Rhyme

by Lexy Timms

  The night before, everything had seemed simple. She’d felt like nothing could touch them. But with morning coming and work on its heels, reality was all too clear. By giving in to her desires, Olivia had risked Logan’s case, her career. Everything.

  “Aye. I thought as much.” Logan rolled away, flicking on the bedside lamp, and Olivia blinked in the sudden light. Without darkness softening his edges, Logan took her breath away.

  She couldn’t allow herself to fall into that trap a second time.

  “Logan.” Olivia took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you. I hinted at it last night, but I should have made myself clearer, but I...I didn’t want to.”

  She looked down, playing with a corner of the sheet. Logan turned toward her, rising on one elbow, and she wondered how she’d ever be able to explain to him how she was feeling without him thinking she regretted him. She didn’t. But that didn’t change the fact that what she’d done had been incredibly stupid. And with that thought, the words just tumbled out.

  “I was wrong to sleep with you.”

  His eyes darkened, and for the first time Olivia saw pain in their depths. She reached out, her hand on his shoulder, and hurried to go on. “Not because of you. Because of your case.”

  He frowned. “And why is this?”

  “It’s a conflict of interest. To sleep with a client. Before the case... that was different. But now it’s complicated. And it’s a breach of ethics.”

  “Do you regret it, then?” Logan’s voice was steady, but the pain deepened in his eyes. “What we did?”

  Her heart ached. “No.” The answer escaped before she could think better of it, but she wouldn’t have been able to lie to him. “Not at all.”

  Olivia curled against him, resting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest. “This. You. I wouldn’t have given that up for anything. But I want you to know now, even though it’s too late, that there might be consequences if anyone finds out. So that if something goes wrong...” She shook her head.

  Logan lay back on the pillow, and Olivia took a breath, trying to force herself to relax. The pain had receded from his eyes, replaced with confusion. “You risked your career for this. For me?”

  She nodded. “Yes. And I’m willing to keep risking it. But you need to know the stakes. I should have told you last night, before we did anything. It’s your risk now too, I guess. Although if there are consequences, they’ll be mostly on me. You’d likely be assigned a different lawyer and that would be that.”

  “And what about you? What would happen?”

  Olivia shrugged. “Likely I’d lose my job with the firm. They would definitely stop handing me high profile cases. I’d probably never make partner. If I’m really unlucky, they’ll hand down something more official.” She smiled, though she thought it might look more like a grimace. “The good news is, they’re not likely to disbar me. That’s usually saved for worse fuck ups than a little inappropriate sleeping around.”

  Logan sat up, pulling Olivia into his lap. “You know I can’t ask you to risk your career for me.”

  “You’re not asking. And I’ve already made my decision.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of Logan’s mouth. “And why do I have the feeling that once you make up your mind, there’s little chance of changing it.”

  “There’s no chance at all.”

  He pulled her against him. The kiss was briefly tentative, but as she deepened it Logan responded with the hunger she was starting to find familiar. She reached past him to turn out the lamp, but he caught her wrist, pulling her down to the bed with him, rolling on top of her.

  “I want to watch you.” He bent his head, kissing her hard. Olivia surged up against him and gave herself over completely to desire.

  WHEN SHE FINALLY LEFT, the sky was just turning pink in the east. The cab that Logan had called from his room was waiting in front of the hotel. She slipped into the backseat and leaned her elbow against the door, watching the city roll past.

  Everything had changed in the space of twelve hours; Logan wasn’t the opportunistic rock star who’d taken advantage of her ravaged emotions. He was an honest man who had apparently fallen for her hook, line, and sinker. And he had told her he loved her. In two languages.

  She smiled at the improbability, the utterly amazing series of events that had landed her here, in this tentative but exhilarating new relationship with Logan Graham. If she’d tried to imagine this, nothing in her wildest dreams would have come close.

  That didn’t change the fact that it could ruin her life.

