Without Justice

by Carsen Taite

“Of course, Miss Emily. I was just making sure you have everything you need.” Cade watched as Clara picked up an oversized handbag from the kitchen counter and pulled on an overcoat. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kelly.”

  Cade waited until Clara was out the door before she blurted out. “Okay, so you live in a mansion and you have a maid. Wow.”

  Emily laughed. “It’s not exactly a mansion, and Clara isn’t exactly a maid.”

  “This requires more explanation, but over dinner. I bet you’re starving.”

  “I am and whatever you have in that bag smells delicious.”

  “The guy at the restaurant said it was your favorite.”

  “Gerry?” Emily winced a little as she asked the question.

  “He’s the one. I’m thinking you must eat there a lot.”

  “Guilty. It’s easy to stop by after work and grab a meal on the way home. Plus it’s great networking. I think all the donations for my primary campaign came from my fellow diners.” Emily pointed at the bottle in her hand. “Do you want to open the wine while I get us some plates?”

  Cade took the fancy wine bottle opener from Emily’s hand, lingering for just a moment as their fingers touched. She’d been eagerly anticipating this date all week and now that she was here she was uber conscious about not messing up. As she twisted the opener into the cork, she silently repeated the mantra she’d adopted for this evening. Keep the conversation light. Be casual. Do first date things.

  First date. The very idea had her nerves on edge. She hadn’t been on one in forever, but her recollection was that first dates were usually share all the background stuff kind of events. She’d prepared by spending the afternoon doing a self-quiz on the details in her dossier, but other than a few random questions at work, she hadn’t had to regurgitate the lies the feds had dreamed up for her in any significant way, let alone to someone she was intensely attracted to.

  The prospect was both scary and exciting. In a way it meant she had a blank slate. Women had always assumed things about her because she was a lawyer. Wealthy, argumentative, cutthroat: she was none of those things. Well, except maybe argumentative. And she did have a decent nest egg, thanks to an inheritance from her grandparents, but her regular salary as a state’s attorney had been fairly modest. She’d never met anyone she cared enough about to dispel those misconceptions.

  But Emily was different. She wanted to get to know her, and that meant she’d have to do some sharing of her own. She’d have to find a way to deal with the fact the details she would share were mostly lies.

  “I bet you’re starving too,” Emily said, breaking into her thoughts. Cade looked down at the wine bottle in her hand and wondered how long she’d been standing there, fiddling with the opener. “Sorry,” she said. “Must be low blood sugar. Let’s eat.”

  “Bring the bottle and those glasses over there and follow me.”

  Cade watched as Emily lifted a serving tray loaded with their plates and a basket of bread, and led the way to the back of the house. She deftly handled the tray with one hand and opened the back door that led out onto an expansive cedar deck.

  “I turned the heater on when I got home, but if you think it’s too cold we can go back inside,” Emily said as she set the tray down on a slate table for four.

  Cade took a moment to soak in the contrast of the fresh, cool night air against the gentle warmth from the propane patio heater that stood to the side of the table. “No, it’s perfect.”

  Emily sighed. “Thanks. I spend so many hours cooped up inside, I like being able to adjourn to this little oasis when I get home.”

  Cade took a moment to glance around the backyard, and she could see exactly what Emily meant. The entire space was filled with special garden features from an ivy covered arch to a sweet birdbath surrounded by irises. “You have a beautiful garden.”

  “Thanks. It’s one of my passions.” She pointed to the left. “Those are my grandmother’s champion roses. I’m pretty sure our mutual love of gardening is why they left me this house. It’s in the town historical register, so I couldn’t bear to sell it, which is why this single gal lives in the largest house in Bodark proper.”

  “I see.”

  “I could tell you wanted to know.” She reached for a breadstick. “And Clara is not my maid. She was my grandparents’ right-hand person. Managed the house and most of their personal affairs for as long as I can remember. She was pretty lost when they died, so she comes around and does little things for me now and again even though she should be enjoying her retirement. I don’t have the heart to tell her no.” She chewed on the breadstick for a moment. “Is it all a little too much?”

