Lara sat at her desk with her chin in her hand, a dumb smile on her face. The printer next to her hummed rhythmically as it spit out the last of the ten copies of the report she needed on Monday. She was zoned out, completely and blissfully lethargic. She was clad in another pair of Malcolm's sweatpants and a matching hoodie, no bra and no panties (at Malcolm's request.) She'd gone to bed last night as sated as she'd ever been, and he woke her up this morning for another round of unbelievable sex.
I'm not going to get my hopes up, she told herself, shaking her head and sitting up to assemble the reports. She talked to herself as she sorted the pages, stapled, and paper clipped. It was just sex, a one night stand. Malcolm doesn't want to be with me—how could he, especially after I was so easy last night.
Lara had never given it up so easily before. She'd never been the type to chase a guy and always required a commitment before she slept with anybody, ever. Something about Malcolm made her forget everything about herself—at least, all of the stodgy, anal-retentive things she'd thought were important.
Malcolm pulled up in front of the office and balanced the coffee and bag of doughnuts he'd promised Lara—surely she'd be done with the printing since he'd dropped her off. He planned on taking her back to her house and then asking her out to dinner, giving her time to clean up and rest. He was hoping she'd just pack a bag so she could stay the rest of the weekend with him. They'd called a tow truck this morning and had her car taken to Malcolm's brother-in-law's repair shop. Malcolm had called Cedric after he dropped Lara off at the office.
"Hey Ced, I've got a favor to ask."
"What's up, Malcolm—how's everything, the Suburban acting up on you?"
"Nah, bro, everything is good with me. It's my coworker's ride. It won't start. We called Central Tow this morning and they're on the way to drop it off at the shop. You think you can get to it today or Monday?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty backed up today, but I'll definitely be able to check it out Monday. What kind of car does he have?"
Shit, Malcolm thought, here goes. "Uh, she's got a Maxima—it's pretty old, so go ahead and do whatever needs to be done. You can put it on my account."
"'She', Malcolm?" Cedric asked, warily, "On your account?"
"Yes, 'she', Cedric. My coworker, Lara Spencer."
"Lara. She's white? And you fucked her, didn't you?"
Malcolm didn't say anything. He knew Cedric was just looking out, but it pissed him off just the same.
"Malcolm, what the fuck are you doing?"
"Look, Cedric, it's not the same. This isn't going to be like last time."
Cedric sighed heavily, "So you don't think this white bitch is going to be the same as the last white bitch? Dammit, she accused you of rape! You lost your job, nearly lost you your license, Malcolm, and if you weren't such a good fucking attorney, you'd be sitting in a jail cell right now. Your sister is going to kill you."
"Cedric, Samantha was a devious, lying cunt who used me to get even and to get ahead. All white women are not the same. Lara is not going to accuse me of rape. And Misha can kiss my ass!"
Cedric burst out laughing, and then blurted out, "I double dog DARE you to say that to her face."
Malcolm had to smile at that. "Look, can you fix the car or not?"
Cedric was still laughing, "I got you. Just as long as I can be there when you tell Misha."
"You're a dick, man. I'll drop by on Monday then. Take care, Ced."
"See you later, bro."
The conversation brought up old memories—memories of bending Samantha over his desk and fucking the shit out of her. He thought he was in love—Sam had definitely led him to believe that she cared for him too. And then, when she realized that he was being offered partner at their firm instead of her, she totally flipped the script. She set him up big time. It had happened 3 years ago—but it was all over the news back then and every firm in Cincinnati was still very aware of who Malcolm Grayson was. He'd basically had to pick up and leave everything he'd built in Cincinnati and tuck tail back to Louisville.
He took a deep breath and put the key in the door to the office. A voice behind him startled him and he juggled the coffees.
"Hey, do you know Lara Spencer? Is she here?"
Malcolm turned and found himself face to face with Lara's boyfriend; ex-boyfriend, he corrected himself. He was barely as tall as Lara but was lean and muscled. He had on tight jeans and a shirt and tie, preppy but trying to look cool. He had black hair and a fake tan, reminding Malcolm of one of the Jersey shore boys.
"Yeah, I know Lara. How can I help you?"
"I need to talk to her, I'm her boyfriend."
Malcolm smirked, "Ah, Seth, right? The office is closed. Do you want me to take a message for her?"
Seth frowned. "Uh, no, I need to talk to her. Is she here?"
"If you need to talk to her, I suggest you call her or come back during regular business hours."
Seth hesitated at Malcolm's size, but dismissed him and seemed determined to see Lara immediately, "Look, buddy, I told you I'm her boyfriend. Her cell phone is turned off and she hasn't been home all night. I'm worried."
Malcolm was irritated but didn't want to piss Lara off.
"I'll be right back," he said, walking in the office and blatantly locking the door behind him. Seth stood right outside with his arms crossed over his chest.
Malcolm headed into the inner offices and found Lara just turning her computer off.
"Did you get it all done?" Malcolm asked her, smiling.
"I did," she said, smiling back at him. She patted the stack of reports at the corner of her desk, "Ready for Monday morning."
"Good deal, here's your breakfast."
They cracked open the box of doughnuts and sipped their coffee. Lara had just finished licking the sugar off her fingers when Malcolm spoke.
"I nearly forgot to tell you," he said, "Seth is outside."
Lara almost choked on her coffee, "He's here now?"
Malcolm nodded.
"Shit."
"I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk to him. What should I tell him?"
"This isn't your mess to deal with. I'll go out there."
"You want me to go with you?"
She hesitated. "Can you wait for me in the front office? I don't want you to have to be involved."
