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Laura throws her head back, eyes closing, and her body trembles.
Even from across the room, watching her laugh makes me feel something. I’m not sure what it is that I’m feeling—that is too far away, too obscure. Trying to figure out exactly what Laura makes me feel, besides the obvious, is like grasping at smoke.
Across the conference room, Laura sits between two other junior attorneys. One I faintly recognize from the frazzled way he’s gesturing, but the other woman is unfamiliar. I have to assume she’s a new hire.
In the past week, things have been… heating up between Laura and I.
I have to admit, she had a hell of a point that day in my office. Now that I know that I’m allowed to have her when work is over, it is much easier to focus during the day.
Her laughter notwithstanding, apparently.
“David.” Cheryl snaps her fingers to get my attention.
I grit my teeth. As a junior partner, Cheryl works for me. But she knows that she’s an invaluable asset to the company andonly one good case away from being offered a promotion that would put us on a more equal footing.
It’s my firm, so that’s pretty much impossible, but she’s almost as close as she can be.
So I don’t say anything about how her snapping is rude and insubordinate. Instead, I paste on the most neutral expression I can and turn to her.
“Yes, Cheryl?”
She shifts. Our knees brush, and I lean as far away as I can without drawing attention to us.
This, I am willing to admit, is more the reason that I don’t care for Cheryl. Her advances are clear and pointed.
I’ve rebuffed her as politely as I could, even mentioning how I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.
Apparently, hypocrisy is just one of the things I’m willing to deal with in order to be with Laura, along with a sore back and a never-ending embarrassment at how easily she can make me come.
“The Evanston case is nearly finished,” Cheryl reminds me. “Without that on the docket, we’ll need to start taking new clients again. I’ve been going over the case files some of the juniors have put together, and I think we have a few strong contenders.”
“That’s… some initiative,” I say.
She smiles. “Yes, I thought so.”
“Send them over to Piper.”
Laura laughs again. My head snaps up, and I look at her as she smiles, so pretty and happy.
Yes, sleeping with her has helped me focus at work. But… that really only counts when we’re not working in the same room.
The meeting is over, the rest of us only lingering here to chat, so I excuse myself as quickly as I can.
My office is a welcome respite. Piper isn’t here, but since I don’t need her, I don’t bother looking around.
I shrug out of my jacket and drop it to the back of my chair. The windows are wide and clear. When I first moved into this office, I hated it. I hadn’t felt that I earned it, not really. This was just after the accident.
Jessi, my ex-wife, thought that I returned too early. She was insistent about it, really. It wasn’t the reason we divorced, but it really hadn’t helped anything.
Now, I can see the clarity in her concerns. Back then, I’d just seen her as nagging.
We make much better co-parents and friends than we ever did spouses. I think about calling her, but she and Lewis deserve one-on-one time with the kids, even if I really miss them.
The kids will be back soon. It’s not that long until they’re here, and I’ll be pulling out my hair because I am too old for their energetic recapping.
I put a hand on the glass wall and smile. Well, I might be too old for it, but I stilllikeit.
Someone knocks on the door and I glance over my shoulder.
