Rival Temptation: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Read online

  One of the paralegals had taken the seat on my other side, and without actually registering her appearance, I went into autopilot flirt mode. I tried to do my usual charming, ‘Hey there’, routine on her, even though she fell far outside my usual target physically speaking. But my heart wasn’t in it. For some reason, I found it difficult to fake interest in another woman when what I really wanted to do was talk to Max.

  When would I get an opportunity to clear things up with her?

  Chapter Two

  Max

  What was it about Luke that made me feel so self-conscious? How was I going to be able to work with this man? The long hours and close quarters such a job required would be so miserable with him around. My stress-levels skyrocketed as I thought about it, and I had to use my yoga breathing again to calm down.

  Throughout the meeting, I kept noticing Luke watching me with a frown on his face. What was he thinking? Probably about another crass comment he could make to me. I would have to devise some method of avoiding him. I didn’t want to waste time worrying about what he might do or wonder what was happening inside that enormously inflated head of his. I needed to concentrate on myself and my career. I took another deep breath and sat up straighter. There was no reason to allow him to intimidate me. I knew who I was and what I brought to the table. Soon, everyone else would know, too.

  Including Luke Anderson.

  The relief I felt the second the morning meeting concluded was palpable. Once I slid back behind my desk, I begin to catch up on the paralegals’ case synopses. I had gotten into the thick of a specific file when the paralegal Luke had flirted with knocked on my door.

  The first thing I noticed was how nondescript her features were. She appeared rather underweight with mousy brown hair that hung limply to her shoulders. She seemed to almost disappear into the walls, and not to be mean, but it surprised me that Luke would choose her to spend time with. Maybe he wasn’t quite as superficial as I first believed. Either that or he was willing to be a manwhore with literally any woman who happened to be present.

  “Ms. Devon, my name is Tori Smith. Mr. Devon told me I am to be your paralegal. I’m at your disposal and can get you whatever you need.”

  “Please Tori, call me Max.”

  “Oh, okay. Ms.— um Max, Mr. Devon would like to speak to you in his office at your earliest convenience. Something about a new case. Also, just so you’re aware, Mr. Anderson calls me Tonya. I’ve reminded him several times that my name is Tori.” She sighed, causing her whole torso to shift. “But he persists in calling me Tonya. I wanted you to know so we could avoid any confusion.”

  Damn, the guy couldn’t even be bothered to get people’s names straight. And the fact that it was a woman’s name...what a shocker. This poor girl. So many things about her made me want to shelter her, or at least give her a hug.

  “And, um, by the way,” Tori added, with a shy smile, “all of us paralegals are thrilled to finally have a female attorney on our floor.”

  From David, I knew the firm was made up of lots of departments, many of which had lawyers in various capacities. It was only the twenty-ninth floor, though, that housed the defense lawyers who actually went to trial.

  I touched her shoulder as I stood, “I’m thrilled, too.”

  I left Tori next to my office door. Thanks to what she said, I felt more of a sense of camaraderie now. It felt nice to have some feminine energy around. Of course, once I entered my brother’s office, that sense of camaraderie evaporated. Luke Anderson lurked alone by David’s massive window, a wide smirk plastered across his face.

  Luke

  Earlier, while trapped in that meeting, I noted that a tendril of Max’s long golden hair had worked its way loose from her ponytail. Almost against my will, I found myself admiring that silly lock of hair. It was the only part of her that appeared to be free and wild. I wondered if this uber closed-off persona she exposed to the world was a facade she liked to remain concealed behind.

  I kept daydreaming about that wisp of hair as I discussed cases with clients, attended video conferences, and read over important documents. It was disconcerting, to say the least. I didn’t have time for distractions, but every time I turned around I found myself preoccupied. I went to speak to David, hoping a change of scenery would help. He had stepped out, so I decided to hang. I was lost in my musings again when I glanced up to realize that Max was physically there. She paused at the threshold of his office. The escaped snippet of blond flew forward as she came to an abrupt halt the instant we made eye contact.

  “What are you smirking at, Luke Anderson?”

  Her sharp words brought me back to reality so harshly it made my head spin. Her tone bit into me, demanding and condescending. I forgot that I was about to apologize for this morning. Defending my position was in my blood, after all.

  “Your hair. It’s falling in your face. I thought you might want to put it back in its place before you trip and fall down an elevator shaft.”

  Her eyebrows knitted together and her lips went thin. For a brief second, I lost my train of thought as I wondered what those lips must taste like.

  “My hair is none of your business. Why don’t you jump down your own elevator shaft and give everyone else some peace,” she spat, her tone pure venom.

  Okay, brief second over. I don’t know why her comeback got under my skin the way it did, but I couldn’t help dishing some back to her.

  “Why don’t you let me set you straight, Maxi.” I heard the nastiness of the words leaving my mouth but couldn’t seem to stop them. “Up here on the twenty-ninth floor is a man’s world. We’re sharks in a sea of other sharks. We defend people accused of the most heinous of crimes: abuse, armed robbery, rape, murder, mutilation. Maybe you should go practice somewhere a little less cutthroat. Perhaps this law firm isn’t the place for someone like you.”

