The Attorney's Pregnant Lover Page 2

  There was a knock at the door, and soon after, it swung open. Meghan watched as his secretary brought in coffee for them both. She was a stunning girl and couldn't have been more than twenty-five. It made Meghan's heart hurt to look at her, and she wondered if Colton had slept with the girl. The secretary couldn't take her eyes off him. She stood in front of them until he acknowledged her.

  Colton looked up at the girl. “Oh, Sabrina, thanks, good job.” His dismissal was immediate and the girl looked hurt. Meghan made eye contact with her and raised an eyebrow. The girl blushed a deep red and hurried out of the room. Odd behavior. Maybe they hadn't slept together, as it seemed the girl was still trying to win the attentions of the handsome Colton. The idea turned Meghan's stomach.

  Get a hold of yourself woman, she thought. What? Are you going to be worried about every secretary out there sleeping with her boss? Meghan knew it was ridiculous to think that way. She was so much better than she was giving herself credit for. It was not the secretaries who were the problem; it was the men that allowed themselves to be caught up in inappropriate relationships. She looked over to find Colton staring at her curiously. She smiled back at him and dove into the paperwork before her.

  As Colton gathered the papers into her file, he couldn’t resist admiring her. She was stunning. He knew that she had once been a dancer and it was evident in how she carried herself. Her husband was indeed a fool to throw away his life with her. Perhaps, with a woman like Meghan, things would be different for him. He could see himself wanting to wake up next to her. He caught Meghan watching him curiously and he couldn’t resist chuckling.

  “Sorry, you caught me. I was admiring you.” At Meghan’s blush, he pushed forward.

  “I’m aware that you know of my reputation.” At her nod, he continued, “But despite it, perhaps you would consider having dinner with me. We could talk about something other than relationships.”

  “What’s the matter with relationships?” Meghan asked him, totally ignoring his dinner request. She was going to make him work for this one.

  “I don’t believe in them. I don't believe in marriage for that matter. Or love. How can you after what you're going through now?”

  Meghan smiled at him. “I do believe in relationships, Colton, and love. We all go into a relationship with a certain set of expectations, but you never really know what is going to happen when you decide to put your all into someone and choose to spend your life with them. Jordan was a weak man. Marriage isn't the issue at hand, and neither is love. They’re both real and something to believe in, Colton. You simply have to choose the right person, an honorable person, and then you work at it. It's never easy, but regardless of what happened between Jordan and me, I don't regret falling in love and living that life. And I will do it all over again, but I will choose more carefully this time.”

  Colton looked shocked. He couldn’t believe that after everything that happened, she still believes in love.

  “It's certainly a pleasure working with you, Meghan.”

  “Well, the pleasure is mine, Colton. I assure you, you’ve been a great comfort to me during this trying time.” Meghan stood up from the sofa and started towards the exit. As she reached the door, she turned around. “And I’ll think about your offer, Mr. Pierce.”

  “Pardon?”

  Meghan smiled at Colton’s confusion. “. Maybe I’ll let you take me to dinner. When I am not too busy of course.”

  Colton was stunned. This was the first time he had been turned down. Ever. Ok. So maybe she didn’t turn him down entirely, but he was so used to women throwing themselves at him, he didn’t know what to say to Meghan as she left his office. Not only had she not jumped at the offer, she had the final say, as he was too surprised to respond. Could he be losing his touch?

  It wasn’t as if he was out of his element: he’d scored with plenty of women like Meghan. Some of them were even married. He could tell that she was attracted to him and after that speech about believing in love and relationships, why wouldn’t she jump at the chance to spend more time with him? Why was she different?

  Chapter 3

  Colton needed to focus. He was working on a big case at the moment, much bigger than Meghan’s. A well-known celebrity couple was going through a divorce right now and it was a disaster. The husband had been caught cheating while on the set of his new movie with his co-star and it had hit the papers a month ago. The divorce was messy, as children were involved. The wife wanted her cheating man’s reputation completely ruined. It was an extremely stressful case, but it would be a huge payout for the firm and also bring in big name business if all went well. Colton was muddling through the paperwork when Meghan came to his mind once again. What was it with this woman?

  He could not stop thinking about her; it was as if their first encounter had put a spell on him.

  She sure is one hell of a woman, he thought.

  As he continued to daydream, Colton could not for the life of him understand why Meghan would want to fall in love again after catching her husband sleeping with their secretary. It was appalling. The situation had gone public and he couldn't figure out why the guy did it. He didn't seem to have any shame over it, as he was still with the girl and she continued to work at his company. It was the same with the celebrities, with all the public exposure you would think that the married actors would stop sleeping with their co-stars.

