by Lexy Timms
“I came to bring you your messages…and these case files and maybe a friendly warning.”
This bitch just didn’t quit. “What the hell are you talking about? What kind of warning?”
“You need to stay away from Eric. He’s trouble with a capital T.”
Crystal knew Tanya wasn’t giving her this “warning” out of the goodness of her heart. There had to be a personal reason she wanted Crystal to stay away from him. “Who are you, his mother?” Crystal finally snapped.
Tanya laughed. “No, but I’m sure she would tell you the same. Everyone knows he’s trouble. Every so often a young, naïve one like you comes along and thinks she can change him. Trust me it’s not going to happen.”
“How do you know so much, Tanya…did you try to change him? Did he dump you, is that why you’re so bitter?” For some reason Crystal hated the thought of Eric touching Tanya. She had to take a page from her own book and tell herself that it wasn’t her business.
Tanya narrowed her eyes and lost the smile. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then let me form my own opinions about Mr. Steel Tanya. You stay out of it. If that’s not clear enough, what I am telling you in no uncertain terms is to mind your own damn business.”
Tanya dropped the message slips on the desk and said, “It’s your own funeral,” in a cryptic tone before walking out. What the hell does that mean? Maybe Tanya has slept with him. Maybe Marla too…Shit! Have they all?
Crystal went over to her office and looked down at the street. The people rushed by just like they always did and she tried to concentrate on the hustle and bustle of the city below her and forget about Eric Steel. It didn’t help. All she could think about was how good he smelled and how sexy his voice was when he’d lowered it and talked to her in a whisper. She wanted to hear more of it. She remembered the feel of his skin when he’d touched her hands. Everything about him exuded masculinity and sex. How the hell was she supposed to resist him? No wonder they only assigned male interns. This guy is too much for any red-blooded female to handle. What the hell was she going to do?
*****
For the next few days she managed to avoid being alone with him. He was busy with his case and she only saw him during the morning staff meetings and the strategic meetings in the afternoon when he would get back from court. He still looked at her like he wanted to eat her up and every time she looked at him, her whole body still tingled…but as long as they weren’t alone, she could handle it. Tanya still shot her dirty looks every time they passed in the hall and Marla still acted like she was trying to steal her man too. Crystal’s head swam with the questions about who he had and hadn’t slept with in the firm. If she looked around the table during staff meetings, it seemed that his sister and the men were the only ones not looking at him like he was a piece of chocolate cake with a side of hot fudge. She knew that she was better off not putting herself in the middle of something like that. She made up her mind to finish out her internship and continue avoiding him as much as possible…and then he’d called her into his office…
She had been sitting at her desk when Sheri’s voice came over the intercom, “Eric wants to see you.”
Damn it! “Okay, I’ll be right there.” She continued to sit at her desk wondering what it was that he wanted. Maybe it was just about the case…maybe he needed her to talk to Sarah again. She took a deep breath and fussed with the bun in her hair before finally forcing herself to get up and go down the hall. She smiled at Sheri when she walked into her office and Sheri smiled back. Crystal really liked her. She was beginning to wonder if maybe the reason she worked for her brother was to act as a buffer. She seemed to be the only one who could handle him.
“Go on in, Crystal, he’s expecting you.”
Crystal opened the door. Eric was sitting at his desk and he looked up as she came in and smiled. God, he’s so beautiful. It’s not really playing fair when you look like that. “Come in Crystal. Close the door.” She reluctantly closed the door behind her. She didn’t trust herself with this man. She’d never felt this kind of physical pull before. She walked over and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “You have your hair up,” he said with his brows pulled together.
“Um…yes…” What was she supposed to say to that? “Sheri said you needed to see me.”
“I did,” he said, standing up. The butterflies in her stomach took flight as he made his way around the desk. He pulled another chair up next to hers and sat down…close. She was having trouble catching her breath. She could smell his cologne…and she couldn’t stop staring at his lips. She pulled her eyes back up to his and forced a smile. He smiled at her and she could actually see the lust in his eyes as he looked at her. She was shaking inside as he said, “This is not about work. The truth is Crystal, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we ran into each other in the hall. I’d really like it if you would have dinner with me.”
She felt her whole body go hot. There was no way…no way she could be out alone with him and not give in to his advances. “I don’t really think that’s a good idea sir…” He reached for her hand and she considered not letting him take it, but she didn’t move. He covered it with his big, warm one and said,
“I think it’s a great idea…and I don’t think you’d regret it.”
“But we work together…”
“For just a few more days. There is nothing I could do to hurt or help your internship at this point…I’m not even the one who signs off on your time. Have dinner with me Friday. Monday is your last day, right?” Before she could answer, he leaned in even closer. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her face now and she felt herself shiver. “I want you, Crystal. I want to taste you…I want you to have dinner with me and then be my dessert.”
“I’m not going to sleep with you,” she said, taken aback.
He grinned and she felt it against her cheek, that’s how close he was. “I don’t want you to sleep,” he said. “I’m going to light your body on fire as I taste every part of it…and then I’m going to fuck you.”
