by Ursula Dukes
“For goodness sake Dominique your only 31 years old. I know how much you love Stephen and Teddy sweetie but don’t you think that they would want you to be happy and live the rest of your life to the fullest and find love again?”
“Oh that sounds all well and good Pam but I am not sure I want to do that, I’m not even sure that I can.”
“Well Dom, if it does happen, then please do me a favor and let it. You have been through so very much and you need to start to feel again. Now I’ll get off my soap box and let you ponder on what I’ve said.”
Dominique was going to miss their late night conversations while drinking wine. I guess we’ll have to do it over the phone, she told herself as she finished putting on her makeup.
Taking one last glance in the mirror, Dominique was pleased with the final result. She had chosen to wear a pair of wide leg black pinstriped slacks and a white scoop neck form fitting blouse. She wore her long black curls in a subtle hair clip, and her makeup was minimal. They had told her that the attire was casual but professional. Slipping on her high heel Mary Jane shoes and armed with directions just in case she forgot how to get to her new job, she was ready to go.
Adam wanted to hit the snooze button on his alarm, but thought better of it as he had to get to work. He had a couple cases to work on and would have to spend most of the day going over some old files. “Great,” he said out loud, “there’s no file clerk either.” This meant he was going to have to suck it up and search for the files himself. He also did not want to miss Brandon’s so-called first day on the job. Their father had convinced the partners to hire him as a temporary investigator.
He was to report only to his father and investigate anyone whom the firm thought suspicious, whether it be a worker’s comp case or a spouse who was about to come into a large sum of money due to a divorce. One thing Brandon was good at was being able to blend in and that’s just what the firm was looking for, someone no one would notice following them. I wonder how long this will last.
Adam thought, as he finished shaving, leaving his skin soft and smooth. Since he didn’t have to appear in court this morning, he chose to wear a pair of khaki pants and white button down shirt. Today would have been the perfect day to work from home, if it weren’t for needing those damn files I would have, he thought to himself as he headed out the door.
The lobby of the building that housed the Caruso, Lawson and Dorr Law firm stood on Seaport Blvd. and Dominique found it with no problems; she had even managed to find the parking garage where the employees could park for free. A short walk took her right to the building.
Once she signed in at the main desk, she got onto the elevator and joined several others on their way to work at the various offices that were in the same building. Her job was on the fifth floor, she was thankful for that because if the elevator was ever out of order, handling five floors would be a task but not too difficult of one she’d hoped.
Stepping off the elevator she walked towards a very large front desk, it seemed to go from one end of the room to another. Behind it sat three receptionists. She remembered the desk from her interview but it seemed much bigger this time. Several of the female employees glanced her way giving her the once over as Molly, one of the receptionists showed her to her office.
Dominique made it a point to smile and nod to as many people as she could. She had hoped to make friends with some of her new co-workers, but if it wasn’t in the cards then she would keep things strictly professional, come to work every day, do her job, and do it damn good and then go home. I’m not here to make friends anyway, she thought to herself as the stares grew more intense.
Jonathan knew that he was going to have to meet Dominique this morning, as his firm had made it policy to introduce any and all employees to the rest of the office and the new file clerk Dominique would be no exception. He also knew that he was going to have to introduce his son Brandon as well. But that shouldn’t pose a problem, thought Jonathan, as Brandon has no idea of who Dominique is and it will be my job to make sure that neither of them ever finds out. Adam, always the inquisitive one had begun to ask too many questions. But hopefully after last night, I set him straight, thought Jonathan as he pulled his Mercedes into the parking space reserved for the head of the firm.
Molly was the name of the receptionist whose job it was to show Dominique to her office and give her the rest of her paperwork to fill out. So far she seemed to be the only one in the office who welcomed her.
“Don’t let them intimidate you,” said Molly. “They are just checking you out, it’s what they do. But don’t take it personally, not all of us are stuck up,” she said laughing as she turned on the lights in the dark, dismal filing area.
Dominique’s office was located at the very end of the floor, in the farthest corner, past the offices, bathrooms and conference rooms. The entire filing area was closed off with partitions and in front of each one stood a gray metal filing cabinet. Dominique counted fifteen in all. There were long conference tables with lamps set up in the middle, much like that of a library.
“Well here’s your office, you’ll get your name on the door once your 30 days are up and if you decide to stay,” she said with a hopeful grin.
“Now, the filing system is a bit old fashioned, but all the files are in alphabetical order and any files that are taken out should be put back right away. They don’t like it if we leave client files out, even though no clients are allowed back here,” she said shrugging her shoulders.
So that’s about the jest of it, there’s your computer, I’ll set you up with a password a little later and give you some more tips but for now I’m to take you to our daily morning meeting, now this is where you get to meet everyone who works in the firm,” she said rolling her eyes. “I hope you’re not shy,” Molly said as she handed Dominique a pen and pad, then lead her into the large conference room.
