“No. I know what they are going to want to bring in, so the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can move on to…other things. Have it done before you go home.”
And with that, I disappeared. At least that is what it felt like. He had dismissed me completely and was now absorbed in his computer screen. I felt a tap on my shoulder. Rebecca. I followed her out of the room and into a small cubicle nearby.
“Here is where you will be working,” she said in a musical, lilting voice. “Don’t worry, I put some good examples on there. Just read up on the cases cited in the examples and you’ll figure it out.” She gave me a warm smile and returned to her desk.
Chapter 9 - Cora
I opened the Surface and logged in with the password Rebecca gave me. The desktop was pretty bare bones, just a couple of folders and one of those pictures of Los Angeles on the one clear day with snow on the mountains as the background. I remember when I was looking at colleges, all of the LA schools seemed to have taken helicopter shots of their campuses on the same day because they all had that bright, sunny shot with the snowy mountains in the background. As long as I’d lived in Southern California, I couldn’t remember actually seeing a day like that.
I started opening folders and files. The only things I had access to were directly relevant to the assignment. I opened one of the example filings and started reading, but I had trouble focusing. Something was stuck in my head. Before I’d left Asher’s office, when he talked about moving on to ‘other things’ I felt like he wasn’t talking about another assignment. There was a little change in his voice, like he was signaling. Maybe I was right. Maybe Office Asher was the cold professional, but he had another side to him.
But then again, he told me to have it done before I went home, not indicating at all that he even wanted to see me again before the day was over. He had been dismissive, shuffling me off to go to work as if he hadn’t kissed me two nights ago. I mean, I believed in being professional, but come on. Maybe he just had to play it cool because Rebecca was there. I was his boss’s niece, after all. Maybe he was worried about getting in trouble.
I brought the kiss up in my mind. I wasn’t exactly inexperienced, I had had a number of boyfriends in high school and college, but I hadn’t been kissed like that before. The intensity was off the charts. It was like kissing a live wire, but instead of getting shocked, it just sent waves of pleasure rolling throughout my body. As I sat there, outside Asher’s office, I thought to myself, ‘If just a kiss was that good, how would it feel to go further?’ Not that I was even sure I wanted it to go anywhere in real life. I mean, he may have just been drunk, regretted the kiss, and wanted to forget about it. Maybe there wasn’t anyone except Office Asher, other than what I created in my own head.
But at the same time, he was ridiculously hot. His suit looked like it had been cut and sewn around him, revealing a lean but muscular, athletic body. I let my imagination fill in the rest. In my head, I peeled away every layer. By the time I got him down to his black boxer briefs, I had started to get excited. The sound of a rolling office chair snapped me out of it. Rebecca got up from her desk and walked off toward another part of the office.
I realized that nearly half an hour had passed and I was still reading the first paragraph of the example motion. I berated myself silently and refocused on what I was supposed to be doing. There was no point fantasizing about Asher if I was going to look like a fool for not finishing my assignment.
I opened a new Word file from the selection of templates and began piecing together the motion. Because there were no depositions, pieces of testimony, written sources, or other kinds of actual evidence yet, I had to be a bit vague. The computer contained a document with some information about Amber Warner’s past that Asher suspected the prosecution might want to bring up, so that is what I used as the basis for the motion.
According to the documents I read, Amber became Mr. Croft’s assistant after he had met her when she was working as a stripper at a club in Las Vegas. Amber also had an arrest for solicitation, though she was never formally charged. The prosecution would probably want to talk about how the defendant met the victim, but given the probability that at least some members of the jury might be skeptical of a woman who had worked in the sex industry, it would be best to prevent that whole part of her life from coming in.
I was so busy flipping between five open documents, copying and pasting citations to cases or code sections from several different example motions while I referenced Amber’s background document, that I didn’t notice someone standing right next to my desk. A heavy paper bag landed with a thud and I nearly jumped out of my chair.
“Oh my god, are you ok? I didn’t mean to scare you,” Rebecca said, nearly as surprised as I was.
“I’m fine. Sorry.”
“No problem, good to see you are working hard. I brought you lunch, by the way. Avocado, quinoa, and wheat berry salad.”
I ate lunch with one hand and continued scrolling through documents with the other until my eyes started to glaze over. I checked down at the bottom right of the screen and saw it was already almost two o’clock. The motion itself was done and I was about halfway finished with the points and authorities memo. I decided to take a break. My legs were getting sore from sitting so long without moving.
“Rebecca, do you want anything from downstairs? I’m going to get a coffee.”
“Thanks, I’m good. How are you coming along? Need any help?”
“Umm, I think I am ok. I was a little bit confused by People v Hill and the issue of materiality. If we don’t know how the prosecution is going to argue the case, how can I show that the way she met the victim isn’t of consequence?”
Before she could answer, another voice came in from behind me. Asher.
“Don’t worry too much about Hill,” he said. I turned around to face him. I hadn’t heard him approach. The carpet in the office was thick, muffling the sound of footsteps. “That case is mainly useful for the definition. Focus on People v Ewoldt and the prior act angle as well as undue influence. We have to keep out anything about her past that doesn’t specifically indicate a propensity for similar, violent acts.”
