CHAPTER NINE

My second time with Sebastian was even more tiring than the first, and when he finally dropped me home, I fell asleep almost instantly. I had no idea how he managed such virility. He seemed to have the stamina of ten men. Not that I was complaining.

I woke feeling refreshed, a pleasant ache between my legs. I assumed I'd get used to marathon sex sessions eventually, but for now, my body was not accustomed to such vigour. Thinking back to the four toe curling orgasms I'd had, I decided a little soreness was a fair price to pay.

My day at the office started with a floor wide strategy meeting. Normally our work was delegated across a mixture of small meetings, phone calls and emails, but whenever we began a big case like Wrights, we needed a little more coordination. I was excited to finally have something important to sink my teeth into.

After a less than rousing speech from Alan, the senior Partner who ran our floor, about the importance of " obtaining justice for those that might otherwise slip through the cracks, " we got down to business.

Work was gradually parcelled out, with everyone heading off to begin their assigned tasks. Soon, there were only a few people left in the room.

" As for the rest of you, " Alan said, " we need you to hold down the fort with the rest of our case load for now. Wrights is important, but it's not the only thing on our books. "

Those words were like a punch in the stomach. Again I was being relegated to the bench.

It wasn't considered proper to object about your duties, but I was sick of playing second fiddle to people with less dedication and experience than me.

" Excuse me, sir, " I said to Alan, as the others were filing out. I didn't know him well, but he had a reputation for being difficult to deal with, so I wanted to tread carefully.

" Yes Sophia, what is it? "

" I just wanted to talk to you about my assignment. To be honest I'm kind of disappointed not to be working on the Wrights case. "

He shot me a sympathetic smile, but it lacked any real warmth. " I know it's not ideal, but we need people on our other cases too. "

" I know. It's just there are plenty of less experienced associates working on the case. I think I can be more useful there than here. "

His lips tightened. " Nobody doubts your talents, Sophia. They're the reason we've got you doing this. We need someone with your kind of experience keeping things on track elsewhere. You'll get your chance on the Wrights case soon enough, don't worry. "

It was a classic Partner trick; act like the shitty job you've just doled out is more important than it actually is. But there wasn't anything I else I could really do. The only person who might consider helping was my direct boss Ernest, and Alan outranked him.

I thanked him and headed back to my desk.

With the majority of the floor now occupied with the new case, my morning quickly grew hectic. Phone calls and emails streamed in, never giving me time to catch my breath. I was so set in my rhythm, that when a call arrived around one o'clock, I didn't even notice that it was from a familiar number.

" Sophia Pearce, " I said, doing nothing to hide the strain in my voice.

" Well hello to you too. " I recognised Ruth's voice instantly.

" Shit, sorry. Kind of busy here. Thought you were another fucking client who didn't know his ass from his elbow. What's up? "

" What's up is that I'm downstairs. "

" Why wou—ah shit. "

She exhaled loudly. " I take it that means you forgot? "

" Possibly. "

" This was your idea, for Christ's sake. 'Come have lunch on Monday, ' you said. 'We'll catch up, just the two of us. '"

" I know. I'm sorry. I'm just really busy today and it slipped my mind. "

" Well, I can wait a few. Finish up what you're doing and come down. "

" I don't know, Ruth. I've got a mountain of stuff to do here—"

" Even mountaineers need to eat. Come on, I came all the way across town. The least you can do is give me half an hour. We'll go to Pablo's. "

It was my turn to sigh. Ruth wasn't going to give up. And as much as I knew I should power on, the thought of escaping, even for a little while, was very appealing. " Okay fine. Give me five. "

" Atta girl. I'll be out front. "

Fifteen minutes later we were climbing down a narrow staircase and into a dimly lit basement. Pablo's was one of my favourite restaurants. It had the perfect combination of upmarket panache and homely comfort food. The tables around us were piled high with steaming olive rolls and mounds of bolognese, while waistcoated waiters darted nimbly between them like insects, ensuring the glasses of wine and sparkling water never quite reached empty.

More than a few men's eyes followed us as we walked. I sometimes liked to pretend that those stares were for me, but the truth was, whenever Ruth was in a room, it was all eyes on her. There was just something about her that men couldn't resist. She wasn't stunningly beautiful — she had a little too much of her mother's sharp nose for that — but she had a way of moving that just exuded sexuality. Men seemed to melt in her presence; a fact she took ample advantage of.

" So, how are the unhappy couples of Sydney treating you? " I asked, once we'd ordered. Ruth was a family law attorney, specialising in messy divorce.

" No complaints. Things are a little quiet, but that's just the calm before the post-Christmas storm. "

" Post-Christmas storm? "

" Yea. Haven't you noticed I'm always super busy come January? "

I thought about it. " Sure, I guess. But why? "

" Two words. Christmas parties. Unlimited booze, no spouses, lots of mistletoe; it's like divorce lawyer heaven. "

I laughed. " Good to see you're still bringing that notorious professional sensitivity to the table. "

She raised her hands defensively. " Hey, ninety percent of the time the divorcee is getting what they deserve. I've got a couple of doozeys right now. " She leaned in close. " This one poor guy just found out that his wife was cheating on him... with his dad. "

" No shit? "

Ruth shook her head. " But it gets worse. They have a kid, about four years old. Paternity tests just came back. "

" Not his? "

She shook her head.

