Page 51 of The Lawyer
“Lucky brother. But we don’t work like that, June. We’ve got a clientele to look after. And you, sweetcheeks, are one of my stars. You don’t get to take time off when you like.” I watch as his lips curl into a devilish grin, and I begin to see a different side to him. It's the side that’s more than a seedy club owner, the same one some of the other girls get. I’ve never asked too many questions before. I was young and needed this, but ever since I took the job to dance for Landon, I fear I’ve made room for the real Jackson to show his face.
“Jackson, please. Only for a few weeks. Then it will be back to normal. I promise.” I give him a full smile and force my face to cooperate, but behind the smile, my pulse quickens and my hands are clamped together in my lap.
“You know,” Jackson stands and starts to round the edge of his desk. The door is closed. I know that, so I force myself to keep my eyes on him rather than dart around for an escape. “I wasn’t sure if you were serious the other week. Dancing for me.” His finger runs over the back of my shoulder and swishes my hair as he passes me. I keep the shiver to myself and steel my nerves.
“Well, as I want time off, I’m not really open to more dancing, Jackson. Come on, keep up.”
He slams his hand down on his desk, making me jump in my seat. “This is not a fucking game. And I’m not asking. If you want time off, then I want compensation. If it’s good enough for one man, it’s damn well good enough for me.”
“Jackson, please,” I start, but he silences me by grabbing my hair and pulling my head back until I’m forced to look up at him.
“You will do this. Or you won’t like the consequences.” He releases his hold, sending a flood of pain through my scalp.
“Go. You have two weeks. And then you’ll dance for me. Here.”
“Your office-”
“I didn’t say my office. You’ll have plenty of room to show me everything you’ve got." He goes back to his desk and lounges in his chair. The usual smile he saves for me is back in place, hiding the wolf behind his mask. “One of the back rooms maybe.” There's no way I'm heading into one of those with him.
I leave, hurrying out as quickly as I can, and gasp for air as soon as I’m free of the building. It's like I've been holding my breath while I was inside, and now I'm damn close to passing out because of it. All I came here for was a little space to sort this mess out, but I’ve just made it worse, and now I have Jackson to deal with.
For the first time since I started, real fear runs through me at what he might do. You watch things on tv or read horror stories in the paper about girls and places like The Priory, but I've never felt threatened or worried before this.
All that’s changed now.
~
Monday is a big day. I told Landon I’d be back, and I want to keep my word. And my job. Standing up to him was necessary, and I wouldn’t let him push me away. If this week has told me anything, it’s that I can’t walk away from Landon Broderick.
I’ve not heard anything from him since our argument. It’s been unnerving, but I've taken it as a good sign. Tie that in with the fact that there’s no paperwork through the letterbox from Broderick Media, and hopefully, I'm still safe. But, regardless of that, I've missed him. It's stupid. I know it is. We aren’t together. How can I miss someone so easily? It's true, though, because no matter how brief, our daily contact and banter has become the highlight I didn’t realise I needed in my life. Dancing for him is a thrill I seek. Being with him, talking with him, is a comfort I crave. And this week without him has sent everything else but him paling into the distance.
The threat from Jackson still looms large at the back of my mind, but I still have time to deal with that. Right now, I have to concentrate on Landon alone. So, picking out my most Willow outfit, I pull my hair back and ensure there’s no thread out of place before leaving for work.
The early sun has already warmed the air and makes me feel positive by just being out of the house. When I arrive at the office, my pass is still active, and I travel up to our floor with no hindrance. I’d kept my word and asked someone to cover for my ‘illness’, but there’s nobody at my desk when I walk in, and it looks like it’s not been touched since I left.
I fire up the computer, check the schedule and the inbox, which is now at unmanageable proportions. Has nobody actioned any of these? I take a deep breath and resign myself to a busy day, but not before I make coffee and face him.
With the cups set just so, the sugar and milk to the side, I push open the door and walk into the lion’s den. My legs are sure and, thankfully, don’t show any of the nerves that dance about in my stomach.
“Morning. Coffee.” I set it down and then take the tablet from under my arm and sit in the chair in front of his desk, ready to start. As I wait for Landon to acknowledge me, I take the time to appreciate him. His dirty blond hair, his pristine suit, the square cut of his jaw that always looks like he’s holding something back. The initial hit of attraction is still there, and my heart gives a little sigh of relief.
“You’re back.”
“I told you I’d be back on Monday. Your desk is a mess.” My eyes take in the wild stacks of files and papers.
“Well, my PA has been MIA.” He finally makes eye contact, and the storm behind his eyes takes my breath away.
“I got you somebody to cover.”
“I’m not having some fucking stranger come in and mess things up. It took you long enough to get the damn coffee right. I’m not a child who needs to be looked after.”
“Relax, it was just an observation.” I hide the small creep of a smile by dipping my head.
“Don’t start, Willow. You’re not forgiven, and I'm still close to firing you.”
“Firing me won’t work. I’ve told you that.”
I wait for him to move, or say anything, or even blow up in another temper, but he remains behind his desk.
