your—”
Julie groaned. “Don’t say it, I beg you. Ryan is not my destiny.”
“But you never know.”
“I know. Now, come on. Let’s go look at baby furniture. We have a nursery to plan.”
“Your eleven o’clock is here,” Leah said as she poked her head into Julie’s office. “Cute guy.”
Julie smiled at her assistant—the one she shared with two other second-year associates. “Do you tell that sort of thing to Mark and James?”
“Mark, no,” Leah said cheerfully. “But there are rumors about James, so he might be interested if you’re not.”
“You’re bad.”
“Yes, I am. In every way possible.”
Leah was a fifty-something grandmother who was also a brilliant assistant. She’d been with the firm longer than most senior partners and refused to work for any of them, contending that the associates needed her more. She’d been invaluable to Julie on more than one occasion.
Julie glanced at her calendar and saw the next hour blocked simply by a “potential client” notation. No name, no stated reason for the appointment. Interesting. Leah usually filled in the details.
Julie picked up a legal pad, her pen and BlackBerry, then walked down the long corridor to the main foyer.
As she stepped onto the polished marble floor by the round reception desk, she came to a stop so quickly, her feet nearly slid out from under her.
Ryan Bennett stood talking to Ethan Jackson, a senior partner in the firm.
Her psyche neatly split in two with her body and her emotions sighing at the sight of Ryan and her brain wanting to spit fire.
He could not be her potential new client, she thought frantically. How on earth could she do business with the man who had lied about who he was, slept with her and was now the father of her unborn child? That wasn’t anyone’s life—that was a movie-of-the-week plot.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. If he thought he could weasel his way into her world with a big check to her law firm then he … Damn, then he was right.
His venture-capital company was big business and it was her job to help the firm’s bottom line. Second-year associates who wanted to make it to partner didn’t turn down millions of dollars in billing for personal reasons. Assuming that’s what he was here for.
She sucked in a deep breath, vowed she would ignore how good he looked in his suit and how much she remembered about his mouth on her body, stepped forward and smiled.
“Good morning, Ethan.”
Both men turned to her.
“Julie,” Ethan said as he nodded. “Good. You have a new client here. Ryan Bennett, meet Julie Nelson.”
“We’ve met,” Julie said, wanting to get everything out in the open. Well, everything except the fact that she’d slept with Ryan on their first and only date and was now pregnant. Talk about tacky.
“That’s right,” Ryan said easily. “We’re almost related. My great-aunt by marriage is Julie’s grandmother. Due to some family estrangements, we only met a few weeks ago.”
Ethan gave her an approving glance. She was sure her relationship with Ryan would be discussed at the next partner meeting and a little star would go next to her name.
“I’m here to talk about our business in China,” Ryan continued. “We have several companies looking to get ‘the China price’ on various items, along with some companies wanting to do manufacturing there. I’m hoping your expertise can make a difference.”
Ethan looked happier than Julie had ever seen him. “Then I’ll leave you two to get this going. Let me know how you progress, Julie.”
“Of course,” she said, holding in a sigh. If Ryan was serious about bringing that much business to the firm, they would be working very closely together. The thought of that closeness made her uncomfortable and far too aware of him.
“Let’s step into a conference room,” she said and led the way.
When the glass paneled door was carefully shut and she’d offered both coffee and bottled water, which he refused, she took a seat across from his.
“What’s this all about?” she asked, keeping her voice low, her expression controlled. This particular room had mostly glass walls. She’d chosen it deliberately, so that they would both be forced to keep things polite.
“I told you. When we had dinner, you mentioned you dealt with international concerns and that you speak Mandarin. It seemed like a good fit.”
“Are you setting me up?” she asked bluntly. “Do you plan to dangle all these billable hours in front of me and one of the partners, only to pull them back later? Whatever you may think, I didn’t get pregnant on purpose. If your plan is to get me fired, thinking then you’ll have an easier time manipulating me, you can forget it. I’m one of the best lawyers you’ll ever come up against and I won’t let you mess things up for me.”
He swore under his breath. “Is that what you think? That I’m doing this to set you up? That it’s a joke?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one who decided I deserved to be taught a lesson. Why shouldn’t I think the worst?”
“Did it ever occur to you I might be here to do business? That I’m accepting what I did was wrong and even though I’ve apologized that doesn’t begin to make it right. Did it occur to you that I’m doing my best to make a difficult situation easier for both of us, but mostly you. We need a good international lawyer. Todd and I were discussing that and I thought of you. That’s it. No hidden agenda.”
It was a good speech, but was he telling the truth? “I want to believe you,” she said.
“So give it a try.” He leaned forward. “Julie, why would I want to set you up? Why would I want to hurt you any more than I have? I know this is going to be difficult for you to believe, but I’m actually a pretty decent guy.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You lied.”
“Yes, I did. It was a moment of bad judgment. Ever have one of those?”
She touched her stomach. “Maybe.”
“You can’t keep running from me.”
“As you’re sitting across from me,” she said, “I’m not running.”
“You know what I mean. Look, I’m here to talk to you about helping us out. Strictly business. I’ve checked around and you’re good at what you do. I need someone good. If, in the process, we have a chance to get to know each other in a less charged situation, isn’t that for the best?”
“I guess.” He was being so logical and rational. Normally she appreciated that. But along with the wooziness, she seemed to be fighting some pretty impressive mood swings. “If you’re sincere about the business—”
“I am.”
“Then let’s talk.”
“Good. Okay.”
He smiled. It shouldn’t have meant anything. Men smiled all the time. But there was something about Ryan’s smile, about the way he stared into her eyes, as if she had his full attention. He made her knees go weak and she wasn’t even standing.
“Is that offer for coffee still open?” he asked.
“Sure. How do you take it?”
“Black.”
She stood and shook her head. “Such a typical guy.”
“Of course. Come on. Admit it—you’d have no respect for me if I asked for three sugars