Dominique had to think for a minute, was she shy? She certainly hasn’t been in this kind of situation in quite a long time, when she lived in New Hampshire she worked for a small real estate company as receptionist and never had to work around a large amount of people, this was all so new to her and as she glanced around the room, she was glad that Molly had taken a seat next to her. Once the room was practically filled and the chatter had died down, the firm’s main partner Jonathan Caruso started the meeting. Dominique watched as the older distinguished man spoke of upcoming cases and clients, she soon became enthralled with everything that was going on around her, the lawyers using law jargon, some agreeing, some disagreeing, it was quite a sight. Dominique could not imagine anyone falling asleep during these morning meetings she thought to herself.
They all look so professional she sighed to herself as she rethought her outfit. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now, she thought as she glanced around the room surveying the expensive pantsuits and dresses being worn by her colleagues. “And last but not least,” she heard Mr. Caruso saying.
Oh god here it comes, she thought, nervousness over taking her and her empty stomach.
“I’d like you all to give a warm welcome to two of the newest members of our team, Miss Dominique Foster and my son Brandon Caruso. Dominique joins our team as the new file clerk, and I think we can all thank god for that, you are a sight for sore eyes Dominique truly,” he said while giving her a genuine smile. And Brandon will be one of our investigators; he’s very good at what he does ladies and gentleman so feel free to utilize his services. Once again we welcome you both and if there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask, welcome to the family.”
Dominique could not believe that sitting in the same conference room as she, was the killer of her husband and son. She had not read anything about him being employed by the firm. Why would I? She thought to herself, today's his first day on the job as well. Dominique began to have second thoughts, I don’t know if I can work here and look at that bastards face every single day. But I’ve got to, I’ve got to be strong, it's the only way I’ll be able t
o get any kind of justice for my boys, she told herself.
A gentle nudge from Molly brought her back to the meeting. She was proud of herself, not only had she made it through the meeting, but she had managed to mask her extreme surprise and disdain for the man she knew murdered her husband and son. She wasn’t expecting to find him working at the firm though; he certainly didn't seem the type to hold any kind of job given what she had read about him online. You can do this Dominique, she silently told herself. And she could too, revenge had made her cold and she knew that in order for her to get it she would have to endure some things she never thought possible, and having to sit next to the man who murdered her husband and son was one of those things.
Chapter Seven
Adam stared in awe, he had noticed her the moment she followed Molly into the conference room and sat down. She was insanely beautiful. Her skin was the color of light cappuccino, she had wonderful bright brown eyes and her long jet black curls were being held back with a hair clip. He couldn’t help but think of how sensual and exotic she must look with her hair down. Her sexy, voluptuous shape made him instantly fantasize about what it would feel like to slowly undress her. He had to snap himself out of his haze. Adam was used to getting any woman he wanted, but this was one woman whom he knew once would never be enough and she would certainly cast a spell over him like no other. He was so very glad that he chose to come into work today.
Instead of thinking of ways to blow off work so he could head down to Mickey’s bar and catch up with Nick, Brandon had decided to stick around maybe get to know the employees, especially the new file clerk. He wasn’t paying attention in the meeting until that cute little number was introduced. He would have to figure out a way to get a piece of that. He said to himself as he made his way towards the file room.
Although he knew all about Dominique Foster and had seen blurry photographs of her that were taken by his investigator, Jonathan Caruso had not planned on her being quite so attractive. In his profession he had certainly met his fair share of attractive women, but he had to admit, Dominique Foster was stunning and he'd bet his career that she was not aware of it. And if he knew his boys like he thought he did, this could prove to be a problem.
Oh he had no doubt that a woman who has been through what Dominique has been through would not be interested in a man like Brandon, but he also knew that wouldn’t stop his son from trying. But Adam on the other hand, Adam was quite the ladies’ man, always has been and hopefully for his sake, he'd find his plate too full to add another woman to it, but Jonathan already knew that that was wishful thinking. He knew that Adam would fall and fall hard.
After Molly had assigned her a password and collected the rest of her paperwork, Dominique wanted to get acclimated with her surroundings. She started by going through some of the filing cabinets and after finding them in order, moved on to her next task. She was already receiving e-mails from attorneys requesting client files and it was her job to pull them all, quickly go over them to make sure that the paperwork inside corresponded with the client name on the outside.
Once everything checked out she was to put them in the bin labeled with the attorneys name and once they showed up to retrieve their work she would have a sign out sheet ready to go. When that was all taken care of, she was then responsible for logging it all into the computer along with the length of time that the attorney was keeping hold of the file. It was quite similar to checking out a book at the library, Molly had told her, but the step of documenting not only on paper but on the computer as well was an extra precaution, that the partners had come up with.
The first email Dominique received was from Adam Caruso, he needed a large amount of files so Dominique decided on getting started on his first. The others would have to wait, she would let them know that she would pull files on a first come first served basis, meaning who ever got their email to her first would be taken care of first. It was her department to run as she saw fit, Molly told her. Once she pulled the twelve charts for Adam, Dominique carried them to her desk and began going through them. Luckily for her, everything was in order and as she was placing the files in Adam's bin, she heard a gentle tap on her door.
