Chapter1
The bright morning sun crept silently up over the Manhattan skyline, setting all of the glass and steel skyscrapers ablaze with glittering light. Deeper in the dark canyons of buildings, where the daylight wouldn’t find its way until after ten when the sun rose higher in the sky, stood an older brick edifice, dotted on four sides with windows at regular intervals, housing six floors of families all tucked into their own apartments.
In one of the humble spaces, a woman in her late twenties was standing in the bathroom with a curling iron in one hand and comb in the other. Her shoulder-length black hair was wrapped around the iron as she silently counted to ten in her mind. Her dark brown eyes moved over her reflection in critical judgment. She had sized herself up several times since she’d walked into the bathroom that morning, but she continued to do it as she stood there.
The soft buttercream yellow dress that gently held to her curvy mahogany figure looked ideal one minute and not nearly right the next. Her flawless makeup was just what she had hoped it would be, until she leaned in too close to the mirror and studied it too carefully, second guessing the shades she’d chosen and the manner in which she’d applied it. High cheekbones, a squared jawline, full rounded lips, and thick dark eyelashes made her look exotic and beautiful, and sometimes she actually saw that in herself, but not on this particular morning.
Sighing, she reached for her coffee and turned her head when she heard the gleeful giggles of a baby in the adjoining bedroom. Another baby chimed in, and she couldn’t hold back the grin that spread over her lovely face.
Aleisha Kingston was the mother of twins: a boy called Harry and a girl called Hailey. They were nine months old and full of life and joy, most of the time. “What are they laughing at?” she called out curiously.
“We’re just playing. They love me because I’m the best Auntie in the world, and I’m their favorite. They love all the games we play!” her sister Rainy called out as she laughed, followed by a gale of giggles from the twins.
Aleisha smiled and nodded. “You are their favorite; that’s true.”
“So, what time is this interview you’re going in for?” Rainy asked in between her baby talk games with Harry and Hailey.
“It’s at ten,” Aleisha answered as she finger-combed the hot waves in her hair.
“What time is your babysitter supposed to be here?” Rainy asked distractedly.
Aleisha poked her head around the corner of the bathroom door and looked at her sister, who was lying on her bed with the twins, tickling and cuddling them. “Cara will be here in an hour. I’m really grateful you could come and help me this morning while I got ready for this. Normally, I just pull my hair up and get dressed while they’re still sleeping, and then I get them going until Cara shows up, but with this interview I have today, I needed extra time to shine myself up. You’re the best.”
“Yes, I am.” Rainy grinned as she dug her fingertips into Hailey’s tummy and made the little girl squeal delightedly. “Glad that I could help. So, what’s this job you’re applying for? You never tell me anything anymore! I feel like I’m out of the loop.”
Aleisha went back into the bathroom and carried on her conversation with a slightly louder voice as she styled her hair and touched up her makeup. “You’re not out of the loop. This was sudden, to be honest. The law firm had three named partners: Carrington, Peterson, and Jansen. Out of nowhere, this fourth attorney comes in, Kyle Drake, and he’s sitting at the top with his name on the wall, pretty as you please. I know the junior partners aren’t happy about it, but I guess he’s got quite a reputation for winning his cases, so there wasn’t much anyone could say about it.
“Plus, he’s a billionaire, and he’s related to the Carringtons … a cousin or something. So that was an easy in for him. Anyway, he needs an associate, and Richard Peterson, one of the guys named on the wall, told me that he expected me to put in for it, that I might actually have a good chance of getting it. So, I did. I don’t think I’m ready, but I’m not going to turn down the chance to get a major promotion and get out of the pit with all of the other underlings.”
“Well, I think that you’re right in applying for it. You busted your ass getting through law school, and you graduated at the top of your class. I know you were thrilled to get into that firm five years ago, but you’ve hit the glass ceiling, and you haven’t gone anywhere since then. It’s high time they see some value in you and how hard you work there and give you a promotion. You’ve earned it,” Rainy answered in a serious tone.
Aleisha gave herself one last look and sighed, running her hands over the soft fluid silky material of her dress. It had a V neck without really showing cleavage, with narrow sleeves to the elbows. It tapered at her waist and hugged her curves to just above her knees. She had to admit to herself that there wasn’t anything else that she could do to try to make herself look any better. Flipping off the light, she walked out of the bathroom and looked at her sister with a nervous smile.
“Well? How do I look?” she asked in a thin voice.
