Page 9 of Don't Quit the Day Job

My dad always said, “Start as you intend to continue.” I’m definitely not going to let Max Spector think he can talk down to me.

“You can’t expect me to know the ins and outs of this office and how you like to work in one minute,” I say. “I’m not a mind reader.” I shoot him my best Lady-of-the-Manor stare. I know I’m in no position to take this tone, but I don’t care. “I don’t know what you expect of me. I don’t even know the details of the job. You can either explain it to me, like a good boss would do, or I’m going back to HR to apply for a different job so I can work with someone that’s not so much of an a...” My voice trails off as I silently reprimand myself. Calling my new boss an ass feels like a bridge too far, even for me.

“What were you just about to call me?” He puts his folder down and raises a single eyebrow. His lips appear to be twitching but I’m not sure if it’s because he’s pissed or amused.

“I was just saying that...” I pause again and cross my arms. “Are you going to tell me what you want me to do or are we just going to sit here chatting all day?”

“I think that?—”

“Max, you busy? I need to talk to you about the Fabricant case.” A gorgeous man with dark hair and vibrant blue eyes walks into the office as if he owns it. My heart thuds as I stare at him in his dark suit and crisp white shirt. He doesn’t seem to notice me as he continues to the desk. “Sheila fucked up the settlement. I swear to God I’m going to fire her.” He slams his hand on the desk and pauses when he sees the smirk on Max’s face.

“And you thought I was bad.” There’s a pointed tone to Max’s voice as he looks at me. “Kingston, have you met my new assistant, Lila? Lila, this is one of my partners, Kingston Chase.” I watch as Kingston turns his perfectly sculpted face toward me and gives me a curt nod. His blue eyes are keen and they narrow as his gaze settles on me. I’m sure he’s wondering how I got the job and it makes me blush.

“Nice to make your acquaintance.” He steps forward and offers me a very warm and solid hand. “I missed your name in the stack of résumés I was handed earlier today.” He looks toward Max. “I thought we were both going to?—”

“I’ve already made my choice,” Max cuts him off. “You can choose from the others. There are a lot of candidates in HR.” He sits down again. “Trust me when I say I don’t think you would have hired Lila.”

“Excuse me?” I step toward him. “What does that mean? I’m highly capable and?—”

“I didn’t say you weren’t. I just know that Kingston values experience, whereas I value more…” He pauses for a second and shoots me a look that I find hard to read. “Unconventional skills.” I blush again and he continues. “What I’m saying is, I’m willing to give you a chance. God knows, my last few assistants have been shit, and they had years of previous experience in the legal field.” He grins at me, looks me dead in the eye, and for some reason my heart feels like it has officially stopped. Shit, Max Spector is not only devastatingly handsome, he’s legit approaching gorgeous. “So let’s see what you have, eh, Maria?”

“I thought you said her name was Lila?” Kingston frowns slightly and Max just chortles in response. “I’m going to leave you both to get acquainted, but Max, please come and see me within the next hour. I have a call with opposing counsel early this afternoon and I think we might want to settle.” He nods, then looks me over. He looks like he wants to start laughing and I’m not sure why.

“Sure,” Max agrees. “Should we let Remy know as well? Wasn’t Fabricant his client?”

“Yeah.” Kingston strides out of office. “Tell him, will you? I’m headed to HR. Hopefully they’ve got some competent applicants this time.”

“See? It could have been worse.” Max chuckles as he steps toward me, his blue eyes bright with laughter. “I don’t seem that bad now, do I?”

“Do you want the truth? Or would you rather I lie to you?” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I swallow as he pauses in the doorway, leans back, and licks his lips slowly. His eyes narrow and he leans forward to whisper softly, “I don’t think you want to know what I really want, Ms. Haversham. The thoughts in my mind are not suitable for innocent young actresses.” He smirks and straightens up before reaching over to brush something off of my cheek. “Eyelash,” he explains before turning and walking into the office.

I stand there in absolute shock. I am going to faint.

He touched me and that one brush of his fingertips made my heart explode and awakened sexual feelings in me that I didn’t think could be awakened by a brief touch of a finger.

Max Spector is going to be trouble and I’m not sure I’m the smartest woman in the world for walking into his office, but then again, I never claimed to be Marie Curie.

I look around the office. Aside from the desk, it’s pretty tidy. Plus, I don’t see another desk, so at least that means I don’t have to work in the same office as the man. Which is probably good because my body is giving me some seriously conflicting vibes about being around this guy.

And I need the paycheck more than I need hot sex on a desk.

Cause I have no doubt that the sex would be hot and that I would be so embarrassed that I wouldn’t be able to go back into work again.

I debate running out of the office and going to the audition next door. I still have time. If I run out of money, I can swallow my pride and ask Zara and her billionaire fiancé for a loan. She’d give it to me in a heartbeat. Or I could ask my parents. They’d love that too much though. “Ready to grow up and give up that silly little dream, Lila?” That’s what my dad would say. As if acting isn’t my life. As if being on the stage isn’t my everything.

“You’re thinking about something.” Max’s voice is soft and I realize that he’s standing right in front of me. I wonder if he thinks I’m fantasizing about him.

“Not you,” I say quickly. “I’m dating someone. His name is Hank. He’s an actor. He’s amazing. We starred in a play together.” My voice trails off as Max smirks. I don’t know what possessed me to lie. It’s not like Max is interested in me. And I’m for sure not interested in him. I do not do corporate men. No men in suits for me, unless I’m seeing them as research for an acting gig. Which this is not. Though the suit certainly fits him well. Really well. I wonder if he has a six-pack.

“As much as I’d like to know more about your love life, I’m a lawyer, not a therapist, and I have a call to take. A work call, just in case you get the idea that you can make personal calls to Wank while on the job.”

“His name is Hank.”

“Whatever. I don’t care about your personal life, Ms. Haversham. I think you’ll find that having a real job is nothing like the life of leisure you and Wank have been leading.”

“I haven’t been leading a life of leisure. I’ve been acting.” I ignore his new name for Hank. This man is not going to make me lose my cool.

He stares at me with a blank expression. “Why don’t you go and get me a black coffee and an everything bagel with lox and cream cheese from the deli on the corner?” He glides back to his seat and picks up a black phone on his desk. “I should be done with the call by the time you’re back, and then we can go over your duties.”

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