Page 68 of A Legal Affair

“Hmm…we’ll see.” Ignoring the subtle condescension in his words, Daniela sipped her blood orange margarita and scanned the entrance for the umpteenth time, impatience gnawing at her insides. Where the hell were the others? What was taking them so long?

Kolter followed the direction of her gaze. “No worries, they’ll be here soon. Parking is an absolute nightmare downtown. Aren’t you glad we rode together?”

His offer to pick her up had seemed reasonable at the time. But now, alone with him at a candlelit table set for six, the vibe was starting to feel a little too…intimate.

“So what do you think of our professors so far?” he asked conversationally. “Got any favorites?”

“Hmm…”My dream lover, hands down!“I’m still deciding.”

Kolter smirked. “I know it’s not Adler. She’s gorgeous, and that island accent is sexy as hell. But she’s got a stick up her ass. Seriously. What the fuck is her deal?”

“She can be a bit rigid,” Daniela conceded mildly, “but that doesn’t make her a bad instructor. Her teaching style is really effective, and I already feel like I’m becoming more of a legal thinker.”

Kolter’s blond brows shot up. “I’m shocked to hear you say that.”

“Why?”

“Because she obviously hates your guts.”

Daniela feigned surprise. “Really? You think so?”

“Duh. Everyone can tell.” He snickered. “We’ve even joked that she’s jealous of you because she’s not the hottest sista on campus anymore.”

Daniela shrugged a careless shoulder. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Kolter laughed like he didn’t believe her.

She redirected the conversation. “So who’syourfavorite professor?”

“Thorne, and it’s not even close,” Kolter said without hesitation. “Dude is a straight up G.”

Daniela smirked. “A gangsta? Really? He grew up rich. With servants.”

Kolter waved her off. “C’mon, girl, you know what I mean. He’s a total badass and you know it.”

Daniela chuckled and sipped her margarita.

“So what doyouthink of him? And don’t say he’s hot,” Kolter added wryly before she could respond. “Every chick on campus would drop her panties in a heartbeat if he so much as glanced her way. He’s a pussy magnet.”

“Crude much?” Daniela chided, looking pointedly around the elegant restaurant.

“Sorry, my bad.” Kolter grinned. “I heard Thorne was on the fast track to make partner at his father’s firm. He was racking up billable hours and huge bonuses, and my dad told me some of the senior partners resented him, called him the Golden Child and the Chosen One behind his back. But he was winning big cases and making a shit-ton of money for the firm, so what could the haters really say? When he quit, he gave away half his fortune to charity and put a bunch of inner city kids through college. I mean, his net worth still has more zeros than most people’s. He inherited a massive trust fund and he’s made a killing in tech stocks, according toForbes. But his income obviously took a hit when he changed careers.” Kolter wagged his head. “Took balls of steel to walk away from BigLaw. I still can’t believe he did it. Couldn’t be me.”

“He obviously had good reasons for leaving,” Daniela said quietly. “And I could be wrong, but he seems happier teaching.”

“If you say so.” Kolter swigged his gin and tonic. “My parents were stoked when I got into Thorne’s CivPro class. They told me to ‘soak up all his knowledge’ and ace his class, and if I make a good enough impression, maybe he’ll hook me up with a paid internship at his old man’s firm.”

Daniela thought guiltily of her pending dinner engagement with Crandall Thorne. If Kolter ever found out, he would accuse her of casting couch shenanigans. He wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

“I’m starving,” he announced. “Should we order some appetizers?”

“Not yet. Let’s give the others a little more time.”

“Sure. Okay.” He hesitated. “If they don’t show up, maybe we could ask to be moved to a smaller table.”

She frowned. “Why wouldn’t they show up?”

“Just saying. Shit happens.” Averting his eyes, he sipped more gin and tonic.