Chapter 1

Kate Beckett strode across the pristine marble flooring that spanned the rotunda of the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse which, as of a few months ago, was her new place of work. As a newly appointed associate judge to New York's trial court of general jurisdiction, she now worked alongside the city's top legal minds to uphold the statutes of the law as they were written and administer justice accordingly. It still brought her a sense of awe to be standing in between Corinthian columns under a domed mural that featured the likes of legendary historical figures such as Plato, Aristotle, and Moses. The procession she was currently queued in, however, was much more pedestrian, one that she was very familiar with—the coffee line.

Since she hadn't had a chance to stop by a local coffee shop this morning, Kate resorted to using the building's built-in café to get her daily caffeine fix. The coffee quality here was subpar at best, but it would have to do until she found a suitable café along the way of her morning commute. Kate stood patiently in line, absently toying with her leather wallet, already having memorized her coffee order by heart.

Should have brought my case notes, Beckett thought silently to herself.

As a habitual workaholic, Kate Beckett saw every moment of down time as an opportunity to become more well-versed in the laws regarding the subjects she was to adjudicate, prepare jury instructions, or even draft opinions. Ever since doubling down on her mission to become a lawyer after her mother's passing during her undergrad at Stanford, Kate has had little time for a social life beyond the occasional drinks with co-workers or attending campaign events and fundraising functions for potential candidates. Now as the youngest female judge to ever be appointed in the New York State Unified Court System, she felt an obligation and duty to excel at her judgeship by knowing her cases inside and out.

Today she had a case on her docket that was due to be brought forth in arraignment, Securities and Exchange Commission vs. Howard Clark. Mr. Clark, corporate finance controller for Far Horizons Inc., was being accused of insider trading vis à vis disclosure of non-public information that seemingly resulted in profitable stock trades executed by a family member. Kate was mentally reviewing the charges filed by the prosecution in her head until someone interrupted her thoughts.

"Is this the line for Coffee Addicts Anonymous?" a voice behind her inquired.

"Huh?" Kate uttered as she turned on her heel.

When she spun around, she was met with the sight of a tall, well-built stranger with brunette hair and bright blue irises. He was dressed in gray dress pants and a deep blue shirt that matched his eyes. It was unbuttoned at the top with no tie, which made him look ruggedly handsome in a way, she decided.

"I know how this stuff tastes, so this must be the line for extreme addicts if we're lining up exactly at opening time to get a hit," he explained.

"Oh yeah," Kate laughed. "You're definitely in the right place."

The man's face brightened at the sound of her laughter and a warm smile spread across his face.

"Hi, my name is Rick, and I'm a coffee-holic," he offered, extending his hand.

"Kate," she replied. "And I guess I'm an addict too."

When they shook hands, she felt a jolt of electricity zip up her arm. Surprise flashed across her face as her eyes flicked to his, and she saw that he looked equally as shocked. Did he feel that too? Rick cleared his throat to buy himself some time to regain composure.

"So, uh, are you an attorney? I haven't seen you around here before," he asked after a slight pause.

He definitely would have remembered this gorgeous woman if he had ever seen her around the courthouse. She was tall, immaculately dressed, and carried herself with an air of confidence. Her chestnut hair fell in soft curls that framed an attractive face with high cheekbones. She had stunning hazel eyes that he couldn't quite decide were more brown or green in the light.

"I'm fairly new to this circuit and this building, actually. And yes, I did practice law in the district court for several years," she confirmed. "And then I clerk-"

"Knew it," Rick stated matter-of-factly.

Kate stopped mid-sentence and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"A smart, beautiful woman like yourself must be an attorney."

She rolled her eyes at him. "This place is crawling with lawyers. That wasn't really a challenging guess."

Rick set his shoulders back and placed her under a narrow gaze, his eyes raking up and down her body, giving her a thorough onceover.

"No trace of bridge and tunnel, which means you're from Manhattan. The Louboutin shoes and Louis Vuitton wallet—nice rhyme by the way—tell me you come from money. Good upbringing and good money equal good education, so you're not just an aide or a clerk. You're here before the doors open at 9 AM and seem to be familiar in this setting, so that means you work here, not just attending as a jury member. Thus, you must be a lawyer."

Kate bit her lip, studying him closely. Where did this guy get off thinking he knew everything about her after barely a few moments of interaction?

"Cute trick, but don't think you know me," she challenged, not impressed by his little deductive reasoning schtick.

"Yeah, well I like to think I'm pretty good at getting a read on people," Rick stated with smug satisfaction. "It helps especially during jury selection. I'm an attorney too," he added. "Defense."

"Grande vanilla latte for Kate," the barista called out.

"That's me," Kate confirmed as she navigated to the counter to pick up the to-go cup. Kate turned back to Rick who was still waiting in line, observing her with interest.

"Well, uh, I gotta run. It was nice meeting you," she said politely, excusing herself.

"Same here. Good luck in court. Maybe I'll see you around," Rick gave her a wink. "Hopefully not on opposite sides of the aisle though."

"Yeah, wouldn't that be something."

Kate huffed a laugh as she headed toward the exit to return to her chambers.

If only he knew.

A/N: I have zero proper knowledge of the legal system so I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies. This is a work of fiction so please allow for some suspension of belief of logistics for the sake of the story. I hope you enjoy it!