*Amelia*It's been two days since the bathroom incident, and Adrian and I haven't spoken. He avoided me pretty effectively until we had to get into the car together to ride to work this morning. I specifically chose the skin-tight skirt and cream-colored blouse for him, I wanted him to look at me and acknowledge how he felt.But he didn't. He got in the car and turned the music up loud enough for me to take the hint that he didn't feel like talking. I felt so powerless as I sat there, not knowing what to say or do. The silence was stifling, and a million questions raced through my mind.I wanted to ask him what was going on, but his expressionless face made me weary. His eyes were firmly fixed on the road, and with every passing second, my heart sank further into my stomach. As we finally pulled up outside of work, I knew that nothing would be resolved this morning.We pulled into a parking spot, and Adrian jumped out of the car and walked away without looking back. I paled whe
*Amelia*"How have you been, Amelia?" Dr. Sullivan asked me once we were settled in my office.I sighed, and my shoulders sagged."It's been chaotic," I admitted. "I've spent so much time working that I'm not sure who I am outside of the courthouse."Dr. Sullivan gave me a sympathetic look and nodded his head in understanding."It's the same way in medicine. The good cases are easy, but the bad cases stick with you and change who you are," he said, patting my hand comfortingly. "But I have faith in you, Amelia. You're smart and courageous, and you have integrity that many in law lose. You'll come out ahead in the end"He then leaned forward, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement as he said, "Now, let me look over the medical notes for this suit you're working on. You said they're trying to say the accident at work wasn't responsible for the permanent nerve damage?"I nodded, and he began reviewing the notes. After a few minutes, he looked up at me with a frown."Did you say t
*Amelia*Adrian had one of his goons bring me back to his penthouse after my meeting with Dr. Sullivan. Naturally, his goon didn't tell me what Adrian was doing or when to expect him home, so I'd been busying myself with catching up on laundry and watching some trash TV.We'd been working non-stop for weeks, and both my mind and body were exhausted. I leaned over and grabbed a dress that needed to be hung up, and the tight muscles in my back protested. I needed to see a massage therapist or a chiropractor sooner rather than later.I was apprehensive to see Adrian, he'd been wound so tightly lately. This case was making him almost unbearable to be around, and the living arrangement we were currently dealing with wasn't going to work for me if he didn't let off some steam. I needed to find a way to get him to lighten up, at least for a few hours. Then, maybe I'd be able to make it through the next couple of months without murdering him.I turned to put my bra and underwear in a d
*Adrian*I left Amelia in the living room and took the elevator down to the lobby to wait on the food. How did she come up with the idea of us taking the night off tonight? I had worked tirelessly on this case for what felt like forever, and I couldn't afford to let up until it was over. Amelia had been working tirelessly as well, and she felt we both could just have dinner before finishing the night this time, without going through more documents.I wanted to fuck her, of course, but it was more than that. There was something about her that felt familiar to me, and if I was sappy or spiritual, I'd say I'd known her in a past life. We were polar opposites, but somehow that only made me enjoy her company more.A few minutes later, a delivery person arrived with the food. He had two large bags full of Thai takeout. We exchanged pleasantries, and I handed him a hundred-dollar bill, Amelia's insistence that I tip him well still ringing in my ears. I rode the elevator back upstairs an
*Amelia*I woke up sometime through the night alone on the living room floor. Adrian and I had fallen asleep after we had what was the most intense, passionate sex of my life, and I was surprised and disappointed that he was already pulling away from me again.The sex had felt like a breakthrough, Adrian had allowed me to see his vulnerability and humanness, especially in regards to opening up about the death of his father.I was thinking through all of these revelations as I got ready for work. I brushed my teeth and tied my hair back into a simple, sleek bun. I usually didn't wear makeup into the office, but I had an evidence hearing and liked to feel my best on days where I was in front of a judge, so I used brown eye shadow to highlight my green eyes, mascara, and my favorite nude lipstick to pull the look together. Simple, yet effective.I slid the black pencil skirt up my hips and noticed finger bruises on my thighs, Adrian was rougher than any lover I'd had before. I nev
*Amelia*"Knock, knock," Evelyn said as she walked through my office door, "Are you ready? Sorry, I'm a few minutes early. Mr. Arrogant had to leave to meet with someone, so I snuck out."I laughed at her nickname for Adrian and motioned for her to come in, "Yeah, I can be ready in two minutes. Let me send an email, then I'll grab my stuff."I watched Evelyn out of the side of my eye as she walked around my office and looked at some of the photos I had set out. There was one of my mother and me from right after we found out the cancer had come back. Her hair had grown out some from the first round of treatment, and it was the last photo we had taken where she looked healthy. The others are of Nina and me."She was beautiful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Yeah, she was. She passed away a few weeks after that photo was taken.""I'm so sorry, Amelia," Evelyn said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder."It's okay
*Adrian*"Amelia is too nice for you," Evelyn said when we got back to my office, "Promise me you won't chew her up and spit her out like you have the last ten women you've been involved with.""You know damn well "nice girls" aren't my type. Amelia and I may have sexual chemistry, but that's all it is. We've been trapped together, and we used each other for temporary stress relief. That's it. Now, can we please stop talking about my sex life? It's not appropriate in the workplace."Evelyn punched my shoulder, "You were just telling me the other day about how you seduced the executive from MID, you just don't want to talk about Amelia because you have feelings for her somewhere in that black heart of yours."I was beginning to get pissed off. I didn't have feelings for Amelia outside of concern and a morose understanding because of our similar losses. I wasn't going to entertain this conversation with Evelyn any longer, so without a word, I left her standing by her desk and shu
*Amelia’s POV*“Don’t be deceived, Amelia. You only like me because we’re standing on the same side of this case. I am a villain. It would do you well to remember that.”Adrian's words echoed in my head as I tried to sleep last night and all through the following workday. I had no idea if I could trust him, and with everything that was going on, it had left me unsure if he had my best interest in mind. Last night, he had left his cell phone on the counter in the kitchen while he took a shower. I managed to sneak in and send myself the picture of the men that followed Evelyn and me.Now, I wanted to speak with someone impartial to MID and Adrian, and there was only one person that came to mind: James Callahan.I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. Anxiety coursed through me because I knew he'd be intensely concerned for my safety. Not only because of MID and their henchmen that were following me around, but also the proximity the case had caused between Adrian and me