16. Daniel

16

DANIEL

T he mood was tense when I walked back into the office. Michael glared at me as I strolled back to my spot at the head of the table. I could tell they had been talking about me while I was out, and I was certain the kiss I gave Emily hadn’t helped. Olivia stared at the paper in front of her. As a junior partner, she had zero say in higher level decisions, and honestly, none of them had a right to tell me how to live my personal life.

“What?” I snapped, sitting down. I tucked my tie into my jacket and rolled the chair closer to the table. Grace wasn’t shy about the nasty look she was giving me, and Benjamin seemed amused by the way Michael and Grace were acting.

“What? You really have to ask that question?” Michael’s nostrils flared as he leaned forward and pushed the papers away from himself. “Dan, we talked about this. You are treading on thin ice. You understand how very different you and Emily are? How just one wrong comment could send her running toward litigation?”

“What are you talking about? We’re in a relationship we both want.” I tried to fight my outrage, but it was growing by the second. “I told you to stay out of my personal life.”

“Sir, with all due respect, your personal life will affect your job.” Grace cleared her throat nervously. At least she had the decency to be anxious about the way she spoke to me, unlike Michael. He’d been with me so long, he didn’t even hesitate to say what was on his mind, which is why when Emily and I did something in my office, I had started having her lock the door, afraid he’d walk right in at any moment.

“My personal life is entirely separate from my ability to perform as a lawyer. If I were dating someone outside this office, it would be the same.”

“Sir, if Emily?—”

“If Emily does what, Grace? If she decides she wants my money? I’ll give it to her. If she decides she wants my power? Hers. You can’t put a price on love.” Once the word was out of my mouth, there was no taking it back. Michael’s eyebrows rose and so did he, leaning over the table menacingly.

“You can’t think you love her. This is just some passing fancy. She’s a baby, Daniel. A child. You are a grown man.” He snorted out a laugh and shook his head. “You were in love with Keri too, and look how that turned out.”

Just the mention of her name enraged me. I was on my feet ready to deck him instantly, and Ben had to hold me back. “Whoa, Dan… Take it easy.” Ben pressed his hand in my chest, and I gritted my jaw.

“You know damn well that Keri was just using me. She ruined me. She could have bankrupted me.” I pointed my finger at him as I shouted, knowing the outer office could both hear and see me.

“Exactly! I warned you about her. And I’m warning you about Emily too. You don’t even see it. She’s using you, manipulating you and twisting everything around here. One day, you’re going to get slapped with a lawsuit for sexual harassment, and your name will be plastered on every single television screen in America. You’ll be no better than Cosby or Clinton.” Michael collected his papers and tapped them on the desk.

Olivia looked up at me, lip trembling, and I stared right at her. “What do you think, Olivia? You think that’s what Emily is like? Is she just weaseling her way into my heart to sue me and take me for all I’m worth?” It was a rhetorical question, but she responded.

“No, sir, I don’t think so, but none of us really believed Keri was capable of what she did, either.” She shook as she spoke, still quite intimidated by being with the partners. I started toward Michael again, but Ben spoke softly in my ear.

“Let him go, Boss. He’s got to blow steam.” His hand pressed into my chest more firmly, and I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

“When it happens, don’t expect the firm to bail you out this time.” Michael stormed off, letting the door slam behind him as he left.

“I’m afraid I agree with Mike, Daniel. If you continue down this path, you’re going to regret it. While I can’t condone Michael’s behavior here today, I also can’t stand behind your relationship with an employee. In today’s climate with the “me too” movement, you’re asking for trouble. He’s right. The tabloids and news media would eat this up, a sexual harassment nightmare. We’d lose reputation and some very conservative clients.” Grace pushed her chair away from the table, picked up her papers, and stood. “I’m sorry, sir.” She walked out a bit more calmly than Michael had, and Ben let go of me.

“What the hell am I supposed to do?” I pinched the bridge of my nose and rubbed my face.

“I think love is love, and if you’re really in a committed relationship with her, then you make it work and those guys will get over it. What is love without a little conflict? And besides, you’re the head partner. What can they do?” Benjamin patted my shoulder.

“Thanks for not letting me do something stupid, Ben.” I sighed and let the tension fall off my shoulders.

“Of course. Now just go home or something. Give yourself some time to cool off too.” Ben left, and Olivia got up sheepishly, collected her paperwork and his, and wiggled her fingers in a goodbye before following him out of the conference room.

I didn’t understand why they were so upset about my relationship. I could see they were concerned, especially Michael after what Keri had done and the way the firm had to stand behind me, but Emily was different, and they refused to get to know her.

The chair behind me became my refuge for the next forty minutes while I stewed over Michael’s attitude. He’d been against this from the beginning with the same concerns about Emily, but if she was going to file suit against us, she’d have done it ages ago. We were in a good place, though I knew she’d been emotional lately, but I honestly felt like things were going well for us. When she voiced her concerns about wanting more than just “office sex”, as she’d called it, I took it seriously.

I reached for my phone, dialing her number. I wanted to see if she would join me at my house tonight for dinner. After a frustrating afternoon, I didn’t really want to dine alone, and I could think of no better company than her. Only the line rang straight through to voicemail. I didn’t leave a message. If she was still embarrassed or upset by the way Michael had treated her, I knew she probably needed space.

