FULL AND FRANK DISCLOSURE By Greg Darkwood SMASHWORDS EDITION * * * * * PUBLISHED BY: Greg Darkwood on Smashwords Full and Frank Disclosure Copyright © 2012 by Greg Darkwood This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. **** FULL AND FRANK DISCLOSURE ***** Alexia Cartwright fiddled her her thumbs nervously, crossing her legs. I shouldn't have worn the Mahnolo Blahniks today, she thought to herself. I really should have bought something a little more comfortable. It was October 19. Closing submissions were over and the jury was deliberating. It was taking longer than she had hoped. Endless possibilities ran through her mind. Were they taking long because it was a hard decision? Or are they taking long because the matter was too complicated? Did she screw up that badly? Alexia started the trial thinking she had it in the bag but now she wasn't so sure. It was all because of that damn Chad Westworth, or “The Winner” as he was known in the industry. A rising star, it was said that Chad never lost a case and she knew people were saying he wasn't going to lose this one, either. *** TWO WEEKS AGO *** “You know, you shouldn't be so worried.” A deep, slightly gravelly voice called out from across the room. Alexia looked up. Great, she thought. Like she needed to see Chad here right now. Couldn't he have waited somewhere else? All she wanted was some quiet time while the court was in recess. “I thought you did a great job in your cross-examination,” Chad walked over and took the empty seat beside her. She couldn't help but notice that his suit was impeccably pressed. She tried to find a wrinkle but couldn't. He was wearing a dark grey suit, with a neat, white shirt and what appeared to be gavel cufflinks. Typical, she thought. “Thanks, I don't really need a pep talk right now,” said Alexia. “I know I did great.” “I like it, you've got confidence.” “I don't need you to like me. I need my client to win.” Chad sighed. “You know, you're getting a bit hostile. I thought it was our clients that are at war, not us.” “Well,” Alexia said, trying not to add to much sharpness to her voice. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you subpoenaed all those records from my clients. You know how it took for me to go through those? I had to skip my mother's birthday because of that.” “I'm sorry,” he said, and she couldn't quite tell if he was sincere or not. “But I'm pretty sure you would have done the same if you were in my position.” Alexia thought of a quick rebuttal, but realised he was probably right. She put her hand on the arm of the chair. “Fine. Maybe I would have.” He grinned at her. “Come on, let me get you a cup of coffee.” Alexia glanced at her watch. “I don't think so, court's about to come back in session.” “We can go after.” Alexia blushed a little and then hated herself for doing it. Why was she acting like this? Sure, he was handsome, smart, and maybe even a little sexy whenever he stood up in court and spouted whimsical about justice and honour. But she was a lawyer too, and she had skills, and she was doing great. She wasn't one of those impressionable interns anymore, awestruck by the concept of anyone being a “lawyer”. “I don't know,” she said, hoping that he didn't catch her blush under the present lighting. “Shouldn't you go home and prepare? I mean, I just killed your witness out there.” Chad gave her a half-smile. “It's not over yet. I do believe there are a few more days of trial, no?” “A few more days to crush you? Great!” “Hmm, maybe I take it back when I said I liked it that you had confidence.” He laughed, putting his hands into his pockets. “Come on, we should really get some coffee later. We should clear the air. Are you still holding a grudge over the Silverman case”?” Alexia took a deep breath. The Silverman case was the first time she and Chad went up against each other in court. It was also the first case she lost. Her case was going extremely well until her key witness stumbled in cross-examination and contradicted himself. It was a disaster from there on as trials could have gone. “Key Witness in Silverman Case Caught Perjuring Himself” read the headlines the next day. It was a catastrophe. Alexia went from being one of the brightest young lawyers to “another lawyer who let her witness get screwed by Chad Westworth”. Take a number, they told her. “You were sneaky,” she told him, and then realised she came off a bit like an indignant child. She straightened her back and hope it made her look more professional. “You confused Mr. Mercarto. That's why he said all those things on the stand.” “Hey, you tried to use the same trick on my witness today,” Chad said. She tried to read the emotion on his face but couldn't come up with anything. “Don't pretend you didn't learn a thing or two from me. How's Mr. Mercato these days?” “I don't know, why don't you visit him in prison since you sent him there for perjury?” She allowed herself a smile. “Ouch. I was just doing my job.” He leaned towards her. Alexia was irritated with herself when she caught herself staring into his blue eyes. “One coffee, then I swear I'll leave you alone. Outside of the courtroom that is.” “All right, just one,” Alexia said, before she even realised what she was saying. Why did she agree to that? She was an idiot. *** “So, how did a guy like you end up being Mr. Winner?” Alexia said, as she took a sip from her Americano. They were at a small cafe at the corner of the street opposite the courthouse. It was called Joe's Fine Beans and was a regular amongst the lawyers in town; the place being set up by a former lawyer himself. Joe McMagnus was one of the city's top merger and acquisitions lawyers before he