**Warning, as different cases come up there could be triggering content of cases with darker themes like domestic abuse and other subject matter that could be sensitive for some, while it won't be too detailed I still wanted to give the heads up.***

Chapter 3: Hot and Cold

"You did what?" Emily screeched as Casey recounted the events of her first day. "Oh dear god, you've had some epic falls, but that one takes the cake for the juiciest! I can't believe you fell on him!"

Casey couldn't help but blush up a storm. "Yeah, I was mortified! And can you believe, it he compared me to a panda bear. Thar jerk, that, idiot-"

Emily was clutching her stomach, laughing on the couch. Tears were going down her cheek. "Oh you're so clumsy, it's fitting. Come on Case, if you can't laugh at your own falls once in awhile, then you're just trying to be too perfect. So you have weak ankles, so what? I mean, you got to fall on Derek Venturi, it was a happy accident."

Casey blushed, "It was anything but happy, god how did this happen to me? I've had a reputation for being the most professional person ever, and Derek comes along and I'm just talking back to him, almost ruining my interview, and then I fell on him. He must be regretting hiring me."

Emily looked at her fondly, "Doesn't seem like he minded it, he even joked. He probably knew how bad you felt and wanted to break the ice, I don't think he meant to insult you. You need to learn to laugh Casey."

Casey laughed a little, "I mean it was funny, and after that joke he was nice, and well…he wasn't as jerkish, but still! I will never be able to look him straight in the eye."

As Emily regained herself, she waved for her to continue. She went on to tell her about her new office, how helpful Derek was, but that somehow the day ended weird. He told her he would be back, and he ended up calling her on the phone later to tell her something came up and wouldn't be able to come back. He gave her the afternoon to go over everything he showed her.

Melody came down and chatted with her a little, and that was it. That was her first day. "I am so confused, Em. He wanted to train me directly, and then he just left. He was nice to me one moment, teasing me the next, and then went on to be extremely informative. I've never been so confused by someone's behaviour.

Emily perked up, eyeing her with sauciness. "He sounds so….enticing, I don't how you do it."

Casey would rather die by slow degrees than to ever admit she was rattled by him. "He's just a guy, Em, but his whole behaviour from start to finish has been confusing. Oh and my supervisor, Ricardo came across as a huge flirt with me, so I'm going to have to be careful."

Casey laid down on the couch, and put her feet up. She was exhausted. Emily sat next to her, "I just don't get something. You get a lot of attention from guys, it was like that throughout law school, and I'm not surprised your supervisor finds you attractive. But you haven't been in a serious relationship in years, not even a date."

She opened her eyes to find Emily sitting close by, "You are so stunning, I just don't get it, don't you get lonely?"

Casey looked at her steadily. "You know why, I got heartbroken and it deterred me from my studies so much I almost failed a course. I don't want to waste my time with boys, if I date ever, it will be with someone mature, sophisticated, and maybe older by a few years. I don't have time for immaturity."

Sloan McTavish. He was her first real passionate, long term relationship. He was also a lawyer, and he broke up with her, and went on to date someone else immediately. It was devastating, and she swore she wouldn't fall in love in ever again.

"Casey, I just don't want you to miss out and the amazingness of being in love. It won't always be bad, you just need magic to happen one time and it'll be worth giving your all to."

Casey was a hopeless romantic, and yes, of course she wanted that. But there was too much power given to the other person. And she had goals, she got a job in a dream firm, there was no place for a romantic relationship. But yes, she did feel lonely at times. And well, she hadn't been intimate with anyone for years, she felt like a nun.

Derek suddenly came to her mind again, and it flustered her that her mind brought him up as she was thinking about her lack of sex life. "Curious, Em. Have you found anything else about him other than that picture?"

Emily's eyes lit up, "I haven't looked but if you want-"

Casey was already nodding, "I don't care about him on a personal level, not even a little. It's just, I want to know why he's so…..Derek."

"I'm on the case," she said with a little salute and left her alone with her thoughts. She told herself it was important to know where he came from as information, not because she actually wanted to know more about him.

The next day, Casey wasn't sure if she was supposed to go to Derek's office or not, so she timidly approached Melody. "Hey, can you tell Mr. Venturi I'm here, I just didn't get a chance to check in with him before I left yesterday."

Melody smiled at her warmly and called Derek. She could hear his voice through the other end, and Melody motioned for her to go in.

Casey took a deep breath, and felt a slight twinge of excitement at seeing him again, it startled her. She went in slowly and the moment she saw him, her heart skipped a beat. What was wrong with her? Derek looked tired as if he hadn't slept a wink all night, and she immediately felt a light wave of compassion go over her, she could tell he was working himself to the bone. She pushed away that tenderness, why should she care?

Derek didn't look up from his laptop, didn't even really acknowledge her. He seemed extremely out of it. He knew she was there since there was a flicker in his eyes of subtle amusement.

"Morning," she said cheerfully as she put a coffee on his desk, "I thought you could use this, Melody told me this is how you like it."

Derek took it wordlessly, and the nerves were zinging through her as he continued to ignore her. "I'm so looking forward to my fist case."

Derek groaned with annoyance, "Tone down the perkiness will you, it's too early for that," and glanced up with little interest. "Can I help you?" He asked in a detached manner that confused her.

