Lewd and Lascivious | 18+

Shop Talk - 8

"Are you finished with this?" Hunter asks, gesturing to one of the six books I have spread out in front of me.

"Go ahead," I give him a small nod. While it might not seem like much, this is actually amicable for the two of us.

He makes sure to send snarky comments my way a few times a day, otherwise, we've been mostly cordial. I've tried to talk to him, just polite small talk during breaks but he pretty much ignores me.

Dane wheels the cart in from the library with a stack of books piled high. We make eye contact for a moment before he looks away. All week we do this, quick, forbidden glances, then back to our books.

Deep down, I think we both know that if we look longer than a second, we will be pulled into something.

Everyone in the office is tense. This case is weighing on the partners who are putting pressure on us. The hours have been brutal. We're all exhausted.

I could use a good night's sleep but I find myself grateful for the mountainous workload. I've hardly had time to think about anything that doesn't pertain to the case, one handsome man in particular.

We're so focused on research and precedents that we haven't even been talking about anything else. This is for the best. The more we talk about not ripping each other's clothes off, the more fantasize about ripping his clothes off.

The door clicks open and we all look up from our various readings.

Lydia the paralegal comes in with a large paper bag, "bosses ordered sushi," she sets the bag down in the small clear space on the table. "Mr. Kilpatrick will be in for a briefing in the morning. Bond wants you to help Chris with the character witness transcripts tonight," she points to Hunter.

My mouth goes dry. That means Dane and I will be alone.

You are a professional.
You have self-control.
You are not this desperate.

"Enjoy the sushi!" She chirps as she leaves the room.

"Fuck," Hunter curses as he falls dramatically into a chair, "this case is really screwing with my... screwing," he quirks his brow at Dane.

Dane lets out an irritated breath before grabbing the food. He starts setting the different containers on the table. I can tell he's trying to ignore Hunter.

"Come on man, you know it's true. I haven't gotten any in a week! These late nights are fucking killer."

"Alright, man, shut up and eat," he pushes a few cartons toward him.

"What about you, Jolie?" Hunter turns to me with a smirk, "you getting any?"

"Colson," Dane admonishes him angrily.

"No, it's fine, Dane. This is just shop talk, right?" I square my shoulders.

Dane looks at me with a pleading look as if to say 'don't egg him on' but I won't let him think he's gotten under my skin. Talking about your sex life is unprofessional but I'm not going to voice that. I'll be labeled uptight. I don't need my co-workers to want to be my best friend, but actively disliking me makes working together more uncomfortable than it needs to be.

"You seem tense, so, I'm going to go with no, same goes for you Dane," he chuckles and pops a piece of sushi into his mouth.

I roll my eyes and open a take-out container.

"You know, there are things that could help you out, take the edge off. Just because you're not getting laid doesn't mean you can't be...well taken care of." He isn't going to let this go until he gets a response.

"I'm covered in that department, thanks though," I give him my best smile. As long as I don't freak out he'll probably drop it.

Hunter snorts and shakes his head. I think... maybe I just won some points? Such a small remark, but I don't think he wasn't expecting it. He was expecting me to get upset about him asking. He was trying to rile me, hazing the new girl, the only girl.

When I look across the table at Dane, his eyes are dark and trained on me. He has a piece of sushi suspended in midair that he seems to have forgotten about.

I hold his gaze, grateful for Hunter's oblivious chomping as we both stare one another down, refusing to blink first. My stupid comment must have had the opposite effect on Dane as it did on Hunter. Where Hunter dropped the subject and moved on, Dane seems to have been awakened by it.

Something stirs in my gut.

"Do you have the personal files completed?" Hunter asks me, causing us to break our intense staring match.

I clear my throat, "yes, I went through his whole life with a fine-tooth comb. He said he has never had any complaints or issues in the past but I believe I found two."

Both men groan loudly.

"Fuck! Really?" Hunter asks, reaching for the file.

"Yes, I was going to bring it up after we ate. They were buried deep, I'm sure he thought they would never see the light of day. One was an incident report in college and the other an accusation from a volunteer at his campaign headquarters. Both events were covered up but...they help to establish a pattern. I'm sure the D.A will find them eventually if she already hasn't."

Hunter stands, grabbing a few files and another to-go container, "I'm going to get upstairs and start on the transcriptions. Shit, the partners are going to flip..."

When the door slams shut I keep my eyes on my food. I hear his chair scrape against the floor, his feet shuffling around the room. I peek up and see him setting up on the sectional. He looks up at me and sucks in a tight breath.

"I need to stay over here, away from you. In an hour or so we can switch so you can sit here. I need...space. Shit, Jolie, this is killing me. You're... fuck," he hisses and drags his hand through his hair.

"Ok, good idea," luckily my voice is even and hiding my thoughts well.

I bite down on my lip hard and reach for a background file on one of the complainants. There is something prurient knowing that he's suffering, that he has to physically move across the room to stay away.

I squeeze my thighs together and get back to work. Anything to keep myself from thinking about him, thinking about me, masturbating.

Shit.