Sweet Backlash (17 page)

She chuckled and cut him a sideways
glance. "They're used to it. You're my fourth partner in a year,
and my second inductee. Remember?"

"Thanks for reminding me. This is
humiliating."

"I guess so," she said with a shrug,
unlocking her car.

"Real understanding there,
Melony."

She laughed and he smiled, the happy
sound making him feel better for some reason. On the way, she
briefed him on Judge Edmonds' favorite topics and aspects of the
man's personal life that would give him an edge in their meeting
later. At the office building, he handed her the parking pass so
they could enter the garage without getting charged a fee, then
removed the neckband and shoved it in the glove
compartment.

He didn't miss her tension. She didn't
say a thing from the moment she passed the ticket booth at the
garage entrance until they arrived via elevator on their floor. She
didn't even look at him. When the door opened, three people saw her
and came running. Chip sidestepped out of the elevator, leaving her
behind but listening to the questions and accusations. He would put
his briefcase and suit jacket in his office then go back and rescue
her.

In his office, he noted that his trunk
of books had arrived and sat next to his desk. The blinds he had
ordered hung with perfection over the glass wall. He set his
briefcase on his desk, placed his jacket on a hook at the back of
his door then opened the blinds. To his surprise, Melony already
stood at her desk, talking on the telephone. He shook his head, not
able to imagine people accosting him at the elevator and not giving
him a few minutes to settle in before bombarding him with
questions. She seemed to handle it beautifully, however.

He watched her for a few minutes,
admiring her ability to multitask. While talking on the telephone,
she booted her computer, jotted notes on a pad, then took down a
notebook and removed a page in time to hand it to a passing office
runner. She hadn't even set down her purse yet. In fact, she seemed
completely unruffled. He didn't miss a flash of anger as she hung
up the phone.

He stepped to the doorway to ask if
she needed him to say something to someone, but Bob approached and
claimed him for a meeting. The morning flew by in a blur with a
meeting with the partners, a trip to the court with a personal
invitation to Judge Edmonds' chambers thanks to Melony's excellent
information, and lunch with Bob, Stewart, and Rolland, the three
most senior partners involved in the firm's active
litigation.

When he returned to the office, Melony
didn't acknowledge his presence. Her printer spewed pages, her
scanner hummed as it digitized a legal document, her fingers flew
over her keyboard in answer to an e-mail, and she had the handset
of her phone tucked between her shoulder and her ear. He shook his
head. The woman was amazing. A doggie bag at the far end of her
desk let him known she had eaten lunch, so he left her to her work
and went to his office to check his own e-mail.

While his computer booted, he saw
Stewart pass his open door and stop at Melony's desk. The short,
white-haired attorney knocked on her overhead bin then crossed his
arms over his chest while she ended her call. "When I need you, I
expect you to stop what you're doing," said the older
lawyer.

"Yes, sir," she said, swiveling in her
chair to face him. "What can I do for you, Stewart?"

"I need the name of the doctor who
diagnosed John Jones with cancer."

"One moment and I'll pull that
information up for you." She swiveled around and began
typing.

"What, are you an idiot?" the older
man bellowed.

Rage set Chip on fire and he stood so
fast he sent his chair into the credenza behind his
desk.

Stewart continued in his tirade. "I
thought you knew this stuff off the top of your head. What good are
you, anyway?"

"The doctor's name is Sangara. Looks
like the report was generated out of City General but the pathology
came from Lab Corp. Anything else I can get for you?" She sounded
so calm.

Chip wished he could see her face.
Before he could reach the door to give Stewart what for, however,
the short tyrant had gone. Chip closed his door and sat, intending
to call the asshole. But Melony came in carrying a notepad and
pen.

"I'm here to take that letter you
requested, Mr. Albemarle," she announced loudly. "What's that?
Close the blinds? Yes, sir." She closed the door then blocked the
staff's view into his office. At his desk, she put the pad and pen
on the corner of his desk and stepped out of her shoes. "I have
absolutely had it," she said through gritted teeth. "Stewart was
the last straw. If I don't get some relief, I'm going to
explode."

"Excuse me?" He blinked.

She slid onto his desk and raised her
feet to the arms of his chair. Her skirt slid from her bent knees
to her hips, revealing her slit. His body stiffening in response.
"Christ, Melony, you're not wearing underwear."

"This dress shows panty lines. Touch
me."

He couldn't want anything more. Her
deep pink folds glistened with wetness, open for his scrutiny and
begging for his caress. "Anyone could come in. The door doesn't
lock," he said, his voice tight with need.

"They'll knock first. Please. I need
you."

Did she say she needed him? God, his
dick pressed against his pants. He cast a tentative look at the
door.

"Please," she whispered and closed her
eyes.

He stared at her beckoning slit and
wanted to bury himself in her so badly it hurt. It was completely
out of the question. This would have to do. He grasped her inner
thighs and she sighed.

"Yes. Touch me," she
groaned.

He dipped his thumb in the juices
flowing from her opening and she gasped. Running his thumb along
her slit, he found her clit and gave it a nudge. Her head fell
back. Adding his other thumb to the play, he massaged her hot,
slick lips and grazed his nails against her tender inner tissue.
Her breaths came in pants.

Her clit jutted from its soft bed of
flesh, and he grasped it with both fingers. She arched and held her
breath. Reaching up, he pressed her knees wider. Her musky
excitement wafted to his nostrils and he bent to give her
lick.

"Yes. Yes."

