CHAPTER TWO

 

Jordan Frost was glad when his client left. He’d barely been able to keep up with the conversation. His mind was on the curvy, sexy Crystal Hayden. He’d been surprised when she answered the ad for a paralegal.

He was glad she did. Working with her would be an experience. She came highly recommended. He’d glanced at her resume, but the recommendations looked stellar. The night they had talked over coffee, he’d enjoyed her humor and her spice. A woman who wasn’t afraid to take a stand.

He’d intervened when she confronted the arguing couple, but it was more to protect her than anything else. He had no idea if the father was abusive. Jordan shook his head. His sexism was showing. The mother could be abusive as well.

Crystal had voiced her displeasure at his intervention, even as he walked her to her ride. She was passionate. He wanted to channel her passion into his bed. A grin took over his lips.

The interview hadn’t been conventional. Normally, he would have let Kendra handle it, but the job he needed Crystal to do was a little unconventional as well. He needed someone he could trust and who could work without constant direction. Crystal fit the bill. And if he was able to coax her into his bed, why not?

Her job was safe. He wanted her to be comfortable with the knowledge. So adding the clause about her job being safe to the employment contract didn’t bother him at all. He wouldn’t harass her on the job, but after hours... He’d entice her to play with him.

Scallywag. Jordan heard his mother’s voice in his head. That’s what she’d called him when he got into trouble as a child. He shook his head. His mother would have liked Crystal.

Jordan missed his mother.

A frown marred his forehead. He still had to return the phone call from the Washington State corrections office. He was sure it was about his father, and Jordan didn’t care if the man rotted in jail for murdering his mother.

Leaning back in his chair, Jordan didn’t even notice the mountains gleaming with snow. There had been no signs of what set his father off that fateful day. Oh, his father had a temper, would yell at him and his mother, but he'd never raised a hand to either of them. Until that day. Seeing his mother’s broken body on the floor caused Jordan to descend into a cold silence. He’d called the police and watched them cart his father away. Thanks to some neighbors, they helped him get his mother taken care of. He didn’t even tell his father about the funeral. Jordan had no contact of any kind with his father and hadn’t seen him since the day he was sentenced. And that was how Jordan wanted it.

He exhaled and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He picked up Crystal’s resume and read it to get his mind back where it belonged. Oh, yes, she had impressive credentials. He frowned when he saw the last law firm she’d worked for. Why had she left? The Stevenson Group was one of the best-known law firms in Seattle, and they paid top dollar.

Jordan made a note on the ever-present notepad on his desk and kept reading. Her schooling was excellent, as were her references. He frowned. High school was in Kansas. Interesting. She wasn’t a native Washingtonian.

Well, one thing for sure, life was going to be a lot more exciting with her around.

* * * *

“So how did the job interview go?” Sierra asked over dinner. Since she and her boyfriend, Max, were at the club on Friday and Saturday nights, Sierra, Tessa, and Crystal had moved girls’ night from Friday to Monday so they could all have dinner.

Crystal hesitated. What would her friends think? She took a deep breath. “It was with Jordan’s law firm.”

“What?” Tessa’s eyes went wide.

“Did it not go well? You two sort of had a fight the night we had coffee together,” Sierra said.

“Actually, it went really well.” Out of this world, if she was honest. The man caused her smoldering libido to roar into a blazing fire. One she was trying to keep under control.

“Did you take the job?” Tessa asked.

“I did.” Crystal looked at her friends.

“But…” Tessa prompted.

“That’s great.” Sierra held up her wine glass. “To Crystal’s new adventure.” Glasses clinked, and they drank.

“You were pretty mad at him that night,” Tessa said.

“Water under the bridge.” At least it was now. Had she known the interview was with Jordan, she might have canceled. Maybe it was a good thing she hadn’t known. This new job intrigued her, and so did the man she was working with.

“What kind of case will you be helping Jordan with?” Sierra asked.

“I can’t discuss the case.” Crystal shook her head. NDA or not, she never discussed an ongoing case with anyone, not until it was settled and then only the barest public details.

“I don’t see how you’ll be able to work with him all day after what happened when we had coffee together,” Tessa said.

