by Lara Swann
As he increases the pace, just a little, thrusting deep every time and letting the heat within me slowly rise with every stroke, I realize that’s what’s different. That’s what this is.
Love.
Tonight, we’re not fucking.
This is making love.
I give myself over to it with everything I have, feeling his touch against my skin, hearing the way our breathing rises in tune with each other and tasting every part of us mingled together as I kiss him. The sensation and feeling of it all overwhelms me and even as he drives me further and further towards the edge, my pussy trembling and pulsing with the perfect feeling of fullness, I feel my eyes burning too.
Every part of me burning for him. So lost in what we are - together.
“I love you, Kenneth.” I breathe, and he moves just a little bit faster.
My body responds in kind, the heat and tension that’s built in me again feeling ready to let go, ready to fly off this cliff with him.
“I love you too, Jessica. I need you. My love. My life. My everything.”
He takes my mouth in his just as he starts thrusting harder, faster, lighting up every part of me until I can feel him pulsing and groaning and grunting against me.
I keep saying his name. I can’t help it. All I can see is the light in his eyes, the need in him that matches my own and then - he slams into me, hard, and just like that I’m gone. I feel my pleasure rocking through me, slower than the first time, breaking over me and letting me feel every delicious piece of it as my body shudders and I feel the same response from him. Warmth fills me, shooting deep inside me and his head drops to my neck, gasping with the same rawness as me as my body seems to explode once…and then again…and then again…the hot rush of it hitting me as everything releases.
I cling to him, our bodies tangled together as aftershocks run through us, as I try to keep him inside me for as long as possible - wanting more, impossibly more. Wanting to be a part of him forever.
We press closer together as he pulls the covers over us, whispering my name and holding me tight.
The last thing I think as I drift off in his arms, is that I never want this to end.
That nothing can ever break this.
Not even the court case that’s coming this week.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kenneth
The next few days are some of the best I can remember having.
Despite the court date at the end of this week and all the stress and uncertainty surrounding that, coming home to Jessica and Abbie every day is everything I could have hoped for.
After talking with her, there’s no more doubt in my mind - no hesitation that maybe I should try for a last minute settlement. Jessica is right. That would eat away at me too much. The only thing I’ll settle for is a complete withdrawal of the accusations and an acknowledgment Danielle was lying about the whole thing - which I don’t see happening.
Somehow, once I’d made that decision - absolutely and irrevocably - it become so much easier to deal with the idea that it might not go my way and I could focus on the only thing that would actually make any difference.
Preparing for court.
Which, according to Patrick, I needed a lot of help with.
We’d already been over all the testimony and all the relevant dates and occasions we think Danielle will ask about. I know all the facts and I can remember them easily enough. No, what he’s concerned about is how I’m going to respond when I see her in court - or get asked about the sexual harassment itself.
After a couple of hours of practice, that he deliberately recorded and played back to me, I can see his point.
The frustration and outrage vibrates off me. And this is just when faced with my lawyer - who doesn’t actually believe anything he’s asking about.
I’m not exactly sure that’s a bad thing - of course I’m frustrated, I’m innocent and this whole thing has been a waste of my time, money and energy - but he seems to think it is. Being aggressive is not what the court wants to see.
So I’ve been working all week to channel all of that into calm determination and self-assurance. It’s harder than it sounds.
Now that the court date is finally here, I feel like I’m struggling to remember any of it. I’m more nervous than I’d imagined I’d be - and that’s just making me worry that nerves will come across the wrong way and I’ll be mistaken for being on edge for the wrong reason. Which is making me frustrated all over again.
“After this is all over,” I tell Jessica as she casts a critical glance over my suit. “I think I need a vacation.”
“God, yes.” She agrees immediately, sounding as appreciative of that idea as I would be right now. “Me too. It’s been a tough week.”
I nod, turning back to the mirror as she brushes something I can’t even see off my shoulder.
“How do I look?”
“Sexy.” She says, her tone turning sultry as she steps up behind me.
I laugh, looking over my shoulder and surprised I even can laugh right now.
“I’m not sure that was quite the look I was going for.”
“You should.” She continues, stepping around to kiss me briefly. “It’s a good look on you.”
“Uhuh.” I glance back at the mirror, then sigh. “I guess this will have to do.”
“You’re going to be fine, Ken.” She says, turning more serious. “I promise. And I’ll be right there, watching every moment.”
We spent a lot of time talking about that. I didn’t want her anywhere near it at first. There will be press people there - maybe not many, but at least the local newspapers will want to report on this - and Danielle’s people, and…I wasn’t sure I wanted her to see me dragged through all this.
My lawyers had objections of their own, of course. No one was quite sure how it would look for the former-secretary I was dating to show up to support me in court.
Jessica overruled us all. She said there was no way in hell I was going through this without her and that if I could sit there and take all this from Danielle, she was made of stern enough stuff to deal with whatever people might think of her.
