Married Without Love

Chapter 10

Just then I heard the sound of heels clicking as someone entered the room. I turned my head towards the door.

"Hailey Jane Anderson?" Harry exclaimed.
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Hailey

I had to cut my trip to California short and return to New York when my long time client and good friend Jack Davis sent me a message saying he needed me to for urgent business. I rushed from the airport as I was already running late. My secretary at the law firm I work for, Kate Bennett, handed me the papers as I got in the car. I opened the file only to find out that I would be working with my husband on this. Now I regretted coming back. I hadn't seen him since our last fight, where I walked out of his car. I went through the file and it seemed like Jack and Nathan were partnering to build a resort. A merger. Quite simple.

Kate filled me in on all I needed to know. The firm I'm working for, Brown&Smith, was considering a merger with another law firm based in London. Interesting. Also, there was a position for senior partner at the firm and I was one of the possibility. If this merger went well, then I could make that position mine. I was already on my way up there given the number of clients I've brought into the firm and my success rate.

As I entered the conference room, I braced myself to face my husband. What I did not expect though was to come face to face with my former fling, Harry Lawrence.

"Hailey" Jack got up to greet me. "I'm glad you could make it on such a short notice. How was the flight?" He asked as he gave me a small hug.

"Long and boring." I told him. Then I looked at my former fling and good friend more like only friend. He had a face splitting grin, like our last conversation two years ago was forgotten. We were competitors, then we became friends, then we were friends with benefits and when it tried to go beyond that, we snapped. The last time we saw each other was two years ago, before he left for London, and the meeting wasn't very pleasant.

"Harry" I smiled at him, trying to be professional. But the truth was I was elated to see him. God knows how much I missed him, how many times I wanted to reach out to me, to meet him. But every time I held back. Our relationship was complicated, sure, but there still was a place in my heart for him.

He took my outstretched hand and instead of shaking it, he kissed it.

"My lady" came his swift response.

"Such a gentleman" I chuckled.

"Especially in bed, but you already know that" he whispered but it wasn't exactly hush and I'm hoping that Nathan didn't hear. I just smirked at him.

"I see you two know each other," Jack commented on our exchange.

"We went to Harvard law together" I told Jack.
"Harry was always second in class and I was what? Oh yeah that's right, first." I added, refueling our rivalry.

"Oh Hails, what is my success rate against yours in the real world, where we practice real law." He shot back. "Hope you have come with your best today. Wouldn't want to go home second best."

"Oh Harry, there shouldn't be any losers or winners in a merger," I told him "only a happy new couple."

"True" Jack chuckled, amused by our banter. Nathan however was a different story. He sat there looking cold and emotionless.

I turned to him and Jack makes the introduction.

"Mr Rodriguez, meet Ms Anderson" Jack introduced us, like we needed to be introduced. "Hailey, this is Mr Nathaniel Rodriguez."

We shook hands, and sat down, not giving away the fact that we knew each other. With that we begin our meeting.

Harry pulls out his file while I pull out mine.