Author's note: Big thank you to fellow Lit authors and friends aimingtomisbehave33 and petitmort for their continued support and feedback. Thanks to Jill for co-creating the universe. And thanks to you, reader, for being here -- hope you enjoy the ride.
Previously in the series: Taylor found out she was assigned as counsel on a project with her ex-fiance Jim, who asked for closure after their work meeting and completely embarrassed himself. Annoyed by this development, Taylor went out clubbing with new beau Brad and later came home to have passionate loud sex, uncaring of its effect on Jim, who still lived next door.
***
Chapter VI -- The Girls
Monday
The idea of getting used to someone was scary for Brad; he usually didn't let people stick around long enough for him to make a habit out of it. He could actually count the number of people he hadn't pushed away on one hand, consisting of close family and his two bros from college.
As amazing as Taylor was, the thought of settling down with her had briefly made an appearance and then he purposefully pushed far from his mind.
Sure, in the past month or so, he had not actually slept with anyone other than her, wanting to be there for her through a particularly difficult time, but there was a limit to how long he could withstand monogamy, regardless of how wonderful his partner might be.
Maybe it was these thoughts that made him pick up his phone when it rang in the early afternoon.
"Brad? I just landed. Flying back out early tomorrow morning as usual. Want to meet up?"
Even just hearing her accented English made him smile. They always had a wild time together and seeing her infrequently only helped ensure each time was memorable and exciting. He missed that feeling of newness.
Skipping out on his local rotations for a few weeks had been easy enough, but he wasn't going to miss the chance to see Elise, whom he didn't see much thanks to her busy flight schedule.
"I, uhhh, need to check my schedule, make sure my dinner date won't mind being stood up," he said coyly.
On the other end of the phone, Elise laughed.
"Is there a girl with you right now? Do you have to pretend you're a good little boy? Just nod along and leave soon. You know where to find me."
Her confidence was one of the things he enjoyed about her most.
"Fine, you've convinced me," he chuckled in a low tone. "I'll meet you at the Hilton. See you in half an hour."
He was going to leave immediately; upon brief reflection, he decided to take a quick shower. He wanted to look his best, which often didn't take much time, but for Elise's benefit, he ran some gel through his hair, put on cologne and picked a Henley shirt that brought out both his eyes and his muscles.
Once at the hotel, he made his way through the lobby to the hotel bar on the left. Despite the early evening crowd, he immediately recognized her sitting at the bar, with her straight black hair pulled up into a bun and the gold sweater falling off a delicate white shoulder.
If he was having second thoughts about it and thinking of Taylor, they all disappeared when Elise turned around. With a sensual smile playing on her dark red lips, she stood up and approached him. At 5'11, she stood only slightly shorter than him, her piercing gray/green eyes staring into his.
"It's nice to see you again, darling."
Her voice was husky in his ear, her slender arms already pulling him in close for a hug.
Brad held her by the chin and kissed her. Then he let her lead him to her hotel room upstairs.
***
Taylor came home from work late in the evening to find a note from Brad that he was out for the night. She sighed, tossed the note in a corner and threw herself onto the couch.
She knew in her gut he was with another woman. He would've texted or called if he was going out with friends. This quiet cryptic note-leaving was the only sign of guilt she'd get from Brad.
Looking back at the crumpled note he left her, she wasn't as upset with him as she thought she'd be. Loyalty and exclusivity were things she'd taken for granted in the past, but certainly not with Brad. Maybe she'd just hoped he would've been honest about it.
They'd been living together for a while. She could feel their sex life losing a bit of its earlier spark, which was natural, given the speed of their affairs before each other. Neither of them was good at the whole exclusive thing.
Taylor had been in recovery mode since the events with Jim and Nick had unfolded, opening up just enough to Brad to help him support her intellectually, emotionally and, of course, sexually. However, through their growing connection, she'd once again come back to the place where monogamy was making her feel stifled and Brad had no clue.
It was time to be an adult and finally have the conversation she'd never had before.
***
Tuesday
The paperwork on her desk seemed to have grown overnight when she stepped into the offices of Mercer & Duncan LLP the next morning. Sighing, she made herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen area, then sat in her office and started tackling the mountain that was her casework.
At least she had an office with a door, unlike some of her colleagues. A door that closed and helped her concentrate on work without interruptions...
