Page 108 of Dirty Rich Cinderella Story

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Lori

I wake the next morning at five in Cole’s bed, lying on his chest, his heart thrumming beneath my ear. He smells good. He feels good. We feel good. We make love despite the early hour, and when he insists on driving me home, I refuse. We settle on a car service and he walks me downstairs, kisses me thoroughly and shuts me inside my ride. I arrive to my apartment with enough time to shower and start coffee before my mother arrives. I spend an hour chatting with her before I dress for work, choosing a pale blue suit dress that yes, I think Cole will like.

Once I’m at work, I walk into Cole’s office to find him looking drop dead gorgeous in a blue suit with a gray pinstripe and gray tie.

“Good morning, Lori,” he greets, sounding quite formal, while giving me a hot once over that says he’s feeling anything but formal.

“Good morning, Cole,” I say, sitting down in one of his visitor’s chairs.

“Any news from Ashley?”

“Nothing,” he says, “and I started making calls early this morning.”

I notice how he avoids statements like “after you left” with great appreciation. “Are you worried?”

“Extremely. A foreign country is not where you want to get into trouble.”

“In the meantime, should I just get a temporary secretary lined up?”

“Yes,” he says. “A very temporary secretary. I have a meeting with Reese in half an hour about a case he wants me to take. I’m also coming back with a stack of cases he’s been managing through the other attorneys. I need you to review them and flag any problems for me.”

“You want me to review the other attorneys’ cases?”

“Outside eyes catch what inside eyes do not,” he says. “Don’t worry, I plan to read them all myself as well, but I don’t expect to be disappointed in your evaluation.”

“Do you want me to take over calling the embassy and checking on Ashley?”

“That would be helpful, and text me if you get an update.”

“I’ll do it. Anything on Waller?”

“Royce and I spoke about an hour ago. Waller is going down. Tara is not.”

“That’s good news. Have you talked to her?”

“It’s too early over there, but Savage has his wish. He’s going to give her a full update.”

I laugh. “I can actually almost see those two together.”

“Oddly,” Cole says. “I can, too. They kind of deserve each other.” He glances at his watch. “I need to get going.”

“Anything else you need me to do?”

“Plenty,” he assures me, his eyes glinting with mischief, “but not now. Work on your Stanford curriculum until you get the files.” He stands up and heads for the door, leaving me alone in his office.

I wonder if he leaves other people alone in his office and I think not. He’s private. He doesn’t even let go of his files. I quickly stand and exit into the corporate lobby, and as I pass Maria, she gives me a little smirk. “Good morning.”

The smirk is my answer. Cole doesn’t leave people in his office alone and the fact that he does me is more evident now that he is here, in the office, and I’m the only one with this privilege. We have to be more careful.

I hurry into my own office, and call the embassy, shocked when I end up actually talking to Ashley. “This is Lori, Cole’s—”

“I remember,” she says. “And oh, Jesus this is embarrassing. I didn’t know he was getting you involved.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. I want to help, and this doesn’t go beyond me. He had to go into a meeting and we were both worried about you.”

“Tell Cole thanks for the generous amount of money he sent me, I’m seeing a French attorney today. I’ll have him connect to Cole. Damn it. They want me to hang up. Take down this name.” She gives me the attorney’s name and then that’s it. She gives me a hasty goodbye.

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