“You look beautiful and professional. You look like you could walk in with a crown on your head and annihilate all of them with your razor-sharp smarts and wit. You’ve got this. Now, quit doubting anything and go. I’ve got the kids. Cara will be here soon. Everything is fine. Go get the promotion, and you better call me afterward to tell me how it went.” Rainy sat up on the bed and pulled Harry back to her just as he was getting close to the edge.
Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and Aleisha nodded. “Right. I’ve got this. Winning attitude. I need a winning attitude, and I’ll get it. It’s mine. I’ve earned it. I’m going to go in and get it.” Lifting her chin bravely, she pulled her coat on and picked up her purse. “Thank you so much for helping me today; it means a great deal to me.”
“I know it does, and I’m glad to do it. I’ve never seen a single mom work as hard as you do to make a life for you and your kids. You usually try to do it all yourself, but sometimes you ask for a hand, and I’m always glad to help you and my babies. Now go.” Rainy waved her hands, shooing her sister out of the bedroom.
“I’m going! I’m going…” Aleisha grinned and walked out of her small apartment. Her step was light, and her hopes were high. She had worked hard for the last five years to get where she was, and Rainy was right. She had more than earned the promotion that she was up for. If she could go to the firm and prove that she was the best candidate for the new partner to hire as his associate, she would definitely be on the right track to furthering her career, and she wanted nothing more than that.
Her mind was focused with laser beam intensity on how she wanted to present herself and how she wanted to be portrayed to the new partner. She hadn’t met him, and the only things she knew about him were drops on the grapevine. He was a cousin of the wealthy and powerful Carringtons who headed the firm and several other businesses in Manhattan. He was a shark attorney who had won every case that he’d gone after, though as far as she knew, most of them had been settled out of court, and he hadn’t actually been in court for nearly all of his cases.
He was cold and steel-hearted; nothing mattered to him but the win. She knew if she got the job, she was going to have to work long, hard hours, and that was a sacrifice that she was willing to make. Someday, someday she was going to be one of the best attorneys in New York City, and nothing was going to stop her from achieving that dream.
There weren’t many women at the firm, or even in the law world of New York, who were as dedicated to success and to having it all as she was. She had graduated at the top of her class from Harvard, and that was a feat in itself without the added unlikely measure that she was a woman and she was black. She had overcome every hurdle and challenge that had come her way, and nothing had stopped her.
She’d been hired at the Carrington, Peterson, Jansen law firm straight out of college, and it had been a surprise to many people, including her, but she’d barreled right along and kept going. She had worked longer hours on more cases than any of the other hires out of law school who were also hoping to make a name for themselves in the field of law.
Aleisha had cemented herself into the fabric of the firm, ensuring that she was a valued and trusted employee, and when she was sure that she was on the right track, she’d started talking to her boyfriend, Damien Knight, about getting married and having children. He’d balked. He wasn’t sure he was ready for those steps. She said if he wasn’t, then they needed to part ways.
He’d told her that he was ready, but he wanted to take it slow. She’d listened to his waffling excuses as long as her patience would allow, and after a year and a half, she’d finally broken up with him and chosen to make her own family. She’d gone way out of her comfort zone, beyond the expectations of everyone in her circles of family and friends, and she’d hired a fertility clinic to impregnate her through an IVF procedure.
She’d wanted to start her family before she was thirty. She wanted a long life with her children and grandchildren, perhaps even her great-grandchildren one day, and she knew that the later she started a family, the less likely that would be a reality.
She knew that she could have it all if she worked hard for it and took every opportunity to make it happen, and that was just what she did. Everyone who doubted her or chastised her along the way could only sit back and watch in wonder as she took on every stigma and broke it, leaving it in her wake as she reached for all of her dreams.
The only dream she’d had that had failed was the dream of true love and romance. Damien hadn’t been the right guy, and she’d spent so much time trying to make him the right guy that by the time she’d figured out that she couldn’t change him into what she wanted, it was too late to try to find a man who was a good fit for her as a lifelong partner. So, she’d let that dream go and reached for the things that were within her ability to create and grasp, and those things came to fruition.
Her promotion at the firm would be another one of those successes – something that she could work hard for and achieve, and see a long-term benefit from for years into the future. It was going to happen, and she was going to make sure that it happened. Aleisha was going to make sure of it. Kyle Drake was going to beg her to work for him by the time she was done with him, and she would finally have broken that glass ceiling, and she’d be on her way further up her ladder of life.
