Chapter 10 : Like A Storm Against The Shore

*Amelia*

I was sitting in my office looking over the paperwork for a case that I had just received a trial date. After I wasted most of my work day yesterday, I worked late to get caught up on some of the things I had been neglecting, and today, I felt better than I had in weeks. I was typing a reply to an email to Michael when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I called. I looked up from my computer screen to see Adrian standing in the doorway of my office with an odd expression on his face. I quickly saved what I had been working on and closed my laptop before looking back at him.

"What can I do for you, Adrian?" I asked, curious about why he'd show up at my office instead of calling or emailing me.

"Amelia, I have news," he rushed.

He stepped inside with an envelope in his hand.

"This arrived at the office today," he said, placing the envelope in my hands.

I took it from him and carefully began to open it, my curiosity fully piqued. When I unfolded the letter, I was surprised to find official proceedings citing Hartley V. MID was moving to trial. My lunch felt like it could come out at any moment, and my hands were clammy. Everything I had done since I lost my mom, every case I'd handled, the late nights, the tears, the hate, it was all finally coming to fruition. I felt like I was going to pass out.

Adrian's eyes widened when he saw the letter in my shaking hand. He reached out and plucked it from my grip, his fingers cool against mine. Without a word, he strode to his right, opened the mini-fridge, and withdrew a bottle of water. I could hear the liquid sloshing around inside as he uncapped it and handed it to me, his own hands steady. As I took the first gulps, I could feel my heart rate start to slow, and my breathing began to even out.

"Amelia, are you okay?" Adrian asked, his voice filled with concern.

I nodded weakly, trying to calm myself down.

"We can handle this," Adrian said, "We've been preparing for this for years now."

"I know," I said, my voice shaking, "It's just... it's finally happening. The trial that could change everything."

Adrian gave me a reassuring smile and squeezed my shoulder before sitting down next to me, "This is good news, Amelia. It's totally valid to feel overwhelmed, and there's no shame in feeling the emotions you're having right now. You've gone through a lot to get here, and it's understandable."

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Adrian's words settled heavily over us, and for a moment I couldn't move or speak. Sweat trickled down my back as I fought to make sense of it all and finally let out a heavy sigh. I opened my eyes, looked at Adrian, and said, "Just give me a minute," before taking three slow, steadying breaths and trying to calm my racing heart.

After my heart rate had steadied from the intensity of my panic, I rose to my feet and reached for my phone. A satisfied grin spread across my face as I suggested, “Let's call and order a celebratory lunch from the bakery around the corner. What would you like?”

Adrian chuckled, "I'll leave that up to you. Just make sure you get something with chocolate in it."

I flashed him a grateful smile and pressed the phone to my ear. I ordered two lattes, a box of chocolate-filled pastries, and two sandwiches with the works — cheese, tomatoes, and mayonnaise on sourdough bread. I hung up the phone and looked back at him with a satisfied grin.

"Let's chat about the next steps," Adrian said after I hung up the phone.

I slumped back into my chair, feeling slightly better after taking a few moments to collect myself. I turned towards Adrian, noticing the tension around his eyes and mouth as he scrutinized his notes. We began discussing what needed to be done in order to ensure our case was successful, but it soon became clear that we had different opinions about how to go about it.

"No, we can't focus solely on the bribery. I know it's easier to show because there's a way to follow the financial records, but we also need to make sure the jury knows they KNEW the medicine was causing tumor growth. They did tests on rats that showed a high mortality rate. They knew they'd be killing people if they moved forward with human trials," I argued.

Adrian rolled his eyes and said, "You can't let your emotions cloud everything, Amelia. Remember, you're acting as a respondent, not a lawyer. I don't have to just blindly follow along with whatever you feel like doing."

I clenched my jaw and retorted, "You're right. You don't have to agree with me. But if you let that big fucking head of yours lead the way, you could lose the entire case."

My words seemed to reverberate through the room, and I watched as Adrian's face grew a deep shade of crimson. He rose from his chair with deliberate slowness and began pacing back and forth across the room, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "You think you know everything, don't you?" He exclaimed angrily, "You think that you're the only person who has been studying this case for years? That because your mother died, that somehow makes you more knowledgeable?"

I sprang to my feet, thrust out my chest, and squared up against him. His face was inches away from mine, and I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin. "Don't you dare bring my mother's death into this. I know what I'm talking about because I've fucking poured my heart into this from the beginning. You have no idea the hours I've put in, the ways I've imagined taking it to trial would go. I've imagined every scenario and every outcome, Adrian."

