Tempted (A Player Brother Romance Book) (A Standalone Novel) (Player Brothers Book 1) Read online

  We had a pleasant night despite Blake's over attentive nature. I couldn’t help but feel slightly out of place. The food was good though, better than good.

  After we had glutted ourselves on seafood and rice wine, Kelsey and I excused ourselves to the restroom to freshen up.

  "So what do you think of Blake?" she asked.

  "Oh Kelsey," I said. "You’re wasting your time trying to set me up. I should have known the way you trussed me up like a painted lady. Besides, he's a bit pushy."

  "But that surfer body," she said fluffing her hair. "I mean, come on."

  "Yeah. He is cute, but..,” I said as I turned to face her. "I appreciate what you’re doing. I really do, but I have to focus. This job is a huge opportunity for me. I don't really want to put energy into dating right now."

  "Have you thought about what to do if you don't get the full time position?" Kelsey asked.

  "Honestly no,” I said. "I’m going into this with a winning mindset."

  "I just don't want you to lose sight of what's really important,” she said blotting her lips on a small piece of tissue paper.

  "Finding my dream job isn't what's really important?" I said. "Then what is?"

  She laughed. "You know what I mean. You have to remember to have a good time. That's what life is about."

  "I'll vicariously enjoy your good time,” I said. "Hey, I have an idea. Since Blake and I aren't really hitting it off, why don't you take my seat next to him when we go back."

  "Do you really mean it?" she said.

  "Hell yes."

  "Fair enough," she shrugged. "Does that mean I can go out with him?"

  "Be my guest," I said with a smile.

  He was cute after all, I just couldn’t get my head around the thought of dating.

  Not right now.

  When we returned to the table Kelsey and I swapped seats and she plunked down next to Blake with a bold grin on her face.

  "What do you guys say we get out of here and take a walk down by the beach,” she said as if nothing was amiss.

  "Um... sure,” he stammered, taken aback by the sudden shift.

  He looked at Kelsey with a hint of a question in his eyes but then shrugged and put his arm around her. I smiled and lifted my glass slightly in Kelsey's direction.

  "That sounds like fun," Angie echoed while the others nodded in agreement.

  "Actually, Kelsey," I said. "I'll have to call it an early night, but you guys go ahead and have fun."

  "You sure?" she asked leaning into the crook of Blake's arm.

  "Yeah," I said with a grin. "I still have a lot of prep work to do. It was nice to meet you all."

  "Nice to meet you too," came a smattering of voices.

  When I got back to the apartment I quickly changed into my night gown and robe and pulled out some of my books over California Law history. I found that reading over land mark cases made me feel inspired and excited.

  Two days from now I would be walking into the first day of my life's journey.

  Though the nervousness still danced around the edges, I felt confident in my focus and drive.

  By the time Monday rolled around, I awoke feeling as if I couldn’t make heads or tails of my emotional state. I knew that I had worked a long time for this day and it was time to get my game face on.

  I had decided to wear a black pant suit and a maroon blouse. I had the collar pulled out over the jacket, accented by a few subtle pieces of gold jewelry. My hair I had twisted into a tasteful bun.

  Overall, I thought I looked very professional, but my reflection had done little to bolster my confidence.

  Kelsey had done a lot to calm my nerves in the week that we had spent together. Between her auditions she had helped me put together a wardrobe that looked like that of a high profile lawyer. Dress the part, she had said. Dress like the job you want, not the job you have.

  I replayed these words in my head as I arrived at the building. The elevator carried me to the law office where I would spend at least the next three months, hopefully longer.

  As the doors slid open revealing the opulent lobby, my stomach twisted in circles. I knew that no matter what happened I would always remember today, either as a wonderful memory or as one that I would always regret.

  The posh atmosphere welcomed me, calming my nerves just a bit, with the cream colored carpet and matching plush leather couches surrounding a large glass coffee table. A large window over looked the city, which I could clearly see the bustling activity on the tiny ribbons of the roads below.

  The woman behind the desk also wore a cream colored suit which suited her dark complexion. She could have been a model out of a magazine. Her suit matched the surrounding decor.

  "Good morning," she said with a warm smile. "May I help you?"

  "My name is Blair Michaels. I’m supposed to meet with John Mahoney."

  "Oh yes," She stood and extended her hand. "I'm Willa Martin, the administrative assistant for Mahoney and Klein."

  "It's nice to meet you,” I said.

  When I shook her hand I felt as if her tiny hand might be crushed by mine. She had such a delicate frame.

  "Can I get you some coffee or a water?" she offered.

  "No thank you," I answered.

  "Please have a seat," she said, gesturing to the waiting area. "Mr. Mahoney will be with you shortly."

  After a moment, a tall imposing man stepped into the waiting room, extending his hand to me. I hopped up and gave his hand a kind shake.

  He was well dressed with a firm look in his eye and an easy smile. I could see instantly how he had become so successful as a lawyer as he exuded charisma and confidence. He had a small feathering of gray just at his temples and his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

  "Please step back to my office. I'll go ahead and show you where you will be working before the other candidate arrives," he said. "Can I get you anything? Any kind of refreshment while we wait?"

