Mistress Under Contract

by Natalie Anderson

  ‘Yeah, the jerk who spiked that woman’s drink and then assaulted her.’

  ‘Ever heard of a thing called “presumption of innocence”?’

  ‘He’s not innocent.’

  ‘I didn’t realise you were judge and jury.’

  ‘Hmmf,’ she growled. Her hands shook. She was in a right rage. ‘Why are you defending him?’

  ‘Because I happen to believe he’s innocent. And even if it’s proved he isn’t, he’s entitled to good representation.’

  ‘By good you mean resourceful. Get him off on some technicality…or look for some legal loophole, some procedural slip-up that renders half the evidence inadmissible?’

  Daniel blinked, in a bit of a headspin. ‘No, I—’

  She didn’t let him finish. ‘And what about the victim? You put her on the stand and tear shreds off her, right? Pry into her personal life? Cast shadows and doubt?’

  ‘Lucy, I…’ have had a really long day and don’t need this. But one look at her face and he knew he needed to straighten this out. He’d seen her cross, he’d seen her excited, but he’d never seen her looking hurt before—never this agitated. He didn’t like it.

  ‘Ever been a victim, Daniel? Ever known what it’s like to have someone come in and screw over your life?’

  ‘No. But…’ I’m guessing you have. He bit the words back. She was distressed, something must have happened and he wanted to understand, not upset her more. He stood, took her arm and marched her towards the office. ‘I think we need to continue this in private.’

  She didn’t argue. Just pulled her arm roughly from his and stalked ahead into the room. He could hardly believe this was the woman who had launched on him in lust last night. She stood as far from him as possible. Arms barred tight across her body. ‘It’s so unfair. What woman would put herself through that—through the trial, have her life paraded in front of everyone—if he wasn’t guilty?’

  He spoke calmly, quietly. ‘I have no doubt that something happened to her. What I doubt is whether they’ve caught the right guy.’

  ‘There’s a witness saying he was there.’

  ‘Him and half the city. There might be another explanation. Look, Lucy, my guy isn’t Snow White, but his line is burglary and car theft, not sexual assault. He’s not the sharpest tool in the box—he doesn’t have the smarts to pull something like this one off.’

  ‘Yeah, right.’

  ‘He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The cops got a match and patched the story together. It’s not a strong case, they shouldn’t have gone ahead with it because it’s not fair on anyone—let alone the victim—but I’m not going to see an innocent man go to jail.’

  His reasoning didn’t stop her tirade. ‘You lawyers are all the same. Only in it for the money. I remember the law students sauntering round campus like they owned it in their flash clothes, drinking their expensive wine, thinking they were so sophisticated.’

  ‘Whoa, check out the size of that chip, Lucy. It’s not about money. Not for me.’ He had an inheritance. Money was never going to be an issue.

  ‘Really?’ she spat. ‘Is he paying you a mint?’

  ‘Actually he’s paying me nothing.’

  That shut her up—for a moment. ‘You don’t know what it’s like. Victims don’t have a voice.’

  ‘Not true, Lucy. Not nowadays.’

  ‘The system is geared towards the defendant. When it’s he said versus she said, it seems like nine times out of ten they believe him.’ She paced the tiny room. ‘Are you putting him on the stand? Are you going to ask him all about his private life, his past, like you did her?’

  ‘We have to test the credibility of the witness’s evidence.’

  ‘Hers, sure. What about his credibility? He doesn’t have to get up there and face a scary inquisitor like you—she does. She’s the one who’s been through the wringer and you just make it worse. The bad guy gets to sit back and watch it all.’

  ‘We’re talking about a person’s liberty, Lucy. We have to err on the side of caution. Beyond reasonable doubt.’ Deliberately he kept his voice slow and low, forcing her to stop her pacing so she could hear him. Treating her as he would a fragile witness on the stand.

  ‘What about justice, Daniel? Look at the stats—the bad guys hardly ever get put away. You know this—not unless you have some solid scientific evidence. They never believe her. It’s always him.’