  The cab finally arrived at the apartment. Olivia nervously checked her watch, tempted to have the cab wait, but decided to chance getting another one after she was dressed rather than pay him to sit there idling. A hot shower and clean clothes sounded like heaven.

  But she would have been better off keeping the cabbie waiting. The second one she called was late, and as she waited impatiently in front of her building, her hair still a little damp from her shower, she calculated just how late she was going to be. Olivia debated calling Melissa then, letting her know that she was going to be late, but maybe she’d get lucky and traffic would be light. She really couldn’t tell anyone she’d decided a second session in bed with Logan was more important than work.

  The cab finally pulled up and she climbed in, giving the driver the address. “I’m late. Can you hurry?”

  “Yeah, lady. You and everyone else.”

  Olivia sighed, settling back against the seat. It was her own fault. And now she really would have to call someone.

  She took her phone out of her purse, dialing Melissa’s direct line. The phone rang for what seemed like an eternity before going to voice mail. Odd. Melissa should have been at her desk already. Maybe she’d been called away to help one of the other lawyers

  Pulling up the keypad, Olivia maneuvered her way through the company phone system, eventually ending up with the receptionist.

  “Hey, Jenny. This is Olivia Michaels. Is Melissa Wright there? I’m running late and I wanted to let her know. If she is there, just put me—”

  Jenny interrupted her. “Just a minute, Olivia. I’d better connect you with Mr. Marshall.”

  Before Olivia could speak, Jenny’s voice was replaced with canned hold music. She listened impatiently, bewildered. The cab was stuck behind a truck belching smoke, obviously not going anywhere soon.

  “Olivia.” Ryan’s tone was cold. “Where are you?”

  “I’m stuck in traffic. Where’s Melissa? I tried—”

  Once again she was cut off. “You should be more concerned with being at work—on time—than with Melissa. We’ll talk when you get here.”

  The line went dead. Olivia frowned down at her phone, and the blinking ‘Call Ended’ icon. What was going on?

  Traffic started moving, finally, and a few minutes later Olivia got out in front of her building. She made a beeline for her office, gathered her files and notes, and took the stairs two at a time rather than waiting for the elevators.”

  When she arrived at Ryan’s office, the door was open. She knocked, stepping inside without waiting for him to answer.

  “Ryan. I just want to say that I’m sorry.”

  Without raising his head from the papers he was bent over, Ryan held up one index finger, silencing her. Olivia clutched her files and papers to her chest, trying hard not to shift from foot to foot in the doorway. Ryan finally closed the file and looked up.

  “Close the door and have a seat. We have a great deal of work to do.”

  Olivia closed the door quietly, taking a seat at Ryan’s worktable. “Ryan. I—”

  He lifted a hand. “We have work to do. You can give me your excuses after we finish discussing the Graham-Ashton case.”

  Stung, Olivia closed her mouth. He’d never been so angry at her before for being a couple minutes late. Maybe the other partners really were breathing down his neck.

  They spent the next hour going over the ca
se file, Ryan reading Olivia’s notes and helping her lay out the first draft of the initial complaint. Finally, he sat back, scanning the document once more.

  “I think this’ll do for now. You work on it today and bring it back to me to review before you leave for the night.”

  He looked at her over the top of his reading glasses, smiling for the first time since she’d entered his office. “You’ve done good work here. I must say I was starting to worry about your dedication to the case, but I’m impressed.”

  Ryan removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But, unfortunately, there are other issues we need to talk about, things that aren’t going so well.” He frowned. “We’ll start with being late. That’s not like you, especially when you’re meeting with a partner. Currently, you’re at two strikes. Let’s not try for a third.”

  Olivia bristled, feeling like a child being reprimanded, but held her tongue. Ryan was right, she had been late twice now. But he went on.

  “And about Melissa. I’m afraid she’s been let go.”

  “Let go? You mean fired? But why?” Olivia felt the color drain from her face. Melissa was her rock, her organizational system, the person who kept her on track. And she was her friend.

