Off The Record Ch. 22

Well, it took them 21 chapters, but they finally got there.

I couldn't bring myself to draw it out any longer than I did ;)

Time for them to face the music...

Enjoy <3

All characters are over 18.

***

Morgan was going to throw up.

Her toes tapped anxiously against the soft carpet where she was seated in one of the massive brown leather chairs in Joel's office, waiting for him to join her.

Morgan had intentionally remained vague when she'd explained to Harper what exactly was going to happen when she recused herself from the trial so that she didn't worry. She'd put on a brave face, doing her best to assuage any concern; in reality, Morgan was shitting bricks.

This was more than likely the absolute worst situation she would find herself in, professionally. Technically speaking, the correct term for what she was intending to do was a withdrawal rather than a recusal.

With the amount of time, money, and energy put into this trial, it was very probable that Richter would charge her with contempt of court, especially considering the reason for her stepping away. In short, she was going to be in serious trouble.

But every time the panic started to overwhelm her, she pictured the pretty hazel eyes and freckled cheeks that made it all worth it.

"Sorry about the delay." Joel's chipper voice rang out from the direction of the doorway, jolting her back to the present, making her jump.

"It's okay," she said in a small voice, turning to offer him her best attempt at a smile.

"How are you feeling?" His eyes roamed over her face, taking in her healing bruises. "I'm glad to see you back on your feet."

Morgan's heart clenched in her chest at the earnest concern in his voice. Guilt ate away at her, gnawing at her gut. She had betrayed this man's trust, a man who had given her nothing but mentorship and opportunities since she'd met him.

"I'm feeling much better," she choked out. She swallowed hard, amping herself up to push forward. Morgan opened her mouth again to continue, but Joel cut her off.

"Good, because we need you back." He settled down at his desk, energy flaring in his kind brown eyes. He smacked a hand on the table. "It's time to put the final nail in this coffin. You rattle the prosecution in a way I've never seen anyone do before. It's about time you got back in there and worked your magic like you've been doing for--"

"Joel, for the love of god, stop," Morgan blurted out. Not exactly tactful, but she just couldn't take it anymore, couldn't let him sing her praises having done what she did.

Joel stared at her, confusion furrowing his brow.

Morgan blew out a breath. "Please stop complimenting me." She held up a hand. "I asked you for this meeting because I have to tell you something, and once I tell you what I need to tell you, you're never going to want to see me again." Morgan drummed her fingertips against her knee nervously.

Joel huffed out a laugh, obviously thinking she was kidding, before the look on her face sobered him. "Morgan," he said, leaning forward. "What's wrong?"

She exhaled. "Um," she mumbled. How the hell was she supposed to get these words out?

"Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. Just tell me." Joel's voice was soothing and fatherly, as always.

"I...I need to step away from the trial," she said, the words suffocating her as they crawled up her throat. "For personal reasons."

Joel was shaking his head, denial and bewilderment clear in his expression. "Is everything okay? Is Maeve alright?" Joel's tone became urgent.

"She's fine."

He blinked at her. "Then what's the problem?"

Morgan stared at him. He really was going to force her hand. There had been a tiny part of her that had been foolish enough to be hopeful that she might be able to get away with avoiding the details of the situation--that Joel would just allow her her privacy and be done with it.

Morgan took a deep breath, preparing to effectively end her career.

Here went nothing.

She looked him dead in the eye and said, "I've been engaging in a sexual relationship with Harper Cassidy for the past several months. We met before the trial started, completely coincidentally at a bar, and we decided that we could work together professionally, without our brief history getting in the way." She paused, refusing to let herself clam up now that she'd gotten through the worst of it.

"We were wrong," Morgan said quietly, casting her eyes downward. Understatement of the fucking year. "I'm in love with her, and I need to withdraw from the trial before I ruin the reputation of everyone on the team."

Morgan braced for impact, raising her eyes to search Joel's face for any indication of what he might be thinking. His face was a stone mask of indecipherable blankness.

After several seconds of agonizing silence, Joel took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through his nose before standing and walking over to the small, mahogany cabinet that sat against the far wall of his office, just below his window.

