Legal Affairs - Violation: Legal Affairs Serial Romance (3 page)

“And what was
the deal that you mentioned to her? Or is that none of my business?”

“It’s
none of your business,” he confirms, but then he adds on, “but…
for the sake of making sure you understand that Lorraine being fired
wasn’t your fault, I’ll tell you. Bill and I decided this
weekend to let her go. But we were generous… we offered to buy
out her caseload and give her a severance package to help get her on
her feet if she wanted to start her firm back up again.”

Bells go off in my
head. “That’s why you took her out to dinner… why
you bought her champagne.”

“I took her
out to dinner because I didn’t want to do it at the office in
case she made a scene, which I’m betting she would have. And
yes, I bought champagne so she would understand what a sweet deal I
was offering her. We weren’t going to have the deal go into
effect until the end of the month, so she could make some plans to
re-open her firm. But I’m not going to leave poison in this
firm to cause discontent. And she
is
poison.”

I nod my head and
gaze at the floor, thoughtful. Yes, she is poison, and yes… it
seems Matt did a kind thing rather than a vicious thing. It appears
he had a lot of reason to fire her other than her screaming at me.

“It’s
also why I couldn’t cancel my dinner with her Monday, and
because it was firm business, I couldn’t tell you what it was
about.”

My head snaps up.
“Wrong, Matt. You could have just said I’m taking her out
for a business matter. You could have said that, and it would have
been fine. I would have been fine.”

We would have
been fine.

“You should
have trusted me it was about business. I shouldn’t have had to
explain myself.”

“Trust?”
I ask with a laugh that sounds semi-hysterical. “What trust?
You pointedly told me over and over again, it was just sex. We’ve
never even had a real discussion other than over the five minutes it
took to wolf your pancakes down. You don’t do relationships,
Matt… remember? So tell me… why should there have been
trust?”

Matt has no answer.
For all of his wit and razor-sharp intellect, he has no response. He
just stares at me, his eyes almost filled with resignation that
perhaps he had screwed up. But I also see determination that he’s
not going to apologize or admit he was wrong.

So I stand up and
say, “You’re late for dinner. Better get going.”

Matt nods his head
and I turn around to walk out of his office, more confused now than
ever over my feelings. Yes, Matt handled the whole ‘dinner with
Lorraine’ thing badly, but I also learned that he has no
romantic interest in her as I thought.

And I keep dwelling
on the fact that Lorraine said Matt did nothing but talk about me
during said dinner. In fact, it led Lorraine to believe that Matt and
I were in a relationship.

Maybe it was
possible that Matt did have feelings for me, but he just didn’t
know how to act on them?

“I know I’ve
told you once already, but you really are stunning tonight,”
Cal says.

I smile and thank
him because, yes, I remember the appreciative look in his eyes when
he picked me up at my apartment a bit ago. He raked his eyes down the
form-fitting red ball gown I was wearing—yes, red is apparently
my color and the gown was compliments of Macy again—and told me
how beautiful I looked.

I felt like a
princess tonight, but the only problem was… I wasn’t
with my prince. As the days ticked down toward the Gala and my date
with Cal, my mind kept filling more and more with thoughts of Matt.

Should I have
trusted him when he went to dinner with Lorraine? Is it really that
big of a deal that he wouldn’t divulge what was actually
private firm business? And most importantly… did he have
feelings for me? Something more than just the passion we shared
between the sheets?

“So what do
you think?” Cal asks as he sweeps his arm out toward the
ballroom. I look around, taking in the setting. Heavy crystal
chandeliers hang over the room, dimmed down to just a soft glow.
Large tables seating eight are parceled around the room, ladened with
bouquets of lilies. An orchestra is playing music, and the dance
floor is filled.

“It’s
amazing,” I tell him.

And it is.

It’s just…
I wish I weren’t here. Cal seems like a really great guy, and I
can’t find a single fault with him, other than the fact that he
isn’t Matt. Which is fucked up, because Matt is just not cut
out for what I ultimately need to be satisfied long term.

Sometimes, when you
obsess about a desire long enough, it can magically appear before
you. As if I had been secretly wishing for it to happen, and maybe I
had been, I hear Matt’s voice say, “Mind if we join you?”

Looking up from my
seat, Matt is standing there, resplendent in a tailored tuxedo. His
gaze flickers back and forth between Cal and me, not paying too much
attention to me. Then I notice he’s not alone. A lovely,
statuesque blonde is beside him, her arm tucked into his elbow. She’s
wearing a black concoction that showcases a tiny waist and huge
boobs. She’s utter perfection. How can I ever compare to that?

Cal doesn’t
look pleased to see Matt, but he stands for introductions. “Sure…
it’s open seating so help yourself. I’m Cal Carson,”
he says to the blonde as she shakes his hand.

“Melody,”
she says in a sexy purr, and I hate her and her cursed sexiness.

She doesn’t
turn to me or even acknowledge me in any way, so Matt takes it upon
himself. “Mel… this is McKayla. She’s an associate
in our firm. McKayla, this is Melody. She’s a partner over at
Weinstein Fannerty.”

Melody turns her
baby blue eyes my way and gives me a nod of her head. I do the same
and envision poking her eyes out, but my nails aren’t long
enough, nor are they perfectly manicured the way hers are.

Matt chooses to take
the seat next to me, and Melody sits beside him.

“You look nice
tonight,” Matt says as almost an afterthought to me.

