“Counselor. Please approach the bench.”

I held in an internal groan as I stood and moved around the defendant’s table. The judge was determined to make my life hell in the courtroom.

My day had started off with a mix of determination and excitement. I’d deal with the standard back-and-forth of my current case and then planned to spend the evening decompressing.

However, everything had changed when I’d arrived at the courthouse. A new judge had been assigned to my case because of a family emergency, and now I was stuck dealing with the backlash of a judge that didn’t particularly care for me. It was as if my mere presence annoyed the crap out of Judge McGregor, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.

Our only interaction had been at a social event where she’d arrived as my ex-lover’s date. If anyone should have been annoyed, it was me.

I shook the thought from my head and focused on Judge McGregor. I couldn’t wait until this afternoon. In less than one hour, I’d no longer be lead on this case, and I could start planning the next phase of my career.

“I don’t have all day, Counselor. You may enjoy the sensationalism of this case, but I don’t.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” I responded and approached the judge.

If she only knew the truth of how I felt about my newfound celebrity. I liked life behind the scenes and in the background, or at least I had until Clint Bassett became my client four months ago.

I glanced at him to give him an unsaid order to behave. He responded with a wink and air kisses, and then followed it up by popping open the collar of his shirt.

I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath.

His bright green eyes danced with mischief, and the groupies behind him fawned over every one of his movements.

Clint used his public platform to project an asshole persona. People either loved him or hated him.

He enjoyed the media attention. Both good and bad. Hell, his attitude was the reason half of the world thought he deserved the grief he was getting. Clint was a shock jock and proud of it. Ruffling feathers was his job. He had a knack for getting politicians and celebrities irritated and spilling their secrets, many times without meaning to.

No matter what his public image, he didn’t deserve this lawsuit. Judge McGregor knew it, the media knew it, and even the person who was suing him knew it.

This case had dragged on for over four months, and I was tired. I’d sacrificed my personal life and my privacy for Clint, leaving anyone close to me a target for scrutiny.

No matter where I went, I was followed, and finding out who I was dating was a mission Clint’s fans were determined to learn. Something that had caused me more pain than I wished to think about.

Even though this case had become the bane of my existence, I planned to use it to my benefit.

“Ms. Kumar, these disruptions will no longer be tolerated. We haven’t officially started today’s session, and we’ve had three outbursts because of your client. I’m tempted to clear the room.”

Judge McGregor said my name with disgust, as if the words left a foul taste in her mouth. What was her problem?

I couldn’t wait to wash my hands of this mess.

The basis of the whole lawsuit was due to hurt feelings and vengeance, not fact. However, if one had an unending bank account and limitless time, the top attorneys in the country would happily take your case. And my client’s ex-wife, Kimberly Bassett, had both in ample supply.

Yes, I was a celebrity attorney, and I’d had my fair share of media coverage, but usually my clients wanted their names kept out of the press. They rarely catered to it.

“With all due respect, Your Honor. Mr. Travis, Ms. Bassett’s counsel, is the one who requested this hearing be open to the public. It isn’t my client’s fault so many have come out in support of him, even on a non-court day.”

At that moment, a bunch of shouts and cheers erupted.

Then someone said, “You tell her, Hot Stuff. Don’t let this new judge give you shit. She probably hasn’t had her oil changed in years with that sour face of hers.”

I cringed, closing my eyes for a brief second. Insulting the judge was not going to help me, and neither was calling me sexist names.

Clint had given me the nickname on his radio show, and since that day, all his millions of fans referred to me as “Hot Stuff.”

He’d thrown me into the media spotlight, not only for my skills but my looks. This was not how I’d planned to make a name for myself when I’d graduated law school at the top of my class.

I had never wanted this case in the first place, but my law partner, Tara Zain, was handling a high-profile murder trial that had left me as the only viable option.

The things my client said disgusted me on most days. His only redeeming factor was that he kept a distinct line between his personal and public lives. He wasn’t a jerk in real life. He was a nice guy who loved his kids and, until recently, his ex-wife.

“I’m up here, Counselor.” Judge McGregor glared down at me.

One day I was going to find out why this woman hated me.

I missed Judge Trammel. She loved to hand me my ass, but she was fair and took no one’s bullshit. It wasn’t her fault that her husband had a heart attack and she’d had to leave the case.

“Your client’s celebrity status is the reason this case has gone on as long as it has. From what Judge Trammel conveyed, you’ve become a celebrity yourself.”

I ignored the last part of her statement and responded to the first. “I disagree, Your Honor. The length of this meaningless case is due to Ms. Bassett’s need to continue her five minutes of fame after her divorce for cheating on her husband.”

Damn, I shouldn’t have added the last part.

“How dare you? You’re just another one of his tramps. I’ll ruin you. If it’s the last thing I do. I’ll ruin you!”

