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FORTY-NINE

Brantley

This has been a hell of a week, and it’s only Monday. That doesn’t bode well for me.

Colin is having surgery on Friday, so Kinsley will be out that day and the next two weeks. I’ve become so dependent on seeing her in the office everyday I’m not sure I’ll be able to cope. My work will get done like it always does, but I won’t be happy about it. Or whoever they send up as a replacement.

I also had to work all weekend, putting out fires left and right because apparently we have a leak somewhere in the office and I don’t mean a problem with the plumbing. Somehow Mr. Gray’s marital status, his list of assets, and finances ended up in the press. The guys don’t know yet, but I wanted to have something more concrete before I brought it up. We suspect it came from within the firm, but unless IT finds something, I can’t be sure.

As soon as I fire off an email to the head of their department, detailing what occurred and what I need done this week, I put my computer to sleep and shrug out of my jacket.

If I plan on kidnapping my secretary for a few hours, I might as well enjoy a little of the warm spring sunshine.

Yeah, that sounds like me.

Have I ever enjoyed a stroll in the sun? Not in this fucking lifetime… Yet, I’m a little excited about doing it with Kinsley. Clearly, her pussy has put some kind of spell on me.

“Mr. Ellis, glad I caught you.” Tom, one of the senior partners, walks into my office like he owns the damn place. His chest is puffed out as he flicks his suit jacket open and flaps it behind him. The only thing he’s missing is a top hat and cane.

But there’s one thing he forgot—I own this firm, the building, and that damn corner office on the other side of the floor he likes so much.

“What is it?” I bark out, loving the way he halts in his tracks, his eyes widening as he looks me over. The air wizzes out of him as he visibly deflates, all his false swagger immediately disappearing.

Nope. Still sharp.

“I uh…I wanted to talk to you about the incident that happened last Thursday.” He’s smoothing down his tie, fiddling with the buttons on his pale pink shirt, anything to avoid making direct eye contact.

Good.

It’s a bad idea to stare down a grizzly and an even worse one to try to intimidate me with the same prolonged eye contact. One of us will simply kill you while the other will systematically eviscerate your entire life.

Tom is already on thin ice, strutting in here like a stuffed peacock, encroaching on my afternoon date.

I walk around the desk, perch my hip against the corner, and smooth a hand down my fucking tie in one fluid motion. “You’re going to need to be more specific, Tom. Thursday was four days ago. A lot’s happened since then.”

He swallows and shifts on his feet. “The meeting.”

I’m not sure if he’s referring to the meeting we were all late to or one of the client meetings I had that day. Again, he’s going to need to be more specific, but I’m not going to waste my breath; he’ll figure it out sooner or later.

I cross my arms, my eyes narrowing and when he finally meets my gaze, he takes a step backward.

“Did you cut Mr. Madison’s tie in half before the meeting started?”

I give him a halfhearted shrug. There’s no sense in denying it. There are at least a dozen witnesses, ones who would love to bring me down a peg. “I might have.”

That seems to bolster his confidence. He stands a bit straighter, squares off his shoulders, and you know, if this is the boost he needs to feel more like a man at home, so be it. “Zach is pissed. He’s already lodged a formal complaint with HR and they assured him they will be looking into the matter. Now, I don’t know what’s going on with you and that secretary of yours but?—”

With a growl, I lean forward and crack my knuckles one by one. “Zach is a pompous little shit who thinks he’s entitled to a promotion without putting in the hard work to earn one. Someone needed to take him down a peg or two, and I suggest you keep Miss Rhodes out of this conversation. My behavior is mine alone and doesn’t involve her or anyone else in this office.”

“Are you sure about that?” He tilts his head, studying me. Any minute now, this false bravado of his should wear off. I don’t need another formal complaint I’ll ignore.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Rumor has it, Miss Rhodes is a little more than a legal secretary.”

“You’re walking on thin ice, Tom. I don’t appreciate where you’re going with this line of questioning.”

He waves me off, his laugh coming from left field, and I don’t like it. Out of all the senior partners working for the firm, he can be the biggest prick. He worked for my dad and always expects some sort of special treatment because of it. Usually, he has enough sense to avoid me, but now that he’s got some fuel for whatever fire is lit up his ass, I’m not sure.

He takes a step forward, regaining his lost ground. “You wouldn’t be the first man to have an affair with his secretary, and you’ll hardly be the last.”

My teeth grind together, and I barely resist the urge to take his tie and strangle his dumb ass with it. “My personal life is none of your concern.”

“It is when it affects the reputation of the firm. People around here talk, and it seems maybe the three of you are interested in the same woman. Could get messy around here.” He gives me a pointed look followed by another smile, and here it is. What he wants. “The wife wants to be able to take the kids out to California, but I don’t have the time. If I got an extra week vacation, I’d be incentivized to lay this little rumor and the others about Miss Rhodes to rest.”

Rumors he’s probably perpetuating.

My jaw works back and forth and I have to say, I really liked him a lot better when he was about to piss his pants. “Fine.”

“I’ll talk to Zach too. No worries. No one liked that tie anyway.”

“Tom.” I push away from my desk, using my entire six foot two frame to look as intimidating as possible. “I don’t give a flying fuck what you do as long as you get out of my fucking office. Now. I’ll give you two weeks of vacation if you leave me alone for the next month.”

He looks both pleased and scared at the same time, but as long as he’s leaving, I really don’t give a fuck. I’ve worked tirelessly to build up my reputation and the good standing of this firm. Dating my secretary won’t tear down everything I’ve worked so hard for, and I don’t care if he suggests otherwise.

Now, if news of the three of us actively got out, that could be damaging to us personally and the practice.

It’s a risk, but as I come to a stop outside Kinsley's office and her bright blue eyes look up, practically searing me in half, I know it’s one I’m willing to take.