by Candy Caine
Gordon grabbed at one of her swaying breasts and quickened his pace. Raven’s breath caught in her throat as she felt another orgasm rising from deep within her. It engulfed her entire being. Several beats later, both of them came, their grunts and moans filling the quiet of the room. After a short rest, Gordon filled the sumptuous marble bath and they stepped inside to make love again. It had been quite a night and one that was duplicated many times.
At the time, she had been so inundated with work that it never seemed strange to Raven that they got together only on certain nights. Often they’d meet at a hotel nearby her office. Several months passed, and Raven knew this was the man she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.
They had so much in common and appeared to be meant for one another, until one day when all hell broke loose and Raven’s fairy-tale life turned inside out. She’d met Gordon for lunch at a small, intimate pub. They’d just given the waitress their order when a black woman, dressed to the nines in Vera Wang and four-inch heels, stormed up to their small, round table nestled in the corner and knocked their glasses and most of the silverware onto the floor with a sweep of her Gucci crocodile purse. Heads turned in their direction as the woman screamed at Gordon at the top of her lungs.
“You cheating son of a bitch!” she yelled. “And you husband-stealing whore! Did you think I’d never find out?”
Raven began to rise from her chair to escape at the same time the enraged woman lunged for her with a steak knife. Gordon was quicker and grabbed his wife’s arm. Throwing a fifty-dollar bill down on the table to cover lunch, he hustled his wife out of the place. A thoroughly mortified Raven followed on their heels.
Raven wanted to scratch Gordon’s eyes out for lying to her. Had she known he was married, she’d never have gone out with him. Gordon was a cheating son of a bitch, and Raven truly doubted she’d been the first woman that had fallen for his lies. She sympathized with his wife.
There was nothing further to say to Gordon. He’d broken her heart, but she’d lost her innocence that day. She swore she’d never be a victim again.
* * *
The following day in court Raven introduced the testimony of her two witnesses. The ADA cross-examined them, unable to shake their testimony. There were no further witnesses for the defense, so the case rested. All that was left were the closing arguments.
Raven stayed late at the office to work on her closing argument. She had called her aunt and told her not to hold dinner for her, because she wasn’t sure what time she’d be home. The office was quiet and she could work uninterrupted.
Munching on a turkey sandwich, Raven thought about her client. It was common practice for a defense lawyer not to ask whether or not his or her client had committed the crime. Under the law, every individual was entitled to counsel and a trial judged by their peers. Lawyers had to defend their clients regardless of their personal feelings. Therefore, not knowing made the lawyer’s task easier.
This case was different for Raven. She thought Robert Grayson was guilty of robbing the convenience store and badly wounding the owner. Knowing she had a good chance to get him acquitted and put him back on the streets sickened her. Even if she hadn’t taken his case, since Robert Grayson was entitled to his day in court, another lawyer would and her refusal would change nothing.
Raven began to note the main facts she wanted to cover in her closing argument down on a legal pad. She always did this, because it helped organize her thoughts and prevent her from omitting any vital points. This was her last chance to weave the evidence into a compelling argument to sway the jury to find her client not guilty. She had already planted the seed of doubt that the prosecution’s star witness had correctly identified Grayson. In her argument she’d show how the evidence supported this idea of mistaken identity.
Engrossed in her work, Raven hadn’t heard Greg Behr walk into her office. “You’re still here?”
Raven, startled at the sound of his nasal voice, took in a sharp breath. “Need to prepare for court tomorrow.”
He moved closer to her desk, but the sickly sweet scent of his aftershave preceded him and she felt her stomach churn, nearly bringing up her sandwich. Greg Behr was one of the partners, but he would’ve been suited better as a traveling salesman selling snake oil. He had no qualms about making sexual innuendos and appeared to be always on the make. Women who knew of him tended to avoid him. His hooded, black, beady eyes scrutinized her, making her glad she couldn’t read his mind. Even so, he made her skin crawl.
“I really need to get this done…”
“All work and no play will make a very dull associate,” he said, producing a bottle of Chivas Regal and two glasses he’d hidden behind his bulk. He placed the two glasses on her desk.
“I really need a clear head to do this closing argument,” Raven protested.
“Would you refuse a drink with a name partner?” he said as he unscrewed the cap on the bottle.
Raven’s breath caught in her throat. She wasn’t certain how to respond as icy fingers of fear began to move slowly up her spine. Hadn’t this been what happened to Grace Paterno? Grace had refused the advances of Behr and ultimately brought harassment charges against him. The results weren’t pretty. Grace’s reputation had been ruined despite the fact she’d done the right thing.
As the blood thundered in her ears, Raven felt faced with a “damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t” situation. She didn’t want to “insult” this partner of the firm, because it would hurt her chances of advancement and most likely take her down the same road Grace had traveled. Nor did she want to lead Behr on, knowing his reputation. Breathing hard, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Not knowing what to do, she was about to roll the mental dice when Behr’s phone rang.
