Christmas Pet by Jamie Knight
Chapter One - James
December had turned into the Nightmare Before Christmas. America’s sweetheart, Erin Chastain, was out for her husband Daniel’s blood. My team hadn’t tracked down the Hollywood heartthrob or his mistress yet. I’d filed a divorce petition on the grounds of adultery with the court last week and now had to figure out how to serve Daniel. I despised the guy.
The fucker and I went way back.
After what he’d done to my sister, Sylvie, I swore I wouldn’t stop until he was penniless. I’d represented his first wife in their divorce, and afterward, he promised he would make me pay, and he had.
The world didn’t know about him because he had the women he dated sign ironclad NDAs. That and he had a vicious team of lawyers at his beck and call. The thought of his fans discovering who he truly was terrified him. He always paid hush money to anyone who threatened to open their mouths.
After breaking my sister’s heart and humiliating her, he moved onto wife number two —someone else I represented. The bastard enjoyed seeing and causing pain. The sadistic fuck might not lay a hand on his partners physically, but mentally he destroyed them.
He’d somehow convinced the women who caught his eye that emotional abuse meant love. I didn’t understand how Erin had put up with him for so long. How she’d allowed herself to accept the heartache and pain.
I wasn’t known for my compassion, but a woman’s tears never failed to move me. I saw him for what he was and would make sure Erin received every penny owed to her.
I hadn’t revealed to anyone my real reason for taking on this case. After I walked his second wife through the divorce, I hoped I’d never have to see his sorry face again. However, when Erin came to see me and opened up about her pain, I vowed I would make the fucker pay. Again and again and again.
On top of everything else I had going on this week, my senior associate had a nervous breakdown and quit. He was now on his way to India to find himself. There was only one person available in the firm to fill the vacant spot on my team — Pearl Holmes, a junior associate who join the firm recently and flitted around the place like a Disney Princess in a power suit.
She was the kind of employee who baked cookies for the entire office and had a kind word for everyone. I didn’t need someone who saw the world through rose-tinted glasses. I needed someone with a killer instinct. Not a goody-two-shoes in love with love who probably had sex with the lights off and her eyes squeezed shut.
I laughed. How would Ms. Prim and Proper react if she learned I had a supply of whips and handcuffs at home?
I finished reading Erin’s latest text demanding I take everything from Daniel and his ‘slutty’ girlfriend.
I rubbed my forehead and leaned back in my chair. I was damn lucky to have a client like Erin Chastain. The billable hours from her alone would allow me to retire if I wanted to. But I was a selfish fucker and wanted it all.
From the outside in, it seemed like I did have it all, and perhaps in some ways, I did. I had a downtown penthouse apartment and more money than I would ever need. I traveled all over the world, and gorgeous women threw themselves at my feet. But none of that was enough. I wanted more, but I wasn’t sure what that more was.
The sound of tinkling laughter drifted through the open office door. “… he wanted to stick his dick where? I hope you told him to stick it up his own ass. I swear to God, men like him are the reason I’m happy to be single. There’s nothing a man can do for me that my vibrators can’t.”
Intrigued, I sat up straight and strained to hear more. Usually, I was the only one who came into work before the sun rose. I moved to my office door and saw Pearl making her way towards the conference room with AirPods in place and a box in her hand. Her hazelnut ponytail swung from side to side, and her curvaceous hips wiggled with every step.
Surely innocent Pearl hadn’t said those words.
I wasn’t an eavesdropper, but I wanted to hear more about what she did with her vibrators. The phone conversation was a private one, and I shouldn’t listen in, but still. I left my office and walked toward the conference room where, in an hour, I would meet with the associates working on the Chastain case to discuss our strategy.
“…Bella, trust me, I don’t want a man distracting me. Since Taylor and Matthews joined Davies and Sons, this is the top firm in New York. I only got my foot in the door because I worked at Samuels and Samuels. I want to grow my career here. You already know what I want. An associate position, then a senior associate position, followed by partner. After that, I’ll worry about my personal life. For now, my fantasies about James Matthews, my fingers, my showerhead, and my collection of toys will be more than enough to see me through the long winter nights.”
My brow wrinkled. Me? She masturbated to fantasies that involved me? What the actual fuck?
The sound of her raspy laughter brought me back down to earth. “Maybe Santa will bring me a Dom who’ll introduce me to the world of sex clubs and BDSM. Or maybe by some Christmas miracle, James will throw me over the conference table and eat me out.” She laughed some more.
“I’d settle for a small smile from him. He didn’t even bother to call me on Friday about the case I’ll be working on. His assistant sent me an email to tell me to report here on Monday morning. I’m sure he couldn’t pick me out of a lineup. I’m here to do the grunt work, so none of the other associates have to.”
She moved to the end of the conference room and set down the box she’d been carrying. I moved closer to the door but didn’t go in.
