Page 2 of Pleading Innocence
“No, I haven’t. I need some actual mentorship advice this time—and no, it’s not an innuendo, although I’d be more open to what you’re offering later at my place.” I leaned in and could tell he also wanted to lean in, but, well, the glass walls and door were an obstacle. So I leaned back in my chair to respect the boundaries.
“I’ll look forward to it later then if I’m free,” he whispered with a wink. “So what can I help you with?”
Our playfulness was providing me with an escape from the serious conversation that weighed on my mind, but now as he studied me, I crumbled. “Could we get Anthony in here? I’d like to talk to you both about this.”
“Is everything okay?” he asked, lowering his brows.
“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” I said, waiting as he called Anthony’s extension. Seconds later Anthony came strolling in with a devilish grin until he saw the look on my face.
“What’s up?” he asked, taking a seat next to me, and I tried not to lose my mind from the scent of his cologne. I wasn’t sure where to look and my hormones didn’t know who to react to, but my mind needed some relief. So with both men before me, I told them my decision. I was ready to leave the firm.
“Listen, you’ve got to do what’s best for you. Besides, it’s not like the only place we can ever see you is in this office, right?” Anthony grinned.
“Yeah. If you’re ready to go, let us know how best we can help you.” Mario smiled.
I was glad for their support and wasn’t sure why I’d been nervous about having the talk with them. A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders before another was tossed on my back. I had to face the beast. The next step was to pass the news on to Jared Crawford and get him to say nice things about me.
To up my chances of being hired at another law firm, I needed a stellar recommendation, and, well, he still owed me one. With my mind made up, it felt urgent, especially after leaving the conversation with Mario and Anthony with a load of confidence. I let that outweigh the load of confronting Jared.
I needed to know if I’d be able to get that recommendation as soon as possible. I didn’t want to send the request in an email and risk not getting a response until the end of the day or another couple of days. My mind couldn’t handle the wait of not knowing my fate. So I called Melissa’s line. It went unanswered several times. An hour passed and I tried once more, only for the call to go unanswered yet again.
Dang it. I knew she could see my extension pop up on her phone, so why wasn’t she answering? Maybe she was busy. It could wait.
I tried to busy myself with work, but that didn’t help since I found my mind wandering, thinking about Jared and that darn recommendation. There was no waiting to be done. I was going to have to go up to her desk and ask her directly. Maybe leave a note.
When I got to her desk, however, a note was the only thing there to greet me.
‘Out for the day’it read.
Well, that explained why my calls went unanswered—they were being directed to Jared. I saw him sitting by his desk and I hesitated, wanting to spin around on my heels and wait until Melissa got back. But I also wanted to put an end to this emotional disarray. So I took a deep breath, pretending not to be flustered, as I marched my way over to his door and knocked on it.
He looked up at me and I almost froze under his gaze. I shook it off.
“A word, please?” I asked.
Chapter 2
Jared
Thehairontheback of my neck blew like palm trees in the breeze, tickling my spine, at the sight of Tiffany in my office. The memories of her skin beneath my fingertips and the smell of her perfume above the top of my lips when I’d last kissed her neck irritated me. That was a mistake I shouldn’t have made, and I’d learned my lesson.
I cleared my throat and turned my body in my chair so that only the side of me faced her.
“I’m a bit busy. If you don’t mind leaving a note on Melissa’s desk, I’ll take a look at it when I’m through,” I said, focusing on the computer’s monitor before me, though she was still pretty visible from the side of my eyes.
“This can’t wait,” she said, and her chunky dark blue heels clamored across the tiles before being silenced by the gray rug in my office.
I took a deep breath against my beating heart and steadied myself to look into her face. I didn’t understand why my body was freaking out. She wasn’t a stranger, and I’d seen her every day for the past month since I’d given her job back. Even if I didn’t want her here. But fair’s fair. She helped me keep my job, so I figured I’d give her this win.
After our mistake in the file room, I proved to myself that the only reason that orgasm I had with her felt so mind-blowing was because I’d been backed up for months. It wasn’t because her body was anything special. In fact, I went out for a few nights with Anthony to get me back up to speed, and I haven’t had a need to think about that moment with her in the file room since.
Tiffany Levine was no one special, so the only reasonable explanation for why my body was freaking out had to be because of the reason I almost lost my job. People thought I must have made a move toward her that she did not appreciate, though whatever moves were made were certainly consensual and pleasurable for the both of us.
Ugh. I still remembered the moment I’d almost lost myself again in this very office as she unbuttoned her blouse before me. My pants tightened and I grew frustrated with myself.
Of course my body was freaking out. Her in my office was dangerous territory. It was sure to have people speculating once again. We’d managed to keep those speculations away from her brother’s ears, but if he were to ever hear of it, I’d risk losing more than just the job I created and built up with my own hands. I’d stand the risk of losing a few of my teeth.
My hands rested against my stomach as I tried to keep them far away from my lap and my crotch. I didn’t need anything making contact with the growing tightness behind my boxers. “What is it that you want, Tiffany?” I asked with a bit of a growl. My face hardened as I tried to remain neutral in my expression.