Legally Addicted - By Lena Dowling Page 0,5

learned when the meeting room door opened. Dayton and Llewellyn’s attention jerked upwards, and the men half rose from their chairs.

‘Welcome, Bradley, we were just bringing Georgia up to speed with the joining of our respective firms.’

Brad took a seat opposite her, placing his briefcase on the conference table. Snapping open the clasps, he pulled out a copy of an agenda identical to hers. Georgia forced a neutral expression, nodding in his direction, hoping to project professionalism and self-possession, but however determined she might have been to maintain her composure, once she met the same intoxicating charcoal grey eyes she had stared into the night before, her body refused to play ball. Brad’s arrival had somehow coincided with a failure of the building’s aircon system, the temperature rising in the room by several degrees. All too vivid memories sent sweat leaching out of her body until her clothing clung limp around her, including her thighs, which in turn had the effect of reminding her that she was still commando under her skirt.

And exactly why that was the case.

This couldn’t be happening. The last time she was with Brad, they had been buck naked, and now they were going to be working together? Somehow, the wind had changed making Murphy’s Law the only legal code operating in her jurisdiction.

But this thing was happening, and she needed to get a grip.

Georgia took a deep breath and swallowed hard, but squashing her emotions downward only allowed space for professional concerns to rush in to the void.

She was the divorce specialist in this firm. There was no way she was going to start taking instructions from anyone, let alone Brad Spencer.

‘Obviously you will maintain your autonomy and your own client list, although I would hope to be able to assist you in growing your client base,’ Brad said, anticipating her objection.

Georgia stared at him for a few seconds before answering, trying to gauge just how far she could go in voicing her disapproval of the new arrangement without alienating the other partners. Dayton and Llewellyn were clearly delighted by the coup they had pulled off in joining their firm with the practice of the highest profile lawyer in the city.

‘I have managed perfectly well in establishing my own client base to date, thank you,’ she said, as curtly as she dared.

Brad smiled at her, a patient, indulgent smile that made her even testier.

‘I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise, Georgia, but I have more clients than I can comfortably handle, and having been assured by John and Roger of your considerable skill, I would feel comfortable passing over any client that you were interested in taking on.’

She momentarily relaxed with the compliment, registering a rising fuzziness inside, but taking stock of the feeling only succeeded in annoying the hell out of her. Brad’s attentiveness was one of the things that led her into bed with him in the first place; right about the time he was choosing disingenuousness over honesty in failing to mention that he was joining the firm. That piece of news was something he obviously knew last night, yet had chosen to keep it to himself.

His good opinion of her could, therefore, be of no consequence. His staggering lie by omission was something she intended to take up with him privately, and as soon as she got the chance.

Georgia gave in to the urge to scowl at him.

‘I’ll have to look at my case list and get back to you. I’m not sure I need any more clients.’

Llewellyn gave a cough, his face turning a pinkish colour.

‘I, we, I mean John and I, couldn’t help but notice, how well — that last night — well, you and Georgia seem to know each other, outside the office as it were. That won’t be a problem, will it, Bradley?’

Brad leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully pressing his fingertips together. Then he looked up in Georgia’s direction.

‘I can’t speak for Georgia, but it won’t be a problem from my side — Georgia, what about you?’

She averted her eyes.

‘Er, no. It won’t be a problem from my side either,’ she lied.

It was a problem, though.

A big one.

Chapter Three

Georgia sat at her desk with her head in her hands. Before she left the partners’ meeting, and once she got over the shock of learning that their two firms would be merging, she had managed to pull herself together enough to say something lame like, ‘Congratulations, Brad, welcome aboard’. She shook hands with him, and then escaped back