Devil's Advocate, page 30
“With me, as an equal, remember? But, no. I’m cheering for you, I promise.” Caitlyn snaked her fingers through Ash’s hair and dragged her head closer to claim her lips with velvety kisses. “I wouldn’t want to win that way.”
“What if I do get the partnership?” Ash fretted, unable to turn off the part of her brain that kept offering up things to worry about, no matter how much her body wanted to sink into Caitlyn’s embrace and forget anything else existed.
“Then we will hit the town tonight to celebrate.” Caitlyn draped one leg across Ash’s hip, her pubic hair tickling Ash’s pelvis in a way that was almost tempting enough to put all other thoughts aside.
Almost.
“What if Larry wants me on the team that’s working to sign Parker Pharma?”
“Considering I’ve just brought the Clarks on board as clients, you’ll have to come clean about our relationship,” Caitlyn said, a fact Ash already knew and that filled her with dread. Telling the family was one thing, but letting her coworkers in on her private life was a totally different story. Especially as, with Caitlyn’s dramatic exit, it would be quite the office scandal for a while. “It’s a pity, though. Facing each other on opposite sides of the bench could be kinda hot, in a way. We could battle it out all day in court and then work out the tension when we get home.”
Caitlyn ran a hand along Ash’s thigh, working her fingers into the crevice between Ash’s legs by way of demonstrating exactly what method of work out she had in mind. Temptation swelled from a whimper to a roar, but for now, Ash kept her thighs pressed together, blocking full access. She was simply too stressed to relax and let herself go, even with the promise of something that would feel so good.
Caitlyn’s hand stilled. “Are you hoping they don’t give it to you?”
“It would make my decision easier,” Ash was shocked to hear herself admit. “Albeit, it’s a cowardly way out, letting others determine my future. Not brave, like you.”
“Stop thinking that way,” Caitlyn pleaded. “You're not a coward. With as much as you’ve done to help your family, you’re one of the bravest people I know. One of the most stubborn too.” Caitlyn wiggled her fingers between Ash’s legs to drive her point home.
“You just had to throw that one in, didn’t you?” Even as she said it, Ash rolled so she was flat, sliding her legs apart in submission to Caitlyn’s insistence.
“It’s one of the things I adore about you.” Caitlyn climbed on top of Ash, taking full advantage of the opportunity to run her hands along Ash’s torso, stopping to massage her breasts. “Even when your stubbornness works against me, I do like that you’re always you.”
Ash sucked in a breath as Caitlyn drew a nipple into her mouth. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
“What do you mean?” Caitlyn asked as she peppered Ash’s chest with kisses, working her way to the other side.
“I want to be brave. I want to fight for the little guy. I want to make a difference in the… ah!” Whatever else Ash had been about to say was lost as Caitlyn’s hot mouth located its intended target, drawing the other nipple in with an increasing suction Ash could feel all the way in her belly.
“Just remember,” Caitlyn said when she’d had her way with the second breast and had come up for air, “if you become partner, you’ll have greater freedom to sign clients you’ll be proud to represent. It’s not all black and white.” Spoken as if Ash hadn’t been standing right beside her when Uncle Bertie put money first and foremost in the firm’s priority list.
“You’re such an optimist.” Ash’s chuckle turned to a groan as the alarm sounded, just as Caitlyn was slithering downward with the promise of chasing away all Ash’s tension, at least for a little while. “Please don’t tell me it’s time to get up already.”
“Is Ashley Tanner really begging to stay in bed late on a workday?” Caitlyn teased, nipping Ash’s inner thigh playfully, showing no more inclination toward getting out of bed than Ash did. “I mean, it would be a shame if you missed your big moment.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Ash pressed her hand to the top of Caitlyn’s head, urging her lower, crying out as the woman’s eager tongue made contact with her yearning clit. Sure, the partnership announcement would be life changing, but that wasn’t the big moment Ash was focused on right now. “Exactly why I don’t want to get out of bed yet.”
