Authors: Valentina Khorkina
Ex Delicto
EX DELICTO
Valentina Khorkina
© 2015 Valentina Khorkina
Cover Photo © Nejron via CanStockPhoto
Cover Design © 2015 Valentina Khorkina
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended only for adult readers.
Xavier
“Cheers!”
My friends and I sat at the round wooden table of our favorite bar. We had come here over the years to commiserate about the grueling projects, painful exams, and unforgiving professors. And now we were meeting here for the last time before we all went our separate ways.
I wasn’t much for emotion. Or at least, I never had been. But something about this occasion, leaving friends and school behind to embark on our futures, made my heart squeeze a little.
Everyone held up their glasses filled with various drinks and smiled as we clinked them with each person at the table.
After we had all taken a long sip, Brett let out a loud whoop. “Yes! We’ve graduated!” he yelled, as if the football team had just won a game.
I looked down and laughed, then hit my glass of scotch against Brett’s beer mug when he offered it again. Brett continued to whoop.
I leaned over to Ava and joked, “You know, I’d blame it on him being drunk, but that’s his first beer of the night.”
Ava elbowed me. “Oh, come on Xavier. Can you blame him? We just graduated law school!” This exclamation brought on another series of whoops and glass clinking. Ava laughed and continued, “Did you ever think it would happen? We’re free! For once, we’re totally free and clear!”
“Except most of us already have jobs,” I said. “That we’re starting in less than a month.”
Ava’s rolled her eyes and groaned. “If you don’t stop being such a downer I’m not going to sit next to you anymore.”
“Okay, okay,” I said, then let out an anemic, “Woo!”
Ava chuckled. “Well, that’s a start.”
I took a sip of my scotch. I grimaced as the strong liquid went down my throat. Truth be told, I didn’t actually like scotch all that much. But I liked beer even less and I thought scotch better fit the image of an up and coming lawyer.
Ava took a long swig of her beer. “Besides, didn’t you get an amazing job?” she asked.
“Well, yeah,” I admitted.
I couldn’t deny that. I had gotten my first choice job, my dream job, with top New York firm Dunhill, Dougan & Smith. It had helped that I had graduated almost at the top of my class.
“That’s what I thought,” Ava said. “Besides, I can’t imagine you being happy being idle for long. Well, except that year you took off.”
I struggled not to grimace. I remembered that well. It was a good thing I had done so well in school, because it had
not
helped my employment chances that I had taken a break from school. I was surprised that hadn’t hurt me more. I had refused to get my hopes up for my first choice, and even my second choice jobs. But I had managed to put a good spin on it, telling the interviewers that I had taken the year off to travel.
If only that had been the whole story.
“What about you?” I said, desperate to change the subject. “You got a job too, didn’t you? You’re not exactly taking any time off.”
Ava shrugged. “True, I’m kind of the same way. Plus, in this economy, even an Ivy League graduate can’t be too picky about when she starts work.”
“In this economy?” I said, and laughed. “How old are you again?”
Ava hit me with her almost empty beer mug. “Shut up. We’re officially adults now. We’re supposed to care about things like the economy.”
“And investing? And retirement?” I joked.
Ava nodded. “It kind of comes with the territory. You know, that whole job thing? I’m surprised you’re not thinking of these things. You’re Mr. Responsible.”
I was surprised myself. But all I had thought about for most of my life was studying. My parents were both successful professionals, and had drilled into me at an early age the value of an education. Everything else came second, including chores and friends. I had been thankful to get out of chores as a kid, that was for sure, but I would have liked to hang out with friends more. Or even play a sport or two.
But the reality was that I was just as school-focused as my parents. My parents were always at work and I was always studying, so I got used to keeping myself company. I had gotten along with people in high school and my undergraduate classes, but I rarely hung out with someone outside of school. If I hadn’t deemed it necessary to join a study group once I got into law school, I probably would have been celebrating alone instead of with them.
I smiled. It was sad to think that these were my first real friends. But I was grateful for them. And it probably explained why I was feeling so emotional. I’d never had to say goodbye to anyone before.
“There’s a smile!” Ava said. “Okay, another round!”
“Woo!” Brett yelled.
“Hey, I didn’t say I was paying,” Ava said.
“Aww,” Brett said.
Everyone at the table laughed. I looked around at everyone. Ava had gotten a job in New York as well, working for a relatively new firm that had a growing reputation. Brett had practically had a job set up from birth working for his father’s old money firm. Sandeep had gotten a job in D.C. Clara had gotten a job in California. Only David was taking time off, saying he wanted to travel through Europe while he still had the chance.
I briefly wondered what Tony was doing, since he had graduated a year ago and should be working as well. Then I quickly decided I didn’t want to know. I hoped I never saw him again.