"Um, yeah. I thought you were training me this week," she tried to come across as confident as possible.

"Right," Derek looked at her blankly as if he was trying to remember her name. "Almost forgot. I'm just swamped with work right now, why don't you get a head start. Here," he pushed a folder to her, "This will be your first case which I will be shadowing. It's at 11, why don't you go get prepared."

Casey picked it up, and looked it over, "I figured I shouldn't start you super heavy."

It was a regular infraction, which meant it wasn't anything high risk for him if she won or lost. She figured there would be some ground work, but she didn't realize he would start her at the bottom of the barrel. "A parking ticket," she managed to say slowly, "Miss Cantora is fighting her parking ticket, really, that's my first case?"

Derek was wearing reading glasses, and he took them off slowly giving her a little smirk, he was too attractive for his own good. "Too beneath you, or should I get someone else to do it?"

Casey blinked a little, "No of course not Mr. Venturi. I'll prepare for 11, thank you for the opportunity."

Derek smiled in a way that made her blood boil, she was getting angry, she felt it climbing over her. "Great, I know it seems like a lame one, but someone has to do it. You understand right?"

Casey nodded respectfully, "Yes."

Derek suddenly laughed, those dark eyes brimming with brilliant malice. "I'm surprised Casey. First test of the day, and you already failed it. You didn't even try to fight me on it."

Casey's mouth hung open, "What? You want me to just demand another case?"

Derek leaned back in his chair, "Where's that fighting energy you had on our interview? I want you to at least not give in so easily without a single fight. it shows me that you'll let people limit you. Fight me on this, show me what you're worth, I dare you."

Casey could feel red spreading in her vision, "I'm not a mind reader," she said gutturally. "And I'm not refusing because I'm scared to stand up for myself, but because I should be giving my best to any case, if I'm given a little, I want to knock it out of the park."

Derek laughed, "That's cute. And nice excuse," he said with amusement. "You looked pissed, don't hold it in Casey, trust me I can take it. If you're unhappy, say so. You clearly think you're too good for a parking ticket."

Casey was flushed with humiliation. And to think she felt excited over seeing him! He just trampled over the slight admiration she felt for him. She wasn't going to back down, she was proud to a fault, and there was no way she'd give him the satisfaction of begging at his feet for more. She'd just have to earn her way to the top even if it took longer.

She took the folder and looked down at him with challenge. "I'm going to do this, in fact throw me all the annoying tasks you could ever want, but I'm going to do it all because I'm not a quitter!"

He studied her with complete bluntness, grinning as if he'd won again. "Noted, you're just a firecracker aren't you? If you target that intensity towards your cases instead of me, then there could be some hope for you after all. "

That smile made her insides boil. That level of raw magnetism and attractiveness was what she imagined Lucifer to have, except Derek made her heart pound viciously. She glared down at him, and he kept the eye contact. Challenging him was making a turmoil go through her, a deep surge of something unknown. "I'm many things Mr. Venturi: firecracker, stubborn, perfectionist and a control freak, but mostly I don't like being challenged or being played with as if I'm a mouse being thrown around by a cat."

Derek leaned back and watched her with pure amazement and mischief. It made her insides twist into knots. "Am I the cat?"

Casey blushed, but she couldn't retract. "You are, a mean old grumpy cat at that, but this mouse has teeth, and maybe your games overpowered others easily in the past, but not me. See you at 11," she said with attitude, and he cocked his eyebrow up with surprise.

Casey swore she would be respectful, but he was impossible! She was getting too used to talking back at him, but he clearly loved provoking her. Don't dish it out if you can't take it. He nodded with the same challenge. "Well get to it then. Oh and when I come in later don't trip alright? I rather not go home all bruised up from your klutzilla moments," he teased and she just turned away with a huff.

She could hear him laughing as she left his office. Her heart was hammering, she couldn't figure out why that interaction made her simultaneously angry and at the same time felt an adrenaline rush. Of course he just tested her from the start. She should have known he would pull some kind of frustrating thing at one point. He was like a chameleon, one day he's nice, and the other he's back to trying to get her to react. What game was he playing? Yesterday he was sweet at times, today it was as if his memory had been wiped clean, and it irritated her. It bothered her that he was back to jerking her around. She wanted to refrain from getting upset, but it was scary how well he knew her already and clearly knew how to push certain buttons.

As she made her way to her office, Ricardo was waiting for her outside her door. "Hey," he said sweetly, "just wanted to check in see how things are going."

Casey smiled respectfully, "Great, no complaints," there was no way she would complain about how much of a jerk Derek was, no way.

Ricardo took the file in her hands and he looked over it with shock. "Giving you a hard time, eh? Don't look too much into it, his father is one crazy son of a bitch. Believe me, you'd understand if you met him. I'm sure Derek doesn't think you're inadequate, actually from the few syllables I've been able to get out of him, he seems impressed by you."

Casey felt heat go over her cheeks, and mentally scolded herself, "Oh, really?"

