Winning Appeal (2 page)

“Here, hold the wire up this way while I try to get it in the port,” he instructed, handing it over to me. I grabbed on like he showed me and tried to help. After another minute of struggling I got impatient. This was ridiculous. It couldn’t be this difficult.

“Push harder,” I told him, with a note of nervous tension in my voice.

“If I push harder I might damage it,” he answered, sounding as tense as I did.

“If you don’t push hard, you’ll never get it in the hole. I think it’s just a really tight fit.” Even I noticed how husky I sounded. In my agitated state, I tugged on the wire.

“Don’t yank on it,” he admonished, grabbing my hand. My heart slammed against my chest wall so hard, it felt like I might fracture a rib. I tried to breathe through my nose, so that I wouldn’t start panting. I hoped that somebody in this office knew CPR.

“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to help you get it in.” Nose breathing wasn’t working. It felt like there was no air left. Screw CPR; I needed an oxygen mask. He stared at my mouth again for a second, and then he looked away and renewed his efforts vigorously.

“Almost there…” he said in a low voice. “So close…”

“Like that! Push harder!” The cord slipped into place and I cried out, “Yes!”

“What are you two doing down there?” Braden asked from somewhere behind us. This time both of us sat up too quickly and banged our heads into the desk. I was clearly headed for the hospital at this rate.

“I’m assuming that this is probably not what it sounds like,” Adam added. “But if it is, then for Christ’s sake, Mark, be a gentleman and give it to her however she wants.”

“What’s going on now?” I heard Liz say.

“Beth and Mark are on the floor together again, and she wants him to push harder, but he’s afraid he might damage her hole,” Adam answered. Mark sighed and rolled his eyes. Then both of us crawled out quickly and stood up.

“I see,” Liz replied. “I’m going to make coffee.” She turned to leave.

“I was helping her set up a computer!” Mark called out to her, sounding irritated.

“Obviously,” Braden said, looking at him like he was crazy.

“Just don’t think that I was doing anything inappropriate,” he said, sounding defensive, and giving Adam a dirty look.

“In the law library in the middle of the day?” Braden asked.

“He’s hard up,” Adam chimed in. “It’s been a while.” The look Mark gave him that time, bordered on homicidal. Adam might be the one headed for the hospital.

“So it’s set up now?” Braden asked. Giving Adam a warning glance, he began running his fingers through his hair and pacing.

“It should be fine,” I answered. “I’ll be in my office if you need me for anything else, Bruce,” I said walking toward the door.

“Don’t forget the meeting later,” Braden reminded me.

“Right,” I called over my shoulder. I saw Mark rub the back of his neck and roll his head back and forth like he was working out the tension, and I tried very hard not to picture how it would feel to give him a nice long massage. I failed.

When I reached my office, I shut my door behind me and sat back in my desk chair thinking again. I couldn’t go on like this. Maybe the meeting this afternoon would be a good time to mention all the creepy guys who hit on me at these fundraising events I attended without a date.

4:00 PM

We had an executive staff meeting every Friday afternoon in the library, just so everyone could touch base. Braden and his wife Gabrielle, who I adored, had started The Justice Project to represent people wrongly accused and convicted of crimes and they believed in what they did. They had hired their closest friends to work with them, and there was a strong feeling of teamwork here that everyone loved.

The attorneys had all arrived; Lily, Gabrielle, my cousin Cameron, and his girlfriend, Jess, another good friend of mine, joined Braden, Mark and Adam. Bruce and Liz were both there too. We could start the meeting.

I had planned out what I was going to say, and I knew my girls would have my back if necessary. In fact, as it turned out, I didn’t even have to say anything; toward the end of the meeting, Lily brought up exactly the subject I had been planning to discuss.

“So, Beth, there’s that fundraiser tomorrow night at the art museum. I read that the theme is Old Hollywood,” she said casually.

“Old Hollywood? Oh, that should be fun, honey, well, as long as nobody hits on you,” Jess jumped in.

“I can’t even imagine having to fight off those jerks every time you go to one of those things,” Gab added, making a sour face.

