Waiting for Us (14 page)

PART TWO

Chapter Thirteen

June 2015 - Cory

This morning began much like any other day. I woke to the annoyingly loud buzzing of my alarm, jumped in the shower, got dressed and had a cup of coffee in my hand all within fifteen minutes. I rub my hair covered jawline as I sit at my small kitchen table pondering how growing a beard has shortened my morning routine by ten minutes and the ladies seem to like it too. Not that I care. There's only one girl I'm interested in and she despises me, admittedly with good reason too. I finish my coffee and rinse the cup in the sink, before heading to my master bathroom to brush my teeth.

I grab my briefcase on my way out the door and begin my short walk to work. Living and working in downtown Boston has many perks, especially on a beautiful early June morning, like today. The air has a crispness to it as I take a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs. I meander through the steady stream of business professionals moving along the sidewalk around me.

It's a ten-minute walk to the building where the law firm I work for is located. Conveniently along my way, are Dunkin Donuts and the Good Day Cafe', a small eatery that serves breakfast twenty-four-seven. If you're a fan of "breakfast for dinner" like I am, this little hole in the wall is the place to eat. I often work late and I’ll grab a sandwich from there on my way home.

When I reach my office, I get a phone call from Margaret, the secretary of one of the firm's founding partners.

"Hi Cory, Chris would like to see you as soon as possible."

"Okay, thank you, Margaret." I hang up the phone wondering what's going on that he needs to see me immediately? Something big must be happening because Chris is notorious for being unflappable. I swear the guy has ice in his veins instead of blood. I've seen him during high publicity trials and his composure is both, enviable and inspiring. I've learned a lot from him in the few months I've been working here.

When I first graduated from law school and passed the bar, Chris tried to recruit me to work for his firm but I didn't think it was a good idea since he is my best friend Jake's father. I've known him for ten years now and he's always been a great male role model for me. That being said, he will put his boot in my ass if I need it professionally or personally speaking. After Chris repeatedly pursued me working at the firm, I finally gave in and I couldn't be happier that I did. In the short time, I'd been here I'd learned more from him and the other partners than I had in the two years I spent with my last firm.

I turn my computer on so it can boot up while I'm away from my desk. His office is on the twentieth floor, one up from mine and the elevator is empty for a change due to the early hour. Another thing I’ve learned from Chris is to get to the office by seven each day and it gives you a good hour of uninterrupted quiet time to get work done.

         I exit the elevator and smile at Margaret as I pass her desk. Chris is working on his computer so I knock on the open door to catch his attention.

"Cory, come on in and close the door, please." I do as he asks, again wondering what's going on?

"So I wanted to let you know that Hailey will be doing an internship here for the summer and I am having her shadow you."
Me?

He must notice the look of confusion on my face and goes on to explain, "I want you to mentor her and show her the ropes. After all, she’ll someday be a partner at this firm."

"Okay sir," is my reply to him.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,
is what I’m thinking.

"I chose you because I trust you to do right by her and not cut corners. Also, you aren't that far removed from where she's at so you will be more sensitive to how overwhelming this may be for her."

I numbly nod my head repeatedly like a bobble head doll. Pathetic! It's ridiculous that this tiny girl can affect me so much. "She starts today. She should be in around nine."
Fuck me.
I thought I'd have some time to prepare myself and figure out how I’m going to be in such close confines with her every day without bending her over my desk and fucking her senseless. 

Chapter Fourteen

June 2015 - Hailey

I've always loved that saying "today is the first day of the rest of your life," and today that sentiment really resonates with me. I'm starting my internship at my dad's law firm and I'm so excited about it. I'm starting my second year of law school in September and then I will be firmly on my way to being an attorney. Well, I'll have to finish school and pass the Bar exam first, but as soon as that is done I will be doing what I've always dreamed of. This internship will give me a glimpse of what my future as a lawyer will be like.

Last night Shelby came over and helped me pick out the perfect outfit for my first day. I'm wearing a black wrap dress with red peep toe pumps. I have a large, oval, faux ruby ring on my right middle finger and small gold hoops in my ears. Shelby wanted to accessorize me up, but I prefer to keep it simple and classic. This is not the time to look like a hoochie momma.

I use my curling wand to make large loose curls throughout my hair and hold the front back with a black lacquered headband. I keep my eye makeup minimal since it's daytime and I add some dark red lip gloss to finish my look off. I glance in the mirror one last time and I feel good about what I see. I look professional and not too young. I don't want to look like a little girl playing dress-up in her mother's closet.

The law office is about a ten-minute drive from the apartment that I share with Marcus. I leave home making sure I have extra time in case I hit traffic. Boston traffic is no joke and I definitely don't want to be late on my first day. As I pull my silver Honda CRV into a parking space in the attached garage, my phone beeps with a text alert. It's from Marcus.

