by Sarah Bailey
Dirty Judge
Dirty Series
Book Four
Sarah Bailey
Dirty Judge Copyright © 2020 by Sarah Bailey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Please note the spelling throughout is British English.
Cover Art by Sarah Bailey
Published by Twisted Tree Publications
www.twistedtreepublications.com
[email protected]
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Acknoweldgements
About The Author
To all those who can never forget their childhood crush and perhaps wonder what might have happened if you met again in the future
Chapter One
Matilda
The first day of a new job is always nerve-racking, even if you know exactly what to expect. I’d worked in administration in the courts since I’d finished my diploma in legal studies at college. I’d left my last job as I didn’t like one of the district judges very much. He talked down to everyone and made me feel small. I only hoped the ones who worked at this courthouse weren’t complete arseholes. As a court administrative officer, it was part of my role to attend to the judges and make sure they had everything they needed in terms of paperwork for their cases and so on.
The lady from HR, Jackie, had shown me around earlier and introduced me to the team. I was sitting next to Taniqua, a fellow admin officer. She was a little older than me, married with two kids. The woman started talking my ear off the moment I sat down. I felt a little awkward considering I wasn’t the type to get super friendly straight away with my work colleagues, but I made appropriate noises when necessary. I gathered from how much she knew about the inner workings of the courthouse, she was the person you went to for information.
“Taniqua, where are the case notes I asked for?” a deep, rich masculine voice cut through the room.
I looked up at the source of the voice and froze in place. My heart thumped hard in my chest. My skin prickled and went clammy. I had so many questions right then, but I could barely unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth.
What the hell is he doing here? How is he here? Why?
Standing a few feet away was Adrian Sanders. The boy from next door. Except he hadn’t really been a boy considering he was seven years my senior and had been my childhood best friend, Annie’s older brother. I hadn’t seen him since the Sanders moved away when I was almost seventeen and even then, I’d only seen him when he came home for the holidays like Easter and Christmas after he left for university. I knew he was on track to become a barrister, but when they’d moved away, I’d lost touch with Annie and her family.
He looked older, his dark hair peppered with grey and he had these small crinkles in the corners of his eyes, but it was definitely Adrian.
“Sorry, sir, here they are,” Taniqua said, standing and handing him a file.
His brown eyes flicked over to me. The instant he recognised me, they darkened significantly, sending shivers down my spine.
Oh god, I can’t deal with this. Why is he looking at me like that?
“Oh, this is Matilda Evans, Heather’s replacement. She just started today. Matilda, this is District Judge Sanders.”
“I know who he is,” I mumbled, wanting the ground to swallow me up.
It wasn’t like I wanted it to be public knowledge I’d grown up next to Adrian, but I couldn’t keep it a secret either.
“Tilly Evans,” Adrian said, his deep, rumbly voice making my palms sweat further. I wiped them on my skirt under the desk.
Holy shit.
No one had called me Tilly since I was a teenager. In my professional life, I’d only ever been known as Matilda. I hated him knowing that about me. Hated how he remembered my nickname. To be quite honest, I hated the fact he was here.
I’d had a crush on Adrian the size of England when I’d been growing up. He was the boy all the girls drooled over, mostly because he was one of those guys your parents warn you about. The ones you should stay away from lest they corrupt you. The fact Adrian had pursued a career in law surprised me, considering how much of a rebel he’d been as a teenager. Always in trouble. Always had girls hanging off his arms like limpets. And stupid me had been fascinated by him. He’d been nice to me, even if he was aloof. Probably because I was Annie’s friend.
Turns out time hadn’t changed a damn thing. His strong jawline and dark eyes drew me in. He was beautiful and way, way out of my league. Just as he’d always been.
“Hello, Adrian,” I somehow managed to say even though my mouth was dry as a bone.
Taniqua looked between us.
“Hold on, you two know each other?”
Adrian dug his free hand into his pocket.
“You could say we grew up together.”
“Really? What a coincidence.”
“Yeah, sure is,” I gritted out, unsure of why he kept staring like he wanted something from me.
Adrian might not have been mean to me when I was a kid, but he hadn’t given me the time of day either. I was just Annie’s friend whom I’m sure he thought very little of. The fact he recognised me after all this time did make me wonder. Twelve years had changed me. I was all woman now, no longer a lovesick teenage girl crushing on him from afar. Why I even cared was a question I wasn’t sure I wanted answering.
“I must get back, trial starts in half an hour. It’s nice to see you again, Tilly.”
I nodded. He gave me one last significant look before turning away and disappearing from the office. A look which made my insides melt into a puddle of goo. I cursed myself for being affected by him after all this time.
