Captivate her: Laws of Seduction Book 1 by Ava Hayworth Read Free Book Online Page B

I am trying to pay attention to Valerie and at the same time politely listen to Sonia, who fills in any silences with tales of the worst lawyers she has ever worked for and their various idiosyncrasies. 
    I am tuning out Sonia when Valerie starts assigning us to the lawyers who we will be working with. I am the last associate to be assigned and it is to Elizabeth Duffy, who I will meet this afternoon. We are about to break for lunch when Valerie gives us a parting message. “I would like you all to have a great start at Houghton Mills, but I would be derelict in my duty if I did not make you aware of how competitive we are at this firm. We hire only the best, and that is why you are all here today. That being said, it may not work out for all of you here at Houghton Mills. Sometimes junior associates decide we are not a good fit for them. You will have to work a lot of hours, and although you know this going in, sometimes the reality can be overwhelming. It can work the other way too; sometimes we at Houghton do not feel like an associate is a good fit for the firm. On average, about half of the junior associates make it to a second year here at Houghton Mills. I want to impress upon you that this is not a competition. There are not a set number of openings. It just usually works out that way. So please let me reiterate: you work for the same team, and we at HM like to see team players.” The guy sitting next to Alex starts clapping, and we all awkwardly join in. Valerie just smiles and sends us off to lunch, reminding us to be back in an hour.
    Alex and I decide to test out the closest deli, which happens to be next door. “Do you think clapping guy played sports in high school and the phrase ‘team players’ set off a Pavlovian response to clap and cheer?” I ask as we pick out deli sandwiches. 
    Alex laughs, “Yea, that wasn’t awkward at all.” He pays the cashier for both our lunches and gives me a wink when he sees I want to object. “It can be on you next time,” he assures me before continuing. “Even though Valerie said it was not a competition, I can guarantee you that at least one person heard the word competition and thinks this is the game of their life.”
    I head for a corner table. “I really hope you are wrong.”
    “Well, I know I am right. It is inevitable with a group this large. Just wait and see.”
    I swallow a bite of my turkey and avocado sandwich. “Want to put your money where your mouth is?”
    “Oh ho, little Lainey Hart, high stakes roller. Who would have thought? You’re on. What are the stakes?” Alex tips his bag of chips in my direction, and I nab one.
    “A night out… and whoever loses pays for drinks… all night.”
    “Oh, come on… you can do better than that.” Alex gives me a wicked grin. “How about…” Alex looks out at the midday foot traffic as he deliberates. “The loser also has to sing a song with the Naked Cowboy in Times Square?”
    I consider for a moment. The Naked Cowboy is a street performer at Times Square and is famous for serenading tourists with his guitar dressed only briefs and a cowboy hat. As long as I don’t have to be naked too, I could handle those stakes. Grinning widely, I accept the bet. “You are on, and I can’t wait to see you up there putting your moves on.”
    “You are going down hard, Hart,” Alex teases before clarifying. “If everyone is a team player, drinks are on me, and I will sing in Times Square, but if one person goes all Tonya Harding, the drinks are on you, and you sing at Times Square.” 
    I laugh. “Nice comparison, lawyer and psycho ice skater. I can see that. I just wouldn’t want to be Nancy Kerrigan.”

CHAPTER 8
     
    As soon as we exit the elevators and walk back into the firm, our buoyant mood from lunch plummets. Everyone seems to take the start at the firm seriously. Their somber attitudes subdue our high spirits. The next item on the agenda before meeting the lawyers with whom we will