  Cade was surprised to hear the hesitancy in Emily’s voice. She’d been so concerned with her own first date jitters, she hadn’t considered Emily might be nervous too, although for completely different reasons, and she found it endearing. “Fancy country club, Victorian mansion, personal assistant? No, it’s pretty much what I expect from all of my dates.” She watched expectantly as Emily’s face slowly relaxed into a smile.

  “Got it. Trappings of wealth fall into the plus column.” She pointed at her plate. “Just so you know, you’ve met all of my expectations by bringing me food. Good food,” she patted her heart, “is the path to my soul.”

  “Duly noted.” Cade picked up a fork and dug into her rich pasta dish, letting the delicious combination of earthy mushrooms and buttery sauce comfort her palate. “This is amazing.”

  “I know, right? I have to confess, I go there so much, the chef makes a few off the menu meals for me.”

  “So you have your own secret coffee shop and your own secret menu at the fanciest restaurant in town. Someone’s popular with the in crowd.”

  “Comes from spending life in a town founded by your ancestors.”

  “Seems like you’re doing all right, making a name for yourself.”

  “I do my best. There are folks who say I wouldn’t have been elected if I wasn’t a Sinclair.” Emily’s tone was more resigned than defensive. “They have no idea how hard I worked in the trenches as a prosecutor to get where I am. If I wanted to trade on my family’s good name, I could have simply become a partner at the family firm, or taken any number of positions in Dallas with reputable firms.”

  “That answers my next question.”

  “Which was?”

  “What inspired you to go into law? Sounds like it’s in your blood.”

  “I suppose. Maybe I just like to argue.” Emily smiled and took a sip from her glass of wine. “This is delicious, by the way.”

  “Glad you like it.”

  “There aren’t a lot of places around here to get a good bottle of wine.”

  “True.”

  “When we first met, you said you were new in town. What inspires a handsome librarian who appreciates excellent wine to move to a tiny town far from normal civilization?”

  Cade anticipated the question before Emily could finish asking it, and she’d prepared by shoving an enormous bite of food into her mouth. Despite this prescient planning, she couldn’t seem to find the words or the will to deliver the well-practiced lies that formed her false background. Her throat tightened, and the resultant fight for breath caused her to choke. She could feel her face redden and she saw Emily’s look of concern. Not at all how she expected this night to go, but she should’ve known better than to think she could get away with avoiding talking about anything personal. She reached for her wine, desperate to appear as if nothing was wrong, but before she could bring it to her lips, she doubled over in an uncontrollable coughing fit.

  Emily grabbed the glass from Cade’s hand and reached around to rub her back. “Hold up a hand if you can breathe.”

  Cade held up a few fingers, and after a moment, her coughing eased. Cade started to talk, but Emily rubbed her back some more and urged her to stay quiet. “Give it a minute.” She eased away. “If you think you’ll be okay, I’m going to go get you a glass of water.” Cade nodded, a
nd then Emily gently extracted herself and went inside to the kitchen.

  Emily pulled a couple of bottles of cold water from the fridge and took a moment to consider what had just happened. She believed Cade had really choked on her food, but something about her expression right before it happened—fear, distress—made her think something else was going on. She’d asked her why she’d moved to town, and she wasn’t exactly sure what would be so scary about answering that.

  Maybe she was shy and first date personal questions weren’t her thing. Maybe she moved to get away from a bad situation like abuse or family troubles.

  Maybe you’re making too much of the fact she choked on a piece of food. Emily shook her head, resigned to the probability that making too much of things was merely an occupational hazard. Despite being occupied with the hearing, she’d spent the day eagerly anticipating this date. The last thing she needed to do was let her work creep into these few hours of personal time.

