by Jamie Pope
He sat back down at his desk and tried to concentrate on his work but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to look up at her, but his eyes kept going to her. She made a couple of phone calls to foster parents. She spoke to kids, asking them about their day and wishing them good night. He wondered if she was doing this for effect. So that he could see how good of a social worker she was and feel guilty. It was unnecessary. He already knew how much she cared because she had gone through the trouble of coming to him.
They had been in the silent stand off for about twenty minutes when she pulled a package of cookies out of her handbag and started munching on them.
“If you’re hungry you can leave and get some food.”
“I’m fine but thanks for asking.” She gave him a little smile. “When you’re not sure when your next meal is coming you make sure to always carry snacks.”
“This is New York City. You can’t go a block without finding something to eat.”
“But when you don’t have any money it doesn’t matter if there’s a restaurant every two feet. You still can go hungry.” She ate another cookie.
“I know social workers don’t make a lot of money but you can afford to eat.”
She nodded. “Yes. Now. Before I lived with the families, I didn’t.”
“Families?” He couldn’t help but to ask; his interest was now piqued.
“I lived with a lot of families. Each one taught me something.”
All of a sudden it clicked. “You were a foster kid, weren’t you?”
“I guess I still am in some ways.”
“How long were you in the system?”
“Eleven-twelve years. I had myself emancipated after my last foster mother died when I was seventeen. I had been admitted to college on a full scholarship. I didn’t need anyone anymore.”
“I don’t think you ever stop needing anyone,” he said, feeling something for her that he wasn’t sure he liked.
He had a hard time believing that no one had wanted to adopt her. She was so damn cute now. She must have been a beautiful kid.
“Is that pity I hear in your voice, counselor? Don’t feel bad for me. I turned out okay.”
“What happened to your family?”
She shrugged. “My mother suffered from mental illness. She used to leave me locked in a closet when she went out at night because she was scared that someone would hurt me. The last time she didn’t come back. The cops found me three days later. I never knew my father. I’m pretty sure my mother’s family didn’t know I existed or if they did, they wanted nothing to do with me or her.”
“Why do you think that is? What could she have done?”
“I think she was from a wealthy family in the South. She used to say things about debutante balls and white dresses and how much her father loved the Lord. But my mother was sick and probably wild and she was a beautiful blond woman with blue eyes who brought home a baby who looked nothing like that. I could be wrong. They could have been wonderful people, but I’m guessing that they weren’t. They had to have known she was sick. How the hell could they have just let her go?”
Her story hit closer to home than he expected. His mother was white. His father was black. They had met in college in South Carolina at a party. A one-night fling turned into a pregnancy and that pregnancy turned into a marriage that probably neither one of them wanted. He remembered his father trying. He remembered him attempting to be happy. His side of the family had been very involved. They had loved Julian and his sister, but his mother’s side was different. They were colder. There was always a little judgment there. A little disappointment maybe. It didn’t matter that his father was in law school. That he was a defense attorney by the time Galen was born.
Even as a kid Julian could see that they would never be satisfied, that his mother would always be miserable when she was with them. She had walked out too. Just like Sunny’s mother. Except he had always known where she was. She had gotten married to someone else. Someone in finance. Someone more like her family had expected. She had another son. One that looked more like her. One that her family seemed to adore.
“Is that why you wanted to become a social worker? Because you spent so long in foster care?”
“Why do I feel like I’m being cross examined right now?” She gave him a quick smile.
“You won’t leave my office. I think I’m entitled to my questions.”
“What if I don’t want to answer them?”
“Please,” he asked softly.
“For most of my life the only consistent people I had was my social worker and the police officer who found me in the closet. If it weren’t for them I would have been lost. I knew I could be an anchor for someone else.”
“And that’s why Soren’s adoption is so important to you.”
“She has the shot at a life that I’ve always dreamed of as a kid. Not many people are willing to take a kid with such heavy emotional baggage, but these parents not only are willing, they love her. She needs to be loved by them. We all need that kind of love.”
“Shit,” he said to himself. He looked down at his feet, feeling lucky for what he did have.
“I want to stop talking about this.”
He looked up at her. She had shut her eyes. Her body was tense. He knew she was vulnerable in that moment, but she was like steel. She would be damned if she showed him that.
He was a near stranger and she had just revealed so much about herself to him, including that she had been left locked in a closet. What the hell kind of life was that? She looked so innocent with her large, soft-brown eyes. But those eyes had seen a lot and now that they were closed he couldn’t see how much hurt must be in them.
“Okay. Let’s talk about when the hell you are going to get out of my office instead.”
“Are you going to help me?”
“I can’t.” It was dangerous. He was telling her to get out but part of him didn’t want her to go. He could look at her all night. She was not what he wanted. She was not what he needed in his life right now.
