Love and Lust (Small Town Secrets Book 2) Page 11

  “Why not?”

  I resisted the urge to display any emotion other than slight compassion, because my tendency was to laugh it off—and that might hurt his feelings. “Don’t play the aggressive attorney with me.” He grinned, shaking his head. My voice was soft as I forced myself to continue making eye contact. “We tried. It didn’t work.”

  “No, you’re wrong, Samantha.” Adam stood up and pulled me into an embrace so quickly I couldn’t resist. “I didn’t let it work. I pushed you away.” He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. “Don’t think I don’t regret that.”

  Adam, with his smoldering brown eyes and charming grin, would have been tempting a few months ago, but I’d done a little growing over the past year—so I was able to really look at the paths we could take. If we tried again and worked, it would be like a dream. But the very real possibility existed that things would become as volatile as before…and I didn’t want to end up hating this man. I definitely didn’t want to lose the partnership we’d worked so hard to establish.

  His face drew even closer to mine, prompting me to put a hand on his chest to nudge him back. “Adam, this really isn’t a good idea.”

  “You think it’s a bad idea?”

  “Yes, actually.” I took a step back, realizing his cologne lingered—and I had to shove back that tiny part of my brain reminding me how I used to like that, how his scent would stay with me for a few hours a day.

  “Wait. Don’t tell me.” I arched an eyebrow, trying to figure out what he was getting at. “You’re still obsessed with Craig, aren’t you?”

  “No!” Was I? “That’s not it.”

  “So what is it?”

  “The end hurt, Adam.” Now was the time to be completely honest, even if it meant I would be exposed, vulnerable. “It wrecked me. Don’t you remember how awful it was? And I want to be your business partner forever.” I let out a long breath, squeezing one of his hands, hoping the touch wouldn’t be a mistake. “I don’t think our business could survive another breakup.”

  “What if I promised that wouldn’t happen?”

  “But you can’t, Adam.” Letting go of his hand, I sighed, opening up the can of soda. “You know as well as I do that emotions usually trump logic. We see that all the time in divorce cases and, hell, especially in some of the criminal cases you defend. We all do dumb stuff when we can’t see clearly. You know that.” Like the time I’d wanted nothing more than to key his brand-new Audi. We’d only been broken up for two weeks and he’d brought back the last of my stuff from his place to the office. He’d been so cold and casual about it that, when I went to put that box in my car as an excuse to get away from him and get a breath of fresh air, the desire to destroy had been deep. Adam had been angry a lot as had I—but I was also bleeding inside, a dangerous combination.

  “But we’re older and wiser.”

  Hoping to lighten the mood, I said, “Ha. Speak for yourself.”

  After flashing me a smirk, he grew serious again. “So you don’t even want to give it a chance?”

  Maybe this needed a different tack, because my current argument wasn’t making any headway. “What’s going on here, Solano? Why are you really asking me?”

  “What—?” His eyes searched mine as his expression changed. “Have a seat.”

  Gladly. The work on my desk could wait. “So talk to me, Adam. What’s going on?”

  He stared at his water bottle for a while, maintaining focus on it to allow him to speak from his heart. “No matter what I personally think about Ryan Craig, I can see in your expression what you do.” Before I could ask what the hell he was talking about, he continued. “I want that. And we had that one time, Samantha. You and me. We had that.”

  “Yeah, I know. But we’ve both changed.”

  “I know that, too. Believe me, I’ve thought about all this logically and my brain’s so fucked up, none of it really makes sense.”

  “So just spit it out.”

  “What if I never find the right person?”

  I let out a long breath of air, letting the silence linger for a bit while I gathered my thoughts. “We’ve been doing it wrong, my friend. Hopping into bed with someone who revs your engine isn’t the best way to get to know them. Yeah, it’s fun and I think we both needed that, but I’m starting to realize it’s a dangerous ingredient in the recipe. I’ve been guilty of it for years. Now if you want to avoid a relationship, that tactic works really well.”

  Adam nodded, once more contemplating the curvature of the plastic bottle in his hand. “Okay, so you and I are still just partners.” He shifted his eyes to me. “I’m okay with that. But can we make a deal?”