Morgan remained perfectly still, some silly part of her brain convinced that the slightest movement would trigger a chain of events that would lead to her being fired.

She watched as Joel calmly retrieved two crystal whiskey tumblers and the bottle of high-end sherry oak scotch that Morgan had bought him for his most recent birthday. He turned back to her briefly, raising one bushy eyebrow. "Do you want some?"

Morgan blinked at him, so incredibly confused. "I...it's not even noon yet."

Joel raised that eyebrow even higher.

Morgan huffed out a breath and rubbed her hands anxiously along her thighs. "I'd love a glass."

Joel grunted out a sound of acknowledgement, making his way back to his chair with the glasses and bottle in hand.

Sitting down, he poured out a few fingers of liquor for each of them. He swirled the amber liquor around his glass gently, raising it in silent cheers to her before taking a sip. His eyes closed as he swallowed, a content hum leaving his throat. "That is the best whiskey I've ever had," he said. "Where did you find it again?"

Morgan couldn't take it anymore. Her glass sat untouched on the desk in front of her as she blurted, "Joel, did you hear what I said?"

His warm brown eyes settled on her, somehow having the nerve to look shocked at the tension in her tone.

"Did you say something?" Joel furrowed his brow, bafflement etched into his weathered features. "Last I remember, you came into my office asking to speak with me, but before we got started I told you that I wanted a drink."

Morgan felt like she was going insane. Her jaw went slack as she stared at him, wondering if she was being punked. Was he fucking with her before delivering the fatal blow that would end her career? He could at least let her leave with a shred of dignity without twisting the knife any deeper. But then she saw the corner of his mouth curling upward into the slightest smile.

Realization dawned on her; he was giving her an out.

"I don't...I don't understand," Morgan said. She could feel her heartbeat everywhere, her muscles taut with tension.

Joel leaned back in his chair, swiveling back and forth slowly. "How much has Harper told you about her past?" He asked gently, staring contemplatively into the dark contents of his glass.

Morgan hesitated. That had not been what she'd expected Joel to ask her. She spoke slowly when she said, "She hasn't explicitly told me too many details. But I know that she was placed in the foster care system at a very young age." She thought about that day when Harper had first shown her the tattoos that she'd gotten as reminders of the strength and resilience she'd found in books. God, that day felt like it had been so long ago. "And I know that her mother--" Morgan choked on the words, bile rising in her throat at the thought of the neglect and abuse Harper had suffered at the hands of a woman who had no business raising a child.

Joel nodded in understanding, disgust and sympathy crossing his face.

But when he didn't say anything, Morgan continued cautiously. "I met her sister, briefly. At a foster care event held by the city."

Morgan almost laughed aloud as she remembered the absurd jealousy she'd felt when Harper had talked about Cam with such light in her eyes. Knowing what she did now, Morgan was so grateful that Harper had had someone to lean on growing up.

Joel smiled softly. "Cameron. She's a sweetheart. You have no idea how happy it makes me that they still stay in touch."

Morgan narrowed her eyes. She hadn't realized just how much Joel knew about Harper. More than she did, apparently.

Seeming to read the confusion in her expression, Joel continued, "You know, as well, that I wasn't always involved in criminal law."

Morgan nodded mechanically, recalling what she knew of Joel's early career. "Yeah, you spent your first few years right out of school working in family law..." She trailed off, her brain doing the math before her mouth could catch up. Her spine straightened, snapping her upright where she'd been slumping in her chair. "Holy shit," she whispered.

Joel pursed his lips, patiently waiting for her to put it together.

The pieces Morgan had been missing this entire time fell into place. The familiarity between Harper and Joel that she'd witnessed so many times, the personal questions about Cam and about her life that Harper didn't seem to mind despite her being a relatively private person.

There had always been that question at the back of Morgan's mind of exactly just how Joel and Harper had crossed paths.

"Harper's case was the last that I worked as a child protection attorney." Joel's eyes took on a haunted look as he met Morgan's gaze. "Better people than myself would have stayed the course, used those experiences as motivation to push through even if what they've seen is horrific. Sometimes, I still regret my choice to take a different path. But at the time, Rachel and I had just had April, and having a daughter, seeing how unjust and vile the world could be..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I couldn't handle it."

