Daring the Judge E-Book

Ann Omasta

• Herausgeber: More Happily Ever Afters
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

One night of sizzling passion in each other’s arms threatens to ruin both of their lives.

Brilliant Sienna Clark was recently appointed as the youngest judge in the history of her district. She has worked tirelessly to earn this honorable post. She can’t let one mistake steal the career of her dreams.

Jake Blackstone is a notorious bad-boy, but he isn’t a criminal. When he’s framed for murder, his only alibi is the sexy judge sitting across the bench from him.

Judge Clark can’t help him without admitting to a crime of her own. Jake can’t prove his innocence without her. Will one night of wild abandon cause both of their downfalls?

Sienna and Jake can’t get what they want without destroying each other. Who will come out on top? Find out NOW in Daring the Judge.

Daring the Judge is part of the Daring Desires set. You can meet these sexy heroes in any order. They smudge lipstick, never mascara. Meet them now!

Leseprobe

Daring the Judge

Ann Omasta

Contents

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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

Epilogue: 1 year later

About the Author: Ann Omasta

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Copyright

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1

Even though she was the judge, Sienna Clark sensed she was the one being judged by her gorgeous and outgoing best friend, Maddie.

When Maddie tried to refill Sienna’s glass again from the seemingly bottomless pitcher of frozen mango margaritas, Sienna put her hand over the rim to stop her.

“Stop being such a fuddy-duddy. We’re here to celebrate having your countless years of sacrifice and hard work pay off. You keep trying to delay it, but it’s time to cut loose a little.” Maddie grouched at her, pooching her shiny, bright pink lips in distaste, as if Sienna’s reluctance to drink any more was personally offensive to her.

Sienna shook her head. “I don’t want to be miserable all day tomorrow. Sundays are my only day to relax.”

Maddie had been grinning shamelessly at a handsome stranger at the bar, but her attention snapped back to her tablemate. “What about our Saturday spa days? You don’t find perfect days like today to be relaxing?!?”

Although Sienna was tempted to tell her friend the truth, she feared that revealing her reluctance to spending Saturdays how Maddie preferred would hurt her friend’s feelings. Being pampered with mani-pedis and massages was wonderful, but getting all dolled up, drinking too much alcohol with dinner, and watching Maddie flirt her way into hooking up with a random stranger was not Sienna’s idea of a relaxing time. She would much rather be alone at home, wrapped in a blanket on her couch, sipping a glass of chilled Riesling, and reading a sizzling romance novel or two.

Sienna had the sense to know that her introverted version of the perfect, relaxing evening would appall her bubbly best friend, so she kept it to herself. “Today was a great day. I just don’t want to ruin tomorrow by overdoing it tonight.”

It seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation to Sienna, but Maddie’s perfectly arched eyebrows snapped together. She waggled her freshly polished hot pink index fingernail at Sienna. “That’s what your problem is… You’re always worried about tomorrow, instead of enjoying today.”

“The future is always better if you give it some consideration in the present.” Using a pointed stare as Maddie finished off the remaining slush in her margarita glass again, Sienna added, “You might want to try it sometime.”

Not one to ever be ashamed of her choices, Maddie’s voice didn’t hold a trace of bitterness when she lifted one of her manicured brows and dared Sienna, “I will, if you will.”

Just as quickly as the dare fell out of her mouth, Maddie was distracted, like a dog discovering a squirrel in a tree. She craned her neck around to search the colorful restaurant. “Where is our waitress? We’ve been out of chips for a long time, and we’re ready for another pitcher of margaritas. The amount of her tip is dwindling fast, and will be nonexistent if she doesn’t make an appearance soon.”

Sienna couldn’t help but smile and shake her head, amused by her friend’s typical blustering. To be honest, it hadn’t been that long since the waitress had checked in with them. Besides, both women knew that Sienna would end up paying the bill and tip.

Maddie’s money was always tight because she jumped quickly from one minimum wage job to the next. She had managed to pay for her own salon treatments today, but when she remarked that it wasn’t her responsibility to pay the spa’s workers, Sienna pretended to have forgotten her phone, so she could discreetly go back inside to properly tip the ladies who had pampered Maddie.

