Read Online Heartstrings (Rock With You #1) Rock Star Romance by Adriana Hunter - Free Book Online Page B

discussing the MacKenzie-Ashton case. Please, we have a great deal of
work to do.”
    They
spent the next hour going over the case file, Ryan reading through Melody’s
notes, helping her to start the first draft of the initial complaint. Finally,
Ryan sat back, scanning the document once more.
    “I
think this will do for now. You can work on this today and then bring it back
to me to review at the end of the day.”
    He
looked at her over the top of his reading glasses, smiling for the first time
since she’d entered his office. “You’ve done good work here, with your notes
and your interview with Mr. MacKenzie. I must say I am impressed.”
    Ryan
removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But there are other
issues we need to talk about, things that aren’t going so well. Let’s start
with being late. That’s not like you, especially when you’re keeping a partner
waiting. So don’t do that again.”
    Melody
bristled, feeling like a child being reprimanded, but held her tongue. Ryan was
right, she was late. But Ryan went on.
    “And
about Melissa. I’m afraid Melissa has been let go.”
    “Let
go? You mean fired? But why?” Melody felt the color drain from her face.
Melissa was her rock, her organizational system, the person who kept her on
track. She was her friend.
    “You
know she’s been dropping the ball lately; you remember we had a brief
conversation about that earlier. And her behavior with Mr. MacKenzie was
inappropriate and unprofessional. I’m sorry, but it’s something that needed to
be nipped in the bud before it became a real issue. It impacted her
performance. And it reflects on you that you let it get so far out of control.”
    “But…who…what
am I supposed to do about having a paralegal? Melissa knew everything I did,
she’s the one who keeps…kept me on track.”
    “Lori
will be available for the MacKenzie-Ashton case. For the rest, you can use the
float pool; Human Resources will send you someone later today. Your schedule is
light right now, so it shouldn’t be a problem until we hire someone new.”
    “But
I don’t want anyone new!” Melody had the irrational urge to stamp her foot. “I
like Melissa.”
    “That’s
part of the problem. You had lost your objectivity. She became your friend and
that does not work well in a relationship like this. You let things go too far,
let things slide that should have been addressed.”
    Ryan
grew thoughtful, gazing past her as if she were invisible. “You know, I should
probably have a talk with the partners about this as well. As a partner, you would
be responsible for your staff. If you’re not able to handle disciplining one
paralegal, how would you be able to manage an entire department?”
    He
stood, moving around the table. Melody watched in alarm as he thumbed the lock
on his office door as he passed.
    “You
know, there is something you can do to help this situation. I know you’re
willing to do almost anything to succeed, with this case and with making
partner. We can chalk up this issue with Melissa as a learning experience, and
I won’t talk to the senior partners.”
    Ryan
was standing in front of Melody, his legs almost touching her knees, his body
looming over her. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the arms of the
chair. She wanted to look away, to turn in her chair, but there was nowhere to go.
Her heart started pounding and she was forced to crane her neck to look up at
his face, only inches away from hers.
    “What
do you think you could do, Melody, to help me make up my mind not to go to the
senior partners with this?” Ryan’s voice was low, barely audible.
    Ryan
slid his hand behind her neck. Melody stiffened, her arms braced against the
chair as he pulled her forward.
    “Why
so resistant? You’ve made it clear, Melody, that there are things you’re
willing to do. We can resolve this issue right here, right now, and we can all
go back to work. Otherwise, I’ll have to take your