CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
could smell Brooke's perfume as I leaned across the table and asked her if we were talking business or flirting. She smiled and looked down at her plate as she tried to decide just how far our little linguistic flirtation was going to go. I'd kept my guard up as she questioned me, both wanting to let her know who I was and also being very aware of the fact that I was out on a date with someone who knew the ins and outs of the law better than I ever would.
That was the problem with my line of work – I had to always view every new person as a potential breach in the wall of security. I couldn't let my guard down and allow any small detail to slip, or I'd find myself quickly sinking into the abyss of the legal system. So, I told her the clean version of who I was and left the dirty version buried underneath the truth.
I knew she didn't quite believe what I was telling her, but I also knew that she was fighting her attraction to me because I was fighting mine as well. Getting involved with a lawyer, even one as incredibly beautiful as Brooke Raines, was risky business and with Lydia dead, I couldn't afford to slip up. I wanted to take Brooke home and peel off her dress so that I could see her in all her naked glory. Then, I wanted to own her body in a way that I'd never wanted before. It scared me to feel this way; it felt out of control.
"Would you care for some dessert?" the served asked as he cleared our dinner plates and swept the crumbs off the table into his hand. "Coffee? Espresso?"
I looked at Brooke and she nodded, so I said, "Yes, please, tell us what you have for dessert tonight."
The server went over the substantial dessert menu and Brooke ordered an exotic fruit tart with layers of whipped cream while I chose the rich, dark red velvet cake. I smiled at her as I ordered it, and although I couldn't see the exact color of her face, I knew she was blushing when she smiled and turned away.
"So, what about you? What about your firm? You have a law firm, don't you?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, we do. There are three of us, we all went to school together and decided to make a go of it after we realized that we hated working for the big firms," she said with a sigh. "It's hard to run your own firm, probably a lot like running your own club."
"So you aren't doing well?" I asked and immediately felt the air between us chill. I'd hit a sore spot and she was either going to let me in or freeze me out.
"We're doing okay, not great, but okay," she replied as she fiddled with the napkin in her lap. There was something she wasn't telling me, but since she'd given me a pass on my brother, I'd let this one go.
"It must be difficult running a law firm," I tried to sympathize.
"It's a lot harder than most people think," she agreed. "What's most difficult is drumming up consistent business. We're not a tax firm or a corporate mergers firm that can count on repeated business year after year. We're criminal lawyers who rely on word of mouth and reputation, you know?"
I nodded as an idea began to take shape in my brain. It was too soon to be thinking this, but it was still there. I needed to run it by Riza before I decided anything. She'd tell me what was insane about the idea of hiring Brooke Raines to replace Lydia.
"I mean, it's not like we can count on our clients to keep getting in trouble," she said with a rueful smile. "It's awful to think of it that way, but that's what we do. We get people out of all kinds of terrible trouble, and we deal with things that most people would rather not have to deal with."
"It's got to be rough," I said. "I mean, dealing with people in trouble."
"That's not so bad," she said. "The hard part is knowing how many people there are in trouble on any given day and not being able to reach them. We're good lawyers and we know how to manage problems, but we're not like the big firms who can take out tons of radio ads and put big billboards all over town so that their firms' names are in people's brains."
"I see," I said as my phone went off again. I looked down and saw that it was Kesha. I shot Brooke an apologetic look and got up to take the call away from the table. "What is going on over there that you can't handle the club for one night?" I hissed.
"Boss, something is weird about the shipment in the basement, there are four new boxes down here that weren't here when I checked in the inventory for this week," she said, then added, "And they're not part of the backup stock either."
"Alright, well, take some pictures and send them to me. Maybe I'll recognize the boxes," I said. "And for God's sake, do not call me again unless the club is burning down or you yourself are on fire!" Kesha laughed in my ear as she hung up.
I returned to the table and apologized for the interruption.
"No, I'm sorry," Brooke said shaking her head and laughing weakly. "This is a date, not a session with my shrink or my business coach."
"No, it's okay," I said as the server placed our desserts in front of us and then went to get our coffee. "Sometimes it's good to just talk about what's bothering you. Just get it out and then find a way to formulate a solution that solves the problem."
"Is that what you do?" she asked as she looked across the table at me. The intensity of her gaze almost caused me to look away, but I knew better than to show any weakness right now, so I stared back and simply nodded. Then she murmured, "I thought so."
"What did you think, Brooke?" I asked as I reached across the table and laid my hand on hers. She stared at it for a moment and then looked up at me.
"Latte for the lady and an espresso for the gentleman," the server announced as he placed the steaming hot drinks in front of us. I pulled my hand back to give him room, and Brooke looked up and chirped, "Thank you!" before digging into her dessert.
The moment had passed and I was left wondering what she thought I did.