I sipped at my scotch, draining the rest of the glass. I didn’t want to think about him. I had just graduated third in my class from an Ivy League law school and I was moving to New York for a fantastic job straight out of school. There was no reason to look back at bad relationships. If that year off school had taught me anything, it was to keep looking forward. And that’s exactly what I intended to do.
Aiden
“You do it. You’re more senior than I am.”
“Oh, come on,” Greg said, his eyes pleading. “You know all the new guys think I’m too nice, and then they slack off later, and then I have to fire them.”
“So it’s your fault there’s so much turnover around here,” I said, not looking away from my computer screen.
“I just need you to give him a good scare. If he can handle you, he can handle this job.”
I raised an eyebrow at him briefly before looking back at my work. “I’m not scary, I’m just not a pushover like you.”
Now it was Greg’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “You’re a
little
scary and you know it.”
“You’re not helping your case, counsellor.”
Greg put his hands together in a plea and stuck them in front of my computer screen. “Pleeease?”
I sighed. “Fine. But you owe me.”
“Yes! Thank you, thank you,” Greg said, and rushed out of the room, ostensibly before I could change my mind.
I saved my work and stood up from my desk, smoothing out my suit. I gave myself a few seconds to buck myself up before I had to deal with the newcomer.
I hated the new kids. They didn’t know what they were doing, they weren’t prepared for the rigors of the job, and they complained a lot. The complaining was the
worst
. You would think these kids would know what they were signing up for when they applied for a job at one of the top law firms in the state. They shouldn’t be surprised when they had to work a 20-hour day or work on a weekend. And they sure as hell shouldn’t complain to me, because I had no sympathy.
There was a reason I was the youngest partner in the history of the firm. I showed more initiative ten years ago than all these entitled children put together.
I checked my watch. Eight a.m. If this kid wasn’t already here, I would fire him the second he arrived.
I looked in the waiting room, and sure enough, there he was. I grimaced. It would have been so much easier to just fire him right away.
He heard my approach and looked over at me.
Ugh. I could tell I wasn’t going to like this one.
He was gorgeous. That much was obvious. Then again, it seemed he thought so too. Total pretty boy. He had clearly put a ton of time into grooming and outfitting himself. His black suit was perfectly pressed, his white Oxford shirt a crisp white, his skinny black tie exactly on trend. That hair alone looked like it took at least half an hour to get it to look just so. If he thought he was going to have time to do that every day before work, he was very much mistaken.
If this were anywhere else, a club for instance, I would take him aside and kiss those gorgeous, full lips of his. But here? I was annoyed. He looked like exactly the kind of guy who liked the image of working in a big law firm and not the reality.
“Xavier Lewis?” I said.
He stood up and smiled the faintest of smiles. Then shook my hand. And damn it if I couldn’t already feel a spark between us. “Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah. Aiden Carmichael,” I said. “Let’s get this over with.”
A slight annoyance flitted over his face before he followed me to the conference room. When we sat down at the long table I tossed a stack of papers in front of him.
“Your contract,” I said.
“Okay,” Xavier said, glancing up at me warily before flipping to the first page.
I watched him read through the contract, his brow furrowed, clearly concentrating. Well, at least he knew enough to actually read a contract and not just blindly sign it. I found myself staring at him, looking at his strong jawline, intense eyes, full lips…
I cursed under my breath and looked up at the ceiling. I spun my pen and concentrated, forcing myself to go over my to-do list for the day.
“You know, you don’t have to watch me read this,” Xavier said.
I looked back over at him.
Yep, still gorgeous.
“I’m the witness, I have to watch you sign it,” I said.
“Well, then we can do this in your office, so you’re not so bored,” he said.
Thank God he just thought it was boredom. “It’s fine, okay?” I said, and went back to looking at the ceiling to get my point across.
“All right,” Xavier said, and went back to reading.
The truth was, I didn’t want to be distracted. Like it or not, it was important to get the contract right and get off to a good start, and a big part of that was the one-on-one attention. As awkward and unproductive as it was for me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Xavier’s eyes widen.
“What is it?” I asked.
Xavier shook his head. “I was just looking at the salary.”
“What about it?” I said. It was a little late to be negotiating the salary, but it wouldn’t be the first time.
“I’m just surprised by how much it is,” he said.
Oh.
“It goes fast in New York. You’re not in Kansas anymore.”
“Connecticut,” he said.
“Whatever.”
Xavier looked like he was going to say something, but held back. Good for him. He initialed the last item, then signed on the bottom. He pushed the contract over to me and I signed the witness signature.
I stood up and held out my hand. “Welcome to Dunhill, Dougan & Smith,” I said.
“Thanks,” Xavier said. He shook my outstretched hand and I swore I could feel the electricity jolt between us.
Yeah, I didn’t like this guy.
“Okay, follow me,” I said. “You’ll be working with me today.”
I thought I heard an almost suppressed groan behind me, but I ignored it.