Page 7 of Entice

“Thank you, Valerie. I’ll be out in a moment.” The door closed. “I hate to cut this short.”

“I understand.” Crystal slipped her phone back in her bag and zipped it shut. Jordan was at her side when she stood. Awareness shot through her body. “Kendra will be here when you get here tomorrow. She’ll show you the office and get you all set up. You’ll have access to the case files. I should be in around one, unless my court case takes longer.”

“Perfect.” Maybe by then she would have her unruly body under control.

“And Crystal?” He tugged her to a stop at the door.

She looked up at him.

“Professional in the office, but outside of it, I make no guarantees.”

“You’re assuming a lot, Jordan.”

“Am I?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I’m my own woman. You should realize that by now. So don’t make assumptions.” She swept by him and out of the room. Kendra was waiting by the reception desk with her raincoat and a manila envelope. “Thank you,” Crystal said, taking the items from Kendra.

It wasn’t until Crystal got to her car that she realized her nerves were still tingling from her encounter with Jordan.

Resisting him was not going to be easy. This was not good. Not at all.

CHAPTER TWO

Jordan Frost was glad when his client left. He’d barely been able to keep up with the conversation. His mind was on the curvy, sexy Crystal Hayden. He’d been surprised when she answered the ad for a paralegal.

He was glad she did. Working with her would be an experience. She came highly recommended. He’d glanced at her resume, but the recommendations looked stellar. The night they had talked over coffee, he’d enjoyed her humor and her spice. A woman who wasn’t afraid to take a stand.

He’d intervened when she confronted the arguing couple, but it was more to protect her than anything else. He had no idea if the father was abusive. Jordan shook his head. His sexism was showing. The mother could be abusive as well.

Crystal had voiced her displeasure at his intervention, even as he walked her to her ride. She was passionate. He wanted to channel her passion into his bed. A grin took over his lips.

The interview hadn’t been conventional. Normally, he would have let Kendra handle it, but the job he needed Crystal to do was a little unconventional as well. He needed someone he could trust and who could work without constant direction. Crystal fit the bill. And if he was able to coax her into his bed, why not?

Her job was safe. He wanted her to be comfortable with the knowledge. So adding the clause about her job being safe to the employment contract didn’t bother him at all. He wouldn’t harass her on the job, but after hours... He’d entice her to play with him.

Scallywag. Jordan heard his mother’s voice in his head. That’s what she’d called him when he got into trouble as a child. He shook his head. His mother would have liked Crystal.

Jordan missed his mother.

A frown marred his forehead. He still had to return the phone call from the Washington State corrections office. He was sure it was about his father, and Jordan didn’t care if the man rotted in jail for murdering his mother.

Leaning back in his chair, Jordan didn’t even notice the mountains gleaming with snow. There had been no signs of what set his father off that fateful day. Oh, his father had a temper, would yell at him and his mother, but he'd never raised a hand to either of them. Until that day. Seeing his mother’s broken body on the floor caused Jordan to descend into a cold silence. He’d called the police and watched them cart his father away. Thanks to some neighbors, they helped him get his mother taken care of. He didn’t even tell his father about the funeral. Jordan had no contact of any kind with his father and hadn’t seen him since the day he was sentenced. And that was how Jordan wanted it.

He exhaled and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He picked up Crystal’s resume and read it to get his mind back where it belonged. Oh, yes, she had impressive credentials. He frowned when he saw the last law firm she’d worked for. Why had she left? The Stevenson Group was one of the best-known law firms in Seattle, and they paid top dollar.

Jordan made a note on the ever-present notepad on his desk and kept reading. Her schooling was excellent, as were her references. He frowned. High school was in Kansas. Interesting. She wasn’t a native Washingtonian.

Well, one thing for sure, life was going to be a lot more exciting with her around.

* * * *

“So how did the job interview go?” Sierra asked over dinner. Since she and her boyfriend, Max, were at the club on Friday and Saturday nights, Sierra, Tessa, and Crystal had moved girls’ night from Friday to Monday so they could all have dinner.

Crystal hesitated. What would her friends think? She took a deep breath. “It was with Jordan’s law firm.”

“What?” Tessa’s eyes went wide.

“Did it not go well? You two sort of had a fight the night we had coffee together,” Sierra said.

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