When I get to Ashley’s house, I can hear the television blaring. I take a deep breath and knock on the door. Shifting my weight from foot to foot, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I hear footsteps on the other side of the door and my heart skips a beat.
There’s a pause, and the peephole goes dark. I try to keep my face steady, but I know my sister is looking at me. The door swings open. She’s got her hands on her belly, as if she’s protecting her unborn child from me.
“What do you want? I told you to give me some space, Stella.”
“I dropped the case. I’m so sorry.”
Ashley stares at me for a second, and then dips her chin down. She opens the door wider and lets me in. I kick my shoes off and follow her over to the kitchen. I help myself to a glass of water and we sit in silence at the kitchen table.
“I’ve missed having you over at my place in the evenings,” I say. “I didn’t think I would.”
Ashley’s mouth purses. Her eyes are watering and she looks away from me. Last time I saw her, she was storming through my front door, yelling obscenities at me and calling me a terrible person for taking the case.
And she was right.
So now, it’s time for me to make amends.
She chews her lip. “So you’re not working the case anymore?”
I shake my head.
“Why did you take it in the first place?” She frowns, tears misting in her eyes. I hurt her so much by agreeing to work that stupid case, and now I don’t know how long it’ll take to win her trust back.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I thought I had to. Theresa threatened my job, and I… I don’t know. I was afraid.” And attracted to the man that almost ruined your life.
Ashley takes a deep, shuddering breath. She nods. “Okay. I get that, I guess.”
She takes another deep breath and glances at me. “Did you at least tell Adrian Maguire that he’s an asshole?”
“Multiple times.”
She laughs. “Well then I guess I’m okay with it. At least one of us got to do it.” As a smile tugs at her lips and she nods at me, I know she’s already forgiven me.
My heart squeezes—I’ll take that kiss with Adrian to my grave. My sister asks me to stay for dinner, and we move on as if nothing had come between us at all. At the back of my mind, I know that I haven’t been completely honest with her.
I like Adrian. That in itself feels like a betrayal. But if I have to choose between him and my sister, I’ll choose my sister every time. He showed me who he really was when he refused to settle this case. He showed that he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, that he’d rather ruin other people’s lives for a chance at a fleeting, forgettable acquittal.
Pretty soon he’ll realize that even if the courts decide he’s innocent, the public has already convicted him.
16
Adrian
The next time I’m at the lawyers’ office, Stella isn’t in her usual seat. Instead, there’s a man about my age sitting across from me.
“This is Michael Gregory. He’s taking over from Stella. So, we’ve moved forward with the items we talked about last week. First—”
“Why isn’t Stella working on this anymore? I thought you said she was the best in the state.”
“Michael is more than capable of handling this type of case.”
Words stick in my throat. I glance at Michael. “No disrespect, buddy, but I don’t know you. I trust Stella. I want her on my team.”
“Well, buddy,” Michael says in a measured voice. “Unfortunately, in this particular case, you’re stuck with me.”
“So,” Theresa says, taking control of the meeting again. “Let’s move on.”
I try to focus, but my eyes keep drifting back to the seat where Stella usually sat. Last time I saw her, I thought she’d come around. I thought she’d understand that this is important to me—that my name is everything. She was mad, sure, but she’ll get over it. I have to fight this!
Doubt creeps into my heart. I try to quash it, but it wriggles its way through my chest until I start thinking that maybe Stella is right. Maybe this is too far, too selfish even for me. Risking everything to save my name is one thing, but I’m putting a lot of other people at risk, too.
Cheryl will go down with me; her career will be over. Depending on what Ashley says in her deposition, her past could come back to bite her, too. If Ashley goes down, Stella will be right there with her.
“Does that sound reasonable to you, Mr. Mayor?” Theresa looks at me, her eyebrows drawing together. Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun, and her eyes drill into me. She’s a terrifying woman.
I nod. “Sounds good.”
I have no idea what I just agreed to, but I’m not going to ask her to repeat herself. Through the conference room’s glass walls, I see Stella’s office door open. She’s carrying a coffee mug and heading across the office. Her hips sway from side to side as she walks. She flicks a strand of hair over her shoulder and turns a corner.
My heart squeezes.
What have I done?
I got carried away. The one woman who was fighting for me, who was in my corner and who cared about the outcome—now she wants nothing to do with me. Now I’m stuck in a room full of lawyers that despise me and don’t believe I can win.
Stella chose her sister’s side. I get it, obviously. She hardly knows me. I can’t expect her to choose me over her sister, especially considering what happened before the election last year.
And yet, it stings. It stings a lot more than I expected.
It’s one more door being slammed on my face. One more back being turned on me. One more person telling me I’m not worth fighting for. It’s one more bullet in the armor I’ve so carefully crafted over the years.
Soon, I’ll have no-one. I wouldn’t be surprised if my parents disowned me next.
Theresa shuffles her papers and extends her hand. “We’ll see you on Friday, Mr. Mayor.”
“Call me Adrian, please.” We shake, and I swallow past a lump in my throat. Dread seeps into my spirit and I glance around the room at the team of lawyers that don’t give a damn about me.
