Practice Makes Perfect
Page 1
Meet law school friends Campbell, Abby, and Grace, law partners at Austin’s premier boutique legal firm for young, hip entrepreneurs. Or, it will be as soon as they score a victory for their first big client.
Campbell Clark wins the big pitch and lands the client, or so she thinks, until the internet start-up insists her firm work with the legal counsel Campbell thought they’d be replacing. Wynne Garrity has never been second best, and she’s not going to let anyone screw up her chance of making partner, but to do so she needs to hang on to her client and prove to everyone her firm isn’t stuck in the Stone Age.
Reluctant team players, Campbell and Wynne would risk everything by giving in to the attraction that flares between them. In the boardroom and the courtroom, only one can win, but the price of victory could mean losing at love.
Legal Affairs: one law firm, three best friends, three chances to fall in love.
What Reviewers Say About Carsen Taite’s Work
Pursuit of Happiness
“This was a quick, fun and sexy read. …It was enjoyable to read about a political landscape filled with out-and-proud LGBTQIA+ folks winning elections.”—Katie Pierce, Librarian
“An out presidential candidate (Meredith Mitchell) who is not afraid to follow her heart during campaigning. That is truly utopia. A public defender (Stevie Palmer) who is leery about getting involved with the would-be president. The two women are very interesting characters. The author does an excellent job of keeping their jobs in focus while creating a wonderful romance around the campaign and intense media focus. …Taite has written a book that draws you in. It had us hooked from the first paragraph to the last.”—Best Lesfic Reviews
Love’s Verdict
“Carsen Taite excels at writing legal thrillers with lesbian main characters using her experience as a criminal defense attorney.”—Lez Review Books
Outside the Law
“[A] fabulous closing to the Lone Star Law Series. …Tanner and Sydney’s journey back to each other is sweet, sexy and sure to keep you entertained.”—The Romantic Reader Blog
“This is by far the best book of the series and Ms. Taite has saved the best for last. Each book features a romance and the main characters, Tanner Cohen and Sydney Braswell are well rounded, lovable and their chemistry is sizzling. …The book found the perfect balance between romance and thriller with a surprising twist at the end. Very entertaining read. Overall, a very good end of this series. Recommended for both romance and thriller fans. 4.5 stars.”—Lez Review Books
A More Perfect Union
“[A More Perfect Union] is a fabulously written tightly woven political/military intrigue with a large helping of romance. I enjoyed every minute and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This one is a great read! Carsen Taite never disappoints!”—The Romantic Reader Blog
“Readers looking for a mix of intrigue and romance set against a political backdrop will want to pick up Taite’s latest novel.”—Romantic Times Book Review
Sidebar
“As always a well written novel from Carsen Taite. The two main characters are well developed, likeable, and have sizzling chemistry.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (UK)
“Sidebar is a love story with a refreshing twist. It’s a mystery and a bit of a thriller, with an ethical dilemma and some subterfuge thrown in for good measure. The combination gives us a fast-paced read, which includes courtroom and personal drama, an appealing love story, and a more than satisfying ending.”—Lambda Literary Review
Letter of the Law
“If you like romantic suspense novels, stories that involve the law, or anything to do with ranching, you’re not going to want to miss this one.”—The Lesbian Review
Without Justice
“This is a great read, fast paced, interesting and takes a slightly different tack from the normal crime/courtroom drama. …I really enjoyed immersing myself in this rapid fire adventure. Suspend your disbelief, take the plunge, it’s definitely worth the effort.”—Lesbian Reading Room
“Carsen Taite tells a great story. She is consistent in giving her readers a good if not great legal drama with characters who are insightful, well thought out and have good chemistry. You know when you pick up one of her books you are getting your money’s worth time and time again. Consistency with a great legal drama is all but guaranteed.”—The Romantic Reader Blog
Above the Law
“…readers who enjoyed the first installment will find this a worthy second act.”—Publishers Weekly
Reasonable Doubt
“I liked everything. The story is perfectly paced and plotted, and the characters had me rooting for them. It has a damn good first kiss too.”—The Lesbian Review
Lay Down the Law
“This book is AMAZING!!! The setting, the scenery, the people, the plot, wow. …I loved Peyton’s tough-on-the-outside, crime fighting, intensely protective of those who are hers, badass self.”—Prism Book Alliance
“I’ve enjoyed all of Carsen Taite’s previous novels and this one was no different. The main characters were well-developed and intriguing, the supporting characters came across as very ‘real’ and the storyline was really gripping. The twists and turns had me so hooked I finished the book in one sitting.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (London)
