章 24: Forbidden grounds

After her first meeting, she was ready to explode. The lawyer that was paired with her was quite stubborn. He would not listen to reason. Yes, she was young and with less experience than him, but to question her competence and knowledge of her job was entirely something else.

She walked to her office fuming, but she had to calm down. She was due to another meeting in twenty minutes. She would have to deal with him another time. She hoped that her next meeting was more receptive to her ideas and not shot her down as if she was just a dumb bimbo.

She finally let out a frustrated sigh and straightened up on her chair. She checked on the papers that Jacky left on her table. 'Ok. Get yourself together. You got this.' She sighed to herself as she readied the files for her next meeting.

The problem with this job, they believed it was a man's world and women had no place in it. Even if records showed that women were starting to make a name in this profession, the men still dominated the arena.

"How was the mee…" Jacky asked as she strolled in the room carrying a folder, which she carefully placed on her table.

"Don't ask?" She stopped her, not wanting to talk about it.

After working for Mr. Jenkins and being mentored by her uncle, she believed that she was well versed in all aspects of the law. She was confident that with her credentials, she could be a valuable asset to this firm.

Experience should not be valued based on years on the service, but based on its quality and merits. In reality, she had not shone in terms of litigation, but if she would be given a chance, she knew she could win her cases easily.

"That bad." Jacky moved to walk out the door. "I better get out of your hair." Blowing a kiss on her way out.

Jacky knew when she was needed, but looking at her face, she decided that it was better to give her time to simmer down.

"Just notify me if my next meeting is up." She asked Jacky, in return, Jacky wiggled her bum at her. At least that brought a smile to her face. What would she do without her? She thought as she went back to the work in front of her.

Jacky had barely left her room when a shrieking sound finally broke the silence and she came back with a big grin on her face. In her hands was a vase full of red roses. From the excitement on Jacky's face, she concluded that it was probably hers.

"This just came for you. Whoever sent you this must be very romantic." Jacky gently placed the vase just beside her files. "Aren't you even going to look at the card?" She asked when she ignored the beautiful roses.

"What was on the card?" She asked instead. Knowing Jacky, she already had an idea who the sender was and its contents.

"Just that he was waiting for your answer. There was no name." She admitted with a frown on her face. "Do you have an idea who sent it to you?"

Jacky remained standing in front of her desk as if she was waiting for her to reveal her secret admirer. When she remained silent, Jacky circled her table and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to face her friend. "What was he talking about?" Curiosity was written all over Jacky's expression.

"How should I know? I'm as clueless as you." She answered, making sure that her face remained as impassive as possible. Knowing her friend, any hint that she might have an idea, she would not hear the end of it. As of now, she had no time to deal with her friend.

She might have a hunch of who her mystery sender was and she would deal with him later. Right now, she had to focus on her job.

She walked out of her office and proceeded to her next meeting. Thankfully, Mr. Brown was more accepting and liberated from her ideas. They easily exchanged plans and proposals, although there were details that still need to iron out. She was glad that he was very amicable to her suggestions.

With the meeting over, she went back to her office and was faced again with dealing with her admirer, who was not such a mystery after all. Sitting on her chair, she stared at the roses, wondering what was going through his mind doing such a gesture. A stupid and unwelcomed token.

Dani,

I'm waiting for your answer…

Reading the note, she contemplated what he was waiting for. She did not like jumping to conclusions, but she could only think of one thing. She was not planning to sleep with him again. That was her rule and she was not about to break it just for him.

A beeping sound alerted her of an incoming message. She clicked on the app and the message popped up on the screen. She groaned upon seeing the text and with his name on the sender. Of course, it was him, who else could it be.

***Did you like the roses? Alex

She pressed the call button and waited for him to answer. "I'm glad you finally called. I've been waiting for almost two days." The voice said as soon as the line was connected. "I assumed roses are your favorite."

"What are you doing Mr. Princeton? I already told you, my answer. If you didn't understand it the last time, the answer is NO." She said annoyed, but at the same time thrilled to hear the familiar tone of his voice. As much as she hated it, her body was once again betraying her.

"The only answer I'm willing to accept is YES." He said stubbornly, refusing to give up.

"Please stop it." She hung up on him, not wanting to prolong their discussion. There was just no use to argue with him. She was frightened that she might give in to the temptation and finally agreed to his suggestion.

The rest of the day was more papers and phone calls that consumed her mind, distracting her from her unwanted thoughts.

But occasionally, her mind still kept on slipping and she found herself on forbidden grounds. She wanted him too and she could not keep on denying it. Though, it did not mean that she should act on it.