Unsuitable Obsession - Part One (20 page)

The Green-Eyed Monster

The firm’s staff had been gathered together to wish
Philip Aldridge, the partner in the firm a happy 60
^th
birthday.

Amber had been attracted to Philip Aldridge straight
away, he exuded the same traits she found so enticing in Eduardo;
self-assurance, influence, and so much pride. Sable hair graying at
the temples, he always wore the most expensive suit and ties
especially tailored for him. He was done with the law several years
ago, should have retired ten years before, but just couldn’t get
the
modus operandi
out of his system.

“
Happy birthday Mr. Aldridge, happy birthday to
you...”

The various staff clapped and cheered, whistled and
laughed; it was a happy carefree day and a couple of hours had been
set-aside just for the occasion. Amber offered to cut the cake and
passed it around to everyone. Jackie helped too, stuffing plastic
forks into the cake’s frosting so everyone could have a piece.

Amber grabbed two slices, walked around like the
perfect little hostess and offered a piece to all the attorneys.
She then handed a piece to a sitting Gordon Dagget. Gordon was as
equally eye-catching, but in a diverse style from Eduardo. Gordon
had dusty blonde hair, blue eyes and a tanned complexion. The
Assistants all swooned over him as well; Eduardo and Gordon were
often gossiped about within the pool.

Gordon intentionally met eyes with Amber. “Thanks
hun,” he let go, diving in to receive the cake—he missed, and the
piece went dumping into his lap.

Amber gasped, a smile embraced to her face, “Oh gee,
I’m
so sor-ree,”
she exclaimed, making them the center of
attention.

Eduardo was just a few feet away when he overheard
the commotion, alarmed at the sight of Amber wiping off frosting
from Gordon’s center seam with her napkin.

Others around them began to express their amusement
when Amber glared up and blushed at the blunder. Instantly, she
stopped what she was doing and ambled away.

Eduardo looked straight at Gordon and inspected him
as he surveyed Amber’s derriere as she continued to walk down the
hallway. Eduardo moved in. “You enjoy that?” He asked, his voice
strictly indicating that he wasn’t the least bit pleased.

“You bet,” Gordon implied, lowering his own voice.
“I often wonder to myself what it would be like to have those long
sexy legs around my hips.”

Eduardo fumed inside. “That’s my brother’s wife’s
ass
you’re staring at.”

Gordon met eyes with Eduardo. “Relax Eduardo, it’s
not like I was going to act on it.”

“Eduardo?” Philip Aldridge stepped in, obviously
aware of the tension between the two associates. “Can I see you for
a moment? There’s a defamation case I’d like discuss with you.”

Later, Amber was trying to finish up a respondent
brief when in the corner of her eye; she beholds Eduardo making his
arrival in the Assistants quad to see Jackie. Amber acted like she
didn’t see him and turned around taking paper out of her printer
and pretended to fill it with some more. She could sense that he
was still within arm’s reach, but didn’t dare look in his
direction. Heart beating practically in her ears now, she gazed up
and watched Eduardo guide around her sector, avoiding her on
purpose as well. His inattentiveness towards her brought moisture
to her eyes.

“Amber, are you finished with that respondent
brief?”

Amber looked away from Eduardo sauntering down the
hallway and gazed over at Gordon, “I’m...nearly finished.”

“Good, come with me to my office, I’d like to go
over some inserts with you.”

Despondent, Amber followed Gordon down the corridor
and passed Eduardo’s open door. She purposely glanced into his
office to see what he was doing and found him at his desk working
diligently away.

“I’ve been working on several new inserts that I
need typed,” Gordon said with authority. “Here’s a tape to dictate,
it’s a full side.” Amber reached out to get the micro cassette when
Gordon consciously dropped it to the floor and when Amber bent down
to retrieve it, Gordon bowed down with her. “I’ll get it.”

They both reached for the tape—both grabbed the
cassette at the same time—his fingers touched hers
deliberately
. She glanced up, his look was purely eager. She
began to stand, he remained with her.

Gordon brushed her shoulder with his hand. “We have
to stop meeting like this.”