  I emphasized those last three words with a brutality I typically reserved for court cases. Her complexion blanched, and I knew my mark had landed. Then, her face darkened like a thunderstorm as she stomped up to me and pressed the nail of her index finger into my chest.

  “I don’t care if you pester and cajole me every single day for the rest of my career, I’ll never abandon my dreams over an arrogant asswipe like you.” With every other word, she stabbed her fingernail past the silk of my tie, pressing deeper and deeper into my ribcage. By the time she reached the phrase ‘asswipe like you’, she’d broken skin. “Consider that a warning and a promise, Luke Anderson.”

  David materialized behind his sister in the hallway, stunned disbelief written all over his face. “You okay, Max?”

  She was huffing and puffing, but somehow she pulled herself together. “Did you have a new assignment for me?” she asked, her gaze laser-focused on her brother. “A case?”

  “Well, yeah,” David answered, still dumbfounded as she grabbed the manila file folder right out of his grip. “But what’s going on between you and Luke?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about, David. Professional disagreement. I’ll get to work on this right away.” With that, his sister marched out like a military general, leaving both of us in her wake.

  Then, my best friend rounded on me, his eyes burning with fury.

  I’d never seen him quite this angry before. The guy glaring at me right now wasn’t David, my best friend. This guy wasn’t even my boss. This was David Devon, big brother and champion of the defenseless. Of course, I’d already seen that Max was far from defenseless. As he addressed me, his words came out low and predatory.

  “What the fuck did you do to my little sister?”

  Chapter Three

  Max

  In my entire life, I don’t think I was ever as enraged as I was when I left David’s office. It was as close to punching someone in the face as I’d ever been. But, for a couple of reasons, I didn’t want my brother to see me that way. One, I wanted to prove I was a grown woman who could take care of herself. And two, I honestly didn’t want to give Luke t
he satisfaction of pushing me that far. How, on God’s green planet, had I ever considered him attractive, even for a moment? Now when I thought of him, I felt nothing but disgust. It took a really shitty human being to behave the way he had.

  I had to redirect my energy into something more positive, so I placed all my attention on the case my brother had entrusted me with. Thank God for work. Work and study had saved me from loneliness and disappointment so many times and now was no different. If you kept your head down and finished your tasks, you could achieve whatever you wanted. So I went back to what I was used to. I would drown myself in oceans of legal facts so I wouldn’t have to worry about anything else.

  This had always worked for me. It was my go-to move.

  As I flipped through the information, I realized this case could be incredibly important to a lot of people, and most definitely, to our firm. It involved a New York senator, minors with guns, grand larceny, armed robbery, and a murder. No other way of putting it, this first case of mine was going to be quite a doozy. I felt a surge of pride that my brother trusted me to be part of such a significant case my first time out.

  I closed my door and rapidly began to break down the various testimonies. After meticulously organizing each piece, I made an appointment with suspect number one, Roger Pettie, the senator’s son. Asking Tori to let David know I would be out of the office interviewing our newest client, I summoned one of the firm’s company cars. This ought to be interesting.

  Due to his father’s clout and the fact that he was only seventeen, Roger was being held at the senator’s home under house arrest.

  Despite Roger’s age, the severity of the charges meant he would very likely be tried as an adult. I sized up the boy. No more than five foot three, Roger had a diminutive stature for a male. He had what I thought of as a skaters haircut, longish curly red hair, gray-brown eyes, and a smattering of acne.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “My name is Max Devon, I’m one of the attorneys handling your case.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You old enough to be a lawyer?”

  I leaned in, conspiratorially. “I’m one of those special cases that graduated early. But that really doesn’t matter. What matters is you’ve been accused of a crime, and I’m here to get your side of the story.”

  He seemed to accept that. Maybe this time, my youth would be a blessing rather than a hindrance.

  “Look, okay. I wanted to go out, but the folks said no. So I snuck out anyway, borrowed my mom’s car, and picked up my two buddies, Chuck and Jeff. So dope, right? We cruised around until we ran out of gas. I was gonna take ‘em home, but Chuck threw a fit. He liked to party, you know.” Roger made a sniffing sound and mimed snorting a line of cocaine.

  “I didn’t know it, but he decided to swipe his old man’s gun. He’s used his five-finger discount before, but never robbed anybody—at least not when I was there. How could I know he planned to rob the store for his next hit? When he pointed the gun at the cashier, I kinda freaked out at him. I said, ‘Man what are you doing?’ But when I reached for the gun, the cashier bent down to grab something behind the counter. When I saw the cashier again, he had a goddamn bat! Next thing I heard was Chuck’s gun going off.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not even sure which of us touched the trigger. It was an accident. I just wanted to get out of the house. I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”

  Roger leaned back in his chair, a nonchalant smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. Did he think I wouldn’t notice? Did he think he was being subtle? Any more of a smile and he would look like the cat who ate the canary.

  I gave him a moment to gloat before jerking the rug out from under his feet. “By the way, Chuck says you pulled the trigger.”

