Wynter Daniels - Lawyering Up

Emmy cringed as the heavy steel door of a holding cell she passed shut with a bone-jarring clang. She continued past the drunk tank and tried to block out the shouts of the inebriated men inside. At least the client she’d just seen had been sober. Conferring with a freshly arrested prisoner still high on something wasn’t her favorite part of the job, but everyone was entitled to a good defense.

“Show me those humongous tits, sweetheart.”

“I love big girls, mama.”

Another inmate made what she assumed were supposed to be kissing sounds although he sounded more like a marine mammal than a person.

After several years as a public defender, she was long past being mortified by the jeers. What made it worse though, was that the catcalls and drunken shouts were the only remotely sexual comments anyone had made to her in far too long. Keeping her head high and her eyes straight ahead, she proceeded to the booking area to turn in her pass and get her driver’s license back.

“Emmy Mahoney?” a vaguely familiar male voice asked from behind her.

She spun around and found her college crush grinning at her. “Rudy!” He was even more muscular than he’d been in school. And she was twenty pounds heavier. She mentally chastised herself for the weight gain, something she did at least once a day.

Before she could say another word, he’d scooped her into his arms for a hug. She breathed in his piney scent. Some things never changed. The man always smelled heavenly. And those green eyes were just as captivating as they’d been six years earlier when they’d been in a small criminal justice study group together at college, when she’d secretly lusted after him. Or maybe not so secretly. She always suspected he knew about the crush she had on him.

He held her at arms’ length. He was as handsome as ever. “Look at you in your fancy business suit.” He tipped his chin at the plastic security badge clipped to her lapel. The warmth that had originally drawn her to him still sparkled in his eyes and eased a fraction of the loneliness that always seemed to plague her lately.

“So I guess you passed the bar. I knew you would. You were obviously the smartest of us all.”

She took in his Miami police uniform that he filled out better than any cop she’d ever seen, noticed the stripes on his shirt. “Looks like you’ve done well too, huh? Corporal Rodriguez?”

He gave her a self-deprecating shrug. “I’m still on the road though. I’m up for promotion again in a few months.”

A corrections officer walked past them with a prisoner.

Rudy hooked Emmy’s arm and led her out of the way. “I just dropped off an arrest. What great timing, huh? So you work for the state attorney?”

He unhanded her way too soon. She shook her head. “Other team. I’m with the public defender’s office.”

“Oh no. We’re on opposite sides of the schoolyard.” He gave her one of those winks that used to give her a little flicker of internal heat back in college. Hell, it still did. “Have you been working in Dade County long?”

“Only a few months. After law school I landed a position in Tampa but my family’s here. So when a job at the PD’s office came available, I applied.”

He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. The contact gave her a little zing of awareness. “I hope I never have to testify in one of your cases. Stay away from the perps I arrest, would you?”

She had to grin. “Don’t arrest anyone who’s not guilty.”

He raised his fists in a mock challenge then dropped his arms to his side. “Good thing Miami’s a big city with plenty of criminals. Chances are we’ll never see each other in court. Thank God.”

“What do you do when you’re not arresting innocent people?”

He laughed. “Same old thing. Hang with the family, my friends. I’m a volunteer at an intervention-type program. I’m sort of a big brother to a couple at-risk teens.”

Same old Rudy, always helping out where he was needed.

“Did you know Pete’s working here?” he asked.

She swallowed back a gasp. “Here, like at this jail?”

“Yeah. He’s a sergeant already. Moving up the ranks.”

How had she missed the man to whom she’d given her virginity? “I had no idea.” All these years later, Pete Hanover still made frequent appearances in her dreams. They’d spent a little more than a year as boyfriend and girlfriend and two before that as besties. He’d taught her everything she knew about sex. To this day, he was hands down the most skillful lover she’d ever had. Well, she’d only had a few, but Pete was the king. She compared all her subsequent lovers to him and none had measured up.

“He works nights. I only see him a couple times a year. Pretty crazy that we all ended up working in the same messed-up arena and we never get to see each other.”

They’d grown apart. She swallowed back a lump in her throat. She’d been so busy during law school, waitressing to pay for school and studying every free moment she had. They’d planned to see each other during school breaks but things had come up and the relationship had just fizzled out.

“We need to get together, go out and have a drink.” She glanced down at his left hand and thankfully saw no ring. Why did it matter? Wasn’t like Rudy had ever shown any interest in her. Well, except that one time. “And I guess you guys can bring along your girlfriends.”

His eyes flashed with amusement. “Don’t have one at the moment. You?”

Her antennae perked up at that news. “No special man in my life right now. What about Pete?” Surely the hottest guy she’d ever met had been corralled by a woman by now.

“He’s divorced. Only stayed married for like a year.”

Her empathy for Pete’s failed marriage was overshadowed by her spark of interest. Maybe… No, she shouldn’t even think that way. Why would he still want her, especially seeing how she’d let herself go, as her mother loved to point out to her.

“Job’s tough on relationships,” he added.

“Tell me about it.” But she hadn’t even dated anyone more for more than a few weeks at a time since college. She still compared all men to Pete. And maybe even to Rudy. They were both such sweet guys.

“I’m surprised you’re single.”

There were those adorable dimples. She could just stare at Rudy’s face all day long. And his ripped body that practically oozed sex.

“No time for a boyfriend.” Yeah, right. As if there were a hundred guys beating down her door. Not in this lifetime.

Rudy eyed her and she wondered if he believed her. “Are you free Saturday evening? Pete works nights, the same rotation as I do. It’d be great if the three of us could get together.”

She took her phone out of her purse and checked her calendar even though she knew she was free. Saturday was her damn birthday and all she had planned was lunch and birthday cake with her parents and her sister. “Looks like I’m available.”

Rudy pulled a cell out of his pocket. “I’ll send Pete a text. Give me your number.”

After they’d exchanged information, he drew her into another hug. Damn, his embrace brought back a flood of memories, and a rush of desire. All that strength surrounding her made her feel somehow more like a woman. He was so freaking big and solid. She inhaled his scent again, tried to memorize it. That was what a man ought to smell like.

She recalled that one time in school when they’d nearly kissed, right before she and Pete started seeing each other. Holding on a moment longer than she should have, she shut her eyes and savored the feel of his muscular arms around her, keeping her safe and secure. What would it be like to crawl into bed with that hunk of masculinity? And he had handcuffs. Oh, the possibilities. She’d fantasized about a dozen ways a man could tie her up and handcuffs were right at the top of the list.