decided 'to hell with it' and left practice, and started up a coffee shop. Some said it was the stress that finally got to him. “The Winner,” Chad corrected her. “Mr. Winner sounds like a show horse.” “Wow. So you're one of those guys who pretend they don't like the nickname but actually go around correcting people when they get it wrong. Interesting.” “Hey, as far as nicknames go, it could be worse, you've got to admit.” “I'll give you that one,” said Alexia. “When I was in highschool they called Dyslexia. Not very creative and I think quite offensive, but kids are kids. Did you have a nickname in high school?” “No. Everyone called me Chad.” “Because you were just the winningnest, aren't you,” Alexia said, smiling at him. She didn't know why but she was actually enjoying this conversation with Chad. Turns out he wasn't such a bad guy, when he wasn't trying to crush you in court. “I bet you were one of the popular kids who had all those girls flocking after you.” “Flocking makes them sound like animals. I respect them way too much to agree with your statement,” he said. “I'd use the word 'follow'. Or maybe 'worship'.” “You're unbelievable.” “That's what they told me.” “How do you get away with it?” She asked, learning forward. “You would think after a while someone would have punched you in the face.” “Wow,” Chad said. “I see the the aggressive court Lexi has come out to play.” “Who said you could call me Lexi?' “I'm sorry, would you prefer Dyslexia?” “I need to give you a new nickname,” said Alexia. “Why don't we just drop the H and call you a cad.” “And you thought your high school friends were creative.” *** It happened naturally over the next few days but Alexia found herself spending more and more time with Chad outside of court. They started having coffee after each trial session and one night ended up having dinner together. Alexia twirled a strand of her mahogany hair around her finger, before she realised what she was doing. She stopped herself immediately. Didn't she read somewhere that when a woman plays with her hair she's sending out signals that she was attracted? If only she could remember what were the signals of not being attracted, because those were the signals she wanted to send. She remembered something about crossing her legs towards the man – or was it away? What if she sent the wrong signal? Or did she actually want to send the wrong signal? What was she thinking? Here they were, at a nice Italian restaurant, and all she could think about was whether she wanted Chad to know she was attracted to him. Wait, how did she skip one step? When did she decide she was attracted to him? Why was she acting like this? “Are you all right?” Chad asked. “You've been staring blankly at your food and playing with your hair the whole night.” Oh great, he caught her playing with her hair. He definitely thought she was a slut. She pressed her hands firmly to her side. They weren't going anywhere near her hair again tonight. “I'm fine,” she said. “This place is really nice.” “I know the owner,” he said. “I represented him once when he sued his former chef for stealing some recipes.” “Of course you did,” Alexia said, twirling her spaghetti with her fork. She put her fork down and leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands and doing her best starry eyed impression. “Tell me more, Mr. Westworth, how you helped this poor business owner save his family business from being run down by an ungrateful ex-employee.” “You're funny. I'd throw some meatballs at you but they are really expensive. ” he said. He leaned forward and imitated her pose. “You have really pretty eyes.” Alexia was confused. Was he being sarcastic? Or sincere? Should she respond with sarcasm? Would that be annoying? She read somewhere that men don't really like sarcastic women. Or was it the other way around? Why was she forgetting everything she read right now? She struggled to think of a respond and ended up with a very flat “Erm.” He put his hand on hers. “By the way, I'm not trying to be funny. I do mean it.” His touch felt warm. She felt herself blushing again. “Uh... thank you.” “You know, I've got to be honest here. Full and frank disclosure, and all that. “ “Oh, legal speak. This sounds serious.” “It is. I've actually been thinking a lot about you since the Silverman case.” Alexia was taken a back. “That was... two years ago. I haven't seen you since.” “I know. The way you handled yourself in that courtroom. It was... mesmerizing. You were full of confidence. You knew what you wanted and you went for it. I never met an opponent as feisty as you. I loved every minute of our fight.” “Because you won.” “No, I would have loved it even if I had lost. I would have loved losing against you actually. You looked so sexy losing I can't imagine how hot you would look if you had won.” “That is sweet... and kind of condescending too.” She felt her cheeks getting redder as she tried helplessly to hold her ground against his charm. He leaned further in and before she knew it his lips were on hers. They were warm, and softer than she thought it would be. He parted her lips gently with his tongue and she felt a rush of exhilaration. He was a good kisser. His right hand cupped her cheek softly as he placed his left hand firmly on the back of her neck. It felt good. Safe. When they pulled apart she couldn't look him in the eye, so she settled for the plate in front of her. “I didn't expect that,” she said, her eyes still looking down. “That's the best part, isn't it,” he said. She could tell he was smiling even though she wasn't looking at him. “When it comes unexpected.” *** He pushed her against the wall, kissing her repeatedly all over her