  "No thank you," I said trying my best to keep my tone polite.

  We stepped into his office, which contained a large desk on one side and an even larger conference table on the other side. His office looked more like a suite.

  The window along the wall spanned from the floor to the ceiling and revealed a spectacular view of the Hollywood hills, rolling on into the distance. The majestic green landscape never ceased to take my breath away.

  He motioned for me to sit in one of the large wing backs in front of his desk. I hadn’t been sure what to expect, but Mr. Mahoney's office exuded lots of old world charm. A floor to ceiling book case lined the other side of the room. If I had my way I could have spent hours perusing the spines, running my fingers over the old leather bound law books. For now I was resigned to wait for the Senior Partner's lead.

  "I hope you’re comfortable,” he said. "Your partner and competitor will be here shortly."

  I felt a leap in my stomach but kept my face calm.

  I was right to arrive early as it gave me an instant advantage over the competition.

  Score one Blair, competition zero.

  Whoever you’re, you're already behind, I thought to myself. I didn’t often feel cocky, but today I felt justified.

  And today I needed the confidence boost.

  Willa's smooth voice came over the speaker of Mr. Mahoney's phone.

  "The other partner has arrived, Mr. Mahoney,” she said.

  "Thank you Willa," he said. "If you will excuse me for a moment."

  He stepped out of the office, no doubt to greet the other partner in the waiting room just as he had greeted me. I resisted the urge to look over the shelves.

  In due time.

  They returned a few seconds later, and I got to give my competitor a once over.

  I recognized him instantly.

  Aiden?

  Oh my god.

  I wanted to remain in denial.

  It couldn’t be.

  I stood to shake his hand.

  Right away I was charmed by his good looks.
He had full blond hair that somehow managed to look both disheveled and professional at the same time. His arms and shoulder filled out his light brown suit jacket, which he wore over a white suit shirt. His intense blue eyes looked me over, and I found myself briefly speechless.

  I extended my hand, thinking myself mistaken.

  I hoped I was anyway.

  Mr. Mahoney's voice sounded like it came from a long hallway as I heard him say my name in introduction. Once I heard the name I knew I could no longer deny what I already knew to be true.

  "Blair Michaels, this is Aiden Player. The two of you will be working together in the coming months."

  I took his hand in disbelief. I had thought he looked vaguely familiar at first, but it wasn’t until I heard his name that I realized that this man was none other than my childhood friend from so long ago. The same one I hadn’t seen in years, whom I had wondered about now and then over the years, now stood before me as the embodiment of my competition, standing between me and the thing that I wanted more than anything in my life.

  I could barely believe my eyes, but I couldn’t deny that I recognized him.

  "It's nice to meet you, Blair,” he said as he took my hand.

  Chapter Two

  I didn’t have much time to register as Mr. Mahoney introduced us, but I felt as if our eye contact contained an entire conversation in the few seconds that passed between us.

  Is that really you?

  Yes, it's me. Hi.

  Well, shit.

  Yep.

  The socially acceptable time span for a hand shake had passed us by, but I realized that we both still had a firm grip on the other. I let go first and took a small step back wondering what the silence indicated. I could see in his eyes that he recognized me and also by the slight grin on his face betrayed that he didn’t want to say right away.

  "It's nice to meet you, Blair,” he had said. I had heard the words, but they hadn’t quite registered.

  So this is how we were going to play it.

  I see, I said to myself. Alright, I'll go along and pretend that we don't know each other.

  At least for know.

  My plan today had been calm professionalism. Perhaps it would be to my advantage that the partners didn’t know of our history together. Aiden's presence here, while jarring, didn’t do anything to change my perspective. I was still out to win this, and win it I would.

  "Nice to meet you too," I finally replied in a cool timber.

  Wow.

  He had really grown up since I had last seen him. I couldn’t help but notice the broad flow of his shoulders.

  We took a seat at the conference table to hear what our first assignment would be, but I couldn’t help but glance over at him, marveling at how much he had changed.

  The last time I had seen him had been at the last vacation of the summer after our senior year of high school. Our families had vacationed together at Lake Okoboji. They both had a timeshare cabin and planned their trips to coincide. I recalled nights on the beach, campfires and fireflies in the settling dusk. Sometimes when the sun went down we went back to the cabin and played Monopoly and ate chocolate cookies until the sun came up the next morning.

  Nearly every spare moment of my childhood had been spent with him. We had gone to prom together, I think since no one had the audacity to ask either one of us, and honestly there had been no one else that held my interest, so we had gone as friends, fueling the frenzy of gossip that surrounded the ambiguous nature of our relationship.

  My mother asked time and time again when I would give in and just go out with him. Aiden doesn't want to go out with me, I had explained.

  We are just friends.

  Good friends, yes, but nothing more than that.

  I had felt certain that I had convinced her of it. If you say so, she would chide. That had been the story since elementary school, and I had no intentions of changing that story now, no matter how good looking he had become.