  His eyes widened, but only for a second. This kid was a cool customer. I’d lied to gauge his reaction. “Of course he did. Blaming me takes the heat off him. He knows my family has money and connections. Chuck’s family doesn’t. He’ll probably end up going to jail over this. Bringing out a gun. He’s so stupid.”

  “Something else to consider, Roger, is that this is a digital age. Cameras are everywhere. Did you happen to notice any security cameras while you were in the store?”

  From Roger’s whitened complexion, I could tell he hadn’t. I patted him on the knee like a big sister. “Listen, we’ll do our best. As your attorney, I’m asking you not to discuss your case with anyone unless I approve it beforehand. Not even with your family or friends on the phone. Everything is being recorded except our conversation.”

  “Yeah, okay.” His expression had grown sullen.

  “We’ll talk again, Roger.”

  Chaos reigned outside the eight-foot fence protecting the senator’s home. A pack of reporters shouted question after question as they stuck cameras in my face.

  “Miss, can you tell us the senator’s thoughts on this matter?”

  “How many charges are being brought?”

  “What’s the suspect gonna plea?”

  “Will a plea bargain be made available?”

  I pushed past them as best I could, repeating the stock phrase, “I have no comment at this time,” over and over. They continued to hound me all the way to the company car just the same.

  “Important case, huh,” my driver muttered, once we’d both managed to huddle inside the car. “Senator’s son murdering someone is bound to be front page news. You know the clerk in the store was only about that punk’s age. Probably the first job he took. It’s a damn shame.”

  It was a relief to get back to Barnes, Hopkins, and Devon. Sort of. I always pictured myself defending the falsely accused from any corruption that had insinuated its way into an otherwise reliable justice system. But after meeting with a teenager who was obviously guilty and almost openly planned to get away with it, my confidence in my career trajectory had been shaken. I glanced at the huge steel wall clock in the lobby, stunned to see a time of two p.m. Too wound up for breakfast this morning, I now felt starved. I called Tori.

  “Oh, hi… um, Max.” She still sounded like a startled colt. Hopefully, over time, Tori would realize that I wouldn’t bite her head off. “The D.A. has arranged a hearing with Judge Brown this Friday at ten a.m.”

  “Thanks, Tori. Any good local places in this part of the city for take out?”

  “Sure. There’s a deli, a pizza place, a Thai place, and an Indian street cart right here on this block.”

  “Will you get me something from the Thai place? I’d be forever grateful.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Rubbing my eyes, I stepped into the elevator. The doors swung open, revealing a sight that made my stomach pitch upwards, then drop.

  Son of a bitch.

  Luke

  David physically rammed me past the threshold of his office and back toward his desk. Still, that didn’t scare me as much as his clenched teeth and cold eyes. His whole face might as well have been made of flint. I never actually feared for my life before, but my best friend’s fierceness was giving me some real pause.

  “I just asked you what you did to Max,” David kept his voice quiet rather than straight up shouting. It was far freakier that way.

  “Bro…”

  “Don’t you ‘Bro’ me. I caught the tail end of your conversation. You did something and I want to know what.”

  I held my hands out open-palmed, ready to surrender. Although part of me was tempted to get in his face about this, I couldn’t. I knew I had let things get out of hand with Max. Like way out of hand. I made a mess, and it was up to me to clean it up. If that meant taking some lumps from my best friend, well...so be it.

  “I fucked up, okay. I may have, you know...” David was going to break my nose, I just knew it. I had broken my nose once before, and it sucked. Maybe I deserved this. All right, fine, I definitely deserved this. “I may have made a pass at her.”

  “You...”

  Before he could continue, I cut him off. “Dude, I didn’t know who sh
e was.”

  “How many women who’ve come into this building have you hit on? No, you know what, I don’t want to know.” He pushed a hand through his hair, breathing out a long slow breath. Didn’t look like I would be out of the woods anytime soon. “You have to stop this. It’s just...she’s my baby sister, Luke. My fuckin’ sister!” There was another pause as he took a second breath. “Max is tough as nails, okay, I know that. I saw her poking you.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m bleeding if that makes you feel any better,” I chimed in.

  “Good! Jesus. I just can’t believe you.” David returned to his door, closing it. He started to pace back and forth at a rate that was dizzying. He raised his hand holding his thumb and index finger an inch apart, “I am this close to firing your ass.”

  Firing me? I hadn’t considered that. Which was majorly stupid now that I thought about it. I kind of figured he’d rough me up a bit and let bygones be bygones. It never occurred to me that I could be jeopardizing my career. Not to mention our friendship. Max was right, I really was an asswipe.

  “I’m sorry, okay. Seriously, I’m sorry.”

  “Dammit, Luke, I’m not the one you need to apologize to. I need to be able to trust you. I need to know that the women in this office can work in here without you acting like a slimeball. I need to know that I can leave you and my sister in a room together to get work done and not worry about whether or not you can keep a civil tongue in your mouth.”

  “I’m an idiot, all right.”

  “Yeah, you are!” My best friend pulled at the neck of his tie to loosen it, a gesture of frustration I’d seen before. Well, frustration was better than rabid fury.