Ricardo laughed softly as he eyed her bluntly. His eyes were so dark that the irises seemed to disappear into the rest of the darkness. "You are going to be just fine, just don't let the hazing get to you. Do you have any idea how many parking tickets and petty theft cases I had to do at the beginning? Too many, but with your intelligence and drive, you'll have Derek charmed in no time. He's nothing like his father, he can be actually reasonable, and he enjoys comedy. It makes if for a very fun environment. Just give it time, once you get his trust, he's so easygoing. And well, if you ever have a complaint, I'm around too. Believe me, you have me absolutely charmed already."

Casey smiled unwillingly, no wonder Ricardo was such a lady's man, he was too charming, dangerously so. He was handsome, not in the way Derek was, but his charisma was the real danger. So much for lawyers being old and grungy, what was in the water in this firm? She needed to tread careful, she had goals and she wasn't going to stray by giving him any opening. "I didn't come to charm him or anyone. I came here to work, now if you don't mind, I need to start preparing for this case, but thanks for the cheer up."

Ricardo smiled like the devil, "Damn, you are the real thing alright. If you have any questions please come see me."

Casey huffed with frustration as she went into her office, maybe she did overreact. She was a brand new lawyer, working at such a prestigious firm, maybe fighting a parking ticket was the entry level case she needed, not to mention she was extremely nervous about having Derek observe her. If she had asked for something more, would he have given it?

She went through the case file with a flea comb, trying to capture the little details. Lily Cantora was clearly in the wrong, she had surpassed the allotted time by almost three hours, the parking lot had clear signs. She needed to find something, a hook, any detail that could help her win. Time flew by, and she was so engrossed by preparing, that she missed him coming in.

"You are a total keener," his voice broke through. When she looked up he was leaning up against the wall. The dark blue suit he was wearing made him look striking, and extremely intimidating. He was smiling, completely absorbed by her, she faltered with her documents. "I have never seen anyone look that intense over a parking ticket," he mused.

Casey shook off the jitters, and shot him a confident smile, "I told you, I'm a perfectionist. Doesn't matter what you give me, I'll treat every case with the same importance."

He smirked and sauntered over and sat across from her. "Before she comes in to talk to you, do you have any insights? I know it's such a captivating, mysterious case," he teased.

Casey hid a smile, "I think I may have something, but I need to ask some questions."

Derek laughed, "You're going to slaughter her with all these crazy questions aren't you?"

How did he do it to read her so well? "Not crazy, just thorough there's a difference. There's no denying she was in the wrong, but the question is why was she so late? She wrote in this file that there were unusual circumstances, and well if we can build around that, then we could very well win. Life happens, and if she can provide proof, then even better. We'll have this in the bag."

It delighted her to see that smug smile disappear, "Any thoughts?" She asked after a moment of him just staring at her, "If you have suggestions, let me know."

He snickered and clapped sarcastically. "Wow thanks boss, it didn't occur to me to build on that masterpiece, thank god I have you to guide me." Casey's smile faded, why did he have to be such a jerk? "Casey, lighten up. I'm just pulling your leg a bit. I have no doubt you can get this solved in minutes, just remember tone down the intensity, smile a bit. Maybe we need to work on your charm."

Casey was highly insulted, and she felt her face go red, "I can be charming, what makes you think I'm not?" Ricardo's comment went through her mind, and how she just said she wasn't here to charm anyone, yet two minutes with Derek and she was already backsliding.

He looked down smiling wistfully at his lap, "Charm me then, don't worry I'll give you plenty of time to prepare, since I know you aren't the type to just go with the moment." When he looked up at her, she was blushing wildly.

Everything in her wanted to prove him wrong right there, charm his socks off, but what would that prove? That she had people's skills? Why was that so important, was this part of the training process or was he just trying to embarrass her?

He must have read her mind, and he laughed loudly. "You really think I'm trying to get you to flirt with me? You're a little full of yourself."

Casey shook her head, "No, no, I'm sorry it's just….I don't see how charm is a required skill for this job."

His mouth formed a wicked smile that made her heart palpitate harder. "Casey, charm is necessary to win a jury. Yes you can have all the facts in the world, have the best witnesses, but a confident lawyer that has even a little bit of charm or charisma has the ability to really pull people in to what you want them to think or feel. I'm not saying you don't have any, it's just buried underneath your control freak persona." His gaze pulverized her.

She looked at her watch, Miss Cantora would be there in five minutes. That was enough time to prove him wrong. She couldn't control that challenging side of her around him.

So with all the courage she had, she leaned forward on the desk and met his gaze. She smiled at him brilliantly. "Derek Venturi, I can't help but notice how hard working you are. Where did you get that drive from? It's quite impressive how you just walk around with so much on your shoulder and can still manage to smile and laugh." She felt her cheeks burn as she kept the eye contact, and laughed as charmingly as possible. "You seem quite extraordinary, talented, and well I'm impressed. I'm so happy to be working for you," she added with extreme sweetness, making sure to smile, making sure to channel all her focus, making sure to lean in closer. Assertiveness took over her. "I admire you, I think there's much I can learn from you," she found herself feeling overly excited over seeing colour rise in his cheeks.

Derek's smile vanished, his mouth opened in surprise, trying to come up with words and she laughed. "Was that persuasive enough?"

Derek looked away, "It was…." he fumbled, which was so unusual, did she actually stun him? "Something," he said with a little smile, "You actually convinced me that you don't hate my guts."