  Why did this feel like an appeal to the jury? “What’s that?”

  “If you and I are still single by fifty, we give it another try.”

  I stuck out my free hand, relieved that his offer was lots easier than I’d expected. In fact, my heart appreciated it as well. “Deal.” When he took my hand, I added, “Until then, best friends forever.”

  The strength in his grip almost crushed my hand. “I like the sounds of that. And partners forever.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So do you want to celebrate with a hop in the sack, just for old times’ sake?” As I took a sip of my soda, I nearly spat it out, but then Adam’s eyes crinkled up in mischief. “I’m just fucking with you.”

  I rolled my eyes and headed back to my office, marveling at what had just transpired. And, in spite of the lecture I’d given Adam about bed-hopping and how it didn’t make for a good relationship, I planned to do just that tonight—because I had a guy I’d started to fall for that I needed to get out of my head once and for all, and the best way to do that was to have my brains fucked out by the best-looking guy I could find.

  Tonight’s activities would help with that immensely. I just had to get through the rest of the afternoon.

  * * *

  I’d closed my door to stop myself from getting distracted and finally, around a quarter to five, I gave up. I should’ve stayed till six, but I was itching to get out and hit the town, and I’d even figured out in my head what I would wear. Fortunately, closing my door and keeping my ass in my chair while listening to hard rock music on my headphones had worked spectacularly. I’d tuned out the world long enough that I’d accomplished lots in a short time.

  When I opened my door, Janae’s eyes darted up at me and she put her finger to her lips to tell me to keep my mouth shut. I knew my eyes were quizzing her, and she pointed to my office door before holding up her hand with fingers splayed to tell me five minutes.

  What the hell was going on? I went back in my office, closing the door behind me before grabbing my cell phone to text Janae. What the hell’s going on?

  But, of course, my conscientious employee didn’t have her phone out where she could see it. I thought some of calling her or sending an email but, instead, I put my ear on the door, hoping to hear something that would indicate what was happening. But there was nothing. I crossed over to my window and looked out at the parking lot, but there were no clues out there. Just a few vehicles but nothing extraordinary. No cops. No fire trucks.

  As I crossed back to the door, I peeked at my cell and noticed I had a notification. Janae had responded to my text—but not with more information. Instead, she was giving me more directions. Close your blinds and turn off the lights in your office. And then be quiet.

  What the fuck?

  But I did as I was told. Afterward, I sat in one of the chairs reserved for clients, just staring at my phone, awaiting further instructions. After a few minutes, though, I heard masculine voices, and it sounded like they were emerging from my partner’s office.

  “I guess I’ll see you guys tonight then.”

  I recognized that voice—but I couldn’t place it. Who the hell was that?

  “Yep. We’ll be there.”

  When the voice spoke again, the man was closer to my office, probably right in front of the door. “Samantha?�
��

  “Yeah, she’s planning on being there.”

  “Great. See you in a while then.”

  What the fuck?

  Whoever that was, I hoped he didn’t recognize my car in the parking lot. Straining, I heard the front door to the lobby ring as it swung open to let this person out, and I walked over to the blinds, dying to peek through them—but then I thought better of it. Janae had told me to lay low for a reason.

  But I couldn’t fucking help myself. When I got to the blinds, I didn’t touch them to pull them open. Instead, I tried peeking through the side, but all I could see was windowsill. I was afraid that I might give myself away but, after a bit, I looked out anyway, peeking between two slats—and saw someone getting into a car.

  Wait a minute. Was that who I thought it was?

  Jesus. I could hardly stand it.

  I finally called Janae on her office phone. Before I could even ask, she said, “Coast is clear. Come on out.”

  When I opened my door, Adam was standing next to the front desk, and both he and Janae had their eyes focused on the parking lot.

  “Was that Ed O’Malley?” The bigger question was why Adam had Ed over in the first place, considering he knew how much I detested the guy.

