Counselor Undone (25 page)

Alyson propped herself against his doorjamb, trying to look
sexy. Michael leaned back in his chair wondering what she had in mind.

“You work non-stop. You need to learn how to relax.” She
entered the office and came over to his side of the desk. She propped her butt
against the edge.

He grinned at her obvious line. “Oh, I relax plenty.”

Alyson mistook his humor for interest and leaned in. “Maybe
you need a little help in that regard.”

He shook his head. “I think I’ve got it covered, Alyson. You
have a good night.” He picked up his pen and slid his chair back to a working
position.

Alyson took the hint and stood up. “Well, if you ever change
your mind . . .”

“If I ever change my mind, what?” he asked, playing obtuse.

Alyson laughed. “You know where to find me.” She sashayed
from his office.

No she didn’t just proposition me a few minutes after her
lips slid off another man’s dick.
Some
women had no couth.

His thoughts strayed to another woman, refined and classy,
whom he’d much rather dally with at the moment. He was tempted to stop by her
place when he left tonight, but it was late and he didn’t want to seem too
eager.

He’d told Jordis he’d see her on Monday. He’d have to wait
until then. Somehow, he’d make it through the night without touching her again,
without holding her again.

Their last romp together replayed in his head, and his body
responded as if she were in the room. No longer sure he could wait until
tomorrow to see her, he glanced at the clock and felt his resolve waning.

Jordis awoke Monday morning with a smile on her face.
Michael hadn’t stopped back by, but he’d called late last night. They’d talked
for at least an hour.

Today, their schedule included a session together to begin cementing
their court strategy. Working next to him after having his arms around her all
weekend would be one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. Hopefully, by
the time she got to the office, she’d have wrestled control over her galloping
hormones and suppressed the goofy grin that kept creeping onto her face. She’d
decided to give in to her feelings for Michael and see where this led, but she
didn’t want to telegraph to the entire office the change in their relationship.

When she stepped outside, her joyful mood tanked. Her car
had not been returned. In its place, sat a brand new Dodge Charger II Daytona
Limited Edition in electric blue. Stunned paralysis overtook her. What had he
done!

She whipped out her mobile phone
and dialed Michael’s personal number. When the call went to voicemail, she
couldn’t contain herself. “Remington! Where’s my car? Call me back ASAP!”

Battling shock and frustration,
Jordis tried the door to the Daytona. It was locked. Hands on her hips, she
stared at the blue V8, unable not to appreciate its racecar-inspired
lines—and boy, did she love the color. But how dare he take it upon
himself to replace her car?

She didn’t need this this
morning. She had enough on her plate with the need to cover her inadvisable affair.

Searching around, she found an
envelope taped to the column of her parking bay, which contained instructions
telling her where to find the keys. After retrieving them, Jordis fired up the
engine and drove to the firm. She headed straight for Michael’s office. On the
way, she noticed everyone atwitter about something.

Half way to her destination, she
ran into Vivian. “Vivian, what’s going on?”

“You haven’t heard? Apparently, Michael Remington has been
searching for this woman he met on New Year’s Eve. Until now, he hasn’t been
able to find her. Well, turns out, she walked into the firm today looking for
him.”

“What?” Jordis croaked.

“Yeah, isn’t that romantic? I think his secretary is making
reservations for them to go to lunch or dinner or something . . .” Vivian’s
voice trailed off when she caught Jordis’s pained expression. “Oh, no. Jordis?
I thought you weren’t—”

“It’s okay, Viv. I’m fine,” she lied. Her stomach roiled.

She’d told Michael she wasn’t his Juliet more than once.
This weekend she’d let yet another opportunity slip by to tell him the truth.
It never occurred to her he’d keep searching until he found one. How could he
believe that other woman was her? Even without her admission, if he really had
strong feelings for her like those his father had experienced upon meeting his
mother, he would have known despite her prevarication she was the Juliet he’d
kissed New Year’s Eve.

Jordis’s feet continued unguided towards his office. She
entered in a fog and saw a tall, tan-in-a-can model-thin woman with her arms
around his neck. Upon seeing Jordis, Michael grabbed the model’s arms and
pulled away. Jordis’s anger at his heavy-handed tactics with her car simmered
up beneath a sense of betrayal over his obsession with his fabled Juliet.
Considering she was Juliet, her feelings were irrational, but she failed to
consider that.