Casey didn't know what was going on, but this surge of empowerment went over her, she enjoyed the feeling of surprising him. "And the best part is, you will never know if I meant that or not, I would call that a victory," she grinned.

He rose to his feet slowly, and for a moment thought she saw frustration go over him. "Well, I guess I was wrong," he said quietly, and he turned away from her. "I'll go bring her in, um nice job," he said with a little smile and left.

She let of a deep breath, does that mean he was charmed by me? And why did she enjoy saying those words and being able to stun him? It felt oddly exhilarating.

This was hell. There was no other word for this feeling. Ever since Derek saw Casey dancing, he knew, this girl was going to bring him nothing but heartache from now on. He couldn't go back into that room, no way could he handle being so close to her. He went home with a pounding headache. Casey McDonald was more than he bargained for. When he arrived home his father waited anxiously for him, and as always he had something to complain about. There was no peace, and he didn't sleep. Maybe hiring Casey was a mistake, he really overestimated his ability to stop this weird, annoying feeling taking over him.

George asked about her of course and made some joke, "One day and you already look crazy having to be around Casey. Admit you lost, it's not big deal."

Derek glared at him, "She did just fine, it's not over, not even close."

George then gave him a file, "I don't want you giving her any tough cases. I know we normally don't take on these kind of cases, but these will be the ones she will need to do. There are three different ones, if she can go through those with no issue, then maybe we can give her something more interesting."

Derek was irritated, he could just imagine the look of disappointment on her face, but he needed to pick his battles. Angering his father every step of the way wasn't a smart idea. So he tried to sleep, and he was exhausted, but he just couldn't sleep. He was too nice to Casey, asking her to smile for him and cheering her up. That was dangerous, he needed to guard himself desperately. Guess it was back to the sarcasm.

So today of course he went in with the plan to keep a cool distance again, and right off the bat she killed him with her adorable excitement. She was smiling at him, brought him coffee, and oh the scent of her was distracting. He tried to act cool, to act like he didn't notice a thing about her, but it would have been easier to walk around in the dark with a blindfold on than to not notice her. Although he tried to keep himself sounding neutral, in moments he was back to teasing her. The look on her face when she opened the file made him feel bad, but of course she acted like it was no big deal. Fuck, that challenging spirit came back, and there was nothing else he wanted but to pull her down on his lap, to kiss her, to soothe the rampant need he had to just seduce the hell out of her, to shut her up for one moment, to disarm her. He wondered what she was like in bed, as hard as he tried he couldn't push away that question. if he ever seduced her, would she be docile and sweet, or was she the type that was all innocent on the outside but actually a total firecracker in bed?

As she stared down at him with challenge and told him he was a cat, and she wasn't going to let him play with her and that she would do this case and anything else he threw at her, he groaned inwardly. Oh she was definitely a firecracker, damn she was hot.

And now he just stood there outside her door, trying to catch his breath. Did she charm him? Hell yes, but she charmed him within the moment he saw her. Did she mean what she said, was she actually impressed by him? The fact he couldn't tell was driving him mad. How could she have that impression when he'd be a complete jerk to her? Clearly, she was visually challenged, naïve, or a liar but somehow she didn't strike him as a liar.

He didn't have much time to dwell on that, and went up to get Miss Cantora. This was going to be fun. When he brought her into Casey's office, he saw her fidgeting with a hair clip, and she dropped it quickly, and smiled as she got up.

"Miss Lily Cantora, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Casey," she approached her with a warm smile and offered her to sit down. He slowly moved away and sat on the couch.

"Don't mind me, just observing. Everything is confidential," he sent Casey and Emily a warm smile.

Lily Cantora was young, easily in her 20s. She was tall, and blonde, and immediately gave Derek that look. He should be used to it by now, one of the drawbacks of his job was getting that look constantly. She was clearly intrigued by him, "Oh, how delightful," she purred.

Casey cast him a look, and for a split moment he caught a look of annoyance, but she quickly laughed softly as she snapped her attention back to Lily. "Is there anything I can get for you, water, coffee?"

Lily sat down slowly, "Coffee would be divine."

Casey called Melody for the coffee and then turned her attention to her. She made some small talk, asking about her day until Melody came down. Watching Casey was fun, he could tell her mind was working up a storm, but she was surprisingly laid back, making jokes, and Casey seemed trustworthy which gave her an approachability a lot if lawyers didn't have. Maybe that's why she rattledd him so much, but there's a lot of fake people out there that can appear trustworthy, but end up being straight up monsters.

She opened the file, and asked Lily for all the details, most importantly, why was she so late? His dad really made sure it was the easiest case ever, but Casey made the most boring thing seem intriguing and important.

Lily mentioned that she went to see her father, who visited from a different country. She said they lost track of time, she missed him and parking was the last thing on her mind. Casey was empathetic, commenting on how hard it is to be far away from family. He found himself smiling, and then when Casey asked for evidence, Lily promptly showed her pictures, emails to prove he was in fact out of town.

"I was so emotional having to say goodbye, and then that parking ticket was the last draw. Please, is there anything that can be done."

Casey smiled at her, "Lily, I completely understand where you're coming from. Why don't you let me write city bylaw, I can be quite persuasive and hopefully they just wave the fee, without having to go to court over it."