  Well, maybe detest was too strong a word. Dislike was probably more accurate. And then it hit me—Ed was more than likely going to Adam’s get together tonight. My partner nodded in response to my question, but that led to another.

  “Why did you have me hiding in my office? I mean…thank you for shielding me from his unwanted affection, but if he’s coming to your celebration tonight, I’m going to have to deal with him and his little crush anyway.”

  Adam all but smiled, giving me the sense that I had it all wrong.

  “Okay, what the hell’s going on? You guys are acting like someone died.”

  The look on Adam’s face didn’t help with that sinking feeling. “O’Malley’s threatening to get your license suspended.”

  Like a cartoon character, my mouth fell open. “What?”

  Janae nodded. Adam’s voice was somber, as if he were officiating a funeral. “He knows everything, Samantha. Everything.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, so I slumped into one of the chairs in the open lobby area. “What do you mean he knows everything? And how did he even find out?”

  I knew exactly what Adam meant—but I couldn’t believe it.

  My partner sat in a chair next to me, while Janae leaned against the front of her desk. Adam had on his game face, looking much like he was getting ready to object to a prosecutor’s line of questioning. “Remember I told you we got Ryan Craig’s paternity results back? I called him earlier today and asked him to come to the office, and he got here a little while ago. He was in my office when O’Malley got here.”

  Janae added, “Your office door was closed, Samantha.” God. I’d apparently missed a lot in my quest to get some work done. Turned out keeping my door closed was a bad idea—or maybe good, all things considered. “Mr. O’Malley left work early and said he was hoping to talk Adam into leaving early, too. Said it had been a long, hard month, and he was ready to have some fun.” It also sounded like Ed was starting to put the classic O’Malley moves on Janae until he spotted her wedding ring. “When I told him Adam was with a client, he asked if he could pop in and talk to you for a minute, but I said you were not to be disturbed.”

  If I hadn’t been so stressed, I would have thanked Janae for saving me from a potentially painful interaction. “So what happened?”

  The tone of Adam’s voice underscored the gravity of my would-be stalker’s visit. “I was showing Craig out the door, answering one last question, and I didn’t really notice O’Malley sitting there until Craig stepped out the door. When I turned around, he wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise, jumping out of the chair, demanding to know who Craig was.”

  Janae half giggled at that point and lowered her voice to imitate Adam. “You know you’re not privy to that kind of information, Mr. O’Malley. So then Ed said something about not spouting legal ethics to him when he suspected something very suspicious.”

  Adam interrupted her. “So I told him Craig was a client and that’s all he needed to know.”

  By this point, Janae was animated. “Oh, my God. Then he started ranting and raving, and I seriously wondered if I should call the police. I half expected you to come out of your office because of all the noise.”

  “Good thing you didn’t.”

  “I had my headphones on. I didn’t hear a thing.”

  The furrow on Adam’s brow deepened. “He said he was going to report your misconduct and have you suspended from practice.”

  This was all moving too fast for me. “But how did he even know?” Had Ryan said something about me to Adam as he was leaving?

  “Samantha, do I need to draw you a picture?” Yeah, apparently so. “O’Malley has had a crush on you since the beginning of time—so, of course, he watched you the entire time you were at the bar that night. And he saw you there getting buddy-buddy with some guy—and that guy isn’t exactly inconspicuous, between his armful of tattoos and his height. Even an unreliable witness could finger him in a lineup.”

  Oh, God. Resting my elbow on my thigh, I dropped my head into my open palm, trying to think. After I let the air out of my lungs, I looked up at Adam. “I guess that means I have no other choice. I need to report it myself.”

  “Hold on a second, Samantha. If Craig won’t admit to it, O’Malley has no proof. He saw you making out with a guy in a bar who looked like our client Ryan Craig.”

  “But, Adam, it did happen.”

  “Yeah, it sure did. And is there anything you can do to change the past?” I frowned and forced myself not to roll my eyes because Adam had made his point whether I liked it or not. “But does that mean I need to lose my partner?”

  “It’s the stupid choice I made when I went into it. I knew I shouldn’t be doing it. I knew what could happen.” I could see Janae out of the corner of my eye. She’d suspected something fishy had been going on, and now my confession was her confirmation.

