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Chapter Five
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Barefoot Kisses Chapter Six
The office was the usual buzz of morning business, but it sounded happier to me today than it had in a long time. Even my little work station looked better today and I didn't even frown at the stack of papers already waiting for my attention. In two weeks, I'd be in Texas helping Smith with the legal case of a lifetime. If that on my resume didn't get me a spot at Harvard, I'd eat my shoe. Plus, the icing on the cake was that I would be away from Alexa and Calvin.“I heard about your little stunt last night,” Alexa informed me, gliding up to my desk. I wondered how someone so pretty could be so evil. She was tall with dark, glossy hair that was always perfectly coiffed. Her eyes were a unique shade of gray with lashes so long they made a breeze when she blinked. Add in perfect porcelain skin, legs that stretched into infinity and a waist that was built for the designer skirts she always seemed to wear, and she was gorgeous. Gorgeous and incredibly evil.“I'm not sure what you mean, Al
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Seven
I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I hurried upstairs. Darcie gave me a big thumbs up as I passed the library on my way to Smith's office. I could hardly wait to get in there, but I made sure to walk calmly and professionally, even though I really just wanted to do cartwheels in the hallway.Mr. Smith's secretary sat at a large desk guarding the entrance to his office. It looked as though a paper avalanche had hit her desk overnight as she sorted and organized the files that must be about the new case. I cleared my throat and she looked up from her work, her face betraying nothing.“Go on in,” she told me. “They’re expecting you.”I grinned at her her, but she just returned to her piles of paper. I was excited and nervous and fairly sure that I might vibrate off the floor with all the emotions running through me. I opened his office door, stepped inside, and immediately stopped smiling. The happy vibrations were gone. I wasn't floating. I was sinking.Sitting perched on the edge
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Eight
I didn't want to see Darcie yet, but I didn't know where else to go. The library was the one place that I could escape to; I could hide in a book better than I could hide behind my very open desk. I managed to keep myself contained until I stepped through the big glass doors protecting the books before I lost it.Mercifully, the library was empty. Darcie must have had to deliver something. The placard on her desk said she'd be back in fifteen minutes, but I was just glad to have a the library to myself for a moment. As much as I loved my friend, I wasn't ready to tell anyone how crushed I was. Alexa had beaten me. She had destroyed me and I hadn't seen it coming.I went to my favorite desk in the library. It was tucked up against a window and hidden from the rest of the library by bookshelves. I'd never seen anyone else use it, since most people preferred the big tables close to the entrance to work. It was my secret place in the office where I could read and research without anyone b
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Nine
After three days of officially working as Kathryn's paralegal, I still felt like I was a very small fish in a very big ocean. I knew almost all her cases from front to back, but the newness of the position and the sudden change from nobody to somebody was messing with my head.It wasn't that I didn't know what to do, quite the opposite really. Working for Kathryn let me use all the skills I had accumulated the past few years. By the end of my first day, Kathryn was already telling me how pleased she was and how I had accomplished more than she had even hoped I would.It was just that I had this terrible fear that I would be fired from my dream job at any moment. This was just so wonderful that I couldn't see how I deserved it. It was too perfect. I kept pushing the limits of my skills, expecting to fail like I always did. Yet, Kathryn kept telling me what a wonderful job I was doing and how I was making her life easier.“You are afraid of success,” Darcie told me that morning on our w
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Ten
I stared out the glass doors of my room in awe. Outside the ocean sparkled in blue jewel tones against pristine white sand, rolling and dancing together like lovers. Even through the glass, I could hear the song of the sea, calling me like a siren's song. The bright blue sky stretched out into infinity. It was possibly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.I looked down at the schedule in my hand. I was going to get some good time in with that perfect turquoise water. The schedule looked more like a vacation than a conference. There was barely a meeting a day and never for more than a couple of hours. Most of the items on the schedule were for fun events like wine tastings and dancing. Alexa and Calvin could suck it in Texas while I vacationed with Kathryn in the Caribbean. I sent Alexa a silent thank you for taking my spot. She was going on thankless coffee runs while I sunbathed.It wasn't just the vacation that was making me happy. It was my job. In just two weeks, I
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Eleven
“Wear the silver dangling earrings. They look better with the dress,” Darcie told me. I held them up to the computer screen and she nodded. Ever the saint, she helped me get ready from thousands of miles away via my laptop's web-cam. It perched up on the dresser so she could see the full ensemble.I wore a pale blue sundress with a lace overlay. I had loved it from the moment I saw it in Raoul's selection of dresses. It was flirty, sexy, and elegant all at the same time: all the things I wanted to be for tonight. I put the earrings in and stood back so Darcie could see.“Stunning,” she informed me with a smile. “You have some cute shoes, right?”“Of course I have cute shoes,” I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips. She raised her eyebrows and popped a potato chip into her mouth. She knew me well enough to know that shoes were not my thing. “They're silver and strappy and it doesn't matter that Kathryn bought them. I still have them, okay?”A knock on the door took my thoughts off sh
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Twelve
Aiden took my hand in his as we left the restaurant. The night air was still tropically warm and the ocean breeze ruffled my skirt. This truly was paradise.“Walk on the beach with me?” Aiden asked, pulling me gently toward the sound of water. I would have followed him willingly into a volcano. A moonlit walk on the beach was better than I could have dreamed.“That sounds great,” I agreed. It only took us a moment to reach the sand. My heels immediately sank and I knew I would twist an ankle if I stayed on them. “Hold on, I need to take my shoes off to walk in the sand.”“Barefoot again?” he teased gently as he also removed his shoes. He finished nearly as soon as I did, standing beside me in the sand. “How tall are those heels?”“Tall?” I shrugged. I had no idea the actual height, just that they were taller than my usual selection of heels.“I like you this height better,” he told me. A warm flush went through me. No one had ever said that to me before. I always thought I was too sho
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Thirteen
Warm yellow sunshine and a soft breeze off the ocean woke me. I kept my eyes closed for a moment, afraid that the night before had been nothing but a wonderful dream. When I did finally open my eyes, I was relieved to see it wasn't. Aiden lay in bed next to me, his soft hazel gaze as warm as the sunshine. He had his phone out and was typing on the slide-out keyboard, but he was definitely paying more attention to me than his phone.“Were you watching me sleep?” I asked, drowsily.“Maybe.” He smiled and set his phone to the side. “You just look so peaceful and happy.”“Probably because I am.” I stretched my arms up over my head, keenly aware of his eyes taking in the seductive motion. “What time is it?”“A little past eleven,” he said, checking his watch. “You want some breakfast?”Panic woke me from my happy, lazy morning slumber. “I can't! I have a meeting and Kathryn asked me to make sure she's prepped!”I stumbled out of bed, pulling the bed sheet with me and wrapping it around my
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