LITMIR.BIZ

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She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh.

      Griffin released a sigh. He missed her laughter.

      He also missed spending time with her.

      The memory of the one night they had shared flashed to the forefront of his mind. What he and Marissa shared that night had been beautiful. Griffin held on to that memory as if it were a lifeline. He never wanted to forget the way she looked at him as they made love or the way her lips felt against his.

      A tremor of disappointment slid down his spine because he knew that they would never share another night like that one. The experience was once-in-a-lifetime. Still, he couldn’t turn off his feelings for Marissa as if they were controlled by a switch. And those feelings frightened him.

      It was time for a reality check.

      He had crossed the line when he slept with Marissa.

      Afterward, he had apologized for taking advantage of Marissa, although she tried to assure him that she did not feel that way.

      Marissa confessed her attraction to him and assured Griffin that she wanted him to make love to her.

      Griffin told her that it should not ever happen again. He and Marissa both had worked hard to prove themselves at the firm—if word ever got out that he had slept with the boss’s daughter, he would be fired, and Marissa’s reputation would never be the same. Griffin did not want to see her hurt beyond that one night, so he told her that they should keep a professional distance going forward.

      Professional distance. It was one of the hardest things to do. He hungered for Marissa’s touch, her kisses… Griffin could not stomach the thought of Marissa with another man. He did not even want to think about the idea, despite the fact that they had no future together.

      Griffin shook his head, trying to erase the image of the beautiful woman who dominated his thoughts.

      As if he conjured her, Marissa appeared in his doorway. “Didn’t mean to disturb you,” she said. “Daddy wanted me to tell you that he can meet with you right now if you have some time. He’s thinking about coming in late tomorrow.”

      He silently took in her appearance. Marissa was as beautiful as ever, although there was something different about her—something he could not put a finger on. Griffin did not like the gulf that existed between them. They used to be able to talk easily, but now…well, things were different.

      “Thanks, Marissa.”

      “Not a problem.” She turned to leave.

      “Hey,” he called out. “Do you have a few minutes?”

      “Sure.”

      “How are things going with you?” Griffin asked her. “I know we haven’t had a real chance to sit down and talk about your development, but—”

      “Everything is good,” Marissa interjected a little too quickly.

      He pointed to a chair. “Would you like to sit down?”

      Marissa shook her head. “I really need to get going, Griff. Besides, my dad is waiting to meet with you.”

      There was more that Griffin wanted to say to Marissa, but he simply nodded. Things were different between them now for sure—and it was all his fault.

      He reined in his errant thoughts and went back to work, until his cell phone rang just as he was preparing to leave the office.

      “Hello.”

      “Griffin, hey…it’s me, Colin. I know this is late notice, but we’re playing at the Blue Nile in Center City tonight. If you don’t have any plans, why don’t you come out? I would love to catch up.”

      “Sounds like a plan,” Griffin responded. “I’m on my way home. Give me a chance to freshen up and I’ll see you shortly.”

      Griffin normally did not go out on weeknights, but because he had not seen his friend in months, he made an exception. He and Colin were childhood friends who grew up in the same neighborhood. While he had chased after his dream of being a lawyer, Colin had chased after his music. He was a phenomenal keyboard player.

      Griffin was actually looking forward to seeing Colin and his band perform. Years ago, he used to sing with them, but only to help earn money for college. He never seriously considered pursuing music as a career. His first love had always been law.

      For a brief second Griffin considered calling Marissa and inviting her to join him, but he changed his mind. Things were still very awkward between them.

      * * *

      “I don’t know why I let you talk me into this,” Marissa told her friend.

      “Because you need a night out,” Cheryl responded with a smile. “I bet you haven’t been to the Blue Nile in forever. Besides, we haven’t spent much time together lately. I want to know what’s going on with you.”

      Cheryl had been Marissa’s best friend since high school. She regretted not having enough time to see her regularly. “I’ve been working hard to stay on top of my caseload.”

      The place was crowded. Marissa glanced around, scanning the room for an empty table. They found one in a corner and sat down.

      “How do you like teaching at Temple?” Marissa asked.

      “I love it,” her friend said. “What about you? Are you still loving law?”

      Marissa nodded. “It’s a lot of work, but I do enjoy it. What I don’t like about the job is working with family. They treat me like a child—watching over me and constantly checking on me.”

      Cheryl laughed. “What did you expect? You are the youngest in the family. My little sister complains of the same thing.”

      “Obviously, not this. Your sister is only fourteen. I am a grown woman.”

      “The last time we talked, you were telling me about this guy you work with,” Cheryl said with a grin. “How is that going?”

      “We work together,” Marissa responded. “That’s about it.”

      “What happened?”

      Marissa shrugged. “He has this thing about not getting involved with the boss’s daughter. He loves his job and apparently it means more to him than I do.”

      “How does it make you feel?”

      Marissa met her friend’s gaze. “I wish my name was something other than Hamilton at times. This guy—he’s great and I understand his feelings, but I just thought that… Anyway, it doesn’t matter what I thought. We decided it was best to keep a professional relationship.”

      A waiter appeared to take their order.

      Marissa ordered a glass of water.

      “You’re not drinking tonight?” Cheryl questioned. “Not even a glass of wine?”

      “No, I have an early day tomorrow.”

      The band members took their places onstage.

      “Have you heard them before?” Marissa asked her friend.

      Cheryl nodded. “A couple of times. They’re really good.”

      Marissa settled back to listen to the band. Truthfully she was grateful to be away from the house. Her mother should be asleep by the time Marissa arrived home later in the evening. She was still trying to avoid her mother as much as possible.

      She bobbed her head to the music. “This band is great.”

      Cheryl agreed.

      Marissa’s eyes traveled the crowded room. There were a lot of people out tonight. The first time she had ever come to the Blue Nile Club was with Griffin. They had come here to celebrate the win of her first case.

      She enjoyed being here with Cheryl, but it reminded Marissa of Griffin. Even now,

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