The Law of Attraction (10 page)

I tried not to laugh. Really, I did. I fought it for as long as I could and then I finally gave up and dissolved into the kind of laughter that makes you double over and pee your pants — which thankfully, I didn't do. Braden started to laugh with me and the two of us could barely breathe after a couple of minutes.

“So if we were on a date,” I gasped, “and someone mistakenly grabbed my ass on a bus, would you prosecute him as a sex offender?”

“You really think,” he gasped, wiping his eyes, “that I would take you on a date on a bus?” He almost choked, he was laughing so hard, and I lost it all over again. It took at least five minutes for the two of us to really calm down. My stomach ached and tears were streaming down my face.

“That felt really good.” He smiled.

“Oh my God, yes! I needed to release some tension
so
badly!” I agreed. I saw his eyes darken and his gaze heat up and I breathed in deeply. That hot Braden sex look did me in every time. He smiled seductively and walked toward me slowly. “Braden, we're in a public place.” I laughed nervously as I backed up. “Where we work.” He kept coming and soon I felt the wall up against my back. “And I know
that
door doesn't lock,” I said in a shaky voice.

“Hmm,” he said, reaching around me and gently kneading my bottom. “So, would this be a quick grab or prolonged fondle I wonder?” he whispered. “And while we’re at it, do I have exclusive access to your ass, Gabrielle?” he asked as he lowered his mouth toward mine.

“Of course you…” I murmured just before he kissed me. The tension and the adrenaline had been building all week and like someone had opened a floodgate we just let ourselves go wild. He pinned me against the wall with his hips as I ground my own hips into him like a wanton hussy. Our tongues were engaged in a battle of a whole different kind now. I wrapped one leg around him to give me better friction and he reached for the hem of my skirt and began to push it up as I reached for his belt. I got it open quickly, even though I couldn’t see what I was doing and we were writhing around against each other. It was amazing how good my fine motor skills were when I was highly motivated.
Holy shit
, we were actually going to get seriously freaky right there and then. I would probably get aroused every time I looked at that wall. That could be awkward, considering that I came in here to negotiate plea bargains.

I was wearing thigh-high stockings and panties, (I don’t have the coordination to deal with pantyhose before I’ve had my morning coffee.) He pushed the edge of my panties aside and I felt his fingers slide in and begin stroking my clit. He broke the kiss, breathing hard.

“Jesus, Gabrielle. You’re so wet,” he said hoarsely. I slipped my hand into his trousers and under the waistband of his underwear.

“I believe that I have your attention too,” I said, now officially panting. I couldn’t see what was down there but I could certainly feel it. Trust me. It was hard to miss. No pun intended. I gripped him and slid my hand along his length from base to tip. It was quite a journey. He groaned and whispered in my ear.

“Oh that’s it, baby. I need to be inside you right now. I’m going to nail you right up against this fucking wall.” Suddenly someone knocked on the fucking
door
and we froze.

“Yes?” I called out, trying to make my voice sound normal.

“Gabrielle, they need you back at the main office.”

“Tell them I'll be right there,” I called out, praying that she wouldn’t open the door.

“Okay.” Footsteps disappeared down the hallway. We both let out a sigh of relief. After a few seconds of panting and letting my heart leave my throat and return to my chest cavity he stepped back.

“It’s for the best,” he said huskily. “I say I want to be able to take my time with you and then I shove you up against a wall in a public defender interview room after a fanny grabber case.”

“What, that's not romantic enough for you?” I laughed, still sounding kind of out of breath.

“Besides, we would have had to figure out something else anyway because I don’t have a condom with me. I'm not
that
well prepared for court,” he said sounding amused, as he refastened his belt.

“I’m on the pill,” I said and I saw him hesitate. “And I’m healthy,” I added. He still didn’t say anything. “Of course I would understand if you wanted some verification.”

“I trust you. If anything, I think I should show you verification that I’m healthy – which I am. I get tested regularly and I’ve always used a condom.” I nodded and then that sunk in.

“Always? As in you’ve never not used one?”

“Never,” he answered. “With my ex-girlfriends it was more about making sure that they never got pregnant. I figured that if I didn’t plan to marry them I should do my share to make sure that I never knocked them up.”

