Page 6 of Don't Quit the Day Job

“What?” She gapes and blinks at the same time and I want to laugh. My comment is completely uncalled for, but I operate by an honesty policy, whether or not my opinions are asked for.

“Just saying.” I shrug and smirk, and I think she’s about to say something else, but she mumbles something indecipherable under her breath instead and presses her lips together. She glares at me, the slight flirtation in her gaze gone, does an about turn with her friend, and I watch as they walk to the receptionist.

I head to the elevator, my mind going to my first meeting of the day. It’s with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He’s recently been let go and wants me to negotiate a golden parachute deal so that he stays comfortable as they kick him out of the hatch door. I press the brass button of the elevator and look over at the blonde’s legs again. I’m surprised to notice that she’s turned back to look at me, and the hostility in her eyes makes me want to chuckle. She’s still mad at my comment.

"Hey, Max." Kingston sounds amused. "Did I just hear someone in the background saying she's the best paralegal in the world?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Is she coming to our firm for a job?"

"I have no idea." I look over and stare at the two ladies, who are laughing about something. I'm surprised that neither one of them are looking back at me, checking me out.

"You should check. Because she may be your new assistant."

"I have no clue if she's even looking for a job." I purse my lips, very much doubting she'd make a good assistant, though I'm not going to tell him that.

"Then you should check..." He pauses. "Unless you don't think she'll last a month."

"I'll call you back." I hang up and take a deep breath. "What am I doing?" I mutter under my breath as I put my phone back into my pocket.

The elevator dings its arrival, but instead of going up to my office, I find myself walking over to the reception desk, curious as to where the two ladies are going. And if I’m honest, I really only care about the blonde. Maybe if she’s lucky, I’ll ask her out for a drink and let her sit her sweet little ass on my face for a night. Maybe. There's no way she's coming to get a job at my firm. No way I have to hire her. But she's the first woman that has stirred something in me in a long time. I'd take her out for a nice dinner before taking her back to my place.

“Hi, can you tell us how to get to Chase, Parker & Spector please?” The blonde asks the receptionist, and I freeze. She’s coming to my office? Shit. This is not good. Not good at all.

“You can ask Mr. Spector.” The receptionist gazes at me with pouted lips. Carmen has been trying to fuck me for the last six months, but I don’t shit where I sleep. She’s hot, but I’m not interested in having a stalker working in the lobby of my office. And I have a feeling that Carmen wouldn’t be able to accept one night with me and move on with her life.

“Mr. Spector?” the redhead asks and looks back at me. Her green eyes widen in surprise, then change to a look of warmth. “Are you holding the job fair?”

“Oh, hell no,” the blonde mumbles. She obviously doesn’t intend for me to hear it, but I do. It looks like our World’s Greatest Paralegal isn’t so hot at keeping things confidential is she? Her eyes are spitting daggers at me as she turns around. Instead of acknowledging she’s still upset with me, I offer them both a warm, wide smile. The blonde rolls her eyes and I give her a quick wink, because I know that will annoy her all the more.

“How can I help you both? Is there a reason you two legal superstars are coming to my office?” I signal them to the side of the large lobby and listen to the clackety clack of the blonde’s heels against the white marble floor. They exchange “oh no” glances and I press my lips together. “Is there a?—”

“We’re going to the job fair.” The blonde pushes her shoulders back, tilting her chin up at me, and I wait for the tongue lashing. She readjusts her black handbag and pats her hair back as I slowly nod. Something about her comment rings a bell in my brain. Fuck it, I'm in trouble. If I am honorable to the bet with Kingston, I should hire her, but everything in me screams that all she will do is make my life hell.

“To grace my law firm with the best paralegals in the land?” I tease, and the blonde’s lips twitch. I quite like staring at her lips.

“I’ll have you know that I, Maria Conchita Violeta Estella Diaz, was the best paralegal in all of Mexico City and now have taken the City of Angels by storm. Don’t judge me by the heartache that Rodrigo Alejandro Suarez caused. Judge me by the work that I produce. Judge me by the cases I close. Judge me by the settlements I win. Judge me by the lawsuits I threaten...” She pauses and my jaw goes slack as tears form in her eyes. “You’ll never have my heart, but?—”

“What the hell?” I interrupt her as the redhead starts clapping. Had these two escaped from a facility recently? My heart starts racing. I cannot hire this nutcase. Even my small head thinks she's off. She's hot and there's something about her that glows, but I couldn't imagine working with her. I will have to lie and tell Kingston that I couldn't find the woman in the background that he heard because there is no way I'm hiring this nutcase.

“Oh, you need to go next door right now.” The redhead sounds excited. “You’re good. You’re really good. You even have tears in your eyes.”

“What is going on here?” I cross my arms in front of me. “Am I being punked?”

“No!” The blonde grasps her hand to her chest and throws her head up. A single tear falls down her cheek. “We’re actresses by day, paralegals by nigh...” Her voice trails off and she makes a face. “Okay, I can’t lie. I’m not a paralegal, never have been.” She shrugs. “We were going to the auditions next door. You must have seen the lines of women?”

I nod and she continues.

“We both wanted to audition for the part of Maria, but the job fair only lasts for three hours and I really need to make some money and I couldn’t even cry on the train, so I figured I wasn’t going to get the role. Plus, I’m blonde.” She holds up her hair and makes a face. “Not that Mexicans can’t be blonde as well, but I just felt like maybe making sure I got a job was more important.” She finally stops and takes a deep breath and offers me a warm smile. “Hope that makes sense.”

I blink as I slowly shake my head. This overly talkative lady is crazy.

“So, let me start again. I was on the train practicing my lines and?—”

“Lady, I don’t care.” I hold my hand up. “I think I get it. You are not really a paralegal. You were reciting lines to an audition you bailed on, so you’re here at my firm, looking for a job.”

“I mean, I don’t even know who you are.” She has the gall to roll her eyes at me, as if I’m the annoying one. As if she didn’t just hear my name a minute ago. I stare at her with a supercilious tilt of my head. I want her to know that I know she’s lying. When she blushes, I try to stop the smug grin from spreading across my face.

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