Confessions of a Litigation God

She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly again. “Nothing. Just a little misunderstanding, but it’s solved now. ”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Misunderstanding,” she agrees with a nod of her head.

“Lorraine was screaming at you. Just before I walked in, she called you a f**king screw up. I don’t care what the reason was, but we don’t talk to each other like that at this firm. ”

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” she says apologetically, and I feel like my head is going to explode.

“Fuck, McKayla. Why are you apologizing? She was the one screaming at you. ”

“And like I said… it was just a misunderstanding. No harm, no foul. ”

I grit my teeth even further, feeling my blood pressure rise. Why can’t she just admit that Lorraine was on her case unfairly? Why can’t she let me help her fix it?

And even as I ask those questions, I know the answers. Because she doesn’t need me for anything. She doesn’t want to give me the satisfaction of possibly trying to make things up to her.

That just pisses me off even more, but now is not the time to battle with Mac. So I pick a piece of imaginary lint off my slacks as if I’m completely nonplused and say, “I’ll just have to talk to Lorraine myself, I guess. Give your degrees to Miss Anders, and she’ll get them fixed for you, at my expense. ”

“No, thanks,” she says primly. “I can handle it. ”

Okay, now she’s just being devious, and I glare at her. She looks back at me with a bland expression, but I see it… deep down in her eyes… way down deep… she’s enjoying bucking against me. She’s enjoying the little power trip she has right now by refusing to give me what I want.

And that just won’t do.

No, that won’t do at all.

Mac needs to learn that while I will give her some latitude, she’ll never win the ultimate battle against me. She needs to learn that when I set out to do something, I don’t give up until I get what I want.

It’s time to show her that.

Chapter 13

For the past week, Mac has been tormenting me. Long before this little act of defiance by refusing to tell me what just happened with Lorraine. And she’s doing it on purpose… a little female evil I suppose, to get back at me for refusing to cancel dinner with Lorraine.

To get back at me for demanding something from her, but refusing to reciprocate in kind.

It’s bad enough that she’d been dropping the “Yes, sir” and “No, sir” routine all week, making clear to me that she’ll be the dutiful little employee now, but she continued to torment me in other ways.

This past Thursday, I about flipped my shit. I was sitting in the break room, minding my own business and able to actually get my mind off Mac for a few minutes while I read the paper and had a cup of coffee before I started my workday.

Mac walked in, looking stunning with her hair all loose and curled so it bounced when she walked, and her makeup a little more pronounced. Whatever she had done to her f**king eyes had made them pop like a star bursting.

And her dress?

That f**king dress hugged her br**sts like a second skin, cutting down fairly low. It smoothed over her flat stomach and her hips, and then flared out around her knees. She was wearing another pair of sexy-as-fuck heels, and for a moment… I forgot we weren’t together. Our eyes met, and I started to give her one of those smiles… sexually hot… to show my appreciation.

Then another staff person walked in, and I hastily averted my gaze. Mac turned away to talk to her, and I had my ear only half on the conversation. But it was open enough that I heard her say she had a “lunch date,” which was why she had dressed up.

My blood pressure skyrocketed because I knew she was talking about having lunch with Cal. I know she said that out loud, purposely to shove my nose in it. She knew it would get to me.

She just had no idea how much.

I had to stand up and walk out of the break room, before I grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder in a testosterone-driven display of ownership. It took me almost an hour to calm down and remind myself that I had no hold over her whatsoever. I certainly had no right to her.

So, she’s been purposely driving me nuts all week, and even now, this little act of defiance is earning a point in her column. But I’m tired of playing her game, and it’s time to take back control. If she won’t tell me what’s going on with Lorraine, I will find out for myself and I’ll make Mac watch how easy it is to get said information.

Curling my lips upward, I give Mac a knowing look and turn my smile into an evil grin. She blinks hard and tries to maintain eye contact, but I see the way she nibbles on her lip nervously.

Standing up, I lean over my desk and press a button on my phone. It chimes once, and then Lorraine’s voice comes through. “Yes, Matt?”

“Lorraine… can you come into my office for a minute?”

She pauses just a moment, but I can hear the fear in her voice. “Sure. Be right down. ”

I disconnect the call and turn back around toward Mac. Leaning my butt back against my desk, I cross my arms over my chest and give her my most conquering look. Because I read body language, I catch the almost imperceptible way Mac sucks in her breath and stiffens her shoulders.

She’s bracing herself against the unknown and I’m not going to lie, the little bit of unease in her eyes is turning me on.

My office door opens and Lorraine steps in, but I don’t look at her. I keep my gaze on Mac, waiting to see if she’ll confess what happened with Lorraine but even though I know I’m making her nervous, she lifts her chin up at me in defiance.

So be it.

I motion for Lorraine to take the seat I had vacated and push off from my desk, walking around to my big, leather chair on wheels. Taking my seat, I lean back in the chair casually and look over at Lorraine. She’s sitting straight, as if a steel pole was fused to her spine, with her hands tightly clasped on her thighs. I move my gaze over to Mac, and I give her that knowing smile again. I want to laugh when she raises her chin just a bit more, and I hate myself that I find her so adorable and charming.

But now it’s time to find out what the f**k is going on. Looking back at Lorraine, I lean forward. “Lorraine… I’d like to know exactly what just happened in McKayla’s office. ”