The elevator doors slid open on the forty-ninth floor, and she drew in a deep breath as she stepped out onto the tile. Fluorescent lights shone above her as softer warmer lighting glowed around her, illuminated by light fixtures along the walls. Phones rang and printers buzzed; soft conversation hummed subtly in the background. Doors opened and closed, and footsteps fell near and far.
She glanced around and felt her heartbeat pick up its pace. This was the world she wanted most to spend her days in. This hive of activity and bustle, this fortress of law and justice. She put one foot in front of the other and walked to the desk at the end of the hall adjacent to the elevators.
A woman about her age was sitting at the desk, her mouth turned up in a smile, papers grasped in one hand as she wrote with her other hand on a scratch pad and glanced over at her computer while speaking through the headpiece she was wearing.
She glanced up at Aleisha and gave her a nod, letting her know that she would be with her as soon as she could, and a few moments later, she ended her phone call and set the papers and pen down. “Good morning. How can I help you?”
“I’m here to meet with Kyle Drake, please.” Aleisha said with a friendly smile. She knew that her smile exuded confidence that she didn’t quite feel but which was firmly lodged in her depths. She was grateful that she had always been able to reassure others that she was on top of her game when she didn’t always feel like it inside. It was one of the things that she knew would make her a great attorney. No one could read what was really running through her mind.
“Just go down this hall, and you’ll find his secretary, Grace. She can get you taken care of,” the woman answered, pointing her finger down the hall to the right of her desk. Aleisha nodded, thanked her, and turned to walk that way.
She found Grace in no time. Grace was older and heavy, nicely dressed and neatly pressed, but that wasn’t the first thing that stood out to Aleisha. Grace was black. It bolstered her confidence greatly to see it. She felt as though her dreams were much more reachable, seeing another woman of color in such an enviable position.
Grace raised her weathered brown eyes and looked at Aleisha over the top of her half frame glasses. “Good morning. May I help you?” she asked with a smile.
Aleisha got the distinct impression that Grace knew just who she was and just what she was there for without asking, but they were both going to be polite about their meeting.
“I’m Aleisha Kingston. I’m here to meet with Kyle Drake. You must be Grace!” she said with a warm smile, extending her hand toward Grace. Grace rose from her seat and took Aleisha’s hand in hers, shaking it.
“I am indeed. I’m glad to see you here. He’ll be ready to see you in just a minute. I’ll let him know that you’re here.” She grinned at Aleisha and then sat back down again and picked up her phone to call into Kyle’s office. With a nod, she hung up and lifted her hand toward Kyle’s door.
“He’ll see you now,” she spoke pleasantly. “Good luck, Aleisha.” The older woman gave her another nod and watched as Aleisha thanked her, lifted her chin, and walked toward the door angled off to the side behind Grace’s desk.
Kyle’s office was a long, spacious rectangle, modestly furnished but elegantly decorated. There were long windows with low sills all along two of the walls, and his view of the city was spectacular. Glancing out, she could see over the river and far beyond.
The colors in the room were solemn: silver, steel, gray, and black. His desk, sofa, and chairs were black with silver hardware and gray accessories. There were a few plants around the office, but most of it looked as if it had just been photographed for a business magazine. A swift gaze told her there was nothing personal in it that she could see – nothing that could give her a hint or indication as to the kind of man who was sitting behind the desk.
She felt her stomach sink and her courage waver slightly as she walked toward him. He looked up, and she almost stopped in her tracks. Something in his blue-gray eyes and fine features made everything in her nearly lock up. It was as if she had known him from a dream, or a dream of a dream, from long before, though they had never met. He seemed immediately familiar to her, and it took all of her presence of mind to focus on the moment at hand.
She smiled, and he stood up, his squared jaw seeming to clench and unclench for a second, his cool eyes riveted to her. She saw his gaze drift over her form once, but then he looked back into her eyes, and he didn’t look away again.
He was beautiful; there was no other word for it. His features seemingly chiseled from marble, his eyes like a stormy sea, his mouth curved, and his lips full. His nose straight and narrow. Everything about his face was evenly set; he looked almost too perfect. His shoulders were broad, and though he wore a custom-tailored suit, there was no hiding his toned and muscular physique beneath it.
He might as well have just stepped out of a Greek God fashion magazine. His skin was fair but tanned, and he looked the picture of health. She swallowed lightly and reminded herself that she was hoping he would be her boss.