It was tempting to point out that if Maddie had ever worked as a waitress––as Sienna had during her grueling years of law school––that she wouldn’t be so quick to decrease the tip amount, but Sienna bit her tongue.

Just when Sienna thought Maddie was sufficiently distracted from her dare, her friend veered the conversation back to that topic. “So, are you up for it? I’ll spend next weekend doing whatever boring activities you want, but the following weekend, you’re mine.”

Her friend’s word choice made Sienna nervous, but she wasn’t normally one to back down from a challenge. Maddie’s pretty brown eyes were sparkling with anticipation as she waited for Sienna’s answer. Even though she knew she would probably regret it later, Sienna wasn’t able to resist nodding her head. “You’re on.”

The waitress scooted past their table and left a half-empty basket of chips and a black leather check holder containing their bill. Before Maddie could request another pitcher, the harried woman was gone.

“Ridiculous!” Maddie yelled at the woman’s back before picking up a broken chip from the basket and tossing it back down. Her voice was filled with disgust when she said, “These are just crumbs. Let’s go.”

Sienna nodded and pulled some cash from her wallet to pay the bill. “I’ve got it,” she offered, knowing that the spa treatments had probably put a big dent in Maddie’s spending money for the week.

“I’ll buy next time,” Maddie offered. They both knew it was a fib, but it seemed to make Maddie feel better to at least say it, so Sienna didn’t call her out on it.

Once Sienna had the bill settled, the ladies put on their jackets and moved to get up. Maddie leaned in to ask, “You didn’t tip her very much, did you?”

Sienna wasn’t sure why Maddie considered it to be any of her business, but she shook her head anyway. It was just easier to pretend like she agreed with her friend on the topic.

Once they were outside, they opted not to call for a ride, but instead set off down the sidewalk arm-in-arm. It was an affectionate gesture that helped mask the fact that Sienna was steadying her tipsy friend as they walked to their apartments. They had intentionally chosen this Mexican Cantina, due to its close proximity to both of their homes, which saved either of them from having to be the designated driver.

Sienna tipped her head back to look at the clear, starry sky. She was just getting ready to comment on the balmy weather when they heard someone chasing after them. A quick look told her it was their waitress from the cantina.

“Oh no… Did you stiff her?” Maddie bugged her perfectly lined and shadowed eyes out at Sienna. She looked prepared to make a run for it in her sky-high heels, if necessary.

“Of course not,” Sienna hissed, ignoring the waitress as she tried to keep Maddie walking.

Maddie dug her heels in and refused to budge when the waitress yelled, “Hold up for a second, please!”

Reluctantly, Sienna turned around and gave the approaching woman a flat smile.

Once the waitress jogged close enough to speak without yelling, she held out a handful of cash towards them. Panting from the exertion, she said, “You forgot your change.”

“Nope, we’re all good. Thanks.” Sienna assured her before attempting to wheel Maddie around to resume their walk towards their apartments before the waitress said anything more.

“But, why? I know I did a terrible job serving you tonight, yet you left a tip for more than the total of your bill. I don’t understand.” The waitress gave them a confused expression.

Without turning to look, Sienna could feel Maddie’s exasperated look. There goes that anonymous, random act of kindness.

The waitress seemed to be expecting an answer, so Sienna did her best. “It was obvious that you were frazzled with trying to keep up at work, so we figured there must be something in your personal life distracting you. We just thought a little extra cash might help you out in some small way.”

Awkwardness overwhelmed Sienna as she defended her decision to leave the waitress an overly generous tip. She had intended to be long-gone before the waitress found the money. Having to face the woman to explain her reasoning made Sienna shift her weight anxiously from foot to foot.

Suddenly, the waitress’s face crumpled and Sienna wondered if her gesture, which was meant to be kind, had somehow offended the woman. The woman covered her mouth with her palm as tears trailed down her face.

