Leading the Witness

by Chantal Fernando

  I grit my teeth and throw my hands in the air. “What is wrong with all of you? One, I look nice every day.” The threatening look I give her dares her to say otherwise. “And two, he doesn’t even come in every day.”

  “Who doesn’t come in every day?” Hunter asks, making my head snap toward him so fast I’m surprised I don’t get whiplash. As always when I look into those blue eyes, it’s hard for me to look away. I manage to give him a quick once-over though, taking in his gray suit, with, just my luck . . . a white shirt. Maybe I should turn up the heat in here so his jacket will come off. I love when he wears white shirts; I don’t know why. Especially when he has the sleeves rolled up so I can sneak a peek of his tattoos. Is there anything sexier than a smart, successful man in a suit? Yes, there is. One who has tattoos hidden underneath, hinting at a bad side I’d like to explore but will never let myself.

  Of course he had to walk in during this very conversation. How much of it did he hear? I’m hoping just the last line, but I know I’m not that lucky.

  “No one,” I say, forcing a smile. I glance around but don’t see any of the other people from the firm with him today. “Here without the squad?”

  “They’ll be here soon,” he says as he sits down at the bar, bracing his hands on the wood and leaning toward me. I tighten my hands so I don’t reach out and touch his beard, something I’ve always wanted to do. “I couldn’t wait for them. I’m hungry.”

  Hunter manages to make normal things sound dirty. It’s a talent of his. Or maybe it’s just me with the dirty mind.

  “No food loyalty today?”

  “I guess not. When I’m hungry for something, nothing can stop me.”

  His eyes flash with something I pretend not to notice, instead focusing on his straight white teeth he shows off with his grin.

  “Why, what big teeth you have,” I joke, trying to lighten the tension between us.

  “You calling me the big, bad wolf?” he asks, running his teeth over his lower lip. “Because I really would like to eat you.”

  I roll my eyes. Hunter likes to say inappropriate things, but he never crosses the line with me. He never tries to touch me, and he never gets in my space. He knows I’m unavailable. I personally think he just likes to get a reaction out of me, so I try my best not to give him one.

  “Well, that’s a sexual harassment suit looking to happen,” Kat says in a dry tone as she walks up toward the bar, shaking her head at Hunter, her long dark hair bouncing with the motion. She then pins me with her brown eyes. “I’ll be your lawyer if you choose to go ahead with it.” How is it that I’m surrounded by lawyers every day? It’d annoy me if I didn’t actually like them all. I know it’s wrong to judge someone by their career, but lawyers have a stigma about them. They’re right up there with real estate agents and car salesmen—and the butt of many jokes. One of my favorites is:

  How does a lawyer sleep?

  First he lies on one side, and then he lies on the other.

  They are also compared to leeches and mosquitoes, or any bloodsucking kind of creature a fair bit, but all of these guys prove the stereotype wrong.

  We all seem to get along great, even though we are on different levels in education and income. I guess alcohol brings together everyone. “I second that offer,” Jaxon Bentley says, pulling out a barstool and taking a seat. His gray eyes are gentle as they look at me. “How are you doing, Riley?”

  “Not bad, Jaxon, and yourself?” I ask, smiling at him. He’s a nice man, a gentleman, and has always been kind to me. He is a renowned criminal lawyer, and in the year that I’ve known him, I’ve learned he’s kind of a big deal. He always looks the part, dressed today in a navy suit.

  He removes his reading glasses. “I’m good. Busy, but good. Looks like we managed to get here before the rush.”

  I hand him and Kat a menu, even though by now they probably already know it like the backs of their hands. Ever since Hunter and Jaxon wandered in here from their firm down the street when we’d just opened, they’ve been coming here a few times a week, bringing the rest of their colleagues with them.

  It’s been over a year since I opened the pub, and we’ve all gotten to know one another pretty well in that time. Customers can become friends pretty fast, and that’s what happened here. Small talk turned into deep conversations; my being polite and professional turned into us laughing and joking. Although I don’t think I was ever polite or professional with Hunter, which was my bad. The rest of them though. I love it when any of them decide to drop in for lunch, a drink, or just a chat.

