Swann's Revenge

by Shira Anthony

  “Hot date?”

  He frowned. In all the years she’d known him, she hadn’t given up trying to convince him he should look for more.

  “Okay. Guess that’s it for today.” She let go of his shoulders and headed for the door.

  “Thanks for the shoulder rub.”

  She laughed and waved as she walked out the door. “I’ll be by later.”

  GRAHAM had just pulled on his suit jacket when Dan poked his head inside at nearly six thirty. “Leaving?”

  Dan nodded. “Thought I’d bring you these first.” Dan set a stack of papers on Graham’s credenza.

  “The PI dug up something.”

  “Yep. And I did a little research of my own.” Dan grinned and tapped the pile. His eyes seemed suddenly bluer. He’d been attractive in high school, but he was better-looking now. Slightly messy layers of reddish brown hair and five-o’clock shadow had replaced the short crew cut he’d worn. Dan’s lean body had filled out in all the right places, from his muscular thighs and ass to his powerful forearms.

  Graham fought the sudden urge to run. Bad enough that the night before he’d had a nightmare that he was back in high school. He sure as hell wasn’t going to start fantasizing about the man.

  “Can we discuss what the PI found tomorrow?” he asked. “I really need to get going.” I need to get out of here before I do or say something I’ll regret.

  “Sure. Tomorrow’s fine. Have a good evening.”

  GRAHAM walked the three blocks from his apartment to Jay’s, his favorite hookup bar, around eleven. The three—or was it four?—drinks he’d had with Terri had done their job. He felt good. Better than.

  He sat at the bar as the thumping bass vibrated in his bones. “Scotch. Neat.”

  The bartender, Jake, nodded and winked. They’d hooked up right after Graham had moved to Raleigh. Jake asked him out after, but he’d been too busy with his fledgling law firm to date. Now, Jake was a friendly face, nothing more.

  Graham preferred it that way.

  The blond to his left leaned over. “Dance?”

  Graham took a long swallow of his drink. He met the blond’s gaze and nodded. They hit the dance floor to “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” The song had been one of his mother’s favorites.

  Some of the regulars watched him as they danced. Graham didn’t understand what they saw in him, but he didn’t really care. He came here for one reason—he’d never lied to himself about it.

  “My place or yours?” the blond—Collin—asked as they finished another round of drinks an hour later.

  “Mine.”

  They exited the club into a haze of heat and humidity. Graham’s shirt clung to his chest. No matter. In a few minutes, they’d be in his apartment and he’d strip his clothes off. Collin wasn’t his type, but his blue eyes had Graham thinking back to his conversation with Dan that afternoon and a memory from fifteen years before. A few of the nastier popular girls had cornered Laurie, the new kid. They’d grabbed her bag and tossed the contents all over the hall. And after they’d left cackling, Danny had knelt by Laurie’s side and said, “Here, let me help you.”

  His eyes had looked so blue. And when he said, “Don’t sweat it,” his brilliant, carefree smile made Jimmy wish he were Laurie.

  Graham pushed the image of Dan’s face from his mind. Next to him, Collin was going on about the Carolina football team and how he’d snagged season tickets because his father was a big donor.

  “Change of plans,” Graham said.

  “What?” Collin stared at him.

  “I’m tired,” Graham lied. “This just isn’t the night for me.”

  “Aww, come on. You seemed totally into it just a few minutes ago.”

  “Sorry.” Graham offered him a bland smile. “Maybe another time.”

  Collin shook his head and walked back toward the bar. Graham reached into his pocket and retrieved the fob to get him into the building. He couldn’t explain it either, but he just wasn’t in the mood.

  Chapter Seven

  “THEY what?” Graham growled into the handset.

  “They filed for a TRO,” Kara, Graham’s paralegal, said in her calmest voice. “They’re claiming Ms. Carter’s bound by a noncompete agreement, and they’re seeking a temporary restraining order. It came in the mail today.”