Behr took his phone from his pocket and checked the screen. He shrugged. “Gotta take this. Another time, sweetheart.”
Hearing those words sent a fresh shiver down Raven’s spine. Behr walked out, leaving the liquor and glasses behind. Raven blew out her breath as she watched him go. Her heart began to slow down, but she still felt tension behind her eyes. She’d just dodged a bullet. With unsteady hands, she stuffed her legal pad into her briefcase, grabbed her purse, and fled the office before her luck changed.
In the underground garage, Raven sat in her car several minutes until she could control the shaking that had overtaken her body. She took slow deliberate breaths until her heart was once again beating normally. She’d always known from the way that sleaze often looked at her that it was only a matter of time before he’d make his move. But because he seldom remained in the office after five o’clock, she’d never feared running into him at night—until tonight. There was no way she’d ever feel safe alone in her office again.
* * *
On her way home, Raven got caught by the long light in front of the ice cream parlor. Through the window she could see happy looking people eating ice cream. Nobody ever left that place frowning. On any given day, Raven certainly didn’t see many people leaving court that happy. Too bad, she thought. That’s what she needed in her life. A tad more happiness and a lot more fun.
The help-wanted sign she’d noticed yesterday was still prominently displayed. She wondered why there were no takers for the job. It looked like a pleasant place to work with little pressure or stress. Unless… the boss was a womanizer.
Raven was still feeling the aftershocks of her encounter with Behr. He had given her another thing to be worried about. Her stress meter was tipping way too far into the red zone to be deemed healthy. To avoid a return visit from him to retrieve his whiskey, she’d leave it with his receptionist tomorrow morning. It would be nice to think that doing so might remove his reason for returning to her office, but she knew it was only wishful thinking. Once Behr set his eyes on someone, he never gave up.
She loved being a lawyer and the adrenalin rush she got from litigation was unrivaled by anything else. It was all the other bullshit she had to deal with that was dragging
her down.
Chapter Two
The jury took only three hours to deliberate the case against Robert Grayson before they found him not guilty. Though Raven was glad she won the case, she was personally not happy about it. She could only hope that Grayson would take the trial as a wakeup call and henceforth walk the straight and narrow. In reality, though, men like Grayson didn’t. Instead, they interpreted their acquittal as a sign of invincibility, and it was only a matter of time before they committed another crime.
When Raven arrived home for dinner that night, her aunt greeted her expectantly at the door. “How did it go? Did they find him not guilty?”
Raven chuckled. “Whatever happened to ‘hello, Raven’? Can I drop my briefcase in my study first?”
“Make it quick. You know I’m dying to know the outcome.”
Raven returned to the kitchen. “That’s why I didn’t call right after court to tell you.”
“That’s harsh!” Dottie teased as she placed the casserole on the table.
“Not really. I was making certain we had something to talk about over dinner,” Raven replied as she removed two glasses from the cabinet.
“So…tell me already.”
“Grayson was found not guilty.”
Pouring iced tea into their glasses, Dottie pursed her lips. “I know it was a tough case with you feeling he was guilty and all that.”
“That it was, especially because he was the nephew of somebody high in the firm’s food chain.”
“Well, it’s still a win, and that’s good for you,” Dottie assured her. “And it’ll bring you a step closer to a partnership.”
“I guess,” Raven said, not sounding too enthusiastic.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, missy, but isn’t that what you’re working so hard for?”
Not wanting to bring her aunt down with the negativism she’d been feeling lately, Raven smiled. “I guess I’m a little tired. The adrenaline’s wearing off.”
Raven tasted the casserole and changed the subject. “Hmm, this is good, Aunt Dottie. A new recipe?”
“Yes. I came across it in a magazine. Easy peasy. Just threw in chicken thighs, some garlic, onions, salsa, and tortillas. It’s called a chicken enchilada casserole.”
Though her aunt made light of it, Raven, who was far from a good cook, knew her aunt worked hard preparing the meal. “And it just cooked itself, right?”
“All right, already. I did give it a little help,” Dottie said.
“It’s really delicious,” Raven said taking another bite.
“Good. Enjoy yourself. It’s low in calories—not that you have to worry.”
Raven knew that her aunt, who was nearly as wide as she was tall, was always looking for low-calorie recipes in the hope of losing some excess weight. It also helped Raven maintain her own weight.
“Oh, by the way, I got a phone call from Birdie Dell. You remember her, don’t you?”
“Are you talking about the woman from the hotel who used to wear all those crazy wigs?” Raven asked.
“That’s the one and only Birdie.”
“Didn’t she have a granddaughter who was so skinny that we called her Olive Oyl?”
Dottie chuckled. “Yeah, she did.”
“What about her?” Raven asked, now a little curious.
“Her granddaughter just got married.”
Gawd, Raven thought. Even Olive Oyl has a life. “Who’d she marry?”
“Some guy from Alabama—or was it Virginia?”
“Birdie must be ecstatic,” Raven said.
“Raven, that’s the understatement of the year.”