  ‘So what would you have—anarchy? Vigilantes retaliating who knows how violently in their code of justice?’

  She looked at her boots. ‘Why don’t we tie a rock to him and toss him in a lake? If he sinks he’s telling the truth and if he floats he’s lying? You know, that worked for all those witches a couple of hundred years ago, didn’t it?’

  He wanted to put his arms around her and cradle her—she was putting on the brave front but her eyes were over-shiny and her voice wobbled. ‘We work within the system, Lucy. I’m not saying it’s a perfect system, but it’s not bad. If we work at it, we can make it even better.’

  She kicked at the ground with her toe—grudging. Almost able to concede the point.

  He made contact, looping his arms around her waist. ‘Are we going to have a fight like this every time I take on a case you don’t like?’ He didn’t know where that question had come from, but it was out now.

  ‘No. It’ll be more often than that because there’s a lot we don’t have in common.’

  Amusement rumbled in him, making him forget the moment of panic over thinking of Lucy being around for more of his cases. He liked this challenge, liked her interest, the way her mind worked. ‘I can think of one thing we have in common.’ He slid his hands to her hips, but felt how stiff she stood in the loose embrace. She was too upset for fun right now, but he wanted to restore her peace. He sent soft strokes down her back with his palms and spoke as gently as he could in her ear. ‘Are you going to tell me about it?’

  Of course not! Lucy’s hackles spiked. She was never going to tell him about the worst night of her life. The night that had damned her self-confidence, cemented her ‘waste of space’ reputation and left her thinking maybe the world was right and she’d never amount to anything much. She never spoke about it. She never wanted to think about it.

  Yet here she was, thinking and thinking and wanting rid of it for once and for all.

  Impossible.

  For long moments they stood silent. He didn’t ask again. Didn’t press the point. But she knew he was waiting. The gentle rhythm of his hands had a soothing, almost soporific effect. She felt herself slipping, his patience softening her, until resignation replaced tension. This was Daniel—he always got what he wanted. So, OK, she’d talk—a little. It wasn’t really giving in. Besides, she suddenly wanted to. She wanted to lean on his unwavering, imperishable strength, just for a moment. Somehow he did this to her. Somehow she couldn’t seem to deny him anything. But when she went to speak, anxiety knotted. It was little above a whisper.

  ‘You’ll think I’m even more of an idiot than you already do.’

  ‘I’m not sure that’s possible.’ His teasing smile tickled. He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes.

  She ducked away, putting her forehead on his chest, not wanting him to see her humiliation. Not wanting his smile to disarm her further. But it was already too late—he only had to hold her like this and she’d do almost anything he asked.

  ‘I was seventeen. Sneaked out of the school hostel to go clubbing.’

  ‘Under-age Lucy.’

  ‘Only just.’ She sighed, unable to stop the flow now she’d started. ‘And I was breaking all the school rules. My best friend from home was in the city for the weekend and we wanted to go dancing. Harmless enough.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘I’m not really sure. I’d been drinking cola—nothing added, nothing else. There were a couple of guys dancing near. Then things get a little confusing. I didn’t feel so good. I went to go to the bathroom. Everything went kind
of fuzzy and this guy asked me if I was OK, said something about getting me some fresh air.’ She paused for breath. ‘I just…went…’ Her heart hit irregularly as she remembered. She skipped a bit. ‘Sienna, my friend, came out of the club—she said I’d been gone about twenty minutes. She found me as I was being led down the street. She shouted and whoever it was with me ran and I fell…’ She faltered again. ‘The thing is I don’t remember, Daniel. I don’t remember what happened.’

  He’d gone very still; she could feel the tenseness in the muscles that lay just beneath his skin. She struggled on, wanting to finish it. She hadn’t spoken about this in so long and it was like breaking through a thick crust to get the words out. ‘Sienna got me back to the school hostel, but I was so sick and my hands were all bloody from landing on the concrete. Matron appeared while I was trying to sneak in the door.’

  ‘What did she do?’

  ‘She thought I’d been drinking. Said I was making it up because I was scared of being in trouble for breaking out.’