“Oh, well, I’m fine with that. It’s no problem.”

“Not so fast.” He started to pace. I think he did that when he was mulling something over. I was starting to get to know his body language well. “There’s no reason to think your pill wouldn’t be effective and I’m a twenty-seven-year-old attorney now, so even if it wasn’t I could handle it.”

I wasn’t sure that I knew what he meant by “handle it” but I had never forgotten to take it, even when I didn’t technically need it, since it made my monthly visitor so much easier, so I wasn’t worried about it not working. Finally he seemed to come to a conclusion. “I think that I would like to try just relying on that, your pill I mean, if you’re okay with that.”

“I’m okay with that. Thanks for trusting me. I trust you too. I’m afraid that we’ll have to continue this pre-sex talk at another time, though, because if I don’t get back to my office the entire city will come to a halt – at least that’s what they’ve trained me to believe.”

Thursday

Commonwealth v. Garcia

I could feel that my face was flushed and my pulse was racing. I knew that my eyes were bright and flashing with passion. I was so turned on I was almost shaking. I knew the look Braden was giving me, like blue heat, it was a look that said that he wanted me. Right here and right now. I stepped toward him and he stepped toward me… and then both of us realized that the other one wasn’t backing up and that we were now literally toe to toe and practically on top of each other. We both stepped back and started circling – actually circling – like boxers in the ring.

“The knife was found among Mr. Garcia’s possessions while he was sleeping in Fairmount Park. This case falls under the Open Fields Doctrine outlined in Oliver v. United States and the line of cases that interpret it.” Braden’s voice sounded low and tense.

“It was found in a paper bag that belonged to him. He had a Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in that bag. It’s controlled by Katz v. United States,” and the cases that interpret it,” I shot back at him.

“Okay! I’ve heard enough argument and I have your briefs on the issue.” Judge Channing looked vaguely uncomfortable. He was probably able to guess that there was more being suppressed here than evidence. “Let’s take a break. We’ll reconvene in fifteen minutes.” He banged his gavel and headed for his chambers. Braden raked his fingers through his hair and began to pace. I went to the defense table to catch my breath.

“I feel like I need a cigarette,” Adam said. He looked flushed.

“Yeah, that was like watching porn,” Jess added. Braden and Adam looked at her. “I imagine.”

“If you don’t bang her soon, you two are going to wind up in the Supreme Court,” Adam joked.

“Or in jail,” Jess added.

“Braden, do you want to discuss that…” I said a little desperately. We only had fifteen minutes but I really didn’t feel like it was a choice at that point.

Apparently, he didn’t either.

“Yes,” he said, before I even finished making something up for us to supposedly discuss. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me out of the courtroom and headed for the DA’s interview rooms.

“My office is closer,” I said breathlessly.

“Our doors lock. I checked,” he said letting go of my hand as we almost sprinted down the hall. We made it to the DA’s office and burst into the waiting area… just to find all of the interview rooms occupied
. Shit! Shit! Shit!
We stood waiting impatiently as a MUZAC version of Karma Chameleon quietly played in the background. I checked my watch. We had twelve minutes. A door opened and a prosecutor and a public defender, still discussing something, began to vacate a room. I saw the fifty-something assistant district attorney who had prosecuted Mr. Harris, the shoplifter, stand and turn in that direction. Before he could take a step, Braden climbed
over
a coffee table and dove toward the door. The ADA and PD who were leaving gave him a startled look.

“Hey, Rob. How’s it going?” Braden asked with a smile.

“Great, Braden. You in a hurry?”

“Yes! Actually, kind of an urgent matter. You don’t mind do you, Gerald?” he called out to the older prosecutor.

“Go right ahead. I can wait,” he said looking a little confused. I smiled and waved.

“Ms. Ginsberg?” Braden called me, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Hello Mike,” I greeted the PD as I rushed toward the room.

“Gabrielle. You didn’t bring any files with you?”

“Didn’t need any,” I said with a bright smile. “I’ve got it all up here.” I tapped my forehead and dashed into the interview room. Braden closed the door behind us and locked it. He quickly checked his watch, as he took his jacket off and threw it on the desk.

