“So find out,” she says simply.
“Kind of hard when she’s in another man’s arms,” I point out. Although, if I really wanted to, I’d just go cut in and take her away from him.
“So get rid of him,” she suggests, again simply. “Seriously Matt… it’s not like you to sit back and wait for things. ”
Melody has a point, and with her egging me on, an idea comes to mind. Simple won’t work, but devious will.
“Excuse me,” I say to Melody as I stand up. Pulling my phone out, I step away from the table and flip through my contacts. Finding the one I need, I hit it and wait for an answer.
“This is Abe Gettner,” he answers on the third ring.
“It’s Matt Connover. I finally got some authority from my client on the Sellani case. If your client can pay a million, half in a structured settlement, the other half in cash, they’ll settle. But they want an answer within fifteen minutes. Otherwise, deal is off. ”
“Shit,” Abe gripes. “Fifteen minutes? And why aren’t you calling Cal? This is his case. ”
“I don’t have his number,” I tell him as I stare at Cal and Mac dancing twenty feet from me.
“I’ll give it to you,” Abe tells me, but I cut him off.
“No, I don’t have time. I’m out on a date right now. Just pass the message along and give him my number. If I hear back from him in the timeframe, we have a deal. ”
“Matt… that’s practically impossible,” Abe grumbles. “You know our clients are in London and it’s… three in the morning there. ”
“Then I suggest you get Cal hopping on this. It’s a good deal for you and you know it, and your clients may be in London but that’s still only a phone call away. Trust me, with this deal I’m offering you, they won’t mind being woken up. ”
I don’t wait for an answer but disconnect the call. Abe Gettner is the co-counsel on the Sellani case with Cal, but Cal’s lead chair. All settlement offers have to go through him and that should keep him busy for a while.
And I only need five minutes with Mac.
“Do you mind getting lost for a little bit?” I ask Melody with a charming smile as I take my seat again to resume watching Mac.
She returns it and pats me on the cheek. “If my little “fuck ‘em and leave ‘em” Matt is falling for a woman, hell yeah, I’ll get lost. This is monumental. ”
“Stuff it, Melody,” I say with affection as I watch her stand and walk gracefully away from the table.
The song ends and I watch Cal lead Mac back to the table, his hand resting on her lower back. Mac flicks her gaze at me once, but then otherwise looks around the room… looking everywhere but at me.
Right on schedule, just as soon as he pulls Mac’s chair out for her, Cal’s phone rings. He pulls it out, frowns, and then says, “I’m sorry… this is an urgent call. Excuse me. ”
Cal hasn’t even walked five paces away when I’m standing and grabbing Mac’s elbow. “Let’s dance. ”
She doesn’t struggle or deny me, but I didn’t expect her to. Regardless of the way things crumbled between us, there is still an insane attraction. Plus, I’m her boss. Not like she can say no, right?
When I reach the dance floor, I turn and pull her into my arms. One arm goes around her waist, and the other takes her hand in mine, where I rest them against my chest. She drapes her other hand over my shoulder and because there is still a little bit of a gap between us, I pull her in until her body touches mine. The move causes her eyes to darken to the color of emeralds.
“Where’s Melody?” she asks, her voice a little raspy.
“Off powdering her nose or whatever it is that you women do when you have to go to the restroom. ”
“I believe it’s called peeing. I’m sure she’s just peeing,” she says with a grin, and just like that… there’s the Mac that has me captivated.
“Ah… Mac,” I say longingly. “I’ve missed your crazy humor. ”
I’m not sure what is so special about what I just said, but Mac pushes in closer to me… close enough I can lean my head slightly and put my cheek to her temple. It’s intimate, and it suffuses me with peace. We dance quietly for a few moments, but then I feel compelled to tell her, “You look amazingly and fantastically gorgeous tonight. Every woman in this room pales next to you. ”
“Even Melody?” she murmurs and although I can’t see her face, I can feel the teasing smile she’s wearing.
“Even Melody,” I tell her adamantly, but then add on, “By the way, she’s just a friend. We went to law school together. ”
Her head pulls back so she can look at me, and her tone is a little chastising. “So, you’re saying I look better than just… ‘nice’?”
I laugh at her silliness. “That’s all I could say to you in mixed company. I don’t think anyone would understand an employer calling his employee ‘amazingly and fantastically gorgeous’. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Totally agree,” she whispers with a smile, and then pushes back in closer to me again. My heart flips over and when her body touches mine, you know what starts twitching in you know where.
Leaning my head down, I put my lips near her ear. “Mac?”
“Hmmm?” she asks, sort of dreamily.
My voice is urgent and raw once I commit to the words. “Leave with me right now. I need you, and it’s killing me not to be with you. ”