After Office Hours Read online

  AFTER OFFICE HOURS

  Published by E. Caroline Wilson, 2019

  © 2019 E. Caroline Wilson

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.

  Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

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  AFTER OFFICE HOURS

  From the author of His Father’s Son and A Face in the Crowd comes an exciting new interracial romance…

  The Uptown Girl

  Shaken after a sexual assault at work that stems from revenge porn her ex posted online, Devin DaCosta asks her mother to connect her with an attorney at the firm whose offices she cleans. Devin feels a professional can advise her of her legal options toward both her employer and her ex.

  But when she shows up for her appointment she is shaken up once more…this time by the startling good looks and electric blue eyes of David Andrews.

  The Downtown Lawyer

  It’s all David Andrews can do not to drool when Devin DaCosta, the cleaning woman’s daughter, appears at his office door. His male anatomy is definitely stirred by the sight of the willowy black woman. She haltingly tells him her problem, and when he learns that her ex posted a secretly recorded video of them having sex on the internet, he vows to view it himself, even as he promises to help her get it taken down.

  What happens next comes as a shock to a man who doesn’t believe there’s a woman out there who’s meant for him…but she’s Hamilton Heights and he’s exclusive Midtown East, just a few miles from each other but light-years away.

  Opposites attract…but can the attraction stick?

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Also by E. Caroline Wilson

  Chapter 1

  Devin’s entire body shook as she ran for the elevator. Her heart was racing, as if she’d just run a marathon. Her index finger jabbed the call button, and when the elevator didn’t come right away, she dashed into the stairwell and ran down three flights. Not only was she out of breath, but she felt like she might vomit…and since she didn’t have a key to the restroom on her, she placed her hand on her belly and willed it to behave.

  She stood there on the stairwell landing for nearly ten minutes before she felt strong enough to make her way to the elevator and ride down to the lobby. She left the building, raced to Columbus Circle and disappeared into the subway, not relaxing until she was on the A train headed home to Hamilton Heights.

  As soon as she let herself into the one-bedroom apartment she shared with her mother, she went straight to the bathroom and gave her teeth a vigorous brushing, finishing it off with a generous swish of mouthwash. Then she stripped and got into a hot shower, scrubbing herself repeatedly.

  She could hardly believe what had happened to her…there, at her place of employment, where she’d always felt safe and never had any reason to feel otherwise.

  Until now.

  Devin knew she had to do something, but what? The only thing she knew for sure was that she wasn’t going in to work tomorrow. The way she felt about Raymond Quinn, she never wanted to go back.

  But you have to, she reminded herself, looking at the sky-blue walls of her bedroom. She and Mama had spent hours picking out the color. Devin had read somewhere that blues and greens offered a serenity that was perfect for sleeping. This apartment was their pride and joy, their refuge from what could be a very ugly city. It represented the fulfillment of a dream Devin had had ever since the day she graduated high school…to get out of the projects. And without a job and the paycheck that went with it, it would all be lost.

  She punched her pillow in frustration. It wasn’t right; it wasn’t fair. She’d done nothing wrong. She didn’t deserve to be terrorized into giving up her job, or be forced to keep her job at the risk of her personal safety.

  There was a way out, she suddenly realized. The law. It was on her side and would protect her.

  But attorneys were expensive. And even if she were to use her hard-earned savings to pay for legal representation, there was no guarantee she would win the case. She could end up with nothing…no money in the bank, and nowhere for her and Mama to live.

  Wait a minute. Mama cleans for a law firm. She’s always talking about those two attorneys who are especially nice…and she said one of them is a black woman. Devin had been hearing about the pair, who Mama called “Miss Portia” and “Mr. Andrews,” respectively, ever since Mama had taken on that part-time job doing office cleaning. The fact that Mama called the lady lawyer by her first name—preceded by a courtesy title, of course—and the white male lawyer by his surname told her that she, also, felt more of a kinship with the woman.

  Devin knew she would sure feel a lot more comfortable discussing her nightmare experience with another woman. And the fact that Miss Portia was black was icing on the cake.

  Devin and her mother, Amparo, were what was called on census reports as Spanish/Hispanic/Latino—with the word “Dominican” printed in because the form only gave choices for persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban descent, who under the category of race checked “black.” Devin’s mother had been born in Santo Domingo, but she’d emigrated to the U.S. before Devin was born.

  That was it, then. That was the solution. She’d ask Mama to talk to Miss Portia and see if she would be willing to meet with her for about half an hour, tomorrow if possible. Devin needed to find out her options right away. She knew she wasn’t ever going back to work again, but it was important to get things rolling quickly. There was a limit to how many days she could call in sick. Plus, she didn’t know how long it might take to perform whatever steps were necessary to institute legal proceedings.

