Legally Bound (7 page)

“Bobby, listen…,” Paige started.

“No Paige, this time you are going to listen. I finally have you where I want you. I know you are not going to make a scene in the middle of this affair, so I’m going to say what I have wanted to say for far too long,” Bobby said with an emotionless expression. Paige was taken aback but stayed silent.

“I made a mistake, a mistake I will regret for the rest of my life if it has cost me you. I saw the opportunity to finally have what I’ve want for so long. When I overheard Camille mentioning the club to you, I couldn’t bare the thought of another man putting his hands on you. I acted without thinking things through.

“I thought I could just get you out of my system and things would go back to normal. I could get over my obsession with you and gain control over my feelings and my life again. But I was so wrong. Having a taste of you, being inside of you only made me realize I’ll never have enough. I just couldn’t chance you being accepted into the club and you accepting the invitation of any man other than me.

“I rejected your membership because I selfishly wanted you to myself. I should have known you would figure out it was me. I never thought that far past my wanting you. I also should have thought about how it would make you feel to have your application denied, but I just wanted to keep you to myself.

“Paige, Baby I’m just asking that you give me a chance. Let me start things right. Have dinner with me, get to know me. Get to know the man, not the lawyer, not the admissions advisor, not your boss’s son, but me, Bobby, the man.”

Paige blinked back the tears and shook her head. She was so confused. He never showed interest in her before. Now that she was threatening to leave he was hot on her heels.
I’ve wanted to fuck you for so long and now I finally have you.
His words rang in her ears from their night together just increasing her confusion. Paige knew she needed to get away from him to think.

“Paige, please,” Bobby pleaded his eyes dropping down to her lips. When she didn’t answer right away Bobby started to lean in toward her slowly.

“No,” Paige nearly sobs and pulled out of his embrace and turned to run from the room.

Just outside the doors of the ballroom Paige crashed into a large solid frame and large arms wrapped around her waist to steady her. Paige looked up to find the concerned face of Nathaniel. The tears were no longer in check and started to spoil over. Nathan place a hand on her back to steered her to a set of balcony doors.

“Are you alright,” Nathan asked as they stepped outside, handing Paige his handkerchief.

“I’d be fine if your best friend would just back off,” Paige hissed as she dabbed at the tears.

“Ah, I see,” Nathan nodded. “Bobby can be determined when he wants something.”

“Well I am not just something that he can have. I’m a person with feelings. I’ve told him a million times he doesn’t have to worry about these stupid cases. I promised to stay long enough to insure his victory, but I won’t stay with a firm where I have no future. I hit a ceiling at Mairettie & Mairettie and I think it is time I go,” Paige demanded in frustration.

“And you think this is why Bobby is pursuing you, to secure you staying with the firm?” Nathan asked with his brows furrowed.

Paige snorted. “Why else would the infamous Bobby Mairettie be after me? He can have anyone he wants I doubt he’d settle for this runaway train.”

“Wow, to see Paige Kemble from the eyes of Paige Kemble,” Nathan snorted. “You have no idea how amazing you are; do you? And I see you haven’t really gotten to know Bobby that well either. I’ve dated and come across a few train wrecks and runaway trains, as you put it, and none of them have half the qualities you do. I have only heard of you and just met you but I’ve seen so much in this short time.”

“You’re very sweet Nathan. Why aren’t you married to some awesome woman yet?”

“Because she is either already married to someone else or she is in love with her future husband and is too blind to see it, but too in love to notice me,” Nathan laughed.

Paige blowout a breath and looked out over the impressive view from the balcony. The mountains and trees gave the night a magical and peaceful feel. Paige tried to release the tension in her body and give in to the tranquility of the sight.

“This place is so beautiful,” Paige sighed.

“Yeah, Bobby really is a lucky man. This will be his wedding gift from his parents. James wants to retire soon. He and Minnie feel they are getting too old for a place like this. James has plans to travel and spend time with the grandkids as they come along. This place has been in the family for decades and they can’t bare the thought of parting with it so as the oldest it will be passed to Bobby when he gets married,” Nathaniel explained with a knowing smile.

“Well then his future wife will be a very lucky woman,” Paige nodded and turned away from Nathaniel. She couldn’t believe the sudden surge of jealousy running through her.

“Yes, you are a very lucky woman,” Nathan murmured.

“Excuse me,” Paige said turning back to face him and looking up at him.

“You are very stubborn, just like Bobby. I see why he is so crazy about you,” Nathaniel said warmly.

“He may be crazy, but he is not crazy about me.”

“As you wish, I like you Paige. I think we are going to have a great time over the next two weeks,” Nathan laughed.

“So let’s start planning all the trouble we’ll get into,” Paige said with an impish grin.

Chapter Eleven

“A
ttention everyone,” James said clearing his throat to get everyone in the private jet to look forward. “The engagement party was a great success last night and today I’m so glad to be surrounded with my family for some R and R. I know Marie would have loved to join us sooner but she will be here at the end of the week if all goes well.

“My Minnie and I just want you all to know this is a time to relax and be with family. I know we have two of my biggest workaholics with us, Bobby and Paige, and a workaholic in the making, Marcus. So your mother and I have decided to make some ground rules. Number one, Bobby your assistant is here to vacation just like the rest of us. We will be watching to make sure you are letting her have some fun.

“Number two, Bobby and Paige, we know you two are prepping for two of the biggest cases the firm has right now but the team back home is in place to support you two, so you will not work past four pm. You will take at least three days a week to enjoy yourselves and three days of the week you will take mornings off to do some activities with the family and I still expect your workday to end no later than four pm. Marcus and I will help you two pick up any slack if necessary, but I’m sure the team back home can handle it.

