If there is one thing that I hate more than anything in this world, it is listening to investors drone on and on about their problems as if I care about it. It is not my fault that you don’t know how businesses work and that you refused to read the contract before signing. I cannot help the fact that you signed over fifty percent of your total earning instead of your profit.People only ever get a lawyer after they have fucked up instead of to prevent said fuck up. I am a lawyer not a miracle worker, I cannot help you.I took my glasses off my face and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration as I looked at my father’s new client. To be honest, I don’t even know his name, and I don’t care. I work as one of my father’s lawyers. I am fresh out of law school so I don’t handle any of the major cases yet.“I’m sorry but I can’t help you.” I said cutting him off mid sentence. “It’s your job to help me.”“If you had brought the contract to me to read before signing then maybe I
Jake left the house soon after that with dad and when my father returned late at night, Jake wasn’t with him.My father and I have had a routine ever since I was a kid. He is a very busy man with running his company and dealing with clients. Sometimes he would be late to events at school and sometimes even miss them.But every single day, we eat dinner together at 9 p.m. in front of the massive home theatre while watching a different movie. It was his way of making up for it and he only ever misses it when he travels.Last night was his turn to pick a movie and he picked a bloody slasher movie. I couldn’t tell you the name even if I tried. I spent the entire movie bitching about the characters and ridiculing their actions which led to dad telling me to shut up which then led me to telling him to pick better movies.Then he threw popcorn at me, then I threw some back, and from there, we just ended up talking about a bunch of crazy things before he threatened to shove a sock in my mouth
The hair at the back of my neck stood on end as I took in the stoic look on his face. I nodded, wiped my hands against my shorts and followed him into the living room. He took off his jacket and tie and draped them over the armchair before turning to me.“If this is about Greg; it was not my fault.” “It’s not about Greg,” my dad chuckled, “Although, we do need to talk about him.”“There’s nothing to talk about; he was a dick and I treated him like a dick; story over.” I flashed a wide smile, “What did you want to talk about?”“I’m traveling tomorrow.” At first, I wondered why he made it such a big deal to tell me but then it hit me. “You’re not going to be here for the fourth of July.” He gave me a sheepish smile and nodded.My father and I have celebrated every Fourth of July together since the day I was born. His parents usually come over and we have this huge family barbeque in the backyard. For the last six years, Jake has been joining us as well. The barbeque will
I could hear every ragged breath that left Jake’s lips, could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he stared down at me, could see the swirling darkness in his eyes. His desire was tangible, I could taste it, see it, feel it. We were so close to each other, it was almost like we were breathing the same air, feeling the same breeze, all it took was one wrong- or right- move and we would be pressed impossibly close together.Just when I thought he would make the move, he closed his eyes and took a slow step backwards. His rejection hit me square in the centre of my chest.“I’m not playing this game with you Hayley.”He had never rejected me so plainly before. But then again, I had never made my intentions known so plainly either. Maybe it was all in my head; maybe I made up those glances, read too much into them because I wanted to believe that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. Maybe I was being delusional and I’m just the annoying little girl who he can’t seem to get rid of.
I watched with baited breath as he slowly took off the jacket. He did it slowly, almost as if he wanted me to savor the moment; he wanted me to anticipate it, to want it- to crave it.The tie went next and he tossed it against my sofa. After, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. It felt like hours before he was done but he didn’t shrug off the shirt. He made a twirling motion with his hands and I turned around to face him and sat on my knees.“Lie on your back.” He instructed.I did as he asked but a question was plaguing me and I had to let it out, “If you were going to have me on my back then why did you ask me to get on my knees?”“You ask too many questions.” He said after a beat of silence and I shrugged. “It comes with the job. I can’t exactly be a lawyer without asking- oh.”He hooked his hands behind my thighs and dragged me until I was half dangling off the bed. The action took me by surprise hence the little gasp that escaped me.He knelt between my legs and my breath hitc
I woke up the next morning feeling like I was in some sort of bubble. I woke up with a euphoric feeling bubbling in my chest. It was almost like I could hear the birds singing by my bed and I could have sworn I would have woken up to a full rainbow in the centre of my room.Before I even opened my eyes I had decided it was going to be a good day. I lay in bed and thought about yesterday’s events and couldn’t help but smile sheepishly to myself. It feels like a dream and I don’t want to wake up from it.I finally gathered the courage to peel my eyes open and I glanced at the clock on my nightstand, it read 8: 05 a.m. I can’t remember the last time I woke up this late, then again, I can’t remember the last time I had an orgasm that intense; my bad, two orgasms that intense and in one night.I turned to the now cold side of the bed where Jake had slept. The dip was still there so I knew it wasn’t a dream but it was cold, indicating that he had gotten up a while ago. I wonder why he didn’
