Objection Overruled by J.K. O'Hanlon Page B

stomach grumbled loud enough for the janitor sweeping the stairs to stare at her, then continue staring as she trekked up the last few stairs. With a few minutes to spare, she tossed her bag on the bench outside the offices. Reaching in, she grabbed a Zinger, popped it in her mouth, and then opened the Coke.
    “Nice pants,” a familiar voice purred behind her.
    Brandon Marshfield.
    What the hell was he doing at the US Attorney’s office?
    Jackie aspirated part of the Zinger, then violently coughed to clear her throat. Bits of pink cake and coconut flew from her mouth. The jerky spasms caused Coke to splatter over the front of her jacket and down the cream pants.
    Brandon held her upper arm and pounded rhythmically on her back to dislodge the obstruction. Keeping her firmly in his grip, he turned her around to face him. The inch-wide gap between their bodies crackled with electricity.
    “Are you okay?” He looked down at her with concern in those sexy, whiskey-colored eyes.
    Jackie cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”
    He wiped at the corner of her mouth. Before she knew what was going on, he’d slid his thumb over and into her mouth. She licked away the cream. With his gaze locked onto her, he opened his mouth slightly and ran his tongue over his lips. His formidable oral skills beguiled her. Those long, teasing laps he’d given her pussy had driven her over the edge. Unable to hold back, her body heated up, sending a burning flush to her cheeks and engorging her genitals.
    This should not be happening.
    Jackie took deep breaths through her nose to steady herself. Nothing helped. Her breasts tingled and hardened at the thought of his hands touching her again. Between her legs, the slippery wetness built between swelling lips.
    Determined, she looked him sternly in the eyes. “Brandon, not in public. Actually, not anywhere, at least not during this case. This is too important to me.”
    She had to get away from him before she did something she’d regret. “I need to go.” She picked up her briefcase and turned to hit the women’s room before going to her meeting.
    He pulled her back to face him. “What if I wasn’t the expert in this case?”
    “But you are, so this conversation has to end.” She pulled her arm from his grip, although her body begged her to throw herself into his arms. With fast steps, she strode away from him, beating a path to the bathroom down the hall.
    After using the toilet, Jackie suspected that all the gawking she attracted this morning was not about emanations of power. She turned around to look over her shoulder at the mirror. Turquoise polka-dot underpants were visible under the skintight cream pants. What did Brandon think about her outfit? And when did it matter so much what a man thought about her clothes? She steeled herself. It was time to go back to being hard as oak, not some flimsy imitation susceptible to the world’s forces. Or her heart’s forces, either.
    * * * *
    Brandon rubbed his finger and thumb together. Once again, he’d found himself acting impulsively with Jackie North. He considered himself a carefree kind of guy for the most part. It wasn’t that what he’d done with her was out of character. The troubling part was that he found himself doing it against his better judgment. Being carefree was different than being careless.
    He looked at the directory on the wall. He’d gotten off the elevator too early. Could his compulsion to be connected to Jackie have somehow drawn him off the elevator three floors too soon? No, it was coincidence. He’d had no idea she was going to be there.
    He got back onto the elevator and went to the fifth floor where the Fraud and Public Corruption Unit was located. He pushed through the frosted glass door and informed the receptionist he had an appointment with FBI Agent Jeff Weaver and Matt Erickson, the Assistant US Attorney for Fraud. After checking her computer, the receptionist made a call to announce