Page 62 of Dirty Judge

The following morning

“Please don’t be here early, please don’t be here early…”

I pulled my car into an empty judicial lot at three forty-five.

As much as I wanted to come in late today, I didn’t want to push my luck. Plus I figured I’d use the extra time to make up for the small things I didn’t finish yesterday.

Swiping my key at the door, I grabbed a few files from the records office before stepping into chambers.

Thankfully, it was pitch black inside.

I was all alone.

I let out a sigh of relief and reached for the lights.

“Good morning,Olivia.” Judge Ashton’s voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

The lights flicked on, and my stomach fell to the floor.

He was standing in the doorway of his office, dressed in a white T-shirt that hugged his muscles and dark gray sweatpants that hung low off his hips.

So much for the office dress code…

“Did you have a good early night?” He leaned against the doorframe. “Better yet, did you enjoy the additional time off I didn’t approve?”

“Yes, I did,” I said, even though I knew his questions were rhetorical. “I hope you had a good night, too.”

“I didn’t.”

“Well…Sorry to hear that.” I shrugged and walked to my desk, feeling his heated gaze on me the entire way. I started pulling the things I needed from my drawers, avoiding his stare.

“Can you join me in here please?” His words were a command, not a question. “We need to talk—again.”

“I’ll wait on Mara to get here.” I looked up at him. “I’d be more comfortable with her around.”

“I can fire you without cause, Miss Spencer,” he said. “It’d be silly for me to have to do that over a simple instruction.”

The look in his eyes made it clear he was on edge, that serving him a line of sarcasm might lead him to snap.

“Bring your notebook,” he said. “You have one hell of a list of things to handle today.”

Obliging, I slowly walked toward him and into his office, and he eased off the doorframe and shut the door behind him.

I waited for him to move behind his desk, but he remained standing with me.

Close enough to touch, he let his eyes wander from my hair to my heels before looking right into my eyes.

“Take out your pen,” he said. “I’m not going to repeat myself.”

I remained still.

“Fair enough, then,” he said, “One, you’ll pre-order my dinner from Logan’s and you’ll leave here around eight this evening to get it.”

I didn’t write that down.

“Two, you will stand in for Mara all next week, as she deserves a vacation and the other clerks will still be out.”

“You gave them another week off?” I felt my chest tighten. “I barely survived last week without them.”