There, he continued to bond with Fairy Dust, the tiny cat who might have been feral but who loved him.
After a month, they brought her home.
Rox kept slipping Midnight extra shrimp treats to reward him for his loyalty.
At the reception at The Amsberg Law Office on that first official day of business, Rox rested for a few moments in her huge office before she went out to brave the crowd again. The couches in the meeting area were overstuffed, inviting people to stay and chat. The pillow-soft upholstery was heaven on her sore back.
She rested her hand on her growing, rounded tummy.
Only three more months.
A knock rattled the door on the side wall of her office.
Rox called, “Come in, honey.”
Casimir stuck his head through the door that adjoined her office to his. The cheek with his two scars was toward her, now pale and healed, but quite noticeable. “Are you hiding in here?”
“Just admiring my new office.”
Indeed, her new office had everything, the conversation grouping with couches and a coffee table, a huge desk worthy of the most distinguished barrister, and a bassinet and rocking chair in the corner.
He walked over to where she was sitting and sat beside her, plunking her feet in his lap to rub the sore spots on her insteps. She groaned and let her head flop back.
“They’ve broken out the champagne,” he said.
“Two hours early. Should we send Wren for some more?”
“Last I saw her, she was dancing on a desk with a two-liter magnum of it in her hand.”
“Lovely. Our staid and formal office opening has turned into an excuse for day-drinking.”
He smiled. “With our staff, every office party will require a fleet of cabs to make sure everyone gets home safely.”
Someone knocked on the door that led to the main office.
Rox glanced at the clock: straight up two in the afternoon. “Come in, Lachlan!”
He stuck his head in her office and glanced at them, appraised the room, and said, “Thank you, ma’am.” He stepped back out and closed the door behind himself.
Casimir continued to massage her feet and ankles.
The security checks weren’t oppressive, but they were constant.
“Come on,” Casimir said, tickling the bottom of her foot. She jumped and pulled her feet out of his hands. “Let’s go back for a few minutes. Must mingle with clients.”
Rox allowed herself to be pulled to standing and wedged her swollen feet back into her flats. At least she had an excuse not to wear heels for a few more months.
Outside, in the office area, she sat with Melanie, Wren, and the rest of her lunch bunch ladies from the old law firm. Pretty much anyone who had wanted to come to the new law firm had been offered a position, which meant that work had gone on, almost without pause, ever since they had gotten back from the honeymoon.
It was just like how it should be, but with better security, a nicer office, Cash Amsberg in her bed every night, and no more snipers, firebombs, or manufactured car crashes.
She watched Casimir float through the crowd, greeting people and laughing, shaking hands and slapping backs.
In California, he really was everyone’s friend and the life of the party, and now that he was thoroughly off the market, the women associates were actually treating him like a human being instead of a piece of ass.
He made his way closer to her, locking eyes from a few people away, but was intercepted by one of their clients who hadn’t seen him for over a year, since her last contract for a romcom. She touched his cheek near the twisted scar tissue and pursed her plumped lips. “Good Lord, Cash. What happened to you there?”
Casimir grinned at the woman and glanced up at Rox. “It’s a great story. Let me tell you about it.”
Rox smiled at him and settled her hand on her tummy.
Countess Juliana kicked her palm.