Taniqua turned to me.
“Oh. My. God. You grew up with Mr Sanders? Tell me everything.”
I stared at the spot he’d been standing in, wondering how on earth I’d ended up working in the same county court as Adrian bloody Sanders.
“Uh… I was best friends with his younger sister, but we lost touch when they moved away.”
“He’s so dreamy. Judges shouldn’t be as hot as he is.”
I looked at her, startled by what she’d said. The years had done nothing but make him even more attractive, and it just plain sucked. I didn’t want to think of him like that, considering I’d spent half my damn life pining over Adrian.
“All the girls at school crushed on him. He was the bad boy with a bad attitude, but he was never mean to me.”
If I was going to sit next to Taniqua, I might as well get to know her. After all, it was better to be on good terms with your colleagues. And the fact she looked at me as if she expected me to give her my entire life’s story.
“Really? I would never have thought. He always seems so calm and collected.”
I shrugged. I hadn’t seen Adrian in twelve years, so who knew what he was like now.
“It’s a good thing
you do know Mr Sanders since you’ll be working for him and District Judge Robertson specifically.”
I felt a little faint all of a sudden.
“What?”
“I’ve been looking after them since Heather left, but now you’re here, I can hand over their casework to you.”
As if this day couldn’t get any worse, I’d have to work directly with Adrian. I wanted to bury my head in my hands. This was not how I wanted my first day at my new job to go. At all.
“Mr Robertson isn’t in today, but you can meet him tomorrow.”
“Okay, great.”
I smiled, but it was fake. Inside, I was still reeling from seeing Adrian.
Why is the world doing this to me?
“Here, I’ll go over everything with you. I’m sure you know this, but just to make sure.”
Taniqua spent the rest of the day running through everything with me. Apparently, Heather who used to sit here was rumoured to have been fired for revealing confidential information to a defendant in one of Judge Robertson’s cases.
Taniqua seemed to be a prime source of gossip. I was pretty sure nothing happened in this place she didn’t know about. And I was beginning to wonder how I would keep anything from her. Not that I had a ton of secrets, I just preferred to keep to myself and not pry too much into other people’s lives if I could help it.
A few of the other judges had been in and out of the offices throughout the day, and I’d been duly introduced. We had five full-time permanent sitting district judges and several circuit judges.
We had a lot of other duties that weren’t related to the judge’s caseloads like scheduling cases and dealing with public inquires. I enjoyed my job. It was always varied and interesting, but every court was different, so I’d had to get used to how this one operated.
Five o’clock came around and I was still typing up a report when the others filed out for the night, saying goodbye and giving me a wave. I rarely worked late, but I liked to finish something when I started it. It was half-past by the time I’d completed the report. I stretched and got up, grabbing my coat and bag. As I walked out of the office, I shrugged it on.
I had to walk by the various judge’s offices on the way out. Most of their doors were closed, but one was wide open. I glanced over and almost stumbled when I noticed who was occupying it. His dark eyes flicked to me. I froze, unable to take another step forward.
“Tilly.”
I spun on my heel so I was facing him. He sat at his desk, leaning back with his hand resting on the arm. His gaze roamed over me, making my skin prickle. How did he still have the ability to keep me captivated by his eyes? It’s as if the moment I looked into them, I got stuck, desperately wanting something more.
“I’m surprised you recognised me.”
His lips curved upwards into a smile. That smile made my heart thump because it was directed right at me. It was a genuine one, unlike the fake smiles he sometimes threw at girls to make them fall at his feet.
“You’re a hard person to forget.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Oh really? Why? Because Annie and I were always bothering you?”
His tongue darted out, running over his bottom lip in a way that was distinctly sexual. It sent tingles running straight down between my thighs and I hated it.
“Something like that.”
I had no idea what to say. It’s not like we ever talked much when I was a kid. He never seemed to want to know.
Why did I have to see him now? It’d been long enough for me to forget about him. But no. Now he was right here, looking every bit the bad boy he’d been when we were younger. I don’t know why, but Adrian hadn’t lost that air about him. He might be dressed in a suit, yet he was still dark and dangerous underneath all of that. I recognised it in him and it excited me on so many levels. Just as it always had. I shouldn’t still feel this way about him. Not after all these years.
You’re acting crazy. You’re just in shock from seeing him again.
I needed to get away from him so I could put my head on straight again. His very presence scrambled my brain. Making me feel all sorts of conflicting emotions and sensations. God, why did he have to be so damn hot? Why did he have to be here and be the same Adrian Sanders I’d known all those years ago? And why did I still feel this way about him?
