Crystal's Dilemma (3 page)

Good. He had a bit of a background dabbling in sexual pleasures. “Well then, are you on board with this?”

He leaned forward, sliding the papers onto her desk. With a smile that made her heart chug, he held out his hand toward her. “Do you have a pen?”

Crystal paced the dining room, making circles around the long table.

“Can you just sit down? I swear, Crystal, you act as if this is your first date.” Justice grabbed her wrist as she passed him. “Stop. Sit. He’ll be here soon enough.”

With a blow of breath, she dropped into a chair beside Justice Cane, one of her partners at the firm. Pulling her wrist from his hand, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this. I mean, I’m thirty-seven years old and I’ve been around the block a few times. Why does this young man trouble me so?”

Justice pulled the bottle of champagne out of the ice it was chilling in and poured her a glass. He handed the half-full flute to her. “Drink this. Calm your nerves.”

She took it from him and let the bubbly liquid sluice down her throat.

“Maybe you’re more than just attracted to this guy. Have you ever thought of that?” Justice raised one eyebrow.

“Oh there’s no question I’m attracted to him,” she said, twirling the thin flute in her hand. “I’m just not used to being so enamored. You know my preferences. I usually like to delve into my fantasies with women.” She looked up at him. “I don’t understand what it is about Tommy that has me so flustered. Do you think that maybe I’m not really bisexual and it’s just slapping me in the face?”

He leaned over and placed his hand on her knee. “Why don’t you let it run its course? See what happens this weekend before you make any life-changing decisions.”

Justice was always good at calming her down. Whenever she had a problem, he was her sounding board. They had known each other for years and even though they had been intimate on many occasions, Crystal knew he only had eyes for his wife, Laura. Crystal loved Justice, but it wasn’t the sort of love between a husband and a wife. Thank God Laura understood the whole bonding camp process and allowed Justice to continue to participate. Laura, being part of the firm herself, also attended on occasion. Crystal enjoyed every minute she had Laura spent together there. “Have I thanked you yet for coming on such short notice?” she asked, patting his hand.

“Yes. You have. It was a pretty short notice, too.” He leaned back and laughed. “You just signed this guy yesterday and now we’re here twenty-four hours later. I’m just sorry Laura couldn’t make it.”

“I wish she could have come, but I understand. Thankfully Rodgers has agreed to join us too.” Rodgers, the caretaker of the compound, lived there and was usually agreeable when it came to filling in for the partners during a bonding camp.

“What are you going to do with three men, Crystal White? Planning on wearing us all out?” Justice winked at her.

“Mr. Rain has arrived,” Rodgers announced from the doorway that led to the entry.

Crystal’s hand shook for a second before she got it under control. She looked up just in time to see Tommy enter the dining room.

“Hello,” Tommy said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his Dockers. He looked very preppy in khaki pants and a peach-colored polo shirt.

Crystal stood, placing her champagne flute on the table. “Come in, Tommy. We were just having a glass of champagne after dinner.” She rounded the table and took his hand, leading him forward. “I’d like you to meet Justice Cane. Justice is one of our partners at the firm.”

Justice stood and reached across the table. “Nice to meet you.” He shook Tommy’s hand then sat back down. “Can I pour you a glass?” he asked, holding up the bottle of champagne.

Tommy smiled. “I’d like that.” He placed his hand on the small of Crystal’s back and looked down at her. “Good to see you again.”

Crystal looked up into his warm, brown eyes and felt something turn inside her. Oh boy, she was in deep on this one. “Come and sit down,” she said, moving toward the table again.

Tommy pulled a chair out for her across from Justice and then sat down beside her. Justice handed him a glass of champagne and he took a sip. “Mmm, nice.”

“I hope you’ve had time to have dinner. If you haven’t, we can call the kitchen and get you something.” Crystal turned toward him, not wanting to take her eyes off of him. She couldn’t wait to get him in the playroom, their sexual playground housed in one of the buildings on the compound grounds. She wanted to see just what he was made of when it came to revealing himself intimately.

“Actually, I had dinner before the driver picked me up.” He placed his glass on the table. “It was a nice drive up here.” He looked over at Justice. “This is a great place. Very secluded. It must have cost the firm a fortune.”

Justice chuckled. “We got it for a good price. I hope you will enjoy all the amenities while you’re here.”

“I plan on it. I hope you’ll agree with Crystal that I’ll be an asset to the firm and hire me for a position.”

“Well,” Justice said, leaning forward. “Crystal seems to think you’re firm material. It will be her decision. I trust her judgment totally.”

“But I thought all of the partners had to approve my appointment.” He looked at Crystal.

“They do,” she said. “But if I give you a good assessment, they will usually approve you on my word alone. That’s why it’s good to have Justice here with us this weekend. It will give two of us the option of reporting your status to Morgan, our other partner. If both of us agree, Morgan won’t question it.” She leaned closer. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. I like you so far, and I think you’ll be a great assistant.”

Tommy glanced at Justice. “You agree with this?”

Justice nodded. “Of course. Crystal has every right to hire who she wants but we do try to make sure all of us approve of our employees. You understand?”

“I certainly do. I hope I can live up to your standards.” He was looking directly at Crystal. “I’d hate to disappoint you on any level.”

* * * *

Tommy watched Crystal’s cheeks flush a pretty pink. He’d never seen her blush in all of the months he’d watched her in the courtroom nor outside of it. Seeing her now in such a different environment with the promise of being intimate hanging between them was completely different. She didn’t look like such a spitfire at the moment. Right now, she looked like a young woman in her twenties. One who was thinking about the man who would soon touch her in a very familiar way.

“I doubt you ever disappoint anyone,” Crystal said, looking up at him through her lush, dark lashes.