  ‘She didn’t get you checked out?’

  ‘This was Matron. She wasn’t known for being understanding. And it wasn’t the first time I’d been caught sneaking out.’ She grimaced. ‘But the next day I was still sick and she did get the doctor in.’

  ‘And the doctor?’

  ‘Believed me.’ She nodded. ‘Got the police to come and interview me.’

  ‘You can’t remember anything?’

  ‘I remember him being close. Suffocating. And I couldn’t push him away.’

  Daniel stood unnaturally quiet, and she knew he was reining himself in. She pushed on.

  ‘They asked me all sorts of horrible questions. I was seventeen, Daniel, and despite my appetite for going dancing I was an innocent seventeen and the doctor examined me and it was awful.’

  She felt the tension stringing him out. ‘Were you…?’

  ‘Still innocent.’ She remembered the relief she’d felt at that knowledge. She’d thought she was OK—had thought there would have to be some physical sign, some feeling, but to know for certain had been so good. But the experience of all those people drilling her with questions, judging her, made her feel stupid, as if she’d done something far worse than go for a dance. As if somehow she’d deserved it. She’d never liked the people who were in charge, but she had truly hated them from that moment on. And she’d been determined from then on never to be controlled by anyone or anything again.

  She’d lost belief in herself, lost her faith in the system, and lost her trust in people. Especially men. She’d built up barriers, using her sarcasm, her attitude, as her protective prickles. Ever since she’d been unwilling to open up, to contemplate much in the way of relationships. She was Lucy, the foolish girl who’d never done particularly well with anything, why would anyone want more from her?

  At least she knew where she stood with the man cradling her close now. Pretty much nowhere—just another casual fling. Long-term? Not likely.

  And that, she told herself, she could handle, but before this ended she wanted some of his strength, wanted some of his brilliance, to rub off on her. She’d love to have just a fraction of the X-factor that meant everything he touched turned to gold.

  But she was Lucy. And she was revealing her silly self with every word she spoke.

  This was why she never spent more than a few months in any one job, or in any one place. Empty as it was at times. She wanted more, but felt as if people expected her to come up with sub-standard. She refused to respect those in authority because they had never respected her. And it was why she never spent the entire night in a man’s arms—unable to trust enough to rest and relax. She refused to allow anyone to have the power to hurt her—her body, her heart.

  But wasn’t that happening right now? Daniel had her ceding that power. Somehow she slept with him—really slept. Somehow she trusted him. Somehow she’d just opened up to him—completely. Man, it scared her.

  She forced herself to focus back to that awful time so she wouldn’t panic over how vulnerable she was this very moment. Vehemence coloured her voice as she choked back the emotion. ‘School mates looked at me sideways, stage whispers that I was meant to hear. That I was a slapper. And the thing is I wasn’t, Daniel. Everyone thought I was this loose rebel and I wasn’t. But the way they carried on made me realise how lucky I’d been that nothing much had happened. The courage it must take to get up there and give evidence. I wouldn’t be brave enough to do it.’

  ‘Yes, you would. You would if you had to.’

  ‘No, I wouldn’t. And what’s the point? With hotshot lawyers like you out there able to destroy any credibility in a second—the girl who bunked off classes, barely scraping by. Making it all up because she didn’t want to get in trouble or because she’s attention-seeking.’

  ‘Lucy.’ He ran a finger down her cheek.

  She pulled her head away, feeling ultra-defensive, regretting opening her mouth in the first place. ‘I wasn’t on a booze-and-boys bender. Or drugs.’

  ‘Why did you sneak out?’

  ‘I liked dancing. I liked the freedom. I hate being told what to do and when to do it all the time. It was just nice to get out and let my hair down—away from all the rules.’ She sighed. ‘Everything is so prescribed. Dictated. I need a little bit of leeway, you know?’

  A puff of amusement escaped him. ‘Yes. I know.’