  Aiden was one of twelve brothers, and he came over to my house many times just to escape, just as often as I had gone to his for a bit of familiar normalcy. His mother welcomed me every time, saying that once you get past four it doesn't make a difference how many kids there are.

  Of all the boys in the Player clan Aiden had been the only one not to develop a talent or desire for football. He had to endure much physical horseplay from his brothers, when he would have preferred to climb a tree or read a book. He eventually joined track and did quite well, receiving several trophies and helping the team get to State, which pleased his parents.

  The man sitting next to me now had the same sparkle in his eyes, but he had certainly grown into his body.

  All of the awkward gangliness had vanished.

  This guy was cool and confident, just oozing with ability and charm. As Mr. Mahoney spoke Aiden glanced over in my direction, giving me another quick grin. I couldn’t help but feel a chill of excitement at his flirtation.

  What is the matter with you, Blair! I scolded myself.

  I needed to be focused on what the senior partner was saying, as he opened each folder carefully and explained the contents of each as he did so.

  "I want to tell you both about your first case," Mr. Mahoney said as he placed a few folders on the table. "It is going to be a murder case. I want you both to understand that I chose this case for the two of you with a very real purpose in mind. Murder cases are the hardest to stomach. You will both have to face many things that you may not be used to. Grisly evidence, questionable witnesses, and in the end it is your collection and presentation of evidence that will either set a man free or send a man to jail for the rest of his life. Keep that in mind as you work. The stakes are real."

  I felt my stomach drop out from under me as an understanding of the urgency of what we were doing began to take hold in my mind.

  Nonetheless I felt anxious to get started.

  This would probably be the most important case of my life and I was ready to jump in. I had never imagined that I would be acting defense on a murder trial. Mr. Mahoney was throwing us in the deep end, and only one of us would end up victorious.

  Hearing him describe the details of the case helped me to focus and I pushed all thoughts of Aiden to the back of my mind. That is where they would have to stay for the next three months, the duration of our competition.

  I had no intentions of easing up in my competitive nature.

  As far as I was concerned the man next to me could have been a complete stranger. I planned on bringing my A-game and winning the competition regardless.

  "The two of you will be working closely with myself and one of the other partners, Agnes Klein during the course of the case work and through the trial,” Mr. Mahoney continued. "You will be building the defense based on the evidence collected by the case detectives. I want you to understand again, there will be a lot of things you will see in the evidence files that you most likely have never been exposed to. If you can handle a case like this, than I have no doubt that you will both be successful with any path that you follow in the world of law." Aiden and I exchanged a glance. I felt as if we were lions staring each other down over the carcass of a fallen gazelle. "Are there any questions so far?"

  "What about the client?" I asked.

  "What do you mean?" Mr. Mahoney asked.

  "Will we have a chance to meet the client before the trial?"

  "Of course, Ms. Michaels,” he explained. "Usually only the lead members of the team meet with the client, but I’m sure a meeting could be arranged if you think it would help you with the case."

  "Would that create a conflict of interests?" Aiden interjected. "Would meeting the client be against our interests? I mean, the evidence should speak for itself, right? We should be working with an objective mind."

  "You both bring us very good points,” Mr. Mahoney said with an impressed tone. "I'll take them both into consideration and let you know if we decide to arrange a meeting for all of us or just the lead member
s."

  "What is his name?" I asked. "The client, I mean."

  Mr. Mahoney looked at me with consideration. His hand moved to the folder containing the information on the biography of the client. Despite my inclination to glance down at the name printed on the tab of the folder I kept my eyes on Mr. Mahoney's face.

  "Darius Shaw," he said at last. "He's being accused of the murder of his wife Rita Shaw. All of the information is here which you will see in more detail once we begin. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw were estranged and our client was found standing over the body of the slain victim when the police arrived."

  "Does he claim his own innocence?" I asked.

  "Regardless," Aiden interjected. "We have to present the best case in his defense. His innocence is arbitrary."

  "Is it?" I said flashing him a challenging glance.

  "I understand your reasoning to ask that,” Mr. Mahoney said. "And the answer is, yes. He does."

  "Thank you, sir. It is helpful to know his name,” I said, grinning out of the corner of my mouth.

  A few hours after the meeting had ended and Mr. Mahoney walked us out to the lobby, thanking us for our time.

  "I want to remind you that you’re the top two selected out of a large pool of applicants,” he said. "I expect nothing less than greatness from you both, and I’m excited to see what the two of you’re capable of."

  "Thank you very much for the opportunity, sir,” I said extending my hand.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you both,” he said as he shook my hand and then Aiden's in turn.

  He returned to the hallway stopping to ask something of the receptionist, while Aiden and I stepped into the arriving elevator.

  I hadn’t known how I would respond once Aiden and I were alone.

  I had kind of hoped to get a head start while leaving as to avoid any awkward reunion, but here we were trapped in the small steel box carrying us both back to the first floor. He leaned against the railing of the elevator looking me over. I recognized the look on his face as reminiscent of the boy I had once known.

  "Blair Michaels," he said with a huge grin lighting up his face and finally acknowledging what neither of us had said in the conference room. "I can hardly believe it. How the hell are you?"