“We have ten minutes. I think that manually is our best bet.” He actually picked me up and sat me down on the desk in the room, pushing my skirt up and my legs apart as I got his trousers open. His mouth was on mine in a second and we were practically devouring each other, we were kissing so wildly. He pushed my panties aside and slid two fingers up inside me, circling my clit with his thumb as I writhed against his hand. I reached in and freed him, gripping and stroking his impressive erection. I still hadn’t gotten a visual of the Harvard endowment yet but I knew it was big.

I broke our kiss to gulp some air and then attacked his neck, biting and licking and kissing him while building the rhythm of my strokes. I added my other hand to gently cup his balls.

“Yes or no?” I panted.

“Yes,” he groaned. “Squeeze a little but be careful.” I did what he asked and his breathing became ragged. His fingers slid in and out of me while he kept the pressure on my clit continuously, and I panted and tried not to moan. I had to bury my mouth against his neck to keep myself quiet. In case you were unaware, trying to come in a public place in ten minutes is not exactly an easy feat for a woman. I knew that I would have to work to pull this one off.

I tried to relax my body and just let my orgasm build. Luckily, he had very skilled fingers. If anyone could get me there, he could. I felt myself getting closer and I just allowed the sensations to wash over me, emptying my mind of everything and just focusing on the intensely pleasurable feeling between my legs. Braden was breathing very heavily and I knew that he could probably come right then but that he was waiting for me. I just needed to… let… go.

I gasped and my inner muscles clenched and pulsed as a tremor passed through my body. As soon as he sensed me coming he groaned and came in my hand. Thank God there was a box of tissues on that desk too. We stood there panting for a moment and then he kissed me lightly on the lips.

“I needed that,” he said, as his breathing returned to normal.

“Me too.” We managed to clean up enough to make it to the restroom in the lobby with a minute to spare, and we were just walking in the courtroom door when the judge took the bench. Both of us were noticeably calmer and more relaxed. Judge Channing wasn’t ready to rule on the motion yet so we just picked up where we had left off and finished our cases. Afterward, we all packed up our stuff and got ready to go.

“So, did you two have a productive case conference?” Adam asked with a smile.

“They must have, judging by how happy they looked when they got back,” Jess commented. A deputy came into the courtroom and called out.

“We need a PD to talk to a guy in lock up! A Mr.” he checked the file, “DeWayne Johnson.”

“Oh I know that case,” Adam said. “That’s the gentleman from the North Philly “social club” charged with triple homicide.”

“I’ll take it,” I said.

“Hold on!” Braden stopped me. “You can’t go have a chat with a gang banger in lock up.”

“Why not?”

“He’s violent.”

“That’s probably why he’s charged with triple homicide, Braden. Although I will point out that he’s innocent until proven guilty even if he is a gangsta.”

“There must be a male PD around.”

“I’ve interviewed violent males before and this guy’s just a shooter anyway. I feel reasonably confident that they took the gun away from him when they arrested him.”

“Yeah, but they’ll lock you in with him. By the time they opened the door he could hurt you.”

“Well they’re not going to let him out to come see me. Where do you think I meet my clients? Starbucks?”

“I don’t know why, I guess I just never thought about
you
going to do that kind of stuff. I thought your office would only send guys or at least not twenty-six-year-old women. It’s a serious case and they should have a senior defender in there anyway.”

“I’ll just see what he needs and then if I can’t or shouldn’t handle it I’ll get help, but I do this all the time. Half of the lawyers in my office are female and better to send a twenty-six-year-old than a sixty-year-old. Besides, my job is no more dangerous than yours is. You go out to actual crime scenes and you’re the dude trying to put the bad guys away.”

“I guess so.” He didn’t look happy about it though. “I’m going to call you tonight.”

“To assure yourself that I made it out alive?”

“I want to talk to you about something and also continue our conversation from the other day.”

* * *

That night at nine o'clock I was sitting in bed drinking herbal tea and watching Antiques Roadshow just like most twenty-six-year-olds, (okay, not really), when Braden called.