The Sinner's Plea (John Seed FanFiction)

ELEVEN

No one seemed to notice your absences when you and John crept out of his bedroom a few minutes later. You glance at your boss nervously, who had his hair gelled back to normal with not a single strand out of place.

He grinned at you with ease, and you remembered how he had assured you that his attendees wouldn't assume a thing about the two of you leaving the hallway leading to his bedroom together. There were simply too many people to notice a thing like that.

John placed a comforting hand on the small of your back, his fingers reaching up and brushing against the skin that was exposed by the dip of your dress. You shivered at the feeling, but it was gone before you could even begin to get accustomed to the sensation.

Your boss had reassumed the mask of the host, his smile subtle yet inviting as his eyes scanned across the crowded living room. His mannerisms mirrored that of a king overlooking his land. You noticed Holly trying to mingle with some women in a small circle, but she was distracted, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds in an attempt to find her date.

The nervousness you felt before crept back, especially since you didn't have the protective hand of John on your spine. It was the return of being chivalrous coworkers. The thought made you frown; was it always going to be like this when you weren't alone?

"Shall I introduce you to some friends of mine?" Your boss leaned close to your ear, his voice airy. You swallowed hard before nodding, following him into the crowd of finely-dressed men and women.

The introductions went better than you expected; John introduced you as his hard-working intern that had done what no other intern had in merely one week. You wanted to dwell on just how true that statement was, but everything was happening so fast that you couldn't.

You got asked about your days in law school, how long it took you to complete your courses, and how you were so lucky to land your first-ever job with a lawyer like John Duncan. You managed to charmingly giggle through it all, especially over the stories you were told about your boss.

You heard from one of John's college roommates that he was the only human alive who could manage to throw raging parties every night from their shared apartment while simultaneously being the top student in their graduating class. You also learned how John had victoriously managed to settle a 12 million dollar estate home from an older gentleman whose wife had a diamond ring against her knuckle that was the size of your eyeball.

All of the guests you were introduced to succeeded in throwing in their own personal story about your boss that had nothing to do with the topic at hand. You were slowly starting to realize how none of these people had a funny story about John's childhood or knew an interesting fact about one of his previous high-school girlfriends.

All they had to talk about was John's success rate. Perhaps it was because that was the only thing they knew about him. You knew nothing about the man standing beside you except for the fact that he was a perfect student, an amazing host, and a successful lawyer. And you realized that the guests at this party knew nothing more than what you did, and you had only known him for a week.

Was this man even alive before his time at law school? There was no evidence to support that he was.

"Does everyone here love to kiss your ass?" You mumble into his ear when you walk away from a couple of clients, failing to hide the edge in your tone. John tilted his head back slightly to laugh, his hand finding your back once again, "Yes, my dear. It's their first and only language."

You bite your tongue to refrain from asking him the questions that arose from the shallow stories of his attendees, saving that conversation for another time. Suddenly, your eyes were pulled to a man situated in the same corner you occupied at John's first party a week ago.