  Personal time. She’d barely known what it was before she’d made the decision to run for office, and now that she was DA, nothing about her life was her own. When she wasn’t at the office working, she was either doing paperwork in front of the TV or off at some speaking engagement. Becca had already started to complain that her weekly trip to pick up a pound of coffee was the only quality time they spent together anymore. She desperately wanted this night, this date, to be different, which was the reason she’d asked Cade here instead of going out where one of her constituents was likely to buttonhole her about whatever issue was bugging them at the moment.

  But dining here came with different distractions, all having to do with her desire to know more about this illusive woman. Added to the mix was the snug fit of Cade’s low-slung jeans and the crisp cut of her black collared shirt with its teasing row of tiny buttons. All through dinner, she’d been consumed with want, plotting how to get in those jeans and how to tear through those buttons, but she’d been dissuaded by the notion of what would happen next. Once she started, she was pretty sure she couldn’t stop. Resolving to control her libido and concentrate on the non-physical getting-to-know-you part of this date, she walked back outside.

  Cade leaned back in her chair, looking like absolutely nothing was wrong. She took one of the water bottles and chugged it halfway down. “Sorry about that,” Cade said with a grin. “I usually chew my food before I swallow it.”

  “I’m just glad you’re okay. I can hear it now: DA murders librarian with pasta on the patio in small town tragedy. News at ten.”

  “Yes, it would be a tragedy to kill the librarian before she shows you the dessert she brought.”

  Cade seemed relaxed and casual, but Emily still felt a hum of tension beneath the surface. Was she imagining that her earlier question had provoked Cade’s nervous response? Only one way to find out. “So, before your near-death experience, I think you were going to tell me how you came to live in our little town.”

  “Yes, I was. Not a big story, actually. I used to work for a university up north, but due to some funding issues, they had to let go a portion of the staff. I took a nice severance package, and a friend let me know about the position at Jordan.”

  “And how are you liking it so far?”

  “It’s growing on me.”

  Cade reached over and put her hand on top of Emily’s, reinforcing the subtext of her declaration. Despite the sweet gesture, Emily couldn’t help but notice a slight tension in Cade’s shoulders. She wanted to know more. “And your family? Where do they live?”

  “Just me, I’m afraid.” Cade took a deep drink from her wineglass. “Only child and my parents are both dead.”

  Cade’s curt summary seemed to preclude exploring the subject further. Emily curled her fingers into Cade’s open palm, enjoying the gentle stroke of skin against skin. “I’m so sorry. You’ll have to forgive me. I ask questions for a living, and I have a bad habit of letting it pour over into my personal life.”

  “You’re just apologizing so you can have dessert.”

  Cade delivered the words with a smile, and Emily took note of the way her left eye winked slightly when she smiled, almost as if she didn’t know she was doing it. Did she realize how irresistible she was? How kissable?

  “What are you thinking right now?” Cade asked.

  “I shouldn’t tell you.”

  “What if I guess?”

  “Go for it.”

  Cade pushed back her chair and stood. Emily watched her move closer, and her breath hitched as Cade closed the distance between them and leaned forward. She knew what was coming and she wanted it. She wanted it bad. Cade’s lips were soft, but their touch was strong and claiming, pulling her in. She parted her lips and moaned softly as Cade ran her tongue lightly around the edge of her mouth, tasting, teasing. She hadn’t had enough wine to be heady from the alcohol, but the contact made her swoon. She placed a hand against Cade’s chest and pulled back for a second to say a single word, “Inside?”

  Cade answered by holding out her hand. Emily grasped it and allowed Cade to lead her through the French doors into the house. The sensation of having someone else take charge in her own home, or anywhere for that matter, was at once thrilling and completely foreign, and she shivered with anticipation when Cade pulled her into the velvet cushions of her oversized couch.

  “You smell so good,” Cade said as she kissed her way up Emily’s neck.

  “It’s Fracas. I have it bad for good perfume.”

  “It’s making me crazy.”

  “You’re making me crazy.” Emily reached a hand around Cade’s neck and tugged her close until their foreheads touched. “You are the most amazing kisser. Ever.” She sighed. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

  “You think I’m quiet, huh?”

