Resisting Mr. Kane (London Mister #2)(37)

All valid points.

“So why this woman?” Jack tilts his head studying me. “I’ve seen her, she’s gorgeous but you’ve been out with women just as beautiful. Can’t you just sleep with someone else who doesn’t work at Madison?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not just sex. I liked being with her. She’s funny. When I was with her I felt less stressed. Not to mention she’s intelligent. And being multilingual is sexy as fuck. I made her moan in Croatian.”

They exchange glances.

“Just fuck a language teacher in that case.” Jack laughs. “I think it’s because she’s resisting you. This could all end in tears. Likely hers.”

“The odds are stacked against us,” I admit. “Besides, what twenty-five-year-old wants to carry my baggage?”

Danny's brows furrow. “On that,” he starts carefully. “Are you going to talk about it?”

“No.”

Danny darts a glance at Jack for backup.

Jack clears his throat. “We’re worried about you, man. This isn’t something you get over easily.”

It. This.

Danny lowers his voice. “Tristan, you’ve barely talked about it since you found out. You’re bottling it up. This isn’t healthy.”

My chest tightens. “Leave it. I processed what happened a long time ago. Let’s enjoy the evening.”

Danny eyes simmer with frustration. “You processed half the story.”

Like I don’t know that.

“How is Daniel?” Jack asks, shaking his head subtly at Danny.

I slump into my chair. “He’s acting up a lot, not surprisingly. He’s not listening to the teachers in school, he’s sulking when he’s at home. We’re taking him to a child counsellor to process the split but I don’t know if it’s helping.” I release a breathy groan. “What do I do, ask my child to stop being a dick? The guilt I feel every day from breaking up his family... It’s soul-destroying.”

Danny leans in. “Can’t your mother help with advice?”

“No chance.” I groan. “She’ll march him down to the priest if she knows what he called the teacher assistant.”

“Don’t look at me for advice.” Jack chuckles “Although I’ll admit I'm slightly jealous. I would like a mini me. Think how handsome he would be.”

His face falls. “Sorry, man.”

“No need.”

I had come to terms with the fact I wasn’t Daniel's paternal father. Bloodline or not, you can’t switch off feelings.

I drunk a whole bottle of Scotch the day my DNA test came back. Then I did the same the next day, and the next day. But eventually I processed it and found a way to move forward.

But Danny was right, that was half of the story.





12




Elly

Monday morning and I’m ready for another week of contract reviewing and minute-taking. Sophie wheels her chair over to my desk. “I’ve got news for you. I don’t want you to get too excited because you’re there just to shadow, but do you remember the Maria Garcia case we talked about?”

“Of course.” I bob my head in agreement. “It’s gaining more publicity by the day.” I slap a hand over my mouth as realisation dawns. “No way!” I squeak.

“You’re on a part-time loan to the case team, a few meetings here and there, that’s all,” she warns. “But it will be good exposure. You get to watch senior lawyers in action on a delicate case.”

I bounce in my chair. “I can’t wait!”

“Good,” she replies. “Because there’s a meeting in two hours. The retainer has just been signed. Look for the instructions in your emails.”

***

I step out of the lift on the nineteenth floor. Why is the meeting room so close to the senior management floors? Suddenly I have a bad feeling about this.

I smooth down my blue shift dress so it stretches past my knees. When I walk too fast, the hem rides up, showing too much leg. I’ve bought a few of them in different colours in the sales. It screams low-end high street fashion, but it’s passable. I can’t afford to shop where Sophie and Amy shop. Not yet anyway.

Room 111, 112, this is it, 113. Three other people, two men, and a woman, are in the room talking when I nervously peer around the corner. “Is this the meeting for the Garcia case?”

The woman looks me and smiles. “Yes. And you are?”

“Elly Andric.” My eyes dart between them when there’s no recognition. Has there been a mistake?

After a moment, one of the guys snaps his fingers and turns to the others. “The junior shadowing.”

He beckons me to take a seat. “I’m Adi, this is Jacob and Lisa. Welcome, Elly.”

I take a seat opposite Adi and say hello to the team. They acknowledge me politely then return their focus to their laptops. With everyone studying their screens, I’m at a loss as to what to do with my hands, or eyes, for that matter. Do I pretend I have important business on my laptop too?

I focus on my hands. “I’m so excited to be supporting this case,” I say. “Who is the lead lawyer on it?”

“I am,” comes a smooth deep voice behind me, and I whip my head around to meet the stare of Tristan. Looking at me like he’s forgotten anyone else is in the room.