Derek couldn't help but internally laugh, this woman was spending more resources trying to appeal a $40 ticket, she got a lawyer for it, and the cost of hiring a lawyer at Venturi Firm was usually a pretty penny. It was the most expensive across the country, she was spending way more on this meeting it was absolutely ridiculous. He could always tell privilege when he saw it, since he used to live the exact same way. He used to be a brat, spoiled, lived recklessly without taking any responsibility ever. And now he realized how stupid he looked to the rest of the world.

Casey was surprisingly collected, not allowing even a moment of judgement to go over her face, she didn't allow this girl's craziness to cloud her professionalism. He was impressed. As he studied her, he caught himself staring at her eyes, her mouth, the silkiness of her neck. She was dressed professionally, but she still managed to look sexy beyond belief. Her hair was up, and it was starting to annoy him that to this day he'd never seen it down. He imagined it was long and beautiful.

His thoughts got disrupted by Lily's spoiled voice, "Whatever it takes, if they reject it, then I want to go to court. No way will I pay for that silly parking ticket."

Casey nodded respectfully, "Alright, well I will try to get a response as soon as possible. You're in good hands."

Lily got up with a little prance, "Fantastic," and then she turned to Derek with a flirtatious smile. "Would you um, like to get some coffee?"

Derek smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I'm not allowed to get involved with clients." She didn't take the hint though.

"Oh then maybe after Miss McDonald is done," she winked flirtatiously.

Casey interjected, a little abruptly, "Why don't I walk you out?"

Lily pouted, yup she was spoiled alright. And without another word, they left. The moment they walked out, he laughed. That was ridiculous, but he had to give Casey kudos for not bursting out laughing.

When she returned, she met his amused gaze, "How did I do?"

And he laughed, he couldn't control it, "Oh I couldn't have done that any better," he said through hard bursts.

Casey's eyes danced with amusement. "She was a little….I mean while she had proof of her lateness, it's still so silly. This is why phones have alarms, she was clearly scatterbrained. I can't believe she's doing all this for a parking ticket, God forbid a real crime is ever committed against her," she giggled.

Once he could stop choking on his laughter, he straightened up and grinned at her. "Good call on trying to write instead of dragging it out, go ahead write the most persuasive letter ever, this is where you shine," he was smiling too much, he was too light hearted, but he couldn't seem to hold it back. "And thanks for saving me from having to turn her down twice."

Casey smiled at him, and she was staring at him a little longer than usual, "Do you really um keep distance from clients?" He noticed a slight blush go over her face.

He grinned, "Oh I may be a rule breaker in literally every way, but I have two rules I will not bend as long as I'm in charge, won't get involved with clients or… employees," and he didn't mean to but as he said the last word slowly, he searched for a reaction.

Casey's smile faded a bit, and then sighed a little, "Well, I think that's really smart of you." And with that she turned away to her computer and began writing.

Derek went up to get some food and caught up on some other matters, and by the time he came back, not only had Casey sent off an impressive email, she had that ticket appealed and dealt with by the end of the day. He gave her two other simple cases for her, and she told him with a determined expression, she'd be done by Friday.

The rest of the week was torturous, he would start off the day being a sarcastic jerk, and somehow by the end of it, he was teasing her, and she was getting more confident in teasing him back. A strange banter had developed, and it was addictive. By the end of the week, he thought of kissing her a million times, was tempted to just quit for 24 hours so he could have one day with her. Casey had all his attention for an entire week, and he barely made it alive.

Casey arrived Friday feeling accomplished. What a week, she was proud of herself, she did much better than she expected, even with Derek looming around. She found herself thinking about him whenever he left her alone. He was all over the place with his treatment, but it was those rare moments where they would end up laughing about something, or when he smiled at her with pure deviltry where her heart would beat a little faster. Somehow those little windows of time seemed to outweigh his insults and teasing.

Finding out Derek didn't get involved with employees and clients surprised her, he was quite infamous for being a complete womanizer. It made her respect him more, but also this crushing feeling was nagging at her. Disappointment for a moment that it meant he'd never look at her that way, and then she'd freak out over even allowing that thought in her mind. She didn't want him to look at her that way, but that didn't seem to stop the question rattling in her mind. If they didn't work together, if he had met her anywhere else, would he have hit on her? Of course not, he detests me, why else would he act like a total jerk at times?

She found Derek waiting for her outside her door. They shared a brief glance as she unlocked the door. "Morning," he said impersonally, already sensing that usual air of detachment. As soon as he opened the door he hastily went to her desk and put some USBs on her desk. "Alright I have some homework for you. I have some things to do this afternoon, but I want you to watch some of these cases. They're all cases by lawyers at this firm. There are some I did back before I took over, Ricardo, and other lawyers. I just want you to become familiar with our reputation and our techniques." He looked at her cooly and she felt that usual annoyance swarm her.

"Is that all you want me to do today?" She asked with surprise.

Derek rolled his eyes, "I've never had someone complain about having a paid lazy day to kick back and watch TV, but of course you're not normal," he said with a little smirk.