Sometimes, she makes me so fucking proud just to be with her. To know we’re a team in this.
“I’ll spend every moment thinking of the instant it’s all done and I can come back to you and forget about it all.” I say, reaching up to stroke her cheek.
She rolls her eyes at me. “I hope you spend at least some of it thinking about what you’re going to say.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “I wonder whether it might be better if I don’t think about it. I’ve never been the kind of guy to over-think or get anxious about anything, but this morning…”
“It’s okay.” She steps forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling my head down to me. “Remember? Whatever happens, it’ll be okay.”
I nod, kissing her again. Wishing I could just stand here all morning kissing her instead of going to court at all.
“It will.”
“Come on, you’re going to be late. And then Patrick really would kill me.”
“Just another moment…”
I pull her into me, wrapping her up in my arms and breathing in everything that makes her Jessica.
“I’m really glad you’re going to be there today, Jessica. And I’m sorry I was an ass about it.”
“That’s okay.” She murmurs into my ear. “I have a feeling it’s not the last time you’re going to be an ass about something.”
“If it’s to look out for you? Yeah, sorry, nothing I can do about that.”
“C’mon.” She says again, stepping back and wrapping one arm around my waist. “Let me look out for you today.”
Reluctantly, I let her lead me out to the cab waiting for us. I didn’t want to think about driving this morning. Hannah took Abbie out for us this morning - at least I can make sure she won’t be involved in this at all.
“What do you think it’s going to be like?” I ask,
as the car pulls out of my drive.
She looks over at me, her gaze serious and sympathetic.
“I think it’s going to suck. It’ll be infuriating and stupid and ridiculous.” She squeezes my hand. “But you’ll be great anyway. You’ll be cool and calm and refute everything she says - and anyone with any sense will work out you could never do something like that. And it’ll be okay.”
“Yeah.” I say, smiling slightly and squeezing her hand back. “It’ll be okay.”
* * *
In the middle of the court room, with the judge looking more intimidating than I think I’ve found anyone for years, it’s a little hard to remember that.
I’ve got Patrick sitting beside me and I can feel Jessica’s gaze on my back, the warmth of it easing some of the tension - but nothing can take away my nerves. I’ve never been in a position like this before. I never could have imagined I would be.
Just seeing Danielle sitting on other side was enough to set my blood boiling and I’ve had to deliberately avoid looking over there. It’s harder than I would have thought. I want nothing more than to walk right up to her and confront her head on.
The need to ask her how she could possibly lie about something like this burns inside me. I don’t understand how she could be that bitter, or greedy, or whatever combination of those things led to all this.
And how the hell could she start stalking me and my family. For fucks’ sake.
I don’t do any of that. But it’s hard.
I wish I could be the one asking her the questions here today. They’d be sharp, pointed, leading questions that would raise every objection in the book, but that’s not the point.
The case starts with Danielle’s lawyer making his opening statement and I brace myself for everything that’s about to come - but to my surprise, it’s not nearly as emotive as I was expecting. He simply states the assertions I already knew - that during Danielle’s time working with me, I sexually harassed her over a prolonged period of time and a number of different occasions, persisting despite her rebuttal and causing an environment hostile enough that she felt her only option was to resign - and explains that they will be calling forward witnesses to support this.
I glance over at Patrick, but he doesn’t seem surprised as he then stands to present his opening statement, and I’m left to guess that maybe since this case is being tried by a judge instead of a jury, they decided that emotive appeals would do more to harm their case than help it.
I’m immediately relieved by that idea - I was expecting to be on edge and dealing with provocative comments from the very beginning.
Maybe this whole thing will be a little more reasonable than you expected. You are dealing with formal legal proceedings here - not just the woman prone to lying, manipulation and stalking.
Patrick keeps his statement as short and simple as Danielle’s lawyer, simply refuting the claims and stating that there is no evidence to support them. I had wondered about including a comment about Danielle’s sexual advances on me, but Patrick wanted to keep any mention of sexual interactions between us out of it at all - saying it was better to elaborate on that when giving testimony, if at all. Based on how this is going so far, I’m starting to appreciate his advice.
After the statements from the lawyers, though, the civility drops off.
Danielle gives testimony first and it’s all I can do not to physically react to the things she’s saying - the accusations of what I apparently did to her - the comments I made and inappropriate gestures and touches…it makes me shudder just thinking about it.
Patrick gives me a warning look and I know I’m itching to say something back as her lawyer barely needs to prompt her to elaborate on details that she’s obviously just fabricated completely. I still can’t believe someone could do this. Who could be so cold and so callous—
“Pay attention.” Patrick murmurs from beside me and I glance over to see him writing down the times, dates, locations and events she’s describing.
Smart.
As I start listening to those details though, trying my best to filter out some of the worst of it, I realize I don’t need to write things down. I know the times she’s talking about - I can vividly picture some of the restaurants, or the meetings we had. I can remember the way she came onto me and even though it shouldn’t, it still surprises me as she turns it all around, claiming the things she did as my own.
