Free Struck from the Record by K.A. Linde Page A

are,” Ted said.
    It was a nice open room with offices on the perimeter and space for secretaries, paralegals, and the rest of the staff in the center.
    “Let’s go find Miss De Rosa. She will be your key point of contact.”
    They stopped in front of an office space with a heavy curtain covering the window that looked into the office. Seeing Mr. Cooper, the secretary buzzed for the attorney inside.
    A few seconds later, the door popped open and a girl stepped out.
    “You!” the girl cried.
    Clay’s eyebrows rose. Well, fuck.
    “Hey, Gigi,” he said casually, as if they were old friends rather than mild acquaintances before he’d broken her boyfriend’s nose in a bar fight.
    “What are you doing here?”
    “Didn’t you hear? I’m the new attorney.”
    “Wait… you’re the Supreme Court clerk?” she asked, her big brown eyes wide.
    It was like she had forgotten that he’d said he was the best lawyer in the city.
    He just smirked in response.
    “Well, I’m glad that you two seem to know each other,” Ted butted in. “Miss De Rosa, please help Mr. Maxwell with whatever he needs.”
    She gritted her teeth and nodded. “Of course, sir.”
    He wondered exactly what “whatever he needs” meant. She still had some pretty killer lips on her that he wouldn’t mind exploring. But, damn, she still had on a fucking pantsuit. At least it all fit together now. She wasn’t just an attorney; she was a big attorney at Cooper & Neilson. The handshake, large quantities of vodka, and unfortunately, the pantsuit all made sense.
    “Great. Well then, I’ll leave you in her capable hands.” Ted nodded and then left them alone.
    At that comment, Clay couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow at her.
    She groaned and pointed at the door. “My office. Now.”
    He swaggered inside without complaint, and she slammed the door behind him. The office was large with towering bookshelves across one wall, packed to bursting with legal books, most of which he recognized. She had a formidable desk facing a pair of leather chairs. A large window opened up to the street beyond their building. It wasn’t a great view or anything, but it had its own industrial appeal.
    “Sit,” she snapped.
    He folded into a seat in front of her desk, placed one foot over his knee, and bridged his fingers in front of his chest. “So, Miss De Rosa,” he said flirtatiously.
    “Don’t speak,” she snapped.
    “You like them silent. That’s fine with me.”
    She glared at him, openly glared, like she thought he was a maggot.
    “Look, that playboy charm might work on other women of lesser caliber than me,” she said confidently, “but it will not work on me. This is a strictly professional working relationship. Clear?”
    “Sure,” he agreed easily.
    “Good.” She was still fiery and looked pissed that he was here. “I hate that I even have to do this, but I was told that you were supposed to shadow me for the next couple of weeks.”
    There it was.
    “What?” he demanded. “Shadow you?”
    She shrugged. “If you’re the best attorney in the city, you probably don’t need that, do you?” she asked, spitting his words back at him.
    “Of course I don’t need that,” he growled low.
    “Fabulous. I’ll let Mr. Cooper know that you’re set to take on your own cases without my help.” She jotted something down on a piece of paper and then looked back up at him. “Unfortunately, I do have to work with you for the rest of the day. I’d just prefer if we pretended like this was our first interaction.”
    “Sure thing,” he said easily.
    “And interact as infrequently as possible after today,” she added.
    “So, you’ll forget that you flirted with me, and I’ll forget that I punched Small Dick in the face.”
    Gigi sputtered. “What did you just say?”
    “The lecherous boyfriend,” he reminded her.
    She snapped her eyes closed and pressed her hand to her forehead. He thought she’d smiled for a second, but it was gone when she