He smiled at her, a spark igniting inside him. “You’re too kind.” He sipped his champagne, trying to dowse the fire building deep down. He’d watched her for months, studying her courtroom manner. He had been surprised when she had taken on Dobbs’ case. It wasn’t like her. Crystal White was well known for only taking cases representing the largest companies and winning every one, hands down. She was a little wildcat during trial, her cross-examination snappy and her wit sharp. Something had changed with this case. She had been more sedate, softer somehow. It intrigued him. He wanted to know why. What exactly had caused her to act more ladylike instead of edgy and hard-core.

“Can I ask,” he said, fingering the stem of the champagne flute, “what made you take the Dobbs case? Your approach to it was very different than your usual way of doing things. What made this one different?”

Her face seemed to soften as she looked down at her glass. She ran a finger around the rim thoughtfully. “I guess it was because Dobbs reminded me of my father. My parents recently passed away.” She met his gaze then with an intensity in her eyes he was beginning to like very much. “When your parents die, it makes you realize how fragile life is and how we need to pay attention to the important things. You know, the little things that matter, like family.”

Tommy wanted to hug her but didn’t know if it would be the right thing to do at the moment. She seemed to be on the edge of tears and if he pushed too far, she may cry. “My parents are a big part of my life. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

Crystal nodded. “I know what you mean. I am an only child, like you. My parents were my whole family and my world. Now, I’m on my own basically and it’s made me question my choices in life. That’s why I took the Dobbs case and why I handled it differently. I feel it’s time for a change in the way I do things.” She smiled then and finished her champagne. “Let’s change the subject.” Crystal looked at her watch. “It’s getting a little late. Why don’t I show you to your room? That long drive probably made you tired.”

Tommy placed his champagne flute on the table. He wasn’t tired at all but she was the boss, so to speak. “I’d love to see more of the place.” He rose from his chair and helped her out of hers. “Lead the way.”

Crystal rose from her chair. The man he’d met when he arrived, Rodgers, appeared in the doorway. “I’ve placed Mr. Rain’s things where you asked,” he said, looking at Crystal.

“Good. Thanks, Rodgers.” She looked at Tommy. “Ready?”

God, she looked good. With her short, jet-black hair and her dark eyes that were rimmed with thick lashes, Crystal was the epitome of his dream woman. The trace of sadness he had seen in her eyes when she was talking about her parents was gone. He couldn’t wait to get close enough to her to be able to tell if her eyes were brown or darker and more mysterious. “Sure,” he said, placing his hand on the small of her back. She was so small, his hand almost spanned across her whole back. He liked that.

Crystal led him from the dining room and turned left down a wide hallway. As they walked, her hip bumped into him almost every other step. Tommy took the subtle signal and moved his hand from her back up to around her shoulder. She glanced up at him and gave him a small smile.

Tommy couldn’t wait to get her alone in his room. Maybe they could start some bonding right off the bat.

“Here we are,” she said, stopping in front of a door on the left. “Your room is right beside mine.”

“Nice,” he said, opening the door for her.

She stepped into the room and moved toward the large bed. Turning back toward him, she perched on the edge of the bed.

Tommy slowly pushed the door shut behind him. It latched with a soft click. “This room needs a little something, I think.” He moved toward her.

She placed her hands behind her on the bed and leaned back. “And what would that be? I’m sure we can supply anything you require during your stay. Just name it.”

He stopped a foot from her and placed his hands on his hips. “Hmm, let me think. I don’t want to ask for too much…” He let his eyes travel over the room, avoiding her gaze for a few moments. He wanted to make her wonder what he wanted.

“Tommy?” Crystal ran her foot lightly up the side of his leg. “What is it? Tell me.”

Holding back his smile, he lowered his gaze to meet hers. “I think what would make the room perfect…” He bent at the waist and leaned down, forcing her to lie back on the bed as he hovered over her. He placed his hands on the bed on either side of her. “…would be you, naked, stretched across my bed.” Before she could answer, he captured her mouth with a kiss.

Crystal didn’t even have time to gulp for breath.

Tommy’s kiss was insistent and hungry. Exactly what she was craving. She didn’t fight. Instead, she parted her lips and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him down on top of her.

“Mmm,” he moaned, slipping his tongue inside her mouth while he slid one hand down and cupped her breast, caressing her nipple with his thumb through the fabric of her shirt.

His body on top of hers was like a blowtorch against her skin. After a moment of pure bliss beneath his lips, Crystal turned her head to the side just to be able to breathe. Her body was on fire and totally alive with a searing need to have him inside of her. She was blindsided by the force of it, not used to being so attracted to someone so quickly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked against her ear as he slid off her and snuggled up to her side. “Have I done something?”

“No,” she said, prying her fingers from his shoulders. “This is just so sudden. I guess you’ve swept me off my feet.” She turned on her side so she could see him face to face. “Tommy, I’ve seen you in the courtroom quite a few times. How long have you been attending my trials? How long have you been watching me?”

His gaze traveled over her face while his hand smoothed down her side to come to rest on her hip. “For a while now. At first, it was because I wanted to see just how you handled yourself at trial. I read about you in the newspaper and how you’re almost guaranteed to win every time you step into a courtroom. I wanted to find out how you managed that. To basically study your style and possibly learn from you.” He looked into her eyes and traced the line of her jaw with a fingertip. “What I didn’t expect was for you to be such a desirable woman.”

She chuckled. “Attorneys can’t be desirable?” His body heat, radiating so close to her, was making her a little giddy.

“Of course they can, but you are not the stereotypical female attorney.” He flipped the earring at the top of her ear. “You are so edgy you remind me of someone who’s a little bit goth and wild.”