Jenn stayed in her bedroom for most of the weekend, calling Kenzie on the phone now and then — she had returned to L.A. a few days earlier — and reluctantly accompanying her parents to church social events. Mainly she wanted to be alone, and she spent most of her time listening to music and working on unfinished pieces in her sketchbook. Steve called her twice every day, but Jenn never picked up. She was debating whether to end things with him, but she didn’t want to expend the effort to debate it with herself now; she wanted nothing to do with him. Maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder, she thought with dull hope. Steve was acting unforgivably, she thought, and she couldn’t afford to wait any longer to see if his character would change. He was totally different to her now.

On the other hand, she knew everyone was involved in a stressful situation, and she wasn’t sure if what she was feeling was genuine or just due to the current situation. In any event, she was pleased to have the house to herself for a few hours on Monday afternoon before heading to Andrew’s office. Jenn took extra care with her outfit that afternoon, standing in just a towel in front of her full-length mirror as she held up countless clothing items to decide what to wear. Form-fitting khaki pants? Too business casual. A dress above the knee? No, too eager. What about this high-waisted skirt and loose blouse? That looks cute. She put in a pair of dangly silver earrings and a matching bangle bracelet and stood inspecting herself happily in the mirror for several minutes. This was the most energy she had had in days.

The office was empty when Jenn walked in. She peered around the corner, but only every other hallway light was on, and as she tiptoed slowly down the hallway, her shadow danced oddly around behind her. Andrew’s door was open, and as Jenn approached she swallowed once and then stepped over the threshold. “Hi.”

“Oh!” Andrew jumped; he hadn’t heard her come in. “You scared me.”

“Sorry. Are you usually here this late?”

“Not usually. Sometimes the other guys stay, but I— I wanted to make sure I had time for you.” He blinked and looked away. Jenn, too, was embarrassed.

“Well, thanks,” she said. “I’m just so fed up with Steve. He keeps saying these things about you and me, and he doesn’t trust me at all. He’s telling me what to do and I can’t take it anymore.” Jenn’s breath was starting to quicken, and it became more difficult for her to catch it; she leaned back in the chair opposite Andrew and closed her eyes. A soft groan escaped her lips.

Andrew watched her concernedly. He had no idea what to do. He was upset seeing her like this, and he knew he could never understand what she was going through.

He wanted her to let him in. He wanted to help her in any way possible, and he recognized this was a crucial point in proving he cared about her. He stood slowly and walked around the other side of his desk, where he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He mentally cringed at the move, and made to move his hand away again.

Jenn reached up and put her own hand on top of his; she turned her head to look at him, and their eyes locked in an intense connection of understanding and passion.

“Jenn, I...” Andrew couldn’t speak above a whisper. Her eyes were boring into him, and he felt exposed. “I have to tell you this. I think I ... I’m feeling certain things for you. I... can’t stop thinking about you.”

“Me either,” she whispered back, to his shock. She stood from the chair, grabbing his hand tighter with one of her own and reaching across the desk to his lamp and turning it off. Now only the light peeking through the fibers of the window curtains lighted Andrew’s office, and the two figures stood together in the dark.

Andrew stepped forward. He ran his hand down her arm and lifted it up to her face, where he brushed her hair back. Her skin tingled at his touch. At that moment, she knew he was more than just her attorney, and she wanted him more intimately more than she wanted him as an attorney. She put her hands behind his neck and pulled him close to her, meeting his lips with hers gently and passionately. Without thinking, as their tongues danced together, her hands found the top button of his shirt, and she started working her way down, pulling his sleeves over his shoulder.

His body pressed against hers, and as they groped at each other’s clothes, Jenn began to feel more pressure coming from below his waist, as his erection grew against her thigh. She ran her hands lower and found the bulge in his pants, and tried to unbuckle his belt but the darkness and their excitement made her fumble. “Here,” Andrew whispered, and tried his hand at the buckle. He was nervous too, and his hand slipped. Jenn giggled, which first made Andrew nervous but then he let out a chuckle too. Their hands worked together until his pants were pushed down and his cock had sprung up.

Jenn reached down to touch it — but only to touch, to tease. She was aching with anticipation, and she turned away from him and pulled her skirt up and her panties down, while she leaned on Andrew’s desk. Andrew ran his hands around her stomach, her hips, and her thighs, giving her soft kisses on the most tender parts of her body. She reached back forcefully and lined his hips up with hers, his cock pushing between her legs. Nervously, with one hand on Jenn’s inner thigh, he tried to guide himself inside of her, but in his excitement, he slipped out, and Jenn reached down to gently guide him in herself, smiling secretly.