Nice? Cal said I
looked stunning and beautiful. What in the world is wrong with me
that I long for a man that says I look nice?

“Thanks,
Matt,” I tell him pleasantly. “You clean up well
yourself.”

He gives me a wide
smile and then turns his back on me to talk to Melody. I reciprocate
and turn to Cal, making it my mission that I’m going to give
him a chance, and I’m going to find something within me to let
Matt go.

The most obvious
thing at this point is to get away from Matt and the dangerous pull
he seems to have over me. I suggest to Cal that we dance, and he is
all over that. He leads me out onto the dance floor, and we sway to a
slow song. We chat about work and politics, and he even tells me a
funny story about his dog. He’s great.

Really, really
great.

So why are my eyes
intentionally seeking out Matt’s every time Cal spins me
around?

They’re
seeking him out because Matt’s eyes are glued on me. I noticed
it like a slap in the face the first time Cal twirled me that way.

He’s talking
to Melody and her back is to the dance floor, but he’s watching
me dance with Cal. And I can tell he doesn’t like it. Even when
he stands up from the table and steps a few feet away from Melody to
make a phone call, his eyes stay glued on me.

But I’m not
sure if he doesn’t like it because he has feelings for me or
because he just seems to hate Cal, but yes… he is definitely
not happy at this moment.

When the song ends,
Cal walks me back to the table, as dinner will be starting soon. Matt
is sitting there alone, and he guardedly watches us as we walk toward
him. As soon as Cal holds my chair out for me, his phone rings and he
gives me a sheepish look as he takes it out of his pocket. Looking at
the number, he frowns and says, “I’m sorry… this
is an urgent call. Excuse me.”

As Cal walks away,
Matt stands and takes my elbow. “Let’s dance.”

I have no choice but
to walk with him, but I wouldn’t want any other choice. I’m
a freakin’ moron for pining for his touch, but I’ll take
it any way I can get it.

“Where’s
Melody?” I ask.

“Off powdering
her nose or whatever it is that you women do when you have to go to
the restroom.”

“I believe
it’s called peeing. I’m sure she’s just peeing,”
I tell him, and Matt rewards me with a bright laugh as one arm goes
around my waist and the other cups my hand.

“Ah…
Mac,” he says wistfully. “I’ve missed your crazy
humor.”

My heart flops over,
because I don’t get many glimpses of light-hearted Matt
Connover. I feel immensely happy that I made him laugh, and I can’t
help but snuggle in closer to him.

Matt leans his cheek
against my temple, and we dance silently for a few minutes. He breaks
into my thoughts by murmuring, “You look amazingly and
fantastically gorgeous tonight. Every woman in this room pales next
to you.”

“Even Melody?”

“Even Melody,”
he confirms. “By the way, she’s just a friend. We went to
law school together.”

My night just keeps
getting better and better. “So, you’re saying I look
better than just… ‘nice’?”

Chuckling, Matt
says, “That’s all I could say to you in mixed company. I
don’t think anyone would understand an employer calling his
employee ‘amazingly and fantastically gorgeous’, wouldn’t
you agree?”

“Totally
agree,” I whisper, and I let the music and Matt’s arms
carry me away.

“Mac?”
Matt says near my ear.

“Hmmm?”

“Leave with me
right now. I need you, and it’s killing me not to be with you.”
His words are harsh and urgent. He sounds like a man in pain, and I
pull my head back in surprise to look at him.

His eyes are molten,
his look serious. He wants me… desperately, and,
unfortunately, I want him, too. How can I say no? There’s no
way I’m saying no, because I’m an idiot, but I’ll
be a well-fucked idiot come sunrise.

Then it crashes in
on me. “I can’t… I’m here with Cal.”

Matt spares a glance
over at the table and confirms that neither Cal nor Melody are back.

“Make up an
excuse,” he urges me.

My mind is blank.
“Like what?”

A devious grin forms
on Matt’s beautiful face. “How about fake a bout of
diarrhea? I heard that worked well with Lorraine.”

My mouth hangs open
for just a second, stunned that he knew about that. “What? How
did you know?”

Matt gives me a
particularly quick spin on the dance floor while he laughs at me.
“Everyone in the office knew about it, and people think you are
incredibly clever.”

A smile breaks out
on my face, and I laugh. “It did work nicely.”

Matt suddenly
releases me and pushes me in the back toward the edge of the dance
floor. He leans down and whispers. “Now go. Make an excuse.
I’ll ditch Melody and meet you at your apartment.”

I turn to look at
him, trying to gauge if he’s really serious.

Yes… yes, he
is. I see it in his eyes.

I try to take
internal stock of my feelings. I’m going to give myself one
last chance to make the right decision for my sanity and for the
health of my heart. Am I going to give in to this… my desire
for Matt and what he’s offering me right this very minute?

Yes… yes, I
am.

I nod at him and
say, “I’ll meet you at my apartment.”

I start to walk away
but Matt grabs my hand, pulling me back to him so I’m close
enough to hear him murmur. “Don’t plan on getting any
sleep tonight, Mac. We have a lot to make up for.”

My tummy feels like
butterflies are flying around inside, so it won’t be a complete
untruth when I find Cal and tell him I need to leave because I’m
having stomach problems.

It’s been ten
days since Matt and I have been together in an intimate sense, and I
feel like an addict in desperate need of her next fix. I hit my
apartment, thankful that Macy is out on a
One Night Only
date,
and start pacing around.