Rival Temptation: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Read online

  Rival Temptation

  An Enemy to Lovers Romance

  Athena Braveheart

  © Copyright 2019 - All rights reserved.

  It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapten Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Max

  As I stood on the busy New York City sidewalk, buffeted by the hot July air, the crush of rushing pedestrians, and a smattering of goggle-eyed tourists, I tried to regulate my racing heart. It was my big day. The first day of the law career I worked so tirelessly to achieve. Perspiration started to make my heavy glasses slide toward the end of my nose, and I shoved them back in place. I wished for the nine-hundredth time I didn’t have so much trouble wearing contacts and that the nearsightedness I dealt with my entire life hadn’t left me damn near blind.

  I crossed the street with the large chaotic crowd, holding on to my new leather briefcase with white-knuckled determination. I felt almost too nervous to register the everpresent noise of horns blaring, brakes squealing and people yelling. I peered upwards at the hulking skyscraper in front of me, unable to make out the top floors from such a close vantage point. Barnes, Hopkins, and Devon. The Devon in the name came from my brother David who made partner at the impressive age of twenty-eight. It was he who’d given me the briefcase, a gift for passing the bar. And I was ready to follow in his footsteps.

  David’s influence had provided me with this first important job, and I didn’t intend to fail. My obsessive focus on overachieving meant I finished my educational milestones early: high school, undergrad, and Columbia law degree all under my belt by the age of twenty-two. All summa cum laude, too. I passed the bar on my first attempt. But none of these things seemed to matter as I shoved my way through the revolving entrance doors and into my new building. I was nothing but a ball of nerves as my kitten heels clicked along the white tile floor leading to the bank of elevators on the other side of the cavernous lobby.

  With trembling hands, I smoothed my hair into the simple long ponytail that kept it out of my eyes and hit the button for the twenty-ninth floor. My pulse had accelerated to unhealthy levels, and I calmed myself by utilizing some yoga breathing techniques. Yoga had been a constant for me since high school. When I was three, my twin siblings William and Warren were born. Unfortunately, something had gone terribly wrong during the caesarian section, and my mother had passed away. Being six years older, David could still remember her, but all I had were vague recollections.

  Our dad, despite having a hard time at first, totally stepped up. I thrived in accelerated classes, but I also put a lot of pressure on myself. He recommended yoga to release my stress, and then self-defense classes when I expressed interest in living and working in Manhattan. Hoofing my way through the city streets, I felt safe. Once the twins became teenagers, my father’s generous nature led him to volunteer his cooking services to the local homeless shelter at least once a month, as well. My dad would always be my hero, and I was sure David and the twins felt the same. Because of my dad’s constant support, I knew I could take care of myself. Now it was time to take care of my career.

  The elevator pinged and I entered with a handful of others. As we ascended, I straightened the modest lines of my navy suit, checking to make sure I hadn’t dropped anything on the beige shirt underneath. I wanted people to know I was the real deal. Despite my age, I wasn’t some slutty college co-ed ready to lay my way to the top. I had earned everything so far with my morality and ethics intact and prided myself on being the most ambitious person in the room. The car emptied the higher we went, and eventually, I ended up alone with a man in a black suit. At first, I only had enough bandwidth to notice that he was tall and that his suit and haircut seemed expensive.

  Then, I glanced up and caught his reflection in the mirrored doors. Handsome. Extremely so. Chiseled jaw and a slightly off-centered nose. This minor flaw only made him more attractive. I blinked and recentered myself. I usually wasn’t one who took the time to notice such things. Boys weren’t on my radar in high school any more than men were now. I considered them distractions. Unnecessary and even dangerous. I didn’t have time to waste on romance. Building a life as an attorney was all I wanted since the age of five. I planned to make partner before the age of twenty-eight, just like my brother. Maybe sooner. Now that I’d come this far, I wasn’t about to get sidetracked.

  Luke

  I cocked my eyebrow as I caught sight of this petite schoolmarm-looking girl checking me out in the elevator. It happened. Armani and Davidoff was a pretty killer combination. And I couldn’t lie, I liked the attention. I’ve always enjoyed knowing other people want to stare at me, that they see something they like. Have since I was a kid. There’s just something about those looks of appreciation that make me feel good.

  David, my best friend and coworker—okay, technically, he’s now my boss—always called me a ladykiller. Thinking of him made resentment rise inside me, despite my best intentions. David was my bro, but the fact that he made partner before I did... It just pissed me off, you know? He had been the one to get more money and more privileges, and I didn’t. I knew the senior partners had always been impressed by David. Once he became a partner, Barnes and Hopkins became what they termed semi-retired and only stayed on in an advisory capacity. The guys were in their seventies, so I understood. But I worked every bit as hard and often stayed later at the office than David did. Of course, a couple of those late nights had more to do with my briefs than a client’s. Still. I wasn’t gonna let him outdo me for long.