“I don’t think Jordan is a bad guy.” She reached over and patted Tessa’s hand. “You worry too much, my friend.” Maybe Tessa was right to be worried, especially if one considered how she’d reacted to Jordan. He was damn sexy. “He thought he was doing the right thing.” Crystal could see it now; at the time, however, her emotions were too involved.

Tessa huffed and sat back in her seat. Sierra smiled, and Crystal fought not to blush or squirm in her seat at the gleam in Sierra’s eyes.

“Now that we’ve quizzed Crystal, have you both finished reading our book club selection yet?” Sierra asked.

“Yes.” Tessa laughed. “I can’t wait for the next meeting. This is so fun.”

Crystal relaxed in her seat. At least Jordan was no longer a topic of discussion.

* * * *

Crystal walked into the law offices at seven forty-five. Valerie was at her desk, and Kendra was there talking to her.

“Good morning,” Crystal said, setting the box of goodies on Valerie’s desk. “I brought donuts and scones for the office.” She smiled at the two women. “I would have brought coffee, but I’m not sure what everyone drinks. Jordan mentioned he would be in court this morning.”

“Yes, and thank you so much. I was running late this morning and couldn’t stop for food,” Valerie said.

“That was very nice of you,” Kendra said.

“I hope I got enough.” Crystal had revisited the firm’s website last night, and while the lawyers were listed, she made an educated guess at how much support staff there was.

“I’m sure you did.” Kendra opened up the box and nodded to Valerie, who used a napkin and picked out a scone. “Let me show you to your office and then give you the tour. First stop after your office will be the break room. Everyone is going to love you for these treats.”

Crystal picked up her bag and coffee and followed Kendra down the hallway. Kendra balanced the box and pushed open an office door. Crystal stopped in the doorway. So not what she was expecting.

This was a lawyer’s office, not a paralegal’s. She was used to workspaces like Valerie’s, out in the open and where anyone could see her. A big oak desk sat in front of a bigger window and a new leather chair. A laptop was already on the desk, with a monitor attached.

There was a small side table and below it was a small refrigerator. The other wall had two file cabinets and an empty bookcase.

“Is everything okay?” Kendra asked, looking back at Crystal.

“Oh yes.” Crystal crossed the room and set everything on the gleaming wood. “I wasn’t expecting something this big or private.”

“It is nice.” Kendra smiled and held out the keyring. “This is the key to your office; the other key unlocks the main office door. The small gold one is for your desk, and the silver one for the file cabinets.”

“Thank you.”

“I left your passwords to get into the computer and onto the company network in the top desk drawer. The laptop is already paired to the monitor and the printer. If you have any problems, let me know.”

“Thank you. Makes things easy for me.” Crystal stepped into the office and put her bag under the desk, before returning to Kendra.

“All right. Office layout.” Kendra stepped out the door. “Jordan’s office is right here.” She pointed to the closed door at the next office. Then they started walking. By the time they made it to the break room, Crystal had been introduced to most of the staff.

Kendra walked Crystal back to her office. “If you need anything, find me or ask Valerie.”

“I will. Thank you.” Okay, she’d get settled and see what she needed. Rounding the desk, she sat down and sighed. Luxury. This was a chair made for an executive.

She opened the top drawer. The passwords were right where Kendra said, but there was also a big envelope with her name on it.

Crystal pulled both out and opened the envelope first to find a file folder and a letter inside.

Crystal,

Sorry I’m not there for your first morning in the office. I trust that Kendra has shown you around. The file folder has some information related to the case to get you started on your research. If you need anything, ask Kendra or Valerie.

See you later today. J.

As she read the letter, she heard Jordan’s husky voice, and her body reacted. Goosebumps rose over her skin. Get it together.

Crystal set the letter aside, booted up the laptop, and signed in. She took a sip of her coffee and a bite of her scone as she read the documents in the folder. A frown appeared. What was he talking about? There were a lot of acronyms. She’d have to research them to even get started.

First things first. She opened her company email box to make sure everything there looked good. She’d had trouble in enough temp jobs so she made sure she could access email and the company server. Everything worked like a charm.

Opening the internet, she typed in the first acronym, RACK, and hit enter. Several things came up. And not one of them made sense. She frowned. Okay, this was going to be fun trying to figure this all out. She opened the side drawer of the desk, empty. She tried the next one. It, too, was empty.

