Lila

Lila: Mr. Vanilla is a jerk.

Zara: What happened?

Lila: I attempted to seduce him. Well, kinda.

Zara: Already? What?

Lila: I figured why not shoot my shot right away?

Zara: I take it it didn't go well?

Lila: Let's just say I'm no longer interested. I will never flirt with that jackass again. I will make my money and then leave as soon as I can.

I slip my phone into my handbag as I walk into the large conference room feeling slightly embarrassed and a little bit nervous. I am utterly annoyed with myself and even more annoyed with Max Spector. I still can't believe what he said to me. I am mortified and feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. I shouldn’t have come on to him.

I did not feel empowered.

I did not feel sexy.

In fact, I felt like a fool. I am going to absolutely kill Zara for making me think trying to seduce Max was a good idea. It was evident to me that he was not interested in me whatsoever.

"Over here, Lila." I hear my name and I look around the crowded room. I spot Skye sitting at the back next to a girl with long, dark hair. I make my way over to them and Skye beams at me, a twinkle in her green eyes. "How's it going?"

"Just brilliantly," I say, rolling my eyes as I take a seat. "Hi." I look at the brunette. "I'm Lila."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Juniper."

"Is today your first day as well?" I ask, though suddenly I realize I've heard her name before.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "I've worked here for a couple of weeks. I work for one of the partners."

"Oh, which one?" I ask. "Actually, I think I know. I met them this afternoon, I believe. Not Kingston because he's looking for someone, but the other guy, what was his name? Remy? Remington?"

"Remington Parker," she confirms, nodding. "He's the bane of my existence."

"Oh?" I ask her as she fumbles with her thick black glasses. They are way too big for her face and kind of make her look like an owl.

"He is the sort of boss that makes you not want to work."

"Oh, so he's just as great as my boss." I start laughing, the sound filling the room a bit too loudly so I quickly stop.

"Who's your boss?" she asks, curious.

"Max. Max Spector."

"Oh." She grins with a nod. "Yeah. He's just as bad as Remington."

"So did you get a job yet, Skye?" I lick my lips nervously. I don't want to tell her about the conversation I'd overheard between Max, Remy, and Kingston.

"I have an interview with Kingston Chase in a couple of hours," she says. "He's another one of the partners. It was supposed to be before lunch, but for some reason it got pushed back, but they told me I should attend this meeting just in case I was hired."

"Oh, okay, so you think you'll get the job?"

"I don't know," she says. "But they said with my qualifications, it looked like I was a shoo-in."

"Oh?" I ask her in surprise. "I didn't realize you had great qualifications. Have you worked at a law firm before?"