  “Assumption. Sorry. You know, librarian.”

  Emily watched Cade’s puzzled look quickly fade, and she nodded. “Got it. Right.” She leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “I have a secret.”

  Cade’s breath against her skin was pushing the boundaries of her arousal. “You do?”

  “I’m not always quiet.”

  Cade proved the point with a light groan as she ran her hand over Emily’s sweater and under the curve of her breast. Emily arched into her touch, heady with want, and Cade stoked her arousal with a rhythm of slow and steady strokes. Surrendering control, Emily closed her eyes, and while her body simmered with passion at every pass of Cade’s hands, she let her own explore Cade’s body. Lean, firm muscles. Luscious, gentle curves. Tight, soft skin.

  Skin. Emily’s eyes fluttered open and her practical side set off alarms that cut through her aching need. She forced air through her lungs, and managed to say, “That feels amazing and I don’t want to stop.”

  Cade eased away and looked at her with hooded eyes. “I’m sensing a but.”

  “Not a ‘but’ really. More like an ‘and.’”

  “And?”

  Emily took a deep breath, torn between wanting to stay on the couch and ride this fantasy for all it was worth and slowing things down to a more manageable pace. If she didn’t slow things down, there was a high likelihood Cade’s car would be parked in her driveway the rest of the night—an error that would lead to a lot of gossip from the neighbors about the new DA and her loose morals. Not exactly the reputation she wanted to cultivate. Besides, she was looking for a long-term relationship, not a first date lay. She took a breath. “And I’d like to have dessert now, the one you brought.”

  “Okay.”

  Emily watched Cade take a deep breath, but she couldn’t quite read her expression. “Not what you had in mind?”

  “What? I’m always in the mood for something sweet.”

  Cade’s slow smile drowned out the internal voices shouting for her to take Cade to bed now, to hell with the consequences. Before she could change her mind, Emily stood and held out her hand, resisting the urge to fall into Cade’s arms when she grasped it. She could do this. They would have dessert, talk some more,
and exchange good night kisses. Just not on the couch. Or anywhere where she wasn’t standing upright.

  A few minutes later, they were standing in the kitchen tucking into enormous slices of chocolate caramel cake. “This is amazing,” Emily said. “I may fall into a coma any moment.”

  “Oh great. Local librarian drugs DA with cake. I can see it now. I’ll probably get the death penalty.”

  “Oh, I doubt that.”

  “I’m not so sure. From what I hear you’re pretty well liked around here.”

  “Why, Ms. Kelly, have you been asking around?”

  “Didn’t have to ask. People talk. Everyone at the college thinks you’re great. You taught as an adjunct?”

  “A couple of semesters. Once the election cycle started, I had to give it up. Too many rubber chicken dinners and town hall meetings to fit much else in.” She took another bite of cake.

  “Glad I didn’t meet you then.”

  “I might’ve been distracted.”

  “My timing is perfect. I arrived in town the day you won the election. Saw you on TV that night.”

  “That whole night was a blur. I don’t remember anything I or anyone else said after the network called it.” Emily closed her eyes for a second as she relived the monumental moment. Did Cade think she was silly? Lawson might be a small county, but her victory was a huge event in her life. Of course, Cade might have moved here from a small place herself, which spurred her to ask, “Where did you move from?”

  “What?”

  Emily wondered if perhaps Cade was suffering food coma herself, or maybe she’d just switched topics too quickly, something Becca was constantly ribbing her about. “You said you moved here the night of the election. Where from?”

  Cade blinked. “Uh, Wisconsin. Outside of Milwaukee.”

  “Hence the slight accent. University of Wisconsin?”

  “Pardon?”

  “Was that the university you worked for before transferring here?”

  “Yes, that’s the one.”

  Emily detected a hint of uncertainty, but she wrote it off to the food coma and Cade’s persistent shyness when it came to discussing anything personal. “I’ve heard stories about the governor up there and the university layoffs. Bet you were glad to get out of that system.”