All right, first thing on her to-do list was office supplies. Crystal drained her coffee and left her office. Kendra’s door was closed so she went to see Valerie, who was on the phone, nodding and writing. When she hung up she looked at Crystal. “Is there a problem?”

“Office supplies?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t think of that.” She started to stand, but the phone rang again. Crystal watched her take care of the call. Busy firm. Good to know. When Valerie hung up, Crystal said, “Point me in the right direction.”

“File room, there’s another small room attached where we keep the supplies.”

“Got it.” Crystal went down the hallway. She found the supply room easily. Thankfully there was a cart in the room. She got what she needed and took it back to her office.

When she came up for air, it was almost eleven. Crystal stood and stretched. She’d go ask Valerie if there was a good place nearby to grab a sandwich or something. Gathering her wallet, she walked out to Valerie. A man was standing in front of Valerie’s desk, his face slightly red, and Valerie looked uncomfortable.

“I don’t care for excuses. If you continue to mess things up, I’ll fire you.”

One of the other lawyers, Crystal surmised, but still, why was he yelling at Valerie?

“Excuse me,” Crystal said. “What is the issue?” Crystal raised her chin when the man turned his glacial gaze on her.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

“Crystal Hayden, Mr. Frost’s paralegal.” She held out her hand, which was ignored. “And you are?” She kept her tone civil and even. It was hard, but she did it.

“Charles Johnson, I’m one of the partners in this firm, and I certainly didn’t authorize a paralegal.” His voice was loud and annoying.

Crystal stared at the man. Partner? As far as she knew Jordan was the sole owner. “I work for Mr. Frost and no one else, but you didn’t answer my question regarding the issue of why you’re yelling at Valerie.”

“I’d like to know as well,” Kendra said walking up to the group.

“She’s incompetent.”

Crystal’s hackles went up as Valerie cringed. “We’ve talked about this, Mr. Johnson,” Kendra said, her voice soft but with a thread of hardness through it. “If you have an issue with personnel, you come to me.”

“So you can ignore me,” he spit out.

Crystal’s BS radar hit max at his comment. She opened her mouth, but Kendra beat her to the punch.

“Excuse me, Mr. Johnson, but you’re being deliberately rude. I believe you owe everyone an apology.” Kendra put her hands on her hips.

He glared at them and pointed to Crystal. “Keep your nose out of something that isn’t your business.” Then he pointed between Valerie and Kendra. “And I’ll be sure to talk to Jordan about you two.” He turned and marched down the hallway.

“Go ahead,” Kendra snapped after him. A minute later, an office door slammed shut.

Crystal sighed and looked at Valerie. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. A little shaken up is all.”

“Sorry you had to experience Johnson on your first day,” Kendra said to Crystal.

“You can’t help he’s an ass. I’ve worked with his type before.”

Kendra smiled. “Valerie, why don’t you take a break and have the service handle any calls for right now.”

“Okay.” Valerie pressed several buttons on the phone. “I think I’ll walk down to Carson’s. Can I get you anything?”

“I’m good,” Kendra said.

“Carson’s?”

“Small coffee shop,” Valerie said.

“May I walk with you? I was coming to ask you if there was someplace around here,” Crystal said. She was glad Kendra was giving Valerie a break. Showed she was a good and compassionate office manager.

“Sure.” Valerie grabbed her purse.

Kendra waved them off as they walked to the elevator.

“So where did you work before here?” Crystal asked as they walked down the street. One would never know yesterday had been cold and blustery. Today the sun was out, and while there was a chill in the air, it wasn’t freezing. “Receptionist at the gym.”

“Totally different worlds.” Crystal knew how hard it could be. She’d been so out of her depth with her first job. Luckily she had a boss who took pity on her and put her into a better position. “How long have you been at the firm?”

“A little over a year.” They reached a small coffee shop and walked in. By the time they got back to the office, they were chatting like old friends.

When they made their way to the reception desk, they noticed a tall, blond man standing there. “Oh please, don’t tell me Johnson ran off another receptionist?”

“Ummm, no.” Crystal said. “I’m Crystal Hayden, Mr. Frost’s paralegal.” She held out her hand.

“Martin Anderson.” He took her hand.