Monday came by sooner than expected but also somehow longer than I would have wanted. The last thing I wanted was to be back in my office with Charles at my door every hour and annoying, stuck up, rich clients every other minute.Thankfully my next client didn’t stay long. She didn’t have any serious issues; she just had a contract she wanted me to look over for any loopholes she might have missed and give her pointers for anything she could add to grant her better benefits in their deal.As soon as she left, just before the door to my office closed finally, it was pushed open and Charles walked in. I forced down my groan of frustration and instead plastered on my most professional smile.“Is it okay if I sit?” he asked“Actually, I’m expecting another client right about now.”“Don’t worry,” he brushed me off and sat down. So much for asking me first, “I won’t be here very long.”I took a deep breath and counted to five, “What can I help you with?”“Yesterday was kind of awkward,” he
Talking to clients is hard enough but talking to clients when you’re turned on, sexually frustrated and have nothing on so you can feel the wetness between your thighs is even worse.Every single thing Winston said seemed to frustrate me more than usual and it was a conscious effort to not drag him by the collar, throw him out of my office and slam the door in his face. I unknowingly found myself counting down the hours until he would get out.The moment our meeting was done, I didn’t even wait for him to do his usual snobbish goodbyes; I just slammed the door and lay my head against it in frustration.Unfortunately, Winston wasn’t my last client for the day and I had to deal with that three more times before I was able to call it a day and hightail it out of there. On my way to the parking lot, I was ambushed by Charles. This time it took all the self control left in me for me to not scream.“Can I help you Charles?” I asked as I piled my things into the passenger side of my car.“I
HAYLEY’S P.O.VI stared at her for a moment.If anything, I was actually proud of the fact that she came all this way to ask that her mother’s charges be dropped. It was a ballsy thing to do, especially for a fourteen year old and that was the only thing that kept me listening to her.“You don’t understand how these things work,” dad began but she shot him a bored look.“I’m fourteen, I know how things work. I heard what she did, I know she assaulted someone but I don’t know who.”“Don’t you want to know?” I asked and she groaned.“Look, I’m not going to defend her because I know what she did was wrong. It’s clear you didn’t want to see her, I saw how you reacted at the funeral. I know my mother and she can be a bit much sometimes but she has issues, okay? I found out she went off her meds-”“What meds?” she fell silent immediately. “Look, Kayla, if you want me to help you then I need to know why.”“I can’t tell you her business. All I will say is that she is a good mother. She has ne
HAYLEY’S P.O.VI registered the slap before I even knew what was happening. I was on my feet in an instant and rushed over to the door.I couldn’t think of anyone that would dare hit Jake and yet, Andrea stood there. She looked furious, her chest rising and falling rapidly as if she had thrown everything she had into that hit. I glanced over at Jake and a gasp left my lips. His cheek was red and angry but he didn’t seem upset, he looked more shocked than anything.“Did you get all your anger out?” he asked and she lifted her hand again but he stopped her with his words. “I would choose my next actions wisely. If you hit me again, you will go to jail for assault and I will make sure you stay there for as long as possible.”She was smart enough to drop her hand but the anger didn’t leave her face. If anything, it got even worse.“You little bastard,” she spat. “You’re the one poisoning my daughter’s mind. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You are closer to my age than to hers. You’re a fu
JAKE’S P.O.VThe last thing I wanted to do was talk to Marie again after everything.As soon as I got the news that the child wasn’t mine, I blocked her number and didn’t bother to seek her out again. I had no intentions of ever talking to her again, she was a part of my past and I intended to leave her there but I should have known that she wouldn’t be willing to step down so easily. Marie had never been the kind of person to accept defeat.With a sigh, I dialed her number. It didn’t take long before she picked up, her nasally voice filling the room.“I was wondering when you would call,” she drawled. I could hear her nails tapping against something and could almost see the smirk on her face. “Have you gotten tired of her yet? Is that why you are coming back to me? I knew that sooner or later, you would tire of her problems.”“Why don’t we cut the bullshit for a second,” I hissed and she clicked her tongue.“That’s no way to treat the woman that you spent most of your life with, Jake