“Thank you for the clarification.”
“Were you going somewhere?”
“Yes, I was just going to take a break and get some coffee.”
“You aren’t finished with the motion yet?”
“No, like I said, I am just taking a break.”
“Rebecca, go get Cora here a cup of coffee.”
The buxom paralegal got up silently and left for the elevator. I looked a question at Asher. Who the hell did he think he was?
“I told you that I needed this done before you left for the day. The less time you waste, the earlier you will be done. You don’t want to spend all evening working, do you?”
He said that last bit with a straight face, no expression. Yet, I thought that I saw something there. Was I just imagining things?
Chapter 10 - Cora
I returned to my work and kept my head buried in the memorandum the rest of the afternoon. By the time I finally finished, most of the office was empty. The large windows let in the sunlight as it passed from golden yellow to reddish-orange as it rushed down toward the Pacific. My body was tight from sitting all day, so I stood up and took a couple of paces up and down the hallway. A few paralegals were still working at their desks, but most of the associates had left for the day.
Stretching my legs, I could feel the blood rushing back into my muscles, easing the tension from my shoulders and my back. When I returned to my area, I felt considerably better and more relaxed. Then all of that disappeared when I saw Asher leaning against my desk.
“Are you done? Or were you just taking another break?”
I wanted to snap back at him, ‘Another? You didn’t even let me get coffee.” But I held my tongue.
“I’m done. Should I upload the file to the case folder?”
“Oh, there’s no need. It wil
l be weeks or more before we have to file a motion, if we ever do. And we will rewrite it then, anyway. You can just delete it.”
It took all of my self-discipline to stop myself from screaming.
“You mean, I worked my ass off all day for nothing?”
He cocked his head to the side and his eyes dropped down.
“You haven’t worked it all the way off.”
I felt a surge go through me. On the one hand, I was angry. Not only had I worked hard all day for nothing, apparently, but then he just casually checks me out using a cheesy line? At the same time, though, it was exciting to see how his eyes ran over my body. There was a hunger in his gaze that was just barely hidden.
“Fine,” he said, quickly returning to a professional demeanor. “Let me take a look at what you’ve done. Follow me.” He turned on his heel and walked into his office. I was pulled along behind him, like a yacht’s wake.
The spare décor of his office was tinged pink by the setting sun that shone in as it dropped to the horizon. He said nothing as he crossed over to his desk and sat down. I took my own seat across from him and waited. He had apparently dismissed me entirely as he clicked around on his computer. He was completely focused, which gave me the opportunity to look him over without reservation.
He was impeccably put together. Even at the end of a long day, nothing was out of place. His hair, cut close on the sides and longer on top, looked like he had just come back from the salon. A slight five o’clock shadow had appeared on his face, giving a tinge of darkness along his cheeks and jawline. I saw his jaw muscles flex and relax as his eyes scanned from side to side.
It felt strange, sitting there while he read my work. I felt more confident with him looking over my body than my writing. After college and law school, I was used to my work being judged, but never by anyone who I was attracted to. It made me feel vulnerable in a way I hadn’t expected. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. He was completely silent, pouring his eyes over my day’s efforts.
After what felt like an hour, but was in truth only a few minutes, he looked up. He held me in his gaze for a few moments. His face was unreadable. Finally, he spoke.
“Not bad. It should be shorter, though. You only need to say things once.”
“Ok, thank you,” I started, but he cut me off by raising his hand. I settled into silence again.
“You won’t be coming in to the office tomorrow morning,” he said.
What? I thought he had just said my work was ok. Was I being fired from an unpaid internship for no reason? My mind raced around trying to find an explanation and a response. But it was unnecessary because he continued.
“The arraignment is at nine a.m. at the criminal courthouse. Do you know where that is?”
“Umm, yes. Of course.”
“Good. Park at this lot and save the receipt.” He scribbled a note on a Post-it and tossed it across the table.
“Should I prepare anything?”
“No, the arraignment is pretty simple. She just enters a plea and we request bail. But I want you there.”
I nodded and got up to leave. The sun had sunk entirely below the horizon behind Asher. He was now even more in shadow and the light filling the office was slowly fading to a pale purple.
“I didn’t say we were finished. Did I?”
I froze in a half-standing position and then slowly sank back into the chair. He held me there with his eyes, though the rest of him was unmoving.
He reached under his desk with his right hand. I heard a button click. I turned around to see that the glass walls of the office had darkened. I could no longer see out into the hallway, but the window looking out toward Santa Monica and the sunset was still clear. Asher sat there, framed against the sky, while the rest of the room grew dark.
“Now that you have finished your work, we have some other business that was left unfinished.”
Chapter 11- Cora
He rose up out of his chair, the casters making no noise on the soft carpet. He took a few steps around the side of his desk and stood right in front of me. Unsure of what to do, I kept sitting. I quickly realized that my face was level with his waist. I let my eyes focus on the growing bulge barely restrained by his tailored pants.