He stroked her with his mouth, loving
her sweet taste and the smooth feel of her engorged folds. Pressing
slowly, he coated a finger in her juices and slid it into her
puckered bottom. She gasped.

He took her hard nub between his lips
and gave the bud a suck. She bucked against his mouth and he nearly
came. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on bringing her to orgasm.
Sucking and nibbling, he worked her swollen slit and thrust his
finger in and out of her ass until she shuddered and slumped across
the desk.

"That was incredible," she
murmured.

He smiled and rubbed his cock through
the fabric of his slacks. He lowered her feet from the chair arms
and covered her thighs with the dress. "Feel better?"

"You have no idea," she said with a
sigh. "What makes you so special that you get blinds to separate
you from the staff?"

"Nothing."

She rubbed her bare foot along the
slacks covering his outer thigh. "None of the other attorneys have
them. Not even the partners."

He shrugged. "Maybe they never thought
to requisition a set."

A knock on the door gave them only a
second before the doorknob turned. In a blink, Melony leapt from
the desk, got her shoes on, and picked up the pad and pen. "I'll
get this typed. It should be ready for your review in about five
minutes, Mr. Albemarle."

He could only nod, not trusting his
voice as the personnel manager came into the office. "I'm sorry for
interrupting," Debra said, not looking sorry in the
least.

"You're not interrupting," said Melony
in a singsong tone. "We just finished."

Chip wiped his mouth, hoping the
manager hadn't already noticed the moisture. "Come on in," he said,
proud he managed a professional tone.

At the doorway, Melony turned and
mouthed, "Thanks," before retreating to her desk.

Yeah, you're welcome, but what
about me?
He scooted closer to his desk, hiding his tented
trousers from the approaching woman.

Melony couldn't wait to get home. She
didn't care what they had for dinner, as long as eating took place
after they got each other off. She had thought her earlier visit to
his office would get her through the rest of the day, but it only
whetted her appetite. On the elevator ride to the garage, she could
only think about his mouth on her pussy.

In the car, he turned to her. "You owe
me. Big time."

"I sure do," she agreed, bubbling with
anticipation. "And you're about to get payment."

"Here? In the car?" He sounded
hopeful.

She gave it consideration for a moment
then decided against. "It'll be more comfortable in
bed."

"You're right. Don't speed, but
hurry."

She smiled. "Maybe after we have our
fun then eat dinner, we could break out the ropes
again?"

"Uh, no."

She laughed and headed out of the
garage. At her apartment, she went straight to her room while Chip
prepared the sofa bed. The answering machine light blinked at her
from the corner table, so she hit play and listened while she got
undressed. Only one message waited.

"Miss Calloway, this is Deputy
Hardaway from the sheriff's department. The information I have is
of a nature that I can't leave it on your machine. Please give me a
call this evening on my cell phone—555-6800. This is very
important, so please don't delay."

Frowning, she dropped her dress into
her dirty clothes hamper and shrugged into her robe. She picked up
the cordless phone next to the answering machine, but it beeped at
her. Out of charge. She must have put it crooked on the charger
last time she used it. Making sure it went on straight this time,
she went to the kitchen.

"That was quick," said Chip from the
sofa as he tucked the corners of a fitted sheet over the
mattress.

"I've got to make a call."

For a second, she thought about
putting it off. He had removed his jacket and tie, and his
unbuttoned shirt flashed glimpses of sexy bare chest and abs. He
looked good enough to eat. The deputy had sounded adamant that she
return his call as soon as she got home, however.

She dialed the number and blinked when
the connection completed after a single ring.

"Miss Calloway," he said without
introduction. "Thank you for calling me back as soon as you got the
message. I tried to reach you at work, but your line was busy every
time I called."

"No problem, deputy. What's so
important?"

Chip stood straight and watched her
with concern.

"Miss Calloway, I'm not sure how to
tell you this. They call this a courtesy call, but under the
circumstances, I consider it more of a chore. Keith Bethson is
getting released on parole tomorrow."

His words slammed her against the
wall. Her legs collapsed. Sliding to the floor, she fought for
breath as her heart skipped a beat. "But he got life. He wasn't
eligible for parole. How could this happen?"

"I'm so sorry, Miss Calloway. It was a
decision made by the governor to deal with overcrowding. Anyone
who'd served at least five years of their sentence became
eligible."

"How could they? Didn't they take into
consideration the nature of the crimes these prisoners committed?
This just…"

Chip arrived at her side and squatted.
She put a staying hand on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Miss Calloway. His release
time is three o'clock. You have the right to request police
protection for the first twenty-four hours if you live
alone."

"I'm not alone right now." Though she
hadn't felt this alone in a long time.

"Then keep an eye out and take
precautions. After nine years in the penitentiary, he's bound to
have learned his lesson and will leave you alone. I'm sure
everything will be fine."

"I'm glad you're sure," she said,
suddenly so angry she trembled. "Because I'm not."

"You've got my number, Miss Calloway.
Call me if you have any questions. Okay?"

"Thank you, Deputy Hardaway," she
barely managed.

Chip took the phone from her and put
it in the wall cradle. Squatting again, he asked, "What happened?
All the color's drained from you."

She stared at him for a moment,
shivering so much she had trouble focusing on his handsome face.
Though part of her hadn't wanted to tell him about her past, part
of her trusted him. Yearned to confide in him. Circumstances out of
her control made this the time to talk. Made this the time to go
through those boxes.

"I'm going to put some sweats on," she
said, letting him help her to her feet.