Page 15 of In a Pinch

“No problem. Well, I need to get my day started. If you need anything, or find yourself needing some backup, you know where to find me.” He sends me a wave as he walks down the short hallway to his office.

Well, it’s only been half a day, but this sucks and I hate it here. When they said they had a new hotshot lawyer with a chip onhis shoulder, I didn’t realize he would be acting like something crawled up his ass and died.

Tyler is a freaking liar; Mr. Becker is not nice. He's a bit of a dick, and that is putting it lightly. The willpower I have used to not bite his head off all day should have won me some sort of award or plaque. It would read:Addie, Queen of not junk punching bossholes.

True to his word, Tyler’s legal assistant, Regina, is showing me the ropes on their process in this office. Apparently, my job title is no longer only legal assistant. It is, and not limited to, legal assistant, secretary, professional filer, certified minute tracker, research doer, and my favorite of all, Mr. Becker’s bitch. Technically, these are all normal tasks, but he definitely delegates a heavy load to me.

Now I get why they pay so much. And I also know why Tyler gave me permission to be a little sassy, because if big man gives one more snide comment about me not knowing what I’m doing, he is about to feel some bite. And since it’s my first day, no shit, Sherlock, I don’t know what I am doing,

The good news is the office is nice. Not quite as large as my old one in Colorado, but super sleek. I have my own little office tucked right outside of Mr. Becker’s. Probably so I can hear him barking demands without him picking up the phone every two seconds.

“Addie, where are those files I asked for?” Mr. Becker asks.

I look at Regina, hoping she knows what the hell he is talking about. Her brown eyes widen with the same fear as mine. She answers my silent question with a shrug of the shoulders. Cool, she has no clue what he’s talking about, either.

“Did you ask for some files?” I say, flatly. This man is on my last nerve, and we still have three hours left in the day.

“Yes, I emailed them to you.”

I refresh my window and surprise, surprise, NO email. Sighing I push my chair back on the floor and stand. I will myself not to throat chop him as I walk into his adjoining office. His face is flushed with irritation as he clicks his mouse with so much force, I’m surprised it isn’t broken.

“I have no emails from you at all.” I keep my tone inquisitive and calm, hoping that he will match my energy and take a chill pill.

He spins in his chair to face me. “I’ve been sending you tasks all day; you have emails.” Okay, no to the chill pill. Got it.

Honestly, he does look kind of terrifying. He’s six-foot tall and built like a brick house. His suit is putting in double time to stretch over his arms and not rip at the shoulders.

“Do you mind if I check your computer?” I have a hunch and am praying to sweet baby Jesus that I am right.

“If you think that will help, be my guest.” His tone of voice is drenched with smugness. He gestures to his computer and rolls his chair back, offering me a front row seat at his computer.

Leaning forward, I catch a whiff of his cologne. Since he practically bathed himself in it, it’s hard not to. If he was as nice as the cologne smells, we’d be in better shape. I should have known he’d be a pretentious little shit when he asked to not be called by his first name.

Scanning the screen, I find the issue. “Ah. Yeah, I found the issue. Apparently, they don’t teach you to spell check in law school.”

“Excuse me?” He slowly blinks at me. While my tone was respectful and light, the words landed exactly how I wanted them to.

“Okay, two things. I am a human. Treat me like one. I am happy to help, but this attitude will absolutely not fly with me. Two, you spelled my name wrong. Ask nicely, and I will fix the issue for you.” Crossing my arms, I look down at him. It’s not myfirst day working with lawyers who think they’re untouchable. Usually they are, but I have found that if you bark back a little, they tend to lie down.

“Who do you think you are talking to me like that?” His brows furrow and his face is painted in bright red anger. For a second, I wonder if I’m in danger of him hulking out.

“I could ask you the same thing. The big, fancy degree on the wall doesn't give you the right to treat people like garbage. Unless you want to do ALLLL of this,” I motion to the stacks of files, “by yourself, you better check your attitude at the door.IfI mess up, absolutely, you have the right to voice your frustrations. However, here,” I point to the computer, “being that my name isn't Asaline Hunter, this was your mistake.”

He blinks twice at me, and I have to wonder when the last time anyone dared to speak up was. My second thought is that it was nice being employed for a day, because I probably just shit the bed again with my big mouth. Again. Hopefully Tyler will come through and refuse to have me fired.

His blue eyes flash before he takes a second to steady himself. Mr. Becker surprises me with his response: “All right. Please correct the issue, and then get to work. I expect all of the tasks to be completed before you leave.”

“That, I can do.” He is still a bit more of an ass, but maybe realizing I am not a punching bag will help him settle.

I make my way to my office and plop down. My heart is racing from the lingering adrenaline. I tilt my head back and gather my thoughts. It is going to be a long rest of the day.

“Um, I am going to need you to teach me how to do that,” Regina says, eyes wide. That makes me crack a smile.

“The trick is to be at the point in life where you have very little shits to give left.”

“Noted. Now, send me half those tasks. If we're lucky, we can get out of here before midnight.” Her bright, white smilebrightens the room a little. As long as she doesn’t turn out to be as cunning as Maggie, I think I might have found myself my go-to person at work. Her kindness radiates through her.

I forward her the astonishing twenty emails. If he is sending us this much shit, what is he doing over there? We are literally doing all the legwork for his next case. Looking into data systems, pulling records, and cross-referencing them for relevance to this particular case. Which, by the way, he hasn't even fully explained to me. So, I am kind of just hoping for the best here.

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