“Mr. Anderson.” Crystal smiled. Now this man was cordial.

“Martin, please.”

“Martin.”

Valerie took her seat behind reception. “Don’t let Johnson get to you,” he said to Valerie.

Crystal blinked. “How did you know?”

“He’s a pain. Even though you don’t work for him, he’ll do his best to trip you up.” With that, he turned and walked down the hallway.

Interesting dynamic. Johnson was a jerk; Anderson seemed nice. And Jordan was… Crystal shook her head. No, she wouldn’t think of Jordan as a potential romantic interest. “Lunch at one?” Crystal asked.

“Yes, sounds good,” Valerie replied, and Crystal left the reception desk.

Crystal sat down at her desk and went back to researching acronyms. She wrote down the ones that didn’t seem to make any sense to her.

When she started researching Dominants, lots of information came up, and she had no clue what link to click on. Next, she tried BDSM. Her eyes went wide. She went to different websites to read and ended up more confused. Oh, brother. This was going to be a steep learning curve. Determined to learn about the lifestyle, she wrote notes and kept going.

* * * *

Jordan let out a breath as he left the courthouse. Today had been a hell of a day in court. The case should have been routine, but it had dragged on for weeks because of a reluctant witness and a defendant who had decided at the last minute they wanted a full jury trial. The case was now with the jury, and he anticipated they would have a verdict in a day or so.

He took a cab back to his office. He’d hoped to be at the office at least part of the day to help Crystal, and as he made his way up to his office, he wondered how she’d faired. Crystal hadn’t been very far from his thoughts today, and he was impatient to see her.

“Hi, Valerie,” he said, as he walked into the reception area.

“Mr.—Jordan.” She smiled. “Here are your messages.” She held a stack out to him.

“Thank you. Everything go well today?”

“Yes.”

“Not really.”

Jordan turned to see Crystal standing in her office door. Damn, she was a sight for sore eyes.

“Oh?” He frowned, but Crystal shook her head. “Did you get settled in?”

“I did. I know you’re just in from court, but if you have a minute?”

He nodded, then looked at Valerie. “Send the phone over to the service and go home. It’s almost four-thirty, and I suspect you’ve had a busy day.”

“Thank you.” Valerie grinned. “Crystal, I’ll grab coffee and snacks in the morning.”

“Okay. Remember what I said.”

“I will.” Valerie hit a button on the phone, gathered up her things, and left.

“Why do I think your first day wasn’t an easy one?” He pushed open his office door.

“It wasn’t bad. Busy, but not bad.” She followed him into his office.

He caught a whiff of her perfume, something with vanilla in it. It reminded him of baking cookies with his mother when he was little. “I take it something happened today.” He dropped his briefcase on his desk and turned to look at Crystal.

“I’m not sure, but I’m assuming, because your name is the only one that appears on the firm header, you are the sole owner?

“I am.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and his stomach rumbled. “I haven’t had lunch, and I’m starving. Would you be willing to discuss all of this over dinner?”

She stared at him with concern in her gaze. “This can wait until tomorrow.”

“I’m hungry, and you have to eat dinner. I suspect you have questions from some of your research today as well as about whatever happened in the office.” He kept his gaze on her.

“I do.”

“Then go get your things, and let’s go eat.” This was a good idea. They could discuss her concerns in private, and he could relax a bit.

“Oh, all right.” She sighed and left his office. They met back up in reception. Crystal had her phone in her hand. “Where do you want me to meet you?”

Jordan thought for a moment before he rattled off an address. “Or you could follow me?”

“That works.” They walked out. “Don’t you have to lock up?”

“Anderson or Johnson will since they’re usually the last ones out.” The elevator pinged, and they got on. Once in the parking lot, Jordan pointed to his dark blue SUV. “That’s me. What do you drive?”

“The small, green SUV over there.” She was parked at the end of the lot.

“Okay, follow me. It won’t take us long.” He watched her move to her vehicle and get in before he got into his own. He’d have to make sure she got a spot closer to his. He didn’t like that she parked in the back of the lot where there wasn’t a lot of light. It was January and dark by four-thirty.

He started his SUV and backed out. When he glanced in his rear view mirror, she was right behind him. On the way home, he called in a pizza order to be delivered.

