Leave Me Breathless by HelenKay Dimon

Author:HelenKay Dimon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2010-03-18T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

A half hour later, Ben left a fuming Callie leaning against the wall in the hallway as he knocked on Rod’s door. Ben wasn’t waiting for a formal invitation to come in. He was trying to show how the whole knocking thing worked. Callie could take a lesson on that as well.

Rod put down the phone and shot out of his seat the second Ben entered. Ben appreciated the quick attention and show of deference. Not that either of those reactions would make the next few minutes more comfortable. Talking propriety after getting caught with his hands under Callie’s blouse seemed a bit hypocritical. But this was his office and with or without the death threats, whether Callie worked there or not, he would run it and do it his way. He was the boss. Being out of control of the situation had gone on long enough. He’d get things back on track. Somehow.

“Sir, I’m sorry.” This time Rod sounded contrite.

“Sit down.” Ben shut the door and took the seat across from Rod in the claustrophobic office.

The stark white walls didn’t do anything to make the windowless room feel bigger or one ounce more comfortable. No personal items littered the surfaces. Only a desk, a computer, and a small bookcase with rows of legal resource materials. A sort of lawyer’s prison cell.

Ben had only been in there a few minutes, and the place already depressed him. “We have a problem, Rod.”

“I should have knocked.”

“True.”

“I thought you were alone.”

“Obviously.” Ben shifted, trying to find a position that didn’t cramp his legs. “I could have been in a private meeting with lawyers, or with another judge. It is not appropriate for you to barge in. By my count, you’ve done that twice in the past week. This had better be the last time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ben folded his hands together in his most serious judge pose. “Are we clear on the expectations and rules?”

Rod gave Ben a nervous nod. “Yes.”

“Good.”

“Again, I’m sorry.”

“Understood.” With the angry boss man stuff out of the way, Ben turned to the part he dreaded. The personal, noone’s-business stuff he had hoped would never creep into the workplace.

When it came to the rumors about Emma, Ben had chosen to ignore them. Explaining the true nature of their relationship to anyone who would listen would only have highlighted the whispers and made her life more difficult. She had answered enough questions about her failed engagement. Having him defect and publicly deny the romance would only shine the light back on her, and he wasn’t about to do that.

But Callie was a different story. The rumors on this one were true, and that made all the difference.

Ben sat up straighter with his back tight against the chair. “Look, about what you saw in my office earlier—”

“I won’t say anything.”

Rod’s man-to-man tone didn’t make the situation any easier for Ben. The clerk was about fifteen years younger, still filled with enthusiasm for the legal career ahead of him. He took pride in his job and did it well.

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