href="#ulink_de29a15c-7565-53af-b6c3-96d7d354a14f">Chapter 1
Safire Lewis shifted in her swivel chair, turning from the computer to the open books on the long table in the law library. She loved her work, but a paralegal wasn’t what she had set out to become. It was supposed to be a learning interlude on the way to law school. Her parents were gone by then, so she knew she would have to make it independently, and this seemed a way to do that. Now she was ready to make a change, and she already had plans set in motion.
She would have to fight to do it on her own, but it had been that way for a long time. After she lost her parents, she became determined to make it on her own terms—fiercely determined. She was used to fighting, and she was used to going after what she wanted. It was how she had come this far and how she would go on to get what she really wanted—once she finally decided what that was.
Safire tagged a page in one of the books, picked up the phone and dialed her sister’s cell phone number.
“Hey, sis. Are we still on for this Saturday?” Her sister rattled off a list of stops they would be making to look for her wedding dress. “I’ll be there,” Safire said. “And I’ll be there to watch Philly tomorrow night....Give your hunky fiancé all my love....Okay, Angelina. See you tomorrow.”
Safire hung up the phone, stretched and began rubbing the back of her neck with both hands. She wanted a vacation. She’d missed hers earlier that year when one of her bosses went into labor. She’d had to cancel her plans for a singles cruise. She didn’t mind because her sister got to go, and her sister needed it more than she did. But she had wanted that time to do some thinking and to relieve some of her tension, and what better way to relieve tension than to find a sexy single? Yes, she was used to going after what she wanted. Safire shook her head to get rid of her salacious thoughts and turned back to her work.
When she heard the door open, she had her nose in one of the law books on the table and thought it was one of the student interns they had taken on over the summer. The interns were supposed to lighten the load, but until they learned what they were doing, they were more a nuisance than a help.
When she looked up, however, she found not one of the interns but a well-dressed gentleman looking tentatively her way. And he was gorgeous. Safire couldn’t help but smile.
He had skin just darker than milk chocolate—sweet enough to lick until it melted in your mouth—and his large brown eyes were astute and attentive. His lips were kissably thick, set in an angular jaw that led to high, chiseled cheekbones. He wore his hair in long braids that were pulled back into a bundle and anchored at the nape of his neck.
Safire shifted her chair so that she could see beyond the table and continued her open perusal.
He was wearing an athletic-cut navy suit that flared at his broad shoulders and tapered just a bit at his waist. She could sense the muscles of his arms beneath the sleeves, and his contoured thighs struggled for release from the pant legs. Her eyes lingered over his center on the way back up. It protruded just enough to hint at the dense manhood that lay beneath. Safire almost licked her lips.
The suit was set off with a white shirt and a cobalt tie, and he carried a black leather satchel. He looked like a young attorney, which pleased Safire greatly. The firm needed some color higher up.
“Excuse me, I—” he said, his voice a rich bass that sent tingles through Safire’s body.
Safire cut him off. “You’ve got to be looking for me,” she said, getting up from her chair and shrugging off her blazer.
Safire wore a purple miniskirt that matched her blazer, as well as a lavender chiffon camisole and her black two-and-a-half-inch pumps. This was her usual work attire, and she liked it because it showed off her legs and could transition into the evening if she went out.
“Pardon?” he said.
“You’ve got to be looking for me,” she repeated, positioning her rear on the tabletop and crossing her legs in front of her. “I’ve been looking for you, too.”
Safire was always bold, partly in fun, partly in all seriousness. She could tell that her handsome stranger wasn’t used to this at all, and his hesitation only enticed Safire all the more—that and something sweet in his eyes.
“Uh, are you Janice Wilson? I just left Mr. Benson, and he said that I could stop in to introduce myself to you. You deal with copyrighting?”
“Aw,” Safire said and then gave a little pout. “You’re looking for Janice.”
“I’m afraid I am.”
“Well, you’re too gorgeous to give away. What about after that?”
“After that?” He seemed a bit puzzled.
“Yes, are you done for the day after you speak with Janice?” Safire scooted off the table and put her hand out as she approached the man. “I’m Safire Lewis. Pleased to meet you.”
“Hello. I’m Darien James.”
Now that she was standing next to him, she could gauge his height. He must be about six feet because she was five feet eight inches, and he had a couple of inches on her even in her heels. She looked up at him and smiled.
“If you’re free after you see Janice, let’s go to happy hour. I’ll be done in an hour, and it’s nearby.”
“Uh, I’m not sure how long I’ll be with Ms. Wilson. Perhaps a rain check.”
“Rain check nothing, Mr. James. You’re not getting away, hottie that you are.”
Safire took his arm as if they were out on a stroll and led him back into the hall.
“If you’re already tied up, now’s the time to say so. If not, we’re on.”
Down the hall, Safire tapped on Janice’s office door and poked her head in. She hadn’t let go of Mr. James’s arm and ushered him in when Janice nodded.
“Ms. Wilson, this is Darien James, my date for happy hour this evening. We need him done within the hour because happy hour at Jake’s ends at seven. And don’t go getting any ideas of your own.”
Janice laughed and got up from her desk, holding her hand out to Darien. Her blue suit with its calf-length skirt and billowy jacket looked matronly next to Safire’s purple mini. Safire was kidding about Janice getting ideas. Janice was long married with two school-age children and rarely went out after work. Safire liked to give Janice a chuckle every now and again. Her coworkers knew her sense of humor and relied on it to lighten their long days.
“Good afternoon, Mr. James. Mr. Benson buzzed a few minutes ago to say that you would be stopping in. I was wondering whether you’d gotten lost.”
“He was in perfectly good hands,” Safire said.
“I see that he was. Come have a seat.”
Safire turned to leave. “I’ll be in the lobby in an hour,” she said to Janice. “Don’t let him keep me waiting.”
Back in her office, Safire began wrapping up her research for Mr. Hines. It was a criminal case under state jurisdiction involving the mistreatment of a minor, and since cases involving children were Safire’s specific interest, she tore through the research. She had already traced the applicable law and had the relevant statutory leads. She had collected all the on-point court decisions she could find, and now she only had to check the relevant cases to see if any of the decisions had been reversed, overruled or criticized.
This kind of suit was why she wanted to become a lawyer or work with children. She wanted to make a difference, not only through research but by having her own cases. Maybe it was because she knew what it was like to be young and feel vulnerable and alone. She was still in high school when her mother died. Then her father went. With her older sister taking care of their younger brother, she knew she had to look out for herself. And she hated feeling vulnerable. She’d made up her mind to rid herself of that feeling and pursue whatever she would have pursued had the foundation