“Hi and welcome, I’m Adam Caruso nice to meet you,” he said holding out his hand.
Wow, thought Dominique as she shook his hand. I am in serious trouble if all the men here look like this, she blushed. “It's nice to meet you Mr. Caruso, and thank you for the welcome, I’ve got your files all ready for you, if you wouldn’t mind signing them out first please?” Dominique hoped that she sounded professional and not like some newbie who didn’t know how to do her job.
“Well you are quite efficient aren’t you Miss Foster?” he said, his voice a bit scrutinizing.
“Oh god am I over doing it? I am aren't I? You'll have to forgive me, I'm still nervous. Gotta get the hang of things still,” she said fidgeting with the paperwork on her desk. It certainly didn't help that this very attractive man was not taking his eyes off of her.
Adam gently placed his hand on her arm to calm her. “You’re doing just fine Miss Foster,” he said slowly withdrawing his hand.
She didn’t pull away, he thought to himself, that’s a good sign, although the second I leave she could file a sexual harassment charge against me for unwanted touching. God I hope she doesn’t do that, he sighed to himself.
“I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to touch you just then, I meant no disrespect or anything like that Miss Foster.”
Dominique smiled.
“Sorry just isn’t going to cut it buddy, you just got yourself into a hell of a lot of trouble. And on my first day too, god, can’t you men keep it in your pants? I'm so going to report you.”
The look on his face was priceless and Dominique had to turn her back to him as she tried to suppress her laugh.
“I'm so sorry Miss Foster, I had no idea that you would take it that way, please, I meant nothing by it, I was simply trying to calm your nerves, I can see now that that was a mistake. I apologize.”
Adam had this woman pegged all wrong, she was all about business and nothing else. From now on I will get my files after hours, he told himself. There is no way this woman is going to want to be within ten feet of me.
Dominique turned and stared intently into his eyes, gorgeous green eyes with flecks of hazel in them. A grin crept across her face. “I was just joking with you, god, do I look that stuffy?” She asked folding her arms and sitting on top of her desk.
Adam let out an exasperated gasp as he leaned up against a smaller file cabinet located across from her desk. God this woman is beautiful, he thought to himself.
“Well you certainly had me going Miss Foster, and that is something that many have tried but failed to do, so good for you, but you do know that I’ll be getting you back right?” he asked smiling a devilish grin. “We may be a very high profile law firm but that doesn’t mean a few of us don’t like to play practical jokes on each other from time to time. It breaks the monotony Miss Foster, so you have been warned.”
“Oh call me Dominique please and thanks for the warning Mr. Caruso but I think I can handle myself.”
“Well, I certainly have no doubts about that Dominique and please call me Adam, Mr. Caruso is my father, but please don’t hold that against me,” he said with a grin, a very sexy grin Dominique noticed. Shit, I’ve gotta get this man out of my office. He's making my mind go to places where it should no longer go. I've got a job to do and I can't have this distraction, even if it is a deliciously handsome one.
“Well Adam, if you are planning on playing any practical jokes on me I need to be employed here and in order for me to do that I need to get to work so if you don’t mind signing the files out...”
“Of course, of course, I’ve kept you long enough Dominique, if you need anything, any help or anything, I'll be in the office all day. So don’t hesitate to ask me anything, anything at all.”
Dominique was quite doubtful that he was referring to any questions
of the filing nature but she thought the offer quite charming just the same.
“Well thank you Adam, I’ll keep that in mind,” she said giving him a warm smile. If she had met him under different circumstances, she could easily fall for him.
But this was work and she was a widow who had lost her husband and son, she wasn’t sure if she was ready for anything yet. And besides that, he’s the brother of the man who murdered my family, starting a relationship with him would be absurd, absolutely out of the question. But still, there was something about Adam that she found quite intriguing, she couldn’t put her finger on it yet, but there was definitely something that Adam Caruso had that made him incredibly charming, she thought to herself, too bad he's related to a killer.
But she did enjoy the subtle flirting; it was nice to feel like she still “had it.”
“You already annoying the new person little brother?” said Brandon as he sauntered into her office. Adam could not help but roll his eyes at the unwanted distraction.
“No Brandon, as a matter of fact Miss Foster was just telling me that she is incredibly busy, so let’s give her some room and let her get back to work shall we?” He told his brother as he all but pushed him out of her office.
“Alright, alright, bro, hey sorry about that, I’ll come back later and introduce myself the right way,” he said glaring at his brother Adam.
Dominique just smiled and waved. She was thankful to Adam for steering his obnoxious brother away. She had wasted enough time talking with Adam and she certainly didn't want the likes of his brother coming into her office anytime soon. If it were up to me, she thought to herself, the next time I'd want to see you would be if you were lying on the floor dead.