Chapter One

“Yes, Mr. Crawley. Of course, Mr. Crawley. I’ll be right there.” I put the phone down in a panic and hurriedly collected the files on the Bernstein vs. Bernstein case and headed towards the elevator on my way to Mr. Crawley’s office. My heart was pounding, and I wondered what was wrong. He sounded furious, and I wondered if I was about to be fired.

I’d only been working here for about six months and it was my first job since graduating from NYU. I smiled to myself knowing my hard work in college was paying off. My salary was at least double as others I’d graduated with and Crawley and Sons was a prestigious firm to work for.

I wanted to establish myself with a good job and have all my student loans paid off before getting settled in a serious relationship. I felt fortunate to be successfully employed, and knew I could rise to higher positions with my current legal firm. I smoothed my navy blue pencil skirt and cream blouse before knocking on the door of Geoff Crawley’s office.

“Come in,” said Geoff Crawley. He was in his early 40’s and had the body of a man half his age. His rigorous daily exercise program kept him physically fit, with the muscle tone of a swimmer. He kept his hair short in a crew cut, with just a few gray hairs visible and it gave him that distinguished look.

There was no doubt that Geoff was a sexy man. He was the ‘son’ in Crawley and Sons, and conducted most of the day-to-day business while his father only attended the quarterly board meetings. I wasn’t sure who the other son in Sons’ was but I knew that nothing at Crawley and Sons slipped by Geoff Crawley, and he was able to double the firm’s client base in the short space of three and a half years.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, walked in, and stood in front of his large, sleek glass desk. His office was ultra modern and the fixtures and fittings looked like something from wired magazine. The view of central park from the windows was breathtaking, and I wanted to have a closer look but sensed that this wasn’t the right time.

Instead, I summoned all my strength and said, “Mr. Crawley, you wanted to see me?” “Yes, take a seat, Ms. Moore,” Geoff said. He sat in his chair with the ease, security, and arrogance that power and privilege brings, impeccably dressed in a white shirt, dark tie, and dark suit.

It was more of a feeling than actually seeing it, and as I sat down his eyes slowly traced a line from my face to the hem of my skirt. I moved slightly in the chair in an attempt to pull my skirt closer to my knees and cover up a bit. I thought I saw a slight shake of his head and I stopped instantly. My cheeks glowed, and I exhaled a short puff of air over my nose and forehead to calm down.

I continued to take in his features, that strong masculine jaw line, those full delicious lips. I gripped the edge of the files as the ball exploded, spreading its warmth throughout my body. My knuckles whitened in the same rhythm as the slight contractions took hold of me. Pearls of sweat gathered at the back of my neck and I gently bit my lower lip to keep quiet.

I carefully let out a breath as the feeling subsided. My nipples were hard, longing to be freed from their confining clothes. The dampness pooled between my thighs. I realized that he had seen, and that he had understood and I could imagine his smile inside. He knew exactly how he affected me.

I sensed him noting my attractiveness and was glad he had personally recommended hiring me six months ago. Yes, I did graduate in the top ten in my legal class, but his position hinted he also felt hiring a woman with a sexy body was just as important.

“Mr. Crawley, I brought the files, and you can call me Megan, if you’d like,” I smiled.

“Thank you, Megan,” he began. “As you may know, I personally review most of our high profile cases to ensure our clients are getting the highest quality legal advice we can provide. I also make it a habit to hire only the brightest lawyers. As you know, we pay them very well to maintain their loyalty and dedication.”

He paused, then, said, “Megan, I selected your application out of over two hundred and fifty and I also personally selected you for the Bernstein vs. Bernstein case.”

I smiled broadly and my nervousness momentarily left me. I knew competition for a position at Crawley and Sons was tough, but I hadn’t realized just how hard it was to get a position here. Also, being assigned a high profile client account right away was a huge bonus.

“The reason I asked you in here today is I discovered you’ve excluded crucial evidence on the case. Some very serious errors,” said Geoff. His mood turned much darker as he continued. “If you’ll turn to page 25, you’ll see you failed you include evidence relating to Mrs. Bernstein’s extra marital affairs.

I followed along with my copy of the case, but still couldn’t see any errors in my submission. Everything looked correct. “I think you’ll see the exclusion of this evidence was quite costly.” I quickly scanned the case I had filed, but the error didn’t stand out to me. I had carefully worked on the case and it didn’t seem possible to have made such an error.

Sensing my confusion, Geoff said, “Do you live under a rock? The affair was all over the media. How could you not know?”

As I sat there, it dawned on me. “Oh my god! Of course the client will realize it was an oversight? That’s all it was, an honest mistake,” I pleaded.

“An honest mistake? Did you want to see Mr. Bernstein get fucked by his wife in the divorce? Are you a man-hating lesbian, Ms. Moore? Is this what it is all about?”

He had started to scare me somewhat, and I knew I had to do something. But what that something was, I didn’t know. The stakes had just intensified. I saw my whole future that I had planned out, disappearing.

I imagined myself asking, “Would you like fries with that?” As much as I wanted to indulge in a little pity party for myself, I knew that wasn’t going to help the situation. Geoff Crawley was a smart successful man, he’ll think of something, I thought to myself.

“What are we going to do?” I asked, now very concerned at his darkening mood.

“Well,” began Geoff, “We’re going to have to pay the penalty to Mr. Bernstein. It’s the policy at Crawley and Sons that any mistakes made by this legal firm on our client’s cases are paid by the firm. Although the insurance should cover most of it, there’ll still be a claim cost. Your mistake will cost me about $1,000,000 out of my own pocket.”

“Mr. Crawley, I…I…don’t know what to say,” I stammered. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yes there is, you can pay up the $1,000,000 dollars you cost me,” demanded Geoff.

“I can’t afford that!” I cried. “Maybe I can take a deduction on my pay, but that would take me forever to pay back.”

“Fine,” said Geoff, matter-of-factly. “I will notify the American Bar Association of your attempt to disregard your client’s interests. It’s also possible you could receive a prison sentence.”

The blood ran from my face and I felt faint. I knew Geoff Crawley was a rich and powerful man and didn’t bluff. He probably could get me disbarred, and I didn’t have enough money to pay that back and couldn’t ask my parents, or even take out a loan for a sum that large.

There was only one thing I had left I thought I might be able to use to persuade my boss: my body. I met his dark eyes. My own eyes turned away, almost quickly to keep my thoughts to myself.

A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as if he knew what I was thinking. My stomach contracted, and I knew I should’ve been more careful. I should’ve seen where things were heading. But, would I’ve done anything different though? I don’t know. Maybe one or two things. Maybe everything, maybe nothing. I was desperate and thought I had nothing to lose.

“Maybe we can work something out,” I said, as I moved around his desk until I stood next to him. “Is there anything I can do for you, or to you, that might be able to ease this debt?”