Page 6 of Tell Me Something

Thankful to escape the friction, I grabbed my phone to call Legal again. By this time they were probably tired of hearing from me. Meanwhile, I stole a peek at Josh and found his gaze meeting mine. Fumbling over my words to the receptionist, I had to turn away. Jesus, it wasn’t enough that he casually gave me almost a full year’s salary in one afternoon, but the way that man looked and then looked at me—way too hot for comfort.

I needed to get a grip. Josh Singer was not the kind of guy a girl like me flirted with or even entertained a fantasy about. I had one goal in mind, which was to save up for law school and I needed to remember that.

CHAPTER TWO

T he first thing I did after arriving back in the office was down a Diet Coke from the break room to get some caffeine in my body. I hadn’t eaten all day and had a new respect for models now that my fatigue was threatening to take over from the shoot.

The Legal department was two floors up in the building, and I headed there to sign the release necessary for Cassius Rum to use my pictures.

One look from the legal assistant was enough to convey her irritation at having to stay late on a Friday evening. “Tom is waiting for you.” She gestured toward our general counsel’s office door.

I’d never met the man, but Tom Goldstein gave me a nod to come in as he finished up his phone call. He appeared to be in his late forties and was pleasant looking. “Hi, Haylee, I’m Tom Goldstein. I have the paperwork here for you to sign: the release and authorization of your payment.” He handed over some official looking documents.

“Nice to meet you, and thanks for doing this on short notice. It was all sort of last minute,” I admitted as he watched me sign.

“Between the breach of contract with Katrina Tross and Mr. Singer being there, well it sounds like quite an interesting day,” he empathized. “You’ll get your payment next Friday when payroll processes it. I hope that’s all right?”

I could hardly believe it. “Yes, of course. Thank you. Do you mind me asking what law school you went to, Mr. Goldstein?” I was always interested in anyone in legal, considering that studying law was what I wanted to do next year.

“Not at all, and call me Tom. I went to Harvard Law School. I love it up there, especially in the fall. Why? Are you interested in law school?”

Warming to his smile, I shared my plans. “Yes, I’m saving up and hoping to go next year.”

He nodded, seeming pleased. “Did you already take the LSAT? Wait one second. Let me get these papers to Maureen so she can go home, then I’ll be back.” He gestured for me to take a seat as he went out to give her the documents.

I heard another man’s voice and then Tom returned with Josh, explaining to him what I guessed was my release.

“Yes, this next Friday’s payroll, sir,” he said.

Seeing Josh again so soon was messing with my senses. Jesus, I needed to eat some food and then go home and take a cold shower or something.

“So, did you need anything else from Haylee this evening?” Josh asked.

“No, sir. We were just discussing law schools and if she’d taken the LSAT yet,” Tom supplied.

Both men looked at me expectantly. “And did you?” Josh questioned.

I swallowed at his sudden interest. “I, uh, yes. I took it in June.” My hands were knotted in my lap, and I realized I should probably be standing. I shot to my feet and almost groaned as that put me within inches of my problem.

“What was your score?” Tom inquired.

Josh seemed equally interested.

“It was a 172.”

My face heated when Tom whistled.

“That’s a great score. You could get into any of the top ten schools with that, most likely.”

I nodded but felt unprepared for this part of my personal life to become the business of the owner of the company. “Thank you. I hope so. If you don’t need me for anything else, Mr. Goldstein, I’ll leave you two gentlemen now.”

I was about to make my escape toward an In-N-Out burger, fries, and, hell, maybe even a chocolate milkshake, when Josh threw me for a loop.

“Actually, Haylee, I came back to speak with you. Tom, thanks for taking care of the paperwork. Nice to see you again.” He shook the older man’s hand.

Josh walked me to the elevator while I fought my nerves.

“You’re blushing. What are you thinking about?” he inquired in a tone that I hadn’t heard him use before. It was intimate and soft.