A/N: In spite of the city names, this is all fictional. People's professions aren't meant to follow their true counterparts in real life (kind of like how anime or video games have young protagonists). P

Chapter 1

"Ms. Carlson, Mr. Sinclair here to see you. He's waiting in meeting room two." The aide at the front desk spoke through the intercom.

Tanya Carlson looked up from where she was making notes on her report. Once she reached a stopping point, she pushed a button on her phone. "Thanks."

She glanced at the clock. Just past seven-thirty p.m. She was supposed to meet her two best friends at The Dive, a popular bar, in fifteen minutes. So much for that.

Tanya saved her document and reached over to a corner of her desk for a manila envelope. After exiting her office and locking the door behind her, she made her way down the hall of the forensics department, pausing slightly when she caught sight of her guest in meeting room two, sitting at the table, pouring over notes he had pulled out of his silver briefcase which currently lay open on the table.

She studied his profile. At the moment, his chiseled features were in thought, a line forming between his brows. He kept his bangs long, falling over both sides of his forehead stopping just above his blue-gray eyes, the rest of his light brown hair thick at the crown before tapering towards his neck. Today he'd worn a black pinstripe suit with a burgundy collared shirt, his tie with dark red and black geometric shapes on it, which led her to believe he'd been in court that day. Jared Sinclair could turn heads without even trying. And he was taken.

Even if he didn't know it yet. And even if the woman in question was in denial. She immediately grinned at the thought of one of her best friends, Ashlen Davenport. Len had sort of grown up with Sinclair, and had insisted that there was nothing going on and nothing ever had. He was 5 years Len's senior and completely focused on his career. And yet a part of her always seemed so disappointed that Tanya and their other friend Beck saw more of Sinclair than she did.

It was expected, given their careers. Sinclair was a prosecutor, Tanya a forensic investigator, Beck a detective. While Len worked in a law firm frequently contracted by the state to serve as counsel to those unable to afford an attorney. Tanya and Beck teased her mercilessly about walking a completely different path than he had, and made Len promise that if she and Sinclair ever faced each other in court, to invite them to watch. It'd be a showdown neither would dream of missing.

She honestly didn't know why her friend was in denial. Sinclair was smart, good-looking, driven, and available. He'd dated a few women off and on but he was never involved with anyone for too long. Beck had made a comment about that a while back, to which Len replied that he was an aloof, arrogant SOB who made women miserable which was why he was constantly single. After the strange looks Tanya and Beck had given her, Len made it a point not to add in her two cents about Sinclair anymore.

Tanya opened the office and greeted her visitor with a smile. "Hi, pretty boy." She placed the envelope on the table within his reach as she took the seat across from him. "Here's the report you need for the Unger case…"

"Working late, Carlson?" he inquired, ignoring her greeting.

"I could say the same about you, Counselor."

He picked up the envelope and reached inside to pull out a few sheets of paper.

"Fingerprints, matching gun and bullet…everything you need," Tanya assured.

"Thanks," he responded, skimming each piece of paper. "Unger's attorney is going to want to see these…"

"Are you going to offer a plea bargain? Because from where I'm sitting, it won't take much for you to convince a jury that he's guilty…"

Sinclair put all of the papers back in the envelope before placing it, along with his notes, into his briefcase. "Time will tell…"

"You need anything else?"

"If I need anything, I know who to talk to."

"Of course." While she escorted him out, she said casually, "I'm meeting Len and Beck at The Dive about fifteen minutes from here. Would you like to come along?"

Sinclair shook his head. "I'm in court early tomorrow for another case."

"Right." She nodded.

He hesitated a moment before asking quietly, "How's Davenport, anyway?"

Tanya stared at him. "You've known Len since you were eleven and you call her by her last name?"

He shrugged and pushed a button for the elevator.

Tanya sighed, crossing her arms. "She's good. Busy. You should call her sometime."

"Probably," he agreed.

These two were something else. From what Len told her, when he had finished law school, communication had been very sparse on both their sides. Why did she have the feeling that there was more to the story?

00

"Check him out," Rebecca Adams announced, pointing at the gentleman who walked by.

Ashlen Davenport turned her head to study the man in question before grimacing. "He's okay…"

"Just 'okay'?" Beck repeated. "I swear, Len…you don't find any man attractive."

"That's not true!" Len argued before taking a sip of her water. "We just don't share the same taste."

The two women were at The Dive, a local bar with patrons usually between the ages of 22-35. Mostly people hanging out after school or work. It was well past happy hour and fairly crowded on a Thursday evening. The two women had taken up a corner bar table, observing the crowd.

"Ladies!" a male voice greeted them as he tossed two coasters onto the table.

"Hi, Dennis," Beck greeted the bartender with a friendly smile.

"What can I get for you? The usual?" he inquired.

"Like always," Len responded. "Tanya's running late, but she just text us saying she'll be here in ten. So if you can make her drink now, that'd be great."

"Anything for my best gals," Dennis winked before walking back to the bar to fix their drinks.

Len and Beck watched him weave through the crowd before turning back to each other.

"Tanya should just proposition him," Len declared. "See what he says…"

Part of the reason the three women spent time at The Dive was the five-foot-ten man who had just taken their order. Dennis Camacho graduated in landscape architecture but had a love for mixing drinks. Tanya had a crush on him since they started coming here six months ago. It was the perfect place to unwind on a Thursday night.

