Page 14 of Her Exception 3

Before I got too deep, I pulled away and quickly wiped my eyes with a sniffle.

“Thank you,” I muttered. “I wanted this pen for my collection. I don’t know what led you to get it but thank you so much.”

He wiped away my tears before tilting my head and looking into my eyes. “You’re welcome. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Maritza.”

My eyes closed at the sound of him saying my name. They didn’t open until I heard him opening the door.

“Um… would you… if you… they want you to stay.”

Jeremy chuckled as he turned, but he kept the door open. “Doyouwant me to stay?”

As lawyers, we often trained clients not to volunteer anything and keep answers short. That had become a practice of mine. One that he was trying to break.

I thought about it for a while before answering with a soft, “Yes.”

“Then I’ll stay.”

He closed and locked the door, then followed me into the movie room. As if Sakura knew he would be joining us, she made her way over to the reclining seats. I offered those to him, but he assured me he didn’t mind sitting on the beanbag next to me. After offering him snacks and drinks, both of which he declined, I got comfortable on the beanbag next to him.

I’m not sure when it happened, but somehow, I fell asleep on him. And he fell asleep on me. And Sakura had a picture of it. A picture that I made her send to me. I walked him to his car and made him promise to let me know when he made it home since I decided to stay there for the night. After I showered and got in bed, I went back to sleep with a smile on my face.

Seven

Jeremy

I decided to try and talk to Violet one last time before making the decision to leave. As I told Pops, I didn’t want to leave HGP2. Not just because of Grandfather, but because this was the firm I loved. I was fully aware of the reputation I had and that a lot of people didn’t like me personally, but everyone I challenged, grew. I was the partner they could always depend on to make the best decisions—whether they liked it or not. There was no part of me that allowed my emotions to rule when it came to our firm or practicing law. To some, that made me heartless, to others, it made me a damn good leader and attorney.

As I made my way into Violet’s office, she gave me a warm smile. All the staff were out of the office until after New Year’s Eve, unless they needed files or equipment and were just stopping by. Violet was dressed to perfection in a gold pantsuit that made her glow. Ever since Mecca mentioned her looking like the singer Mya, I couldn’t unsee it. Violet’s youth was unmatched. Proof that, somehow, even with all the hours and work she put in here, she still took care of herself.

I admired that.

“My favorite partner. How was your Christmas?” she asked, standing to give me a hug.

Just the thought of ending my Christmas with Maritza had a smile spreading on my lips. It wasn’t my intention to fall asleep, but between the acceptance of her family, the warmth of the room, and the closeness of her body… that moonshine put me right to sleep. Sakura sent me a picture of us that she’d taken, and I couldn’t deny how good we looked together—even with our eyes closed. Even with Maritza not wanting to be my fake wife, I still liked and respected her and wanted her in my personal life in some capacity.

“It was great. How about you?”

“Same. But I know you aren’t here during your break for pleasantries.”

Rubbing my hands together, I took a deep breath. I didn’t usually let my nerves, thoughts, or emotions show, but I was truly passionate about my advancement here and felt like it was beyond my control.

“This year was my five-year-named-partner anniversary.” Her eyes shifted and mouth opened slightly, as if she knew exactly where I was going with this. “What are your plans concerning the advancement of named partners at the firm? Last time we talked about this was three years ago. Since, none of the changes we requested have been made. If I’ve reached the cap of my success under you, let me know so I can begin to plan accordingly.”

“I will remain managing partner, theonlymanaging partner, until I can’t serve this firm and the justice system anymore.”

My head bobbed once. “Understood. No co-managing partner for Hunter, Phoenix, Genesis, and Prime. What about a senior managing partner?”

Violet sighed and sat back in her seat, pressing her palms against one another. “As of now, the highest position will remain named partner. I don’t want you to leave, but I understand if you’re not satisfied with that. In the past, I have alluded to further advancement…”

“Why is that no longer an option?”

“I don’t want to risk things changing.” She gave me a soft smile. “Things are great as they are. If I put another man or woman in the position to make changes or decisions on my level, I’m jeopardizing what I’ve built since becoming managing partner. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with how things are going around here, and I simply don’t want another chef in my kitchen. You understand that, right?”

I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling as I stood. “Perfectly.”

As I turned, she called my name. “If there’s anything I can do to satisfy you more here and keep you, outside of adding additional management positions, please let me know.”

All I did was nod as I exited. There were other positions, but if she had an issue with releasing power, she wouldn’t consider those either. I could no longer ignore the fact that my time here would soon come to an end.

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