Sienna felt the sudden, irrational urge to apologize for leaving her a big tip, until the woman spoke. “You have no idea how much this means to me…” She practically wailed before continuing. The words flew out of the woman’s mouth almost faster than Sienna could comprehend them. “You’re right. I was distracted tonight. My little boy is sick, and I just want to be home with him. My mother is watching him, but his fever keeps rising. We need to take him to the emergency clinic to get checked out, but I didn’t know how I was going pay for it.”

She gave Sienna a watery-eyed grin. Her voice was filled with gratitude when she held up the wad of cash that would have been Sienna’s change from the bill. “With this, I’ll be able to cover the bill. Thank you so much.”

The woman pulled surprised Sienna and then reluctant Maddie into an embrace. After a heartfelt “Gracias,” she quickly and effortlessly switched back to speaking English. “Thank you and God bless you for your generosity.”

“You’re welcome,” Sienna grinned at her back as the woman turned and hurried towards the restaurant.

Under her breath, Maddie quipped, “Little did I know that I was dining with a judge and a saint.”

Turning them back towards home and placing a steadying arm around Maddie’s shoulders, she said, “Bite me.”

Maddie placed a hand over her heart and pretended to be shocked by her friend’s angry retort before saying. “I guess you’re not all sunshine and roses. You have a little, tiny bit of a dark side, Judge Clark.”

When she continued, her words were so quiet the light breeze almost carried them away, but Sienna was fairly certain she heard her friend add, “We’ll explore that dark side of you in two weeks when I’m in charge of our Saturday night plans.”

Sienna didn’t even want to think about what that might mean, but she was already dreading it and regretting her decision to accept Maddie’s dare. She’d been clutching onto the hope that Maddie might be too drunk to remember their agreement in the morning, but she sensed she wouldn’t be that lucky. She tried unsuccessfully to quell the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that was silently warning her that her friend was likely to insist on a night of wild abandon that neither woman would ever be able to forget.

2

Somehow, Maddie was up early on Sunday morning, despite her over-indulgence the night before. She seemed to be in good spirits when she texted Sienna to say there were only thirteen sleeps left until their unforgettable, big night out on the town.

Sienna refused to admit that she was nursing a serious headache from her margarita intake the night before. They both knew Maddie had consumed three-quarters of the jumbo pitcher, so Sienna didn’t want to admit what a lightweight she was. Instead, she typed back, “Can’t wait.”

Deciding that her sarcasm probably didn’t come through via text, she added the eye-rolling emoji and hit the send button.

Her fluffy, gray puffball of a kitten chose that moment to pounce on her pillow. She couldn’t help but smile at the playful little imp, despite the fact that the animal hadn’t yet learned the fine art of sleeping through the night.

“Good morning, Justice RBG.” Sienna’s throat was parched and her voice sounded groggy as she greeted her ornery kitten.

She vaguely remembered being batted in the face with soft paws and extended claws in the wee hours of the night. When she’d ignored the kitten’s antics and placed the animal at the foot of the bed, the kitten had crawled up onto her nightstand and stepped on the button to turn on her bedside lamp. Sienna had been startled awake by the bright light illuminating her dark bedroom.

She had quickly turned off the light and resettled the kitten by her feet, but once her adorable pet realized that Sienna didn’t want her to turn on the lamp, it became her sole quest in life to repeat the naughty trick. Eventually, Sienna had to get up to unplug the lamp.

Stretching and rolling out of bed, Sienna picked up the fluffy kitten as she padded towards her bathroom. Stooping to plug the lamp back in, she made a mental note to purchase a new lamp with a kitten-proof switch.

Quickly tiring of being cuddled, the kitten squirmed to get free from her arms. When she gingerly put her pet down on the thick, muted blue carpet, the animal immediately attacked the lamp’s cord.

“No.” Sienna told her firmly, scooping her up again and shaking a finger at her light pink, triangular nose. The animal began purring loudly, and Sienna couldn’t help but grin. It was impossible for her to stay angry with the adorable troublemaker.

