by Donna Hill
Khendra shifted in her chair with as much nonchalance as she could summon. “What are you saying exactly, Mr. Counts?” she asked slowly.
“I’m saying—we’re saying—that we want you to stay on with the firm. And—” he stood up and walked toward he desk—“I’d be more than willing to back you for a partnership at the end of our next quarter. Of course, you realize that with my endorsement it would virtually be guaranteed.”
Khendra was stunned. Her ploy had worked better than she could have possibly anticipated. Now, not only would she not have to eat her words, but Mr. Counts was offering his support for a partnership. As her spirits soared, her mind raced in every direction. She felt like a tight coil ready to spring. But she kept her excitement in check. There had to be a catch.
“Why the end of the next quarter? Why not now?” she asked as calmly as she could.
“We’ll be doing a lot of revamping within the next three months. As you know, Mr. McMahon will be retiring shortly. That leaves a senior partner slot open, which we intend to fill with one of the junior partners. That leaves a junior partner position open.”
Khendra pursed her lips and slowly rose from her seat. She had to play this right or she would blow it. Slow down, girl, and don’t let your mouth run faster than your brain. “How much time do I get to think about this, Mr. Counts?”
For a brief second, he looked shocked, which pleased Khendra tremendously. She mustn’t let him think she was too eager.
“Think about it? I thought you would be more than happy to get a solid shot at a partnership.”
“Under the circumstances, I’d like some time to think it over. It’s hard for me to digest, especially after our earlier meeting. You must admit, this is a big turnaround.” Her face remained unreadable.
“I see,” he said, as though reconsidering his approach. “I can assure you that my offer is airtight. And your salary, of course, would be doubled.”
Khendra moved slowly from behind her desk. A partnership, she thought. This was what she had dreamed of, what she had worked so hard to obtain. But she had just been burned by the firm that morning. She had to proceed with caution. She looked Alex squarely in the eyes, her voice firm, her heart quaking.
“I’ll get back to you by the end of the week. Is that satisfactory?” She knew she was pushing her luck, but she was going to play it out. If they wanted her badly enough, they would wait for her decision.
“Ms. Phillips—” Alex gave her a condescending smile—“you’re a tough negotiator. I look forward to hearing from you by the end of the week.”
“Thank you, Mr. Counts. For the offer,” she added, giving him her most professional smile. She extended a well-manicured hand, relief flowing through her.
Instead of shaking her hand, Alex brought it to his lips and placed a warm kiss across her knuckles. Then, ever so slowly, he released her hand from his grasp. Khendra remained impassive, her disbelief rendering her immobile.
“You intrigue me, Khendra.” It was the first time he had said her given name, and he instantly liked the sound of it rolling off his lips. “I’d like the opportunity to get to know you better. Perhaps over dinner some evening?”
His question sounded more like a statement to her startled ears. “Perhaps, Mr. Counts. However, I couldn’t begin to think about that right now. I’m sure you can understand that.” She drew herself up to her full five-feet, eight-inch height, jutting her chin forward in a firm gesture.
“Of course,” he said, his interest mounting in the prepossessing young woman. “You have a lot of potential. You’re one of the best criminal attorneys I’ve seen in a long time. And believe me, I’ve seen them come and go.” He gave her an intimate look. “I could, personally, see to it your career goes a long way…Khendra.” With that he turned and strode out of the office.
This was getting more curious by the minute.
Khendra sat back down, trying to absorb the implications of the conversation. She kept coming up with the same answers, but she had to be wrong. Alex Counts was a married man. Maybe she misread him. Yes, that had to be it.
However, if she decided to see this thing through, it would have to be her way, and she would never allow herself to be at the mercy of Alex Counts. She couldn’t…wouldn’t compromise her values, not even the job of her dreams. She had a lot of thinking to do, four days to do it in. Then that catchall phrase came back to her, “…it’s airtight.” Nothing is airtight, she reminded herself once again. Nothing at all.
CHAPTER THREE
Fighting off waves of exhaustion, Khendra waded through the stacks of notes and transcripts that decorated her well-worn desk, pushing the events of the day to the back of her mind. She worked steadily for hours, poring over the pages in front of her. Periodically she made comments into her tape recorder and hastily scribbled others on her yellow pad. She continued to work until the shadow of evening fell over her shoulders. Pulling herself up from her huddled position, she rolled her neck to relieve the stiffness. She removed her square red-rimmed glasses and stretched her slender arms high above her head.
As if awakening from a trance, she realized it had grown unusually dark and the normally busy hallways were all but silent. She could just make out the far-off sounds of the methodic tapping of a printer and the tinkling bell of the elevator as it touched down on her floor.
Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, she checked her watch and realized it was only six-fifteen. Where was everyone? Six o’clock was almost lunchtime for many of the attorneys who worked at MC&P. Then, in a flash of recollection, it came back to her. Leslie had said hours ago that everyone was leaving early due to the storm warnings that had been issued on the news service. She vaguely remembered nodding her response and waving Leslie away with a toss of her hand. She had been so engrossed in her work, she hadn’t really given the warning any attention.
