Her Chance At Love

Chapter 3

Cadence arrived at the office a half hour early, just as she had for the past few months. At twenty-eight, she had her heart set on becoming the company’s youngest woman to make partner. Snagging the current open position of senior counsel would put her on track for making that happen in record time. She was putting in all the extra effort that was necessary to secure this promotion. Even though she wasn’t much of a people person, she made a concerted effort to be more engaged with her coworkers.

As early as it was, her eyes were already strained and tired from going over documentation from the case she was working on. Cadence placed her palms on her cherrywood desk and pushed herself up. As she stood, she brushed off the front of her pin-striped slacks, heaved a deep breath and headed through the desolate office toward the break room.

Popping a French vanilla K-Cup into the coffeemaker, she leaned back against the counter as she listened to the machine hiss against the quiet backdrop of the empty office. Cadence crossed her arms over her chest and recounted the items on her task list. Her latest case was a doozy. Not so much because of legal aspects. That she could handle. The client, on the other hand, was a handful.

Richard McLennan was a young spoiled rich brat that never knew a day of hard work in his life. He was unsuitably left to run an accounting firm he’d inherited as a result of his father’s sudden death. Recently, he’d been doling out sexual harassment settlements like federal income tax payouts after April 15. Cadence, along with the company’s board, had been advising him to focus on the business rather than his employees’ “assets.” Unfortunately, the young know-it-all was convinced he had everything under control, despite the new claims being filed on a weekly basis. Cadence knew that if the media caught wind of this fiasco, the company would suffer a serious blow to its image.

The hiss of the coffee machine settled as the last drops of brew gurgled into Cadence’s mug, capturing her attention. Adding French vanilla creamer to deepen the flavor, she closed her eyes and sniffed, taking in the rich aroma. Just as she was about to take a much-desired sip, Kerry Cooper’s nasal voice sliced right through her indulgent moment.

“Morning, Cadence,” Kerry purred like a slick feline. Cadence’s stomach contracted and she discreetly rolled her eyes.

Standing straighter, Cadence spread her lips into a tight smile and turned to face her colleague. “Good morning to you, Kerry,” she said with what she’d hoped came across as a polite nod of her head.

Kerry pranced into the break room, sporting a sly smile, and stepped dangerously close to Cadence before grabbing a K-Cup of her own. “Guess who I had dinner with last night?” Kerry sang.

Who cares? “Who?” Cadence asked, immediately taking a sip of her scorching coffee in an effort to hide the scowl that threatened to take hold of her lips.

“Richard McLennan.” Kerry raised her brows as if dropping the name gave her a big win.

Cadence paused mid-sip, feeling heat rise from her belly. Did you sleep with him, too? Instead of the curt words she wanted to say, she opted for something a little less cheeky. “He seems like your type.” Cadence tilted her head and smiled pleasantly, enjoying the questioning look and narrowed eyes glaring back at her. Though her head was filled with questions and she felt like a knife had been lodged in her back, she refused to let Kerry get a rise out of her. “Chat with you later,” she said cheerfully. Exiting with a glide, she could feel Kerry’s eyes boring into her back.

Once she got into her office, she dialed Alana on her cell phone.

“Do you know what that woman did this time?” she poured into the phone without giving Alana a chance to say hello.

“It’s too early for this. Hold on and let me close my office door.” The line went silent for a moment and Cadence could hear the door shut. “Okay. I’m back. What on earth happened?”

“She had dinner with my client!”

“Shut the front door! Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

“Not necessarily. As long as nothing substantive about the case was being discussed, there’s no problem with it. You know that.”

“Well, it should be.”

“I know, but it’s not like she’d admit to anything anyway. She’s clearly up to something. Ever since she found out that I was also in the running for senior counsel, she’s been slithering around this office trying to rile me up one way or another. I don’t trust her as far as I could throw her.” Cadence paced circles around her desk.

“How did you find out?”

“She just told me.” Cadence pivoted, her breathing escalated with every step. She plopped down on the front of her desk and took a deep breath. “You should have seen the devious smile on her face.”

“Who else was there?”

“Just us.”

“And what did you say?”

“That he seemed like her type, and I sauntered my behind out of the room with a winning smile.” Cadence chuckled.

“Ha! That’s right, my lady. Never let ʼem see you sweat! Sounds like you could probably use a drink after work. Why don’t you meet me in that lounge over by Seventh and Twenty-Third?”

Cadence frowned. She really could use the drink, the company and a dose of her best friend’s humor, but when she thought about how much work she had ahead of her, she knew she’d have to decline. Reasons for saying yes and no volleyed in her mind.