  Riley’s is my baby, a business that is all mine, and one I’m desperate to keep, regardless of what else I have to give up in the divorce.

  “Where’s mine?” Hunter asks, bringing me out of my thoughts. His hair’s different, shorter than before, no longer falling onto his forehead in a soft curl. He orders the same thing every time he comes here, so I know he’s just asking for a menu to irritate me. Or maybe he just doesn’t like being left out. You never know with him.

  I slide a menu across the bar without looking at him, then start making the coffee I know he’s about to order.

  “I’ll have a coffee, please,” I hear him say. I place the coffee in front of him and arch my brow with a smug look on my face. Feeling my gaze, he looks up at me before glancing at the mug next to him, eyes narrowing.

  “You’re predictable.” I shrug. “It’s either a beer or a coffee.”

  “And how did you know it was a coffee and not a beer this time?” he asks, bringing the mug to his perfectly shaped lips. “And I’m not predictable. I’m just a man who knows what he wants. If it ain’t broke . . .”

  I roll my eyes and move down to Kat and Jaxon, ignoring their amused faces.

  “Because you’re wearing your fancy suit, which means you’re going to court,” I tell him. “If you came in looking more casual, I know that you don’t have court, which is when you usually order a beer.”

  I need to stop letting him know how much I study him. I feel agitated every time I’m around him. I try to hide it, and I hope I do it well enough, because I don’t want him to know the effect he has on me. Maybe it’s just the fact that I haven’t been touched by a man in over a year, and he’s good-looking. No, that’s probably too tame for what he is. He’s sexy. Smoking. Intense.

  Until he opens that mouth of his.

  He may be a lawyer—and good at what he does, from what I’ve heard—but some of the things he says . . . Is there such a thing as playful arrogance? Because that’s the only way I can think to describe him.

  I clearly have terrible taste in men.

  Although no one can be as bad as my soon-to-be-ex-husband, Jeremy. I shudder at the mere thought of him, then turn my attention back to Jaxon and Kat. “Ready to order?”

  I write down their orders, feeling Hunter’s eyes on me, but I pretend he’s not there. This is what we do. It’s our dance, and I guess from the outside it’s an amusing show we put on. And part of me wishes it was an act. But each time he comes in, I seem to get more attracted to him, if that’s even possible. So I mask those feelings with irritation and attitude. I don’t know if it’s working, but it helps me stay centered.

  He’s just too good-looking.

  And, yes, that’s a thing.

  He knows it, and I don’t like men with big egos.

  My soon-to-be ex developed one during our relationship as he became more successful professionally, and it didn’t look good on him. I think I’m more suited to a down-to-earth, easygoing, simple man.

  “So, steak, chips, and a salad,” I repeat the order to Jaxon. “And the creamy chicken breast for you, Kat.”

  They both nod, and Kat flashes me a smile, which I return. I quickly get them their drinks, also nonalcoholic, and then turn to him, unable to ignore him anymore. “Would you like to order something to eat? Or are you on a liquid diet?”

  “I’ll have the burger and fries,” he tells me, rubbing his flat stomach. “I’m star
ving. Actually, maybe add some onion rings too.”

  I pretend to write down his predictable order with a tight nod and then disappear into the back.

  Preston and Callie suddenly appear with knowing looks on their faces. Apparently no one does any work around here. I should fire them all. I hand Callie the order to give to Cheffy and then cross my arms and have a stare down with Preston.

  “I don’t like Hunt—”

  “You like him.” He cuts me off.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Riley—”

  “Preston, I don’t,” I say, daring him to argue once more.

  “Okay,” he says, surrendering, hands in the air in front of him. “But for the record, it’s okay if you do.”

  “But—” I instantly object.

  “But you don’t; I know,” he says in a dry tone, shaking his head. “You are one stubborn woman, you know that?”

  That’s probably why I’m getting divorced before the age of thirty. Not something to brag about, but being divorced isn’t nearly as bad as being in a loveless marriage I never should have been in in the first place.

  I take a deep breath, lift my chin, and return to my customers.