Judge McGregor rapped her gavel. “Counselor, get Ms. Bassett under control, or I’ll remove her from the courtroom. Threatening opposing counsel is a chargeable offense.”

The woman needed to learn new insults. She’d called me tramp and whore so many times that I’d lost count.

It didn’t matter much longer anyway. I wouldn’t be on the case after today. I was going to transition my client to Karina Taylor, one of the junior attorneys in my law firm. She was foaming at the mouth to defend this case. She wanted to make her mark in the world and prove she was qualified to become a partner.

From the look on Karina’s face as she sat next to Clint, I could tell she was shocked by how this non-session had started. I hadn’t been able to get a real word in, and I wasn’t even sure if Judge McGregor was aware I no longer represented Clint.

“I didn’t threaten that whore,” Kimberly countered.

I felt the distinct urge to walk up to her and smack her.

The way things were looking, even with Judge Trammel’s approval for attorney change, I was never going to be able to leave this courthouse.

It took another ten minutes to get Kimberly and the media under control.

I could see a vein pulsing on the side of Judge McGregor’s face.

Celebrity divorce scandals weren’t her usual type of proceeding. She spent most of her days dealing with murder trials and felony litigations.

She glanced between the opposing attorney and me. “I’d like to see both parties in my office. We will discuss this case without distractions so that I am brought up to speed with the numerous changes Judge Trammel approved before she stepped down.”

She rapped her gavel, then released an exasperated sigh as she stood and spoke again. “Once this is over, Ms. Kumar, I hope I never have to encounter you in a courtroom again. Your celebrity clients could encourage the most pious person to drink.”

Ten minutes later, the courtroom was cleared, and our clients and their respective entourages were the only ones left.

Opposing counsel Nathan Travis and I made our way to the hallway leading to Judge McGregor’s private office. I glanced over my shoulder toward Clint, who had a pained expression as he gazed at Kimberly.

Poor man—he still loved her.

Then I took a peek at Kimberly, and she had a similar yearning in her eyes. She was trying to ignore Clint, but every so often she’d glance his way, and her lip would tremble.

They had been happily married for twenty years before one stupid, yet enormous, mistake destroyed it all.

Turning back to follow Nathan down the corridor, I shook my head.

“If they end up back together, I’m going to be so pissed that I wasted four months of my life on this case,” I muttered to myself.

“You and me both,” I thought I heard a distinct Louisiana accent mumble.

I paused, inhaled deep, and looked to my side. Devin Camden, the one man who starred in every one of my fantasies, sat on a bench, reading a newspaper. He oozed Southern charm without uttering a word, but then when he spoke, any woman with a pulse had to keep her panties from melting.

His sky-blue gaze bored into mine, making my pulse accelerate and reminding me of things best left forgotten.

Why did I have to run into him today?

We had too much history, and our careers ran on separate paths.

He was the type of man I’d always dreamed of being with: strong, confident, self-assured, with an edge that screamed rebel bad boy.

He came from a long line of conservative Louisiana senators. Politics was in his blood. However, to his family’s dismay, he’d chosen a different route for his life. He’d moved to a new state, pursuing a law career outside of the political spotlight, and desired a simple existence.

With his looks and manner, he made the sexy prime minister of Canada look like a wimpy old geezer. And below his gorgeous face was a body chiseled to perfection and ideal for the covers of magazines.

Shit, I had to stop thinking about him like that. He was a federal magistrate judge whose career came before a relationship with a celebrity attorney.

There was a slight smirk on his too-good-looking-for-his-own-good face. God, he was such a cocky bastard. He knew how he affected me.

He’d have to remain in the world of make-believe and lost possibilities.

Nathan touched my arm, returning my attention to the task at hand. I knocked on the office door and entered when summoned. We’d arrived as the judge moved to her desk.

“Have a seat. This shouldn’t take long without either of your clients present.”

Nathan and I took our spots on the other side of the large oak monstrosity.

I could almost envision Judge Camden being the one before us, taking off his robe, hanging it on a hook near him. I pictured his muscled arms bunching and bulging under the fitted white button-down shirts he favored. The thought made me nearly swallow my tongue.

What I wouldn’t give to lick every inch of that body again.

A throat cleared, making me refocus on Judge McGregor.

What the hell was I doing?

My hormones were going haywire. It had been too long since I’d gotten laid. The last thing I needed was to have Judge McGregor hate me even more because I wasn’t paying attention.

“Counselors, we didn’t even get to start today’s discussion without chaos ensuing. Do I need to make it clear that you have to keep your clients under control?”

Before I could respond, a knock sounded on the door, and Devin Camden’s head peeked inside.

Of course, the man I was envisioning licking would be the one to interrupt the meeting.

“Oh, excuse me.” His gaze held mine as he spoke to Judge McGregor. “I didn’t realize you were meeting with the counselors. I’ll come back later.”

