Title: Some Secrets Are Better Off Staying Secret
Summary: Hunter has a dark past that he doesn't want to confront, but can a new woman in his life help him get over his demons and move on? Alternate Universe. Triple H, Maria Kanellis, etc.
Author's Note: You'll have to forgive me for my lack of law terminology / knowledge…it's limited to watching a The Firm and a few episodes of Law and Order.
Part 1
"Fuck!"
The curse rang in Maria's head as she followed her boss into the office, standing a good six feet behind him. It was best to give him his space. Although she knew he would never harm her, or harm anyone for that matter, she kept her distance at the moment. He was six foot four and enraged. There was no predicting what might happen.
"I can't believe that son of a bitch." Hunter said as he slammed his briefcase down on his desk, which had been littered with stacks of affidavits, reference books and a large pot of cold coffee that had been brewed the night before.
This wasn't the first time she had seen Hunter go insane. But today was definitely the worst. Hunter had a brilliant mind as a lawyer. He was also highly ethical. And that was a problem.
Maria closed her eyes trying to silence the cursing and ranting around her. As much as she could respect him and tolerate his rants, he was giving her a splitting headache.
"Suspended license, my fucking ass." Hunter yelled as he yanked at his silk tie, loosening the tight knot around his neck. She watched as he removed his suit jacket and hurled it against a book case.
His lip was curled into a snarl and she watched as he raked a hand through his long blonde hair, which was usually tied neatly in a pony tail, but currently was loose and flying about his shoulders. He was pacing around like a caged wild animal.
Hunter was an imposing man who carried himself with so much authority that it intimidated nearly everyone he came across. And even though it had been ten years since he'd left the Air Force, he had still managed to keep his physique in top condition. A fact that impressed as many men as it did women. Not that Hunter would ever notice that sort of attention. He was a workaholic. And on this latest case he was an absolute hawk.
Maria walked into the adjoining room where Hunter kept a small space with a couch that folded out into a bed. There was also a sink, a mini fridge, and a microwave. The bathroom was down the hall. The place reminded her of her college dorm room.
Although Hunter had an apartment on the upper west side, he spent most of his days and nights crammed up in his tiny office. And it was tiny. Two years earlier, Hunter had left the law firm of West, Williams & Eckhardt, the biggest law firm in Manhattan, where he had been partner for over five years, a position he'd earned after only being out of law school for 8 months. He had been the firm's golden boy, winning case after case and was even featured on the Best Lawyers in America list.
And then something happened, the details of which she did not know, and was uncertain whether anyone knew either, other than Hunter himself. In any case, he'd never told her why he left WWE L.L.P. And she knew better than to ask. That was two years ago, after which he opened his own office, and even though he'd had an impressive client list, he was no longer interested in servicing them.
And today his license had been suspended—for contempt of court.
She'd been by his side for all of those past two years and never had she seen him so irate.
She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. Like Hunter, she hadn't been able to get very much sleep for the last couple of days, and even though she was only 25, no amount of makeup could hide the dark circles around her eyes. She took off her glasses, resting them on the sink and turned on the faucet, splashing some cold water on her face, hoping to relieve the throbbing between her temples.
For a moment everything was quiet.
At last it seemed as though Hunter had calmed down.
Maria had spoken too soon.
"Fucking asshole!" she heard him shout, followed by a loud crash.
It felt as though a firebolt had struck her between the eyes. Without thinking Maria strode into Hunter's office. The pot of coffee was now a dripping stain on the wall and floor.
"Okay, that's enough!" Maria shouted, surprised she could find it in herself. She never yelled and never cursed. Her whole life she'd been called 'Mousy Maria' but somehow she managed to forget about her reputation. She'd been sleepless, fried by what happened in court, and had the headache of a lifetime, and that headache wasn't her migraine, it was Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
"Just shut--shut the fuck up!" she cursed. Almost surprised to hear it herself. For his part, Hunter's eyes were wide, he'd never seen her like this before. He'd heard people curse before, and obviously it was second nature to him, but from Maria, he'd never seen or expected such behavior.
"You've been crying and whining ever since we left the courtroom. Now are you going to continue crying like a fuc—like a baby, or are you going to man up and do something about it? Otherwise, just shut up and be quiet because you've given me a massive headache!"
Hunter stood there stunned, with his mouth hanging open a little.
It seemed all of his anger had transferred to Maria, and now she was stamping around the office, pulling files out of drawers. He noticed they were her private files and personal belongings.
She bundled up her things under her arm and then walked up to him. Maria didn't know when she became so daring and dramatic. And until the words had left her lips she hadn't realize she'd said them. "And just so you know Hunter. I'm through here! I quit!"
Maria didn't quite know where the words were coming from. In truth, it had been a long time coming. Being Hunter's paralegal had been exciting, exhausting, professionally fulfilling and at times heart breaking. The pay was low, but the rewards had been high. The stress, however, had been tremendous, and she might have been able to shoulder it, if it weren't for the fact that most of that stress came from her boss himself.
The fact was, she'd crossed the line of professional admiration long ago and had harbored a longstanding crush on him. Not that he would even notice. Not that he would even care. She'd fantasized about him every now and then. And a few times she'd even dreamt about him. It was always in the office. They'd be alone together and he would seduce her into his bed. They'd been alone many times together, but nothing ever happened, of course. And it ought to be that way. Work and pleasure never mixed, and Maria had stuck to that belief her whole life.
She'd tried hard to put her feelings away and not think about him like that. But it was hopeless. In everything he did, she found no fault whatsoever. She'd fallen for him. Hard. She needed distance from him, and should have left a long time ago. Her association with him had stunted her in every way. She'd turned down dates, she'd cancelled days off and plans, telling herself that it was all for the sake of her career. But if she were truthful, it was all for Hunter, and her stupid obsession with him.
Hunter watched as she walked out of his office and slammed the door behind her. For a moment he forgot about what had happened earlier. There had been an unmistakable fire in his assistant's eyes. Wide eyes. Green eyes with slight flecks of gold. He'd never noticed before.
Where was she going? For the moment he'd forgotten that he wouldn't be able to practice law for the next five years, or that he was feeling as lost as a small child at a carnival. All he could think about was Maria. Was she going to her car? Was she going to drive? That's when it occurred to her that she'd forgotten her glasses. The glasses she always wore.
He went to the bathroom and found them on the sink. He grabbed them and ran out of his office. He knew she was as blind as a bat. If she'd tried driving without them she was bound to get into an accident. Especially with how angry she was. And that was his fault, no doubt.
He'd been so wrapped up in the case that he hardly took the time to see whether she was holding up well. He'd given her a great deal of responsibility, which she handled brilliantly. And all he did in return was act like a jackass. He had a lot of apologizing to do. Not something he did very much of. But he could make a good go at it. Besides, Maria was the best paralegal he'd ever worked with. She had so much energy. And although for the most part she was pretty straight laced and conservative he could recognize her passion for justice just as easily as anyone else. He couldn't let her go.
No, that was not an option.