He tilted his head back, draining his scotch before moving to pour himself another. "But even after I stepped away from that world, I could never shake Harper and what she'd been through from my mind. I kept in touch with her foster family, checking in on her. They even allowed me to bring April over for play dates with Cammie and Harper."

The nostalgia in his eyes tugged at Morgan's heart.

"She never mentioned that she knew you from that period of her life," Morgan said, still dumbfounded at the revelation. "I just assumed it was a professional connection."

Joel shrugged. "It's not my story to tell, Morgan. And I'm sure in due time, Harper will open up to you even more than she already has. But I will say that Harper ended up with a very good, loving foster family when she was nine, and she was legally adopted by them." He sighed and sipped on his drink. "Everything before that, though..." He looked at Morgan, his eyes intense. "It's remarkable what she's done for herself. To have earned an impressive education and to have become such a successful writer in the city. She's exceptional."

"I know she is," Morgan said, her voice barely audible, blinking back the tears that burned behind her eyes.

Joel reached forward, placing a hand over hers where it rested on the desk. "There's no need for tears," he said softly. "You're a good person, Morgan. Just the fact that you sought me out today to tell me this reinforces my already incredibly high opinion of you."

Morgan looked at him, not even sure what to think or feel about how this conversation had unfolded.

"Listen," he said, squeezing her hand. "You made a mistake. A fairly big one, but it can be managed. Here's what you're going to do." He leaned in with a calming smile. "You're not going to withdraw from the trial. You and Harper are going to remain discreet in your relationship until the trial is officially over. The fact that you've managed to hide it for this long tells me that it's entirely feasible to continue doing so for the next couple of weeks."

Morgan let out a breath that she wasn't even aware she'd been holding.

"Okay," she said, because what else could she say when her boss was helping her find a solution to an impossible situation when she'd fully expected him to throw her out on her ass?

"Okay," Joel echoed. "It'll be over my dead body that I allow two brilliant young women full of potential to send their careers up in smoke for simply falling in love."

With that, he rapped his knuckles against the desk and pushed her still full glass toward her.

"Now, please tell me that you aren't really going to make me experience this amazing scotch all alone." He gave her untouched tumbler a pointed look as a huge smile stretched across his face.

Morgan pressed a hand to her temple for a moment, her body still coming down from fight or flight mode. "I could definitely use a drink," she mumbled, reaching for the alcohol.

"So," Joel drawled, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, looking like a teenager eager to gossip. "In love, huh?"

Morgan laughed nervously, feeling her cheeks heat. "Completely, hopelessly, head over heels in love," she said.

Joel grinned. "And she feels the same way?"

Morgan bit her lip to hold back her smile. "I think so?" She sighed. "She said she does."

"Harper isn't usually the type to say things she doesn't mean," Joel said.

Suddenly, Joel burst out laughing. Morgan startled, her whiskey threatening to slosh over the lip of her glass. "What's so funny?"

Joel was laughing so hard that tears were beginning to stream down his face. "It's just that I-" He broke off, struggling to catch his breath. "I just remembered. Ryan had mentioned something to me a while back, insinuating that something was going on between you and Harper." Joel raised a suspicious eyebrow at her. "Something about you two sneaking away to your office at the holiday party?"

Morgan pursed her lips, breaking eye contact. She cleared her throat. "Um, well, Ryan may not be quite as dense as he seems," she said, risking a glance at Joel.

Fucking Ryan. Seriously, fuck him.

"I told him he was insane for even suggesting the possibility." He waved a dismissive hand in front of him. "I chalked it up to him being pissed that Harper handed his ass to him after he insulted you that night."

Morgan sobered, reaching out to place a hand over Joel's on top of the desk. "Seriously, Joel. Thank you." She poured every ounce of sincerity into her voice that she could, even though she knew she could never express the full extent of her gratitude to him in words.

Joel squeezed her hand once before giving her a coy smile. "For what?" He winked, and for the first time in a long time, Morgan began to feel like everything might actually be okay.