He kept glancing in his rear view mirror to make sure Crystal was still behind him. She was. When they stopped at a red light, he could see her frowning. The area they were in was residential with no restaurants. He hadn’t said anything about eating at his house, probably because he didn’t want her to refuse.

But damn, the argument could be made he’d lied by omission. If she wanted to go to a restaurant, they’d go. He wanted to know what happened in the office from her perspective—because he was sure he had an email from Kendra about it—and what questions she had. Both conversations were best done in private. He made a left and then a right before turning into his driveway.

He began to relax as his small home came into view, and a sense of peace invaded him. He’d been lucky to score this house. He didn’t like apartment living, and it was close enough he didn’t have a long drive to the club.

Jordan parked, got out, and waited for Crystal to park. “Where are we?” she asked as she stepped out of her car, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“My house.”

“Jordan.”

He held up his hand. “I should have said something before we left the office. I’m sorry. I blame my tired and hungry brain. Also, we need privacy if we’re going to talk about the case.”

She nodded. “We could have gone into one of the conference rooms and ordered food to be delivered.”

“Agreed, we could have.” He sighed. “My mistake. If you want, we can go back to the office.” His shoulders slumped a bit.

“Okay, you’re off the hook. But this is a one-time pass.”

He smiled. “Thank you. I ordered pizza. It should be here in fifteen minutes.” He cupped her elbow and walked to the front door.

“Sure of me, were you?”

“Hopeful, besides I could always eat the pizza tomorrow.”

Inside, he shut off the alarm.

“Come on.” He guided her into the family room. “Make yourself comfortable. If you don’t mind, I want to go change out of my court clothes.”

“All right.” Her voice was soft as she looked around the room. Jordan turned and jogged to his bedroom, hoping she wouldn’t run for the door while he was gone.

* * * *

Crystal hadn’t expected this at all. When Jordan said dinner, she pictured someplace in town, not his home. Her stomach twisted itself around. She was alone with him.

Needing a distraction, she wandered around. His home was another surprise. She’d figured he had one of those new loft apartments, but no. Instead, they were in an older residential area of Pleasant Valley, an area she’d been scoping out for a house of her own.

Jordan’s home was one of the old-fashioned log cabin types. The family room had a vaulted ceiling with beautiful exposed beams. There was a light brown leather sofa and love seat, and what looked like a very well broken in recliner.

A large TV was mounted on the wall. Crystal turned around slowly. Tall windows let in natural light, except it was dark now, but she’d bet, during summer, the room was awash with light.

She spied the entrance to the kitchen and the hallway Jordan had gone down to go change. Setting her bag next to the sofa, Crystal slipped off her shoes and sank onto the cushions.

The butter soft leather cupped her body. Ah, this was heaven. She hadn’t realized how tired she was. It had been a while since she’d put in a full day at an office. With a sigh, she leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. She should be mad Jordan didn’t tell her they were going to his home for dinner. He was right. They needed total privacy for this discussion. She wished he’d told her before they left the office.

She jumped when she heard footsteps. Sitting up straight, she brushed her hands down her shirt.

“I’m a bad host. What would you like to drink?” He strode through the family room to the kitchen and flipped on the light.

Crystal’s mouth dried out. Jordan in a suit was one thing, but in sweats and a Washington State t-shirt, her mind went right into the gutter. The t-shirt molded to his chest and showed off his toned arms. His sweats, while a little loose, didn’t hide his fine ass. He looked deliciously lickable.

“I have beer, wine, soda, and water,” he called out from the kitchen. “What’s your poison?”

It took her a minute to realize he was talking about something to drink. “Beer please.” She should have water or soda, but she enjoyed beer with pizza. Plus, she was eating and wouldn’t be driving for a while.

“Here you go.” He handed her a tall glass filled with amber liquid.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He took a seat next to her. “You mentioned something happened at the office today? I haven’t had a chance to read all my email yet.”

“Yeah.” She took a sip of her beer before setting it on the coaster on the side table. “Since you said you’re the sole owner, I’m going with Johnson works for you.”

“Yes. He came in about three years ago. I’ve been considering opening up to a partnership. What did he do?” Jordan set his beer down and looked at her. Tension in the room ratcheted up.

“Not so much me. I can take care of myself. But he was rude to Valerie and Kendra.”

