Crystal's Dilemma
Bonding Camp 5
Crystal’s Dilemma
Crystal White has been conflicted of late. She’s been wondering if maybe it’s time for her to settle down. When Tommy Rain introduces himself after she wins her latest court case, she’s more than attracted to him. With his fresh good looks and the air of confidence he has, Crystal wants to get to know more about him. So she offers him a job. Tommy takes the bait. He’s been watching Crystal in the courtroom for almost a year and is not only impressed by her spirited ways—he’s very attracted to her.
Crystal invites Tommy to bonding camp. Soon after Tommy arrives, Crystal finds out just how attracted to her he is. After hours of bonding with Tommy, and her partner Justice Cane and the caretaker of the compound, Rodgers, joining in to help, Crystal finds herself experiencing a new emotion—something so powerful it has to be love.
Genre:
Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length:
21,120 words
Bonding Camp 5
Christelle Mirin
MENAGE AND MORE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage and More
CRYSTAL’S DILEMMA
E-book ISBN:
978-1-62241-019-4
First E-book Publication: August 2012
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Crystal’s Dilemma
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CRYSTAL’S DILEMMA
Bonding Camp 5
CHRISTELLE MIRIN
Copyright © 2012
“The court finds the defendant not guilty.” The gavel came down with a resounding crash.
Crystal turned to her client, Jason Dobbs, and smiled. “Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Crystal White loved her job. It was times like these she wanted to celebrate. Today, however, it seemed she was only gifted with a handshake from her client and a long night ahead of her. Alone.
Dobbs rushed from the table to join his family. Crystal glanced at them out of the corner of her eye while she shuffled her paperwork, placing it into her briefcase. The Dobbs family was jubilant with kisses and hugs in abundance. Crystal smiled crookedly. It wasn’t as if he’d been on trial for murder. She snapped her briefcase closed, putting an end to another day in court. She turned away from the defense table, chiding herself for the snide thought about Dobbs and knowing full well his family deserved to celebrate. Dobbs could have been sentenced to years for embezzlement, but Crystal had pulled through and her client had been found not guilty.
“Excuse me, Miss White?”
Crystal pulled her gaze from her client’s family and turned toward the voice. “Yes?” She looked up into the most gorgeous brown eyes rimmed with thick, dark lashes. “Can I help you?”
His smile was fast, wide, and bright against the tan skin of his face. “Tommy Rain. You don’t know me, but I would like to invite you for a drink. I’d really like to discuss your defense of this client.”
Crystal tilted her head to the side. She’d seen him in the courtroom during the trial. He was hard to miss. Young, good looking with shoulder-length brown hair that had been streaked with blond highlights by the sun made him stand out in a crowd. He was dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and red tie. A power suit. And he wanted to discuss her case. Crystal could sense he was on a fishing expedition for a job. For some odd reason it didn’t bother her. Crystal smiled at him and took the hand he had held out to her.
As soon as she touched him, skin to skin, a jolt rushed through her, travelling up her arm and straight to her heart. The sensation almost took her breath.
“There’s a little pub called Ryan’s around the corner,” she said, slipping her hand from his.
“I know the place. Meet you there in twenty minutes?” His smile didn’t falter.
“That sounds wonderful.” She picked her briefcase up off the table. Giving him a nod, she walked toward the door.
Half an hour later, she sat across the table from him at Ryan’s. He had chosen a booth, getting there before she did. Crystal took a sip of bourbon, the flavor rich as it flowed over her tongue.
“I’ve been very interested in the case you just tried.” Tommy turned his glass in his hands on the tabletop, looking a bit nervous. “Why did you represent Dobbs in the first place?”
Crystal leaned back, resting one hand on the table. “I found the case interesting. Why would you ask something like that?”
“Well,” he looked down at his drink. “I’ve been following your career for a while and you normally don’t take on cases like this. Ones that don’t involve large companies. Representing Dobbs was more personal, since you were defending a person instead of a corporation. It intrigues me that you’d take the time to do this one. I was wondering what spurred you to do it.” He looked back up, meeting her gaze.
