Page 33 of Big Daddy

“No way,” she says, a spot of disappointment flickering in her voice. “Not gonna happen. It’s going too far as it is,” she says, lowering her voice to a private hush. “How the fuck will I explain working at your office if she finds out?”

“Who says you can’t just tell her?” I press.

“Why are you so fucking aggravating at four in the morning? Hmm? Do you wake up like that?” she asks, irritation edging in as she uses my words against me. “I think we both know neither of us is going to tell Brielle that I’m working for you because of the litany of questions that will follow.”

She’s right, so I sort of tell her. “You’re not wrong,” I sigh.

There’s another long pause. “I’m going back to sleep. I’ll see you downtown in a few hours.”

I clear my throat. “With?”

Winnie sighs. “With panties on.”

“That’s right.” Bumps rise up along my arms knowing she remembered her orders.

“Goodbye, Big Daddy.”

“Goodbye, brat.”

chapter twelve

quincey

Davis Pen is reallyon my fucking nerves today. And he hasn’t done anything outside of his usual, but for whatever reason, the way he’s sifting his hand through his greasy hair has me unusually irritable.

Kennedy is making coffee while Pen stands adjacent, likely annoying the shit out of her. For as much heat as I take for being a prick, I’d prefer a prick to a nuisance. And the side eye that Ken is currently casting to Davis tells me she feels the same. She even flashes me a few bailout glances.

Pen is one of those guys who never takes the hint. In a social setting, he makes women side step past him and avert their eyes. In the courtroom, his persistence usually equates to getting the win. He’s relentless without even really realizing it, and that’s why he’s a good law partner.

But a person to hang out with or simply be around? No fucking thanks.

“Morning,” I greet, making my presence in the back of the break room known as I grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Oh, Mr. Parker, hello. I went ahead and canceled the interviews this morning, per your request,” Ken says, smiling, using me as a device to edge away from Pen. He must really be annoying her if she’s using me as her life raft—I’m positive Ken detests me.

“Thank you,” I reply with a curt nod, just in time for Pen to cross the space and slap his hand on my shoulder.

“You can’t have my girl and you can’t exhaust Ken,” he says, shaking his head. Ken casually makes a move for the door. “Hey, I was telling you about that time in law school,” he says, attempting to slide the hook in before it’s too late.

“Another time,” she says, bowing out of the space, leaving only one bottle of water in my hands between the two of us.

“I have someone. She’s starting today.” More than anything, all I want at this moment is for Pen to lose interest and not ask questions.

One blonde brow shoots to his hairline. “She came from the service?”

I shake my head as I twist the small cap off the bottle, bringing it to my lips.

“Who is she, then?” he asks, looking way too fucking interested for my personal comfort.

“A friend of my daughter’s.” I screw the cap back on after a sip, narrowing my gaze to be so sharp that Davis actually draws in a breath under my stare. “Off fucking limits.”

He lifts his hands, showing me his palms as if he’s not a threat. He isn’t a threat, but he can be a creep, and I don’t want any of that shit around Winnie.

“As off limits as my own daughter,” I elaborate, because I want him to get it. If I so much as see him cast his crooked smile at Winnie, I’ll cut his fucking head off. Roman Empire style.

Well, maybe I won’t go straight to decapitation. But imagining it makes me feel that angry.

“Fine,” Pen agrees, moving past me toward the coffee pot. Likely the reason he came into the breakroom before he spotted Ken to annoy.

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