  She didn’t even know how that worked. Raymond Quinn wasn’t her employer; technically, he was a coworker. His responsibilities were much weightier than hers and he made considerably more money, but they both reported to the same person, Jim Jessup, who owned JJ Demolition. Devin didn’t know if Ray would be the one to sue, or Mr. Jessup. She knew nothing about legal matters. She hoped she could get Miss Portia to represent her on a contingency basis, like those personal injury lawyers who took a percentage of whatever judgment was awarded. That way she wouldn’t have to pay anything up front.

  And because what happened at her place of business only represented part of her problem, Miss Portia could also advise her what to do about Joe.

  Devin closed her eyes tightly, but she couldn’t keep the hot tears that formed from spilling out. She’d received double whammy, first from Raymond Quinn, and then learning what Joe had done. She simp
ly couldn’t believe he could have betrayed her in such a fashion.

  They’d dated off and on for five years. She knew he’d been upset when she finally called it off once and for all, but she never would’ve thought him capable of such a dirty deed. It was so horrible she couldn’t even tell Mama about it. Nor could she tell Mercy, and the two of them had been sharing all types of secrets since they were children growing up in Spanish Harlem.

  Devin felt a little wistful as she thought about Mercy. They’d been friends as long as she could remember. Their mothers used to walk with them in their strollers—not that Devin had any memory of that—and when they were preschoolers, they played together at the playground. She and Mercy had vowed they would one day get out of the projects. Mercy got a scholarship and graduated from CCNY with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish. After graduation, she did some work for an export company, and then she got into the UN. She worked as a translator, made good money, and she was now seriously involved with another UN worker, an interpreter. They moved in together two years ago and got engaged last New Year’s.

  Mercy’s engagement had been the catalyst for Devin to realize there was no future in continuing to date Joe. Not only did he not seem interested in marriage, but he also didn’t have any ambition.

  She just never could have imagined what he would do to get even with her…

  After applying lotion to her body and putting on a simple cotton nightgown, Devin did a quick pickup of the apartment. Her mother cleaned all day, first at a luxury hotel and then for a few more hours at a Madison Avenue office building. Devin took it upon herself to keep their apartment tidy; she felt Mama spent enough time cleaning. She also made her mother’s lunch, technically dinner. Mama got a full hot meal at the hotel daily as part of her benefits, but she was ready to eat again by the time she started her second job at four-thirty. Devin usually made her a sub sandwich with cold cuts or chicken salad or a large Chef or tuna salad, lovingly including mustard, mayonnaise or salad dressing in a tiny plastic container so the bread or salad greens would stay fresh until she was ready to eat. Mama had taken the second job cleaning offices after Devin moved them out of the projects and into this apartment off of Amsterdam Avenue. Devin told her that wasn’t necessary, that she could manage, but Mama insisted on giving her more than a pittance. She gave Devin five hundred dollars each month toward the sixteen-hundred-dollar rent and helped pay for the new living room and dining room furniture they picked out together. Their apartment was located on the second floor of a six-story renovated building with an elevator. The area was highly convenient, close to shopping and transportation. Both of them could get to work easily, Devin on the West Side, her mother on the East.

  The apartment itself was the nicest one Devin could afford, with hardwood floors, an exposed brick wall in the living room, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances in the tiny kitchen, marble in the bathroom, and a bathtub with a sliding glass door in lieu of a shower curtain. Even after three years, it gave her a sense of pride to live here, away from the projects with their graffiti, subway tiled hallways, and elevators that smelled like urine and were littered with drug paraphernalia, and she knew Mama loved it, too. The surroundings made their having to share a bedroom worth it—the cost of a two-bedroom would have added another five hundred dollars to the rent. They managed to fit two double beds in the bedroom with a shared nightstand.

  Devin kept herself busy until her mother was expected home, just before eight-thirty. She did have one more thing to do, something to look up on the Internet, but she would put that off until after Mama left for work in the morning. As it was, Mama would sense something was wrong. Devin knew she would be very upset by what she saw, and she didn’t want to frighten her mother by going into hysterics or a rage. Learning something so horrible existed was disturbing enough…seeing it could send her over the edge.

  How could Joe have done that to me?

  She sat up in bed when her mother came in the bedroom after taking her shower. “Devin, hola. I thought you were asleep.”

  “Mama, I need you to do me a favor.”

  “Devin? Is something wrong? You look funny.”

  I should have known I couldn’t hide anything from her. “Please, Mama. You know that attorney you always speak so highly of? The lady?”

  “Miss Portia, si.”

  “Can you ask her if she’d be willing to consult with me? I need to see her as soon as possible, tomorrow if I can.”

