Legally Bound

II

Jason sat at Ms. Travis's desk, sipping the lackluster coffee from the teacher's lounge. It had been years since he had graduated from Angel Grove High, and it was nice to see that things were still practically the same. Ms. Travis was still a stickler for notes, and the kids were still immature. Except for Valerie DeMarco. He smiled as he recalled how nervous she was when they spoke. How she quaked when he locked eyes with her. She had gorgeous, thick, raven tresses that fell loosely over her shoulders, framing her modest but impressive cleavage. Her eyes were a golden hazel- the color of sunshine after a rainy day. He had never seen eyes that clear, that innocent. He flipped through the student personnel file he had found in Ms. Travis's filing cabinet.

Valerie Esmeralda DeMarco
Seventeen years of age.
Birthday: 19 November 2002
Honors student.
4.5 GPA.
Front-runner for valedictorian.
Attending Harvard for Pre-Law in the spring.
Accepted to all 16 universities applied for.
Lives with mother, Victoria DeMarco.
Father, not involved.

Jason took in the information, a smile growing on his face. He was impressed by her credentials, surprised by the absence of any negative marks on her record, and wondered why no law firm had accepted to take her under their wing. "Probably intimidated by her beauty." Jason whispered to himself, sliding the folder back into the cabinet. There was something about the purity he saw in her that riled him, hungered him. But her mind, how brilliant and accomplished she was, consumed Jason with the need to mentor her, in more than just law. "Ms. Travis, do you think I was right to offer Miss DeMarco a place at Thatcher?"

Ms. Travis had just entered the room, her lunch in hand. "I think, if you were going to offer a job to anyone who wasn't licensed yet, Valerie would be your best bet. I'd venture to say she's a better student than I've ever had and, at this rate, will probably be a better lawyer than you once she graduates Harvard." Jason flinched at the insult, but knew Ms. Travis had always been a ball-buster. She was his mentor, after all.

"That's good. I don't want to regret it." Even as the words left his lips, Jason knew he would never regret the decision to have Valerie in the office. The thought of her in a silk blouse, pencil skirt, and heels would more than atone for any mistake she could make.

***

Valerie searched through Google, looking for articles about the seductive Jason Thatcher she had encountered three hours earlier. He was one of the youngest, most impressive attorneys in America. At 24, he opened his own law firm, and had won his 500th case by the time he turned 28. He represented so many companies, it was amazing he could keep everything straight, not to mention the family and criminal cases he handled as well. The idea of working under him was daunting, if not terrifying. He was intimidating- the way he looked, as well as the power and control he displayed. She wondered if she would even be able to function while working for him. As she scrolled through articles, it became more obvious that he was not only single, but that he was always single. He hadn't been photographed with a woman in years, and usually attended functions alone.

"Wow, creep much?" Angela's voice chimed from behind Valerie.

"Dear Lord, Angie!" She slammed the laptop, whipping around to face her friend. "How long have you been there?"

"Um, long enough to know that you're a freak. Seriously Val? He's like, old." Angela sat down beside Valerie, pulling out her nail file. "Oh, and don't worry. No one else saw anything."

Valerie silently thanked her friend for keeping an eye out for potential eavesdroppers. "He's not old. He's 28. And just look at him. He's gorgeous. And smart. And.. Ugh!" Valerie hid her face in her hands, embarrassment covering her face. "How am I supposed to work for him if I can't even talk about him without turning into a tomato?"

Angela's eyes widened, and she stopped filing. "Working for? He offered you a job?" Valerie shook her head in confirmation. "Hm. Well, maybe he has the hots for you. Maybe you guys will have some kinda sexy office romance. Kinda like the stuff I read on Wattpad!"

Valerie cringed as she thought of the stories Angela told her about. "What? NO!" Valerie's mind flashed to a vision of Jason pinning her to his desk. "Ang, HELP!"

"Just chill out, Val. I'm messing with you. He seems pretty professional." Angela could be level-headed and helpful when she wanted to be, and Valerie admired her ability to be both work and play. "Plus, if anything does happen, at least your first time will be with someone experienced and pretty damn sexy." Angela shrugged.

Valerie shivered at the thought. She wouldn't dare embarrass herself by fumbling through her first time with someone so intoxicating.