The law school atrium felt smaller with every step.
By 11:30 a.m., I was walking toward Professor Langford’s advanced contracts seminar with two of the most powerful men in the city flanking me like shadows I couldn’t shake.
Shawn walked on my left — close enough that his arm brushed mine with every step, but never quite touching. His jaw was locked, shoulders rigid, eyes scanning every student, every corner. The restraint he was exercising was visible in the tension of his forearms, the way his fingers flexed at his sides like they ached to pull me against him. His gaze kept dropping to the sway of my hips, to the way my blouse moved against my breasts, and each time his breathing would hitch before he forced it steady again.
Charles strolled on my right, elegant and unbothered, a fain