Now, her large brown eyes swept toward the window. The sunless sky was nearly black. Heavy, ominous clouds hovered above like hungry vultures, waiting to release a barrage on the hapless victims beneath. Her eyes trailed to the street below, watching in fascination as the glare of car lights bit across the gray concrete, silhouetting the anxious commuters as they hurried home to safety.
Home, Khendra thought with a reluctant sigh, turning away from the window. Home…just another place to be alone. At least here in the office and in the courtroom there were the noises, the phones, the cases. At home, there were only memories and endless hours until tomorrow.
She slept better now, she thought absently, slipping her notes into her briefcase. At least the ache was dull, the edge gone. She didn’t wake up at night with that empty sensation. And she had long ago stopped asking herself why. It was better this way, she had concluded. No attachments, no loss, no pain. Her work was enough.
She reached for her jacket hanging on the brass rack, just as a blast of thunder roared through the heavens. It seemed like everything vibrated at once, including her heart. It was on a night very much like this one that—. She wouldn’t think about it. Not again. As she shook her head to rid her memory of those haunting images, a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. Any moment now the heavens would open, Khendra thought, grabbing her briefcase and jacket in one swoop.
She walked to the door, opened it, and turned to look over her office. Satisfied that she hadn’t forgotten anything, she locked the door and headed for the elevator. She pressed the button marked “G,” and the elevator quietly descended to the garage level beneath the building. On a night like tonight, a parking space in the building was one luxury she could truly appreciate.
The garage was nearly empty. Only a few cars dotted the underground cavern. The only sound was the click of her heels reverberating throughout the tunnel—bouncing off the pillars and back again as if to keep her company.
Just as she reached her black Volvo and started to insert the key into the door lock, she heard the roar of an engine and was instantly caught in the glare of oncoming lights. The car
was coming straight toward her at full speed. She couldn’t move. For a hysterical moment, she reacted like a fawn on a highway, paralyzed by the headlights. She automatically shut her eyes, fearing the worst. Then, just as abruptly as it had appeared, the car came to a screeching halt alongside her car. Relieved, she opened her eyes and set them on none other than Sean Michaels. How many times in one day would she wish that she could smack him?
He stepped out of the driver’s side of his silver BMW and carelessly leaned across the hood. His ebony eyes remained fixed on the face he hadn’t been able to get out of his head all day.
“I was waiting for you,” he said easily.
Her heart skipped a beat. “What for?” She wanted to feel angry, but instead was suddenly flattered.
He glided around the front of his car and stood beside her. The scent of his cologne raced through her senses, leaving her feeling weak and breathless. She instinctively took a step backward and averted her eyes. Fighting to control the tremor in her hand, she attempted to insert the key once again. She had to get away. But in one leisurely motion he plucked the key from her nerveless fingers and slid it into the tiny lock. He was so close to her now, she could swear she heard his heart hammering against his chest. Or was it her heart?
“Weren’t you going to wait for my answer?” He pulled the door open and handed her the key.
She could feel the heat of his breath brush across her cheek. A flutter pumped through her insides. “Not really. She clasped the key in her hand and stooped to get into her car. “It was a rhetorical question.” She refused to look at him.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, stalling her.
“I’ll answer you anyway.” His voice was so deep it seemed to reach down to her toes and thread its way up through her every muscle, making them feel like hot melting wax. “I wanted to see you.”
Those simple words rocketed through her, rendering her speechless. She had to look at him now, to see if words were sincere. She took that chance, and this time she knew the sound she heard was the echo of her own heart dancing inside her chest.
“Why would you want to see me?” Her voice sounded childlike, her eyes were wide with uncertainty. “I mean I was rather rude earlier,” she added half-apologetically.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” A teasing smile spread across his lips and lit candles in his eyes.
“Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. I’d like to make up for that. If you’ll let me.”
She lowered her eyes, then looked up at him. A slow smile graced her face. Then, she quickly caught herself. “It’s getting late. I really have to get home.”
“Why?” The question was so blunt and unexpected, it stunned her. For several seconds, she let it hang noiselessly in the air.
“It’s…it’s just that…I—”
“Is being home alone on a hot, stormy night better than enjoying some good food, some soft music and a few laughs with a coworker and potential friend?” His eyes roamed over her face as he spoke, riveting her with their intensity. “I wasn’t lying when I said I could use some beautiful company.”
Khendra resented his presumptuousness. How dare he assume she would be home alone? Her mind raced through the assortment of excuses she had stockpiled for occasions such as this. But for some reason she didn’t want to use any of them, and the realization frightened her.
“Well…I guess—”
“Great! You know your way around better than I do, so you drive.” Before she could utter a protest, he had slipped around to the passenger side of the car and seated himself.
For a moment she simply stood there, motionless. Her mouth opened, then shut when she could find no words, to fit her discomfiture. She shook her head, and in spite of herself, she burst out laughing. As she slipped behind the wheel of her car, she thought, He’s a real character.
