Journey in Time (Knights in Time) Read Online Free Page A

have a different appearance."
    "Which do you prefer?"
    "I don't know. I haven't seen you naked yet."  
    Flattered and thrilled by the bold remark, she opened her mouth. No words came. There’s an entry for Mr. Guinness’s book, an attorney rendered speechless.
    "Please sit," she said, when she found her voice and gestured to a small sofa. "What would you like? Except for the naked part, I believe I have anything you desire." She took two china cups and saucers from inside a burled wood credenza and set them by a small coffee maker.  
    "I won’t dwell on the world of innuendo that last comment generates," he said. "I’ll take a coffee, black, please.”  
    She poured two coffees and joined him. "Saturday night you mentioned discussing a legal matter."
    "Getting to the meat of things, straight away, are we?" he asked in a somber tone.
    She’d put a foot wrong, already. “I thought to dispense with business first but we can talk about whatever you like,” she said in an effort to compensate.   
    Alex blew on the coffee. She pretended interest in her own cup while peering at him from under her lashes. He wore a charcoal grey suit and white shirt with stripes in the same shade of grey. The shirt had a white collar and cuffs. A nice detail. A blood red tie brought out the color in his face. He had a ruddy complexion as though wind burned. Faint lines marked the corners of his eyes in the bright sunlight of her office. She dropped her gaze to his cufflinks. Ornate, they were ruby set in gold with an unusual intaglio of a swan.
    She liked his ponytail. The rock-and-roller in her favored long hair, she guessed loose it was past his shoulders.  
    Alex settled back and related the facts of a recently filed lawsuit against him for sexual harassment.
    "Sexual harassment," she repeated and tried not to show her surprise at the accusation.  
    He nodded. "The girl’s a former employee. She worked for me a short time and left almost a year ago. I was astounded when they served me. I needed to see her personnel file to remind me who she was."
    "What's the exact allegation?"
    The color on Alex's cheeks deepened. Sexual harassment complaints ran the gamut, from the mere overhearing of a dirty joke to coerced sex. Based on his reaction, Shakira feared the latter.
    "The girl claims I threatened to fire her if she didn't perform oral sex on me. This all happened over the past week. I’ve only discussed the matter with Ian, Miranda, and my human resource director. In a day or two the story will hit the news. I wanted the opportunity to explain things before you read a reporter’s jaded version. Do some damage control."
    “No damage control necessary.”
    "I’m interested. As a woman and a lawyer, what’s your opinion? Are these cases winnable?"
    She’d love to offer a more optimistic outcome than the one he faced. In his situation, that wasn’t possible.
    “It’s a legal minefield,” she said. “These complaints require a specific plan of defense and strong counterattack. The long term effects of the false accusation are unavoidable. Even when a defendant is acquitted, his name remains forever blackened. Once made, a portion of the public will always believe the worst.”
    Alex was innocent, no question in her mind. Analysis of the situation supported her conviction. If he were the type to take advantage of female employees it would’ve happened sooner. He’d have previous actions filed against him. The logical deduction helped explain some of her instinctive reaction. What she felt in her heart, the powerful certainty of his innocence defied logical interpretation.
    Alex lowered his cup. "You’ve gone very quiet. Should I take that as a bad sign?"
    "No."
    When Alex mentioned a legal matter at the club, Shakira figured he’d run a general question by her, nothing this serious. He hadn't asked yet, but she suspected the real reason he brought up the lawsuit was to enlist her legal services.
    "I assume you want my opinion