Motion to Compel

Chapter One

I slipped into the oversized clawfoot bathtub. Bubbles poured out over the edges and I groaned to myself. The steaming hot water and eucalyptus fragrance were meant to relax me but I felt like even the most tranquil and self-indulgent spa day wouldn't do the trick. I rested my head back against the lip of the tub and tried my best not to think about work, but with all of the battles I was about to fight in court my nerves felt fried and my mind was swimming in a pool of stress.

Twenty-six years old with a law degree and two years of corporate in-house legal experience under my belt - I was strategic by nature, fiercely independent, and well-studied. Even so, no matter how much I proved my worth or how many times I got them out of trouble, the men in my office belittled my knowledge and how well I filled my role.

Of course, it was unusual for somebody with objectively little experience to be given so much responsibility and to have such an influential position in a large company. My success could be credited to knowing the right people, working exceptionally hard, and being in the right place at the right time. Luck and hard work will only get a person so far, though. The main reason I had been able to keep my job (and thrived in it, even) was that people always underestimated me and I always delivered.

It was the most pleasing feeling for me, even though it could be demoralizing to constantly see the looks on people's faces when they realized that I was the supposed "big-shot" attorney who walked into meetings and courtrooms. It was a look of disappointment. A look that said, We expected more but thank God we finally get an easy day with billable hours. Upon first impressions, I was a joke to them.

That was swiftly thrown out the window once they heard me start talking. An attractive girl, barely even a woman, with a gleam in her eye. They mistook that gleam as naiveté when really it was that exhilaration of knowing that they were about to be knocked over in their chairs and have their preconceived notions come crashing down around them. I was a cobra and they were all the field mice that I would crush under the force of my jaw.

My hair fanned out over the edge of the tub, draped like a golden waterfall behind me, and with my long legs stretched out all the way I had to rest my ankles over the opposite edge. My appearance didn't scream "innocence". My upturned hooded eyes and sharp bone structure were more reminiscent of a wraith. And yet, for some reason unknown to me, people perceived me as the kind of girl who might've flitted around the city like a ballerina with dreams of crystal ballrooms and creme puffs.

There were very few people who could see what I really was at first glance. Luckily for me, those were the ones who controlled boardroom meetings and gave me the keys to unlock the thick mahogany doors that people like me were usually shut out of. They were ruthless individuals who had a keen eye for another predator among them, the most powerful people in any room. That was how I had gotten my job; because the man who hired me first saw my transcripts and then saw the hunger within me.

There was a knock on my bathroom door and I heard my roommate from the other side.

"El, it's been over an hour, should I be worried?" Clara's muffled voice asked.

I hadn't realized how long I'd been soaking there. I'd been preoccupied, attempting in vain to meditate like my therapist had tried to teach me years ago. I spent most of the time trying to banish thoughts from my mind, and very little being able to appreciate any blissful emptiness. Every time I got a moment of peace in the calm bath waters another stressor would float up and create ripples along the surface. These weren't the types of ripples that would fade away with stillness. They needed to be willed out of existence, and I was trying so hard to get into a headspace that could clear them from the water's surface.

"No, I'm getting out now," I responded to Clara.

"Did it work this time?"

"It never does." I sighed and stood up in the tub, letting all the excess water drip down my body before stepping out. I grabbed a fluffy towel off the rack next to me and cocooned myself in it, drying my feet on the bathmat and shuffling into my slippers. Clara's footsteps were muffled as she walked across my room and then the sound faded out down the hall.