“Well, Mr. Mayor, you might not be the mayor for much longer, so you might as well enjoy the title for now.” She arches an eyebrow and I stare at her, mouth hanging open.
Even the lead lawyer on my case doesn’t believe I can win. The team files out of the conference room, and I follow them. Theresa nods to me, and I make my way to the elevators. Halfway there, I turn towards the hallway where Stella disappeared.
She’s walking back, staring at her phone. Feeling my gaze on her, she looks up. Her face hardens, she blinks and looks away. I stop walking and she ignores me.
She’s going to walk right by me as if I don’t exist.
“Stella,” I say.
She doesn’t break her stride.
“Stella.”
Her eyes don’t move in my direction.
“Stella!”
“What?” She stops a couple feet away from me. Her eyes blazing and her hands are trembling as she clenches and unclenches them. A vein in her neck is pumping.
It’s turning me on. I know it’s wrong. I know I should feel something other than lust right now, but this woman is so fucking irresistible that I don’t know what to do with myself. She arches her eyebrows, her face full of contempt, and I like her even more.
She’s so real. She doesn’t pretend, she doesn’t call me some bullshit title, she doesn’t give me the time of day if she doesn’t think it’s worth it. She dropped the biggest case this city has ever seen on principle.
As much as I hate it, I respect that. She’s strong—stronger than I am.
“I’m sorry,” I start.
She snorts. “No you’re not. Excuse me.”
Brushing past me, she sways her perfect hips all the way back to her office. My cock throbs as her door slams and I let out a breath. Dragging my feet along the marble floors, I make my way to the elevator a
nd back to my car. When I get behind the driver’s seat, my phone dings.
Barry: Need to see you. Usual place.
Adrian: Give me 30 mins.
I take a deep breath and lean back on my headrest. I’m hungry, I’m horny, and I’m worried about my future and my career. I know that when Barry asks to see me in private, it’s never good. With a deep breath, I turn the ignition and start driving down the road.
The doubt that assailed me in the conference room comes back. It feels like it isn’t worth it. All this—fighting to clear my name when I know I’ve done something wrong. Losing contact with my brother, having every relationship I’ve ever had crash and burn… what’s the point?
I stop at a red light and watch a young family cross the road in front of me. It’s a Tuesday morning, and young parents with their baby are walking towards a nearby park. The woman is laughing and the man slides his arm around her waist as she pushes the stroller.
They look happy. They don’t have political ambitions, or huge, looming, life-destroying corruption cases hanging over their heads. They’ve chosen a simple life—a life that once made me turn my nose up. Now, I’m not so sure. They make it across the road and the man leans over to kiss the woman.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see some movement coming out of Stella’s office building. I can’t take my eyes away from the doorway when she walks through. She smiles when she sees the young couple, giving the woman a hug and then kissing the man’s cheek. She leans over the kid and all of them smile.
In my car, I feel like I’m intruding on an intimate moment. I feel so cut off from them, so fucking isolated that it makes my chest hurt.
Then, the cars behind me start honking. I jump, taking my foot off the brake pedal. Stella looks up at the noise and sees me staring at her. Her face drops and she straightens up, shooting daggers at me until I drive away.
17
Stella
“What was that about?” Nicole frowns at me as I stare at the disappearing car. My heart is still thumping. No matter where I go, he’s there. I can’t get away from him—at work, in the street… everywhere I look, here’s there.
I just want it to be over. I don’t want to see his face on the news or to hear about the case at work. I don’t want to talk to my sister about it or see memes on the internet about him.
I want to forget that he ever existed.
“What was what about?” I try to act nonchalant, avoiding Nicole’s stare.
She laughs. “I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that death stare. I’ve seen you in the courtroom, but that was some next-level glaring.”
I shrug it off and turn to her husband. “How’s the practice going, Marty?”
“Why, you looking for a new job?”
“I might be soon,” I laugh. “Is it that obvious?”
He grins. The law community is small in this town, and I’m sure he’s already heard about our firm covering the case. Between that and what Nicole has probably told him, I don’t need to fill him in on anything.
“So what’s the big announcement, anyway?”
“Let’s go to the restaurant.” Nicole smiles, nodding down the street. We walk to a nearby restaurant and I try to focus on what Nicole is saying. I ask all the right questions about their kid, their work, their plans to renovate their house, but my mind is elsewhere.
It’s like my brain drove off in Adrian’s car with him. All I can think of is him. I want to focus on what Nicole is saying—she told me they had some big news for me. I want to be present, but my mind keeps circling back to the case, to Ashely, to Adrian’s selfish decision to go to trial.
By the time our food arrives, I force myself to stop thinking about him. I turn to the two of them and arch my eyebrows. “So? Will you tell me the big news, or what? Are you having another baby?”
Nicole’s eyes shine and a smile breaks across her face. Martin drapes his arm across her shoulders and kisses her temple.
“Yep. A little boy.”
“You already know that! You’re not even showing!”
“Please,” Nicole laughs. “I’m gaining weight by the day.”
