Objection (3 page)

“I have some
important news, McKayla. I need you to get down to the office right
now.”

Un-fucking-believable.

It’s my first
day on my new job, and Monday is as craptastic as ever. I’m
running fifteen minutes late.

And yes, a new job.

Just Friday…
when I had left the office, I worked for Lorraine Cummings, a
ferocious bulldog of an attorney who has made my life a living hell.
She demanded no less than eighty-hour work weeks, and she liked to
think I was her own personal, verbal punching bag. She demanded,
never said thank you, and usually yelled at me fifty percent of the
time I was in her near vicinity.

When I dragged my
tired ass into the office on Sunday morning following her call, she
advised me that the Law Firm of Lorraine Cummings had been “acquired”
by the firm of Connover and Crown, LLP and starting the very next
day, I would report to work at their offices on West 56
^th
.

I loved how she said
the word “acquired,” as if she was some sort of
conglomeration that was just ripe for the picking. Truth be told, I
knew Lorraine had been struggling for months with the bills because I
had missed a paycheck or two. She always promised me she’d
catch me up but so far, I’ve not seen a cent of it.

I’ve thought…
no dreamed, of finding another job, and I even have feelers out. But
this economy is tough, and there’s a glut of fresh-faced, new
attorneys out there all battling for the same measly job on the
bottom of the totem pole. Unless you graduated first in your class,
you were on a one-way ticket to probably nowhere. And sadly, I’d
graduated at the top of the bottom third in my class.

Lorraine assured me
I had a job at Connover and Crown, basically due to a whole lot of
begging she did on my behalf, and that she and I would embark on a
new and glorious adventure together.

I had to bite down
hard on my tongue not to laugh at that. You see, I may not have been
a bright, shining star in my law school class, but I wasn’t
stupid either. I’m going to Connover and Crown not because
Lorraine had to beg on my behalf but rather because I have a case.
No, not just
a
case… an immensely fucking great case. A
case that is worth millions, along with a client that thinks the sun
rises and sets upon me. Lorraine can’t kick me to the curb
because the case will go with me, and frankly… I’m
betting that one case is why I’m employed at Connover and
Crown.

I’m thankful
to have a job, and I’ll have to see how these circumstances pan
out. But for now, I am extremely late thanks to hitting my snooze
button five times in a row this morning. After my meeting with
Lorraine, I came back to the apartment and crawled into bed, sleeping
the rest of the day and night away. I barely had time this morning to
wrap my wet hair in a severe bun and Google the directions to my new
place of employment.

As soon as the
elevator opens on the twenty-first
floor, I practically run into the lobby, causing my
heels to skid to an ungraceful stop in front of the receptionist. The
platinum-blonde ice princess behind the mahogany desk gives me a
snotty once over, and says, “Your shirt is buttoned up wrong.”

Looking down, I say,
“Oh shit,” and hastily refasten my blouse, thankful that
no one else is in the lobby.

When I’m
presentable, she says, “You must be McKayla Dawson. The meeting
is already underway. Mr. Connover is not going to be happy you’re
late. He’s a perfectionist when it comes to that stuff.”

As if to accentuate
her message, she snaps her chewing gum in her mouth and flattens her
lips in a disdainful grimace.

I don’t have
time for this shit, I’m already irritated I’m late, and
it’s completely my fault. So, of course, I take it out on her.
“Look, Blondie. I’m not one to take shit from anyone,
especially not a rude, gum-smacking receptionist. Have a care you
don’t cross me.”

Blondie’s eyes
go wide and moisten, a fresh sheen of tears pooling.

Oh, fuck.
I
made her cry, and now I feel like crap. This day could not get any
worse.

“Look…
I’m sorry,” I tell her sincerely, because I have never
been able to carry off rude and mean before. “I’m having
a bad morning, and I took it out on you. I’m really, really
sorry.”

I expect her to dash
the tears away and sneer at my regretfulness, but instead, she gives
me a small smile. “No, I’m sorry. I was rude and well…
I don’t even have an excuse. You called me on it. Good for
you.”

Cocking my head at
her in curiosity, I stick out my hand. “What’s your name?
You already know I’m McKayla, but my friends call me Mac.”

She shakes my hand
and says, “I’m Bea. Now, hurry down that hall there and
take the third door on the right. Oh, and tell Mr. Connover that the
train was running late, and you’ll be just fine.”

Giving her a grin, I
head down the hall. “Thanks,” I call out as an
afterthought, and she shoots me a wave.

When I reach the
door she directed me to, I hitch my briefcase satchel over my
shoulder and smooth down my skirt. Taking a deep breath, I give a
light knock and then open the conference room door.

My eyes immediately
lock with Lorraine’s, who is sitting on one side of the long,
oval table. She glares at me in anger due to my tardiness.

“I’m so
sorry I’m late,” I apologize. “I—the train
was running late this morning. Always seems to happen on Monday.”

Lorraine’s
anger doesn’t diminish, and it is with a clipped tone that she
says, “Then may I suggest you leave earlier on Mondays.
McKayla… this is your new boss, Matthew Connover.”

Not needing another
second of Lorraine’s vicious gaze, I pull my eyes up to the man
sitting at the end of the table.

Brown hair…
golden eyes… sensuous lips that deliver orgasms upon contact,
now set in a surprised grimace on his face.

Holy fuck!