  “HOW WAS EVERYTHING?” I ask, happy that they devoured the meal. I know they’re regulars, but I take pride in my work. I want my food to be the best, my service to be the greatest, and, more than anything, I want my pub to be successful. Over the last year, I’ve managed to get Riley’s to a good place, finally getting out of the red and doing a little better than breaking even, but profits could always improve. I’ve put my blood, sweat, and tears into this place, using my inheritance from when my grandmother passed away to finance it. I didn’t use a cent of my ex-husband’s money, and I’m damn proud of that fact. And thank God I didn’t, otherwise I’d be in danger of losing my baby.

  “Amazing as always,” Kat says with a smile. She glances at her watch, her face dropping. “Unfortunately for me, I need to get back to work. Thanks, Riley.”

  “No problem,” I say, handing them their bill.

  “I’m paying this time,” Kat tells the two men, who simply ignore her.

  “I’ve got it,” Hunter says, taking out his wallet and placing a wad of cash on the bar. “Thank you, Riley. Food was delicious.”

  “You’re welcome,” I say, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. Jaxon also thanks me, and then the three of them leave. I take the money to put in the cash register, my eyes widening at the size of the tip Hunter left me. He always leaves big tips, so do Jaxon and Tristan, another lawyer at their firm, but this time Hunter left me over a hundred dollars extra. I don’t know whether to chase him down and tell him he’s being ridiculous, or be thankful because this money will really help the rest of the staff. We put all tips in a jar and divide them equally at the end of each day.

  I still have the money in my hand when Preston walks up and eyes it. “What’s that for?”

  “Hunter left it as a tip,” I tell him, tucking it into the jar below the cash register on the bottom shelf.

  “That’s generous of him,” he muses, grabbing a martini glass and inspecting it. Preston has an issue with glassware, they all have to be perfectly clean and clear; he doesn’t like it if there’s any dust or smudges on there. Another reason why he’s an asset to Riley’s—he’s precise and particular, in a good way.

  The “Despacito” remix by Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee plays on our radio, filling the pub, and Preston starts to sing along, getting all the Spanish words completely wrong.

  “What am I going to do with you?” I mutter under my breath, shaking my head as he busts out some salsa-like dance movements.

  He offers me his hand, and I smile and take it. He spins me around, my laughter spilling out of me. Callie comes out to the front, probably to see what all the commotion is about, smiling as she watches the two of us dancing for anyone who walks in to see. Callie helps me with the business side of Riley’s—the food orders, scheduling, and the bills and receipts—in addition to my training her behind the bar. She’s such an intelligent woman, and to be honest, she is way too qualified to be working here.

  “See? This shit wouldn’t happen in a law firm,” she announces, tucking her notepad for orders into her jeans pocket and joining in with her own sexy little moves. The pub is empty—the lunch rush gone after finishing their meals—but I know it won’t last long, with the after-work crowd about to be upon us.

  I’m trying to teach Callie how to twerk when Hunter walks back in, stopping in his tracks, a big-ass grin on his face.

  “So this is what goes on here when no one is around. Can you do that move again, Riley? I didn’t take you for the twerking type,” he says, sounding pleasantly surprised. Of course he is; the man is such a pervert.

  I straighten, cringing, wishing I could disappear, but when I turn around to face him, I look him right in the eye, my chin up.

  Men can sense weakness like predators. And Hunter? Well, let’s just say he lives up to his name.

  “I forgot my wallet,” he says, smiling widely, looking thrilled that he just saw what he did.

  I hear Callie murmur, “I’ll grab it.” And a few moments later, she hands me the beat-up old wallet that is so very Hunter, and I pass it to him. As he takes it from my hand, I move mine away quickly as my fingers brush his. His fingers are rough, like I’d expect from someone who works with his hands, not from someone who works in an office. I don’t know why that appeals to me, but it does.

  I purposely ignore the spark I feel at our touch and the attraction between us. There’s no use for it.

  “Thanks,” he murmurs, hesitating for a moment, before turning and leaving once more.

  I watch him walk away.

  And for a fleeting moment, I wish that things were different.

  chapter 2

  HUNTER

  “YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS in thirty minutes,” Yvonne, the receptionist at Bentley & Channing Law, says to me.