Crystal sighed. She wasn’t used to explaining herself to anyone. Then this handsome young man came along and she felt like spilling her whole life out to him. What was it about him? His warm brown eyes maybe? “I guess the reason I agreed to do it was because Dobbs looked so desperate when he came to my office. Also, I was surprised by him. It’s not often someone comes into my office and asks me to represent them and not their company. It’s not what my firm is known for.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t doing anything, so I took it on. Does that explain it?”
His smile slowly faded, and his expression became serious. “It would be nice someday to be able to do something for someone like that and still make a living.”
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Are you an attorney? Do you work for a firm?”
He let out a little snort. “Yes, I am an attorney. No, I don’t work for a firm. Actually, I don’t have a position at the moment.” He raised his drink, a bourbon like hers, and drained his glass. When he placed it back on the table, he flashed her a smile. “I’d like to find a firm who would take me on.” His eyebrows rose. “Would your firm have any openings?”
There it was. “And why would you want to work for us? I have to tell you, I get multiple queries every week about openings. I don’t take them all seriously. We’re pretty choosey about who we invite to join our firm.”
“I’d like to work with you because I’m impressed by your firm and especially by you, Miss White. Your style in the courtroom is amazing. You make them notice you. It must be hard even in this day and age to be a woman in your line of work. Your looks and your size must hamper your presentations, but you pull it off wonderfully.”
Crystal barked out a laugh. “You are forward, aren’t you? What is it about my looks that you think ‘hampers’ my career?”
He wriggled his fingers in the air, his eyes wide. He looked quite stricken when he realized he may have insulted her. “Don’t get me wrong, please. I didn’t mean…your looks…” He cleared his throat and dropped his hands, laying them on the table.
Crystal bit this inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. He was struggling, and she was enjoying every minute of it.
Tommy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he looked at her and a smile bloomed on his lips. “There’s no easy way to say this. I think you’re hot. And in the courtroom, a sexy woman is a distraction. Male judges notice you, but not necessarily in the way you want them to.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m being forward but I don’t care at this point. Miss White, you are the most seductive woman I have ever laid eyes on. You’re very attractive in an edgy sort of way and you’re very smart and that in and of itself is like an aphrodisiac to me. I can’t lie. I’m attracted to you.” He rubbed his thumb slowly over the backs of her fingers. “To work for you would be a dream even though being so close to you would be a constant distraction.”
Even in the dim light of the bar, Crystal could see the glimmer in his eyes. He was not only attracted to her, he seemed to be enthralled. Her heartbeat kicked up a notch. It wasn’t often someone made her feel this way. She wanted to know more about Tommy Rain. She looked down at his hand that held hers. Long, delicate fingers. He didn’t work with his hands obviously. Those hands looked like they belonged playing the ivory keys of a grand piano. He was such a contradiction. The tan and sun-streaked hair screamed beach boy. The elegant hands spoke of a life not spent waxing a surfboard. “Tell me about yourself, Tommy.” She had to know more before she even entertained the thought of offering him a position.
He pulled his hand back and sat up a little straighter. “So, is this an interview?”
When he actually reached up and straightened his tie, Crystal had to stifle a giggle. “Let’s consider it so, yes. Where did you go to school?”
His expression became more formal. “I went to school at the Indiana University of Law in Bloomington, Indiana. I graduated last year and passed the bar. I’ve applied for a license to practice in the state of New York and just was awarded that a month ago.” He leaned forward, his eyes blazing. “I’m ready to work. Even if it’s only as an assistant or researcher.”
Crystal raised her glass and took a sip, rolling the warm liquid on her tongue. He would be an asset to the firm, wouldn’t he? Didn’t she need a new assistant? The one she had, Tiffany, had just resigned two weeks ago. Tiffany had gotten married and wanted to immediately start a family. Crystal had been giving Rhonda, their office manager, fits since then. It was time to hire a new assistant and why not one who was so young and good looking? She couldn’t discriminate against Tommy just for how darn nice he looked, could she?