Chapter 5 #2
A scream lodged itself in Olivia’s throat and she swallowed it, clenching her jaw.
Should she let Jaime know? Then again, they were nothing to each other, and Olivia hadn’t seen or heard from her since the conference.
Surely it would have occurred to both of them that it would only be a matter of time before their paths crossed again—at least professionally.
Olivia should have said something to Jaime beforehand—a miscalculation, as often happened with decisions in her personal life.
Now she had to withstand the daggers Judge Lachlan threw her way in the courtroom. Then again, she might be imagining things, since her colleague seemed to find nothing amiss.
Olivia had been absent for all previous court dates of the Lanx case, but she was prepared enough and took comfort in Smith taking the lead for now. If only it didn’t offer her more time to observe Jaime, noticing her slender hands, the way her brows furrowed, and the occasional twitch of her lips.
As the first week of the trial neared its end, Jaime seemed to have moved past her initial frustration, embodying the same unreadable, collected judge Olivia had always known.
With Olivia now in a more active role, they went from, “Ms. Gray, unless you have concrete evidence shifting responsibility away from your client, I suggest we focus on the facts,” to “Counselor, rephrase that question to focus on facts rather than character assumptions,” and finally, “Please stay on track, Counselor. Questioning the witness’s character without connection to the alleged embezzlement won’t sway this court. ”
Olivia managed to stay professional in turn, though she developed a tension headache from clenching her jaw to stop the red-hot counterarguments her mind needlessly supplied.
Ludicrous.
And yet, memories of their night refused to vacate her mind; visions of Jaime arching under her touch only made things worse, especially as Jaime—when not criticizing her defense methods (as if she even wanted to defend that sleaze-bag)—acted as though Olivia didn’t exist.
Frustrated about the entire situation and with a mixture of wanting to clear the air (to alleviate her own distraction) and to perhaps catch a glimpse of Jaime, not just Judge Lachlan, she showed up in front of her chambers late Friday afternoon.
Olivia knocked, wondering what the heck she was doing there as all the lies she’d told herself crumbled like a house of cards in a mild breeze. She just wanted to see Jaime again, alone.
When the door opened, Jaime went rigid, her knuckles paling as if she wrestled with the impulse to slam the door in Olivia’s face. After a breathless moment, she ushered her inside.
The heavy oak door clicked shut behind Olivia—the sound settling between them in the dimly lit chambers.
She followed Jaime across the plush carpet, her heels sinking into the soft fibers. Jaime stood before a large mahogany desk; her black robe draped around her like a shroud. Her eyes, the color of dark honey, bore into Olivia with a fierce intensity.
“Hi,” Olivia finally managed to say, overcome by too many emotions in this space—Jaime’s space, that smelled like her and old books.
“What are you doing here?” Jaime all but hissed.
Olivia almost startled, still frozen in place by being alone with Jaime again.
She had wanted this, and yet something immobilized her, perhaps the weight of Jaime’s gaze leveled at her. She’d never had a one-night stand linger in her mind, and she couldn’t even blame their professional lives, as she’d been preoccupied with Jaime long before Maria had reassigned the case.
Naturally, seeing Jaime in court every day did not help in kicking her out of her head.
A raised voice echoed through the door, tearing Olivia out of her reverie. “You seem angry. I wanted to talk to you, and—”
“Angry?” Jaime’s voice dropped, cold and controlled, radiating a detached fury. “To feel anger, you’d have to mean something to me.”
Olivia’s eyes widened, and at first, she couldn’t form a reply as fissures of pain rushed through her, and so she just stood there and stared at Jaime until she cleared her throat. “I’d say given your attitude all week and your reaction here… you seem to feel plenty of anger.”
Jaime stalked closer. “Are you in my head?”
Olivia swallowed her first reply of, ‘No, but I’ve been inside you,’ and instead straightened, heat coursing through her system, and she bit the inside of her cheek. She’d not give Jaime the satisfaction of seeing how much their encounter rattled her.
“No, Your Honor, but I’m quite adept at reading people.”
Jaime’s nostrils flared. “You lied to me.”
She really should have talked to Jaime beforehand. “I didn’t! This was a last-minute change, a request from the defendant, and—”
“Hush!” Jaime raised her hand. “We’re not discussing the case! Most definitely not here.”
More voices could be heard passing by, this time in a low murmur, a stark contrast to Jaime’s sharp, brittle voice, reminding Olivia of glass about to shatter.