The sudden burst of pleasure that went through Andrew was unlike any he’d felt before; he’d been with other women, but there was something more about Jenn he’d never experienced. Her pussy was wrapped around his cock so warm and tight that the tingles he felt were already enough to push him over the edge of orgasm, and the desk the pair leaned on shook with both their weight on it. In just a few thrusts, Andrew was spent. His legs were pressed tightly up against Jenn’s ass, and he leaned forward, breathing heavily, to grab her around the waist, breathing heavily. They stayed like that for a few moments and Andrew he panted out an apology for coming so soon. “No, that was perfect,” Jenn whispered back to him. She leaned against him on the chair in the corner of his office, and the two sat there together for a moment. After a while, when Jenn could tell Andrew’s breathing had slowed again, she reached down to his cock and started to play with it again. It didn’t take long for Andrew to feel the same excitement that Jenn did, and soon, swelling with confidence, Andrew pulled her up and turned her toward him.

Jenn felt more aggressive, and she went in for another kiss with gusto, pressing her lips into his so hard that he took a step backward. Her hands were caressing him everywhere, and she started exploring his body further with her tongue: from his lips, to his neck, to his chest, working her way farther south until she felt his semi-erect member in the palm of her hand. Her body couldn’t wait to feel him. Remembering the things Kenzie had told her before, she crouched down to her knees, and took him in her mouth, kissing the tip of his cock and putting more into her mouth bit by bit. Her heart beat faster; she thought her inexperience here might prove awkward, but the more she stroked her mouth and hands on Andrew, the more she enjoyed the power she had over him. She felt him getting bigger and harder as she stroked. Andrew moaned softly from above.

After a few minutes, Andrew pulled her head away, took her hand, and laid her on the couch lining the wall. He poised himself over her and pulled her body close to his. This time he was ready; he penetrated her with no trouble, and her whole body bucked up and down when she felt him go inside her. Andrew took his time; he went slowly and gently, pleasuring every inch of Jenn’s body, hard thrusting now and then alternating with soft kisses and gentle finger movements. Soon she couldn’t take it any longer, and a spasm of pleasure surged its way through her body. Then she reclined on the couch, her breasts rising and falling gently as her breathing slowed.

When she opened her eyes, she could see the out line of Andrew’s body standing in the darkness above her. Once they both had recovered, he approached her again and laid a sweet kiss on her lips. She smiled all the way home.

When she reached her purse again in the car, she was annoyed to find Steve had called her multiple times again. Her happiness subsided, but only for a moment; she had very little respect for Steve at this point. Still, she was slightly concerned, she texted Andrew anyway: “Steve called twice.” Almost immediately came the reply: “You should talk to him.”

Jenn crinkled her nose. “What do I say?”

“Say what you feel.”

It was as if Andrew had put more than his dick inside her, because Jenn felt her gumption swelling as well. She knew she should talk to Steve in person, but she had no idea how he might react, so as she drove out of town, grinning stupidly, she dialed Steve’s number for what she hoped would be the last time.

He answered gruffly. “Jenn, we need to talk.”

“There’s nothing left to say, Steve.”

“What do you mean?”

“You made it very clear that you care more about protecting the interests of your father than you do about protecting me. I never meant anything to you, did I? You just used me like everyone else at that fucking hospital.”

“Used you? My family and I have been nothing but kind to you in all of this, offering to take care of you and pay for you, and now you’re going to say this bullshit? After all we’ve been through together, and you’re still going to try to ruin me?”

Jenn was livid. “Ruin you? Thanks to you family, you ruined my life. I was raped, Steve, and now it’s like you’re raping me all over again by pushing me to take this settlement. All you want is control. And I won’t give you what you want.”

Steve’s voice softened. “Jenn, baby, let’s talk about this in person. We can work this out.”

Jenn’s voice retained its steely resolve. “No. There’s nothing to work out. I don’t want to see you or your family ever again.” Without another word, scant another breath from the other end, Jenn hung up the phone and breathed a deep sign of relief.

Steve thought — too hopefully — that the call had been lost and stood there in silence, reeling in Jenn’s harsh words. He had never heard her speak with such venom before. He didn’t know how to process it all, but his fingers moved almost automatically to dial his father’s number.

“Dad?” he said simply, when a voice sounded at the other end of the line. “Jenn and I broke up. It’s over.”

Jenn could scarcely believe it. She felt instantly free; another burden lifted. She immediately texted Andrew, “Called Steve. We’re done.”

He replied immediately again, “Great news. Come to my office first thing in the morning. We have work to do.”

Jenn awoke the next morning feeling completely invigorated and ready to start a new battle without the strings of a puppet master controlling her every move. When she arrived at Andrew’s office at 8:30 a.m., she was pleased to see he was the only one there again. She walked in with her head held high. The last time she had been here, the hallways had been dark and empty; now they were filled with light. Jenn felt alive.