  ‘Well, when you’ve spent your life being told what to do and when to do it you can’t help but rebel. My father had us like performing monkeys. You should meet my sister.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘She got the brunt of it. I think after a while he realised he wasn’t going to get a golden girl in me, so he hounded her. But with him at home and then the screws at boarding-school…’ She tilted her head, stretching out the strain in her neck muscles. ‘I don’t like to be locked up, Daniel.’

  He laughed. ‘Not many people do.’

  ‘No, and I do like to have fun.’

  There was a silence, he held her loosely and she began to soften. ‘It wasn’t your fault, Lucy.’ He spoke softly but her tension flooded back. That was the thing—the self-blame. If only she’d done this, if only she hadn’t done that…

  He gave her a gentle shake. ‘It could have happened to anyone.’

  She failed to reply, knowing in her head he was right, but unable to stop the feeling he was wrong. She felt fated to fail—always to be the one in the wrong place at the wrong time. Never quite getting it right. Never quite good enough.

  ‘So this happened, yet you work in bars?’

  ‘I like seeing people out having a good time. I like helping them have a good time. Welcoming them, making the environment fun.’

  ‘But things like drinks-spiking probably happen all the time.’

  Her inner fighter finally limbered up. ‘Why should I let one creep ruin something I love doing? I love going dancing—millions of us women do. And maybe, just maybe, I can run a tighter ship and stop it happening so much.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Encourage women to drink direct from a bottle with a straw.’ She answered fast and flippant, cracking a smile for the first time. ‘Seriously. It’s harder to slip anything into.’

  He smiled back and it made her forget she’d been feeling mad at him. ‘You see, you are brave, Lucy. You are doing something. You get back out there and take them on. You’d go to court if you ever had to. Piece of cake.’

  ‘No, that’s different. That’s having your life ripped up by arrogant jerks like—’ She broke off.

  ‘Like me.’ He grimaced. ‘That’s not how it is.’

  ‘Yes, it is.’ She felt sadness. ‘There has to be a better way.’

  ‘This is why you don’t want to like me.’

  Ouch, he was astute. She bit her lip. ‘It’s not you. It’s what you stand for. I see a guy like you so bright, so talented, and you’re on his side.’

  ‘It’s not about sides, Lucy.’

  ‘Yes, it is. You
know it is. It all comes down to who has the better lawyer. Who is the jury more likely to listen to?’

  ‘If it bothers you that much, why don’t you do something about it?’

  ‘Like what? I wouldn’t know where to start. But you could, Daniel. You have that brain, you have the knowledge and training and smarts to fix things.’

  He laughed. ‘That’s flattering, but…’ He shook his head. ‘I can’t change the world, Lucy, but I can maybe change one person’s world.’

  ‘No, you can do more than that, Daniel. You can.’

  ‘You’re talking about a dilemma that’s been debated for years now.’

  ‘Yeah, but you could do it—I know you could. If someone like you doesn’t try, what hope is there for the rest of us?’ She stared up at him, her eyes searching his, seeing the clarity there in the brown-gold. The brightness in the depths that had her so smitten.

  He stared back, unusually silent. He cocked his head. ‘Are you saying you believe in me, Lucy?’

  ‘Yep. Super powers all the way.’ She rolled her eyes and tried to act as if she’d meant it totally sarcastic.

  He chuckled. But his hand reached out and he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. ‘Thank you.’ He spoke softly and smiled.

  Oh, dear. Things were going from bad to worse. She was slipping from waist-deep to well over her head. She wanted him and with him like this she wanted even more—like everything. Stupid, because he didn’t have it to give—he’d told her that right at the start. She looked away. ‘I’m sorry. You don’t need all this. You’re in the middle of a case and have enough to be getting on with without me banging on about something that happened years ago.’ She opened her mouth to blether on some more and apologise and try to make light of it, but he stopped her with a finger on her lips.

  She stilled, suddenly hit by an unexpected and heady relief from unburdening her load. It mixed with the need to get physical. She should stick to physical with Daniel. Anything more muddied the waters and she was in enough danger of drowning in his magic as it was.

  “Don’t.” He ran his finger across her lips, tracing their outline. She fought hard not to touch it with her tongue—desire was kicking high. ‘Will you let me do something?’