Despite hitting the snooze button not once but three times more, and braving a packed commuter train ride into the city that reminded her of the downside of staying at Caitlyn’s place on a work night, Ash still reached the office before most of her colleagues. All but a couple offices along the long hallway were dark, but the lights were on in Caitlyn’s office. Ash’s heart beat faster, her spirits lifting as they always did when spotting that light on in the early morning, until she remembered it was no longer Caitlyn’s office, and the person she wanted to see wouldn’t be waiting inside.
In fact, what Ash did find waiting inside—a shiny pair of Italian dress shoes perched on the desk—caused her body to respond in exactly the opposite way as it would have if Caitlyn had been there. She recoiled in horror, unable to take her eyes off the gritty dirt that coated both soles.
“What are you—?” Ash’s blood boiled as Zach, feet up and head lolling back, bounced a stress ball off the ceiling. “Why are you in Caitlyn’s office?”
“Didn’t you get the memo?” Zach tossed the ball again, a resounding thwack shaking white dust from the ceiling tiles onto the shiny desktop, mingling with bits of sand that had dropped from those completely unhygienic shoes. “Caitlyn was fired. This is my office now. At least until they make my promotion official.”
Ash’s eyes narrowed, her hands tightening into fists against her thighs at the man’s unbridled hubris. His promotion? Was he serious? Or did that mean he’d heard something… There was a lot to unpack in what Zach had said, but Ash decided to start with the most important point. “Caitlyn Brewster wasn’t fired. She quit to start her own firm.”
“Well, then, she’s an idiot.” His feet fell to the floor, leaving a coating of debris in their wake. Ash hoped if Zach ate his lunch off that desk, as most everyone in the office did, that he’d contract a disease. It was disgusting. “Hey, by the way, I want you as my second chair on the Parker case.”
“Second chair?” Ash resisted the urge to laugh in his face, but only barely. And only because the implications struck fear in her heart. He had to be joking, right? “Have they even signed yet?”
“No, but they will.” Zach served up a cocky grin. “Larry’s going to let me call the shots on this one, seeing how I rescued the firm from Caitlyn’s poor judgment on the matter.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see.” Ash left the office in a fury, nearly stomping down the hall. Had Zach really been given Caitlyn’s office, and was he going to be put in charge of a client as important as Parker Pharmaceutical? If so, he was probably right. The partnership was all but his. After he’d stolen research and gone behind Caitlyn’s back. Who needed hard work when you had a penis and a defiantly gray moral code?
Ash was still fuming about this, her anger blinding her to her surroundings, when she nearly rammed into Larry just outside her office. Ash chomped down on her bottom lip to keep herself from exploding in a fit of ill temper.
“Just the person I was looking for.” Larry clapped Ash on the back, apparently not noticing her flushed face and dagger eyes.
Ash simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she desperately tried to rearrange her face into an expression that didn’t look like she was ready to commit a murder. She should have gotten pointers from Caitlyn long ago. If he was here to break it to her that Zach was about to be promoted instead of her, someone was going to need to tie her down to keep from losing her shit.
Larry looked Ash in the eyes. “I want you on the Parker case. First chair.”
As her head spun from the rollercoaster quality of this offer, coming so quickly on the heels of Zach claiming the client was all his, it was everything Ash could do to hold in what was certain to be maniacal laughter if it escaped her control. Had the entire office gone mad?
“Larry, I—"
“They’re on the verge of signing,” Larry interrupted, saving her from becoming a babbling idiot. Ash had no idea what she was going to say. “Just in time, too. Rumor has it there’s a big lawsuit from the family of that dead rower coming down the pipe any day, although I’m not sure which law office will be handling it. We need our best on this. And look, I know you and Caitlyn are buddies. Do you think you can talk her into coming back? What I really need is my dynamic duo in action again.”
The thought of calling Caitlyn her “buddy” was almost as hilarious as the idea that Ash would ever, ever work in Parker Pharmaceutical’s favor.
