Legally Addicted - By Lena Dowling Page 0,8
pursed her lips rather than allow his amusement to become contagious and undermine her determination to give him the bollocking he deserved. She was pissed off and, for the time being at least, she wanted to make damn sure she stayed that way. It was a far more preferable alternative to having to work with a Brad Spencer she wasn’t furious with.
‘I meant what I said, Georgia, about passing over some of my client list. If you’ve made partner this young, you’re obviously an excellent solicitor.’
She wrinkled her forehead and willed the corners of her mouth to behave. Brad Spencer might have been handsome, funny, and charming, but he was firmly in the doghouse; accommodation he should get used to, since she fully expected him to be there for some time. He wasn’t going to win her over with a few spurious compliments.
‘Okay. I’m happy to look at them. But don’t think you’re using this as an excuse to dump your black files onto me.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’
He paused, raking his fingers through his thick hair.
‘Look, can we agree to be professional from now on, at least when we’re around the office, irrespective of what might be going on with us?’
Her stomach did some sort of weird circuit she couldn’t control. He had said ‘us’ and ‘going on’ in the present tense as if there was still some level of intimacy to their relationship above and beyond the fact that they were now workmates.
‘Fine with me.’
‘Good. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.’
And every day after that.
Despite the strange things being around Brad Spencer did to her insides and other places, it looked like she was just going to have to get used to it.
‘Fine, whatever.’
It might not have been the most mature response she could come up with, but it was the only thing she felt like saying under the circumstances.
Brad didn’t respond, initially turning to leave; but then he stopped, making no move to advance any further towards the door. Georgia craned her neck to discover the reason. Miriam stood in the doorway, holding a jar of coins and a card divided into a numbered grid.
‘Want to put in for the sweepstake on the name of Josie’s new baby?’
‘Who?’ Georgia asked. She wasn’t sure she knew a Josie.
‘You know, Josie, in commercial litigation — the paralegal, who has been getting progressively bigger the last nine months?’
Georgia vaguely remembered one of the secretaries had been looking pregnant lately and reached for her purse, but Brad strode towards the door like he meant to exit whether Miriam got out of his road or not, forcing her to make a deft sidestep.
‘No thanks. I don’t go in for that sort of thing. Once you start with that, you’ve got your hand in your pocket all the time. Excuse me.’
Miriam flopped down in a client chair opposite Georgia’s desk.
‘What got up his bum? Like a Spencer can’t spare two dollars.’
Georgia found the requisite gold coin and skirted around the desk to hand it to her assistant.
‘That’s my fault. I wasn’t too rough with him, but let’s just say he’s under no illusions when it comes to how I feel about losing this office, and one or two other things.’
Her secretary’s features pinched up tight.
‘Georgia, what did you say?’
‘Nothing. He just knows how I feel, that’s all.’
Miriam waggled a finger at her.
‘Dayton and Llewellyn won’t like it if you let your personal relationship with Brad interfere with work.’
Georgia gave a dismissive wave of her hand.
‘There isn’t any personal relationship, and even if there was any chance of that before, there definitely isn’t now. So there’s nothing to worry about is there?’
After work, Brad swam the length of the heated rooftop pool he’d had enclosed in a glass atrium, to allow for swimming all year round. He was grateful to be able to cool down. Georgia had sent his internal heat level soaring from the moment he found her in an enticing brace position against the window in her office.
It was all he could do not to lean in and nuzzle her neck and run his hands up under her skirt, and when she had turned around to tackle him about losing her office, her bright eyes had burned a dazzling blue, like titanium passed through fire.
Watch it, Spencer.
Having gone where he shouldn’t have with Georgia, this merger was now an operation that had to be handled with care. One false move and the partnership could be blown apart, or worse, he could find