She stood up and started walking toward him. Her hips swaying seductively as she did. She wasn’t trying to be sexy. She just was. “Can’t is different than won’t. Tell me why?”
“Because I don’t like you.”
“I’ll grow on you and you’re working for the kid. Not for me.”
He stood and grabbed her hand. It was the second time their hands ended up locked together. “Let me walk you out. I’ll call the car service to take you home.” He started to lead her outside. He made it about fifteen feet from his office before she stopped.
“Did you honestly think I was going to leave that easily? I haven’t broken you yet.”
She gave him that mischievous grin that he was beginning to like and started to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her and scooped her into his arms in one motion.
She let out a little scream, but it wasn’t out of fear. It sounded like one of delight. He liked that sound. He liked that he was the one to bring it out of her.
“Put me down!”
“No.” He walked toward the elevator. The middle of the floor where the paralegals and assistants worked was empty. Most of the associates were gone at this point. There was no one there to see him act so out of character.
There was no one there to see how much he was enjoying himself. He liked the feel of her in his arms, her weight, her softness, that look in her eyes. She squirmed a bit but he held her firmly against him.
“You shouldn’t be using your size against me,” she complained.
“You shouldn’t have used your sexuality against me,” he retorted.
“I did no such thing, but even if I did, it clearly didn’t work because you are forcibly removing me from your office.”
“You should have never come.”
“I know, but I couldn’t stop myself. I kept thinking about you and this case since I last saw you. It’s not going to stop and would you mind at least tugging down my dress? I’m feeling too mu
ch breeze on my behind.”
He glanced down at her. Sure enough, her thighs were exposed, her dress was bunched up. He could see just a hint of her underwear. It was no black lacy thong like Regina would wear. They were yellow and had daisies printed on them.
That made his groin tighten again. He didn’t know why. Full briefs with flowers on them were probably the least sexiest underwear on the planet, but on this woman, they weren’t. On this woman they were alluring. Of course a girl named Sunny would have something so cheerful on her bottom.
He placed her on her feet near the elevator, but he didn’t give her enough space to get away. He leaned his body against her and slowly pulled on the hem of her dress. Maybe that’s not all he did. Maybe his hands traveled up to her hips and slightly around to her behind and smoothed her dress down.
“That’s my ass you’re touching, counselor.” She looked right into his eyes, her chest pressed against his, her lips looking inviting and thoroughly kissable.
“Do you object?”
“If I did, you certainly would have known about it before now.”
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He couldn’t kiss her, but he couldn’t physically pull his body away from hers, either. “I’m calling a car service to take you home. Please go and never come back here.”
“I’m not promising that, and I don’t need you to call anyone to get me home. I’ve been getting home myself long before you came around.”
“I’m sure that’s true, but it’s getting late and dark and I don’t want to worry about you all night, so let me call the service to take you home.”
“See?” She grinned at him. “You do like me.”
“I do not.” But he did. He didn’t like the way she made him feel, but he liked her. He couldn’t help it.
“Is everything okay out here?”
Julian froze at the sound of his boss’s voice. Davis Cleese was a founding partner in the firm, a man who Julian admired immensely and the one who had a very large say in who the next full partner was going to be.
“Hello, Mr. Cleese.” He backed away from Sunny. “Yes. Everything is fine. I was just walking Sunny out.”
“I thought I heard a woman’s scream.”
“That was me.” The mischievous twinkle returned to her eye. “I bumped into something really big and hard.”
Cleese was the most puritanical of the partners. He lived and practiced by a strict moral code and was more interested in the quality of work they did than the billable hours they racked up. It was in direct opposition of what the other partner, Eric Bruno, believed. “This is Sunny Gibson. She is a social worker for the city. She was seeking some legal advice on behalf of her client.”
“Oh?” Mr. Cleese gave him a knowing look. “Are you sure that’s all that’s going on?”
He knew this partner disapproved of anything that might be deemed sordid happening in the workplace. Usually Julian was aboveboard with his every action. But he had forgotten himself. He had forgotten everything sensible when it came to Sunny.
“Yes, sir. I promise. I was just about to call the car service to take her home.”
“Tell me about this case.” He crossed his arms and turned his attention to Sunny. “It would obviously have to be pro bono. My sister was a social worker. I know how little they make and I know how much we charge.”
“I have a child who is about to be adopted. She was abandoned at our agency. She was underfed and mute and traumatized. But I found a great family for her and the child is finally starting to heal, but a woman claiming to be her biological mom has started contacting the adoptive family. She is sending large sums of cash as support. She has means and we’re afraid that she will pull some sort of stunt to prevent the adoption from going through, or worse, try to kidnap the child.”
“That sounds incredibly serious. I can only imagine what the adoptive parents are going through.”
“I’m sure they are terrified. But as I’ve explained to Sunny, I don’t specialize in family law. None of us here do. I was recommending another lawyer for her.”