“I’m good at my job, and now I’ve been given the opportunity, I need to prove myself. The stupid crush I have on Mr. Big Lawyer Man will remain just that. Besides, I’m hardly his type. The country’s top celebrity divorce lawyer isn’t going to date a Brooklyn girl who jiggles when she wiggles. He dates the New York elite. Lyla what’s-her-face, the judge’s daughter, I think… yeah, sure… I can hardly march up to him and say, ‘do you have a date for the Christmas party? Want to be my plus one?’ Anyway, I bet he’s a narcissist.”
I stifled a chuckle. I wasn’t a narcissist, but I would admit to being arrogant. This could be an interesting and satisfying situation for both of us. She was wrong about Lyla. We were no longer dating, and it seemed I’d been wrong about Pearl.
The professional persona she presented wasn’t who she truly was, and I had an urge to discover precisely who hid beneath the pantsuits.
I, of course, couldn’t ask her out. That would raise far too many eyebrows. It was too close to the law firm’s merger and the other managing partners would disapprove. But if she fantasized about me, perhaps I could quietly help make some of those fantasies come true.
For the past few years, nameless one-night stands I’d picked up online and at the Dark Club had been fine. Then Lyla came along pretending to be submissive when she was anything but. She still hadn’t accepted we were through and was now borderline stalking me.
What if I had someone I could have a mutually beneficial relationship with? Someone who wanted to enter a D/s relationship and who required training. Inching into the room, I leaned against the doorframe.
From where I stood, I had an exceptional view of her back and ass. My dick began to fill, but I forced myself to calm the fuck down.
I should probably cough and alert Pearl to my presence, but that would embarrass her. Besides, I wasn’t done listening.
Not the best way to start our relationship — professional or otherwise. I didn’t want her to know I’d overheard her conversation. But what if she did? What if I told her I’d heard her talk about vibrators and satisfying herself to thoughts of me? While she kept talking, I considered my options.
She moved towards the window and leaned her head against the pane where she looked down the hundred floors to the street below.
“Yeah, I should totally do that.” She laughed, the sound deep and throaty. “That would be real professional. I should go into his office and do my best Sharon Stone impression. Because it’s not like I don’t need this job.” She laughed again. “Yeah, he is gorgeous. Even thinking about working with him on this has left my panties soaked. But I need to prove my worth. I want an associate position. I’m sick of being seen as a greenhorn junior.”
She laughed so hard I worried she might cry. “…that’s because you’re a disgusting slut.” I wanted to know what the person on the other side of the line had said.
I grinned. Training innocent Pearl to become my pet would be enjoyable. No one in the office knew about my personal life or my proclivities. I liked to be in control in the courtroom and bedroom. In both places, I always got what I wanted. I never backed down. And I never lost. Challenges drove me. And while seducing Pearl wouldn’t be a huge challenge, introducing her to my world might be.
I turned around to go back to my office, but Pearl’s head whipped around as I did. She jumped back, her emerald eyes widened in horror, and her lips dropped open.
“Mr. Matthews. I didn’t see you standing there.” Her hand flew to her mouth, and from where I stood, I could see the pulse racing in her throat.
My eyes traveled up and down her curves, and it was on the tip of my tongue to tell her to undress and lay on the table so I could eat her out.
She lowered her hand and held it against her stomach.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you jump, Ms. Holmes.”
My gaze zeroed in on her lips, which were still open in shock. A flash of those lips wrapped around my cock flitted through my head.
“I’ll call you later, Bella.” She pulled her AirPods from her ears and shoved them into her jacket pocket. “I didn’t realize you’d be in this early.”
I crossed my arms and grinned, “I’m always in this early.”
“I wasn’t aware.” Panic lined her face. “Did you hear my conversation? I can explain.”
I moved toward the coffee bar. To lie or tell the truth? I decided to go with a lie. “I didn’t hear a word. I just arrived a few minutes ago.”
Relief lowered her shoulders, and Pearl blew out a long sigh.
“Why are you here before dawn, Ms. Holmes?”
“I wanted to make a good impression on my first case.” She nodded towards the box she’d been carrying. “I baked sugar cookies for everyone.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Of course, you did. Would you like a coffee?”
“Isn’t that my job? To get your coffee?”
“Despite what you might have heard, I’m not a narcissist who expects people to wait on him hand and foot. I’m more than capable of getting my own coffee and getting coffee for other people. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Pearl. And I suspect there’s a lot I don’t know about you.”
She nodded and grabbed the back of a chair, holding on as if her life depended on it. “I’m excited for this opportunity, Mr. Matthews. I’ve been dying to work with you for ages. I appreciate you giving me the chance. I’m ready for an associate position, and this is a great way to prove it.”
“This case isn’t going to be easy. Neither is working for me. I’ll fill you in on the ins and outs when everyone gets here. It’s a messy divorce. This case could be a bloodbath.”
“That’s the reason I got into this area of law. To see if I could help stop people who once were in love from destroying one another.”
“In this line of business, I’ve learned that most people are out for revenge. Call me jaded, but I no longer believe in love.”