“No, Devin. Don’t worry about it. We will finish in a moment. Just take a seat over there.” Judge McGregor gestured to a set of couches in the back of the room.

“Samina. Nathan,” he greeted Nathan and me.

“Judge Camden,” I responded and inclined my head.

“Devin.”

“Excuse me?” I said, not sure why he’d said his name.

“Out there, I’m Judge Camden. Out of the public eye, I’m Devin.”

No way in hell was I calling him by his first name right now, no matter our history. I peeked at Nathan, who shrugged his shoulders. Nathan and the judge played golf together, and he never called him by his first name when in work mode. Our relationship was frosty at best to justify any familiarity.

This was a test. It had to be.

“Judge Camden, it’s good to see you, as always.” Nathan broke the standoff between Judge Camden and me.

“I doubt you’ll be saying that tomorrow after eighteen holes,” he answered Nathan but held my gaze as he sat down and pulled out his phone.

“Ms. Kumar, you may continue.” Judge McGregor checked her watch as if I was wasting her time.

I took a deep breath and spoke. “My client has been on his best behavior, Your Honor. He was willing to settle this in private, but Ms. Bassett wanted it aired in a courtroom as well as in the court of public opinion.”

“Do you have anything to counter, Mr. Travis?”

Nathan shook his head. “I do what my client wants, and she wants to make her ex-husband suffer. I would rather be spending my weekends with my wife and kids.”

“I take it you aren’t enjoying the notoriety of this case?” Judge McGregor watched me, but asked Nathan the question.

“Let’s say my family prefers a quieter existence.”

“What about you, Ms. Kumar?”

“I’m not following, Your Honor.”

“You’ve become a celebrity in your own right. You’re on the cover of at least four magazines and half the people filling the courtroom were there for you. What does your family have to say about this?”

She looked behind me toward Judge Camden, telling me she was aware of my past with him.

Shit, how many people knew about us?

“It’s complicated things.”

If she only had a small inclination of the true depths of how difficult my life had become.

“How so?” Judge Camden asked from behind us, surprising not only me and Nathan but Judge McGregor too.

I turned, glaring at him for a brief second before I returned my gaze to Judge McGregor.

“My private life is just that, private. I do not like it invaded. That is the reason I sent my special request to Judge Trammel last week. One that she approved before your assignment to preside over the case.”

A frown appeared on her face. “What request?”

She searched through the stack of papers on her desk.

“As of this afternoon, Karina Taylor will take over Mr. Bassett’s litigation.”

“What?” both Nathan and Judge Camden said in unison.

“Sam, you aren’t serious.” Nathan gave me a pleading look. “Kim’s going to lose her mind when she finds out someone even younger than you will defend Clint.”

“What does Karina’s age have to do with anything?”

“You don’t know?” Nathan stared at me like I was clueless.

Was I missing something? I glanced at Judge McGregor, who shrugged her shoulders. “Mr. Travis, both Ms. Kumar and I are confused by your statement. Care to enlighten us?”

Nathan’s face reddened with embarrassment, and he pulled at his collar. He turned to me and spoke. “Sam, you’re, umm…you know, you. And it’s… How do I put this without being sexist and completely out of line? Never mind, I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

“Nathan, I’m not following this train of thought either.” I furrowed my brow.

“Let me clarify for you, Samina,” Judge Camden said from behind me. “What Nathan is attempting to say is that you are a very attractive person who happens to make Ms. Bassett very jealous. And changing to another attorney who is equally attractive but younger will not bode well for Mr. Travis.”

When was being thirty considered old? Besides, Karina was only a year younger.

“Honestly, that isn’t my problem.”

I tried to have sympathy for Nathan, but his life wasn’t the one on perpetual hold. I couldn’t step outside my home without a camera pointed in my direction. If I was going to be a celebrity, I’d rather it be on my terms and not as part of a media spectacle.

Because of this case, my life was in complete shambles. The man I’d thought I’d spend the rest of my life with couldn’t look at me without getting angry, and I was left to live in fantasies. My friends hated going anywhere in public with me, not to mention there was no way in hell I could spend a night out on the town without causing more problems for myself.

“Ms. Kumar, I have to say, I respect your decision,” Judge McGregor said. “I was in your shoes before I took my current position. It isn’t one I wish to revisit. I have to say, I’m impressed how you’ve maintained a solid reputation, considering your poor choice in clients.”

Okay, was that a compliment? Maybe she didn’t hate me after all.

“Thank you.” I checked my watch. “Your Honor, I’d like to return to my client before anything unexpected happens.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if Clint had arranged a wrestling match between his and his ex-wife’s supporters.

“I agree. We don’t need any more spectacles. I’ll announce the changes to the case. Congratulations, Ms. Kumar. You are no longer representing Clint Bassett. Good day, Ms. Kumar. Mr. Travis.”