“She seems committed to striking out on her own,” Ash managed to say. And to think she’d worried at one point that her and Caitlyn’s relationship would be fodder for office gossip. Clearly, no one had a clue. And speaking of clueless, it appeared Caitlyn was continuing to fly under the radar when it came to representing the Clarks, let alone the half dozen other people she’d contacted to join the suit.
Because they were out there. Families who’d experienced acute and traumatic loss without knowing what had happened.
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Larry’s shoulders slumped. “I hear she has an office already.”
Ash’s heart beat a little faster at this revelation. They might not have caught on that she and Caitlyn were having sex against the office door after hours, but in certain things, news traveled fast in the world of law. If they knew about the office space, the rest would come out soon.
“Anyway, I’ll see you at the big meeting today,” Larry said as he continued down the hall. “One o’clock!” As he walked away, Ash realized she hadn’t had a chance to turn down First Chair, in part because… God, was she really still torn on what to do?
Exhausted before the day had begun, Ash sank into her desk chair. She was experiencing whiplash from the competing thoughts in her head. Clearly, Larry wanting her on the Parker case was strong evidence she’d cinched the partnership. Why else would he mention it, and ask her to try to win Caitlyn back instead of telling her he wanted her to team up with Zach? As for the fourth-year associate and his arrogance, the thought of him being stuck as her second chair would’ve made her laugh if it didn’t also make her nauseous.
And when it came out that Caitlyn was opposing council for the Parker suit, and she and Ash were dating, would that put Ash’s position with McGill and Harding in jeopardy?
If that was the case, was she better off walking?
Ash had headed into the office hoping for some clarity, and already she was more confused than she’d been when she’d woken up petrified in Caitlyn’s bed. She stared at the ceiling, wishing for a sign. Was she better off staying at the firm, swallowing her morals even as she accepted the reward for all the hard work she’d put in? Or should she jump ship and join Caitlyn, going after the bad guys and fighting for the defenseless as she’d pictured herself doing ever since her dad had died with no one to fight on his side?
She waited, but nothing happened. When it came to offering signs, the Head Honcho Upstairs was really falling down on the job.
Jenna’s head appeared in Ash’s doorway. “What’s the plan?”
“I wish I knew,” Ash responded with glum aplomb, before realizing it was unlikely the paralegal had the mindreading skills necessary to have discerned Ash’s inner turmoil, let alone be questioning her about it. “I mean, plan for what?”
“When you make partner, of course.” Jenna strolled into the office displaying way more confidence on the outcome of this topic than Ash herself felt. “Everyone has their money on you.”
“What about Zach?” Ash cast a wary glance in the general vicinity of Caitlyn’s former office, where there was no telling what completely unhygienic activities that overgrown frat boy was engaging in now. Probably picking his nose.
“I think that’d cause an uproar, don’t you?” Jenna asked. “Do you know he’s never tried a case in court?”
“What?” Ash sat up straight, stunned at this revelation. She kept track of a lot of information about her rivals, but somehow this gem had slipped through the cracks. “He’s a fourth year. How is that even possible?”
“He’s got a gift for last-minute settlements,” Jenna replied. “Which is great, except not exactly what the firm needs in a partner. So, congratulations, Ashley Tanner. No way will it be anyone’s name but yours that they announce at the meeting today.”
She should have been elated, but instead, the moment Jenna had left her alone with this news, she felt ill. Was her curdled belly the sign she’d been looking for from up above? Or was it just a sign she needed a stiff drink and a vacation? Unable to focus on work, Ash passed the time leading up to the meeting by watching the second hand on her office clock make its way around the face time and time again. Each time, it seemed the answer to her dilemma moved further from her comprehension.
“Ash!” Reappearing in the doorway some unknown number of clock revolutions later, Jenna shouted through cupped hands. “Earth to Ash.”
“What?” Ash dropped her pen and tore her eyes away from the still-ticking clock.
“It’s time.”
“It can’t be.” She looked back at the clock she’d been staring at for who knew how long, realizing she’d had no idea of the time. It was two minutes until one. For the first time in recent memory, she—the person voted most likely to arrive in the conference room first—was running late. The most important meeting of her life, and she was going to be in the standing room only section in the back.
