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I’m two beers in when I catch sight of her again. Dressed in a plain white summer dress exposing her tan legs, she’s hugging a neighbor while scanning the backyard. She doesn’t see me, since I’m blocked by a group of family friends. Thinking she’s in the clear, I watch her excuse herself and walk into the house, and I follow.
Just as I step through and close the door, I reach for her. Her squeal is loud, but cute. This time, she does drop her beer. Stepping over it, I pull her down the small hallway off the kitchen and stop once we hit the laundry room. I push her back against the wall, meeting her wide-as-fuck eyes.
“Hello, Hannah,” I say, my voice low. Her face instantly pales. Good. She better be scared of me. Her chest rises and falls in quick pants. Her lips part, and I find myself staring at her mouth, wondering if her lips taste like cherries and beer. But then I remember her deceit, and my anger kicks back in. “Have anything to say to me?” I ask in a cool tone.
Her head begins to shake. “Um…no…I—no. Why would I?”
“No apology for tricking me?”
Her color returns as her cheeks flush. “What? I…um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I place each hand on the wall, caging her in. Leaning forward, the smell of flowers and vanilla assaults me. For a quick moment, my anger dissipates, reminding me of her addictive scent. My closeness is making her extremely uncomfortable. Her cheeks flare and her body trembles. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, and I want an answer on why the fuck you tricked me.”
My words come out harsh, but dammit, I’m pissed. No—I’m angry. Her mouth opens, then closes, her words stuck in her throat. There’s no way out of this, and she’s coming to realize it.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Did Kip tell you this was going to be some other kind of party? Yeah, so boring. Family and all. But please, stay for the burgers. My dad is great with the grill—”
I slap my hand against the wall, silencing her rambling. She jumps, and I almost bring her tiny body to mine. “You know damn well what I’m talking about, Hannah. The supply closet. You and me. How’d you do it? Switch the plan with Ben so you could be the one to be in that room? Did you plan that all along? Set me up so you can get me to fuck you? What was it, Hannah? Did you get what you wanted? My hands, my tongue, my—”
“Ah, there you are!” Both our heads whip to the right to see Mr. Matthews standing at the end of the hallway. I causally step away from Hannah, trying not to set off any fatherly alarms. “Hello, Mr. Matthews. I was just asking Hannah how the rest of the internship went. Smart girl, your daughter.” I smile kindly, sticking out my hand. He makes his way to us, and I shake his hand as he slaps his free hand to my back.
“She sure is, Levi, and I can’t wait to see what storm she creates at the office. Luckily for you, you’ll get to witness my little baby at work.”
Hannah gasps. “Wait—what? Why would he see me at work?”
I enjoy watching her mouth fall open, staring down her father. She hasn’t been told.
“Levi is our newest top resident lawyer. I’ve been trying to snatch him since he passed the bar, but he wanted to make sure he earned his position. He came on board about six months ago. Doing a stellar job. Couldn’t be happier with his performance.” Her dad smiles, and she turns back to a shade of white.
“Wh-What?” she barely whispers, her eyes tracing over to me. I offer her a grin, the satisfaction of her shock pleasing me. I knew she was coming home to work with her father—and she’d be starting as my paralegal. Little Hannah Matthews wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, but to do so, she needed to start from the bottom. Learn all the tedious stuff before she worked her way to the bigger jobs. That’s where I stepped in. Her father came to me a few weeks back asking if I would allow his daughter to shadow me. Help her learn the ropes. Teach her. Mentor her. Little did Mr. Matthews know, I had already taught his daughter a few things. I more than happily accepted the challenge.
“That’s right. And come Monday, I get the pleasure of being your mentor and teaching you all my tricks.”
The poor girl looks almost sick. I worry she might barf on my brand-new shoes, but she’s too polite for such a blatant act.
“It’ll be a great pairing. You’ve both known each other since you were little. It will be easy working together. I actually look forward to it.” Mr. Matthews offers another fatherly pat to my back and steps away. “Burgers are done. Baby girl, your mom wants to say a speech before we eat. When you two kids are done chatting, make your way outside, okay?” She nods, and we both stare at her father’s back as he retreats. Once he disappears outside, I aim my searing eyes back to her just as she ducks and tries to escape.