“Uh well, I should really…”
He cocked his head to the side.
“Won’t you come in?”
I stared at him, wondering what he wanted and whether I should take him up on that offer or not.
Chapter Two
Adrian
Tilly Evans. Jesus fuck. She’d certainly grown up. Her forest green eyes were fixed on me. Her dirty blonde hair hung down her back in soft waves. Whilst her coat was currently hiding her curves, I’d noticed she had them when she was sitting at her desk. Simply put, she’d grown into a stunning woman and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Probably why I’d asked her to come into my office, knowing it was a terrible idea. But by fuck did I want to inhale her.
Cursing myself inwardly for my wayward thoughts, I waited for her response. She seemed to teeter on the idea of walking in or running away. I could hardly blame her. It had been twelve odd years since I last set eyes on Tilly. The Christmas before my parents had moved away. I rarely saw them these days, but that was neither here nor there.
Little Tilly had been my sister, Annie’s best friend. They were inseparable. I’d always tried to look out for them, although Tilly and I had only ever shared a few words with each other at a time. She was just a kid. Except the last time I’d seen her she’d been sixteen and hell if she hadn’t made me feel something back then. Something I had no business feeling for a girl her age. Christ, I’d been twenty-three years old and I knew fucking better.
Now, twelve years later, I was thirty-five and she was twenty-eight. Our age difference didn’t seem so inappropriate. Although perhaps I was a little ashamed to admit I’d always had a thing for younger women. Or maybe it was because they reminded me of her. Beautiful little Tilly. So innocent and full of life.
She took a step into my office, clearly having made her mind up.
“You know, no one calls me Tilly nowadays.”
She’d always be Tilly to me. Why that was I didn’t think to question.
She looked around the room, taking in the bookcases and various cabinets before her eyes landed on my desk currently occupied by a stack of papers and folders detailing various cases I had ongoing. Then she looked up at me. I saw the flicker of want in those green depths. And fuck if it didn’t make my cock thicken.
I’d been well aware Tilly had a crush on me when she was younger, but I didn’t think she’d still feel that way now we were adults. After all, so much time had gone by. Yet here she was, staring at me like she could see right through me. Like she knew I wanted her as much as she clearly wanted me.
“When did you become a judge?”
“A few years ago. One of the youngest sitting district judges in the country or so I’ve been told.”
She took another step closer. Shit, Tilly was playing with fire here. If she came too close, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. I wanted to know what she looked like under that coat. I wanted a full view of her curvaceous body. And I wanted my hands all over her.
“Got tired of defending criminals then?”
I smiled. The hours were better not to mention I preferred to be the one handing down the judgements and sentences.
“Something like that.”
“How’s Annie?”
My hand curled around the arm of my chair. My sister was a sore subject.
“She’s…”
I didn’t know how to tell Tilly. They’d lost touch when my parents moved away. And this seemed like a shitty way of her finding out her childhood best friend had a psychotic break and never come out of it.
“… in an institution.”
However
, I wasn’t going to lie to Tilly either. She didn’t deserve that. They’d been thick as thieves as kids. Always getting into mischief. I owed her the truth, even if it was an unpleasant subject.
Her face fell and she looked confused for a moment.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must be difficult.”
“It is.”
I didn’t want to tell Tilly the reason my sister had a breakdown. It had come after several miscarriages. And after two years of hoping she’d recover, her husband had filed for divorce so he could move on. Something I couldn’t exactly blame Callum for, considering how hard he’d tried to keep it together.
Tilly took another step forward, bringing my attention back to her. To the beautiful woman in front of me who I craved with every fibre of my being.
“Close the door.”
I don’t know why I told her to do so, only that any interruptions would be unwelcome right now. Most people didn’t stay late after work in this court, but I couldn’t take any chances.
Tilly looked startled, her green eyes widening.
“I’m not staying.”
I challenged that statement with my eyes. If she couldn’t feel the strange pulse between us, then my instincts were completely off. Hell, it’d been there when I’d seen her at sixteen. She’d still been growing into her figure at the time. And yet, I’d been inexplicably drawn to her. A girl seven years younger than me and barely legal.
“Don’t you have better things to do than talk to me?” she asked, her voice hesitant.
“Who said anything about talking?”
She swallowed visibly, then reached out and pushed the door closed. The heaviness of the wood made it click shut as it hit the frame.
“I’m only here to talk.”
We both knew she was lying but I let it slide. Whatever Tilly felt all those years ago was still there. It radiated off her in waves as well as her nervousness.
“Do you want to sit?”