HAYLEY’S P.O.VI was shaking by the time I got to Jake’s office.Everyone seemed to recognize me. I wasn’t shocked, my face was plastered all over their TVs a while ago with Jake. They knew who I was to him and on another day, I would’ve been concerned about it but today, I couldn’t bring myself to care.I took the elevator up to his office and met his secretary at her desk. She looked up at me with a professional smile but as soon as she realized it was me, the smile disappeared. If there was any doubts in my mind that she wanted Jake, it was gone in that moment. She stared at me like a jealous girlfriend.“Mr. Ryker isn’t in his office,” she told me, a smug smile on her face. “As his girlfriend, I thought he would have told you that.”I just stared at her blankly and made to step past her but she was quick to get into my way.“Move,” I didn’t even bother to try and keep the disdain out of my voice. She was pissing me off.“No one is allowed to go into his office. If you’re truly dat
HAYLEY’S P.O.VGrandpa returned to his house earlier in the day and I already sent him five messages trying to find out how he was.I didn’t consider myself overbearing but on this case, I allowed myself to be. He claimed he was fine but there was no denying the fact that he was hiding how he felt about the whole thing. I had no idea why he was in a rush to return to the home, I couldn’t imagine going back to the home I shared with a partner for so many years without them.I wanted to visit him after work but I had a feeling he was more likely to slam the door in my face. He was like me in the sense that he hated feeling reliant on other people. He liked to fix things on his own even when he knew he needed help.“You’re back,” I looked up to find Sienna standing at my doorway. “I didn’t think you would be here today. How are you?”I shrugged. My grandmother’s funeral wasn’t a secret and my absence at the office had surely raised a few questions. I made sure to arrive very early before
HAYLEY’S P.O.VAt first, I was hoping for someone to jump out with a camera and say that it was a prank. I always knew my grandmother to be an impractical joker but this was truly pushing the limit.“That can’t be right,” grandpa cut in. “Are you sure she put that in?’He nodded. “I tried to advise her against it but she was determined. There is also a stipulated timeline by which you must have done it before the trust fund is distributed amongst charities.”“What’s the timeline?” I asked hoping to hear something like five years.“I can’t say,” he gave me a small smile. “It is her rules, not mine. I am so sorry.”“You’re joking,” I bit back a laugh as I turned to grandpa. “I’m sorry but your wife was insane.”“I’m starting to think the same thing,” he mumbled as he ran his hands down his face. “”What the hell was she thinking?”Dad and Jake were the only quiet ones. Dad seemed lost in thought but Jake- he was staring right at me. I could only imagine the kind of pressure it put him un
HAYLEY’S P.O.VDad was barking orders into his phone from the moment we got into the car.He was the only person more pissed about her presence than I was. I knew grandpa would have been pissed if he had the energy to spare but he was exhausted. He just sat there staring out the window.He didn’t say much for the rest of the day, he just dragged himself up the steps and locked himself in the room. I sat in my room too because I did not want to hear dad yelling at people over the phone as he tried to find a way to keep Andrea away from us.I had barely been alone for half an hour when I heard a knock on my door. I couldn’t respond because I was in the bathroom wiping my face clean of makeup but I heard footsteps and I knew immediately that it was Jake.One glance in the mirror told me all I needed to know. He leaned against the doorframe watching me. I had ditched my dress as soon as we got back and was only in black lace underwear but Jake’s eyes didn’t linger or roam down my body. He
HAYLEY’S P.O.VI didn’t realize how much I needed to be out of the house until I was out. It felt like I could finally breathe for the first time in a long time and every day after that, I spent a few hours with Jake and Kate.Maybe it was selfish to leave my father and grandpa alone seeing as they didn’t have anyone but it was the only way for me to stay sane.Dad buried himself in work while grandpa stayed in the house most of the time. He tried to tell us that he was fine but we could see through his façade, he was hurting despite how hard he tried to hide it.The only time he tried to engage in conversation with us was when he wanted to talk about the funeral preparations or when he wanted to demand that we let him move back home. Other than that, he locked himself up in his room which was as sad as it was concerning.It was a lot to deal with- work, the funeral and my personal life but somehow, I made it work. Greg didn’t bother me, the police had stopped sniffing around me and e
JAKE’S P.O.VI took Hayley to my house.I knew it was the only place she would get a semblance of privacy. Kate and her mother had gone out for the day meaning we had the entire house to ourselves, at least for a while.When we pulled up at the gate, Hayley snorted. “Of course you’d bring me here. I thought we were going somewhere different.”“Do you want to go somewhere different?”She pretended to think about it for a while before shaking her head. “I like it here, thank you. Are the others-”“No, we’re alone.”She tried to hide it but I saw the obvious relief on her face at the knowledge. She wasn’t ready to be around people, that was the only reason I had brought her here. She needed time to come to terms with everything, time to gather her own thoughts. Her grandmother had just died, one of the most important mother figures in her life and now, her birth mother was in her face.It felt like an insane coincidence but somehow, I doubted it was. From the way she spoke, it sounded li