Good luck Hails

Thx I need it

My girl's gonna give em hell

xo

I confidently make my way through the garage and inside the building, taking the elevator to the twentieth floor, where my dad's office is located. I've been here many times before, especially since I have been living in Boston for school. Dad and I try to get together for lunch or dinner at least once a month, but I've had to cancel on him the last few times due to my large school workload. When I get off the elevator I come to the wide open space where Margaret, my dad's secretary's desk is located. She stands and immediately engulfs me in a huge hug. I'm enveloped in a cloud of strong, floral perfume, but I don't mind because I've known her since I was a baby. She's like family to me.

"I'm so happy I will get to see you every day now. You look so beautiful and grown up."

"Thank you, it's so great to see you. It will be nice to have a break from school this summer. I was getting a little burned out."

"Your dad is waiting for you now. You and I will go to lunch soon and catch up."

"Sounds like a plan," I say with a smile.

I knock on my dad's darkly stained door and as I enter his office, I notice he's not alone. There's a broad-shouldered, brown haired guy sitting in one of the blue swivel chairs in front of his desk.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," I say with chagrin.

"No honey, you're not interrupting. We were actually just talking about your duties and what my expectations are for you. You will be mentored by Cory for the duration of your internship."
Wait, did he just say Cory? What are the chances...
After my dad finishes speaking the mystery man stands up and turns around smiling at me.
Holy hell, it's Cory Fucking Marshall.

"What are you doing here?" I ask in a not so nice tone of voice while wearing a large scowl on my face.

"Hailey." My dad scolds. "That wasn't very nice of you. Say a proper hello to Cory and you better throw in a hug while you're at it. He's practically another brother to you."
He's not really like a brother to me, dad. His dick has been inside me.

"Yeah Hailey, come give me a hug," Cory says with a smirk on his bearded face. The well-trimmed beard is sexy, but it hides his very masculine jawline. I can't decide which I want to do more... punch him in the face or suck his lips off. I settle for walking across the Persian rug to where he is standing and loosely hug him. Cory doesn't seem to get the hint that I don't really want any contact with him and he pulls me in tightly. I gasp in surprise from the press of his body against mine and I know he heard.
The bastard. Why does he have
to
be so freaking sexy?
I can feel his toned stomach against mine and I hate that one touch from him still makes my panties uncomfortably wet. How am I going to work with him each day without pathetically throwing myself at him? I push myself away from his chest and take a step back to gain some distance between us.

"Why don't you guys head down to your office and you can get started on showing Hailey what needs to be done."

"Yes, sir." Cory promptly replies.
Kiss-ass.

"Hailey honey, let's grab lunch. I will have Margaret contact you when I'm free."

"Okay, dad. Or should I call you Mr. Morse here?" I ask cheekily. I arch my brow waiting for his reply.

"You better call me dad always. It's my favorite name." He blows me a kiss and I do the same as I turn and make my way to the door where Cory waits. He steps back and gestures for me to go first. I love when a guy has nice manners but in his case it's probably so he can watch my ass as I walk in front of him.

Margaret's not at her desk as we pass by so we continue on our way to the elevator in silence. We don't have long to wait before we are back on the nineteenth floor and are making our way to Cory's office. There's a woman who I surmise must be the secretary for him and the other two junior associates. She has bleached blonde hair and her large chest is on display in her red V-neck blouse...she's just Cory's type. He stops to introduce me to her and I learn that her name is Candy.
OMG, I can't make this shit up. I can't wait to tell Marcus and Shelby about this.
Candy says hello to me with her lips pursed as if she ate something distasteful. The only thing distasteful is her blouse. I'm kind of shocked my dad would employ someone that looks so unprofessional. Then again, one of the other partners may have hired her.

"It's nice to meet you, Candy." I somehow manage to say with a straight face, before following Cory wherever we are going. He walks down a long hallway, painted an earthy taupe color and enters the last door on the left.

"This is my office...have a seat." He says gesturing to the pair of brown leather club chairs in front of his large wooden desk. I sit myself down, careful to smooth the back of my dress out so it won't be a wrinkled mess. I watch Cory as he picks up a couple of folders, only to put them down again.
Is he nervous?
I wonder to myself and unknowingly my lip quirks up on one side in a smirk.

"Why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?" He asks as he sits back in his black leather office chair and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"I'm not sure what you mean," I reply haughtily.

"Okay, let's just get started on what I need you to do first." He opens one of his desk drawers and removes a folder that is overflowing with papers.

"I need you to file these in those cabinets," he gestures to a wall filled with beautiful wooden drawers. I've never seen filing cabinets that look like these. I was expecting the typical ugly metal ones.

"It's all organized alphabetically so you shouldn't have any problems. Just find the folder in the drawer that coincides with the name on each paper and place it inside."