High winds whipped through the trees, turning over trash cans and rattling windows. Pouring rain pummeled the ground, hitting the pavement so hard the drops seemed to dance before they settled. Water ran in rapid streams down the steamy streets. However, Khendra and Sean were totally unaffected. The intimate atmosphere of the restaurant provided the perfect hideaway from the wrath of Mother Nature. The soft glow of the tabletop candles gave the spacious dining room a cozy atmosphere. Tiny tables, dotted with pink linen tablecloths, were equally dispersed throughout the room, allowing all of the diners a semblance of privacy. A small dance floor was the focal point. Soft music being played by a small jazz combo emanated from a corner of the room.
Khendra sat across the table from Sean, feeling pleasantly surprised. She was totally at ease with him. His easy manner and wry wit kept her continually amused. He had a natural way of making her smile. He also had a very serious side, she discovered, when he revealed bits of information about his childhood.
“Where did you grow up, Sean?” Khendra had asked between tiny bites of the succulent steak and sips of Coke.
“Most of my life I lived in New York, in Harlem actually.”
“Really? Where?”
“Right on 135th Street and Lenox Avenue.”
“You were certainly in the heart of it.”
“You can say that again. Most of the guys I grew up with didn’t make it out of there. I guess I was lucky.”
“What happened to your friends?”
Sean took a bite of his braised chicken before he spoke. “Most of them were either killed, or jailed, or strung out by the time I was in my teens.” His eyes held a faraway look as spoke. “I guess that’s when I first became interested in law. There seemed to me no way to beat the system, so I felt the only way I could do any good was to become a part of it. And maybe, somehow, find a way to change it. I saw many young brothers and sisters become victims. When I first started out, I believed the way to fight all of the injustices was as a legal aid, helping those who couldn’t afford to get outside legal help.”
“Well, you’re a long way from that idea,” Khendra remarked, somewhat perplexed by his present course in law.
Sean smiled. “It was either that or starve. I guess I became somewhat jaded as well. When you see so much destruction going on around you every day, you tend to lose your perspective. But eventually, I intend to open my own law firm, specifically for the poor. That’s one of the main reasons I came here.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Money. Plain and simple. This position can provide me with the financial security and mobility I’ll need to get on my own.”
“What are the other reasons?” Khendra asked, her interest piqued.
It was too soon to open himself up to her completely, Sean thought. He didn’t want to scare her away. How she felt about him became suddenly important. “I’d rather not talk about it right now, if you don’t mind,” he said softly. “Maybe some other time.”
“All right,” she said, secretly pleased. At least he had said “some other time,” and the thought of another evening with Sean made her feel warm and excited inside.
They talked of inconsequential things then—music, their favorite movies, places they had been and things they had seen—the friction of their earlier meeting temporarily forgotten. The flickering flame from the warm candles seemed to accent the mood, and complement the rise of the complex feelings they were both experiencing.
As the band started a rendition of Grover Washington Jr.’s “Mr. Magic,” Sean reached for her hand. “That’s my man,” he said, tapping his foot to the pulsing beat. And before Khendra knew what was happening, he had pulled her out of her seat and swept her onto the dance floor.
He held her close, gliding her effortlessly across the smooth wooden floor with the grace of a polished dancer as he hummed in perfect tune to the music. Khendra felt his every muscle as they pressed against her. Inch by inch, she felt her insides ignite with sensations she didn’t know still existed within her. She suddenly felt safe and secure his arms. His heady scent and the comforting warmth of him held her enthralled. She forgot to be wary
and let herself be swept away in his embrace.
When the song ended, he held onto her for a second too long, looking into her eyes as if seeing her for the first time. Her heart stood still—waiting. Then he looked away, and the spell was broken. He took her hand in his and escorted her back to their table.
He was a maze of conflicts, Khendra realized as she took her seat and forced her legs to stop trembling. One moment he seemed like the international gigolo, the next, one of the most considerate and gentle men she had ever met. She was totally confused. She so wanted to find something to hold against him, to help her ward off the throbbing impulses he created within her. But she no longer could, and the split second of irrefutability quickened her pulse. Oh Lordy, she didn’t want to be a victim again. Not again.
“So tell me about you,” Sean said, breaking into her thoughts. “You’ve heard my boring life story.” He gave her an encouraging smile.
“There’s not much to tell, really.” She averted her eyes, keeping them focused on the glass in her hands.
“I’m sure you’ve had an interesting life. What about school, family, old boyfriends?” He took a sip of mineral water and waited.
“Well, I was a recluse in school. I guess these days, I could be considered a nerd.” She laughed nervously.
“I can’t imagine you being anything but extraordinary,” he said softly, the look in his eyes making her stomach do flips.
She shrugged and gave a half smile. “My only real friend was, and still is, Charisse. As for my family,” she hesitated, then sighed deeply, “they’re good people, basically. They just never really believed in me.”
This was a concept that Sean could not comprehend. Although he was from a poor family, with a mother who raised three boys alone, she always believed and told him he could do anything he set his mind to. And he never for a second believed differently.