“I hope you brought your appetite,” Jenna chattered as Ash speed walked beside her down the corridor. “I hear they’ve brought in a nice spread.”
“I’m not in the mood for cheese,” Ash grumbled, still unable to comprehend how anyone could be so obsessed with free food.
“Who doesn’t like cheese?” Jenna demanded, as if Ash had attacked her religious views or said something unkind about her grandmother. “You’ve been acting peculiar all day.”
Ash was about to respond, but as she opened her mouth and took a breath, she was engulfed in a familiar scent she couldn’t put her finger on at first. It filled her with a sense of both peace and longing as it tickled her nose.
“What is that smell? Ash asked, breathing in another lungful of the delectable air. “Is that… egg rolls?”
“I told you they were bringing in a topnotch spread.” Jenna dove for a plate and made a beeline for the Chinese buffet that had been set up along one wall of the conference room. She looked questioningly at Ash, who remained rooted in place smack dab in the middle of the conference room doorway. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Actually, no.” After so many days of uncertainty, Ash had never felt more confident of anything in her life. Of all things, the simple smell of egg rolls had given her the kick she needed to stop being an idiot. Becoming aware of someone behind her, Ash turned to find herself face to face with Larry Cooper. Kismet with a side of duck sauce, it seemed. “I’m sorry, Larry. I quit.”
He stared. The large features of his face twisted and contorted as they ran a marathon, with comprehension at the finish line. “What?” Larry’s eyes bugged and he spent a moment sputtering. “Funny joke, Tanner. Now let’s all sit down so we can get started.”
“I’m serious. I quit.” Elation bubbled in Ash’s chest like freshly uncorked champagne. “I don’t care who gets the partnership. I don’t care which big whale just got signed. I’m done.”
She started down the hallway as Larry called after her, “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To get egg rolls,” Ash called back, picking up speed so she could catch the elevator that had just arrived on the floor. Now that she finally knew where she needed to be, she didn’t want to waste another minute getting there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Adjusting the bandana covering her head, Caitlyn dipped her roller into the tray of sky-blue paint. She’d been working since nine in the morning, ever since the fifth call to local painters confirmed no one could get around to painting her new office space until March at the earliest. That wouldn’t do. Caitlyn had meetings lined up with several potential clients the following week and she needed to give the appearance she was running a classy establishment, not some fly-by-night scam. So, she’d done what any independent small business owner would do. She rolled up her sleeves and did it herself.
Caitlyn tilted her head to one side and then to the other, stretching the screaming muscles in her neck and shoulders, hoping to convince them to work a little longer. There was one room to go for today and her back was threatening never to forgive her, but it had to get done. There was still furniture to put together, pictures to hang on walls, and she needed to make a trip to the garden shop over the weekend for those plants Ash had sworn would bring life to the space.
A sense of melancholy invaded Caitlyn’s spirit at the thought of Ash, with a glance at the door that led to what should have been her office. It was the one room Caitlyn hadn’t begun to tackle, not seeing the point. It was piled high with furnishings and supplies right now, and the door would be closed when clients came in. A storage room, nothing else.
How much more enjoyable would this day of painting have been if Ash had been doing it with her? The hours would’ve flown by. As she rolled paint on the wall, watching the lighter blue stripes begin to cover the darker first coat of paint that was already dry, she choked back a lump in her throat.
You’ve gotta stop dwelling on it, she told herself in the sternest of tones. After all, Ash had worked so hard for this partnership, sacrificed so much, and she deserved for it to pay off. Being recognized as the best by one of the top law firms in the country was important to Ash in a way it wasn’t to Caitlyn. And that was okay. As much as she loved Ash, Caitlyn could never truly understand how damaging it was to have society assume she was less-than because of life circumstances beyond her control. If Ash needed to be a partner at McGill and Harding to give her the type of legitimacy that Caitlyn, with her family legacy and Ivy League degree, had the privilege of taking for granted? Well then, it was Caitlyn’s job to support her in that pursuit.