If that wasn’t a come-on line of the worst
kind!
Gordon leaned in to kiss her and Amber inclined to avoid
his lips.

“Gordon.”

Amber’s head whirled around. Eduardo was standing in
the doorway with his arms crossed across his chest.

Gordon retreated back around his desk. “What can I
do for you Eduardo?”

“I’m here for Amber,” Eduardo stated, clearly
staking his claim.

Amber sensed the jealousy in Eduardo’s voice.
Good Lord!
Did he ever look charming when he was bothered!
“Be right back Gordon,” Amber said giving Eduardo a questionable
glare as she walked passed him.

They met in the hallway and eye-to-eye. Clearly
upset, Eduardo saluted his arm in the air as he expressed his
annoyance. “He’s already gone to bed with two other Assistants—are
you next?”

Amber looked around them. A few of the Assistants
heads bobbed up from hearing the hubbub in the hallway. Amber’s
mouth flew open wide. It was the drama she craved after all, the
attention, the stage. Tickled with the fact that they could be seen
simply
conversing
was stimulating beyond reason. “You’ve got
a lot of nerve.”

“You’ve got to be careful Amber, Gordon’s a rascal,
and he doesn’t care who he hurts as long as he picks up what he
wants.”

“I can handle him; don’t be so bothered with your
brotherly protection over me.”

“Brotherly protection, is that what you call this?”
Eduardo asked of Amber now—pointing at her body then his.

Eduardo’s worrying guise was simply amazing; it took
Amber’s breath away. But what was he trying to say? What was
this?
He was her brother-in-law; naturally he would look out
for her, keep the wolves at bay. But Eduardo
kissed
her, and
kissed her well, more so than a brother-in-law would ever imagine
doing. Amber was still very uncertain about Eduardo and his sudden
sense of compassion. She choked back tears; her tone was but a
whisper now. “You’re my brother-in-law plain and simple; don’t go
thinking that you’re anything else.”

By Amber’s continual inaction—and her constant
pre-tending not to notice him when obviously she did—only proved to
Eduardo further that her emotions were just as tumultuous as his.
“I think we’ve already made that clear haven’t we?”

His tone reflected a bit of sadness and it took
every inch of willpower she had not to go and enfold him at that
point. Amber actually saw Eduardo’s broad shoulders slump. She
sought to feel his body all over again; run her hands down his back
and live through his hands surrounding her for a second time. “You
kissed me. I didn’t seek that out.”

“You kissed me back,” Eduardo hushed down. “As I
recall, there was just as much heat in that second kiss I care to
remember.”

“You still had no right to feel that you could just
take advantage of my curiosity now did you?” Amber raved, wiping
away a tear that fell from her eye, crossing her arms in
irritation, in disappointment.

Eduardo noticed her eyes swell with tears; he wanted
to seize her again and kiss those tears away! Good God, how much
brotherly love could she resist? “I’d never take advantage of
you.”

What a dirty rotten scoundrel! He was worse than
Gordon Dagget playing with her emotions that way! Amber waited with
baited breath. “Let’s remember I’m married Eduardo—”

“We’re married,” Eduardo corrected her, handling her
shoulders now. He just couldn’t help himself, not touching her ever
was rendering him to pieces, and to his surprise...what a powerful
certainty lie beyond that declaration. He did want to be married to
her. He should have been married to her. He’s never wanted to be
married his entire life! It was Amber, plain and simple; curse the
years of carrying that cross of not taking the goddamn chance when
it arose years ago! He was a risk taker for crying out loud! Good
God, how he’ll always regret
his
inaction.

“Eduardo, aren’t you done with that Thompson file
yet?” Jackie exclaimed, not realizing that Eduardo had his hands
still on Amber’s shoulders.

Amber turned her back on Jackie, making sure that
she didn’t notice her crying. Her tears began to fall more freely
at this point and the ache was so dreadfully bad. She practically
ran down the hallway now, the respondent brief and cassette still
clinched in her hands.
This is not going to work. I can’t do
this anymore.
Amber thought, running down the corridor.
Why
does he do this to me? Who does he think he is? Good Lord if that
wasn’t the purest display of jealousy then I don’t know what is! Oh
my God, does he feel the same way? Obviously, he must be attracted
to me in some way; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten mad so easily
and wouldn’t have kissed me the way he did. Maybe he was just
curious. Maybe he was just acting brotherly, looking out for his
sister-in-law. But that certainly wasn’t a brother-in-law kiss! Oh
God!