“Jordis,” Michael said when she entered the office.

“I need to talk to you a moment. Alone.”

Michael sent the walking hanger outside to wait in the reception
area.

Once they were alone, she said in a deceptively calm voice,
“Where’s my car?”

His face showed surprise. Clearly, he’d expected her to go
straight to a discussion of the bimbo who’d been hanging on his neck.

“Your car is safe.”

“I want it back now. Immediately.”

“No, Jordis. I want you to drive the Daytona for a week and
see how you like it. It’s the latest model, and it has all-wheel drive.”

“Did you just tell me I can’t have my own car back? Who the
hell do you think you are?”

“Jordis, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down.” Her voice crescendoed with
each word.

Michael blew out a breath and ran his left hand down his
face. “This isn’t really about the car, Jordis. So, why don’t we talk about
what’s really bothering you.” He glanced towards the door.

“Screw her! You had no right.”

“I had every right!” Now
his
voice began to rise. “What’s the big deal? I bought you a car. I need you to be
safe. I would have preferred to buy you an SUV so you’d have higher clearance,
but I know how much you love the Charger so I thought the Daytona would be a
nice compromise.”

“Compromise? Compromise?” She paced away, shaking her head.
“It takes two people to compromise, Michael.” She turned back. “You did this
without consulting me.”

“Jordis, you needed another car.”

She raised her hands in frustration. “You and my brother and
that damn car! If you’d have both just backed off, I’d’ve taken care of it.”

“What! Are you telling me you hadn’t dealt with your car
situation because we wanted you to, and you were simply being contrary?”

Her lips tightened. She hadn’t consciously made that decision,
but she’d always hated being told what to do. She had a tendency to ignore unsolicited
instructions and do the opposite.

When she didn’t deny his accusation, Michael lost it. “Of
all the obstinate, hardheaded—”

“Look who’s talking.” She stepped closer to him, dropping
her voice. “What? You think because we had sex once, you own me?”

“We did more than have sex,” he growled. “And we certainly
did it more than once.”

“Well, we won’t be doing it again,” she snapped. “So, you
can get over treating me like some kept woman. Take that car back and give me
my Bee!”

“What do you mean we won’t be doing it again?” He reached
for her, but she avoided his grasp. “Jordis, don’t be unreasonable. I know you
felt something special this weekend. We both did. Why would you want to throw
that away?”

“There was nothing special about it. That’s why you have
your Juliet outside waiting to take my place.” She shoved her hands against his
chest.

He grabbed her forearms and held on. “Nobody’s taking your
place, Jordis. Let me explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain. You’re my supervising attorney,
Michael. We knew that going in, and we knew we couldn’t continue to carry on.
This weekend was a one-time deal.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” He pulled her close. “Let me
appoint Eric to take over the Metra Pharmaceuticals case. You can move to the
Business and Finance group and then we won’t have the problem of me being
responsible for supervising and evaluating your work.”

“You want me to give up my position?”

“Yes. It solves our ethical problem and then we can continue
to see each other.”

“And since this move to Business and Finance would come
after the start of the fiscal year, I’d have to wait until next year to be
considered for partner?”

“Yes, but it’s only a year. You know you’re going to make
partner.”

“I do? Why? Because everybody knows I’m screwing the boss?”

He released her. “Stop it, Jordis. You don’t have to be
crude. And nobody knows.” He glanced at his office door, which had been ajar.
“Well, nobody did know.”

Lana stood in the doorway with a chastising look on her
face. She grabbed the door handle and pulled his office door closed.

Turning his attention back to Jordis, Michael said, “How ‘bout
you say it louder next time so the other twenty-four floors can hear you, too?”

Jordis dropped her face into her hands. “I’m such an idiot,”
she said into her palms. “I can’t believe I did this to myself.” She looked up.
“I lose another year towards partnership. I change to a division of the firm
that’s not my first choice. I suffer the stigma and gossip about why I had to
move to a new division. I give up the right to pick what kind of car I drive.
And I do all this so we can sleep together until you get tired of me. Do I have
that right?” Her voice had returned to a normal pitch.