“I don’t trust anyone with this,” she said to Cleese. “I came here for the best.”
Cleese was quiet for a moment. “Julian is right. We don’t specialize in family law, but that’s an area we should start branching out into. With the way some of these divorces end up, sooner or later we’ll find ourselves embroiled in a nasty custody case. This would be a good way for you to learn the ropes and guide the others if anything like this comes up again.”
“You’re right, sir. I would just hate to take away time from my current clients. I just got a call from Charles O’Grady this morning. He punched an off duty cop outside of a bar. He’s already been in trouble. His case is going to need my attention.”
“You’re referring to that big Viking-looking football player?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’ll be his lawyer, but only in the honorary fashion. The new associates can handle it. It’s a simple criminal case. My junior partners should be handling more serious matters. The challenge will make you better. The pro bono work will cancel out some of the trepidation I feel taking on such wealthy clientele.”
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, sir.” David Connor stepped out of the shadows. “I was on my way to file this when I overheard your conversation. If Julian can’t take this case on, I would be happy to offer my services. I jump at the chance to do as much work for the community as I can.”
Slimy son of a bitch. “Your services will not be necessary. I can take the case on.”
“Good,” his boss said. “Use whatever resources you need, Mr. King, and keep me updated.”
“Thank you for your support, Mr. Cleese.” Sunny gave him her most gorgeous smile. “I’m so glad to have met you tonight.” He wondered if Cleese had any idea that she knew how charming she was. Regina was practiced and polished; with Sunny it seemed natural and sweet. But he knew she was more cunning than she looked.
“It was nice meeting you as well.” He took his leave of them and Connor followed.
“So you’re really going to help me?”
“You know I don’t have a choice.”
“You do. You could say no. You could tell your boss you’re helping me and then ignore me.”
“If I said I was going to help you, I will help you. I’m many things, but I’m not a liar.”
“I’m an orphan with trust issues,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her statement had come out as a joke but he knew it wasn’t.
How many people had let her down before?
“You have to be on your best behavior with me. I am your attorney. We will be professional.”
“You got it, sexy.” She saluted him.
He frowned at her, knowing that despite his wishes, his life just got incredibly complicated. “I’m going to take you home.” He pulled his keys out of his pants pocket and pressed the button for the elevator.
“I told you I could get home alone.”
“And I told you that I’m not going to let you do that while you’re with me. So please just save your breath. This is happening.”
“What about your stuff? Don’t you lawyers carry briefcases?”
“I’ll probably come back tonight to finish up some things, but I have my keys, cell phone, and wallet. I don’t need anything else. I have everything saved to the cloud.”
The elevator doors opened and he grabbed her by her hand and tugged her inside. He was feeling decidedly disgruntled toward her at the moment. He didn’t say anything to her on the ride down or during the short walk to the garage that held his car.
He led her to a BMW SUV. He had always wanted a classic BMW but he was too big for such a sleek car and had to go with a larger model. Not fitting in was becoming a theme in his life.
“Get in.”
This time she obeyed without comment. He watched her eyes widen slightly as she did.
“What?” he asked her as they put on th
eir seat belts.
“This car is gorgeous.” He watched her run her hands over the dashboard. The move wasn’t meant to be sexual, but for him it was. It was a slow stroke of her hands. He could imagine how they would feel on his body. If he were a different type of man he probably would have been having sex with her on his desk right now. But he was who he was and now he was imagining what it would be like to be with her.
This attraction was annoying him. He had the urge to get the hell away from her as fast as he could, but his body liked her near. “It’s just a car.”
“It’s not just a car. It’s a symbol of your success. I never imagined riding in one, much less owning such a beautiful thing. I could live in here.”
“I know New York apartments can be small, but yours must be bigger than this.”
She shrugged. “I lived in a car before. Mama said it was like camping. It was fun for a little while.”
God damn it. Why did she have to say things like that? Things that floored him. Things he had no clue how to respond to. “Where do you live?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t have my background checked after I bumped into you in front of your apartment.”
“I did,” he admitted and plugged some information into his GPS. “I remember your address. I just didn’t want you to know that I knew it.” He pulled out of his space and began the journey to her house.
“I would have thought less of you if you hadn’t checked me out. I could have been crazy or something.”
“You are crazy. And now I’m stuck with you for the foreseeable future.”
She sighed heavily. “I want you to help me. I need to find out who this woman is, but I will go to the other lawyer if you don’t want to help me.”
“After all that, you’re going to simply concede?”
“I’m not conceding. You may think I’m a pain in the ass who doesn’t care about your wishes, but I do and I’ll feel guilty if you are doing this just so your partnership won’t be in jeopardy. Plus, I sure as hell don’t need you snapping at me all the time for the next few weeks.”
“Too damn bad. I took this case and you aren’t allowed to tell me I can’t complain about it.”