  “You know she’s been dropping the ball lately; you remember we had a brief conversation about that earlier. And her behavior with Mr. Graham was inappropriate and unprofessional. I’m sorry, but it’s something that needed to be nipped in the bud before it became a real issue. It impacted her performance. And it reflects on you that let it get so far out of control.”

  Out of control? Because Melissa had missed one appointment and gawked a little at Logan? Olivia shook her head. “But who... What am I supposed to do about having a paralegal? Melissa knew all my cases. We’ve worked together for years, and she’s never made a mistake. She’s the one who keeps me on track.” Kept you on track.

  “Lori will be available for the Graham-Ashton case. For the rest, you can use the float pool; Human Resources will send you someone later today. Your schedule is light right now, so it shouldn’t be a problem until we hire someone new.”

  “But I don’t want anyone new!” Olivia had the irrational and utterly immature urge to stamp her foot. “I like Melissa.”

  “That’s part of the problem. You lost your objectivity. She became your friend, and so you let things slide that should have been addressed. Frankly, it’s concerning how little you seem to care for your professional image.” Ryan grew thoughtful, gazing past Olivia as though she were invisible while she stared at him in shock. “Really, I ought to have a discussion with the other partners about this as well. If you’re not able to handle disciplining one paralegal, how will you be able to manage an entire department?”

  He stood, moving around the table. Olivia watched with alarm as he engaged the lock on his office door.

  “You know, there is something you can do to help this situation.” Ryan turned to meet her eyes. “I know you’re willing to do almost anything to succeed, both with this case and with making partner. We can chalk up this issue with Melissa as a learning experience, and I won’t talk to the senior partners.”

  Ryan had stepped so close that his legs almost touched her knees, his body looming over her. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the arms of the chair. She wanted to look away, to turn in her chair, but there was nowhere to go. Her heart raced, and she was forced to crane her neck to look up at his face, only inches away from hers. The scent of his cologne—leather and rosemary—threatened to choke her.

  She’d tried to convince herself that she had misunderstood what happened in their last meeting together. That he had somehow mistaken her intentions. But looking up at him, at the expectant expression his face, she had to admit to herself that his intentions had been crystal clear.

  “What do you think you could do, Olivia, to help prove your dedication?” Ryan’s voice was low, barely audible.

  He slid his hand behind her neck. She stiffened, her arms braced against the chair as he pulled her forward.

  “Why so resistant? You’ve made it clear that there are things you’re willing to do. WE can resolve the issue right here, right now, and we can all go back to work. Otherwise, I’ll have to take your lack of interest in a compromise as a sign that you’re just not ready for this case.” He sighed. “And of course without this case, you’ll no longer be on the fast track for partner.”

  “You can’t.” Olivia found her voice and jerked away from his touch. “This is wrong! On so many levels.”

  “You’re the one who made the first move. I’m just following your lead.”

  Olivia shook her head. “I’ll go to Human Resources. File a complaint.”

  The sound of Ryan’s laughter, a completely unexpected answer to her threat, sent a chill down Olivia’s spine. “Go ahead. But before you do, think about this. I’m a partner here, and it’s my word against yours. You kissed me, remember? You threw yourself at me the other day; there are witnesses. You’ve locked the door today. Who do you think they’re going to believe?”

  “Who are you?” The words were barely a whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I’m your mentor,” Ryan said pleasantly. “The one responsible for your success here.” He leaned forward, his lips almost touching hers. She could feel his hot breath on her cheeks as he spoke. “I’m the person who should show a little more gratitude toward, considering that you wouldn’t have this job without me. And should you choose to continue the way you have been, I’m the person who can take this job away.” His fingers stroked a lock of hair back from her face, and Olivia pressed her back further into the chair, skin crawling where he’d touched her.

