Free Her Dom's Lesson (Dominic Powers Book 2) by A.D. Justice Page B

the door.  She rises and follows me out without saying a word. 
    Cheryl and I stop in front of Dana’s desk and wait for Shadow to finish his talk with Sophia.  Dana gives us each curious glances but settles her gaze directly on me.
    “You should treat her better, Dominic.”
    Before I can respond to Dana’s provocation, Shadow pokes his head out the door and calls for us to come back inside.
    “Now, Sophia, tell Dominic what you just told me,” Shadow instructs.
    “I don’t have a lawyer,” Sophia speaks clearly and concisely. 
    I sense a change in her.  She started out as a feisty, all-business assistant.  When she became my submissive, she also became much more emotional and dependent on me.  She now seems to have returned to the confident, mature lady that I first met and I can’t help but question how the change came about.
    “What do you mean, you don’t have a lawyer?” Cheryl narrows her eyes suspiciously at Sophia.  “I’ve been talking to your lawyer and I have the sexual harassment lawsuit your lawyer filed on your behalf.”
    “No, you haven’t been speaking to my lawyer, because I don’t have one,” Sophia punctuates each word in response to Cheryl’s tone.  “I didn’t file a sexual harassment lawsuit because I wasn’t being sexually harassed and I don’t have a lawyer to file it for me anyway.”
    Cheryl looks at me and huffs, “Dominic, I don’t know what ploy this girl is up to.  She’s young, inexperienced, naïve, and really needs to take responsibility for her actions.  I’m not sure she’s the right one for the job.”
    The anger that flashes in Sophia’s eyes is hotter than the surface of the sun.  Sophia slowly rises and faces her head-on to rebuke Cheryl’s assessment of her.
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Cheryl,” Sophia starts.  “I started college at a very young age, but I worked my ass off in every class.  I took the maximum amount of college hours every semester so that I could graduate early.  Every summer, I worked as a college intern and I put in as many hours as the executives did, if not more.  I learned everything I could from them and used that knowledge to get the project management positions I held before coming here. 
    “I may be young, but I worked damn hard to get where I am today.  You have no right questioning my work history or my ability to take on responsibility.  You haven’t even asked how well I do my job, so you’d be wise to stop making any assumptions.  Any of you’re more than welcome to call my former employer, where I interned every summer during college, and ask them about my work ethics.”
    Shadow intervenes and stops this from escalating further.  “All of that is true.  I checked that out for myself, so I do believe what you’re saying.  My question is, Sophia, if you didn’t file the lawsuit, whose signature is on this paper?”
    Shadow removes a single sheet of paper from a manila envelope he placed on my desk.  When he hands it to Sophia, her shoulders slump as recognition of the handwriting registers on her face.
    “That’s my signature.  It’s my handwriting.  Where did you get this?” she asks with sadness filling her voice.
    “This is the signature page of the lawsuit, Sophia,” Shadow explains.
    I watch with amazement as the various emotions play across her beautiful face.  First, she’s confused as she tries to connect Shadow’s words with the paper in her hand.  Second, the shock registers as she beings to formulate an idea in her mind of how this could’ve happened.  Third, the pure, unadulterated anger as her eyes blaze with fury and indignation.
    “That son of a bitch!” she shrieks, causing Cheryl to jump and Shadow smiles.
    “Tell me,” Shadow prompts and I listen with rapt attention.
    “That is not my signature on a lawsuit, Shadow,” Sophia grinds out thought her clenched teeth.  “ That is the signature on my submissive contract with Harrison