"I'm well aware of how to file Cory. I've been filing paperwork for my dad since I was ten years old." I grab the folder with two hands so no papers will slip out and purposefully walk over to the cabinets to get started. The sooner I begin, the less I’ll have to make nice with Cory.

It's not too long before I'm able to forget about him and focus solely on my task. I've always had great concentration skills. It must be from all the reading I've done. When I'm truly focused on something, I shut everything else out. I won't even hear someone if they are talking to me.

The filing takes me about an hour to do. I walk back over to Cory and place the empty folder on the edge of his desk, asking "What's next?" He reaches in another desk drawer and pulls out an even larger folder than the last. He places it on his desk in front of me.

"This also has to be filed." He doesn't raise his eyes from the paper he’s reading so I pick up the folder without a word and begin placing each paper in the appropriate drawer. I actually enjoy losing myself in repetitive tasks like this. I'm not telling Cory that, though. He probably thinks he's pissing me off by having me do busy work, but little does he know, I'm just happy to be here. Ever since I was a little girl I've dreamed of working with my dad and this is the first step in that direction.

After about ninety more minutes I drop the now empty folder on his desk and stand with my hands clasped in front of me, waiting for his instructions on what my next task will be. He ignores me at first, so I continue silently standing there as if I have all the time in the world. When he finally raises his head from his paperwork to acknowledge me I make sure my face is calmly composed.

"It's noon now, so why don't you break for lunch and be back in an hour." I nod my head and give him a thumbs up before walking out of his office. I make my way past Candy,
snort,
as she glares at me. I smile extra wide just to piss her off and wait for the elevator. When the doors open for me to get on I notice there is already another passenger inside and he is looking over some paperwork. Since his head is lowered, I can't see his face, but he looks to be well over six feet tall and his well-groomed hair is black. He actually reminds me of my old boyfriend Erik and my heart hurts a bit at the reminder. As I step inside, he looks up from his work and locks eyes with me.
Oh, my, holy hotness!
He has ice blue eyes and he looks like a younger version of Ian Somerhalder. His well-formed lips slowly form a smile and I unconsciously smile back at him before turning to push the button to the twentieth floor. I notice it's already lit up so that must mean this hottie works for this firm. The doors close and I swear I can feel the heat of his gaze all along my backside. Fortunately, it's only a matter of seconds before the doors are opening and I can quickly make my exit. I blow Margaret a kiss as I pass her. She’s on the telephone and gives me a small wave as I once again, make my way to my dad's office. His door is open and he’s leaning his head back in his brown leather executive style chair.

"Hey daddy, working hard I see." I tease as I walk over to kiss him on his cheek.

"How is your day going so far honey?"

"Well I'd say I'm already a pro at filing." I say with a giggle.

"You've had that down since you were ten years old." He laughs, slapping his knee.

"Chris, here's that brief you were asking for." The elevator hottie briskly walks in, just now looking up from the paperwork he is holding.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." He apologizes.

"No, you're not interrupting us at all. Sean, this is my daughter Hailey.... Hailey, Sean is one of our junior associates."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Hailey," He says with a dazzling smile as he steps forward to shake my hand. His grip is firm and I like that.

"Hi Sean. It's so nice to meet you." I smile back at him and hope that he finds my smile as attractive as I find his.

"Hailey is doing an internship here this summer." My dad interjects.

"Well, I'd be happy to assist her in her learning in any way I can."
I bet I could learn a few things from you.

"Thank you, Sean. I actually have Cory mentoring her since they've known one another for so long, I knew Hailey would be comfortable asking him questions."
Can Sean be my mentor, please?

"Daddy, I don't want to take up anymore of your time. I just wanted to see if you were free to grab lunch now since you mentioned it, earlier this morning."

"No, now is not a good time for me but maybe we can do tomorrow instead?"

"Sure," I say with a smile.

"I'd be happy to escort Hailey to lunch, sir." Sean says.

"That's a great idea and this way I won't feel so bad about backing out on you." My dad mentions.

The walk to the sandwich shop is quick and uneventful. He orders a turkey and cheese sub and I ask for a Greek salad. There was no way I was going to eat a big messy sub in front of him. Trying to cram a foot-long sub in my mouth for a bite would be all kinds of awkward. Sean grabs two bottles of water from the cooler and heads my way.

"Is water okay or do you want something else?"

"Water is great." I reply as I look for an empty table. I find one in the corner and start to move towards it before someone else snatches it up. Sean is right behind me and he pulls my chair out for me to sit down.
Nice manners.
He sits in the seat across from me, taking a sip from his water bottle. I watch his throat as he swallows. He has a nice Adam's apple. It doesn't stick out too much. I find that to be a big turn off for me. Who wants to see a lump sticking out of some hot guy’s neck?
Gross!
I love the way your Adam's apple sexily protrudes from your neck, said no one ever.