Crystal pulled back and looked at his face. She couldn’t believe how aggressive he was being right here in his office. “No,” she said, more firmly. “I’m not having sex with you.” She wanted him so badly that her insides were twisted up…but she wasn’t going to sit here and agree to having sex with this man she barely knew. She could control her impulses…right?
He was still smiling. He was so sure of himself. She wondered if anyone had ever told him no. “Okay,” he said, softly. “Just dinner then. Please.”
“I don’t think…” Before she finished her sentence she felt him reach up and touch her hair. The next thing she knew he’d taken her bun loose and her long hair was cascading down across her shoulders. Then he leaned in again and buried his face in it, inhaled deeply and pulled back just enough so their lips were never touching. She was telling herself to pull back…to stand up…to do something. When she didn’t, he took that as consent. He moved just enough so that their lips touched. His full lips were so soft and he moved them across hers gently. When she still didn’t protest, that was when she felt his tongue tracing the outline of her bottom lip. Her body responded and she let out a little moan before parting her lips and letting him in. His hand went to her waist then and he pulled her into him as he kissed her. The kiss was no longer gentle. It was hungry and demanding and she gave herself over to it…enjoying the way his warm tongue felt against hers.
She let him kiss her for what seemed like forever before she finally came to her senses and pulled back. They were both out of breath and the look on his face was pure intensity. He looked at her like that for long enough to cause her panties to melt and then he said, “So dinner then? Friday night?”
She knew that she should say no. What just happened proved that she wasn’t in control of her senses around him. But, she also told herself that he had a good point. By Friday she’ll only have one day left here…what would it r
eally hurt?
“Okay,” she said in a raspy, breathless voice… “But just dinner.” He smiled and the look on his face told her he didn’t believe her. But he didn’t argue the point. He’d obviously gotten his way for now.
“Just dinner,” he said. He stood up then and went back around his desk. Flustered, Crystal stood up too and as she made her way to the door she tried to get her hair gathered back up. She walked in with her hair up. What would Sheri think if she walked out with it down? She heard him chuckle and she turned around and shot him a narrowed eyed look. It was much easier to resist him from this distance. He continued to smile as he said, “It looks fine.”
She didn’t say anything else. She grabbed hold of the door handle with a shaky hand and did her best not to make eye contact with Sheri on her way by. Jesus Christ! What the hell did she just agree to?
*****
“Hey! Earth to Crystal…” she looked up. She’d been sitting at the kitchen table going over some case law when Debbie walked in. Apparently she was talking to her and Crystal hadn’t heard a word she said.
“Hey! You’re back.” Debbie had been gone for two days to Philadelphia. The firm she was doing her internship with had sent her there with one of the female legal assistants to depose a witness in one of their cases.
“Yep,” Debbie said, taking a seat at the table. “I’m back. What happened?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You should see the look on your face right now…or better yet when I first walked in. What were you thinking about? Who were you thinking about? Did you have sex while I was gone?”
Crystal laughed. “No…not for real anyways.”
It was Debbie’s turn to laugh. “You had fake sex?”
“No.” Crystal felt her face go hot. “I had it in my head though, more than once.”
Debbie’s face lit up. “With your boss? You finally got to meet him this week! How’d it go?”
Crystal shook her head. “God Debbie… he is everything everyone says about him. He’s so gorgeous and he exudes this masculine charm that’s like freaking magic, I swear. I bumped into him in the hall and our fingers brushed while we were picking up files and it was like electricity shooting up my arms and running down my spine. He has this way of looking at you…and talking to you…his words are saying one thing but his look and the tone of his voice are saying something else completely.” Crystal wasn’t sure yet if she was ready to talk about the rest…even to Debbie.
“Something else like…?”
“Like maybe he’s having the same wet dreams that I have been. He said and did something that I may have taken wrong…”
“What did he say?”
She started with the small stuff. “I asked him if he needed me for anything else and he said, “Nothing clerical...” or something like that. It wasn’t the words though; it was this deep, sexy whisper he said it in.”
“He wants you.”
“That’s bad…right?”
“Why would it be bad? You just admitted that you want him too.”
“I do…I mean, I’m really attracted to him…”
“Listen, your internship ends at the end of this week. Just make it clear to him if he comes onto you again that you won’t date him as long as you’re working for him.”
“I guess I could do that…but what about all of the other women?”
“What about them? He’s not married, right? He doesn’t have a girlfriend or fiancé?”
“No…not that I know of.” She hated that it bothered her that he did have so many other women though. They hadn’t even gone out…yet. It was silly to be jealous already. She couldn’t even remember the last time she felt jealous…what was this man doing to her?
“Then you have nothing to worry about there. You won’t be working with any of them after this week either. Listen honey…you spent a whole year with boring old Ryan because you were too nice. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to have just pure, primal, lustful sex for the same reason. Let your pretty red hair down.”
Crystal laughed. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt me to do that…just this once.”
“It absolutely would not. What are we doing for dinner?”