neck as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought, as she arched her back against the wall and spread her palms, feeling the rough texture of the wallpaper. “Oh God,” she mumbled. “That feels so good.” He lifted her up and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. “Which way to the bedroom?” he asked between breaths. “You are so presumptuous,” she said, untying her hair and letting it fall over her shoulders, then putting her arms around his neck. She let her nose touch his. “What makes you think I'm going to give it up?” “What makes you think I want you to give it up? I was asking where the bedroom was so I could put you to bed. You look like you could use some rest.” She laughed and kissed him. Their tongues slid over each other. She felt her heart beating faster and faster. “After I'm done with you, you'll be the one that needs rest.” He kicked open the bedroom door and threw her on the bed. Her blouse was already undone. He unclasped her bra almost immediately. “I can tell this isn't your first rodeo, Mr. Westworth,” she said, breathlessly. She fumbled on his belt, trying to get it undone. He had his knees between her legs. She finally managed to get his belt off and she threw it across the room with force. “Well, I've been around the track a couple of times,” he said, as he helped her with the zipper of his pants. “But I'm not a slut.” She laughed, pulling his pants off and playing with the waistband of his boxers. “Let's see what you've got underneath, Mr. Winner.” “The Winner,” he said as he slipped his hand between her legs and hooked his thumb underneath her panties. He tugged slowly and pulled her panties off. “Don't get it wrong again.” “Let's see if you win this one,” she said as she pulled him in for another, deep, soft kiss. *** She lay beside him, head on his chest, staring blankly at the ceiling. She couldn't believe she did that. She was a conservative, career minded woman. How did she managed to get seduced into bed so easily by this man? He looked at her. “That was really good. I think you were more aggressive in court, though.” “Do you want me to be more aggressive?” “I think I could handle it.” “Speaking of which,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. “You know we're breaking like one hundred of our professional etiquette rules by sleeping together, right?” “Doesn't it feel good to be wrong?” “I guess,” she said shyly. “But I think we're both mature enough to handle this professionally moving forward.” “Of course,” he said, with mock seriousness. “By the way, we do have a big day tomorrow. I hope your witness is prepared, because I'm going to slay him in cross-examination.” “Oh, he's prepared,” she said, smiling. “We've spent weeks pouring through his testimony. Don't think you can get him on the travel and expenses accounts, he's been focusing on that since the day we started preparation.” “I'm sure you did your best to prepare him,” he said. “I do hope that your trial preparation with him doesn't involve... what we did just now.” “Are you crazy?” She hit him. “I'm not a whore. He wouldn't go for me anyway, if you know what I mean.” “What? You're attractive, you know how to unbuckle a belt...” “Sure, if he were... inclined ... to the female gender. If you know what I mean.” She raised her eyebrows. “Don't be jealous. You have nothing to worry about.” “I'm sure.” *** TWO WEEKS LATER *** “Members of the jury, have you reached your verdict?” “We have.” “What say you?” “We, the jury, the case of Peterson vs McKinley, find in favour of the Plaintiff.” Alexia was shell shocked. She didn't hear the rest of what the jury said after they pronounced their verdict. She lost. She knew it was coming but it was still a blow to hear the words out loud. She was beaten by The Winner. Again. After it was all over, she walked out of the courthouse, almost in a daze. She heard footsteps running after her. “Lexi,” Chad called out. She turned around. “Don't call me that.” “Hey, you did good.” Chad held his hand out to her. She looked at him quizzically. “Are you honestly expecting me to shake your hand right now?” “You said we were going to be professional about this.” “I am! You weren't!” Alexia was fuming. Chad had decimated her key witness during cross-examination. Again. She had his testimony all set up perfectly. He was going to testify about the accounts that would prove her client wasn't involved in the breach of contract. And yet, when Chad got to him, it was all over. “Alexia,” Chad started. “You used me. I can't believe you used that information about Mr. Channing on the stand. I told you that in confidence.” “I didn't use your information on the stand,” Chad said, “You told me he was gay. I just did some digging around with my private investigator and found out he was sleeping with Richard. He had the motive to cook the books to protect Richard. You know that. I didn't use anything in there that wasn't the truth.” “Well, good for you then, Mr. Winner,” she said. “You must be really proud of yourself.” “Alexia, it's just a job,” he said. He tried to reach out to her but she pulled away. “I didn't say all those things just to win a case. I did mean it.” “It doesn't matter.” She walked away, refusing to turn back. “Congratulations on your win.” As she walked down the steps, she half wondered if he would chase after her. Then she realised that she didn't care. *** END *** Thank you for reading. This is the first part of a series of stories involving Alexia and Chad, I hope you are looking forward to the new stories. Feedback is appreciated! You can find out more about me at my Smashwords page at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/gregdarkwood