“Is this when I’m supposed to tell you you’re glowing?”
Nicole laughs and smacks my arm. I get up and wrap her in a big hug, and then do the same to Martin. “I’m happy for you both. I can’t believe how much has happened in a couple years.”
They glance at each other, and their happiness makes my heart hurt. Nicole leans against Martin and takes a long, happy breath.
“It’s amazing. I’m not looking forward to the sleepless nights again, but hopefully this little one will be a bit calmer by then.” She rubs Jackie’s arms and her daughter babbles nonsensically.
“I’m not holding out much hope,” Martin laughs. He kisses her temple again and my heart squeezes.
It feels like everyone’s life is moving on at the expected pace, and I’m being left behind. Everyone I know is married or engaged, pregnant or already has kids.
And me?
I’m struggling to keep my head above water with my job. I can’t even manage to get my deck repaired or hold down a relationship long enough to even think about getting married.
It’s depressing.
I force myself to smile and take a bite of my food. I’m being selfish—the exact thing that I despise Adrian Maguire for. How can I criticize him for only caring about himself when I can’t even be happy for my best friend?
“So when are you due?”
“December.”
“Wow, five months from now!” I smile and take another bite of food. “So soon!”
They exchange a glance. “Yeah, that’s actually something we wanted to talk to you about,” Martin says. “I’ve been wanting to spend more time with the kids, once the baby comes. Nicole was wanting to pick up some more hours at the firm, so we can share the load a bit more. So, we’re looking for someone to come in and work with me—a partner.”
I keep my face steady. “Oh, yeah?”
Martin nods. “We were hoping it would be you.”
“You want to bring me in as a partner?”
He holds up his hands. “Now, I know my practice isn’t as prestigious as your current one. I probably can’t offer you a huge salary jump and I can’t promise you’ll be getting high-profile cases. But it’s growing quickly. I can hardly keep up with the workload, and with your experience, I think you’d make a huge impact. You could have flexible hours and choose your own cases.”
They look at me expectantly. I take a deep breath.
“When you asked me if I was looking for a new job earlier, I thought you were joking.”
“Maybe I was just gauging your reaction,” he grins.
I nod. “It’s a lot to take in. I… can I have some time to think about it?”
“Of course,” Nicole smiles. “I knew you wouldn’t say yes right away. Didn’t I, babe?”
“You did,” he smiles. Their love is painfully obvious.
That would be the worst part about taking this job in my current state of mind. Martin’s right—it’s a smaller firm, but I’ve been feeling like I’ve hit a ceiling at my current job. I don’t see myself making partner for at least another five years. If I could move to a smaller firm, and build up my name as a partner with Martin…
“She’s considering it,” Nicole says with a grin. “I can see the gears grinding in her head.”
“The gears aren’t grinding. They’re perfectly calibrated and well-oiled.” I tap the side of my head and they both laugh. Jackie, their two-year-old, makes a noise and taps her own head.
I look at their toddler and my whole body starts to melt. It feels like my womb is aching for one of its own, like a deep yearning for something soft and cuddly and mine. I put my hand on my stomach and take a deep breath.
Nicole tilts her head. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about saying yes, but I’d still like some time to think about it.”
&nb
sp; Martin nods. “I’ve drafted up an offer; I can send it through to you this afternoon. Have a look and let me know what you think. We’d love to have you on the team.”
“I have to give four weeks’ notice at my current job, so I wouldn’t be able to start for another month.”
“That’s fine,” he grins. “I can work with that.”
By the time I get back to the office, my mind is whirling. I look around my office—the same office I’ve had for the past three years I’ve worked here. It feels comfortable and safe, and I’ve been very successful here. At the same time, it feels stagnant.
If I moved on, I wouldn’t have to deal with Adrian Maguire waltzing through this building every week. I could forget that he even exists. This case could go on for months, and I could avoid it completely. I could move on.
I know I shouldn’t base career decisions on things like that, but at the moment, the thought of his face makes me sick. He’s so selfish, with absolutely no regard for the consequences of his decisions. He shouldn’t be mayor and he definitely shouldn’t have this much power over my and Ashley’s futures.
What makes me more sick, however, is the fact that I still want him. I keep dreaming of his body and thinking of his hands on me. The kiss is burned into my brain and I can’t get rid of it no matter how hard I try.
I lean over and touch the plant on the edge of my desk. Ashley bought it for me on my first day of work. She said that it would brighten my depressing office up and remind me that there’s a world outside this building. I don’t have any photos of my family in my office, but the plant always reminded me of her.
And she’s right—there’s a world outside this office. My computer dings and Martin’s name pops up in my email inbox. My new employment contract. A smile tugs at my lips and I take a deep breath.
I don’t even need to look at the contract to know that I’m going to accept. The thought of starting fresh excites me more than I can say. If I give my notice this week, I only have four weeks left to work here. Four weeks of Adrian, four weeks of Theresa, four weeks of stagnation. Martin and Nicole just gave me a light at the end of this very long tunnel.
Ruined: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 8