" Fuck. "

" Exactly. The guy has been raising his own brother. You couldn't make this shit up if you tried. It's like an episode of Jerry Springer. But anyway, enough about my sordid little life. I've already said too much. How are things on your end? "

" Fine, fine, just busy. "

She gazed at me for a second. " You look tired, Soph. Busy doesn't mean you can't get a proper night's sleep every once in a while. "

I rolled my eyes. " Yes mum. "

" I'm serious! You can't keep working yourself into the ground. "

" It's not like it's intentional. Sometimes there's just too much to do. We just landed a really big case, so I doubt things will let up any time soon. "

" Is that Wrights? The one you were telling me about? "

" Yep. "

" Well, that's awesome! " She noticed my resigned expression. " Right? "

" It would be if I was actually working on it. "

She blew out a long puff of air. If anybody knew about my frustrations at work, it was Ruth. " They're seriously not using you at all? "

I shrugged. " Not so far. It's early days yet, and Alan said I'd be rotated in, so maybe I'm just being bitter. I'm just so sick of sitting on the sidelines. "

" I know. They're idiots for wasting you like that. " She reached out and squeezed my hand. " But eventually someone there is going to recognise how fucking great you are at your job, and when that happens, the sky's the limit. "

That drew a smile from me. Ruth was always wonderful at cheering me up. " Thanks. "

" No problem. " Her expression turned cheeky. " You know if you want, we could go out tonight. Lou is away at her mum's, so it would just be us two single gals. Maybe we could find ourselves a couple of willing young gentlemen to take our minds off our troubles? "

I sucked in a sharp breath. I'd really been hoping the conversation wouldn't go down that path, but I should have known better with Ruth. I wasn't sure how to respond. I hated the idea of lying to my friend, but I didn't feel comfortable talking about Sebastian just yet. I barely had a handle on the way he made me feel. I didn't need the challenge of trying to describe it to someone else.

I opened my mouth to brush her off, but I must have waited a beat too long, because suddenly her eyes lit up. " You sneaky little hussy! You're already getting some right now, aren't you? " I turned red. " Yeah, busy with work indeed. You're busy getting banged all night long. No wonder you look so tired. "

There wasn't much point in lying now. The jig was up. " I wouldn't describe us as busy exactly. We only just met. " A small grin slipped onto my face. " It did last most of the night though. "

Ruth laughed. " That's a promising start. Well, don't keep me in suspense. Who is this mystery Casanova? "

" Well, remember the other night when I snuck into that party... " I trailed off, waiting for Ruth to fill in the blanks.

It didn't take long. " Oh, you didn't? You did! " She laughed. " That guy you were telling us about? How? When? "

And so I told the story. In typical Ruth fashion, she did her best to extract the more pornographic details, but I managed to keep Sebastian's kinkiness largely under wraps.

" Sounds like quite a guy, " she said when I was done.

I nodded slowly. " That he is. Honestly, it's a little intimidating. Every time I'm around him I seem to lose my head completely. "

She flashed a knowing smile. " They're dangerous when they're that gorgeous. "

" It's not just his looks. " I shook my head. " I don't know if I can really explain it. There's just something about him that pushes all my buttons. "

" Is it the accent? Fuck, I love a good accent. " She leaned back in her chair and gazed up at the ceiling, a dreamy grin blooming on her face. " Remember that Spanish guy I was seeing a year or so back? God damn. He could read out the shopping list and I'd still get off. "

" You did mention he had a talented tongue, but I didn't think that's what you meant. "

She laughed. " That man had a variety of skills, most of which cannot be discussed in polite company. Anyway, it sounds like you're living the dream. Exclusive, casual sex with a gorgeous, mysterious millionaire. I dare say I'm a little envious. "

" Yea it's pretty awesome. " I tried my best to sound enthusiastic, but some part of my uncertainty must have leaked through, because her expression fell.

" So why don't you sound happy? " she asked.

" I am! " I sighed. It was frustrating how little I could hide from her. Who said best friends were a good idea anyway? " It's just, I'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? "

" Jesus. You really know how to look a gift horse in the mouth, don't you? "

" I'm not trying to. I just want to keep things in perspective. After what happened with Connor, I want to be a little more careful, that's all. "

She grimaced and leaned in close, taking my hands in her. " Soph, listen to me. Connor was a one of a kind psychopath. He was a serial cheater who seemed to get off on lying to you. I've told you before, men might be assholes sometimes, but he was a special piece of work. They aren't all like that. You can't let that one experience cause you to shut up shop forever. "

I nodded slowly. " I know. "

" You need something to do besides work and drink, and if you ask me, this sounds perfect. A casual fling with a guy who is as busy as you are. Just take it slow and enjoy it for what it is. "

" That's the plan. "

" Good. " She took a drink and then shook her head. " I swear, you don't know how lucky you are. This sort of thing doesn't come along all that often. "

I thought back to our bizarre courtship. In the rational light of day, it barely seemed plausible at all. " I think I agree with you there. "