Mis-Judge By His Secretary

4

Eleanor

I sat at my desk Monday morning, still replaying the events of the morning at Judge West’s house. Because apparently, arranging a file cabinet was “important.”

Yeah, right.

I had also met his brother, who was charming enough to be annoying, but at least he wasn’t as tightly wound as the Judge.

I sighed, shaking my head. What a quaint little adventure.

But now, here I was settled at my desk, trying to confirm his schedule for the day. Judge West was currently in his chambers, in a meeting with another judge. A younger, female judge. And something about her body language screamed, Pick me, choose me, love me. She wanted Judge West, and she wasn’t so subtle either, from what I had seen this morning.

Not that I could blame her. I mean, Judge West is ridiculously hot. Objectively speaking, of course. Broad shoulders, sharp jawline, and those dark eyes that look like they could either undress you or sentence you to life in prison. Maybe both.

But me? I was immune. Completely, utterly immune.

I cleared my throat, pushing thoughts of my grumpy boss and his fan club out of my head, and focused on work.

I turned to my computer, pulling up the number for Ben Miller’s office. I made a mental note to call his secretary, Bree, and reconfirm the Judge’s meeting with Mr. Miller tomorrow. This boss of mine was nothing if not particular about his schedule.

I was knee-deep in that when the phone on my desk rang. Without thinking, I grabbed the receiver and pressed it to my ear.

“Hello?” I said, only to be met with silence.

It wasn’t until my cell phone buzzed again that I realized the sound wasn’t coming from my desk phone. It was my personal phone.

I glanced at the screen. Lara.

Oh, crap.

I hadn’t asked Judge West if personal calls were allowed on the clock, but it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

My desk was tucked back into a little alcove a few yards from Judge West’s office. It was private enough to work uninterrupted, though not quite an office. I couldn’t just shut the door and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. Not that I needed the solitude. Greeting visitors was part of my job.

Still, it was private enough to risk a quick call. I already knew why Lara was calling. She wanted details… about work and, more importantly, my ridiculously attractive boss.

Shaking my head with silent laughter, I put the receiver back down and picked up my phone, sliding the screen to answer and putting the call on speaker. I lowered the volume and my voice as I spoke.

“Lara, I’m sure you have better things to do,” I said. “What do you want?”

There was a beat of silence before she replied. “Oh, please. Don’t pee on my parade. Now, how’s your hot boss doing this morning?”

I rolled my eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn’t get stuck. Of all the people in the world, Lara was the last person I’d admit Nathan West was hot to. She would take that information, run it through her overactive imagination, and come up with some ridiculous romance novel plot line where I’m secretly pining for him, and he’s secretly pining for me.

Spoiler alert: he wasn’t. And neither was I.

“There’s nothing hot about that grumpy man, Lara,” I said firmly. “Now, you know better than to call me at work like this, don’t you?”

She snorted, clearly unfazed. “Please. You’re dying to spill the details. Tell me; does he walk around the office in perfectly tailored suits, smoldering at everyone in sight? Or does he save the smoldering just for you?”

I pressed my fingers to my temple, already feeling a headache coming on. “He walks around the office in perfectly tailored suits, smoldering at absolutely no one. He’s focused on work, and so am I. Now, go find someone else to harass.”

“Oh, come on,” she whined. “You can’t leave me hanging like this. Is he as hot in person as he is in my head?”

“Goodbye, Lara,” I said, ending the call before she could dig herself any deeper into my business.

I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head. Lara meant well, but she had a talent for turning molehills into mountains.

And the last thing I needed right now was for her to start building mountains out of Nathan West.

I pressed my back to the chair, when I heard a voice. “I’m just a grumpy boss, right?”

Holy s**t. My eyes widened and I dropped my mouth open.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

The receiver. The stupid receiver.

My brain pieced it together in record time: when I grabbed it earlier, I must have pressed something… some evil, cursed button. And now, Nathan West, Judge of All Things Serious and Severe, had just heard me call him a grumpy boss.

I stared at the phone like it was personally responsible for ruining my life. Maybe if I stared hard enough, it would spontaneously combust.

“Huh, I…,” I stammered, my mouth as dry as sandpaper. My brain was spinning, trying to come up with something… anything, to explain myself. But before I could even string together a coherent thought, his voice cut through again.

“Come into my office, Ms. Rhodes.”

His tone was calm, which somehow made it worse. Like the calm before a hurricane.

And then I heard the beep. The click. The sound of doom.

My hands went clammy, and my heart started pounding like it was auditioning for a drum-line.

Okay, Eleanor. Think. What’s the play here? Deny? Deflect? Fake an illness and flee the building?

None of those options seemed great, especially not for a job I just started. He wouldn’t fire me over this, would he?

With a deep, shaky breath, I stood and straightened my skirt, grabbing my notepad like it was a shield. Professional. Calm. Like I wasn’t walking into a lion’s den with a steak tied around my neck.

I made my way to his office to find the door was slightly ajar, and I hesitated for a moment before pushing it open.

Nathan was behind his desk, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, the very picture of authority and intimidation. His dark eyes locked on me the second I stepped inside.

“Close the door,” he said.

Wait, why wasn’t Judge Emma there anymore? When did she leave?

I did as he asked, my fingers fumbling slightly on the handle. When I turned back, his gaze hadn’t wavered.

“So,” he said, his voice smooth but laced with a sharp edge. “I’m just a grumpy boss, huh?”

Holy. s**t.

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was a nervous laugh. Not a cute, polite laugh. No, this was the kind of laugh that belonged in an asylum.

“Huh, well, I wouldn’t say grumpy exactly…” I started, my voice trailing off when his eyebrows rose ever so slightly.

“No?” he said, tilting his head. “Because that’s what I heard. Grumpy. And what was the other part? Oh yes, ‘there’s nothing hot about him.’”

I wanted to crawl under his desk and die.

“That wasn’t exactly how I meant it,” I said quickly, waving my hands like I could erase the words from existence. “It was just… you know, a casual thing. A joke! Lara… she’s my best friend, and she’s always teasing me, and…”

“Ms. Rhodes.”

My rambling cut off instantly.

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk, his dark eyes never leaving mine. “If I’m so grumpy and… not hot, then why does your friend seem so interested in me?”

Oh, for the love of God. He was toying with me. Nathan West, the Iceberg Judge, was actually having fun with this.

“She’s not interested in you,” I said, a little too fast. “She just… likes to mess with me. It’s her thing.”

“Mm.” He leaned back again, his mouth quirking at the corner in what could almost be a smile. “So, it’s her thing to mess with you by calling your boss hot.”

“I didn’t say you were hot,” I blurted, then immediately wanted to slap myself. “I mean, I didn’t not say that, but…”

He raised a hand, cutting me off again, and that small flicker of amusement I thought I saw vanished. “Relax, Ms. Rhodes. I’m not about to write you up for having a personal call. But next time, let’s keep the commentary about me off the speakerphone. Understood?”

“Yes, Judge West,” I said, nodding so fast my neck hurt.

“And one more thing,” he added, his voice dropping just slightly. “I may be grumpy, but I do expect you to stay focused while you’re here. I assume you can manage that?”

“Yes, Judge West,” I repeated, my cheeks flaming.

“Good.” He gestured toward the door. “That’ll be all, Ms. Rhodes.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I turned and practically sprinted out of his office, my heels clicking loudly against the floor.

When I got back to my desk, I slumped into my chair and let out a long, shaky breath.

This was strike one, I could feel it.