“It’s a shame there isn’t anyone you could bring with you. Don’t you have any male friends you could invite?” Lily asked, looking concerned.

“I’ll go if they let me dress like Joan Crawford,” Bruce volunteered and Lily kicked him under the table.

“Beth, are you being harassed at the events you’re attending?” Braden broke in suddenly, leaning back in his chair and plowing his fingers through his hair. Both Braden, and my younger brother Drew, could be very protective of me. Having grown up in the public eye had made us particularly close.

“There are guys who mistake these things for single’s bars, but they usually cease and desist eventually,” I answered truthfully. I didn’t want to worry him, but I did want him to suggest that maybe someone escort me…

“Why don’t you bring a date then?” he asked, and I hesitated a beat. Okay, not quite what I was hoping for, but close.

“Because I’m not dating anyone at the moment.” I started shuffling through the papers in front me as if there were a reason for it, other than to avoid the subject of my not-very-successful dating history.

“Why not?” Braden asked crossing his arms and raising one eyebrow.

“Why
not
?” I gave him an appalled look. When you don’t know what to say, repeat the question and look offended. It
usually
works.

“What happened to the filmmaker?”
Oh, shit here we go…

“I found out his most successful production to date was entitled
Suzie Loves Gangbangs, Part II.
”

“Wait, there’s a sequel?” Adam asked, earning him a raised eyebrow from Lily.

“How about the Green Architect who was all into sustainable energy?” Braden went on, undeterred. He could be like the Spanish Inquisition.

“He couldn’t sustain enough energy to get off the couch.”

“The i-banker from New York?”

“I” was his very favorite word. In fact, He was a poster child for narcissism. This is an interesting approach to running a staff meeting, Braden. Whose dating history should we discuss next?”

“I’m just trying to figure out why an intelligent, attractive, single woman doesn’t have a date on a Saturday night.”

“Maybe I’ll get a cat to keep me company, or ten. Could we discuss something business related now?”

“This is business related. You represent this organization at these events and it sounds like you’re being harassed. I’m the Director here, and so, I’ll have to address that somehow, probably by making sure that you’re escorted.”

Hearing that, everyone shot a surreptitious glance at Mark at the same time. I shut up and looked down at the file in front of me, feeling my face heat up. That was what I had wanted him to say, but I could have done without the public reminder of what a loser I was when it came to romance. Why was nothing ever easy?

Afterward, they really did discuss business. Specifically, they discussed their caseloads. Whenever they got into the details my mind wandered. It usually wandered to Mark. I figured I cold use a mental break, so I let myself daydream about the two of us being alone in the office one night and having sex on my desk. And his desk. And my desk again. It was a long meeting.

Mark

Friday 5:00 PM

Braden and Adam were in my office discussing a case after the staff meeting when he brought it up. I had been waiting because I knew it was coming.

“You’re quiet, Mark. Got something on your mind?” Braden asked and looked over at me. I was tapping a pen against my desk like a machine gun, but I hadn’t offered much to the conversation.

“He’s probably thinking about his weekend,” Adam cut in with a knowing smirk. I loved Adam like a brother, but I swear, there were times I wanted to beat the shit out of him.

“Going out tonight?” Braden asked me. His tone was casual, but that didn’t mean anything. I could see the set of his jaw, and I had a feeling that I knew what was on his mind.

“Yeah, probably.” I looked out the window at the building across the street. “I’ll hit Happy Hour at the pub with you first, though.” There was a moment of silence and I glanced back at Braden. He just nodded.

“I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.” I waited for it; three, two, one… “Would you mind going with Beth to that fundraiser tomorrow?”

“You want me to go with her?” I tugged at my collar. Suddenly, my tie felt too tight, and had somebody turned up the heat in here? Adam looked amused. What a shocker. He knew that I had been going nuts trying to curb my desire for Braden’s younger sister.

“Yeah, I mean, I would go, but Gabrielle and I have plans, and so do you and Lily I assume?” he asked Adam.

“Uh, yeah.” Adam laughed. “I would guess that Cam and Jess do too.”

“I’m not letting Bruce go as Joan Crawford, but he and Jason probably have plans anyway,” Braden added. “You’re the last single guy Mark.”