  “But Devin, I won’t even see her until after four-thirty.”

  “That’s okay. If she can see me, I can get downtown quickly.”

  “Get downtown? Won’t you already be on Ninth Avenue?”

  Too late, Devin realized her mistake. “I…I won’t be on Ninth Avenue. I’ll be coming from home. I’m, um, not going to work tomorrow.”

  Her mother sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Did something happen at work today? Why do you need to talk to a lawyer? Hablame, Devin.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it, Mama. Not now. Just talk to Miss Portia and see if she’ll agree to see me. Tell her it’s urgent, and that if she doesn’t have to leave early I can come right down. Will you do that for me?”

  “Si, por supuesto.” Mama stared at her with concerned eyes. “Are you sure you don’t wanna tell me about it?”

  “Not now, Mama, but soon. I promise.”

  Chapter 2

  “Mr. Andrews? This is my daughter, Devin DaCosta.”

  Devin gave the attorney a nervous smile. She’d been terribly disappointed when Mama called and said that Miss Portia had left early this afternoon to bring her son to the orthodontist. With reluctance, she’d asked Mama to speak with the other attorney who’d been particularly nice to her. He was a man, and a white one at that, but she had to move quickly. “Thank you so much for agreeing to speak with me, Mr. Andrews.” She looked away from him for a moment to squeeze Mama’s hand. “I’ll be okay from here. I’ll be sure to see you before I leave, okay?”

  “Si, mi querida.”

  Devin nodded and quickly turned back to the attorney, who to her surprise had risen and come around to the front of his desk to greet her. Remembering the rule of etiquette, she extended her hand to him first.

  He shook it, a friendly look in his eyes…bright blue eyes, she noticed, almost electric blue. His dark blond hair was parted on the side, and he had neatly trimmed sideburns and a beard. David Andrews—his full name was on the sign outside his office door—was one good-looking dude. It would be exceedingly difficult to recount her experiences to him…

  “Hello, Devin,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you. Your mother tells me you had something you wanted to talk to me about. Let’s sit down and see how I can help you.”

  He made it sound as if he really could help her, and she found herself feeling more relaxed than she had since this nightmare began just under twenty-four hours ago.

  Devin sat in one of the comfortable twin chairs facing his desk, and he returned to sit in the tall, brown leather chair behind it. She cast an uncertain look at the open door. Mama was out there someplace, emptying wastebaskets. The thought of being overheard terrified her. Mama knew something was wrong, but she didn’t know any of the details. Devin planned to tell her that she’d been sexually harassed at work, but only after the matter had been resolved…and she wouldn’t share the reason her superior thought she’d be interested in sleeping with him. She was too ashamed to tell her mother that Joe had secretly filmed the two of them having sex and posted the video online.

  “Um, Devin? Are you all right?”

  The attorney’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry. I’m…” She took another glance at the open door. “Do you mind if we close the door?”

  “Not at all,” he said, rising and swiftly moving to close the door before she could do it. He was tall, she noticed, about six feet, and fit. This was one lawyer who took care of himself.

  “My apologies
,” he said as he returned to his desk. “I didn’t consider that this might be a sensitive situation.”

  “It is rather sensitive,” she murmured. David Andrews had a pleasant way about him, but it would nonetheless be difficult to recount her circumstances to him. He was a man, and his being so young and handsome didn’t help. Mama had described him as such, but Devin had nonetheless been unprepared for anyone this good-looking. David Andrews, with his dark blond good looks and electric blue eyes, looked better than most male models.

  “Now we have complete privacy,” he said. “And anything you tell me will be held in strictest confidence.”

  In other words, Speak up. Devin couldn’t blame him for prompting her. His time was valuable, and just because he had agreed to see her for a free consultation didn’t give her the right to monopolize his time.

  “I actually have two problems, Mr. Andrews,” she began. “The first one is that a male co-worker came on to me, and his attentions were unwelcome. And I don’t mean that he made suggestive remarks. It was physical. I had to fight to get away from him. Otherwise…” she left the rest unsaid.”

  “I see. Tell me about your work situation. What you do, and the office setup.”

  He took notes as she told him about her work history and appeared to be listening intently…She’d started at the demolition company with offices near Columbus Circle as a temporary office worker…the owner of the company, Jim Jessup, had taken a liking to her, recognized her potential, and trained her to essentially run the office. Devin had done everything from setting up meetings to handling accounts payable and receivable and making travel arrangements. It was a two-man office, Mr. Jessup and another demolitions man, and both of them often traveled to construction sites. Then, a few months ago, the secondary demolitions man resigned, and a man named Raymond Quinn was hired to replace him.

  “I gather he’s the one who assaulted you,” Mr. Andrews said.