Courtship
“Taite (Switchblade) keeps the stakes high as two beautiful and brilliant women fueled by professional ambitions face daunting emotional choices. …As backroom politics, secrets, betrayals, and threats race to be resolved without political damage to the president, the cat-and-mouse relationship game between Addison and Julia has the reader rooting for them. Taite prolongs the fever-pitch tension to the final pages. This pleasant read with intelligent heroines, snappy dialogue, and political suspense will satisfy Taite’s devoted fans and new readers alike.”—Publishers Weekly
Switchblade
“I enjoyed the book and it was a fun read—mystery, action, humour, and a bit of romance. Who could ask for more? If you’ve read and enjoyed Taite’s legal novels, you’ll like this. If you’ve read and enjoyed the two other books in this series, this one will definitely satisfy your Luca fix and I highly recommend picking it up. Highly recommended.”—C-Spot Reviews
Battle Axe
“This second book is satisfying, substantial, and slick. Plus, it has heart and love coupled with Luca’s array of weapons and a bad-ass
verbal repertoire. …I cannot imagine anyone not having a great time riding shotgun through all of Luca’s escapades. I recommend hopping on Luca’s band wagon and having a blast.”—Rainbow Book Reviews
Beyond Innocence
“As you would expect, sparks and legal writs fly. What I liked about this book were the shades of grey (no, not the smutty Shades of Grey)—both in the relationship as well as the cases.”—C-spot Reviews
Nothing but the Truth
“Taite has written an excellent courtroom drama with two interesting women leading the cast of characters. Taite herself is a practicing defense attorney, and her courtroom scenes are clearly based on real knowledge. This should be another winner for Taite.”—Lambda Literary
It Should be a Crime—Lammy Finalist
“Taite breathes life into her characters with elemental finesse. …A great read, told in the vein of a good old detective-type novel filled with criminal elements, thugs, and mobsters that will entertain and amuse.”—Lambda Literary
Practice Makes Perfect
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Practice Makes Perfect
© 2019 By Carsen Taite. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-358-1
This Electronic Book is published by
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, New York 12185
First Edition: June 2019
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Cindy Cresap
Production Design: Susan Ramundo
Cover Design By Jeanine Henning
By the Author
Truelesbianlove.com
It Should be a Crime
Do Not Disturb
Nothing but the Truth
The Best Defense
Beyond Innocence
Rush
Courtship
Reasonable Doubt
Without Justice
Sidebar
A More Perfect Union
Love’s Verdict
Pursuit of Happiness
The Luca Bennett Mystery Series:
Slingshot
Battle Axe
Switchblade
Bow and Arrow (novella in Girls with Guns)
Lone Star Law Series:
Lay Down the Law
Above the Law
Letter of the Law
Outside the Law
Legal Affairs Romances:
Practice Makes Perfect
Acknowledgments
As much as I enjoy a dark mystery or a gripping crime drama, I’m a sucker for pure romance where the biggest element of suspense is will they or won’t they get together even when I know there’s going to be a happily ever after. If the story makes me laugh and cry during the journey, it’s a total bonus. The Legal Affairs series, beginning with this book, is a bit of a departure from many of my previous books. It’s lighter fare, but you’ll still find strong women and, of course there will be lawyers. I like to call it love and law, but without any lawlessness. I hope you enjoy!
Thanks always to Rad and Sandy for making the best publishing house on the planet feel like a home. Thanks to Jeanine Henning for a cohesive and hot set of covers for this series. To my intrepid editor Cindy Cresap—thanks for pushing me to be better with each book with your smart insights and hilarious sense of humor.
Thanks to Georgia Beers for our daily check-ins. There were some days I’d rather do just about anything than rack up a word count, but knowing we were in it together kept me on track.
Ruth and Paula, thanks for being my literary lawyer pals, always available to strategize. And, Paula, special thanks to you for reading drafts of this story right up until the moment I turned it in. Your insight and feedback was invaluable—you’re the best!
Jane Chen and Nell Stark—thanks for the fruitful brainstorming session about Leaderboard. Love bouncing ideas around with you.
Dreams are so much more attainable when you have someone to encourage you along the way. Thanks to my wife, Lainey, for always believing in my dreams even when they involve sacrificing our time together. I couldn’t do this without you.
And to my loyal readership, thank you, thank you, thank you. Every time you purchase one of my stories, you give me the gift of allowing me to make a living doing what I love. Thanks for taking this journey with me.
Dedication
To Lainey. There’s no one I’d rather dream with than you.