She felt disappointed, she was expecting one last day with him to go over everything once more, and he just cut out one day earlier. It bugged her that he wasn't taking the full amount of time to train her. As if he sensed her questions he sighed and relaxed for a moment. "Casey you managed to complete three cases in one week, you have memorized all the companies guidelines, you are ready. I mean, you obviously couldn't have done it without my brilliant expertice, but you successfully finished the first week. I will still um, check up on you regularly but starting next week you report to Ricardo, alright?"

"Okay," she sighed, "Would it be okay to get a written report of all your feedback? I just want to make sure I know what to work on."

He smiled a tad, "Fine, I guess I could do that," and he looked down at his watch, "I have to go, seriously enjoy the downtime while you can before you know it, you'll be yelling at me over stress, " and then without turning back he left, didn't even smile at her, just ran out of there as fast as he could. Maybe the truth was he couldn't stand her, and he was just glad to be free of her. She couldn't understand why she felt so glum. Just like that a week of training with Derek was over, and he swore she would hardly see him when he hired her, but now she felt a little upset at the thought, why?

Casey watched Derek's trial, she just seemed to go for that one first. She was completely intrigued. It was an interesting case, he was the prosecutor. Linda had been the victim of domestic abuse, and within moments she was captivated. And angry, angry for this poor woman that had seeked help multiple times but Damian her husband, was so charming he convinced everyone she was crazy.

She watched with fascination as Derek took on the room with complete ease, he questioned Damian with intense, quick questions. Just the way he looked around, the way he spoke with such conviction made her heart stammer. He was…..incredible, quick on his feet, and when he addressed the jury he was charming, but that didn't take over the importance of the matter, and as he presented the evidence of this man's complete gaslighting, and unmasked him to the point there was no way anyone could be on his side, and the jury came back with a guilty verdict, she just felt zapped. Completely captivated and just felt a tide of something else consume her, awareness, admiration…..and something else. This dangerous swirl in the pit of her stomach, she felt completely attracted to him, but that Derek was not the one that she knew. That Derek was sexy, uncompromising, powerful, and seemed like a genuinely good caring person, but this Derek was just….a completely different person. Why did he behave so differently around her? It bothered her more than it should. If Derek ever acted that way around her, the way he displayed in that video she would definitely melt into a puddle. Maybe it was for the best he was so withdrawn from her, it was for the best, but it irritated her.

She was just trying to get her heart rate to slow down, when a knock at her door shook her. "Come in," she said tightly.

George Venturi. She'd recognize him anywhere. He was tall, with intense blue eyes. He was dressed in all black, his golden hair pulled back into a tight style. He looked like the kind of man that if he smiled just a bit, would make him seem completely unthreatening. This was the most important man of this country when it came to law and he was in her office. She scrambled on her feet, "Mr. Venturi," she said with as much collected energy as possible, "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you, I'm Casey McDonald, what can I do for you?"

He moved forward and clasped her hand in an exorable grasp. "Oh, I just wanted to give you a personal welcome," his voice was flat, and he looked at her with a calculated and intense look.

He sat across from her and motioned for her to sit down. He was so intimidating, and had a real elegance to him that made it seem like she was in front of royalty She sank on her chair, trying to keep her breathing in check. "That's really kind of you, sir."

He smiled a little, but cut her off promptly. "Don't waste your breath flattering me, I'll get right to the point."

Anxiousness flooded her as she nodded for him to continue. "Casey, clearly you know who I am, so I don't think I need to bore you with the details of who I am. I've heard a whole lot about you, to be honest you've been a sore topic. You have caused quite a few heated arguments with Derek."

Casey's cheeks flushed, what? Derek was arguing with George because of her? "Oh, um I didn't know, I'm so sorry."

He nodded politely. "I know you didn't. Look my son should never know I was here, he would throw a hissy fit if he knew I came around without him knowing. I just needed to verify something, and of course I was right. " He gave her an impersonal stare down. This seemed like the kind of man that could peg every weakness in a person in a moment. "I won't go into details about it, but my legacy isn't just over because I pass it on to Derek, it's still mine and therefore, I need to protect what is ours."

She felt a tightness in her throat, oh God, this did not sound pretty, could feel her heart wrestling inside her chest. "Casey there's no denying you have a lot of skills. I can see why Derek put your resume aside from the beginning, but he clearly wasn't thinking."

She blanched as she digested the words, "He set aside my resume from the beginning?" She couldn't believe she uttered that out loud...then why did he give her such a hard time on the interview if he was the one that selected it? Her mind was swirling, maybe she sounded better on paper than she did in person, she wouldn't be surprised. She tried to look unaffected but something in her expression made George scowl at her.

"Yeah he did, but he shouldn't have. I need to be honest. I just don't think he should have hired you. You're too new, too inexperienced, and while I would never fire you, I needed to be honest. You are not right for this firm. Every other lawyer had years of experience, but you, what do you think that will say about us now? We will be ridiculed in the newspapers, they will say we accept just anyone. Our reputation will suddenly become speculated. I highly suggest you find another job, get some experience and then come back, and hey if you listen to this request I will personally recommend you, no one would turn you away. Trust me, Derek does not need any distractions, and you will take a lot of his attention since you're so untrained. I'm sorry for being so uncordial, but I needed to be truthful."

