That wasn’t how she’d wanted to see Jaime again— not that she’d spent much time thinking about her. Oh, who was she fooling?
Even worse, she’d once more have to deal with the sanctimonious scumbag extraordinaire, Thomas Weber. She’d represented him at her old firm before joining her current employer, and he’d been insufferable. He was rich, and she supposed many women considered him attractive—at least if they only glanced at him in passing.
Weber, in charge at his own asset management firm, seemed to have a habit of getting into legal trouble with shady business practices that skirted the lines of legality. Yet, he usually got away with it. This time, though, he was charged with embezzlement, and things weren’t looking great for him.Serves him right.
Having to deal with him and catch up on the casealonewould have aggravated her to no end, but now she’d also have to face Jaime in the courtroom after all that had happened.
A scream lodged itself in Olivia’s throat and she swallowed it, clenching her jaw. Should she let Jaime know? Then again, they were nothing to each other, and Olivia hadn’t seen or heard from her since the conference. Surely it would have occurred to both of them that itwould only be a matter of time before their paths crossed again—at least professionally.
Oliviashouldhave said something to Jaime beforehand—a miscalculation, as often happened with decisions in her personal life.
Now she had to withstand the daggers Judge Lachlan threw her way in the courtroom. Then again, she might be imagining things, since her colleague seemed to find nothing amiss.
Olivia had been absent for all previous court dates of the Lanx case, but she was prepared enough and took comfort in Smith taking the lead for now. If only it didn’t offer her more time to observe Jaime, noticing her slender hands, the way her brows furrowed, and the occasional twitch of her lips.
As the first week of the trial neared its end, Jaime seemed to have moved past her initial frustration, embodying the same unreadable, collected judge Olivia had always known.
With Olivia now in a more active role, they went from, “Ms. Gray, unless you have concrete evidence shifting responsibility away from your client, I suggest we focus on the facts,” to “Counselor, rephrase that question to focus on facts rather than character assumptions,” and finally, “Please stay on track, Counselor. Questioning the witness’s character without connection to the alleged embezzlement won’t sway this court.”
Olivia managed to stay professional in turn, though she developed a tension headache from clenching her jaw to stop the red-hot counterarguments her mind needlessly supplied.
Ludicrous.
And yet, memories of their night refused to vacate her mind; visions of Jaime arching under her touch only made things worse,especially as Jaime—when not criticizing her defense methods (as if she evenwantedto defend that sleaze-bag)—acted as though Olivia didn’t exist.
Frustrated about the entire situation and with a mixture of wanting to clear the air (to alleviate her own distraction) and to perhaps catch a glimpse of Jaime, not just Judge Lachlan, she showed up in front of her chambers late Friday afternoon.
Olivia knocked, wondering what the heck she was doing there as all the lies she’d told herself crumbled like a house of cards in a mild breeze. She just wanted to see Jaime again, alone.
When the door opened, Jaime went rigid, her knuckles paling as if she wrestled with the impulse to slam the door in Olivia’s face. After a breathless moment, she ushered her inside.
The heavy oak door clicked shut behind Olivia—the sound settling between them in the dimly lit chambers.
She followed Jaime across the plush carpet, her heels sinking into the soft fibers. Jaime stood before a large mahogany desk; her black robe draped around her like a shroud. Her eyes, the color of dark honey, bore into Olivia with a fierce intensity.
“Hi,” Olivia finally managed to say, overcome by too many emotions in this space—Jaime’s space, that smelled like her and old books.
“What are you doing here?” Jaime all but hissed.
Olivia almost startled, still frozen in place by being alone with Jaime again.
She had wanted this, and yet something immobilized her, perhaps the weight of Jaime’s gaze leveled at her. She’d never had a one-night stand linger in her mind, and she couldn’t even blame their professional lives, as she’d been preoccupied with Jaime long before Maria had reassigned the case.
Naturally, seeing Jaime in court every day didnothelp in kicking her out of her head.
A raised voice echoed through the door, tearing Olivia out of her reverie. “You seem angry. I wanted to talk to you,and—”
“Angry?” Jaime’s voice dropped, cold and controlled, radiating a detached fury. “To feel anger, you’d have to mean something to me.”
Olivia’s eyes widened, and at first, she couldn’t form a reply as fissures of pain rushed through her, and so she just stood there and stared at Jaime until she cleared her throat. “I’d say given your attitude all week and your reaction here… you seem to feel plenty of anger.”
Jaime stalked closer. “Are you in my head?”
Olivia swallowed her first reply of, ‘No, but I’ve been inside you,’ and instead straightened, heat coursing through her system, and she bit the inside of her cheek. She’d not give Jaime the satisfaction of seeing how much their encounter rattled her.
“No, Your Honor, but I’m quite adept at reading people.”
Jaime’s nostrils flared. “You lied to me.”
