Damn. Tough crowd.
We—and by we, I mean Gabe and Morgan—discussed a fewmore details and options before Morgan rose from her seat and shook Gabe’s hand as he grinned. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.”
She was still smiling when she grabbed her bag, but it faded when she looked at me. “Mr. Callahan,” she said flatly before leaving the conference room.
I snorted when the door shut. “Jesus, she seems like a bowl full of fun.” Gabe turned, giving me a look. “Don’t give me that look. She talked right back.”
“Yeah, only because I warned her about you ahead of time and told her not to be afraid to dish it right back to you.”
“Warnedher?”
“Yeah, warned her that you could come off as a bit flirtatious in hopes it wouldn’t scare her off or she wouldn’t take offense to it.”
“Offense? Who would be offended?”
“Wes, you know I love ya, man, but you’re in the real world now. Can we not sexually harass contracted employees…oranyonefor that matter?”
I scoffed. “It was a little harmless flirting.”
“That’s subjective.”
“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.” I held up my hands in surrender. “You’re right. I was out of line, and it won’t happen again. Andespeciallynot with her. She may be hot, but she’s way too fucking stiff and uptight for my taste.”
“I like her.” He chuckled, and I shot him a look. “In all the years I’ve known you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman not fall for your bullshit and shoot you down before. It was a sight to behold.”
I walked to my car in the parking lot of Pierson & Callahan and slid inside, letting out a breath when I shut the door.
“What a fucking douche.” I rolled my eyes as I started the engine.
I backed out of the parking space and pulled onto the main road, heading toward Haversburg to board the ferry going into Charleston, where my office was. And I’d never been more glad to be getting away from a client—well, at least one of them. Gabe wasn’t bad at all. Wesley Callahan, on the other hand, was a grade-A schmuck.
When Gabe told me how Wesley could be and gave me free rein to respond to him however I saw fit without repercussions to the job I was hired to do, I didn’t think too much of it. But something about him rubbed me the wrong way from his very first smirk.
Right out of the gate, he gave off average vain asshole vibes. Sure, he was very attractive, but I could tell he was the kind of guy who both knew of and relied on his good looks, and his arrogance immediately ruined any appeal he may have had.
I just got out of a short-lived four-month relationship with a guy who turned out to be nothing more than your run-of-the-mill narcissistic dick. Before him, I dated a few guys who ended up being conceited jerks. Needless to say, I’d had my fill of egotistical men, and I was so goddamn tired.
And Wesley reminded me of every last one of them.
His smirk. His comments. His smug attitude. And that wasall based on our very first meeting. I didn’t need any more to know exactly what type of person he was, and he certainly wasn’t someone I’d willingly want to waste the precious air in my lungs on speaking to unless it were necessary.
I had a feeling working on this project at the law firm was going to be a headache, and it wasn’t going to have anything to do with the work itself.
I was walking down the sidewalk in downtown Bayport one evening with Gabe. He’d invited me to come out with him and a couple of his friends to a bar they frequented. Only after I’d accepted did he tell me one of those friends wasWesley.
I’d been working on redesigning the law firm for a few weeks now, and in that time, Gabe and I had become fast friends. He reminded me a lot of my two older brothers, just a bit more put together. That, and he didn’t give me a noogie every time he saw me. We just clicked.
Me and Wesley, on the other hand, had been butting heads every goddamn day I’d been there. He traded in the terrible attempts at flirting he used the first day we met and went straight to trying to find ways to piss me off. But I had Gabe’s blessing and even encouragement not to take it lying down. Wesley would make a snide comment, and I’d give one right back, which I don’t think he expected at first based on the way it seemed to get under his skin so easily. Taking shots at that asshole’s ego was quickly becoming my favorite pastime, though. And I still agreed to come out because I wasn’t going to let his infuriating presence deter me from having a good time.
“So, who’s your other friend? And, better question, is he single?” I smirked.
Gabe chuckled. “His name is Luke. And he is single, but he’s more of a serial dater kind of guy.”
“Oh…one ofthose.”
“No, no. Not in a bad way. The guy is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
“How do you know him?”
