on with the district attorney’s office at the beginning of his career he’d had designs on the top position. Since that first time as a kid when he’d witnessed his father knocking around his mother—and couldn’t do a damn thing about it—he’d vowed to see justice done. His desire to put criminals behind bars hadn’t lessened a bit, and neither would his desire for Alisha. At least, not anytime soon.
Right now he was charged with the unenviable position of telling her the news—and being in the line of fire when all hell broke loose.
Alisha breezed into her office to find Joe sitting on the edge of the reception desk, concentrating on the portable TV set in the corner of the deserted waiting room. “Do we have so little business that you’re watching cartoons again?”
Joe sent her only a cursory glance before turning his attention back to the tube. “Not cartoons. A press conference. And I think you should be watching it, too.”
Crossing the room, Alisha took her place beside Joe and nearly dropped the bag containing her meager lunch. “That’s Daniel Fortune.”
“Yep. That’s Daniel Fortune answering questions about your client’s prosecution and the new prosecutor who’ll be handling the case.”
Alisha tugged off her jacket and tossed it and the bag onto the desk. “Krauss isn’t in charge anymore?”
“No, and you’re not going to like who’s taking his place.”
“Please don’t tell me it’s that creep, Goeble.”
“No, not Goeble.”
“Then who?”
“The iceman’s going to do it himself.”
Alisha’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before she said, “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not kidding.” He reached behind him and handed her a piece of paper. “He called earlier while you were out, I assume to let you know.”
Alisha took the paper from Joe only to find the number to the D.A.’s office. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me New Year’s Eve.”
“I wouldn’t think a bar would be a good place to discuss it.”
She wadded up the note and tossed it in the waste bin. “Not in the bar. Outside of the bar, after I left.”
Joe had the gall to grin. “Well, did you do—”
“No, I did not. I went home and he went home, end of story.” And she was telling one whopper of a story.
She tossed Joe the sack. “Here. It’s a sub sandwich. Take half an hour to eat lunch, then get moving on the Massey case. Start working on the motions we’ve discussed. Now’s your chance to play attorney before you have to pass the bar. And call the temp agency. Have them send someone over to field phone calls, preferably one who’s worked in a law office before. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
When she started for the door, Joe asked, “Where are you going?”
“Out.”
“Aren’t you going to call Fortune?”
“Nope.” She turned with a hand poised on the knob. “I’m going to pay him a personal visit.”
“I’d like to buy tickets to that little meeting.”
“You need to get to work. I’ll handle the A.D.A.”
Joe unfolded the paper from around the sandwich and crammed a big bite in his mouth. “Good luck,” he said without even swallowing.
As Alisha headed for the courthouse, she realized she was going to need plenty of luck and plenty of strength. Just because Daniel Fortune happened to be the most gorgeous, multitalented, intelligent man she’d ever known didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own with him. And she would, no matter what he tried to throw at her.
Alisha Hart strode into Daniel’s office looking as if she’d like to throw something at him. Fortunately she set her briefcase down on the chair instead of hurling it at his head. “I believe you know why I’m here.”
She sounded calm, but she looked fighting mad—and sexy as hell in her tailored blue dress that gave Daniel just a glimpse of her knees. Really great knees. “You came by to call off our dinner plans?”
“Very funny,” she said without one whit of amusement in her tone.
Daniel noticed the partially open door and pointed behind her. “Close it.”
She looked over her shoulder, then back to him, before complying. Instead of sitting, she braced her palms on the edge of his desk and leaned into them. “First of all, do you mind telling me why you didn’t inform me the other night you were going to be taking the Massey case?”
Daniel greatly minded that her breasts were eye level and the cut of the dress showed a hint of cleavage. He forced his gaze to her face. “Because I didn’t know until this morning. And I don’t like it any more than you do. And if I recall, we decided not to discuss it the other night. In fact, I remember we stopped talking altogether after a while.”
After snatching up her briefcase, she finally sat, giving Daniel only minimal relief. “We’re certainly going to discuss it now.”
Daniel leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head. “Go ahead, Counselor. But if you’re here to make a deal, you’ll be wasting your breath.”
“It’s my breath to waste, and I don’t see why we can’t come to some sort of agreement and save the taxpayers money.”
“What exactly are you proposing?” he asked.
“One count of disorderly conduct, drop the indecent exposure and the trumped-up assault charge.”
“You’re not serious.”
“Do I look like I’m jesting?”
No, but she looked pretty damn good, Daniel thought. So good he almost couldn’t think. But he had to think. “Let’s start with the indecent exposure. We have a witness who claims she saw his genitals during his little show on the river taxi and that he in fact was aroused.” That much he did know, although he knew nothing about the witness. Truth was, he hadn’t had time to thoroughly review the case. He sure as hell hadn’t prepared for the impact of seeing Alisha again—and knowing he couldn’t touch her now. Or later, for that matter. At least not until this mess was over.
Her expression remained battle-ready. “My client was strategically covered by a wide sash, therefore his genitals were not exposed. As far as his alleged arousal is concerned, the temperature was below forty degrees. In those kinds of elements, I highly doubt Mr. Massey capable of an erection.”
The last thing Daniel needed to hear coming out of her pretty coral-painted mouth was the word erection. “Our witness says otherwise.”
“Your witness is mistaken. Or perhaps she was engaged in some wishful thinking.” Alisha looked at him straight on. “You know, if Mr.