  “Thanks, Yvonne,” I call out to her as she already starts to disappear. I use the free time to check my emails, but I’m interrupted when Jaxon Bentley walks in. Before opening his own firm, Jaxon was a prosecutor, and he’s gotten himself in and out of a few sticky situations over the years. Not only is he a great lawyer, one I’m proud to say I work with, he’s a good man, and one of the best to have by your side. That’s why he’s not only my boss but also one of my very closest friends.

  “You busy?” he asks, taking a seat opposite me. I swear my colleagues are in here more than any client ever is, although I can’t complain, because whenever I have a spare moment I head over to their offices to annoy them, too. Got to get my kicks somehow. Being a smaller firm, it’s allowed us to become friends and adopt an almost-family-like office culture. We aren’t competitive with one another like in other firms. Not only is the firm known for its reputation as having the best lawyers, it’s also such a great environment to work in. We support one another and help whenever we can. I never dread coming to work, because I love what I do, and I also get to see these guys every day. It’s a win-win.

  “Nope,” I say, moving my laptop aside. “I’m just catching up on emails. Everything okay?”

  My next client is a domestic violence case, one I’m working on pro bono. I always get a little worried about clients like this, because you never know what can happen in between court dates. Ever since I met Jaxon’s girlfriend, Scarlett, who was a victim of domestic violence herself—and was actually accused of murdering her ex-husband, a local police officer—I’ve started volunteering my time to help more women who find themselves in similar situations, trying to do my part to put such abusive men behind bars and away from the ones they’ve been hurting. When Scarlett was arrested, all the evidence was against her, and there was no proof of her claim that he abused her. I don’t think anyone believed she was innocent, except Jaxon, but she was, and he was able to prove it to the world. The two of them met and fell in love, and the rest is history.

>   It can be frustrating though, because I’ve seen a lot of the women go back to these men or retract their statements, which isn’t a good feeling, but I can’t help anyone who doesn’t want to be helped.

  “Yeah, everything is fine,” he says, leaning back in the chair, getting comfortable. His eyes are impassive. I never know what he’s thinking, unless he wants me to; it’s probably what makes him a great lawyer. “I have an hour free and thought I’d come see what you’re doing.”

  “Assumed I’d be doing nothing?” I joke, pulling out some carrot and celery sticks and dip I stole from Kat this morning. I place it on the desk between us. “Morning tea.”

  “Nailed it,” he replies, grabbing a carrot and dipping it into the eggplant dip. Not my favorite, but it’s better than nothing. “My schedule is hectic this week, so I really need to enjoy any quiet moments I can get.”

  “How’s Scarlett?” I ask.

  “She’s good,” he says, chewing thoughtfully as he grabs a celery stick. “To be honest, I don’t remember a time that I’ve been happier.”

  “Good.” I nod, slowly smiling. “Says something when a woman makes you happier than your career, right?” I tease.

  We all work long hours, and work usually trumps all. I applaud Jaxon for being able to maintain a balance between home and work life. I only hope when I find the woman I’m meant to be with, I can manage to do the same. But until I meet her, I’m happy with being a workaholic who likes the company of different women.

  Riley’s face flashes in my mind, but I push it aside. She’s married; it’s never going to happen. I’d never do anything with another man’s woman; I do have some morals, no matter what others might think.

  Jaxon chuckles. “You’re right. Work was my life until Scar came into it.” He glances up and studies me. “You’ll meet someone who will do the same to you.”

  “I’m not so sure,” I tell him.

  Or maybe I have, but I can’t have her. I don’t say that out loud.

  I chose to pursue family law for a reason. When I was growing up, my parents would foster kids all the time. I still keep in contact with a few of them. I remember hearing some of the things they’d been through, or seeing the aftermath of it with my own eyes, and wishing I could do something to help. What most people don’t know is that while I have a high-profile career representing celebrities and the filthy rich when they’re going through a divorce or custody battles, I also do a lot of pro bono work, helping out families who need me and children who otherwise wouldn’t have a voice. I love my work, and not just because I’m well paid for it.