“What did he say?” Jordan’s voice grew low and cold.

Crystal shivered. “He told Valerie she was incompetent. He said Kendra was ignoring his complaints, and he was a partner.” Her voice filled with anger.

“Hey.” He held his hands up. “I’m on your side. I’ll talk with Johnson. I told him if he ran off another receptionist, there’d be hell to pay.” The tension lessened.

“Thank you. Valerie works hard, and Kendra does too. They don’t need this kind of crap.”

“Oh?”

Crystal shifted under his pointed gaze. “I know not everything runs smoothly in an office, but I don’t think a lawyer should abuse their staff.” Why did she feel the weight of his stare like a naughty child sent to the principal’s office? Although she wouldn’t mind if Jordan took her over his knee.

Whoa! Where did that thought come from?

“Thank you for being honest with me, and I agree with you.” The doorbell pealed, and Jordan jumped up. “Dinner. Be right back.”

The interruption couldn’t have come at a better time. What in the hell had she been thinking, envisioning Jordan spanking her? She worked for him, and even with a signed employment contract that said she had a job no matter what happened between them, they were still co-workers. Hadn’t she learned workplace romances never worked?

The smell of pizza hit her senses before Jordan walked back into the room. Her stomach growled.

“Food. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got half meat lovers and half cheese. Plus a salad.” He slid the box onto the large wood coffee table. “I’ll go grab some plates and utensils.”

Crystal opened the salad box so it was ready when he came back. She dished up some salad, drizzled dressing over it, and took a slice of pizza. They ate in silence, both hungry. Jordan sat back after he finished off his fifth slice of pizza.

“I can’t believe you ate five pieces,” she said, closing the salad box.

“Breakfast was a muffin, and since I missed lunch, I was starving.”

“What happened? You said you didn’t plan to be in court all day.”

“Problem with a witness.” He turned toward her. “Tell me about your research and what questions you have.”

Crystal turned and adjusted her legs under her, making sure her skirt covered her legs. “Well, I started working with the acronyms you left me.”

“Did they not make sense?”

“Hardly. I tried looking them up on the internet and became more confused.”

“I see.” He rubbed his chin.

Crystal’s stomach churned. She wanted to work with Jordan, but if he was having second thoughts… “I’m sorry I’m not more informed about the lifestyle.”

“Don’t be. You were upfront with me. I’m trying to think of a way to bring you up to speed a bit quicker.”

“I know what SSC and RACK mean—safe, sane, and consensual, and risk-aware consensual kink—but what does it mean in the lifestyle? Safe for whom? Sane? That can mean a million things. Consensual is self-explanatory. Isn’t all of this a little subjective? Who decides what’s safe or sane? I get the risk-aware part. You’re aware of the risk but do it anyway as long as everyone consents.”

“Where to start?” Jordan rubbed the back of his neck. “In the lifestyle, safe means safe for everyone—the Dominants and the submissives. SSC is a code within the community to protect everyone. Not everyone holds to it. In my opinion, the good ones do.”

“Makes sense.” It did now.

“Sane has to do with mindset. Is this a sane thing to do? For example: If a submissive asked me to use a cane on her back, would that be sane? Yes, but I’d be careful not to go near the kidneys and cause damage.”

Crystal’s gut tightened. “How dangerous is kink?” She never thought about it.

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be dangerous to everyone.” Jordan leaned his elbows on his knees. “Training is important for both Dominants and submissives, along with a good place to play.” He turned his head and looked at her. “Things like fire play, knife play, and rigging take time to learn and learn right.”

“I have no idea what those are, but they sound dangerous.” A shudder ran over her body.

“They can be, again, especially if someone doesn’t know what they’re doing.” He rubbed his jaw. “I think I just thought of a way to help you understand faster.” Jordan picked up his phone and began typing. “Should have an answer in a minute.”

Crystal tilted her head, wondering who he’d texted, and then his phone pinged. He read the message and laughed.

“Here’s the deal. What I’m about to tell you will be covered by another NDA, but not until Thursday. Can I trust you to keep quiet?”

“Of course. This has to do with the case so the NDA applies in my book. But what is Thursday?”

He nodded. “Thursday you are coming with me to a BDSM club.”