Page 1 of Three Bossy Boyfriends (Honeysuckle Harbor #3)

Christopher

“So, I need to be in a serious committed relationship to make partner. That’s what you’re saying.”

I watch as Evan pushes up from the chair on the other side of the conference room table and paces to the windows.

It’s unusual to see him worked up like this.

Evan is the calm one. The sunshiny optimist. The one who charms everyone and can diffuse any tense situation.

He has a nerdy earnestness about him, but he’s never broody and is rarely angry or upset.

All of that’s what drew me to him in the first place.

He’s the absolute opposite of an asshole. The absolute opposite of me.

But this partnership means a lot to him, and the senior partner, Charles Banks, is dragging his feet for reasons we are only guessing at, so Evan’s getting irritable.

I lean back in my chair and try to adopt the casual calm that the conversation needs since Evan isn’t playing his usual role.

“It’s just a suggestion. Charles is seventy-one years old and has been married to his wife for fifty of them.

They met in high school. They have seven kids.

He’s often said that he attributes his success to Barbara.

He’s a traditionalist. I think it would help him to see you as stable, serious, ready to put down roots.

Someone who looks more like a partner to him than you do now. ”

My thirty-two-year-old law associate turns to look at me with a scowl. “I don’t seem like partner material?”

Not what I said. But I have to fight a grin. Seeing Evan worked up like this is definitely new. And kind of hot.

“Of course you’re partner material. You’re brilliant. You might be the smartest person in the firm. You also work your ass off. You care about your clients. They’re not just files to you.”

One of Evan’s strengths is the ability to get people to trust him within five minutes.

It’s probably his boyish face. Depending on the age of the client, he reminds them of their son, or grandson, or maybe a brother or nephew.

He just fucking exudes trustworthiness. He’s the one we always send in when we think a client might be a crier.

And, fuck if he doesn’t always deliver. Clients love him. The other associates and partners love him.

I love him.

Fuck. This is so damned complicated.

He needs to be a partner. It will solve all the problems.

Like us not being able to have a romantic relationship because he’s my subordinate in the firm.

And he deserves it. Behind all of that boyish charm and that nerdy exterior is a legal genius. He’s quiet and unassuming, but when he speaks, it’s always with something that will turn a case not only in a new direction, but in the right direction.

“You know I want you to have this partnership as much as you want it,” I tell him. “I’m just trying to think of all the ways to make it a no-brainer.”

“Why do I have to be in a serious relationship? You’re single.”

“I’m divorced. I was married when I made partner.”

Evan blows out a breath and hangs his head. “Well, it’s not like I can get married in the next few months. Charles knows I don’t have a girlfriend. So this isn’t going to help. We need something else.”

I could tell him that he just needs to be patient. I could tell him that within another couple of years there’s no question he’ll be a partner. But he wants this now. And I want him to have it now.

Being crazy about a man who’s eight years younger than I am was unexpected, to say the least. But being in love with a man who is my subordinate at work, who reports to me, is a huge complication. We can’t get involved until he is my equal at work.

It can’t go beyond the one kiss that we’ve shared until then. No matter how much we want it to.

Over the two years that I’ve known Evan, I’ve been slowly falling for him. Now there’s no question about it. I want him, he wants me, and we want to have this relationship.

The way it happened is so cliché it’s almost laughable. I am anything but cliché. I am serious, straightforward, and have a temper. I’m a shark in the courtroom.

But one night, Evan and I were working late together, going over one of the biggest cases of the year.

I was getting worked up—like he is now, and he was doing his usual calming sunshine magic.

I could feel his optimism seeping into me.

I actually felt warmer being around him.

And suddenly he said something that made me laugh. Right in the middle of a rant.

So I leaned over and kissed him.

I knew immediately it was a huge mistake, and that I had probably just compromised my career.

Until he kissed me back.

Since then—for the past fourteen months—we have been trying to pretend that we are just coworkers and working on getting him this partnership.

I get up from my chair and stride over to where he’s standing near the window. I put my hand on his shoulder.

We try to avoid touching at work. It’s just too hard to resist making it more. It’s also hard to hide how we feel when we’re too close to one another.

As far as we can both tell, no one is onto us, but it probably wouldn’t take much to slip up.

But I can’t not touch him and comfort him right now. I give his shoulder a squeeze.

“I have an idea.”

He looks at me, a little suspicious, but also curious.

“Okay.”

“I was at Raw for dinner last night, and the crème br?lè got me thinking.”

That actually makes him smile. “I’m listening.”

