Page 7 of Take the Bait

“That’s the one and only Cameron Townsend?” Zoey exclaimed. “I heard he was hot, but I had no idea he was that hot!”

Dani had no intention of being sucked into a sexual fantasy fest centering on that particular arrogant, dangerously charming district attorney. “What’s he doing here?” she muttered. “This is a private party for employees only.”

“Word has it he’s the next jumper at the D.A.’s office,” Zoey said low.

Dani lurched in alarm. The guy was suicidal? Why wasn’t someone doing some sort of intervention for him if he was so stressed out? Crap, and she’d been all combative and in-your-face with the poor guy.

She asked sotto voce, “Is there a big problem with ADA’s killing themselves?”

Zoey laughed gaily. “I didn’t mean that kind of jumper, goofball. I meant he’s rumored to be the next ADA to jump from the prosecutor’s office across the aisle into a big, lucrative defense firm.”

“Like WMP,” Dani said heavily.

“Exactly. ADA’s do it all the time. They start their careers as prosecutors, learn all the inside tricks, then switch sides and make big bucks defending guilty bastards and getting them off on technicalities. You know, like we do around here.”

Dani nearly inhaled her olive and slapped hand over her mouth to keep from guffawing aloud. She finally managed to gasp, “Sacrilege.”

“I’m just an hourly wage slave. What are Misters W, M, and P going to do to me? I’m way below their exalted notice.”

Dani was beginning to think sliding under the radar of the big bosses might not be such a bad thing around here. Frustrated at having to balance the overfull martini glass carefully or risk spilling it on her suit, she debated whether or not she could get away with plugging her nose to slug it down and get rid of the damned thing.

She said to Zoey, “So, you think Cameron Townsend’s invited to this private party because WMP is putting on a full court press to recruit him?”

“Correct, grasshopper,” Zoey intoned solemnly. Then she giggled and tossed back her martini in a single gulp. “Which means I don’t have long to meet, bed, and marry him. We have a strict no fraternization policy at WMP, you know?—”

She broke off as if something important had just occurred to her. “That is, if you haven’t called dibs on him already. After all, you met him first.”

“Oh, hell to the no.” Dani rolled her eyes. “You’re welcome to him.”

And on that note, she took a deep breath, told herself it was medicine, and slammed back the martini.

Blech.

She succumbed to a full body shudder. God, that tasted like Drano.

She grimaced as Zoey snagged two more martini’s off a tray a waiter was carrying past and shoved one into her hand. “Aww, man. Did you have to? I just got rid of the last one.”

“You’ll look weird if you don’t have one in hand when you kiss the rings of the grand partners on high.”

“Where are their Highnesses, anyway?” Dani muttered.

“No idea.”

She gazed across the crowd of suits in search of the senior partners, saying, “I suppose I should go make nice before that martini hits my brain-to-mouth connection. Any advice, fellow lowly wage slave?”

“Grovel at their feet and flash some cleavage when their wives aren’t looking.”

Dani’s head whipped around to stare at the paralegal. “You’re telling me to use sex to advance my career?”

“Hell, yes. This is the real world, Dani. I’ve been meaning to tell you to invest in some naughty lingerie. Neon colored stuff that’ll show through your white blouses and leave thong lines through your skirts.”

Dani’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“Sorry. I’m serious as a heart attack, babe. Why do you think you got hired? Affirmative action and scenery for the clients.”

Stunned, she stared at Zoey, who excused herself and said something about introducing herself to the hot district attorney.

“He’s only an assistant D.A.,” Dani retorted.

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