# Chapter 9: The Interview That Turned Into a Battlefield of Wit and Want
Hey there, lovely readers! It’s your book narrator back again, and I hope you’re ready for a chapter that crackles with tension, humor, and one very stubborn divorce lawyer. Today we’re diving into **Chapter 9** of **Searching For Someday free digital audiobook**, where Kate Seymour meets her most challenging client yet: Slade Montgomery. And trust me, this session is not just an interview — it’s a verbal duel, a slow-burn sparring match, and a test of every professional boundary Kate has ever set.
Kate begins with her usual polished speech: trust, respect, open communication. She tells Slade that they need to work together honestly, that she may push him outside his comfort zone, and that breakthroughs often happen when people stop clinging to their old patterns. So far, so professional. But Slade is not the kind of man who lets a woman hold the reins for long. Out of nowhere, he asks if she has ever slept with a client. Kate chokes on her water, coughs, and fights to recover while he watches her with calm, predatory patience. He claims he just wants to know her better, since she’s digging into his life. Kate fires back that she never sleeps with clients — company policy and personal code. Then she turns the tables beautifully, asking whether *he* has ever slept with one of his brokenhearted divorce clients. Slade jerks back, denies it, and Kate sweetly asks if that’s company policy or personal code. Touché. The first round goes to Kate.
But the real battle is just beginning. Kate moves through his paperwork: intelligence, conversation, master’s degree preferred, business background, no artists or writers, especially no romance novels. Family background matters too — no skeletons, no scandals, because Slade is up for partner at his conservative law firm. Personality? He wants a woman who is conservative in public, loyal, strong but willing to follow his lead when necessary. Kate, unshaken, asks the dangerous question: when does he need her to follow? Around business partners? Family? In public? Or in the bedroom? The air charges instantly. Slade’s dark laugh rolls through the room as he decides to answer. He enjoys sex. He wants a woman who asks for what she wants. He has used blindfolds, scarves, and toys. He prefers to do the tying, not be tied. And he doesn’t need a woman on her knees unless she wants to be there. Kate scribbles furiously, heart pounding, refusing to look up and let him see how deeply he affects her.
Then comes the past. Slade was married. Divorced. His wife cheated — but he blames himself. He was buried in law school, neglected her, and became the classic formula for a classic divorce. The confession costs him, and Kate feels her heart soften. She doesn’t push too hard, but she does offer truth for truth. When Slade asks why she isn’t happily married, Kate admits, with practiced calm, that no man has ever wanted her enough to propose. It’s a quiet, vulnerable moment that hangs between them. Then they lighten the mood: celebrity crushes. Angelina Jolie slips out first, then he changes it to Zooey Deschanel. Kate laughs, teases him, and files away his type: brunette, curvy, a little quirky. Hobbies are work, running, golf — boring stuff, by his own admission. He’s open to an adventurous woman, as long as she doesn’t expect him to jump out of a plane. Religion and nationality are open. But no virgins. Absolutely not. The pressure of no sex before marriage and the risk of false attachment are deal-breakers for him.
Then Slade delivers the belief that makes Kate realize exactly what she’s up against. Love, he says, is just oxytocin. A chemical hormone released after sex that convinces people they feel something deeper. Lust gets them to bed, conversation gives them hope, and oxytocin cements the illusion of love. He doesn’t think real love exists. Kate is caught between laughing and crying. This man is going to be her hardest client yet — and the challenge sings in her blood. So she makes a bold move. If oxytocin is the enemy, then Slade needs to fall in love *before* sex. No sex until he’s ready to seriously date. Monogamy. He hates it. He argues. But Kate stands firm: if he can’t enjoy dinner with a woman for a few weeks without physical intimacy, he’ll never build something lasting. Finally, he agrees — on one condition. If it doesn’t help, he’s yanking the rule.
Kate sets up his mixer for next Friday night in Verily. He asks about his sister Jane, but Kate refuses to discuss another client. He needles her about the one-year match guarantee, implying she’s just collecting fees until love blows up. Kate fires back with sugar-coated steel: a year is nothing compared to love for a lifetime. He’ll also need to meet Arilyn and Kennedy, and he jokes about sensitivity training and “advanced” classes. Kate stutters, loses her cool for a second, then recovers. Slade finally surrenders, and as he leaves, Kate practically bolts out the door rather than shake his hand. She is not ready to touch him and get slammed by all that raw, sexy energy.
Waiting outside are Arilyn and Kennedy, who immediately assess Slade like two scientists studying a fascinating specimen. Arilyn accidentally hints that Jane has a date, and Kate shuts it down fast. After Slade leaves, Kennedy sighs over his fine ass and suggests Kate take him for herself. Kate refuses: no dating clients, and she’s done with men. Besides, she’s the opposite of everything Slade wants. He prefers brunettes, curvy, conservative, no family skeletons, master’s degree — and no virgins. Kennedy laughs, Arilyn defends Kate, and Kate admits her virginity is a technicality: plenty of foreplay, but when it came time, something felt wrong and she chickened out. Kennedy compares it to eating appetizers but missing the prime rib. They agree to match Slade with Hannah or Emma, women who fit his physical type but are classy and funny. Kate will approve the guest list for the cocktail party. And Arilyn, with a knowing grin, promises that whatever she has planned for Mr. Hot Lawyer will revolve around heat.
## Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating
This chapter is a delicious clash of wills. Kate is sharp, professional, and secretly flustered, while Slade is cynical, controlled, and far more wounded than he lets on. Their truth-for-truth exchange gives the story real emotional weight beneath all the witty banter. The oxytocin theory is both infuriating and fascinating, and Kate’s counter-move — no sex until love — is the kind of romantic setup that promises glorious tension ahead. I loved the way Kate refuses to be intimidated, even when her body betrays her. And the friendship scenes with Arilyn and Kennedy add warmth, humor, and just enough meddling to keep things fun. This chapter made me laugh, swoon, and ache for both characters.
**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 / 5 Stars**
## Next Chapter Prediction
Next up, I predict we’re heading straight into Slade’s mixer — and it will be anything but smooth. Kate will try to stay professional while watching Slade charm every woman in the room, and Slade will likely use the event to test Kate’s patience and maybe even make her jealous without meaning to. The no-sex rule will become a ticking time bomb, especially once Arilyn and Kennedy start their “heat”-focused counseling sessions. I also think Jane’s dating life will complicate things, because Slade is far too protective to stay out of his sister’s business. And somewhere in the middle of all that, Kate and Slade will edge closer to a moment that neither of them can explain away as just oxytocin. The real question is: who will break first — the cynic or the matchmaker?
To listen free the next reviews chatpers, please access website novelsaudio.com and search keyword: Searching For Someday free digital audiobook or click the link in the description of this video or if you want to listen or read full the Searching For Someday free digital audiobook please access website novelsaudio.com