Big Law Read Free

and didn’t need the distraction—but one glance at Jason’s easy smile and I was smitten.
    “There’s a reason this place is called the Death Star,” was his opening line to me. It was our first day and we were standing in the polished marble lobby of F&D waiting for the elevator. My nose had been buried in my leather portfolio folder, reviewing the schedule for the hundredth time since I’d received it in the mail. It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. When I looked up, the most gorgeous deep brown eyes were staring back at me. “Oh,” I replied, feeling my face flush. He was tall, with close cropped dark curls, and dressed in a navy blue Brooks Brothers suit, but with his tanned skin and square jaw he looked like he would be more at home in a button down shirt and shorts on Martha’s Vineyard, radiating the classic New England prep school look. He smiled sheepishly, like he knew he was handsome and was somewhat embarrassed about it.
    I silently thanked the expensive makeup I’d purchased from Saks that the saleswoman swore would accentuate my best features. Hey, nobody said I had to use the entire three thousand dollar travel stipend on relocation expenses. My brand new heather-gray Theory suit and Prada slingbacks with a practical one inch heel completed the transformation from frumpy law student to polished, sleek lawyer.
    “Is that what they call it?” I grinned.
    “Yeah, this building I mean.” He gestured around the lobby. “I think it has something to do with the ominous big, black steel looming over the Empire of New York.” I noticed the most adorable glint in his eye when he emphasized the word “looming.”
    “I’m Jason.” He extended his hand.
    When he asked me out for dinner a week later, I couldn’t believe my luck. I was certain he was going to go for Fiona, easily the prettiest summer associate, with her long blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, and yoga instructor’s body. I won’t be modest, I’m pretty, but I haven’t always been that way. Mom used to tell me that one day I’d bea beautiful swan, but she failed to mention the whole ugly duckling stage I’d have to suffer through first. I hit every awkward stage possible: braces, pimples, unfortunate haircuts, tragic fashion choices. But when I went away to college the braces came off, the pimples cleared up, and I left my scrunchies behind. Boys finally started to notice me, but none of them in any way, shape, or form had been on the same level as Jason.
    We left right from work (separately, of course, not wanting to arouse any rumors) and headed to an oyster bar in the West Village. With no awning, it was the kind of place that you would never know was there unless you were an insider. Jason had confidently, but not cockily, taken my hand and navigated me to our table. As he pulled out my chair, he leaned down and whispered—no, more like growled—in my ear, You look fantastic . It sent a scrumptious, involuntary shiver down to my toes. More importantly, though, I believed him.
    It was one of those perfect New York City dinners, where everything from the butter served with the bread to the whipped cream on top of the dessert makes you feel like your taste buds have been amplified tenfold. We chatted easily and I found myself amazed that, despite his good looks and exclusive boarding school background, he was down to earth and fun and even a tiny bit goofy. “Why do you want to work in the corporate department?” he’d inquired, forking out a mussel and popping it into his mouth. “You do realize it’s the most intense department in the firm, don’t you?” After briefly debating which version to share, I gave him the same answer I’d given the on-campus interviewer from F&D—I like to look at a corporate contract the same way I do a crossword puzzle, figuring out the words that fit, and I love the challenge of a puzzle. Not only did he not laugh at my nerdy answer, he’d beamed and said, “I love how