Casey sat there as paleness took over her face, and to her mortification tears came out. She'd spent years dreaming of working for this man, and he had personally given her the get out boot. He would have never hired her had it not been for Derek, and it was painful. The worst part is she understood where he was coming from, she took a deep breath, "Oh, I appreciate your honesty. I know your firm is important, it's why I wanted to work here. I'm sorry I caused so many hardships for you and your son."

George smiled a little, "Yeah I am not denying the fact you have skills Casey, you do have a lot to offer but I don't think this is the place for you to start off your career." He got up slowly, "Just something for you to think about, if you stay then you better be ready to work on overdrive to convince me, because I'm not so easily persuaded."

Tears came down, and she felt humiliated. She was showing how weak and emotional she really was, but she couldn't hold it back. Derek hired her against his father's wishes, it made her feel sick and at the same time intensely surprised. Who the hell was Derek Venturi? Did he have a secret twin, because that seemed to be the only logical explanation to explain his treatment of her from the beginning. Maybe working for someone that was that unhinged was a mistake. But for some reason the thought of leaving made her sad, it made no sense. As George Venturi looked at her with that unwelcoming smile, she finally managed to say, "Yes sir, you've given me a lot to think about."

Derek came back from his lunch break, and went up to his office. Melody sat at her desk with an uncomfortable expression on her face, "Melody, what's wrong?"

She looked around her, "Um, I don't know if I should say…..but I saw your father."

Derek's blood roared. "Where is he?"

Melody looked away with embarrassment. "I saw him heading towards Casey's office, um he told me not to say a word, but my loyalty is no longer to him, but to you."

He felt his heart spike, of course he went behind his back. He tried to plaster a smile, "Thank you Melody, trust me your loyalty is much appreciated, I have to go," and he booked it towards her office.

Derek could just imagine him mopping the floor with her that instant, and he felt a surge of unimaginable rage at the thought of him toying with her. When he barged in, he stopped cold. Casey was sitting at her desk, crying, and his father was just standing there like a merciless god. Seeing her crying was more than he could bear, and she hid her face as if he couldn't tell that she was upset. His gaze slowly went to his father.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with controlled manners, although everything in him wanted to scream.

George smiled as if he had just brought Casey a basket of muffins, "Oh, just trying to get to know Casey a little better, right sweetheart?"

Casey nodded quickly, "Um yes, um he just gave me a nice welcome, that's all. I'm just over emotional today."

Derek didn't believe a word of it, "I see….. Casey, I know this is your office, but could you give us a moment?"

She nodded, and walked past him without another word, the moment she closed the door George's vapid smile disappeared. "Well, I get why you're risking you own neck for her now. I thought she may be attractive, but I'll be honest I didn't expect….that. You do realize it would be easier to fire her and have a fling with her on the side, than to jeopardize everything by having her work for you."

Yes it would be easier, he knew that, but Casey wasn't just a beautiful woman, she was born to be a lawyer, and he wasn't going to let his lust for her be a reason to keep her from getting what she's clearly worked her whole life for. "I don't want her that way," which was the truth, a fling with Casey was not what he wanted in the slightest, it terrified him." I've showed you her progress this week, she's been working tirelessly, and she's doing a great job. You're just scared I may actually win, what did you say to her?"

George snorted. "She's not that great, you're just seeing what you want to see. And she's just sensitive, another reason why I don't think she'll thrive in this environment."

Derek crossed his arms with frustration, "I'll get her to tell me if you don't, might as well tell me."

George sighed with the same annoyance, "Fine. I simply told her to maybe consider working at a different firm with less prestige, I didn't completely run her off, even told her once she has some experience she could try coming back. I'm not that heartless."

Derek was overwhelmed by the need to throttle his own father, violently. How dare he come here to intimidate her? The jackass, "Dad," he said bitingly, " You are playing dirty with this bet, and you coming in here secretly trying to sway it your way is exactly why I wanted you to back off. You are continuously showing your lack of trust in me, this has nothing to do with Casey, I'm angry that you feel the need to check on me and question every bloody thing I do."

George snapped, his face turned red, "How could I trust someone that is putting everything on the line for a bet? You were willing to put your career on the line for this woman, wouldn't you be alarmed if this was flipped? Casey seems …..lovely, alright, but certainly not worth you risking everything for."

He moved closer to him, for too long his feelings of inferiority overwhelmed him, he couldn't reign it in this time. "I didn't do that bet just for her, I did it for me. Just let her be, you can tear me a new one anytime you want, but if you come back to scare her off, or check up on me, I will walk out."

George glared down at him, his nostril flaring, "I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but there's no choice. Derek here's the truth, I didn't entirely step back. I've been monitoring everything behind the scenes."

Derek laughed dryly, "Really, that never occurred to me," he rolled his eyes.

"You aren't the CEO yet, this has been a practice run. It was supposed to be a way for me to see if you actually have what it takes, it was going to be a year trial and once you showed you were ready, I was going to pass it on to you fully."

Derek's eyes became fire as he glared at him, of course, he should have known. Disappointment, embarrassment, and pure anger consumed him. "I fucking knew it, why not just say that from the beginning, why put me through this bullshit?"

