Page 2 of Defended
"I hope you've learned your lesson about leaving your belongings unattended," he said, giving her a stern look that made her want to melt into the floor... and it made other parts of her feel all melty too.
* * *
"Yes, Sir,"she said, answering his admonishment, her cheeks blooming with color as she answered in a higher voice than normal. Her tone was almost girlish and he bit back a groan. The combination of her submissive, repentant answer and embarrassed, little girl tone was like something straight out of his fantasies.“I won’t do it again.”
Little Miss Doe-Eyes was killing him.
She's not a sub, she's not a baby girl, stop wishing she were...
No, she was just an embarrassed woman, relieved to no longer be facing drug possession charges.
He cleared his throat, trying to settle into his normal post-trial client routine. “It was very nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand to help her up. “Although, if we ever cross paths again, hopefully it will be under better circumstances.”
“Um, yes, um… yes.” She blushed. She was staring at him like he’d hung the moon, her lips slightly parted and her soft brown eyes so wide that she almost resembled an anime character. Kawan's brain supplied him with a mental image of her dressed up in something soft and ruffled instead of the navy dress suit she was currently wearing, and he shoved it away.
Seeming to realize that she was still holding his hand, she blushed even more brightly and abruptly stood without giving him time to step back, and for one long moment they were nearly chest to breast. Her breath hitched and her head tilted back again to look up at him. The attraction between them was hard to deny, but Kawan made himself step back.
Technically she was no longer his client, but he had a strict rule about playing with vanillas—he wasn't allowed to. It never ended well.But he shoved that thought away too because it reminded him of everything he’d lost.
He wasn't even supposed tobehere today.
But Paul Standish, the managing partner from his old firm, had called and begged him to help out. His daughter was Ms. Williams’ mentor in her PhD program and she'd called her father, frantic with worry that her mentee was going to be railroaded in court. She was absolutely certain of Ms. Williams' innocence, but also knew the young woman couldn’t afford anyone other than a public defender.
Since Kawan had left Standish and Stanton on good terms and wasn't starting his new job until tomorrow, he'd made a few calls and then come in to defend Ms. Williams. Even though he was a civil defense attorney and not criminal, it hadn't taken more than a glance at the report and a quick conversation with her to realize she was innocent.
Not just innocent.Naïve.
If she'd been his...
But she wasn't. And he’d learned his lesson about riding in to be a seemingly innocent woman’s white knight. Hadn’t he?
“Let me help you with your coat,” he said, giving himself something to do that was professional and distracting from the tension rising between them.
“Thank you,” she said softly. His fingers brushed against the back of her neck as she shrugged the coat on, and for a moment he thought about breaking his rules. But no, he’d put them in place for a reason.
After helping her into her coat, Kawan beat a swift retreat. There was no reason to hang around torturing himself over a woman he'd just met. This weekend he'd be going to Black Light, as a member rather than a guest for the very first time, and there would be plenty of submissive women there who were kinky.Women who would hopefully want what he had to offer. Women who knew what they wanted and wouldn’t… He pushed away that line of thinking again. Krissy had already taken up too much of his thoughts over the past year.
Besides, he was running late.
While his official first day at Lambert, Urbanski, and Reed wasn't until tomorrow, he'd been planning on going in and getting the lay of the land. Sure enough, as soon as he checked his phone, three messages from Alexander Reed—a friend from law school and the 'Reed' in the firm's name—popped up on the screen.
Let me know when you're done being a hero and are coming in.
Sienna saved you a donut for when you get here. It's chocolate.
Never mind. I ate the donut.
Chuckling, Kawan texted back that he was on the way now and immediately got a thumbs up in return from Alexander. He'd be willing to bet that Sienna had another donut tucked away for him somewhere. She was thoughtful like that.
The two of them were an interesting pair, since Alexander, like Kawan, was a Daddy Dom, whereas Sienna hadn't seen herself as a baby girl at all when they'd first met. They compromised though, switching back and forth between who was taking care of whom, so Sienna's need to submit through service and Alexander's need to take care of her in the manner of a Daddy Dom were both satisfied. They were good for each other and they made it work.
He wanted something like that. A real relationship. Between two partners who both knew what they wanted.
Even though he’d been burned, he had to believe it was still possible. Going to Black Light and watching the two of them scene together, watching their relationship grow and progress… well, when Alexander had proposed and Sienna had said yes, Kawan had realized what he needed to do.
A fresh start. Away from Richmond. Away from Krissy and from everyone who had listened to her bile.
And straight to unfettered access to Black Light. The fees were expensive but entirely worth it. Alexander had taken him there more than once as his guest, and Kawan had thoroughly enjoyed every visit. Surely he'd be able to find a submissive within the club’s exclusive walls. A baby girl he could have a real relationship with. If not there, then he might visit Overtime as well, and if he found a baby girl there, then he'd bring her to Black Light.