“Come on! I can tell by your silence that you’re probably thinking of an excuse to tell me why you can’t come. We all have a lot on our plates,” Alana said as if she had read Cadence’s mind. “We all need a break sometimes, Cay. Come let down your hair. I won’t keep you out too late.”

What else could she tell her? “Aw, what the hell! I’ll be there.”

Alana’s piercing squeal caused Cadence to pull the phone away from her ear. “I promise it will make you feel a little better.” Cadence shook her head, chuckling at her friend. “Oh. I forgot to tell you,” Alana said. “I’m meeting a few folks from the organization there, also. They’ll arrive around seven. We have to hash out some details for our next mixer. You and I can meet right after work so that by the time they show up, if you want to head home, you can, but you are more than welcome to stick around. It shouldn’t take long for us to handle our business. Please don’t say you won’t come because of that.” Cadence could hear the pleading in Alana’s voice.

“Okay.” She dragged the word, stretching out the response. “See you at six.”

“Yeah!” Alana squealed again.

Cadence cringed and then she heard a light tapping at her office door. “I gotta run. See you later,” she whispered into the receiver.

“Blake will be there,” Alana added just before she disconnected.

Cadence acted as if she hadn’t heard what Alana said, but her core tightened slightly at the mention of Blake’s name. “Come in,” she caroled, rounding her desk as she headed back to her chair.

Adam Benjamin, her direct boss and one of the partners whom she held in high esteem, stuck his head in her door. “Morning, Cadence.”

Cadence stood, offering a polite nod and smile. “Morning, Mr. Benjamin.”

Adam looked behind himself before entering her office completely as if he was sneaking around. “I just want to say you’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work.” He clasped his hands. “You never know who’s watching.” His friendly smile warmed the atmosphere.

Cadence dipped her head. “Thank you, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.” Out of all of the partners at the firm, Adam had always managed to make Cadence feel welcome, in a sincere and professional kind of way. Had the decision of making her senior counsel been solely up to him, she would have had the position already. Unfortunately, it took more than Adam’s approval.

Cadence should have been elated about Adam’s surprise drop-in. Despite the enlightening fact that he had let her know she was on their radar, she couldn’t keep her mind from slipping back to what Alana had said before she ended their call. “Blake will be there.” Why would Alana say that? Why should I care? She had to admit to herself that despite his apparent arrogance and obvious playboy ways, he was absolutely gorgeous.

Cadence saw him staring at her from across the bar the other night, but when all those women—beautiful, voluptuous and ultrathin women—continued to pour all over him, she decided she probably wasn’t his type. She found herself a corner and stayed holed up in it until Alana was ready to go.

“Blake will be there.” Alana’s voice replayed in her head and tingling sensations that had long since become unfamiliar to her came rushing back with fervor. She felt like a teen with a secret crush—one that would have to remain undisclosed. He was an attorney. She remembered her vow to stay away from his kind. Furthermore, with her limited dating history, she wasn’t equipped to handle a real-life playboy. She needed to keep her heart at a safe distance.

Chapter 4

When Cadence finally looked up at the clock, it was well past two in the afternoon. She blinked and moved her eyes toward the glass clock on her desk. She hadn’t moved from her chair in hours. Twisting her head, Cadence tried to work out the kinks that had settled in her neck and shoulders. Then she stood, raising her arms over her head for a quick stretch.

“Come in,” she said in response to the urgent rapping at her office door.

The nervous look on the office assistant’s face caused the kinks that she had just worked out to stiffen in her shoulders. “Uh...Cadence...we have an—” Amy Fisher’s mouth formed as if she was going to say issue, but before she could get it out, Richard McLennan came stumbling through Cadence’s office door.

Immediately, Cadence was on her feet. Before she could catch herself, she’d released an audible gasp at the sight of her disheveled client. If his reddened complexion and tousled hair didn’t leave her questioning what the heck was going on, then the huge shiner adorning his right eye certainly raised its own barrage of questions.

“Richard!”

“Cad...” Richard cleared his throat as he staggered toward her. “Cadence! I want that tramp arrested!”

Cadence quickly rounded her desk, catching Richard just before he fell into the back of a chair.

“Richard! Look at me,” Cadence ordered, wiggling his chin to get him to look directly at her.

His focus wandered aimlessly as he tried to talk. “She socked me right in the eye!” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he hiccuped. “I’m suing her for every dime she’s got,” Richard slurred, and Cadence’s senses were assaulted by the strong odor of coffee and whiskey that permeated the air around him. She assumed he’d started his day with a couple of hot toddies.

“Amy, get him a cup of black coffee and meet me in the conference room.” Cadence snaked her arm under Richard’s and guided him out of her office through a sea of inquisitive stares from coworkers, and into the conference room. Richard, a crumpled mess, had been mumbling all along the way.

