Author's Notes:
Welcome back to my story, my faithful readers! Thanks for hanging with me, and especially to all of you who have taken the time to comment or send me feedback messages. They're greatly appreciated.
Like always, if you haven't read the previous chapters, you're going to get lost. I don't make much of an effort to explain references to earlier events and characters (of which, there are a lot). I added a lot of strands to the web in the last chapter, with threads going in all sorts of directions. I probably packed too much in at once, but it certainly expands the story quite a bit. I won't promise that we'll tread on each path every chapter, but I plan to provide resolution for each storyline at some point. I guess you'll just have to keep reading, now won't you?
This will be a lengthy set of notes. The story has gotten complicated and inevitably I've made a few mistakes that will need cleaned up.
In the last chapter, Elsa delivered her baby. Hooray! Unfortunately, the timing is wrong. Back in chapter 4, Helena got pregnant first, followed by Elsa a few weeks later. In chapter 8, Carson comforts Helena by telling her it's only a couple of months until she delivers. That's a big 'oops!' and I apologize. It hasn't been brought to my attention by any readers, but it's the kind of thing that I work very hard to avoid, given the long timeline of my story. I debated resubmitting chapter 8 to fix it, but I like the scene the way it is, so I'm just going to assume most people won't pick up on the disparity. It might be easier to fix by resubmitting chapter 4, but I'm paranoid that it will introduce new errors in subsequent chapters. So I'm just cutting my losses and moving forward.
A quick note about Starfyre. She was intended to be more of a throwaway character with limited impact on the story. But a number of people reacted to her actions in the last chapter, and I thought maybe I could use that to give her a bigger role. That said, she's a hacker and I am...not. It's a dangerous proposition for writers to write about things they don't know. There are lots of warnings out there against doing so. Even so, at the risk of sounding ridiculous, I'm going to throw some details in that may or may not match reality. Please, just go with it. It's fiction, right?
Also, this chapter is pretty heavy on the sex, resulting in a longer chapter than I usually submit. I was advised early on when I started writing to focus less on the sex and more on the story. In this case, I think it's necessary to advance the story. But even if it's not, I hope you'll find that it tickles your fancy.
Standard disclaimer: Please, if you like the story, or if you don't like the story, take a moment to comment. It's especially helpful if you have something constructive to add. It helps me quite a bit to see the story through others' eyes.
Finally, as always, all sexual activity takes place between adults.
—MB
*****
"So, I'm standing there wearing a borrowed suit two sizes too big, my hair is a mess, and don't even get me started on my makeup. The judge is just staring at me like she's unsure whether to have the bailiff escort me to a cell, just in case I've completely lost my mind. She says, 'Counselor? Are you prepared for closing arguments?' What could I say? I looked her dead in the eye and said, 'Of course, Your Honor. Don't I look ready? It took her a good 5 minutes to get the courtroom back in order, and I spent the night in a cell after she found me in contempt. And that's when I decided I might not be suited for criminal law."
Carson was doing his best to keep from falling out of his chair, he was laughing so hard. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, trying to picture the beautiful, immaculately-composed woman sitting across from him as a newly-minted attorney in any state of dishevelment.
"Stop it, you're killing me, Risa!" he cried.
Risa was laughing along with him. Patting his arm to get his attention, between gasps she said, "The best part is that the DA refused to offer a plea deal because it was election season, but he screwed up and the trial was dismissed because of a technicality. Whenever I see Norris at a gathering of the bar, I remind him of that trial, just to see the vein in his forehead bulge out when he gets mad!"
"Wait a minute," laughed Carson. "You went up against our '
esteemed'
District Attorney
Norris Etheridge
and survived? I was under the impression that he was unassailable."
Swallowing her sip of Chardonnay, Risa said, "I'm picking up on your sarcasm. You don't think much of the Golden Boy?"
"It's funny. I've only met the man once, in passing, but there's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way. You ever look at someone, a stranger, and immediately conclude they're not someone you would get along with? That's kind of how I look at Norris. He looks polished to the public, but I have a feeling that there's more than one skeleton hiding in his closet."
"Well, far be it from me to dissuade you of your opinion," replied Risa. "The man's an ass. He thinks he's God's gift, you know, but I haven't the foggiest idea how he kept a woman like Vivian around long enough to marry him."
Setting his beer down, Carson said, "The rumor's that she's attracted to her husband's power more than she is to her husband. I don't know either of them well enough to say one way or another, so I'll take your word for it that he's not worth my time."
There was a momentary lull in the conversation. Eventually, Risa said, "I can't remember when I've laughed like this. The last several years have been...difficult."
Carson considered several different ways to respond. He could maintain the professional veneer, he could ramp up the flirtation, or he could offer a sympathetic ear. That last option would probably put him in the friend zone, but he wasn't exactly starving for female attention. Besides, there was a note in her voice that tugged at his heartstrings.
"I'm having a great time, too. I'm finding that your professional reputation doesn't match reality," he said.
"Oh? And just what
is
my reputation?" she asked, curious.
"Well," he began, "The people I've heard mention your name have a great deal of respect for you professionally, but they usually think of you as a shark or ice-queen. Someone to admire from a distance, but dangerous to get too close to. I obviously don't share this opinion," he hastened to add.
Risa didn't seem surprised by his description, but nodded somewhat sadly. "I suppose that I've learned to distance myself from people over the years. My path hasn't been the smoothest."
Carson picked up on her sadness. Reaching over to take her hand, he said, "At the risk of making things awkward, would you like to talk about it? I don't know you well; you seem warm and friendly to me. But it does seem like you're holding back, somehow."
She fixed those eyes that Carson found so entrancing on him, narrowed in suspicion. "Are you sure you want to hear about this? We're having a lovely time. Why dredge up old hurts?"
"Well, they're not