“I’ve been a lawyer a long time and lived longer. It all means nothing if you can’t find time to enjoy it and find someone special to enjoy it all with. So the last rule we have is to be open to everything and have fun experiencing it all, salute!”

James raised his glass and everyone join him in the toast. “Salute,” they all said in unison.

~B~

Nathaniel made his way to the back of the plane. Bobby had been ignoring him since last night. He was being standoffish and cold. Bobby was never like that with him and he wanted to check in on his friend who disappeared to the back cabins not too long after James’s speech.

Every time, last night and this morning Nathaniel tried to talk to Bobby he ignored him or deviated from the conversation. Several times Bobby avoided him last night after he had come back into the party with Paige from the balcony. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with his friend but he was going to find out.

Nathan knocked on the door and heard Bobby shuffling around inside before the door opened. Bobby opened the door with a scowl on his face. He backed away from the door allowing Nathan to enter before closing the door behind him.

“What’s going on with you?” Nathan asked looking his friend in the eyes with concern. “You haven’t said a word to me since last night.”

“You can have any woman you want. But you had to go after the one woman I personally told you is the one I would give it all up for. How could you?” Bobby growled.

“Are you kidding me? You have known me for how long? How long, Bobby,” Nathan snapped back.

“Forever, that’s why I don’t understand,” Bobby retorted.

“Have I ever gone after someone you were interested in, less on someone you were ever involved with,” Nathan sighed. “Paige and I are just friends. She is not interest in me at all. If you’d pull your head out of your ass you’d see she’s into you but she’s scared to death of you.”

Bobby stopped to let his friend’s words sink in. Paige was interested but she was scared. He could handle her being scared, it was a lack of interest that was killing him. All this time he thought the chemistry was just one sided and he was reading the signals wrong but she wanted him, she was just afraid.

“I don’t know what to do,” Bobby muttered.

“Who is this guy,” Nathan teased. “Someone please give him his balls back.”

“Go to hell,” Bobby snorted tossed a pillow from the arm chair at him.

“Seriously, you’re Bobby Mairettie. You never take no for an answer. You always find a way to get what you want. Paige should be no different. She thinks this is about you saving face with your father and keeping her with the firm. Do whatever you have to do to get her to see that this is about her, that you want her,” Nathan said firmly.

“Thanks man,” Bobby said as he walked over to his friend and pulled him into a one arm hug. “Sorry about acting like a jerk.”

“I get it man. Paige is amazing. By the way don’t get pissed but we have plans to hang out on the island. She is really cool and we’re just hanging out as friends,” Nathan said and looked at his friend cautiously.

“It’s cool Bro. At least I’ll know she’s with you and won’t drive myself crazy wondering if she is hooking up with some guy on the island,” Bobby grumbled.

“Somehow I don’t think you would have to worry about that either way,” Nathan smiled.

Nathan turned to leave out of the cabin and Bobby stood there to think for a moment. Paige thought he was just after her to make things right to keep her from leaving the firm. This was nothing new. It’s just he never really listened to her when she said it before. How could a woman as beautiful as Paige possibly think that was true, but when Nate said it, it finally hit home.

Nate was right. He was Bobby Mairettie and he always got what he wanted and he wanted Paige Kemble in the biggest way ever. In that insistent it clicked, he knew what he had to do.

Bobby pulled the bedroom door open and marched out to the front of the plane. He stopped in front of the seats where Ellen, Camille, Julia, Marcus’s fiancée, and Paige sat. Paige was sitting in the outside seat talking and laughing with all the women. When Ellen and Julia fell silent to look up at Bobby Camille and Paige did the same.

Paige’s face was turned up and she was searching Bobby’s face with confusion in her eyes. Bobby squatted down in front of her in the aisle and pushed his hand in her hair that was falling over her shoulders framing her face, leaning in to capture her lips. Paige was stunned by the kiss and sat frozen at first, until Bobby tipped her head back and teased the seam of her lips with his tongue. She gasped in surprise and opened up to him wrapping her hand behind his neck and submitting to his kiss.

Bobby deepened the kiss taking all she was giving until they both groaned and he remembered where they were. Bobby pulled away breaking the kiss but not taking his eyes off of hers. There it was her desire for him, she wanted him just as much as he needed her.

“I want you and to prove it I will do whatever you need. If you want to go after we close Lieberman and Oreeso, fine. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I plan to go tell my father everything right now so you know I mean what I say. If in the end your choice is to leave and start your own firm then I want to be one of your first employees because I’ll follow you anywhere, Paige. I want
you
,” with that Bobby kissed her tenderly one last time. “We’re having dinner tonight.” He stood moving to the front of the plane where his parents sat gaping with opening mouths.

Paige pressed her fingers to her lips staring after him as he sat down with his father and starting explaining the situation with Paige. Paige couldn’t hear his words but she doubt she would have been able to focus on them had she been able to. She was lost in that kiss.

“Wow,” Ellen breathed.

“You can say that again,” Camille exhaled fanning herself.

“Wow,” Ellen repeated.

Paige felt her cheeks warm as she realized everyone on the plane had just witnessed that scene play out. She looked over to where Marcus, Sam, and Nathaniel were all sitting together. Nathan raised his glass to her as he and Marcus looked at her with a knowing smile on their faces. Sam held up baby Jessica’s hand waving at her as he chuckled and shook his head. Paige was now more angry with Bobby than anything. He was no longer privately harassing her, and what exactly did he plan to tell his father?