Once she successfully planted his sinewy body in a chair, Cadence took a deep breath, once again taking in the sharp odor of whiskey that wafted from his mouth. She paced a few times as she tried to gather herself before asking her next set of questions. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.

Amy scurried into the room with a steaming cup of black coffee and tried to get Richard to drink some. His head bobbed as if he had no control of his neck. Amy had to support his chin to get his mouth to the rim. Tipping the cup, she got him to swallow a few sips before placing it down on the sturdy mahogany table.

Cadence sent Amy to get Adam so she would have another attorney in the room before she began asking Richard questions. She was at least thankful that he’d begun to calm down a little. He had stopped mumbling incoherently and was now drinking the coffee on his own.

Cadence jerked when Richard slammed the cup against the conference table. “I need another cup!” he barked.

Amy was just about to enter the room, but instead nodded at Cadence, exiting swiftly toward the break room.

“What’s going on here?” Adam’s voice bellowed as he entered the room. Rearing his head back at the sight of the large purple-and-black ring surrounding Richard’s eye, Adam looked back and forth between Cadence and Richard. “What the hell happened?”

“That tramp.” Richard cleared his throat. “She socked me in the eye.”

“Tell me who and why,” Adam said.

Cadence stood next to Richard, arms crossed, awaiting his answer.

“Victoria Kelly!” Richard said, slamming his hand against the table and then flashing a look as if he thought this was ridiculous.

Cadence closed her eyes, shook her head and sighed, recognizing the name as one of the employees that had filed a recent sexual harassment claim against him. “Tell me exactly what happened, Richard,” she said calmly, taking a seat next to him.

Adam shook his head and sat, also. Once again, Cadence tried her best to keep her composure and remain stoically professional as Richard gave an absurd account of how he’d simply brushed against the backside of an employee from whom he’d been warned to keep his distance. In addition, as he said, one thing led to another and, before he knew it, she’d wound up her arm and unleashed a blow that connected directly to his right eye. After that, he ran out of the office, jumped in a taxi and headed straight to the law firm.

“When I get back to that office, I’m going to fire her so fast!”

“Okay. Rich. Calm down.” Cadence was speaking softly while her eyes were on Adam, whose brows were still tightly knit as he nodded his head. “How about you get some rest and I’ll take care of everything.” Cadence was sure his claim wouldn’t hold water in light of all of the recent filings against him, but her job was to try to do all she could for her client. Right now she needed to get him calm and sober.

“I’ll call for a taxi. Go home and get some rest, and then after that we can get started filing your claim.”

“Whew!” Richard held his forehead. “Thanks, Cadence. I knew you would handle it.”

“Cadence always does,” Adam added proudly. Cadence smiled for the first time since Richard came barreling into her office.

“Don’t go back to the office today, okay, Richard? If you need anything, I’ll have Amy call and have your secretary send it to your house.

“That won’t work.” Richard threw his hands up in the air.

“Why not?” Cadence looked confused.

“Victoria is my secretary, remember?”

“No worries, Rich. We’ll see that you get what you need.” Cadence assured him.

Just then, Amy walked back in with another cup of coffee. Richard, finally settled, took the cup, nodded halfheartedly before he began drinking.

Adam got up from the table and patted Richard’s back. “You’re in good hands, Rich. Take it easy and we’ll get everything under control.”

Rich simply nodded.

“Cadence, can I speak to you for a moment?” Adam motioned for Cadence to follow him into the hallway. Adam looked back in the room before speaking. “You need to get to the bottom of this right away. Once you’re sure he’s home and settled, get over to that office and see how far this has gone. See what you can find out. We need to handle this as quickly and quietly as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

Adam cast her a hopeful glance before heading back to his office. Cadence watched his long legs sweep across the floor in quick strides as she avoided going back into the conference room for just a few more minutes. She took a deep breath, dropped her shoulders and straightened her back, bracing herself for the task at hand.

There was no telling how this would all play out. She knew that meeting Alana for drinks after work wasn’t likely to happen. Alana would understand. What Cadence found surprisingly disappointing was the fact that she wouldn’t get to see Blake tonight. Even if she knew she wasn’t his type.

This new fiasco with Richard would eat up a considerable amount of Cadence’s time. The progress she’d made earlier in the day would mean nothing now that she had to shift her focus and try to clean up his latest mess. She made sure he’d made it home safely before she prepared for the trip to his company to get answers.

The display on her cell phone lit up as it shimmied around her desktop. She’d put off calling Alana to cancel their plans for the evening long enough. Cadence sighed and picked up the phone.

“Hey, girl,” Cadence said.

“What’s the problem now?” Her lackluster greeting apparently put Alana on alert.