Amber grabbed the
pink bathroom
key and
darted out the front door. She didn’t have to use the bathroom; she
just wanted to get the hell out of there. She was outside, alone in
the hallway, when the door to the suite opened up. And there he
was, following her again like some God damn magnet.

They stood there for a moment, Eduardo in the
doorway and Amber in the hallway holding up a wall.

“You OK?”

“No.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing.”

Eduardo looked back into the suite, then back out at
her. “Want to talk?”

“No.”

Eduardo was downhearted, Amber could tell that much
now. She, on the other hand was on the verge of tears. Amber turned
away and began to walk back towards the ladies bathroom when
Eduardo gazed back into the suite, kicked his shoe into the carpet
and then strolled back in.

Amber wiped away the tears that were now streaming
down her face and sobbed on her way towards the door. If living
without him wasn’t the purest form of torture, then being at work
with him definitely
was.

Passion Is Like A Drug

Amber was called into Dr. Watson’s office. He was a
short stocky impressive looking man in his late sixties, wise, and
comfortable with his prestige and authority. “Amber, I like the way
you work,” he offered to her, motioning for her to take a seat.
Martin Watson, who also held a degree in medicine, loved the law
further and asked everyone to address him formally.

Amber was indebted, “Thank you Dr. Watson.”

“Call me Martin please, Dr. Watson reminds me of
Sherlock Holmes.” He also
loved
throwing in that little joke
to break the ice.

“OK,” Amber smiled, appreciative of his
openness.

“Amber, we were wondering if you were able to work
overtime. I know you have a toddler, and we’re considerate of your
situation.” He had an air about him that was patient and
obliging.

“Yes I do, but we could use the money, so yes, I am
able to work overtime.” The sad truth was, Victor’s hours had been
cut from the waste department and they had been struggling
financially for the past couple of months.

“Good, just what I wanted to hear. We’d like you to
work on a defamation case, its long hours; you’d be here close to
eight until we settle. The duration will take more than a year,
will that be OK?” He expressed, hoping that she’d agree. It was a
lot to ask of her, but she was first in line.

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem Martin,” Amber
smiled; she had been offered a great opportunity. She would be able
to collect over-time which paid outrageous money and Victor could
stay home with the kids at night (which he never minded anyhow) and
everything would work out swell.

“Good, you’ll be working with Carson, Stephen,
Cynthia and Eduardo. I don’t perceive difficulty since the both of
you are related.”

Amber felt as if she just got punched in the face,
or slapped—a rude awakening. “Eduardo?” She repeated off guard.

“Yes, is there a problem?” Martin regarded her empty
look.

“No...No problem.”

It was a defamation case; High Profile. Their client
(a movie star) was suing a major newspaper and Philip Aldridge
assigned Eduardo, Amber and three other staff members to work on
the case. It had to be a group effort, everyone involved expected
to work like a machine.

Carson: A paralegal in his mid twenties,
unattractive but with an awesome spiky hairdo (Amber thinks he’s
gay) exuded flamboyancy and worked side-by-side with Amber. He
would throw in a little joke every now and then to cut through the
stress, and everyone would start laughing enjoying labor for a
change.

Cynthia: An attorney in her late thirties was quiet,
demur and a brunette a little on the plump side and sat beside
Eduardo speaking quietly going over case cites. (Amber thinks she’s
gay too—but still in the closet).

Stephen: A law clerk in his early thirties, worked
at a rapid pace. (Was he using cocaine? Amber often wondered) no
one could work that fast. He could read at the speed of light, run
down the hallway to do Internet research, type up an outline and
then back again all in the matter of moments.

“We need this copied,” Carson asked of Amber.

“Sure, collated?” Amber asked back, watching Eduardo
come to attention when she spoke in the corner of her eye. But she
could always tell when Eduardo glanced her way—her senses began to
pulsate.