As her aunt continued to drone on about her day, Raven’s mind wandered back to the office earlier that afternoon when she’d encountered Donna, another third-year associate, in the hall. Donna appeared to be gushing with happiness and couldn’t wait to confide in Raven that she was pregnant. Raven, of course, had congratulated her. It seemed that everyone Raven knew appeared to have a full life filled with happiness and joy, while she just poured every hour away from home into her job, putting her career above all else.
Raven knew that her supervisor and the other partners were pleased with her track record in court. They had told her more than once that she was on the fast track to partnership. Only, was that actually what she still wanted? She was no longer certain.
Lately, she’d been feeling incomplete, as if something was missing from her life. She still got satisfaction from beating the ADAs in court, but it didn’t have the same intensity that it once had. She was making a nice salary and bonuses, but contrary to what most people thought, money couldn’t buy you happiness. The pleasure it brought was only temporary, and lately there was a little voice in the back of her head growing louder as it kept asking, “Is practicing law all there is to life?”
* * *
The following morning, Raven was in her office preparing a deposition to take the court that afternoon when her administrative assistant, Rosalie, appeared at her door.
“What is it, Rosalie?”
“Robert Grayson is on the line. Says it’s very important. Do you want to take it?”
Raven knew that if she refused to take the call, Grayson’s relative would have a fit and she’d have to deal with it, anyway. Better to deal with it now and get it over with. She nodded. “Put the call through.”
Rosalie returned to her desk. A beat later, Raven’s office phone rang. She took a deep breath and picked up the receiver. “This is Raven Gould.”
“Hello, Raven. This is your favorite client, Robert Grayson.”
“What’s going on, Robert?”
“I have a problem.”
“Just one. You’re lucky man. Where are you, Robert?” Raven asked cutting to the chase.
“I’ve been arrested again.”
“It hasn’t been 24 hours. What did you do this time?”
“I sort of umm…”
“Sort of what? I really don’t have time to play games with you, Robert.”
“Raped a woman,” he said quietly.
“You don’t sort of rape someone—”
“I didn’t do it!”
“What precinct are you being held at?” Raven asked, annoyed as hell at the inconvenience. The last thing she desired to do was to head down to a police station because of Robert Grayson. She knew all along he’d end up behind bars again, but she didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
After Robert told her, he said, “I know you find a way to get me off. You’re my very own get-out-of-jail-free card.”
Raven practically slammed the phone down, steaming. Breathless with rage, she wondered where he got his nerve. Did he just think he could go around breaking the law and that she would snap her fingers and get him off? He was not her sole client. The nerve of that man. This was the last time she intended to deal with him—whatever the consequences.
* * *
That night Raven couldn’t sleep. She lay awake staring at the ceiling thinking about the grueling day she’d had because of Robert Grayson. There was no way she could see herself continually having to deal with sludge like him, especially after finding out his relative was Greg Behr. It served to make her annoyance worse—much worse.
No, she thought. I can’t do this anymore. I need a change.
Chapter Three
The following day Raven went upstairs to Oliver Stern’s office. He was the partner who’d hired her and she’d never known him to be less than a perfect gentleman, his voice always resonant and impressive. She always thought he’d make a great judge. Gloria, his administrative assistant, smiled when she saw Raven. “I haven’t seen you up here in a long time. How are you?”
“Fine,” Raven lied. She wasn’t one to air her dirty laundry. “Is he in?”
“Your timing’s impeccable. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“Thanks, Gloria.”
Oliver Stern, a trim, well-dressed man in his early fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a tanned complexion,
came out and greeted Raven warmly. He shook both of her hands together in his large ones.
“Good to see you, Raven. Come on inside. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“No thank you,” Raven replied, taking the chair opposite his desk.
“I get the feeling you didn’t stop by just to say hello,” he said in a compassionate tone.
“No. I guess I should just come right out and tell you. I need to leave the firm, Mr. Stern.”
“What do you mean? Did another firm offer you more money?”
“No. No. It’s nothing like that. I’ve been compensated very well. I’m leaving because…” She paused to take a breath. “I need to do something else with my life.”
Stern cocked his head. “Aren’t you a little too young to be going through a midlife crisis?”
“Perhaps I’m not explaining it correctly. I’m not even certain I can. I only know that I need to take another path that enables me to stop and take the time to smell the roses.”
“Of all our third-year associates, I always thought you were partnership material, Raven.”
“It’s not that I don’t love practicing law—I do. It’s just—”
“A case of burnout? It sometimes happens to people no matter their age. I think I understand. You need time to recharge your batteries. Fine. Take all the time you need and come back when you’re ready. There’ll always be a place for you here.”
Raven stood and extended her hand. “Thank you, Mr. Stern. I appreciate your understanding and everything you’ve done for me.”
Stern shook her hand. “I know that.” He looked intently into her glistening hazel eyes. “Are you certain there’s nothing I can do to get you to stay?”
Raven bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head. “No. Not really. This is something I must do.”