Chapter One
All ideas were good ideas after two shots of tequila. The thought skimmed the surface of Campbell Clark’s mind as she rolled the full shot glass between her fingers. She was seated at a table, tucked away in the corner of Azul, the rooftop bar of the Westin in downtown Austin, with her two best friends from law school, Abby Keane and Grace Maldonado. Seemingly a safe, private place to reveal the grand plan that had just popped into her head, but until today’s five-year law school reunion, she hadn’t seen Grace and Abby in over a year, and she wasn’t sure if they would fist-bump her idea or tell the waitress to cut her off.
Rewind to earlier in the day when she’d been standing in her closet trying to decide if the dressy casual dress code was more dressy or casual, and wanting to throttle whoever had come up with the term. For tonight’s reunion mixer, she’d settled on dark blue, slim fit jeans, a royal blue top, her favorite cognac moto jacket, and the brand new pair of peep toe booties she’d splurged on at Neiman’s last week, using the excuse that a class reunion was the perfect reason to buy something new. Plus she was celebrating seeing Grace and Abby for the first time in way too long. During their three years in law school, they’d been inseparable, but after graduation, they’d scattered to separate cities—Grace in Houston, Abby in Dallas, while Campbell stayed in Austin—each of them lured by the prospect of big firms, big paychecks, big opportunities. They’d sworn they would stay in touch.
And they had. Kind of. They talked at least once a quarter and Skyped when they could, more often than not each of them sitting at their desks with piles of files in the background, but the actually getting together part had consisted of exactly two occasions in the past five years, both of which were at annual meetings of the state bar where they’d shared stories about their jobs but hadn’t discussed anything personal because who had time for a personal life when you were trying to make partner?
When she’d arrived at the hotel an hour earlier, Campbell had scoured the ballroom packed with several hundred UT law school alumni, but neither Grace nor Abby were in sight, and she made her way to the bar to grab a drink while she waited for them to arrive. She stopped along the way to catch up with several of her acquaintances from school, all the while scanning the room to keep an eye out for her friends. After almost an hour, she finally made it to the crowd at the bar, but before she could join the long line, she was distracted by a bellowing voice, yelling her name.
“Campbell!”
She turned at the sound of her name, and hid a frown when she saw who it was. Ronald Burch had graduated number one in their class and was walking, talking proof that book smarts only had limited value. “Hi, Ron,” she said, using the shortened version of his name because she knew it drove him crazy. “What’s shakin’?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard I am on the short list for a Supreme Court clerkship for the upcoming term.”
“That’s great news.” Campbell resisted asking him what had taken so long, but silently prayed that whichever justice interviewed him for the position would see past his sharp legal mind and realize Ron possessed very little ability to connect with actual humans, a skill she deemed necessary for anyone who either was a judge or worked for them.
“It is great news, indeed,” Ron said, giving no indication he detected her enthusiasm for his news was feigned. “I’m already looking at apartments in DC. Affordable housing is difficult to come by.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something, and if you’re hired, they’ll probably be able to connect you with some resources.”
Ron leaned toward her, so closely invading her space that she could smell the garlic from the bruschetta he’d stuffed in his mouth right after he’d called out to her. “I don’t think there’s any if about it. My sources tell me I’m exactly the type of scholar Justice Cohen is looking for.”
His upraised eyebrows signaled he was waiting for her to agree, but even though she didn’t want to be mean to him, she wouldn’t inflate his super ego. Thankfully, at that moment, she heard someone calling her name again, and this time she was certain it was someone she wanted to talk to. Make that two someones. “Grace, Abby!” she yelled to her friends who were walking toward her. She stepped toward
them and whispered, “I can’t even tell you how happy I am to see you.”
“Are you sure?” Abby said, wearing a playful smile. “Because if you’re busy, we can catch up with you later.”
“Stop it,” Campbell said, pulling both Abby and Grace into a hug. She leaned back to drink in the sight of them and, keeping her voice low, she said.“Can we find another bar in this hotel, because I’ve been trying to get to this one for the last hour and that’s too long to settle for whatever house brands they’re pouring.”
“Deal,” said Grace. “Lead the way.”
Campbell told Ron they had a super important privileged legal matter to discuss, hooked a friend on each arm, and led them out of the ballroom to the elevators. On the way up to the rooftop bar, she gave them a hard time about being late. “Especially you, Grace. I’ve never known you to show up late for anything.”
“I tried to leave in time to avoid crazy traffic, but one of the partners caught me heading out and fobbed off research he needs for a motion due on Monday. I’ll probably have to head back tonight to get it done on time.”