Page 35 of Rory: His to Discipline

Bridget stood in front of the law office shivering. Checking her watch, she saw it was exactly nine o’clock. Where the fuck was Winston? He was never late. Wishing she’d worn pants instead of a mini skirt, she huddled farther into the little alcove. Yesterday it had been sixty-eight degrees, today forty. Never trust an upstate weatherman. During November in New York you could be skiing or enjoying the sun. You guess which one. Jesus, where was Winston?

Speaking of the devil, Winston came up the alley from the parking lot behind the office. Bridget watched as he walked to the sidewalk and then across to the walk leading to the building. God forbid he should cut across the lawn.

Halfway up the walk, Del spotted Bridget and stopped. Good grief, the day was just starting and already this, he thought. It was bad enough to get pulled over and given a ticket, now he would have to deal with Ms. O’Malley.

“Hurry up, Winston, I’m freezing,” Bridget called out, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jacket.

“I’m coming,” Del called back. Serves her right, he thought. “If you wouldn’t insist on wearing skirts that barely cover .…”

“Winston, you bad boy, are you checking out my ass?” Bridget replied, delighted.

“I most certainly am not,” Del informed her, scowling as he unlocked the door. “I’m just stating the obvious, Ms. O’Malley. If you would dress appropriately for the weather conditions, maybe you wouldn’t be freezing your … ah derrière off. What are you doing here at this hour? Where is Ms. Martinez?” he asked as he methodically put his umbrella in the holder and hung up his coat in the closet.

“I’m not sure. Nick called me this morning and asked me to cover for Tess this week. I think she spent the night with Rory, so she might very well need the rest of the week to recover,” Bridget giggled as she tossed her coat onto a chair.

Del raised a disapproving eyebrow as he picked up her coat and hung it neatly in the closet. “Why aren’t you in school, Ms. O’Malley? Skipping class again?” he inquired, determined to see her in the very worst light. Turning away from the closet, his eyes located Bridget bent over, unzipping her ridiculously high boots, her bottom displayed for anyone in the vicinity.

“I’m on break for Thanksgiving,” she informed him, puffing her golden hair out of her eyes as she struggled with the other boot. Straightening up, she opened her back-pack and pulled out a pair of equally high red stilettos and slipped into them. The black stockings, red and black plaid mini skirt and her red sweater all combined to make her look incredibly naughty.

Winston noticed the red lipstick as she fluffed her curly hair around her shoulders. The shoes boosted her height about six inches, but she was still far shorter than him. As she approached him, he could feel himself start to perspire.

“I don’t always cut class, Winston. Only when I get a better offer,” she told him with a wink.

Watching her walk away was just as mesmerizing. Her hips swayed and Del wondered how he would survive the week. Picking up his briefcase, he positioned it in front of him, hiding his reaction.

“Anyway, why were you late today? I have it on good authority that you are always on time. Have a hot date last night?” Bridget teased. It really was too easy to get him flustered.

“I did not have a hot date,” he emphatically informed her. “I had the misfortune to be ticketed on my way to work.”

“Why, Winston, I do declare,” Bridget drawled in her best southern accent. “The very idea that you would disparage the law in such a way, why it just shocks me to my very core,” Bridget continued talking over her shoulder as she strolled to the break room to put on the coffee.

“I’d like to shock you to your very core,” Winston mumbled.

“Excuse me?” Bridget asked, leaning back to peek out of the doorway. Her eyebrows wiggling suggestively, her smile brilliant.

“Nothing, Ms. O’Malley, I’ll be in my office,” Del replied. Inside his office he shut the door firmly and leaned against it. A whole week with Bridget O’Malley? He was in deep shit.

Chapter Thirteen

The morning went by smoothly. Nick stopped in to pick up some files. He would be in court most of the day, then picking up his kids after school. He spoke briefly with Bridget, inquiring if she knew anyone trustworthy that would be interested in taking over Tess’s second job. Rory hadn’t definitely said that Tess would be giving up the nanny position, but Nick knew him well enough to see the writing on the wall. Rory would want to spend every available minute with Tess and her working two jobs would not cut it.

Bridget borrowed Del’s car, against his better judgment, and went out to pick up lunch. Sitting in the break room, they had what Del considered their first normal conversation. Bridget talked about her huge family and how loud and difficult all those personalities could be when they all got together. She loved them all, but at times longed for a little peace and quiet.

This surprised Del. Bridget seemed the quintessential party girl, full of laughter, vitality and she was just plain reckless. She was beautiful, of that there was no doubt. Her green eyes danced when she was happy. Her compact little body appealed to Del in a protective kind of way which was ridiculous. He’d never met a girl less in need of protecting. More likely, everyone in a five-mile radius of Bridget O’Malley should be wrapped in bubbles! She was a whirlwind of determination, apparently incredibly spoiled and sorely in need of guidance. Her brothers must be blind or immune to her shenanigans. He imagined under her yearbook picture the words: Least Likely to Conform.

Bridget listened closely as Del described his childhood. An only child of older parents, Del was expected to be perfect. It sounded like a lonely existence to her. A long line of wealthy, influential people dotted his family history. He had friends and a girlfriend or two along the way, but no one special. Right now, a relationship was low on his list of priorities. Passing the bar and getting established in a reputable practice was foremost in his plans.

Inadvertently, Del mentioned that his parents were traveling in Europe and Bridget immediately invited him to Thanksgiving dinner at her parents. Trying to backtrack, Del fabricated an invitation to a friend’s home, but Bridget wasn’t having it. Taking a scrap of paper, she wrote down her parent’s address and slapped it in front of him with the words “Be there” and went off to answer the phone.

Yes, little Miss Bossy-Pants was used to getting her own way. It might be fun to see her in her natural habitat, Del conceded with a smile. Maybe observing how her family dealt with her would give him some pointers for future reference. Not that he intended to have much to do with Bridget if he could help it. She might be beautiful, but that kind of trouble he didn’t need.

The afternoon was busy and Del spent most of it on the phone. Finally getting a break, he leaned back in his chair and contemplated how best he could fight this morning’s ticket. His office door was open and he could hear the phone on Tess’s desk ringing insistently.

“Ms. O’Malley, are you going to answer the phone?” he called out. Bridget didn’t answer, but the ringing stopped and Del sighed. Maybe he should just send the damn ticket in and pay the fine.

The phone began ringing again and Del checked to see if both lines were lit up. No, only one line, so where in the hell was she.

Bridget appeared in his doorway. “Could you grab that?” she asked wiggling her fingers. “My nails are wet,” she stated unapologetically with a grin.