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She paused outside his office to wipe her palainst her skirt and smooth back her hair, then she knocked three times in rapid succession

“Come on in” A deep sexy voice rumbled from behind the closed door

Her stomach curled with a combination of warmth and anticipation She reached for the doorknob and entered But not before a last glimpse at her chest to ht and not a hint of lace or silk would make an unwanted appearance She stepped into his office and shut the door

Hands linked behind his back, Jack Latha the scenery below, the Eround

His broad shoulders were covered by a navy pinstriped suit European and designer-made, the jacket accented his powerful frame He presented as potent a vision as the landscape outside theFog surrounded the city; a New York summer day and the view froht

He didn’t turn when the door creaked behind her She wasn’t surprised She knew the ga his attention He’d suht shift the balance of power toward equality and he wouldn’t do that with an associate Especially a fened a new partner, she underwent the same drill, and often asked herself if Inti in the field of law

She’d learned not to let it get to her and she’d learned to push back She cleared her throat “Excuse me, Mr Latham, but you asked to see me?”

Silence

Strange, she thought But then what did she know of the er than she had, the firm boasted over seventy-five attorneys spread out over three floors of a high-rise building Their paths had rarely crossed on a one-to-one basis Until now

Onefor her if he intended to carry this game too far “Mr Latham?”

THAT VOICE AGAIN Softer than Jack had expected and at odds with the tough legal reputation Mallory Sinclair had attained, it penetrated the troubles h to appeal to a h to rehts beneath cool sheets

He shook his head, clearing his mind From all he’d seen and heard of Mallory Sinclair, she wasn’t one to inspire seductive visio

ns And as he turned to Waldorf, Haynes’s sole female associate, her appearance put hi before him was as hard as her voice was soft Fro skirt and conservative suit, she was every inch not his fantasy woman

But she was the woman hoest client, off the coast of Long Island For Lord kne long

Jack cleared his throat and lasses, she’d narrowed her eyes until he couldn’t tell if they were a blue or a bland shade of gray He’d obviously irritated her He hadn’t o, and he hadn’t nore her

While waiting for her to arrive, his father had called and delivered a personal blow Apparently, his beloved mother had embarked on another affair, this onedad, had finally walked out Jack’s stoh the kind of nasty divorce he specialized in, but it was about tie should never have lasted— acceptance and patience, his mother would be on her own by now Yet as bad as Jack felt for his father, he had no choice but to deal with family issues later

Right now he had more immediate problems at hand He stepped away from the“I was preoccupied,” he explained to Mallory

Her hands gripped the edge of his desk “Obviously I can always come back at aon my desk”

Work he’d obviously taken her away from and she wasn’t pleased He doubted she’d be any happier when she learned the reason for their last-estured to the wing chair in the corner, a congratulations gift fro partner His raduation, neverhis career accomplishments

Mallory lowered herself into the chair and crossed one leg over the other His gaze fell to the shifting material of the skirt that covered way too much skin, even in this staid profession