George roared, "Because you wouldn't have put your best out if you knew it was practice, I wanted to see how you would really handle things. I didn't want to give you something you didn't earn."

Derek paced around the office, the anger becoming red, and he could feel it clouding his vision, "Fuck, so everyone knows I'm not really in charge….this whole time they all played along didn't they? Everyone knew, everyone except for me."

"And Casey, I didn't tell her," he piped in as if that was supposed to make him feel better. Suddenly George seized his shoulders.

"Derek, listen to me. Yes what I did was brutal, but would it help if I said you are doing much better than I ever expected? I just got angry over the thought of a woman pulling you away from everything you've worked for. Look I meant to back down after 1 year, but I can be reasonable. I won't apologize for testing you, but I am willing to change that agreement. Casey has only been here a week, and while she's done well, it's too soon to really know if she could measure up. Three months. If you continue to do well with no messes and you also get Casey to the level this firm requires, then I promise I will fully back down. Legally. You've been here five months and I'm considering shortening the trial by almost four months. You can't say I'm unreasonable Derek. And since you're still so set on protecting that walking temptation you hired, then the same bet remains. If she fails then you give up your status. Are you sure you want to stake everything on her now knowing just how close to the finish line?"

Derek laughed, this was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. He wanted to quit, nothing had ever felt dark in his entire life than to realize his own father set him up to be a complete fool, but maybe deep down he always knew. The only reason he wasn't just walking out was for her, for Casey. If he left, his father would destroy her.

"Casey's not going to fail, but I'll humor you. If she fails I stick to my part of the bargain, but I'm going to need an actual agreement, no fine print this time, got it? I want to see this trial paperwork with my own eyes."

George moved back looking pleased. "I will get the paperwork done, and you can take it and get it revised." He walked off but then stopped, "Believe it or not, everything I've done is because I want the best for you." And he left.

Derek took a turbulent breath, and groaned loudly. Fuck my life. He was unaware of her coming back in until she slowly moved in front of him, "Casey," he said severely, "You scared the crap out of me."

Her gaze vaporized him, she was looking at him with complete concern, "Are you okay?"

Derek laughed without a trace of humor, "You're really asking about me, when you got thrashed around by my father?"

She looked down, clearly trying to regain her confidence. "Derek...why did you choose my resume?"

Derek's eyes went wide like saucers, "He told you?"

She nodded. Oh fuck. How was he going to get around explaining that one? She looked extremely sad. "You didn't want to hire me when you met me in person...was it my personality you couldn't stand? I am just so confused."

He sighed harshly, "Honestly Casey I forgot I had been the one to select it, I um didn't realize until later. Does it really matter how it happened? You still got hired."

"I guess..." she said quietly. "I didn't realize I had caused so much trouble for you….. I never meant to be such a burden," she was hauntingly sad and it was a challenge not to pull her in and hug her.

He smiled at her, trying to calm the rage within him, "I'm sorry for that, he can be a real jerk. I'm sure you can finally see the resemblance, right?"

Casey shook her head alertly, snapping her gaze up to him. "No, there is no resemblance."

He moved closer to her, "You are clearly blind and still in shock from his domineering crap," he teased, "Are you okay? Please don't take anything he said to heart."

Casey started fidgeting with her hair, "I think he was right, maybe I should…quit." The way she said that made him agitated.

He felt a carnal reaction to that, suddenly the anger over his own situation was replaced with pure concern for her, and he reached for her arm, tugging her closer. She looked at him alertly. "I thought you weren't a quitter? Case, if it wasn't you that got him angry, it would have been something else. He's never happy with anything I do, alright?"

Casey's face turned red and sputtered nervously, "Are you sure?

He smiled into her face, "You killed it this week, I think you're doing a fantastic job. Don't let one opinion ruin everything."

Casey smiled faintly, and nodded. He let go of her arm, "Why don't you go home? You've been working over time all week, just go get some rest. And starting next week, you won't have to deal with me or my dad. Come on princess, don't give up now."

Casey laughed softly, and rubbed at her eyes, "Okay, thank you Derek. I'll go home, but only because you command it, but are you sure you're alright? Can I get you anything?"

Derek put on his unusual bothered expression, "Never been better, now go please." He was in dire trouble of pulling her closer, wanted to abandon all reason and find comfort with her. He needed her in his arms, wanted to melt into her, and kiss her lush mouth.

Casey smiled one last time and grabbed her purse, "Walk me out?"

He nodded and they walked in silence to the elevator. "Have a nice weekend, try to have some fun Casey. See you Monday."

"You too," and she got out of the elevator with a little wave.

The moment the elevator door closed, he yelled, cursed, everything was so messed up now. Quitting would have been the easier route. Three months, somehow, he feared he wouldn't make it in one piece to that finish line. This was the nightmare the never ends.

Notes:

Turns out I was inspired :) This story is so different for me because I have to really think things through. I'm trying to keep them in character, but also there's a lot of thought put into the storyline, into what makes this Casey and Derek similar to their original status, and what makes them different. I am enjoying the work atmosphere a lot and changing characters up a bit. It feels more like original work since there is so much rehashing and planning and morphing this world to these characters takes some real strategizing. Thank you for reading, please let me know if you're enjoying this so I can figure out how much to write :)