  I pulled my thoughts back to the situation at hand. The girl glanced hastily away when I made eye contact. I hid my smile. The dark blue outfit she wore would’ve looked more appropriate on someone much older. It was so boxy and shapeless. Professional, I guess, but boring. Plus, she was wound so tight I could imagine one sudden move making her ping-pong around the compartment like a terrified cat. This should be fun.

  “Come here often?” I asked, purposely raising my voice so it would boom in the small compartment.

  She jumped and I held back a chuckle. This particular office assistant seemed much more reactive than most. Serious, too. Different. Something about her captured my interest.

  “That thing full of books?” I gestured toward the briefcase she clutched as if her life depended on it.

  Her expression became a mix of confusion and anxiety, but she kept facing straight forward.

  “Excuse me?”

  She had a surprisingly mature-sounding voice. Deeper than I expected. She looked like a librarian. Back in college, I’d had a delicious fling with one.
She’d been ten years my senior and was all prim and proper except for in the bedroom.

  “You remind me of one of my old librarians. A very fun librarian. So, I was wondering where you keep your books.”

  Her mouth opened in shock and I couldn’t help but examine her appearance more closely. Under those ridiculous glasses and severe hairdo, she was kind of hot. Pretty might be a better word. There were adorable freckles across her nose, and whatever perfume she wore reminded me of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Those gardens were a place my mother had dearly loved the one time we visited before she...I pushed the memory away. That had all been a long time ago. To keep myself from getting bogged down by a part of my life that didn’t matter anymore, I shifted my focus back to the present.

  “Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m an attorney here. Unless you want to be hit with a sexual harassment suit, you better back the fuck off.”

  An attorney? And a pottymouth to boot? She looked like she was right out of high school.

  “My brother is a partner here, and...”

  Whoa, that brought me up short. Immediately, I put two and two together. She couldn’t be talking about Barnes and Hopkins; they were old enough to be her grandparents. So that meant...“Wait. Your brother is David Devon?”

  Before she could answer, the electronic ding of the elevator announced our arrival. The doors pulled back to reveal the devil himself.

  “Max, you’re here!” David beamed at the girl I had just realized was Maxine, his baby sister. “And you’ve met Luke, too. How are you two getting along?”

  Chapter One

  Max

  My brother ushered us past an empty desk out front and into his lavishly appointed office. I was so busy keeping my nose to the grindstone that I’d only had lunch with him a handful of times during my tenure at law school. I walked by this building on several occasions but never came in. Now, I wished I had made the time. The proportions of the place were mind-blowing. Overwhelming. The place reminded me of a museum with an extremely masculine edge. Every piece of furniture was made of heavily polished cherry wood with cushions upholstered in black, while what looked to be mahogany paneling covered most of the walls. The only wall that wasn’t funeral home dark was the floor to ceiling window, which displayed all the awe and beauty the New York skyline had to offer. No one could see this kind of view and not be in awe of it. Or, so I thought.

  The jerk from the elevator, my brother’s best friend Luke, headed straight to David’s chair and put his feet up like he owned the place. I couldn’t believe the audacity of this guy. Clearly, he was the kind of man who went out of his way to make women feel like objects. The only thing he appeared to be interested in was being a pompous, presumptive poster boy for misogyny. In short, everything about Luke Anderson identified him as an asshole.

  How could my brother, who had always been so protective and kind, befriend a person like that? The idea of it went against everything I knew about David. Of course, I hadn’t spent tons of time with him over the past few years. Once he became part of the firm, he moved out of our house in Westchester, while I stayed there with Dad and the twins. Maybe I didn’t know my eldest brother as well as I thought I did. Still, every time he spoke of his best friend, he had lots of positive things to say. David called Luke a flirt, but he made it sound cute. Relatively innocent. What I just experienced from him seemed anything but.

  David winked at me, waltzed over to his friend’s wingtip clad feet, and joyfully threw them off the desk. “All right, all right, quit showing off, man. Time to give Maxi the grand tour.”

  I cringed at my brother’s pet name for me being spoken in front of this Luke guy. I knew that for David it came from a place of love, but it always reminded me of a feminine napkin commercial. My face felt way too warm, and I knew my cheeks must be tomato red. I didn’t glance in Luke’s direction, but I still heard him snickering.

  Perfect.

  As David turned us into the hallway, Luke followed. The other partner’s offices were just as huge and opulent as my brother’s but appeared vacant. As we traversed the rest of the floor, I spotted a large conference area, a copy room, and some restrooms. I expected the associate offices down the long corridor to be tiny in comparison to David’s, and while they were smaller, they were still incredibly nice. The cherry and mahogany theme pervaded here, as well. The place screamed refined testosterone. I would never call the building off-putting exactly; there were plenty of female paralegals and office assistants around. But I couldn’t help but notice none of the portraits on the walls denoting the various partners and attorneys were of women.