  She’d likely never doubt her intuition again.

  “But we can get by on a technicality. As far as anyone else knows, he’s always been my client.”

  “That’s awesome, Adam, but that technicality won’t stop Ed. Besides, a letter with my signature is in the court file.”

  “So? You were just helping me out.”

  “And what about the court documents? Talking to the opposing attorney? This is like trying to hold water in a sieve. You know that. As soon as we fix one problem, we find another one.” I clasped my hands together, something I’d been doing for years when I got emotional and animated. When I talked with my hands, I looked unprofessional, so I held them down. “Besides, that would make you an accessory. I don’t want you to get in trouble, too.” I closed my eyes, taking a long deep breath before opening them again. First, I looked at Janae, mainly to acknowledge that she was now privy to information that had me by the balls, and then to Adam. “I just need to come clean and get it over with.”

  “I’d already thought of that.” Adam lowered his voice. “But I actually have an idea I think will work.”

  “Why don’t I like the sounds of this?”

  Adam’s slight smile made me all the more nervous. “Because you’re no dummy, my friend. But here’s what I’m thinking: it’s no secret that Ed has carried a torch for you for years.”

  “That’s how this whole mess started in the first place.” Adam arched an eyebrow, causing me to retract my statement. “Okay, so it’s not. But he made it worse.”

  “Yeah, he did.” Janae tiptoed over from her desk and slid into the loveseat, almost as if she were preparing to play referee. Actually, she was more like a rapt audience member, waiting for the next chapter of the drama to unfold. Not even noticing her, Adam continued. “Ed was in full-on Assistant DA mode—red
-faced and blustery, nearly pounding my desk—and I asked him to think it over carefully first. I told him you made a mistake and you knew it. You’d never done it before and swore you’d never do it again.”

  “You flat-out admitted I did it?”

  “What was I supposed to say, Samantha?”

  “But you just said—”

  “Well, yeah, if we had to go before a tribunal, we could argue our asses off and create considerable doubt.”

  “Defeating the entire purpose of having ethical standards in the first place.”

  Adam grinned like a used-car salesman. “Well, yeah.” Janae’s face softened with a wide smile, but I had to ignore her, because I wished we’d been having this conversation without her. Obviously, it was too late.

  “So what’s this brilliant plan?”

  “Ed finally calmed down when I told him I thought he should hear it from you himself. You know, how regretful you are, how sincerely sorry you are that you made a mistake, how much you love your career.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? You want me to grovel at Ed O’Malley’s feet?”

  “I didn’t say that, Samantha. Jesus.”

  My heart was thudding in my chest. This was it. It was all on the line. Frankly, I knew I deserved whatever I got. After all, I’d done all this to myself. But that didn’t make it feel any better.

  Adam, the relentless defense attorney, wasn’t going to let up. He sensed that I was feeling weak, so it was time to go in for the kill. “So you’re just going to give up then? Not even try the one thing that could save your ass?” I ground my teeth together but I just looked at him and gave a small nod, indicating I was ready to hear what else he had to say. “He asked if you were coming tonight, and I told him you were planning to.”

  “You’re saying I need to sleep with him to make him drop this whole thing? I don’t think I can do that.”

  Adam actually laughed then. “No. Fuck no. I’m not saying to sleep with the guy. I’d suggest perjuring yourself before I asked you to do that.” We’d skirted that line just moments earlier, and I began wondering exactly how far I’d go to save myself. “But I am saying to play his attraction to your advantage. Just talk to him tonight. Be candid and briefly admit what happened. He already knows, so fessing up shouldn’t be a huge deal. But tell him you’re very sorry. You know what you did was wrong, and you immediately gave the case to me. It’ll never happen again.” Janae nodded in agreement, making me wish my peripheral vision didn’t work. Adam kept going as if she wasn’t even there. “Appeal to the part of him that really likes you, Samantha. Trust me—he’ll listen. And I know Ed’s pretty by-the-book, but I think he’ll overlook it if he hears it from you.”