Page 21 of Don't Quit the Day Job

"I'm your boss though."

"And because you're my boss, I should call you Mr. Spector?"

"It's respectful."

"Okay. Then call me Miss Haversham."

"I don't think so, Lila."

"But I am your employee, and as such, I deserve the same courtesy that you do."

"Are you always going to be like this?"

"What do you mean am I always going to be like this? This is my first day. This is my personality. Are you telling me you don't like my personality?" Her lower lip trembles.

"Don't even bother with the water works, Ms. Wanna-be Actress."

"What?" She grins. "I was just going to see if I could cry. I told you I've been having a problem crying on cue these days, so it was unlikely to happen."

"You're not practicing your acting while you're at work."

"When else am I supposed to practice my acting?" She grins. "When I'm not being paid? What fun is that?" She tilts her head to the side, and for a moment I think she's flirting with me.

"Do you want me to fire you?"

"I literally just started this job. I don't think you want to fire me." She licks her lower lip and plays with her hair. I frown at the movement.

"And why do you think I don't want to fire you?"

"Let's be real here. Any regular, smart, intelligent attorney would never have hired me in the first place."

I stare at her for a couple of seconds, my lips twitching slightly. "Are you saying that I'm not intelligent?"

"I'm saying you're intelligent, but maybe not super intelligent."

"So you're calling me dumb?"

"You're either dumb or you are incredibly attracted to me." She steps forward. She's definitely flirting with me. And I don't hate it.

"You think I'm incredibly attracted to you?"

"I think so," she says. "Maybe it's my heels. Maybe it's my short skirt. Maybe it's even my tight top with the buttons undone." She undoes another button and my eyes widen. I'm not sure what is going on here, but I'm starting to feel turned on.

"I think…" she says as she takes another step towards me. "That I intrigue you. I think that you think I'm hot. Am I right?" She presses her palm against my chest and I know she can feel my heart beating. I stare at her for a couple of seconds, still not saying anything else. I can tell from the look in her eyes that she's not as brave as she's making it seem. She might be acting confident, but she's not. "I think," she says as she runs her finger down my chest. "That you?—"

"I think it's time for you to get to work, Miss Haversham," I say, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly. "I don't really know what your game is, but you’re here to do a job, be an assistant, remember? I really don't think you want a job on your back, am I correct?"

"What?" she says, her jaw dropping, and I grin at the wild look in her eyes.

"I'm saying that you came for an honest-day’s-work job, not one where you spend all your time on your back. Am I correct?"

"Yes. What are you talking about on my back?"

"I mean, it seems to me that's where you want to be right now." I lick my lips slowly. "And don't get me wrong, I could slide that skirt up within five seconds and be in you so hard and fast that I'd have you calling out my name so the entire office could hear. But right now I have work to do, and that work doesn't include fucking you. No matter how badly you want it." I step away from her and sit down. Her face is beet red and I'm sure she's embarrassed, but as much as I want to push this and see how far she's willing to go, I really shouldn’t. Not yet. Not like this. And for some reason, I don't think it's just because of the bet. For some reason, I actually want to see if I can figure out Lila and all of her intricacies.

I pull the top page off of the legal pad and rip it into pieces. I don't care about the pros and cons list anymore. I'm not about to fire Lila Haversham anytime soon. I want to see exactly where this is going to go.

Chapter Eight

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