He shook his head, anger lighting his eyes and coloring his tan skin. "You don't have the slightest clue what I've put into this. You don't get to steamroll my trial. I am letting you in on this as a fucking kindness because I feel sorry for you."

My cheeks were hot, my vision blurred, and I could feel the heat radiating off my skin. My jaw clenched and my breathing sped up as I felt rage swell inside me. I dug my fingernails into my palms and focused on the sensation of the pain before taking a deep breath and trying to respond, "I don't need your pity, Adrian. You can take it and shove it up your ass. If you talk to the juror and don't paint a picture of the absolute horrors MID has knowingly committed, you'll lose."

We were panting, chests heaving, our faces inches apart. I could see the fury in Adrian's eyes, and my heart raced with fear that if I uttered a single word, it would send us both over the edge. I opened my mouth to drive my point home, and Adrian's lips collided with mine like a storm against the shore.

Our lips moved hungrily as tongues pulled and pushed against each other. His hands found a home on my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh almost violently. I felt every part of him, from the heat of his breath against my skin to the tension in his arms around me. The kiss left me wanting more, my body trembling with anticipation.

I could taste the fury on his lips and feel the anger I had provoked in him coursing through our passionate embrace. His warm tongue explored the contours of my mouth. I felt as if I had been pulled into a vacuum, the sensation of his kiss robbing me of breath. We both knew it was wrong, but we were consumed by an uncontrollable fire that only grew hotter with each passing second.

Adrian's large, warm hands burned through the fabric of my clothes as he slid his hands to the backs of my thighs and lifted me from the ground, leaving me no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist. His hands never left my body, he backed me up against a wall and continued to ravage my mouth with his own. My breaths came in short gasps as he pulled away from my lips, trailing hot kisses down my jawline and along my neck. Every touch sent sparks of pleasure through me, and I could feel myself growing wet as the sensations intensified.

My back was flush against the cool wall, his hard body pushing me into it. His bulging pants revealed what he desired-I could feel his arousal throbbing through both of our clothes and quickly warming my skin. It was the hottest thing I'd ever experienced. He ground his hips into me, and I could feel every pulse of my heart in my clit. He pulled me into him even harder, and a moan erupted from deep within my chest.

Adrian dragged a hand to my throat and gave it a harsh squeeze, then allowed it to trail down the front of my chest. He gripped my breast through my shirt and bra, and easily found the pebbled nipple he was in search of. Just as he was getting ready to slide his hand under my blouse to touch my bare skin, we both froze when there was a loud knock at my office door.

I could feel his body tense against mine as he pulled away, and his eyes found mine. For a split second, all was silent as we gazed into each other's eyes.

Adrian slowly stepped away from me, and I felt a pang of loss as soon as there was distance created between us. He ran a hand through his hair nervously before composing himself and walking to the door.

My heart was pounding inside of my chest, my cheeks burning with heat. I instantly regretted being so rash and reckless in my own office; if anyone found out what had almost happened between us, it could mean serious trouble for us both.

I trudged down the hallway, my heart pounding in my throat. I could hardly breathe as I peered around the corner. I prayed it wasn't Michael at the door, but rather the delivery person bringing lunch. Adrian and I exchanged guilty glances; our faces flush from all we'd done, my lipstick smeared like a colorful Rorschach test across my face, and his hair disheveled from where my fingers had been entwined just moments before.

My hand was outreached for the doorknob when I heard Adrian’s voice from behind me, “That shouldn’t have happened.”

I looked back at him and rolled my eyes as far back into my head as they would go, “Yes, that was a huge lapse in judgment on my part, trust me. I know you think you’re a catch and your head is fifty million times the size of an average man’s, but not every woman who lays eyes on you is delusional enough to fall into bed with you because you showed her a modicum of attention.”

He laughed a full-bellied laugh and responded, “If that knock had happened ten minutes later, my cock would have been buried deep in that very hot, responsive pussy of yours, Amelia. You can lie to yourself all you’d like, but you forget, I felt you move your hips against me. I heard you mewl like a kitten at the thought that I would slide those tight pants down your hips.”

I didn’t have a response for the image he painted in my head, so instead of giving him one, I flipped him off and turned to open the door. It was a visitor neither of us expected.