So I sent a message to my driver to pick me up and took my paperwork back to my desk where I collected my wallet and keys. Walking out through the outer office felt like playing Russian roulette, not knowing if I was going to run into Michael or not, but he and Grace were speaking in hushed tones in her office as I passed. It was better that way. I knew if he started shit again, I’d just punch him and regret it. Olivia was already gone, and Ben was nowhere in sight, so I rode the elevator to the ground floor with a janitor and his mop bucket.

When my driver finally pulled into my drive, I noticed my parents’ car in the driveway. It was the last thing I expected, to have surprise visitors, but there was no pretending I wasn’t home or hadn’t seen it. Dad stood on the front stoop smoking a cigar. He never smoked in the house because Mom wouldn’t allow it. He’d seen me pull up. I waited until the driver opened the door for me and slowly climbed out. I just wanted to relax, not have more lectures about Emily and her status or value, or whether I should be with her.

My shoulders squared, I strolled up to the front door and nodded at Dad as I did. He puffed out some smoke and dropped his cigar, stamping it out on the cement. He kicked the half-burnt butt into the landscaping and turned to follow me as I reached for the door.

“Well, son, your mother and I wanted to chat with you. Your maid let us in. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Yeah…” I muttered. What else could I even say? I could tell by the tone of his voice that he intended to grill me, and it hardened the edge I’d had since about three-fifteen this afternoon.

“Oh, Daniel,” Mom squawked when I walked into the den, “you’ve had that woman to your house?”

Confused, I paused just inside the door, and Dad bumped into my back. I glanced around the room, finding my maid standing by my liquor cabinet. Her cheeks were red and her head was down. Leave it to Mom to badger my staff into divulging things they should otherwise never speak of.

“Yes, I have,” I said, glaring at the maid. “Remind me to find more faithful staff.”

Mom scoffed and waved her hand, and the maid curtsied and said, “I’m sorry, sir.” She scurried out of the room after handing me a glass of scotch she poured for me. She probably knew I’d need it for this. I downed it in two swallows and set it on the coffee table before pacing in front of the bookshelves.

“Daniel, your mother and I are quite concerned. We know you’re looking for someone to spend your life with, but you need to find someone who fits you.” Dad spoke as if he had someone in mind. I heard him snapping his fingers and looked up, turning to see him waving someone in the room. She was gorgeous—tall, blonde, curvy—but not Emily. “This is Bethany. She is a fourth-year law student at Harvard. She’s the daughter of one of my colleagues, comes from a wealthy family. She’s closer to your age, Dan. She’s almost thirty, and yes, she went back to college to get her law degree, but that was after earning her Ph.D.”

My chest tightened. As much as I wanted to scream at him how stupid he was, I didn’t want to drag this poor woman into my family drama. I walked over to her and extended my hand. “Hello, Bethany, it’s very nice to meet you.”

“Same, Daniel. Our fathers have been friends for a while, so I’ve heard about you over the years. When your father offered to introduce me to you, I was flattered.” She blushed as she retracted her hand and clutched her black purse in front of herself.

“If you will excuse us for a moment, I think I have something I need to discuss with my parents alone. It was really nice meeting you.” I gestured toward the door, and she nodded, looking disappointed. As soon as she was out the door, I let it rip.

“What sort of maleficent bullshit are you trying to pull!” I glanced between Mom and Dad. Irate didn’t begin to explain how I felt. “I am in a relationship. You are not Cupid. You can’t just bring other women into my home and announce them as if you’ve found a match made in heaven.”

“I’m sure once you calm down, you’ll see that Bethany is a far better match for your personality, your financial status, even your education.” Mom stood and hooked her purse over her arm and sauntered toward me. “She’s even far prettier than that bimbo at work.”

“Emily is not a bimbo!”

“Oh, Danny, you know we only want what’s best for you.” Mom patted my cheek and smiled at me. I politely took her by the wrist and removed her hand from my cheek.

“You don’t want what’s best for me. You want what’s best for you. You think my dating someone you perceive as beneath you is bad optics. Well guess what? I’m dating her, and we’re an item now.”

“You can’t be serious,” Dad interjected. “That’s ludicrous.”

“Get out of my house.” I pointed at the door, glaring at both of them. “Now. Get out. I’m done with this conversation. Thank Bethany for coming. I’m not interested.”

I turned my back on them, picking up my glass on the way to my liquor cabinet, and heard the door shut as I poured a drink. God, I wished Emily were there for me to prove to them how amazing she was.

I drank the glass and poured another, then slumped onto the sofa in my den. They were wrong. All of them were. I would never jeopardize my job or my future if I thought Emily was out to play me. I would fight tooth and nail to prove her worth and my love for her because I loved her. Even if she had responded to my advances with ulterior motives, I knew she had a pure heart now. There was no way she was playing me.

I sipped my whiskey and closed my eyes, laying my head back. But as I took another sip, memories of Emily flooded my mind. Memories of her laughter, her touch, her soft curves pressed up against me. I felt my body stir with desire, and I knew that I needed her. I needed her more than anything else in the world.

I wasn’t giving up, and I wasn’t letting anything get in my way.