That’s going to make it harder and I can see the tension on Patrick’s face. When they ask me what happened at those times, I’m not going to lie - I’m giving sworn testimony - but that means I’m going to repeat exactly what she’s just said…only with the claim that she did it instead. That doesn’t seem nearly as strong a defense as being able to clearly say something else happened.
I know it’s on them to prove their side, not me, but even so…
Then I’m called up to testify and I don’t have anymore time to think about it.
Once I’m on the stand, looking down at the lawyer and everyone else in the courtroom, I can feel my heart beating at double-time. I let my eyes drift to the rows of benches just once - catching on Jessica’s determined face and lingering for a brief moment - before I refocus.
It helps that she’s here - but the moment the questions come, even after all the preparation, I still feel myself starting to struggle.
Danielle’s lawyer asks such specific, pointed questions and then cuts me off before I can give a full explanation and even though I knew that would happen, it’s still a struggle to deal with it. I look over at Patrick for support, but they’re not doing anything exactly wrong and we both know it. I have to fight the frustration as I confirm the dates and times that Danielle has given, without having a chance to say exactly what happened.
Patrick told me this would happen and said that we’d fill in all the missing information and gaps when he called me up to speak, but it still irks me that I can’t fully elaborate now.
At least it’s not a jury. The judge should be well practiced at working this stuff out.
“One last question.” Danielle’s lawyer says, looking directly at me.
I have to hold back a breath of relief. I talk to clients and investors all the time, I’m used to being at the center of attention and finding exactly the right thing to say - but here none of that is helping me at all.
“Are you having sexual relations with your secretary?”
I blink, taken aback. Somehow, in all the detail of times and dates and places and everything else I’d memorized - I’d forgotten about that.
My eyes flick to her and even though I know Patrick was hoping this wouldn’t come up, the part of me that’s used to negotiation and winning is suddenly elated.
They’re wrong here. They don’t know what they’re doing.
My natural instinct kicks in and I have to fight to keep a straight face as I reply.
“No.”
He pauses for a moment, and that’s the only hint of surprise I get. Still, for a lawyer, that says a lot.
Based on my approach so far, I’m sure they know I intend to tell the truth, and I enjoy throwing them off - if only a little bit.
He recovers quickly, glancing down at the notes in front of him and rephrasing the question.
“You say you are not currently having sexual relations with a Miss Jessica Reynolds?”
“No, I said I was not currently having sexual relations with my secretary. Miss Jessica Reynolds isn’t my secretary.” I look over at her as I speak and this time I don’t try to stop the small smile as I do. “She’s the love of my life.”
I watch her blush, the silly smile I have on my face crossing hers as well - and for a moment, I forget we’re even in the courtroom. It’s just the two of us, and all the things I want to say to her. All the love I want to give her.
From the slight downturn of the lawyer’s expression, I’d guess that he doesn’t exactly approve of declarations of love on the witness stand.
Well, screw him. I’v
e sworn to tell the truth. That’s the greatest truth I know.
I’m more than a little distracted by Danielle, too, and the flash of anger across her face as she turns in her seat to see who I’m looking at.
The lawyer comes forward with a piece of paper and draws my attention back to him as he slides it across to me.
“I have evidence here that states that Miss Jessica Reynolds is your secretary - could you please summarize the document you see?”
I glance down and blink for a moment at ExVenture’s HR records. I have no idea how he got those, but I clear my throat and speak with the same confidence I just answered.
“These are records of Miss Jessica Reynolds’ employment with my company, ExVenture.”
“So you can confirm that she is employed with your company? If she is not your secretary, please state what role she is employed in.”
“I can confirm she was employed with my company - in the position of my secretary. When we started dating, she resigned her position and left ExVenture because it stopped being appropriate for us to work together.”
I can’t help the appropriate comment there. If they’re going to question me about this, I’m going to do everything I can to use it to prove exactly the opposite.
That makes him pause again and I have to fight not to smile - or look at Jessica. If I had to guess, they underestimated just how serious our relationship was - and I start thinking that maybe this won’t go so badly after all.
“During her time as your secretary, did you engage in sexual relations with Miss Jessica Reynolds?” He continues, and I have a moment to hate the unflappability of lawyers, before I nod.
I’m not ashamed to admit it. It might be slightly ill-advised that she didn’t resign first, but it’s certainly not sexual harassment.
“There was a short period between starting dating and Jessica resigning where we engaged in sexual relations. As soon as it happened, though, we knew we had to—”
“And can you describe how these relations came about with someone who worked directly under you?” He interrupts, obviously wanting to cut off my whole description of our relationship and decisions. I guess the less serious he makes it seem, the better. “It’s hard to end up in sexual relations with - or, indeed, to date - someone without that sexual environment being present in your work place. Did that environment not strike you as inappropriate at the time?”
