Just the Sexiest Man Alive(17)
Jeremy glanced over as two guys in their midtwenties took the empty seats in the row behind them. He vaguely recognized one of the guys as Rob Something-or-Other, an actor on one of those CW shows, who Jeremy had met at a party being thrown by the director attached to his latest script. If he remembered correctly, Rob had been hanging around as part of Scott Casey’s entourage.
As Jeremy nodded in greeting at Rob Whoever, he noticed one of the Laker girls on the sidelines, jumping up and waving frantically at them.
“I think someone’s trying to get your attention.” Jeremy pointed the cheerleader out to Jason. She waved giddily when Jason glanced over. He flashed her a polite half smile, then turned away disinterestedly. He rolled his eyes at Jeremy.
“Been there. Done that.” Then he grinned slyly, unable to resist, and proudly pointed out several other Lakers girls. “And that. Oh, and that and that, too.” He winked deviously. “Together.”
“And amazingly, combined they total one brain.” Jeremy replied dryly.
Jason shook his head regretfully at this.
“Unfortunately, not quite.”
LATER THAT THURSDAY afternoon, when Taylor was well into her second grande skim latte of the day, she finally managed to finagle a few free moments to sit in her office and review Derek’s third draft of their proposed jury instructions.
Time, she realized, had not been on her side in the three days since her encounter with Jason Andrews. Ever since Frank of the EEOC had gone on the warpath and begun viciously bashing her client, in the media, that is.
She had immediately recognized the tactic for what it was: a blatant attempt to prejudice the defendant in the eyes of potential jurors. So in return, she had personally served Frank with an emergency motion for sanctions. And after her impassioned oral argument, the judge issued a gag order in the case and severely admonished that any lawyer seen or heard speaking to the media “better bring his or her toothbrush to court” (a colloquial way to threaten lawyers with being jailed for contempt). It had been the second time that week that Frank had stormed out of the courtroom refusing to speak to her.
Now, having been sidelined for the last three days with the emergency motion, Taylor was feeling behind the ball in her trial preparations. She had just barely sat down at her desk and started her review of Derek’s draft when her phone rang.
As soon as she saw the familiar 312 area code on the caller ID, Taylor picked up the handset and copped an immediate guilty plea.
“I know, I know. I’m a horrible friend.”
On the other end of the line, Kate laughed. She too worked at one of Chicago’s top law firms and knew full well how crazy things could get.
“You get a free pass since you’re preparing for trial. They made you partner yet?”
Taylor sighed blissfully at the thought of her goal, the one thing she wanted more than anything in life. “Two years, one month and three weeks away. Give or take.”
“I find it truly scary that you know that. I suppose I shouldn’t even bother to ask if you’re having any fun out there?”
“Before you start lecturing me, just know that some of this busyness wasn’t my fault. I was temporarily sidetracked by—”
Taylor stopped, realizing that telling Kate she had met Jason Andrews would result in hours of conversation, retelling every moment in excruciating detail. Not to mention, out of fairness, she would then have to call Valerie, too. And that was a discussion that could go on for days.
“Never mind,” Taylor said instead, covering. “I’ll tell you about it some other time, over a drink.” Or maybe two, or three, she thought. It would take her that long to forget how brilliantly blue Jason’s eyes were when they’d fixed on her.
Whoa.
Where the hell that particular thought had come from, popping all uninvited into her head like that, she just didn’t know.
Not that she denied the fact that Jason Andrews was handsome. Tall, lean but built, with the aforementioned cobalt-blue eyes and chiseled features—she knew full well that this was the stuff that women dreamed of. But come on.
The man was a total penis.
Taylor forced her attention back to Kate, who was asking whether she possibly would have any free evenings in the near future.
“I don’t know. Why—what’s up?” she replied distractedly.
Kate hesitated. “There’s someone in L.A. that I want to set you up with.”
“No.”
Her tone couldn’t have been more definitive.
“It doesn’t have to be a date, just someone to hang out with once in a while,” Kate pressed. “They’re not all ass**les like Daniel, you know.” She suddenly fell silent, presumably not having meant for that last part to slip out.
Taylor turned quiet, her expression softening at her friend’s words.
“I know, Kate, but . . .” Her voice trailed off as her mind momentarily drifted back to Chicago.
But then she pulled herself together. This simply was not something she was going to think about at work.
“I appreciate the offer,” she told Kate, striving for a light tone. “But I’m swamped right now, you know? It’s just not a good time. Speaking of which, unfortunately, I’ve got to run—we’re filing something tomorrow and I’m running way behind.” She mumbled a quick good-bye and hung up.