ward is no longer with the agency. Your file got switched with hers.” Lillian sat back down. “You might as well go. This wasn’t your fault, so you’ll be compensated. Two weeks’ salary should be enough.” Lillian opened her laptop again and started to type.
Emma hesitated. Two weeks at the generous rate she was supposed to be paid would tide her over for a while. But still—
“You’re still here,” Lillian said.
Emma crossed her arms. “You’re not even going to give me a chance?”
Lillian stopped typing. “Excuse me?”
“You still need an assistant, don’t you?”
“I need a legal assistant.”
“I can do that.” Emma didn’t admit that she had no idea what a legal assistant did.
Lillian appeared to think for a moment. “Fine. Since you’re already here, why don’t you tell me about yourself? Your qualifications. Your experience.” She folded her hands on the desk in front of her.
“I, uh…” Emma didn’t usually get tongue-tied. But there was something about Lillian that made her feel off-balance. And she wasn’t expecting a job interview on her first day. She thought she already had the job.
“Where did you go to college?” Lillian asked.
“I didn’t. Well, I went to community college.”
Lillian’s lips pressed into a fine line. “Where did you work before this?”
“I was a secretary at a doctor’s office for a while. But only part-time because I was studying.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven,” Emma said.
“What have you been doing with your life this entire time?”
“Looking after my family. It’s just my mom at home, and I have four younger brothers and sisters, so I spent most of the last ten years taking care of them. It kept me pretty busy.”
Lillian leaned back in her chair, examining Emma with her piercing eyes. “Are you familiar with legal shorthand?”
“No.”
“What about basic legal terminology?”
“No, but—”
“Do you have experience using legal research databases?”
“No.”
Lillian pressed her lips together. “What exactly can you do?”
“I can type. Answer phones. Transcribe dictation.” Emma could tell that Lillian was not impressed. “And I’m a fast learner. Whatever you need me to do, I can learn it.”
“Why do you want this job so badly?” Lillian asked. “I’m sure the agency can find you a position more suitable to someone of your experience level.”
“Because I like a challenge.” It was the only answer Emma could think of that didn’t sound desperate. “And I know that I can do it if you give me a chance.”
Lillian sighed. “I was supposed to be getting an experienced legal assistant, but I suppose you can at least cover my admin work. You have until Friday. If you manage to impress me, the job is yours.”
Emma nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
“You can address me as Ms. White.”
“Yes, Ms. White.”
“Good. Now.” Lillian picked up a couple of fat files from the top of the stack on her desk. “I need these copied in triplicate.” She scribbled something on a sticky note and stuck it on top of the file. “Send a copy each to these two addresses and file the other one. Can you handle that?”
“Yes, Ms. White,” Emma replied. Obviously, Lillian thought very little of her. Emma would have to prove her wrong.
“I’ll send you an email with further tasks for you to complete today.” Lillian turned back to her laptop. “Shut the door behind you.”
Emma left the room and let out a long, hard breath. Her heart was racing. She had no idea why she was so flustered.
As she stood there outside Lillian’s office, she realized that she didn’t know where the photocopier was. Or where anything else was for that matter. And she wasn’t going to ask Lillian. She wandered back out to the lobby where Bridget sat behind the desk typing away. The brown-haired woman looked up at Emma as she approached.
“Bridget? Can you tell me where the photocopier is?” Emma asked.
“Let me guess,” Bridget said. “Ms. White dumped a heap of work on you without telling you where anything was?”
Emma nodded.
“She always does that.” Bridget got up from behind the desk. “Let me show you. I’ll give you a tour of the office while I’m at it. It’s never that busy out here anyway.”
“Thanks,” Emma said.
Bridget showed Emma around, pointing out the important locations. The copy room, the break room, the senior partners’ offices. She was surprised to learn that the “Tom” she’d run into at reception was one of the senior partners. His behavior with Bridget seemed unprofessional.
Bridget led Emma to a small desk outside Lillian’s office. “This is your desk. Now that you’re here, I’ll be transferring her calls to you instead of straight to her. Which I’m guessing Ms. White didn’t mention either?”
“Nope,” Emma said.
“Well, get used to figuring things out yourself, because Ms. White isn’t going to be any help. Feel free to ask me if you get stuck though.”
“You’ve been a big help already. Thanks.”
“Let me know if you need me.” Bridget sashayed off to the reception desk.
Emma sat down at her desk and turned on the computer. This couldn’t be that different from her job at the doctor’s office. How hard could it be?
She steeled herself. She had a week to prove that she could do this. Emma could already tell that impressing Lillian was going to be hard work.
But she was going to keep this job, no matter what.
2
Lillian
Lillian glanced up at Emma as she left the room. Would Emma even make it to the end of the week? Lillian had enough to worry about already. AG&W had been in trouble for months. Their finances were deep in the red, and their reputation was in tatters.
And for a firm like theirs, reputation was everything. AG&W represented prominent individuals and corporations, most of whom were wrapped up in nasty lawsuits. They looked to AG&W to make their problems disappear. The last thing those clients needed was for their attorneys to be dealing with scandals of their own.
Lillian rubbed her temples. Her job—her entire career—was on the rocks. If worse came to worst, Lillian could easily find another job, but not one where she was a partner. Besides, her stake in the firm was too high for her to walk away from it. All she could do was try to weather the storm and hope that the ship didn’t sink.
Lillian shuffled through the files on her desk. Half of them were routine legal documents that needed to be proofread and mailed out. She made a mental note to give them to Emma. Surely she could manage that.
Lillian would have to try to go easy on Emma. The last thing Lillian wanted was for her to quit. By the sound of things, the agency was not happy about the
number of legal assistants Lillian went through, and she doubted they’d be able to find her a replacement. Lillian was very particular about how she liked things done, which was why so many of her old assistants hadn’t worked out.
It wasn’t like she needed someone particularly experienced. She did most of the legal legwork herself or relied on the firm’s paralegals and junior lawyers. All she wanted in an assistant was someone assigned to her exclusively to whom she could toss whatever work she needed done. Someone who was good at following her instructions. At the very least, Emma seemed determined and eager to please. Perhaps there was potential in her.
Lillian had to admit, she found Emma refreshing. She seemed much more down-to-earth than most of the people who worked at AG&W. With her dark chestnut hair and big hazel eyes, she had that quintessential girl-next-door look, which made her stand out in an office full of straitlaced men and women in expensive suits.
Lillian turned back to her laptop and opened a browser window. Immediately, the computer froze. She cursed. Today was not her day. She looked at her watch. It was almost time for the weekly partners’ meeting. Abandoning her frozen laptop, Lillian left her office.
She stopped by the bathroom on the way. One of the perks of being the only female partner was that she had the women’s executive bathroom to herself. Lillian stood in front of the mirror and freed her hair from its tight bun. She didn’t like the plain hairstyle, but it made her look more respectable. Lillian’s entire look—from her subtle, natural makeup to her pantsuits and business-appropriate dresses—was carefully curated to make her appear as professional as possible without sacrificing her femininity.