Page 14 of Mr. Big Shot

She frowned and tipped her head down so she could get a better look at me. “You don’t want me to?”

“No.”

I didn’t want to wake the beast for no good reason.

She clicked her phone back into place. “All right then…how about I see if I can get you booked into his schedule tomorrow for a meeting? It’ll be tight, but—”

“No! No. I don’t want to take up any of his time. I know he’s a busy man.”

I was already starting to back away, realizing I’d made a mistake coming here.

“Oh, sure sure, but not too busy for you.” She waved away my words like they were nonsense. “I’m sure he would want to see you considering you’re a part of his team now.”

Believe me, he wouldn’t.

“Don’t worry about it! Nice meeting you again! Bye!”

Then I took off like a bolt of lightning, scared that at any moment Hudson would walk out of his office and see me there talking to Lucy and accuse me of…I don’t know, wasting company time.

I think it’s wise not to bring Jasper up to speed about Hudson. If he was offended about the cake, the rest of my day would really set him off. There’s no sense in worrying him.

I’m a tough girl; I can survive all of this and more on my own.

Probably.

Chapter Six

Hudson

It’s Wednesday, my favorite day. Well, any day I’m in the office is my favorite day. I’d sleep here if I could. Or better yet, not sleep at all. At the moment, we have a few different deals in the works, and the tides could easily turn with any of them. I love the excitement and the drama—don’t let anyone tell you law is boring. Elwood Hoyt isn’t your uncle’s dwindling tax law practice.

On my current rotation, I have a major pharmaceutical merger (worth $63 billion), I’m representing Zion Oil as they attempt to purchase a renewable energies company (for $148 million), and I’m helping a British luxury fashion brand who’s anxious to scoop up a few smaller brands (collectively worth $597 million).

I’m in such a good mood I almost give in when a senior associate attempts to strike up a conversation with me in the elevator.

Almost.

On the 70th floor, I head straight for my office. Lucy’s in there, laying out documents on my desk like she usually does in the mornings. I zero in on the steaming mug of coffee sitting right in front of my computer.

My eyebrows nearly touch my hairline. “You brought me coffee?”

This is an absolute first.

Lucy snorts. “Over my dead body. If you think I’m about to start waiting on you hand and foot, you’ve got another think coming. It’s from Scarlett. She brought it to me to give to you a little while ago, but I told her to just set it down herself. I still needed to go to the printer anyway.”

I scowl at her in a way that would cause anyone else to worry about losing bladder control. Doesn’t even faze Lucy though.

“You let her in here on her own?” My voice booms.

She rolls her eyes. “What was she going to do, steal company secrets?”

I look around my desk for anything damning, but it’s neat and tidy, completely free of personal effects—just the way I like it. “You have a point. Were you able to print the latest 409A valuation for SolarCo?”

“The appraisers haven’t sent it to us yet.”

That was supposed to be done yesterday. “How long does a damn appraisal take?”

“Well…”

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