“I hadn’t even thought about it yet. What do you want to do?”
“Chinese?”
“Sounds good. Order Kung Pao.”
“I’m ordering?”
“Yep, it was your idea.” Debbie rolled her eyes but she called their favorite place and ordered. When she sat back down Crystal said, “So how did your trip go?”
“Good…I guess. We went to depose one of the alleged victims of this guy we’re defending.”
“Creepy guy?”
“Yeah, and I really liked this girl. She went home to Philly because she just can’t stand to be in the same city with this guy. The legal assistant I went with was brutal. I actually felt bad for the girl. I hope I can do this. Sometimes I wonder if I’m not cut out for it.”
“Let me ask you something…if you knew without a doubt that your client was guilty…would you think he deserved any less of a defense?”
“No.” She said that without even thinking. She smiled then and said, “No, I wouldn’t. Thanks, Crystal. Sometimes I guess I just need reminding of that. Even guilty people deserve a defense. There are always mitigating circumstances.”
“Yep, and those are the ones we on the prosecution team throw out in court.” They both laughed. Crystal sobered then and said, “There’s something I need an opinion on…”
Debbie knew her too well. “Something else happened, didn’t it?”
“Yeah…I keep going over it in my head and I just keep thinking that he took a big chance…he could get in real trouble if I was the type to complain…”
Looking worried now Debbie said, “What did he do?”
“As soon as I walked into my office this morning the intercom buzzed….” Debbie suddenly felt like the one person she knew would never judge her…might. Her emotions were so all over the place she didn’t know what to do with them. She took a deep breath and then she relayed to Debbie all that had happened in his office. Debbie listened with a wide-eyed expression, but didn’t interrupt. When Crystal finished talking she sat there quietly for a minute and then she said, “He kissed you? Right there in his office! And he told you he wanted to fuck you? Just like that?” Deb looked like she was trying to process it all.
“Yeah…bad huh?”
She laughed. “Was it bad? The kiss I mean.”
“Oh hell no! It may well have been the best kiss I’ve ever had…no actually, it was the best kiss I’ve ever had. My insides were pure hot liquid when he finished with me.”
“Then that’s not bad. Baby, you made out with the hot DA! I’m so jealous! He wants you.”
Crystal laughed. She never should have worried about Debbie. She’s always on her side. She was still conflicted though. “I agreed to go out to dinner with him,” she blurted out. Debbie couldn’t hold it in any longer and she laughed…long peals of girlish laughter. Crystal was looking at her like she’d lost her mind. “What are you laughing about?”
“You, you’re so funny. You innocently say no to dinner and then end up with a hot kiss, an indecent proposal and dinner! You go girl!”
“Is the whole thing sordid?”
“You’re both adults honey. If he wants you and you want him…it’s no one else’s business and no one has a right to judge. You’re not doing anything wrong by dating him. If you’re looking for me to tell you that you’re doing something inappropriate or this makes you or him a bad person, you can forget it.”
Crystal smiled. “Thank you. I guess the feelings I have for him just freak me out a little bit.”
“Understandable…but I’m afraid if you don’t let yourself explore them, you’ll regret it.”
Debbie was right again. She knew she would regret it if she didn’t at least have dinner with him and see where it went from there. Otherwise after Monday…she
might never get the chance again. “What am I going to wear?” she said. Debbie laughed again.
Chapter 11
Sheri walked into Eric’s office that day after Crystal left and shut the door behind her. He’s already received her lecture about “messing with the interns” the last time Crystal had been in his office. What the hell is it now?
She was standing at the edge of his desk staring down at him. He finally looked up at her and said, “What?”
“You need to leave that girl alone, Eric. She’s just a kid, and a nice one at that. She’s not one of your regular floozies.”
“Give it a rest, Sheri! Since when do you dictate my love life?”
“Your love life should be a separate entity from your professional life. Being the district attorney is entirely different than being the playboy son of a millionaire oil tycoon. You have to be careful. You already have a reputation…”
“I’m well aware of my reputation and I don’t need my little sister to tell me about it. I wouldn’t have that reputation if people could mind their own fucking business. Don’t we have two other brothers for you to lecture?”
“They keep their love lives to themselves,” she said.
“No, they’re just smart enough not to hire their little sister to work for them. How I ever got talked into that one…”
“You needed me to keep you in line and you knew it. That’s why you hired me.”
“Listen to me, Sheri. My love life might be kept to myself like our brother’s if you weren’t always sticking your nose into it. I don’t need you policing me.”
“Eric, you don’t realize how badly you could hurt an impressionable young woman like her. She’s different. I like her…”
“Sheri…mind your own business!” he snapped at her too loudly. Realizing it, he lowered his voice and said, “I have a mother, I don’t need another one.”
She rolled her eyes. “Hopefully Mom has no idea what you’re up to. She’d be so embarrassed…”
“Enough!” She held her palms up and Eric sat back down at his desk. She continued to stand there and he looked up at her at last and said, “Why are you still here?”