  Graham had known about the agreement. It probably wasn’t enforceable under state law—too broad in both its scope and territory. He’d discussed it with Petra Carter when he’d agreed to represent her six months before. He’d even shown it to Terri, who’d agreed with his analysis.

  “Tell Vanessa I’ll need her help on this one,” Graham said. They needed to get the response filed quickly and see about moving the case up on the docket. The last thing Graham wanted was for Petra’s future employer to renege for fear of being sued.

  “She’s in depositions in Virginia until the end of the week,” Kara said. “Do you want me to tell her to reschedule the rest?”

  “No. I’ll find someone else to handle it with me.” Graham drew a long breath and forced the tension from his shoulders. Terri was right. He didn’t deal well with last-minute maneuvering, especially when he knew at the onset it was bullshit. He’d dealt with Camcorp’s attorneys twice before. And while he’d certainly been in cases where opposing counsel were less than pleasant to work with, Brad Muldoon of Ferguson & Muldoon put them all to shame.

  Fucking snake. With Judge Winston assigned to the case, they’d need someone who could calmly explain the issues. Winston wasn’t brilliant, but he paid attention. Muldoon would do everything in his power to piss Graham off, and he was the one attorney who managed to do it time and again. Graham never argued as well when he was pissed. No, he needed someone with a cooler head. Someone who wouldn’t let Muldoon get to him.

  “Graham?”

  “Sorry.” He’d been so engrossed in his thoughts, he’d forgotten that Kara was still on the line.

  “Terri mentioned Dan Parker’s done some work with noncompetes. I don’t see anything on the calendar for him this week.”

  “Right.” The last person he wanted to spend time with. But he didn’t run his firm to cater to his personal whims or fears. He would do what was best for his client, and as long as Dan toed the line, Graham wouldn’t kick him out on his ass. “Tell him to come to my office, and bring the pleadings with you.”

  “Will do.”

  He replaced the handset and took another deep breath. He scrolled through a dozen emails and deleted half of them before there was a knock on his door.

  “Come in.” He looked up to see Dan holding the door open for Kara. He’d ditched his usual necktie and his shirt was unbuttoned at the neck. The tiny bit of skin showing there had Graham taking a deep breath to steady himself.

  Focus.

  “Here you go.” She handed a copy of the motion for the temporary restraining order to him and Dan. “I’ll get to work on a response. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Thanks, Kara.” Graham waited until she closed the door.

  “Looks pretty straightforward,” Dan said after flipping through the motion. “Anything I need to know about the case before I dive in?” He sat at the table.

  “We filed a hostile work environment claim. Camcorp designs medical devices. Our client’s been out of work for nearly a year.”

  “Age claim?”

  Graham nodded and sat next to him. “Petra’s sixty-one. She was a manager. Top of the pay scale. She was assigned to several cutting-edge projects. When Stellertek bought Camcorp three years ago, they started taking away her work. The little stuff at first, then more and more until she had nothing left. They put someone over those projects with half the experience.”

  “And half the salary,” Dan said. He ran a hand through his hair, sending a particularly unruly lock tumbling over his forehead. With him so close, Graham wanted to reach over and brush it back. Or maybe ruffle that silky hair….

  Graham smiled and pretended to loo
k over his own copy of the document. “Several other longtime employees complained of the same treatment. Word is, the company’s trying to cut costs. Petra finally quit. She ended up hospitalized with an ulcer, worrying over how she was going to pay her kids’ college tuition.”

  Dan shook his head. “And the other employees?”

  “Took an undisclosed severance package,” Graham replied. “Probably about a half-year’s salary. We’ve been fighting over discovery from the get-go. Petra says there’s a memo somewhere detailing the need to cut costs.”

  “But they claim it doesn’t exist.”

  “Of course.” Graham sighed.

  “So why me?”