“It’s a good thing you’re so cute,” Sienna told the animal while they were locked in the bathroom together.

When Sienna emerged and headed towards the kitchen, the kitten followed her. Sienna found it reassuring to have a companion by her side as she prattled around her living space. It had never before dawned on her how lonely her existence had been when she’d lived alone in this condo.

While Sienna started the Keurig machine, Justice jumped onto the barstool and climbed up to the kitchen counter. Sienna bugged her eyes out, stunned. “Well, that’s a new trick,” she commented as she put the kitten back on the floor.

When her phone buzzed in the pocket of her robe, she glanced at the incoming text. Maddie was asking her if she already had a printed and color-coded agenda for their ‘boring night of quiet’ next Saturday.

Sienna chuckled at her friend’s gentle ribbing and typed back: You know me too well.

When Maddie responded, My copy doesn’t need to be laminated, Sienna laughed at her friend’s sarcastic wit. The sound startled Justice, making the cat dart into the living room as if her tail had just caught fire.

Sienna wrapped her hands around her mug of hot tea and rounded the corner to the living room to see what mischief the cat was getting into now. She didn’t see the animal at first, but a movement caught her eye when the kitten climbed further up the brand-new, textured velvet curtains Sienna had splurged on after her appointment to the bench by the Governor.

“No!” Sienna shouted as she set down her mug and sprinted across the room. She gingerly plucked the cat’s claws from the fabric as she said, “You are a full-time job, young lady. I would think you should be a bit more grateful for me opening my home to you after the way your life started when you were abandoned with your siblings in a cardboard box in an alley.”

Justice’s pupils were dilated, and she craned her neck to look around the room, as if expecting to see an alien or overly large dog coming for her.

“You’re not listening to me,” Sienna sighed, “And I’m now officially a crazy cat lady, having full-blown conversations with a kitten.”

She stooped to recover one of Justice’s numerous toys from the floor. Jingling the bell on the stuffed mouse’s tail grabbed the kitten’s attention. While Justice was enthralled with the toy, Sienna took advantage of the moment of peace by plopping down on the couch and arranging the kitten on her lap.

Rubbing the back of her index finger along her pet’s soft belly, she said, “You have very big shoes to fill, since I named you after my personal heroine, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Now, I think R.B.G. would tell you to be a lady and to be independent––which you definitely are––but she would also suggest a bit more decorum, especially with antics that might get you injured or killed.”

She knew the wily kitten wasn’t paying a bit of attention to her words, but it made her feel better to say them.

When her phone jangled, Sienna sighed and reached for the blaring device. It was now Sienna’s job to judge people, but her mother deserved the ‘lifetime achievement’ award for it. Mentally preparing for her weekly onslaught of questions about why she hadn’t yet found a man to marry her, Sienna answered the phone, “Hello, Mother.”

Her mother launched into her spiel without bothering with a greeting. “Let me guess, you’re huddled up in the house alone, talking to that blasted cat…”

Sienna made a scoffing sound in her throat, unwilling to acknowledge how spot-on her mother’s depiction of her personal life was. She silently defended her choice to focus on her career.

Almost as if her mother had heard her inner dialogue, the woman said, “Even that female Supreme Court Justice, who you always admired, found time for a husband and children. Family is important, sweetheart. A gavel won’t keep you warm at night or take care of you in your old age.”

Her mother had found a new angle to dig at her with, and it was a sensitive area. Deciding she’d endured enough, Sienna faked a frantic tone. “Sorry, mom… I need to go because the kitten is getting into something she shouldn’t. Bye.”

She didn’t give her mother a chance to object before tapping the button to end the call. Smiling down at the tiny, gray puffball snoozing in her lap, she said, “Sorry to make up stories about you like that, but I’m sure it won’t be long until you find your way into trouble.”

The kitten ignored her words and continued napping. Taking advantage of the downtime, Sienna leaned over to grab her journal to begin jotting down notes for Saturday’s agenda. If Maddie was going to accuse her of it anyway, she might as well give in to the allure of her detail-oriented, organized tendencies.