It’s Number
134.

Matt rises from the
conference room table and steps toward me, his hand stretched out.
“Miss Dawson… it’s lovely to meet you. Lorraine
has told me a lot about you.”

I’m sure!

Although his words
are welcoming, his gaze is frosty as he shakes my hand. He then
immediately drops it like I’m diseased.

“Pleased to
meet you, Mr. Connover,” I manage to choke out, my heart
beating like the hooves of a Kentucky Derby winner.

“Call me
Matt,” he says, and there is no mistaking his tone of extreme
displeasure over me being here. I’m really not getting why he’s
pissed. It’s not like I planned this out. So I do the only
thing I know how to do when I’m being attacked for no apparent
reason—I stick my chin out and notch my pride up just a little
more.

“You can call
me McKayla… or Mac.”

He inclines his head
slightly in acknowledgement and sits back down, indicating the chair
to Lorraine’s left is where I should sit.

Matt introduces me
to a man on the other side of the table. He’s about fifty,
balding, and looks incredibly worn out. “Mac… this is my
partner, William Crown.”

He gives me a wan
smile and mumbles, “It’s Bill, actually. Nice to meet
you.”

I shoot him a return
smile, feeling sorry for his overall beat-down nature. It must be
hell to work here or something, and that makes my stomach roll just a
little.

“I wanted to
have this meeting with you and Lorraine to welcome you to Connover
and Crown this morning. We’re excited to have you both here.”
His lack of enthusiasm couldn’t be more obvious, but Lorraine
pays it no mind. I’m sure she’s just happy not to be a
struggling business owner now, knowing that she’ll get her full
paycheck each month.

Lorraine leans over,
exposing her deep cleavage, and lays a well-manicured hand on Matt’s
arm, simpering, “Matt… I know I speak for both McKayla
and me when I tell you we are just overjoyed to be part of your team.
You can count on us to get the job done.”

I want to roll my
eyes over her flirtatious gesture, because Lorraine is nothing short
of a man-eater. I’m surprised she’s not humping his leg
as we speak. I have to suppress a giggle though, when Matt’s
eyes narrow at her overtness and he pulls his arm away.

“Thank you for
that sentiment, Lorraine. I’m sure you’ll do just fine
here.”

“More than
just fine,” she gushes.

Matt doesn’t
respond but hands Lorraine and me each a folder. “Here are the
necessary forms you’ll need to fill out for human resources.
Lorraine… you’ll be direct reporting to Bill, and
McKayla… you’ll be reporting to me.”

Lorraine issues a
small cough, and everyone turns their eyes to her. “I thought
McKayla would still report to me. I’m very familiar with her
work and have the necessary skills to manage her.”

Her voice is strong,
assured, and I’m betting she thinks Matt will concede. Instead,
he just gives her the barest of glances as he stands up from the
table. “That’s not how we do things here. Your expertise
is in corporate work, which falls squarely under Bill’s
department. McKayla does litigation, which is under my authority. But
there will be a few cases that you will work on together and, in
those instances, you will be her direct supervisor. Now, after you
ladies fill those papers out, I’ll have our head of resources,
Krystal Anders, come in, get you set up, and introduce you around.”

Matt gives a nod to
Lorraine, but doesn’t spare a glance at me, as he starts to
walk out the door. However, I have questions that need answered
before I start my career at Connover and Crown.

“Excuse me,
Matt… but I have a few questions I need answered.”

He turns around with
surprise on his face and, yes, a flash of irritation. “I’m
sure Miss Anders can answer whatever questions you have.”

Matt turns away
again, but I stop him. “Actually, I doubt she can. This
question is specifically for you.”

When he turns back
my way, the irritation is still there… but I see something
else.

Respect?

Before Matt can
answer, Lorraine jumps up from the table. “I apologize, Matt.
Our little McKayla here doesn’t understand the etiquette of how
a high-powered firm works. I’m sure Miss Anders can help her
out.”

I turn to Lorraine
and speak as pleasantly as possible. “And I’m sure Mr.
Connover needs to answer this question.”

Lorraine starts to
huff, and I can tell she’s going to lay into me the way she
normally does, but I turn away to look at Matt. He gives me a small
smile and says, “By all means… how can I help you?”

“Well, I’m
assuming when you ‘acquired’ Lorraine’s firm,”
and yes, I made air-quotes with my fingers, “you took on all of
her assets as well as her debts?”

Matt nods but
doesn’t say anything.

“I’d
like to know if you intend to honor the firm’s debt to me of a
few missed paychecks I went without when we had some leaner times?”

Matt’s
eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and then his gaze flicks to Lorraine
in question. She starts a flurry of apologies for forgetting about
that detail, but Matt just holds up his hand to stop her. Returning
his stare to me, he says, “While your question was important,
Miss Anders could have indeed handled that. Regardless, I’ll
ensure your past paychecks are caught up before the end of the day.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend. I’m
sure Miss Anders can handle your other questions.”

Lorraine tries to
apologize one more time, but he’s already opening the door and
walking through it. Just before he leaves, he turns to me, “McKayla…
let’s plan on meeting at 4:30 PM to go over your new duties in
the litigation department.”

He doesn’t
even wait for my response before he’s gone, Bill following on
his heels.

I stare at the door,
lost in thought, my memories of my sex-athon with Matt competing with
the cold businessman I just met.