“I can’t even begin to tell you. My sleazebag client managed to dig himself an even deeper hole. I won’t be able to meet you tonight.”

“Aw, Cadence!”

“I know. I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“Okay. Duty calls. Handle your business, chica! We’ll catch up.”

“Thanks! Now I’m off to clean up this sleazebag’s—I mean, my client’s—mess.”

“Wow, is that how we address our most valuable clients these days? I wonder if the partners would take issue with that.”

Cadence’s head popped up at the sound of Kerry’s voice, which sounded more like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Cadence bit back what she really wanted to say. “Eavesdropping, are we?” Cadence replied and forced a smile.

“You need to let me at her one of these days,” Cadence heard Alana say as she held the phone to her ear.

Cadence smiled on the inside, remaining cordial and professional on the outside for Kerry’s benefit.

Despite the fact that Cadence was still obviously on the phone, Kerry sauntered the rest of the way into her office and planted herself on the edge of the desk. Silent moments passed as Cadence stared at Kerry, taken by her rudeness. Kerry tinkered with the picture frames on her desk.

Another beat passed. “Can I give you a call back?” she asked Alana politely.

“Getting the picture,” Alana obliged. “Handle your business, my friend. We can chat later.”

“How can I help you, Kerry?” Cadence asked.

Fingering figure eights along the desktop, Kerry took a moment to respond. “I see that your client has gone rogue.”

“I guess you can say that.” Cadence busied herself gathering the documents that she’d pulled together for her visit to Richard’s office. “But soon it will all be under control.” She stood, hoping Kerry would get the hint and leave her office.

“Perhaps I could help,” Kerry offered.

Cadence smiled, once again biting back the words she preferred to say. “I think I can handle this on my own.”

Kerry pouted. “Oh. That’s too bad. I figured you’d appreciate my assistance.” She slid down from Cadence’s desk. “I thought you were a team player,” she said as she sauntered toward the door. “It would be a shame if the partners got the impression that you weren’t.” Slowly, she turned away, tossing the words “Good luck” over her shoulder.

Standing rigid, Cadence felt her insides grow warm. She fought to keep her cool. Kerry was always able to get under her skin, but she refused to let it show. Closing her office door, Cadence took several deep breaths to rein in her temper. Then she reasoned with herself that Kerry was just trying to rattle her competition and, although she could probably acquire some dirt on her, she vowed to earn a clean win, allowing her merit and work ethic to garner the position she coveted. She wasn’t going to fall prey to Kerry’s ways. Then she remembered that Kerry had bragged about hanging out with Richard the night before, which made her wonder if she had anything to do with what happened at his office today. Shaking off the anxiety brought on by those thoughts, Cadence stuffed her documents into her bag and moseyed through the office with her head held high.

Meeting Alana and seeing Blake would have been a great way to cap such a disastrous day, but unfortunately, that would have to wait. Right now she had business to take care of and a position to fight for. This was another testament to the fact that she had no room in her life for dating anyway.

Chapter 5

Blake had successfully proved that he was a jack-of-all-trades as he helped get things set up for the mentoring organization’s annual career fair. The organizers seemed technically inept and after several attempts to hook the computers up to the university’s Wi-Fi system, he jumped in and saved the day.

Blake and a few other NYAA members had volunteered their Saturday to help young high school and college students with their résumés. Now that the laptops were set up and most of the folks who’d signed up to help out had arrived, it was almost time to tackle the long line of students waiting to get their résumés evaluated and typed.

From the looks of things, they weren’t going to be leaving anytime soon. He had to call on some members to bring in additional recruits. Alana had promised that she would rally a few extra hands on her own. The fruit of her labor was yet to be seen as Blake anxiously awaited her arrival, hoping she’d bring at least five more volunteers with her.

What he really wanted to know, but didn’t dare ask Alana during their phone conversation, was if her friend Cadence would be coming along. He still hadn’t had a chance to work his charm on her but couldn’t seem to get her off his mind. Despite the fact that this volunteer effort would offer him little time to focus on wooing Cadence, he was determined to make some kind of move. He refused to let her get away again without at least getting her number.

“Blake!” Sandy Grove, one of the other volunteers, yelled. “This thing is not printing.”

Blake trotted over to the station where they had set up several printers. “Let me see,” he said, checking all the connections. “Everything looks good over here, Sandy. Did you make sure that you selected the right printer?”

“What?”

Blake shook his head at the sheepish grin she flashed at him. “You have to go into the control panel and add the one you want. Did you do that?”

“No! I figured after all of that tinkering you did, it would just happen.” She snickered.

Blake chuckled. “Scoot over,” he said, gently shoving her to the side.” Blake tapped on the keys for a few seconds. The copier clicked and the document came sliding out. “There you go.”