Michael said nothing.

“Tell me, Michael, what sacrifices are you planning to
make?” She crossed her arms, waiting. “Really. I’m curious. Do you have to give
up anything to have this relationship with me?”

“I’m losing a great second chair. I’d much rather have you
in IP Litigation than in Business and Fin—”

She put up a hand to stop him. “Yeah, poor you.” She turned
and walked towards the door. Before she opened it, she glanced back. “I’m
flattered you thought my performance this weekend was worth a car.”

Michael winched.

“Most men just send flowers. You might want to try that next
time. Leave the keys to the Bee with my secretary. Once I get them back, I’ll
return the Daytona to you. I’ll be gone for the rest of the day.” She opened
the door.

“Jordis, wait.”

Seeing the waiting Juliet, Jordis said quietly, “Oh, and enjoy
your lunch.”

Upon exiting Michael’s office, she caught a glimpse of
Alyson a few feet away. Alyson stood at her secretary’s desk with a stack of
documents in front of her. Jordis doubted she was doing anything more than
pretending to review the documents.

Alyson looked up and smirked. Jordis wanted to knock that
self-satisfied look right off her pale face. Given the scene she’d already made
in Michael’s office, she wisely chose to avoid starting a female imitation of a
WWF smackdown. Instead, she made a beeline for her office. She needed to get
out of here.

* * *

Jordis entered her office gripping the keys to the Daytona
tightly in her fist. She crossed the threshold to find Eric Covington sitting
at her desk going through one of her files.

He looked up when she entered. “Why are you going over
clinical trials and medical case studies? You’re working on a patent case not a
malpractice suit.”

“None of your damn business. I got the case assignment not
you. Remember? Now get your ass out of my chair.”

Eric raised one eyebrow at her tone and her language. It
wasn’t like her to lose her cool. He sat back in her chair. “Well, it looks
like the golden girl is in a tiff this morning. Trouble in paradise already?
That was certainly a whirlwind romance.”

Pain in Jordis’s hand alerted her she still held the car
keys. She stepped to her desk and dropped them on a corner. Leaning across the
desk, both palms flat, she over-enunciated, “Get. Your.
Ass.
Out. Of my.
Chair
.”

Eric’s mouth tightened. He unfolded himself from her chair
never taking his eyes from hers. “I can certainly see why Remington is fascinated
with you. That fire of yours makes a man hot.” He stepped from behind the desk.

She straightened. “Eric, I’m not in the mood for any of your
crap this morning. Go away.”

“You’re not going to find a way to win this case in those
medical documents. The opponent’s claim is based on a legal theory not a
medical one.”

Jordis thought about their information leak and suspicion
overtook her. “What do you know about the opponent’s legal theories?”

“Enough to know you’re barking up the wrong tree, and
Remington obviously picked the wrong associate to back him up.” He approached
her. “But, of course, you know that, which is why you set me up.”

Jordis’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Jordis. I’m done falling for that sweet innocence
act. Man, Alyson was so right about you.” He rubbed his hands down his face.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Exactly how do
you think I set you up?”

Eric scoffed. “I got a visit from the Chief Information
Officer this morning. It would seem information regarding your case has been
leaked to opposing counsel, and firm data indicates the network breach came
from my computer.”

She shook her head. “You’re the one who’s been helping the
other side?”

“Hell no!”

Jordis jumped at his angry bark.

“I’ve been vying for that case for months. Why would I help
the other side?” He stepped closer. “You, on the other hand, figured you’d get
the case and get rid of me at the same time.”

Jordis stepped back from the fury radiating off him. “Don’t
be ridiculous.”

“I checked, Jordis. The computer specialist they’re using
for the investigation happens to have the last name Morgan. Coincidence? I
don’t think so.” He stalked her. “Someone you know?”

Jordis nodded slowly. “My brother.”

“Figures. So, you had your brother set me up, huh? It wasn’t
enough that you got the co-chair appointment for reasons that had nothing to do
with your litigation skills.”

“I know how to do my job, Eric.”