Late afternoon sunlight was still shining through my office windows, but I was already getting ready to go home. After the marathon that had been the Delaney trial, I’d decided I deserved an evening off and was ready to start my weekend a few hours early.

I looked up at the sound of a knock on my doorframe and saw Jameson standing there, his hands in his pockets, looking sexy as ever. I smiled at the sight of him. I had gotten used to spending twelve hours a day with him, and the past few days I hadn’t seen him as much.

“You leaving so soon?”

“It’s almost five … I can leave at a normal hour, you know. We deserve a break every now and then, Mr. Beck,” I teased, but he didn’t smile. Instead, he came into my office and shut the door behind him. I couldn’t quite place the look on his face; it was satisfaction mixed with a touch of something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“I have some news,” he said, walking forward and taking a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk. I followed suit, sitting in my chair, but peering at him closely. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.

“What is this about, Jameson?” I asked impatiently.

“I was trying to be delicate...” he said. I snorted.

“Please, when have you ever been delicate?”

“Well, if that’s how it’s going to be,” he mumbled.

“How what’s going to be?”

“I got it,” he said, and then waited for my reaction, but I didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’ve been offered a full partnership, Olivia.” I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I couldn’t breathe. The room was spinning, and I grabbed hold of my desk for support even though I was sitting down. Jameson watched me closely, his eyes never leaving my face, his hard expression never changing. I didn’t believe him. I couldn’t believe him.

“Liar,” I spat out when I regained my bearings.

“Why would I lie?” he countered. “The paperwork is already being drafted; it should only be a few weeks and you’ll officially work for Hugh, Roscow, and Beck.” I stood up from my desk.

“I’m going to talk to Dan and Jack,” I said, stalking toward the door.

“Don’t waste your time, they already left.” Jameson stood and faced me.

“And they sent you to give me the bad news?”

“No, I wanted to tell you.” Anger flooded through me.

“Why … so you could rub it in? Say I told you so.” I turned away from him. Unwanted tears built up behind my eyes and threatened to spill over.

“It’s not like that, Olivia.” He grabbed my elbow, but I yanked away.

“Don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me again. Get the fuck out of my office.”

“Olivia, calm down,” he chided. “I didn’t come to brag … I just wanted you to hear it from me.”

“Why?” I yelled. “Did you think I’d be happy for you? Did you think I’d give you a congratulatory blow job and go for celebratory drinks?”

“Well, no...” he stumbled.

“You sweep in and take the only thing I’ve wanted for the last ten years and you expect me to say congratulations and carry on like nothing has changed? You’re more arrogant and conceited than I thought.”

“Olivia, this doesn’t have to be the end of everything. It doesn’t have to be the end of us.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Then I could be the girl you always thought I was, the one who fucks the partners to get her way,” I sneered. “No thanks, Mr. Beck.”

“You know I don’t think that anymore. You’re a good lawyer.” A good lawyer? After weeks of pouring my soul into the Delaney trial with him, the best I got was I’m a good lawyer?

“Fuck you, Jameson, get out.”

“Olivia...”

“Get out of my office or I’m calling security.” He didn’t move, but rather stood there, looking at me with sadness on his face. I picked up my phone, and he took a step toward the door.

“I hope we can still work together,” he said, pausing at the door. “We made a good team.” Then he disappeared around the corner, and I heard his footsteps making a quick exit down the hallway, probably to start getting settled in his new corner office.

“You can go to hell,” I mumbled to no one as I finished gathering my things and left, slamming my office door behind me.

* * *

I couldn’t believe this was happening. I felt like I was in a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from—like the world was falling out from underneath me. I had been on Cloud 9, riding the high from the trial. I’d felt unstoppable, had known for sure the partnership was coming next. Aside from the incident with Jameson, the trial had gone perfectly. I had never done better work.

Then Jameson had walked in looking smug as ever and pulled the rug out from under me. At first, I thought he was lying, that he was doing it just to get me riled up so we could have hot makeup sex. But it wasn’t an act.

I didn’t know what I had expected. Had I thought his feelings for me would change anything when it came to his career goals? Had he even had feelings for me? Or was that just a projection of my own feelings for him?

I took a shot of vodka, slamming the glass back down on my counter, anger rushing through my veins. I was such an idiot. So naive. The adrenaline and the high from the trial had made me forget about the partnership for a moment, made me forget that I was in competition with Jameson. I had let our camaraderie the past few weeks cloud my focus.

I couldn’t deny that our relationship had changed over time. I hadn’t been ready to call it love, and now I never would be. Fuck Jameson. This was why I had limited my relationships to sexual ones for the past twenty years. Emotions, any of them, made everything more complicated, made everything messy.

My phone rang, and Jameson’s name flashed across the screen.

“You honestly think I’m going to answer the phone for you? Not a chance in hell,” I snorted. I let it ring and ring and ring as I downed another shot and headed to my room to change. The phone rang two more times while I was changing. I put on a low-cut black bandage dress and let my hair down. I touched up my makeup, rimming my eyes in dark eyeliner before I smudged it for a smoky effect.