  “You can walk out of here right now. But you won’t have a career if you do.” He inclined his head toward the window that looked out on the New York skyline, high rise after high rise. “Marshall, Avery and Shaw have a lot of clout in this city. And my name comes first in that list for a reason.” He stepped in closer, and with a tightening knot in her chest Olivia realized that he was pushing her knees open with his legs. “You’re teasing me, Olivia. And if we were somewhere other than here, I’d show you just how that teasing makes me feel. But unfortunately there are other matters to deal with.”

  Ryan stood then, abruptly, his hand trailing across Olivia’s shoulder as he straightened. She dropped her gaze, only to find that there was an unmistakable bulge at the apex of his thighs. Her eyes went wide, and she turned her head away, but not before she saw Ryan watching her, his lips turned up in a knowing grin.

  “You see what you do to me? It’s always been like this. You lead me on and then leave me wanting. Even when you were engaged to Patrick you were flaunting yourself in front of me at every chance you had. What is a man supposed to do with that, hmm?”

  Finally, he stepped away. Olivia pressed her knees tight together, tugging her skirt down. She rose shakily from her chair to gather her notes and files. Ryan took a seat behind his desk. She glanced at him, then quickly away; she was certain he had his hand in his lap, but there was no way she wanted to find out for sure.

  “I’ll... I’ll drop off the draft later. With Lori.” Olivia ducked her head, turning the doorknob. The door refused to open, and she felt her heart rate speed up again, her breath coming too fast. She tugged harder, making the door rattle in its frame.

  “Olivia,” Ryan’s cool voice cut in. “Unlock the door.”

  Right. It was locked. Olivia thumbed the catch, jerking open the door and all but tumbling into the narrow hall that separated Ryan’s office from Lori’s cubicle. Lori looked up, startled, as Olivia gained her feet and hurried around the corner.

  Olivia flung open the door to the stairwell, heading up a flight to the law library rather than heading back down to her own floor. Clutching her files, she darted into the farthest corner of the stacks and pulled out a chair at one of the empty tables, dumping her papers carelessly across the polished mahogany.

  What the hell ju
st happened? She realized belatedly that she was trembling. Not just her hands this time, but the entirety of her. She sat hunched forward, clutching her hands between her knees, and forced herself to take slow, deep breaths until she felt less like she was on the verge of a panic attack. In the quiet of the library, she allowed herself to think about the meeting with Ryan.

  It was clear he was harassing her. But she had no way of proving it. He’d been right, when he said that they would take his word over hers. And he’d set her up, that day that she’d tripped into his arms in the door of his office. Too many people would have seen exactly what he wanted them to see. Any first-year law student could predict the outcome of a case like this one.

  So where did that leave her? He’d threatened not only to take the case away, but to ruin her entire career. A career she needed; law school hadn’t been cheap.

  She couldn’t abandon Logan either, not with his case against Ashton just starting, not when he’d asked for her specifically.

  But she knew Ryan held a great deal of power in the firm. He’d made his mark long ago, and his rank among the other senior partners proved it. Anyone who crossed Ryan would find themselves out on the street. And in the small world that lawyers inhabited, word got around fast. A bad word from Marshall, Avery and Shaw would mean every door closed against her.

  And Melissa was gone. Olivia frowned, not quite sure where the younger woman fell in all this. Granted, there was a grain of truth to Ryan’s claims of unprofessionalism, but Melissa’s overall performance far outshone the occasional lapse.

  It was all too much to deal with in the office. She still had cases to work on and hiding away in the library wouldn’t keep Ryan from finding her. Olivia rose, gathering her things, and headed downstairs. The sight of Melissa’s empty desk as she stepped off the elevator made her heart sink. I’ll call her at lunch...

  Sitting behind her desk, eyes scanning over the clutter, she wondered where to start. She glanced at her watch. A good solid hour for Logan’s case, she decided, then she’d figure out where to go with the rest. Pushing Ryan from her mind, she opened the case file and notes and lost herself in the details of the lawsuit, in the precise language of the legal system, knowing she was doing this for Logan.