Raw is one of our favorite restaurants. It’s not in Charleston but rather on the coast in my hometown of Honeysuckle Harbor. It’s only a twenty-minute drive, and I go at least once a week. The ambiance is impeccable, the food perfect, and the company there is always wonderful.

“I think you should date Fiona Anderson.”

His brow furrows in confusion. “Fiona? What do you mean, date her?”

Fiona is one of the pastry chefs at Raw. She is also the daughter of one of our ex-partners, Greg. She’s beautiful, sunny, outgoing, and absolutely lovely. Everyone loves her.

Including Charles.

I drop my hand and step back when I really want to pull Evan into a hug. I am not a fucking hugger. I never even have that urge. Not with anybody except for this guy.

“I mean, I think you should take Fiona out on dates. Take her to social events where you need a plus one.”

Evan straightens, frowning. “Seriously?”

I quirk a brow. He doesn’t have to act like I told him he should give her a kidney. “Yes, she’s an attractive woman.”

We both date women. And men. We’ve had this conversation.

We both date whomever we’re attracted to.

Well, I do now that I’m divorced from my wife, Lisa.

But I was definitely attracted to Lisa, even in love with her, for the ten years we were together.

Sexual chemistry was never our problem. Her hating South Carolina and liking a man named Dirk better than she liked me was our problem.

The thing is, neither Evan nor I have been attracted to anyone else since we met. Neither of us has dated another man or woman since he joined the firm.

“Charles loves Greg’s girls,” I say. “They’ve been to company picnics, and holiday parties, and things like that.

I’m pretty sure Charles and Barbara were invited to Ford’s wedding.

” I think I remember him at Greg’s son’s wedding.

“And Fiona is great,” I go on. “She’s a cute blonde, very sweet, very friendly and outgoing, a sunshine, just like you.

” I smirk at him. He hates when I tell him he’s my sunshine.

But he fucking is.

“So you want me to date a woman that Charles already likes,” Evan summarizes.

“Exactly. And someone who is totally comfortable in situations that you hate. She can help you through dinners with Charles and Mary Grace.”

Evan grimaces. I feel the same way about dinner with Charles and his bitchy daughter, who is another partner in the firm. But Mary Grace doesn’t intimidate me the way she does Evan.

She does not want to add another partner. In fact, she can’t wait until we take Greg’s name off the stationery and signs. Then it will be Banks, Banks, & Davis instead of Banks, Anderson, Banks & Davis.

“You’ll have other dinners too,” I go on. “Cocktail parties, fundraisers, all of those things….”

“That I suck at,” Evan summarizes.

I can’t deny it. I give him a smile. “You are amazing one-on-one. And with clients. I’ve never seen a lawyer able to make clients comfortable like you do,” I tell him, not for the first time.

“But you get in your head when you’re around more intimidating people.

People with power. Charles, Mary Grace, most of the business owners in town, a lot of Charles’s clients.

You’re at a disadvantage because you didn’t grow up here. ”

Evan doesn’t argue. He knows very well that this is true.

“You need to show Charles that you can handle those kinds of situations. That is partner material. And Fiona will be perfect for that. She’s very sociable and knows a lot of people in this circle because of her dad.

She’ll be great as a plus-one. And,” I add.

“She’ll bake for you. That’s a pretty great perk. ”

But Evan doesn’t even crack a smile. “I don’t want to date anyone else,” he says, his voice a little husky.

His words make my chest feel tighter. I never imagined being involved with a younger man.

Certainly not one of my employees. Once he’s a partner, that part will go away, but Evan is young, almost innocent, certainly far more optimistic and happy than I am.

I’m not an asshole. At least not all the time.

Unless I need to be. But I’ve seen people divorce, sue each other over the stupidest shit, lie and cheat and steal.

I’ve been cheated on and broken up with myself.

I’m not sure what he sees in me. I haven’t even been able to show him how good the sex can be. It’s been close, but we haven’t slipped up yet.

Is there a risk to him dating someone else? Someone his age? Sure.

But he needs the partnership, he deserves the partnership, and I truly believe that this is one way to help with that.

“It doesn’t have to be serious,” I tell him. “Just long enough for Charles to make you partner.”

“You think that can happen more quickly if I’m dating her?”

I nod. “Once you’re dating Fiona, I’ll make a push.

” I haven’t brought it up or pushed hard because I didn’t want it to seem odd that I was so invested.

I worried it would be hard to hide my true feelings.

But if Evan’s dating someone, Charles won’t think anything of my advocacy.

He’ll assume I’m just a partner interested in moving a very talented associate up in the firm.

“Okay, I’ll?—”

But he’s cut off by my office door suddenly swinging open, banging against the wall, and a mess of brunette hair, long legs, and coffee cups falling over my threshold.