By the time I put on my heels twenty minutes later, I was thoroughly buzzed and pissed off. It was a terrible combination and gave me an idea I was sure I would regret in the morning, but I didn’t care. I grabbed my keys and clutch and left. I wasn’t going to give Jameson any more of my thoughts. The bastard wasn’t worth another minute of my time.

I scrolled through my phone on the elevator, my finger stopping when I found the number I was looking for. Gabriel. I paused, my finger hovering over the call button for a split-second before my common sense was gone again, and I touched the screen.

“Olivia.” Gabriel smiled appreciatively as he approached, his eyes taking me in. “You look amazing, as always.” He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. Even though we were around the corner from the club entrance, you could still hear the music thumping out the open front door.

“Hi, Gabriel,” I smiled back. I’d almost forgotten how hot he was. His skin was even darker now, the summer months darkening his already tanned complexion, a contrast to his flawless white smile. His dark hair was pushed back from his face, the top two buttons of his shirt already undone.

It had been incredibly easy to convince Gabriel to come out with me, and I had wondered briefly if he’d been waiting all these months for me to call. But then I didn’t care. He was here and that was all that mattered right now. I wasn’t going to think about what would happen tomorrow … I was just going to enjoy tonight.

“How have you been?” he asked, leaning against the building beside me.

“Can’t complain,” I said. I actually had a long list of complaints I could lodge against life right now, but I was here to forget about them, not have Gabriel say I told you so. “And you?”

“The summer has been kind to me, good luck on Wall Street and with the ladies.” He smiled again, and I laughed.

“You’ve never had any trouble with the ladies,” I said.

“Except for the one I wanted the most.” His eyes darkened for a second and his smile dimmed as he ran a finger down my cheek. My stomach balled. This was a mistake. Then the flash was gone and he was back to his normal happy self. “But life is good.”

“Have they finally made you partner?” he asked, bringing up the biggest complaint of them all, and I remembered the entire reason I had called him, and it sure as hell wasn’t to talk about work and our past.

“Unfortunately, no…” I shook my head and pushed myself off the wall. My buzz was wearing off. I needed more alcohol and music so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. “But I don’t think either of us came here to talk about work.” He laughed and stood up straight beside me.

“Let’s get some drinks,” he said, taking my hand and leading me inside.

Two hours and more drinks than I cared to count later, and I was laughing hysterically at something Gabriel had said. I was drunk, and I didn’t care. Gabriel didn’t care either. He kept ordering me drinks, his arm never leaving my waist as we drank and danced and laughed.

Gabriel ordered us another round, a shot that was sweet and tasted like pineapple, then he pulled me toward the dance floor again. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close, his body grinding against mine as we danced to the loud music. His hands roamed everywhere, down my back, across my ass, up and down my arms. Then he grabbed my face and kissed me. My mouth, my ear, my neck. Every touch of his lips sent a wave of desire through me.

“Let’s get out of here,” I yelled in his ear, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the exit. We made out in the back of the cab like teenagers. We were both out of breath when we pulled up outside my apartment. I threw $20 at the cab driver and hurried out of the car, Gabriel’s lips on mine as soon as we were in the elevator. Our lips never parted as we stumbled down the hall to my apartment. I turned briefly and put the key in the lock, as Gabriel kissed the back of my neck and shoulders.

“God, I’ve missed kissing you,” he said. I shoved the door open and pulled him inside, silencing any more talking with another kiss. I unbuttoned his shirt, running my fingertips over his toned chest and abs. His fingers pulled at my zipper, yanking it down. He slid the straps of my dress off my shoulders and down my chest, sucking one of my bare nipples into his mouth. I moaned, my head dropping back and my dress falling off me.

It landed at my feet with a soft whoosh. It was like the sound had broken down a wall in my mind, and a thousand images of Jameson slammed into me. His mouth on mine. Him laughing at my Southern accent. The way his face lit up when we got the not guilty verdict. The look he gave me when I told him about Jake and Amanda.

I pushed Gabriel off me and took a few steps back. He was breathing hard and looked at me like I had lost my mind. I covered myself with my hands, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and exposed in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel,” I whispered. “I can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?” The look in his eyes was dark and possessive and little bit scary, and for a minute I thought maybe I had gone too far, maybe he wasn’t willing to stop, maybe I was going to end up in the middle of my own rape trial.

“I’m sorry,” I said again. “This was a mistake. I never should have called you.”

“Why did you then?” He shook his head angrily and began buttoning his shirt. I breathed a sigh of relief. I pulled my dress back up and covered myself.

“To hide from the truth.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to understand.”

“You know I would’ve loved you better than anyone else?” he asked, a pained look in eyes. Gabriel’s confession only made me see what I had with Jameson in a clearer light.

“You only loved half of me,” I said. “You never loved my career, you never could have, and that’s why it would never work.” It was true. In a different life, I could’ve loved Gabriel, could’ve given him everything he had asked for, but that was just a fairy tale, and fairy tales never came true, I already knew that. Gabriel shook his head but didn’t speak. We’d already had this argument a half-dozen times.

“I’m sorry I called you tonight,” I said. “It won’t happen again.”

“I hope you find what you’re looking for, Olivia.” He turned and left, the door shutting softly behind him.

“I think I already have,” I whispered.