Page 96 of When The Night Falls

Her warning confirmed my suspicion; William must have told her about us. Nevertheless, I was shocked. Was she implying that I ought to have given William a chance? She clearly wasn’t a possessive type, and the reality of that made me realise that their arrangement was indeed only casual, if it even existed anymore.

‘Consider me warned.’ I nodded.

Just then, William exited his office. I looked at him, and Violet followed my gaze. He froze, eyes flickering between us, and his blank expression made it impossible to guess his thoughts. Seeming to recover, he walked over to us.

‘Vi,’ he greeted.

‘Hi, Will,’ she replied fondly. ‘I was just introducing myself to our new paralegal.’

His gaze shifted from her to me. ‘I hope she didn’t scare you. She can be a bit intimidating, but she always means well.’

‘I’m still here,’ she said amusedly.

‘She didn’t scare me at all,’ I said. ‘She was just offering some words of wisdom to an aspiring solicitor.’

Sceptical, William knitted his brow and turned to her again. A message I couldn’t decode passed between their eyes before she faced me and said, ‘Anyway, lunch?’

‘Sure.’ I smiled.

§ § §

Lunch was an awkward event. Andy joined us for it, and re-encountering him was a strange experience, because I didn’t remember him being so aloof. While he was polite when he greeted me, he didn’t say much to me overall. I often sensed his eyes on me, but whenever I looked over, he averted them. He was obviously analysing me, and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

Ellie, who I was seated across from, initiated most of the conversations while Andy traded regular glances with William across the table. Neither Violet nor Ellie paid them any attention, so I assumed that they behaved like this on a regular basis. In the end, they were best friends, so it was to be expected that they would have secret and silent conversations that nobody else would understand.

Things took a turn for the worse when John Night arrived at our table, along with a few of his fellow partners. I met Mr Philip Day, for instance, who was John’s first partner in establishing their empire. He was a nice man of short build, with a big belly that strained against his expensive suit.

While asking how my day had been thus far, John grabbed his son’s shoulder.

‘It’s been amazing,’ I said. It wasn’t entirely a lie. The professional aspect of the firm had kept me on my toes all day, even if my boss had kept me on my toes for a whole different reason.

Looking John in the eye, while knowing I had slept with his son, was an unpleasant experience. Even though I had endured it before, it still unsettled me. I should not have been sitting on the knowledge of how William performed in bed, but I was.

I worried my gaze was a tad too fleeting, but I couldn’t help it. What I had done was unseemly, and I was scared John would pick up on it somehow. Underestimating his perceptiveness was not something I intended to make a habit of.

When it was time for William’s meeting with our client Clifford Paints, I was relieved. Finally, I would be provided with intellectual distraction.

Ellie was unlinking her MacBook Pro from her computer monitor when Violet caught my eye. She was walking beside Frederick Silverstone, a senior associate who was leading the team on the potential merger between Clifford Paints and Craft Interior.

The sexual power she wielded was outstanding. It was noticeable from her confident strut, which I paid keen attention to as she guided Mr Clifford and his son, as well as their company’s financial adviser, toward a conference room. Instead of watching where they walked, the three men kept their eyes glued to her firm bottom.

‘Ready, then?’ Ellie asked and gave me an encouraging smile.

‘Yes.’ I stood up and closed my laptop to bring it with me.

‘Good. Could you let Will know that they’re here?’

I nodded, a lump gathering in my throat. After a deep breath for courage, I turned for his office and scraped together what little strength I had left, but just as I was about to knock on his door, he ripped it open and nearly crashed into me. In my rush to dodge him, I tripped on my heel. As I was about to tilt backward, his hand shot forward and grabbed my arm, and then he yanked me toward him again with such force that I slammed face-first into his chest.

The irony of the situation was not lost on me. By trying to evade him, I had only ensured bumping into him. But since his intoxicating scent hit me before his muscles did, I didn’t notice any pain.

My goodness, he smelled amazing. But his scent instantly evoked the memory of our sensual night together, causing a throb between my legs.

‘Careful there,’ he said when I tipped my head back and looked at him. Hyperaware of his closeness, I felt his thumb gently rubbing my arm. My skin tingled beneath his touch. No man had ever made me feel this way, where merely a touch could send my heart into overdrive.

Blushing scarlet, I cleared my throat and struggled to suppress the erotic memories his scent had triggered. Clutching my MacBook to my chest, I tried to ignore how hard my heart pounded against it.

‘Your client is here,’ I said.

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