  Always to the point. Graham liked that about Dan. “Opposing counsel’s an asshole,” Graham said. “And I….” Better just to say it and get it done with. “Let’s just say we’ve had a few run-ins.”

  “He pushes your buttons.” Dan’s expression reflected understanding, but no judgment.

  “You could say that.” Graham repressed a grin. Graham also liked that Dan caught on quickly. “In the past, it served me well. This time we have a different judge.”

  “Got it. So where do we start?”

  THEY finished the response by six o’clock. Graham had expected it would take longer, but Dan handled the task like a pro.

  “Thanks for your help,” Graham said after they’d handed the pleading to one of the paralegals.

  “My pleasure.” Dan closed his computer and slipped it into his briefcase. He pulled out his phone, read something, and smiled. “I’d better get going.”

  “Dinner plans?” Graham asked.

  “You could say that.” Dan pocketed his phone and ran a hand through his hair.

  Graham’s gut clenched. Why the hell did he care what Dan did after business hours? Still, he couldn’t put the thought of someone waiting at home for Dan out of his mind.

  “See you tomorrow,” Dan said before Graham could respond.

  “Tomorrow.” Graham turned to his computer and opened his email.

  “Graham?”

  Graham didn’t look up. “Yes?”

  “Nothing,” Dan said. “Have a good night.”

  “Mmm.”

  Graham waited until the door to the office had closed before looking up again. Dan Parker might be a competent attorney, but Graham had no interest in becoming his friend.

  Chapter Eight

  GRAHAM reached over and tapped his clock radio on the bedside table to silence the alarm. He’d meant to get up at five and go for a run, but he’d barely slept. He vaguely remembered hitting the snooze button. He figured he must have tapped it several times, because it was now 7:00 a.m.

  He’d been dreading this day for two weeks—ever since the meet-and-greet with the new attorneys. To be fair, he dreaded the firm picnic every year, but the thought of coming face-to-face with Dan’s significant other and having to make nice seemed an insurmountable task.

  He rubbed his face and slipped out of bed. He’d just finished in the shower when his cell phone buzzed.

  “Just making sure you’re coming today,” Terri said before he could even say hello.

  He sighed. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a pain in the—”

  “All the time,” she said, her cheerful voice grating on his last nerve. He loved her, but there were times he was sorely tempted to strangle her. “You didn’t sleep, did you?” She knew him too well.

  “I’m fine.” He didn’t need her sympathy.

  “Graham….”

  “What time do I need to be there?” He knew the answer, but it was best to deflect as much as possible. Focus her concern on something other than him.

  “Eleven. Susan’s meeting the caterer at ten thirty. You need to be there to greet the employees.”

  He’d do it, of course. Put on his game face. Pretend he didn’t want to curl up into a ball and disappear. Pretend socializing didn’t terrify him.

  Someday everyone will know you’re a fraud. The voice still dogged him fifteen years later. Like a shoe that continued to rub against a blister, it whispered in his brain even though he fought to silence it.

  “Got it,” he said. “I’ll see you there.”

  “Graham, I—”

  “It’s all good.” He’d feel better after a few cups of coffee.

  “I know I’ve said it before,” she told him, “but I’m here, if you ever need to talk.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled. “I appreciate it. See you in a few.” He tossed his phone onto the bed.

  GRAHAM arrived at Pullen Park a few minutes before eleven. Terri waved at him from the picnic shelter where a half-dozen staff were already setting out bottles of soda and pouring bags of ice into coolers with bottles of beer. The smell of Carolina barbeque wafted from the catered food set up at several tables. His stomach rumbled appreciatively.

  “Need any help?” he asked Becky, one of the paralegals who was helping Susan get things set up.

  “We… ah…. You… ah…. You could set the napkins out,” she said, her face paling and her eyes wide. She was relatively new and probably hadn’t expected the big boss to help out.

  “Sure.” He tore open one of the bags of napkins.