“I thought maybe you wouldn’t feel comfortable with me going with her.” I had no idea how to handle this. Braden was really protective of Beth, and even though I’m sure that he could see how much I wanted her, we had never openly discussed it. It was becoming one big-ass elephant in the room.

“You wouldn’t have a casual hook-up with my sister?” I could see his muscles tensing. Oh fuck, we were going to discuss it. Here came the circus.

“No, I was just wondering if anyone would say anything. Your dad is a senator, and everybody keeps talking about him running for president.” He seemed to relax, but he still looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

“There
are
usually journalists and photographers at these things.”

“Like paparazzi, here in Philly?” Adam asked sounding surprised.

“It’s not like New York or LA, but there’s usually a couple of nosy tabloid reporters and maybe a paparazzo or two with nothing better to do than try to catch a senator’s kid fucking up.”

“Fucking up how?” I asked, carefully.

“Acting drunk, starting fights, engaging in
too much PDA
.”

“Beth’s a brawler, but he could keep her under control,” Adam joked.

“I’m sure it would be fine,” Braden said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself of that. “I mean this is a business event, with my
sister
, not a hit and run with some chick you met in a club.” He laughed but it didn’t sound like a
happy
laugh.

“So, don’t put your hands anywhere that might not look good on Twitter,” Adam offered helpfully. I gave him a smile but it wasn’t a
happy
smile.

“It’s just that, I would be blind not to see that…” Braden began, conversing with the file in front of him.

“Braden, I’m sure that you realize that I find Beth very…” I interrupted, speaking very earnestly to my bookshelf.

“She’s an adult,” he broke in, addressing my coatrack. “She’s twenty-six. But dude, if you plan to… do anything, please just remember that you work together, and if she were, you know, upset…”

“Braden, I swear, I wouldn’t. I mean it’s not
like
that.”

“It’s not?” he asked looking back at me. “So, what is it like? You did say you were going out tonight, right?”

“I was, I am, but… Oh shit.” I rubbed my temples.

“He’s been going out for weeks and going home alone,” Adam broke in. “You and I both know where that leads.”

“Really? You have?” Braden asked, sitting forward and looking a bit stunned. “So, it’s more than just wanting to bang her?”

“I think I want to ask her out, but I’ve been worried about pissing you off, and I’m not even sure she’s interested in dating a guy who she’s always seen as a player.”

“Interested?” Adam asked incredulously. “If she gets any more interested, she might kill you.” I had to laugh at that. It was kind of adorable, if a bit painful, that she got so distracted around me. She had injured me more than once.

“Adam and I both get that it can take some time to wrap your head around this stuff. When you’re ready, just do it right. If you do it right, then I’m fine with it. Hell, I would rather see her with you, than the assholes she usually dates.”

“Yeah, what’s with that?” I asked with a laugh.

“I don’t know. But I do know that Adam’s right. She’s interested. She’s had a thing for you since you guys visited my parents’ place in our first year of law school. I overheard a comment that she made to her college roommate that almost made me go deaf.”

“What did she say?” I sat forward in my chair and felt my dick stir as I remembered vividly what Beth looked like that summer in her little white bikini.

“I’ve blocked the details out, thanks to the trauma I sustained hearing it, and half a bottle of Stoli.”

“But she liked me, huh?” Why did that make me so excited?

“She
definitely
liked you. Now let’s never mention it again,” he said getting up. “Happy Hour at O’Malley’s, I’m taking my wife out later on a date to a blues club.” The smile on his face said it all.

“Maybe you’ll get lucky later,” I joked.

“I get lucky every night. Let me know if
you
get lucky tonight, and what conclusions you come to.” I watched as the door closed behind him.

“You’re actually going out tonight looking for some action?” Adam asked.

“I don’t know that I’m ready for anything else yet, and I have to get laid, man. I’ve got an important job and I have to be able to concentrate.”

“So, what’s your plan?”

“I’ll have to find myself another blonde, dim the lights, and try not to call her Beth. I spend plenty of time fantasizing about her already. I’m good at it.”

“Yeah, nothing weird about that,” Adam said on his way out.