  I’d love to be the one to change that.

  “This is you,” my brother led me into an office with a window about a quarter the size of his. You’d never catch me complaining, though. How many other twenty-two-year-old executives had the privilege of seeing the Empire State Building looming in the distance? Part of me wanted to skip around the place like a school girl. Cartwheels would’ve worked, too. At some point, Luke disappeared from our party.

  Good.

  I felt relieved until I heard my brother’s next words.

  “Luke’s right across from you, so if you need anything, he’ll be close by.”

  Inwardly, I groaned. David sensed my discomfort, just not the reason why.

  “You can change the furniture if you want. Add whatever touches you’d like. This is your place now.” He lifted a stack of folders off the corner of my new desk. “Our team has a heavy caseload, but I know you’re up for it. Since you interned for Judge Brown like me and Luke, you understand what a stickler for the rules he is. We like to maintain the same standards. You’re gonna do great things here.”

  Now that it was just my brother and me in my office, I gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for this opportunity, Dave. I won’t let you down.”

  “Are you kidding?” he put a hand to his chest with false outrage. “You’re nearly as smart as me.”

  I pushed him, and we both laughed. For a moment, it was like we were twelve and eighteen again. David pulled away and said, “Settle in. Weekly reviews take place at nine o’clock sharp every Monday morning. Feel free to ask me or Luke any questions you might have.”

  He aimed for the door, then stopped, “I’m glad you’re here, Maxi.” Then David turned and was gone.

  For a moment I let myself absorb being here. The office, just big enough to have room for a desk, two chairs, and a file cabinet was mine. All mine. Since no one could see me, I did one little hop as I raised my arms over my head and silently cheered. Then, I sat and got busy with what I excel at most - work.

  Last night I started a new bullet journal to make a list of goals I wanted to complete this morning. Then, once I checked those off, I would make another list for this afternoon. Setting goals was my own personal religion. Journal keeping was essential to me in terms of organization, and I had stacks and stacks of my old ones in my closet at home. Tomorrow I would begin to cart in the law books I individually notated and highlighted throughout my schooling. I felt having something familiar around would allow me to transition more easily. The decor could wait till the workload eased; such things had never been my priority anyway.

  At ten till nine, I entered the conference room and took a burgundy cushioned seat at the opposite end from the head of the table.

  Luke came in shortly after and sat down right beside me.

  Of course.

  Did he somehow recognize that his presence made me anxious and uncomfortable? I was fairly sure he didn’t realize who I was when he pulled his librarian bullshit, but it didn’t matter. No decent man should treat a woman that way, any woman. My next inhale flooded my senses with his Davidoff cologne. It was the same scent David liked to wear.

  Worse, it smelled way better on him than it ever did on my brother.

  Ugh! Why did this Luke guy have to taint everything involving my first day?

  He shifted closer to me and I automatically backe
d away.

  Undeterred, he started to say something but people had begun to fill the room. His demeanor changed with this new audience as he put his arms over his head and leaned back with an air of casualness.

  Then, with a shrug and right on cue, he proceeded to flirt with the paralegal who’d perched herself on his opposite side.

  Luke

  Recollections of what I said to David’s little sister pervaded my thoughts as I walked down the hall to my office. I didn’t know how to feel about her. On one hand, I was completely mesmerized by her voice and the buttoned-up way she held herself. But on the other hand, there was a part of me that wanted her to lose some of that precious reserve and control. Maybe just to see if she would throw those crazy glasses off if she got angry enough.

  They hid her eyes. And I wanted to see those eyes.

  I may never get to, though, considering how much she despised me. That boring outfit shouldn’t have been alluring, but somehow, it kept drawing my attention anyway. Or maybe it was whatever was under all that plainness that I couldn’t stop picturing.

  Probably not a thought I should have about my best friend’s little sister.

  My paralegal had provided me with a file for review, and I picked it up as I made my way to the weekly meeting. Max had already found a place at the table. She came across as so unapproachable, she might as well be wearing a Yosemite Sam bumper sticker that said, “Back off!”

  For one insane second, I felt tempted to release her hair from that super tight ponytail and shove my face into it just to see if that’s where the wonderful floral smell was coming from.

  Dude, what the hell?

  Instead of doing something stupid, I snapped out of my reverie and decided it was time to apologize. Her displeasure was evident in the stiffness of her posture when I sat next to her, but then that heady floral fragrance washed over me again. Already I’d begun to link it exclusively to her. I blinked and started to open my mouth to say I was sorry, then closed it when everyone else tumbled into the conference room. Paralegals entered chatting about the various lawsuits they’d been assigned, while assistants brought coffee, bagels, danishes and fruit arrangements as usual. Normally, I loved hoovering down some breakfast there at the office, but now, I resented the intrusion. I didn’t feel like eating even though my stomach rumbled like an active volcano.