  Terri surveyed the table as he put the napkins out. “Looking good.”

  “I wasn’t sure whether to fan them out or just stack them.”

  She elbowed him and laughed. “I wasn’t talking about the napkins.”

  “Stop.” He looked back at the table and hoped the heat in his cheeks wasn’t obvious. She loved to tease him. On most days, he’d have taken it in stride, but events like these….

  “You’re doing fine,” she said near his ear.

  “They’re terrified of me.” He glanced back at Becky.

  She chuckled and shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that isn’t the problem.” She put her hand on his arm.

  He ignored this and got back to work.

  “You’ve got all the names?” she asked.

  “Leslie Starnsworth, Duke Law; Lavon Reynolds, NC Central; Patricia Nelson, UNC,” he recited blithely. “And Tenisha Mayfield, also Duke. She’s the summer intern.” He did his homework. “And yes, before you ask, I’ll be sure to greet each one of them when they arrive.”

  She smiled and he steeled himself. He’d made it through the company picnic the past three years, he’d do it again.

  “And don’t forget to make nice to Dan,” she added.

  “He’s coming?” Graham had hoped Dan would skip the event since he hadn’t mentioned it during their Friday afternoon meeting. Seeing Dan outside the office would put Graham off his game. With work to focus on, Graham could handle the low thrum of attraction. But here….

  “Of course he’s coming!” She laughed and shook her head. “He doesn’t have any family in town and I doubt he’s made any good friends, seeing as he’s only been in Raleigh a few weeks.”

  “I’ll make nice.” Graham steeled himself.

  “I was hoping you’d do a little more than that, for a change.” She sighed theatrically. “Might make it easier for you two to work together.”

  “We work together just fine.” In spite of their rocky start, Dan really had been easy to work with. Smart and perceptive too. “Much as I’m loathe to admit it, you were right about him.”

  She grinned. “I’m perfect.” She laughed, then added, “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  “I need to finish making the napkins look good. You’re distracting me.”

  “Yeah, right.” She turned on her heel, headed for the table where the caterers had almost finished setting up.

  He fanned another pile of napkins, adjusted it so they were evenly spaced, then stepped back to admire his handiwork. Focusing on mundane tasks always helped dispel some of his discomfort at having to socialize. He supposed dealing with Dan at the picnic wouldn’t be all that uncomfortable. They’d gotten on just fine as colleagues.

  AN hour later, having welcomed all the new associate
s, as well as the two new paralegals who’d started a month ago, and an administrative assistant he’d nearly forgotten about who blushed crimson when he offered her his hand, Graham managed to grab himself a pulled pork sandwich and slip away from the party. He needed a few minutes alone. He needed quiet. Time to clear his head. Time to focus on relieving the tension building in his neck and shoulders.

  He walked over to a small hill overlooking a pond filled with ducks and a few white geese. Beyond the water, a bright red miniature train made its way around the park, belching white steam. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, then opened them again. Already the world seemed like a better place.

  Graham ate his food slowly, savoring each bite, then set his empty plate on the grass beside him. He turned and looked back at the picnic shelter and wondered how long it would take before Terri came looking for him. He didn’t expect to see someone sitting next to him.

  “Hi.” A small girl with warm brown eyes smiled at him.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “I’m Lacey,” she announced. “I like the ducks.” She spoke the words matter-of-factly and pulled on one of her braids, then twisted it around a finger.

  “I’m Graham. I like the ducks too.”

  “Really?” She frowned.

  “I…. Yes. Is there something wrong with that?”

  She shrugged. “No.” For a long moment, she stayed silent. Then, as if realizing she’d forgotten something really important, she said, “I like the geeses too.”

  “Why do you like them?”

  Her lips curved upward in sync with her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just do.”

  “Seems like a good reason.”

  She grinned and tilted her head to one side. “My dad said we can ride the train later. After we meet the people.”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “I don’t like meeting the people.” She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them.