I looked up, bringing my eyes up slowly along his torso, imagining what it will look like once his shirt is removed, and meet his eyes. They were blazing with desire. They took on a light of their own in the darkening room.
My heart started to beat faster and I could feel the blood pumping throughout my body. The desire that I had felt for him since I first followed him to his office built, redoubling on itself like I was being pumped full of air. I could feel the deepest parts of me swelling with energy, growing more sensitive and alive. He was so hot! He hadn’t even touched me yet and I was ready to explode.
“Cora, do you have any idea how sexy you are?”
I wanted to respond, but my tongue felt so heavy I would probably have just mumbled nonsense. It didn’t seem to matter. He ran his hand along the side of my face, tracing his fingers along my cheek and then down my neck. I felt a tingle spreading out from wherever my skin was touched. His fingers were soft and gentle, but his touch was like an electric wire. He brought his whole hand up through my hair, activating all the little nerve endings in my scalp, sending shivers down my back that resonated in between my thighs, making the little muscles jump and tense.
“I have wanted you since the first moment I saw you. I never wanted to have an intern, but you…”
He didn’t finish his thought. He didn’t need to. Even for lawyers, actions can sometimes speak louder than words.
His eyes were hypnotizing pools of light in the darkening room. His hand tightened around my hair, pulling at the roots with a sweet, sharp pain. He held my head in place as he leaned down to kiss me. I parted my lips slightly, waiting to receive him. But the kiss did not land on my lips. Gently, but firmly, he pulled my head to the side and began kissing the side of my face. His lips landed eagerly, firmly on my cheek, then worked their way along my jaw and onto my neck. If I thought my body was tingling before, I began to literally quiver.
He buried his face in my hair and I heard him breathing in deeply through his nose. He let out a little moan and then gave my earlobe a playful nip. I could feel myself clench and relax deliciously. He pulled back, softening his grip on my hair. I leaned forward, not wanting to break contact, but he was back up, leaning against the desk.
Frustrated at the interruption, I found my voice.
“Did you plan this whole thing? Did you make me write that memo just so you could get me alone here tonight?”
He looked at me as if I had just said the funniest thing in the world.
“Of course not. I had to see what kind of person you are. Now I know.”
Before I could ponder what he meant by that, he took both of my hands in his and pulled me up and then stepped toward me so that we were just barely touching. I could feel his stiffness against my hip. I wanted to grind into him, but first I wanted to see where he took things. He draped my hands on his shoulders, guiding me like I was a doll, and placed his own hands on my hips, turning us around like we were in a dance with no music. When we had spun in a half-circle, he gripped my hips hard and hoisted me up onto his desk. I was surprised at how strong he was. He wasn’t that big, but he tossed me up onto the desk like it was nothing. He didn’t utter a sound.
The sun was all the way down now and the office was filled with the deep purple half-light of dusk. The deep shadows accentuated the perfect lines of his face. I shifted on the desk, rubbing my thighs together in a way I hoped he recognized was intentional. He took my hands from around his neck and laid them back at my sides. He grasped my jacket by the lapels and pushed it backward. I wriggled to get my shoulders free and let him slide the jacket over my arms. The movement brought his face to my neck again and he nuzzled it once more, breathing in the aroma from my hair.
By the time he had straightened back up
, I was already fumbling at the buttons on his shirt. He allowed me to fumble, seemingly enjoying my awkwardness. I hadn’t spent much time unbuttoning buttons on someone else’s shirt. Finally, I finished with the buttons and pushed his shirt back over his shoulders. It was tight, fitted, so it didn’t move easily. But once the shirt fell to the floor, I was confronted with a marble statue come to life. What was it about a suit that made it impossible to see what a man looked like? I sucked in a short, surprised breath.
He smiled knowingly. He must have been accustomed to this kind of reaction from dozens of other girls. At that moment, I didn’t care. He was mine right then.
I only had a moment to appreciate what I’d just unwrapped because he was up against me again. His own fingers were decidedly more dexterous in unbuttoning my blouse. It was off before I could even move to help. A worried thought flashed through my head as he started to pull my shirt open, but then I remembered I had worn a new powder blue bra and panty set today. I hadn’t expected anyone to see them, but I always felt more confident when I wore nice underwear. I was glad that I had.
My blouse off completely, Asher wove his fingers into my hair again, pulling my head back to receive a firm, demanding kiss. I could feel his need, his hunger in that kiss. I moaned into his mouth, the sound muffled and weak. I tried to respond, but he held me firm.
His other hand, meanwhile, snaked around my back and snapped open my bra clasp. He stopped kissing me and pulled away. He pulled the shoulder straps off so they drooped against my arms. Slowly, he traced a finger along my rib cage, just under my breasts. I sat up, arching my back. He hooked one finger in between the cups of my bra and pulled it away. I let my arms angle forward so it slid off more easily. My nipples, exposed to the cool office air, began to harden.
“You have beautiful breasts, Cora. I’ve been waiting all day and, suffice to say, I am not disappointed.”
Punitive Damages Page 5