Concentrating was harder than usual, considering she had slept past her alarm and woken up alone in the bed. Brad hadn't shown up at all, which made things both easier and more difficult; easier because she didn't have to pretend everything was OK between them, and more difficult because she had to go through a full work day while her feelings and thoughts simmered unchecked just beneath the surface.
Shaking her head to chase relationship thoughts away, Taylor forced herself once more to read the opening lines of a deposition and finally succeeded in getting lost in work.
She was so caught up in reading and furious highlighting, that the knock on her door startled her. She ran her hands through her blonde hair and took a deep breath before inviting the person in.
"Come in."
"Hey, Taylor, sorry to bother you but, uhh.."
Taylor looked up to find Kevin - the office hottie and source of many fantasies among both the female and the male associates at the law firm. It was hard for him not to stand out with his 6'4 athletic frame, broad shoulders and an ass so tight you could bounce quarters off it.
Yeah, if Taylor was honest with herself, she'd fantasized about him, too. Even if Kevin looked more like a professional football player than the board-certified lawyer he actually was, it was probably that exact combination of attributes that made him all the more attractive to her. However, being colleagues was a hard limit for her; it was the one line she'd never crossed.
"Hey Kevin, what's up?"
"I didn't even know the machine worked, but someone just faxed you a document?"
Standing at her door, he waved the bunch of papers in his hand. The devilishly handsome smile he wore created a stark contrast between his white teeth and his dark skin, and Taylor felt a playful spark in the way his dark eyes looked at her.
She was unable to resist returning his smile. Knowing full well he was watching, she slowly uncrossed her legs and walked over to him, putting one shapely leg in front of the other in her tight pencil skirt.
"Must be a joke or something. Who even knows how to work a fax machine anymore?"
Her voice trailed off once she took the papers from his hand and checked the subject line. Jim, her ex-fiance, with whom she was supposed to work on an account, had sent her his latest proposal for the ad campaign. Via fax.
It was yet another trick he pulled, as he tried to weasel his way back into her life. Even though she had given in and given him all the closure he needed, and more, he still poked and prodded. Reviving old memories, like how he used to fax documents to her when they had first met working on a project, proved nothing more than what a manipulative prick he was.
Taylor's expression quickly soured. She folded the papers in half without looking through the rest of it. She knew what it was about.
Kevin must have sensed the change in the mood.
"I didn't mean to ruin your day with this. I can just shred it, pretend it never arrived. It wouldn't be a stretch to say our fax machine doesn't work. "
"It's OK, Kevin, just someone I have to work with at the ad agency for the Sheffield account. They clearly think it's funny to waste my billable hours with stuff like this. I'll deal with them later. Thanks for bringing the documents to me. I know you're busy and I appreciate it. "
She was trying to change the subject before she had to either divulge personal information regarding her ex or dismiss Kevin too rudely. She didn't want to do either of those.
Lucky for her, he was good at changing the subject.
"This being my last week at the firm and in town, my time isn't as precious anymore. But getting to drop by your office has always been a nice perk and I'll miss our chats. Any chance you'd let me buy you a drink, you know, finally hang out outside of the office before I leave?"
His smooth delivery made her smile up at him. He was almost a foot taller than her, but when every inch of him was so beautiful, Taylor didn't mind craning her neck to see him better.
When his almost black eyes met her blue eyes up so close, the chemistry she'd been ignoring for so long was so tangible that she couldn't catch her breath for a second. She smiled and turned her face just slightly to avoid giving herself away.
"Can't believe it's your last week already! I feel bad turning down your offer for a drink, but I'm afraid this week is impossible for me."
It was a generic, polite answer. A professional answer, which she thought her position at the law firm demanded, for whatever reason. However, deep down inside, she would love to go, have the fantastic conversation she was sure they would have and also explore where that spark between them could go for a night.
Kevin nodded, his smile losing some of its brightness.
"Understood. I'll try and catch you here one last time on Friday, then. Wouldn't want to leave without a proper goodbye and today absolutely does not count."
With that, he turned and left her office. Taylor stood there for a minute longer. She felt angry at herself for trying to do what was best for everyone, including Brad, who she knew was already hooking up with other people.
***
When she came home from work in the early evening, Brad had returned.
"Welcome home, babe!"