  It had taken Colton several tries before Meghan agreed to have dinner with him. He couldn’t believe he had to work so hard. In fact, he had never put this kind of effort into asking a woman out. What was wrong with him? He should simply have written her off as out of bounds and keep their relationship pure business, but the more he thought about her, the harder it became. When she finally agreed to dinner, Colton felt like a teen on a first date. He’d chosen a restaurant near the park, as it had a spectacular view. He even contemplated a carriage ride around the park after dinner. He was prepared to pull out all the stops to win her over.

  Meghan told him that she would meet him at the restaurant, which annoyed Colton a bit. He wanted to control the evening, but he didn’t push it. He was just happy that she had finally agreed.

  When he arrived, on time, he expected Meghan to be waiting for him. Instead, he was forced to wait on her. When her car finally pulled up, he watched as long, bare legs on four-inch heels stepped onto the asphalt. Before her driver could help her from the car, Colton stepped up as if in a trance and escorted her from the car. Her proximity coupled with her dazzling smile made him dizzy. Wrapping her arm around his, he ushered her into the restaurant and to their table.

  “So, I’m happy that you finally let me take you out,” Colton said.

  “Well yeah, I had some time to waste today.”

  She smiled and shot him a dazzling look as she peered into his eyes.

  Time to waste? Colton couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He could walk into any bar and walk out with the girl of his choice. She should be lucky! As Colton pondered these thoughts, he looked at the menu.

  “What are you getting Meghan? Do you like seafood?”

  Meghan barely made eye contact. She knew her playing hard to get personality was driving Colton crazy. “Um, yeah,” Meghan mumbled before reaching into her pocketbook as her phone started to ring. Much to Colton’s surprise, she answered and proceeded to have a short conversation. After a minute, Meghan got off the phone.

  “Colton, I’ve got to go. I’m sorry. Something came up.”

  “Huh? Why?” Colton was shocked. He could not believe she was standing him up. No one stood him up. Meghan got up and headed towards the exit as Colton followed her. He stood there dumbfounded as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, a smile of apology and hopped back in the car.

  Colton knew better than to make a move on her while she was still in the middle of a divorce as that would be bad for business, but after what happened, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was different. He knew she liked him, but it was clear that
his status and looks didn't matter to her. She wasn’t going to praise him like all of the other women he slept with. That was evident in how quickly she left the restaurant. Maybe that was what intrigued him so much, that there was actually a female out there capable of resisting him.

  While Colton liked a challenge, he wasn’t sure he measured up to Meghan’s standards. This was new ground for him and he found himself rethinking her speech on love and relationships. A lot. If he were to settle down, he would want it to be with someone like Meghan. She was a class act and downright gorgeous. She moved like a dancer and she carried herself with grace. She was on his mind all the time and he wondered which was more foolish, pursuing her or letting her walk out of his life.

  The idea of falling in love hadn't been something that he put much thought into. After almost twenty years in this business, he had never thought that love was something for him, and the things he saw on a day-to-day basis with his clients turned him off to it. These were once people who loved each other and wanted to spend their lives together, and yet they could get themselves to the point where they wanted to murder one another. How does this prove that love is real?

  Yet, Meghan was still there in the back of his mind, haunting him. The fact that he was even considering seeing a woman beyond sex was a testament to this woman's power over him.

  As Colton sat at his desk pondering these thoughts, his cell began to ring. He snapped it up and said hello.

  “Hey, Colton, it's Meghan.”

  And just like that, he was won over. How about that for timing? “Well, hello there. I hope everything is ok. I haven’t heard from you since you left the restaurant so abruptly.””

  “Oh, well, something came up that needed my immediate response. We’ll have to try again sometime,” Meghan responded vaguely.

  “I had an idea that I wanted to run by you. Do you mind if I stop by tomorrow?”

  “Sure, I'm intrigued. I will let Sabrina know to clear my schedule for the afternoon and you can come anytime.”

  “Thank you, Colton.”

  “I will see you tomorrow, Meghan.”

  He clicked out of the conversation and set his phone down. What was she up to now? Colton couldn’t wait to find out.

  Chapter 4

  Meghan left the salon that morning feeling fantastic. Her nails were fresh and she added highlights to her naturally brown hair. Excitement was building inside her and she couldn't wait to tell someone about her big ideas. She felt fresh and new, finally ready to start her life over again. She was going to take on the world again in the same fashion she had done when she worked with her husband. She had proved back then that she could accomplish anything, and she was about to prove it again.

  She decided to grab some lunch at the shopping center and pick up a few new items for her wardrobe before heading over to see Colton at his office. She didn't know why she was so excited to tell him her idea. They certainly weren't dating, and she wasn't even sure if she would classify him as a friend.