***

Harper stood up and braced her arms against her desk, leaning over her notes, fingertips drumming against her mousepad. It was an adorable habit that Morgan had learned she had. Harper had told her that she did it to take in all of the information at once, to get the 'big picture' for a story.

Morgan smiled to herself, ducking her head behind her laptop so Harper wouldn't see.

She glanced up again. She also didn't mind getting the glimpse of Harper's chest as she bent over the desk when she was wearing a button down, like she was right now.

Morgan did a double take. No fucking way. Her jaw dropped.

"What the fuck is that?"

Harper looked up at her, startled. God, she looked delicious today. Her maroon blouse was tucked neatly into a charcoal grey pencil skirt that showed off her curves beautifully.

Her hair was in a perfectly messy bun, more than a few tendrils of her golden hair having escaped over the course of the day. And as if all of that wasn't enough to make Morgan lust after her shamelessly, Harper was wearing a stupidly sexy pair of thick-rimmed glasses different from her regular ones that Morgan hadn't known she'd needed in her life until she'd walked into the office earlier that evening to see them balanced on the bridge of Harper's nose, hazel eyes blinking up at her from behind them.

But Morgan couldn't focus on any of that because of what she'd just seen.

"What?" Harper asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

Morgan stood up and stalked over to her. Harper raised her eyebrows in question when Morgan came to a stop in front of her. She reached into Harper's shirt and hooked her index finger around her bra strap. "What is this?"

An infuriating smirk curved her pink lips. "Were you looking down my shirt?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes at her in mock innocence.

Morgan ignored her question. She moved closer, so that she was almost pressed up against her. "You actually bought the lingerie set I suggested to you?" Her voice was low.

"It's cute," Harper said simply, shrugging.

"I bet. And, I suppose it's just a coincidence that you're wearing it tonight?" Morgan's voice rose in disbelief. Her hands found their way to Harper's waist.

"Of course not." Harper hooked her arms around Morgan's neck. "But you weren't supposed to see it until later. When we were celebrating."

They were both in high spirits following Morgan's conversation with Joel earlier that day. She had called Harper immediately to make sure that she hadn't spoken to her editor about relinquishing the trial coverage to another journalist just yet.

And Morgan had only subjected her to an entirely justified and reasonable amount of ribbing for not telling her that she and Joel had known each other longer than they'd let on.

Harper's only response had been a shy smile and an adorable blush spreading across her face while she mumbled something about not wanting people to think she'd only landed the trial gig because of her connection to him.

They'd spent the evening in Harper's office together, keeping each other company while Harper put the finishing touches on several of her stories, Morgan going over her trial notes for the final stretch. It was late now, and everyone else on the floor had gone home hours ago.

Harper leaned forward and connected their lips in a soft kiss that quickly deepened, Morgan's tongue pushing into her mouth and stroking hers. Harper's quiet moan landed right between Morgan's legs.

She wondered if she'd ever get used to how incredible it felt to kiss Harper. How such simple contact could make her so wet so quickly.

"Show me," Morgan whispered against her lips. She pulled back, smiling at the dazed expression on Harper's face.

"Show you what?" She asked, tilting her head up to kiss Morgan again, but Morgan held back.

She dipped her head to kiss along Harper's jawline. "Show me how amazing you look in the underwear you wore for me." Morgan knew her voice had taken on the throaty timbre it did when she was turned on.

Given the extreme stress they'd both been under the past few days, neither of them had really been in the mood; it was going on just about two weeks since they'd last slept together, and Morgan was ravenous for her.

From the way her eyes darkened, Harper felt it too. "Give me five minutes to clean up and then we can go."

"Why not here?" Morgan asked.

Harper blinked at her slowly. "Why not here? In my office at work?" Morgan could hear that classic Harper sarcasm creeping into her tone, and all it did was turn her on more.

Morgan squeezed her waist before lowering her mouth to Harper's exposed collarbone. She ran her tongue over it before sucking lightly. "It's nearly ten o'clock on a Friday night. The custodian already came through, and the security guard never leaves the lobby downstairs." She pulled back, studying Harper's face. "There are no cameras up here, and you even have curtains on your office windows."

Report