In about ten minutes, Beck's Snakebite, Len's Cosmopolitan, and Tanya's dirty Martini were on the table. Beck took a sip of her beer before waving her hand in the air, spotting Tanya make her way across the floor.

"Hey!" Tanya greeted, sliding into her stool. "Sorry I'm late. I had a last-minute meeting with the prosecutor."

"Oh, wow." Beck's eyes widened.

Grimacing, Len focused on her drink. When Tanya had that breathless tone of voice, it only meant one person.

"I've seen him at headquarters at least four times the past week and a half," Beck announced.

"Talk about man candy," Tanya practically purred. "He was wearing pinstripes today."

Beck sighed. "I love it when he wears those…"

"Do you mind if we talk about something else?" Len chimed in. At Beck and Tanya's looks, she shook her head. "You guys do this every time. Whenever you run into Sinclair you guys spend about five minutes drooling over him and then-"

"We didn't live next door to him for practically ten years, give us a break," Beck teased her.

"He asked about you, by the way," Tanya added.

Len's brows shot up. "That's weird."

"Yeah, wanted to know how you were doing…" Tanya began twirling a lock of her blonde hair that fell in soft waves past her shoulders, a habit she had when she was full of restless energy.

"I don't get it. If you guys think Sinclair is so hot, why not go after him?"

"Because he's not my type," Tanya declared.

"Same!" Beck raised her beer in a toast.

"How is everything, ladies?" Dennis' pleasant voice came from behind Tanya.

"Great, as always," Beck praised with a grin.

Tanya raised her hand, turning to him. "Do you mind giving me some more olives?"

"No problem." As he left, as usual, the three women stared after him, Tanya's gaze lingering longer.

"I think you should just go after him," Len declared, stirring her drink.

"No," Tanya responded, looking at her as if she had three eyes. "What if he says no?"

Len shook her head. "What do you think guys go through when they're trying to ask us out?"

Beck shrugged at Tanya's confused expression.

"I'm just saying that maybe we should make things a little easier on them, that's all," Len stated before taking a sip of her drink.

"You really think getting a guy to go out with you is easier than it is?" Tanya asked.

"Well, think about it," Len reasoned. "Men always do the approaching when it comes to women. They have to deal with the stuck-up rejections. Men won't turn down fairly attractive women who approach them. They'd welcome that change."

Beck nodded in agreement. "Besides…didn't we start complaining last week about how we're all stuck in a rut? That we need to do something a little more exciting? How about being more daring in the dating scene?"

Tanya sighed, covering it up with a smile as a server placed a shot glass of olives on the table. "All right, fine."

"I propose that Tanya goes after Dennis."

"I agree," Len spoke up.

Tanya's blue eyes widened. "I thought we're talking just the dating scene alone, not one specific guy."

"Why not start with one you really like?" Beck suggested.

Tanya made a face. "All right. Fine. We can't pick the guy we chase after." She took a drink. "Beck, you have to go after Sean Markinson."

Beck's face paled slightly. "What?"

Len grinned at that. The journalist for the local news had caught her friend's eye since he started reporting on a case she had been working on three months ago. With his California surfer good looks – tall, blond, tan, and blue-eyed – he brought a refreshing reason to watch the news. And he was good at his job, too. On many occasions, he had covered accidents or other investigations that were approved by the police for public news.

"I definitely agree with that." Len ignored the glare from Beck.

Frowning, Beck pushed aside her short, cropped brown hair, propping her chin in her fists, her elbows on the bar table. "All right, fine. Tanya goes after Dennis, I go after Sean…Len…you go after Sinclair."

"Yes!" Tanya exclaimed.

Len began to cough on her drink. "What?!"

"You heard me."

Len's green eyes narrowed slightly. "But I don't even think he's attractive. That's not fair that you two are going after guys you're actually interested in."

Beck and Tanya glanced at each other.

"What?" Len pressed.

Tanya shook her head. "Sinclair's attractive. You've just got temporary blindness."

"Why can't you pick someone else?" Len demanded. "Why him? While you two will be going on dates or spending the night with your guys, Sinclair will just be laughing at me."

"The whole point is to prove that men won't reject women who go after them, right?" Tanya said.

"Besides, if anything, it gives you two the chance to catch up," Beck patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Can't we do something else exciting? Like maybe skydiving or parasailing?" Len asked. "Hitting on Sinclair isn't exactly exciting stuff here…"

"I don't know about that…" Beck mused aloud.

Len glared at her. "Coming on to a block of ice is more exciting than coming on to Sinclair."

"You mean you've tried?" Tanya asked.

"Of course not!" Len exclaimed. "I just meant-"

"You know, Len, you have a lot of arguments about Sinclair," Beck pointed out. "For someone who's known him for so long, you have nothing positive to say about him."

Len bit her lip. "He's a good prosecutor."

Beck rolled her eyes. "Of course he is. He's one of the top prosecutors in the city."

Len sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. I'll take one for the team. Since you two are going to work so hard at going after your guys…I'll…try." She cringed, clearly wishing they could do something else to be more daring.

A/N: And I'm hoping to intertwine the lives of the 3 women and 3 men as much as possible.