  Yes, he had been incredibly helpful to her through the divorce process, but wasn't that his job? As she perused the racks, she realized that she hadn't shopped for herself in quite some time. She made sure to stop by Victoria’s Secret for some new swimsuits. She was about to own a yacht, out right, and she intended to take a little trip before she officially went back to work. It would be relaxing and just what she needed to get back into the swing of things before starting her new life. She picked out a two-piece in black and another in hot pink, a little conservative and a whole lot of spice. She actually giggled when she tried them on. God, she was happy. For the first time in months, she felt at peace with her current situation.

  When she walked into Colton's office, she was light on her feet. She felt like she was practically glowing inside and out. Sabrina was at her desk when Meghan approached, and she watched as the girl paged his office with displeasure written all over her face. Meghan didn't care, as she wasn't about to let a little girl ruin her mood for the day. She was on cloud nine and no one was getting her off it.

  Colton came out of the office and she beamed at him. His smile matched hers, for no reason other than the fact that her happiness was contagious. He ushered her into his office and closed the door behind him.

  “Hey you. Are you going to tell me why you walked out on me the other night?” Colton asked.

  “Aw, you know, something important came up.”

  She gave Colton that sexy smile as they locked eyes. He really couldn’t figure her out. But she was damn sexy.

  “Did I hurt your feelings, Colton?” She asked him as she smiled coyly.

  Feelings? Was she serious? Colton shook his head, denying the inevitable fact that he was indeed hurt. “Of course not, but you arrived late and left me standing at the curb WITHOUT an explanation. At any rate, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  “Let's have a drink.”

  Colton laughed in surprise. “A drink? Wow, this must really be some news. Had I known we were toasting, I would have grabbed some champagne.”

  “No, no, it's mainly to calm my nerves.” She walked over to him and hugged him hard.

  “Whoa. What's happening here?” Colton asked himself.

  He was curious at her behavior. What had gotten into her? First, she was blew his dinner plans off, and now, she was hugging him? What was going on? What changed? He walked over to the side table and emptied bourbon from the decanter into two glasses. He went back to her and handed her one. Colton watched as she downed the whole glass in one gulp and handed it back to him. She then took the other glass from his hand and emptied it as well. Grinning, she handed him back the empty glass.

  “You should probably have got yourself a drink as well, Colton.”

  He rubbed his eyes. “Yes, apparently.” He walked back over and poured two more glasses realizing that this was going to be a very interesting day indeed.

  “Let’s sit down, shall we, Colton handed her another glass of bourbon and wondered if she could handle it. Worst-case scenario was he would send for her driver.

  Meghan sat down, her throat warm from the bourbon. She didn't normally drink hard liquor, as she was more of a wine connoisseur, but today was different; she didn't care and she could feel a good buzz coming on.

  “Colton, I want you to help me open my own dance school,” Meghan blurted out.

  Silence filled the room.

  “You think it's a terrible idea, right?”

  Colton quickly sat beside her and cupped her face in his hands. “No, Meghan,” he laughed, “You just caught me off guard. I had no idea what you were going to say. When it comes to you, I feel out of my element and that’s driving me crazy. You’re driving me crazy.”

  She looked into his handsome eyes, feeling warm all over. She wasn't sure if it was her attraction to him or the bourbon that was building up inside of her. He released her face and she took another sip of her drink. He took one as well, watching her carefully.

  “So, what do you think?” she asked.

  “I'm surprised. Considering how much money you will get in the settlement, I assumed that you wouldn’t want to work. At least for a while.”

  “Oh, no. I have no interest in being one of those ex-wives who shops and lunches all day.” She downed the rest of her bourbon, enjoying the burn it caused as it slid down her throat. “Granted, I was great at my job but it wasn't me that was always Jordan’s dream.” Colton nodded. His gaze was growing more intense as he slid closer to her on the sofa. “I’m too old to pick up where I left off as a ballet dancer at this point, and it's not where I’m at right now.”

  “But you want to teach? That seems a little beneath you.”

  Meghan laughed. “I don't think I would mind it, actually, but no, that's not the goal. I would like to run the PR end of things, marketing and event planning. Be the owner and nothing else. Although, if I have free time, I would like to help in the classes. I was quite talented in my early days.”

  Sh
e winked at him and he grinned. “I have no doubt.”

  “I've already contacted a few dancers I used to work with, and they would love to come and teach at a school of mine.”

  “Well, it seems like you have it all figured out.”

  “I need your honest opinion on whether you think that this is going to work. It's one thing to have a dream, quite another for it to be a realistic one.”

  Colton brushed the hair off her face and held her gaze for a moment too long.

  “You’re highly intelligent, Meghan. I don't think you're capable of making a bad decision. You certainly have the capital it takes to open up something of that magnitude, and you have the expertise. I’d say, do it.”

  Meghan beamed at his response. “So, the reason I’m here, despite the fact that I couldn't wait to tell you,” she took note of the pleased look that crossed his face, “I also need your help. I was hoping that you would use your connections to find a great location for me and then of course take care of the legal end of things.”