“You were the one who almost slammed the door in my face!” Olivia retorted. God, this was getting ridiculous. She was supposed to be calm and collected, but here they were, both acting like rivals instead of adults trying to navigate an awkward situation.
Jaime pursed her lips. “I don’t understand what you want from me, or what you hope to gain by being here. Alone, without being called into my chambers. This is highly irregular, and the ethical considerations alone—”
“What happened at the conference is irrelevant.”
Jaime’s gaze darkened. “We shouldn’t even be talking now. I—”
“You’re not going to recuse yourself, are you?”
The vein high in Jaime’s temple ticked. “Would you stop interrupting me?”
Silence once more spread, and Olivia took in her surroundings. The room seemed perfectly organized—not even a pencil out of order—quite the opposite of her own office.
“I won’t recuse myself because what happened is done. We have no relationship, and we haven’t been in contact for almost two months, so there is no conflict of interest, and nothing will affect the trial.”
Olivia locked eyes with Jaime, noting her flushed skin and clenched fists.
Almost two months? Jaime had kept track? The thought sent a flicker of something through her that Olivia preferred not to analyze. “Then why are you so angry?”
“Because you lied to me!”
“I didn’t!”
Jaime’s anger was new. In the courtroom, Jaime stood composed, a steady presence amidst a storm of emotions. Seeing her riled up, with color in her cheeks and frustration spilling out, made Olivia’s pulse race.
Despite the change feeling almost jarring, she couldn’t help the way it twisted something inside her. Jaime was captivating, even more so in her fury.
“Look, you must have read the original paperwork. I wasn’t on there. I told you, my boss made the change upon Weber’s request.”
Something shifted in Jaime’s demeanor, a coolness entering her gaze. Olivia had been in enough tough situations to recognize it—the moment someone starts assuming the worst of you, no matter what you say.
Jaime folded her arms. “So you say.”
“Excuse me?” Now Olivia took a step closer, practically invading Jaime’s space.
Whatever had just happened in Jaime’s head, she’d not tolerate being accused of lying, not even from someone as attractive as Jaime.
Even if the thought of pushing her against the desk and kissing her senseless sprouted in Olivia’s mind like a pesky weed she needed to pluck.
“Why on earth would I make this up?”
Jaime stood her ground. “Because you want to mess with my head.”
Olivia frowned, momentarily at a loss for words. “To what end?” she pressed out.
“To help your case? I don’t know.”
“I didn’t realize I have such an impact on you, Jaime.” She smiled, though the expression felt more like a grimace.
Jaime’s eyes widened and her lips parted.
God, Olivia wanted to lean in and capture her lips in a deep kiss. Her gaze dropped to Jaime’s mouth. This back and forth, anger intermingling with the heat of attraction, almost gave her whiplash.
Jaime took a step back, finding her voice. “You don’t. I never said that. I said you might have fallen for such a delusion, and in your firm’s zealous drive to win, you ended up suggesting the change. Maybe all of it has been a set-up all along.”
Olivia laughed, but no humor laced the sound. “Are you serious?”
“Your client did request a bench trial.” Jaime jutted her chin.
“Again, I had nothing to do with any of it, and believe me, defending Weber is the last thing I want.”
“Why? Isn’t he on par for your firm?”
Olivia sighed. This again. “I know him from before.”
“I see.”
“I doubt it.” Olivia shook her head. “Look, I just wanted to make sure you knew this isn’t some game, but I see you don’t believe a word I’m saying.”
“It is all rather suspicious.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “You really think I go around sleeping with judges to help me win cases?” She tried to brush it off, but the accusation affected her more than it should have, settling heavy in her chest.
“Again, I don’t know you.”
Olivia gritted her teeth. She had expected Jaime to keep things impersonal, but facing her indifference still stung. “That didn’t stop you from fucking me.”
Jaime’s eyes flickered with something—uncertainty, maybe?
Olivia couldn’t quite place it, but the heat in Jaime’s gaze didn’t match her clipped words.
Jaime straightened, and her voice tightened. “I think you should leave.” It was more controlled now, but the tension remained, simmering just beneath the surface.
Olivia held her gaze, and amidst a drum concert in her chest, she nodded and left the room.
As the door fell shut behind her, her breath hitched, and frustration twisted into something heavier—disappointment. She hadn’t expected much from this encounter, but she certainly hadn’t planned for it to play out in such a disastrous way.
It couldn’t have gone worse if she’d tried.