Legally Nude Ch. 11

This story is the eleventh in a series. This installment is less erotica than usual but is necessary, in the author's view, to move the overall story along. Hopefully, it is still an entertaining read.

*****

I have to admit that it isn't often to my experience that you meet a girl's parents while you are standing naked with her after having just publicly fucked her for over an hour. Notwithstanding the atypical circumstances of our meeting, Erin's parents, Greg and Brenda, turned out to be good, broad-minded people. They play roles in stories yet to be told.

On balance, life seemed fairly good. The public sex with Erin was the beginning of her becoming a complete part of our family; although we still required her to wear clothes at work. I was inexplicably fortunate to be surrounded by three ladies as intelligent, personable, and incredibly beautiful as Sarah, Carla, and Erin.

With Sarah taking over the transactional part of our practice after Mala's departure, Carla teamed up with me on the "Sinking Hillside Condo" case. We took another trip to Munich to prepare our German engineer/expert witness for his deposition. This allowed me to introduce Carla to Ute, the fun of a German nude coed spa, and the joy of lying naked in the Englischer Garten. Using me as a teaching tool, Ute introduced Carla to the art of prostate massage. The reaction this produced convinced Carla that she needed to practice her new skill frequently. I didn't dissuade her.

Following a very strong deposition given by our expert and a poor deposition given by the man who had been the defendant's lead engineer on our clients' project, we got a settlement. While our clients did not recover their full anticipated profit from the condo building that slid down the hill, they did net a couple million dollars. They were happy.

Life seemed pretty decent that morning when Sarah suddenly appeared in my office door. Ordinarily, the sight of Sarah's stunningly beautiful nude body in my door would raise my spirits further. However, the look on her face told me that something was very wrong. She reinforced that foreboding by closing my office door behind her. We never closed doors in our offices.

"Harry, we've got a problem. Last evening, I was looking for some older information about the contemporary dance troop. When I couldn't find it in the paper files Mala left, I looked in her computer. You know, none of us have gone through what's on Mala's computer since she left. Anyway, I found this." Sarah handed me a string of e-mail which she had printed out.

Reading them in chronological order, I saw a message from Mala to Claire Richardson about 18 months ago asking about something in the dance troop's corporate records that had Mala confused. Claire's response was chilling. Claire had very openly admitted to approving payment of bogus invoices submitted to the dance troop and several of the other non-profits which she led and admitted to pocketing the money.

Mala's response to Claire showed someone trying to alert their client to a serious problem without irritating the client sufficiently that the client tuned them out. Mala did not tell Claire outright that she had committed theft. Rather, Mala's reply used phrases like "aggressive prosecutor" and "could." Mercifully, Mala had avoided giving Claire any advice for going forward so there was nothing documented that could be construed as Mala advising Claire on how to cover her tracks. When I finished reading, I looked up at Sarah questioningly.

Sarah was agitated. "Harry, Mala never told anyone."

"Well," I said, "Claire is a client and this was in confidence. I'm not sure Mala could disclose this."

"Harry," Sarah shrieked, "those non-profits were also clients. Don't you think Mala had some duty to inform them that Claire was stealing from them? Also, you know as well as I that, once someone starts this sort of thing, they usually keep on. Professional Conduct Rule 4.1 requires us to disclose information necessary to avoid assisting a client to commit an illegal act. We still need to report this."

"Ok," I said, "You may be right, but we're not making that call by ourselves. I at least want an opinion from an outside lawyer that we are obligated to disclose this."

The best white-collar criminal defense lawyer in town worked at the large form where I used to work. He had been the Chief Assistant US Attorney for the Criminal Division in our district. I had worked the civil side of a few of his cases once he came to my old firm. We got along well and I respected his judgment. I gave Ron a call.

After hearing the situation, Ron said, "Harry, I think that you need to disclose this and I'm worried about complicity exposure if you don't. But, I want another opinion on the ethics issue. Sorry my friend, but this is going to cost you some coin. I'm calling" and then he named the leading professional ethics lawyer in the state.

Ron was able to get the ethics specialist on the phone. That lawyer confirmed that we had reason to believe that Claire's thefts were ongoing and that we were, at least, ethically permitted to report what we knew. He also advised that we had to stop representing Claire and all of her non-profits immediately. There went 95% of Sarah's work.

A few days later, Sarah, Carla, and I were sitting, uncomfortably clothed, in Ron's office explaining what we knew to a couple of Assistant US Attorneys. That was soon followed by the empanelling of a federal grand jury. The grand jury subpoenas included all data and every computer in our offices. Sarah, Carla, and I were all subpoenaed to testify. Confident that we had done nothing wrong, we decided, with Ron's advice, to testify rather than invoking the Fifth Amendment. Carla and I had never worked on any of Claire's matters. Fortunately, the USAs either didn't know or didn't care about our social activities with Claire and Rick. Carla and I were each out in a few hours.

Sarah was a different story. Next to Claire, who was staying silent, Sarah knew more about the operations of the non-profits than anyone else in town. Claire had been a major contributor and the procurer of most of the other major contributors. Her fellow board members were completely happy to enjoy the prestige while letting Claire run the show. Mala, of course, knew a lot more than Sarah. However, no one could get a hold of Mala in India. As much as I love Mala, even I had to concede that the timing of her move looked suspicious. Consequently, Sarah spent several grueling days in front of the grand jury. A "little bird" told us that the lead USA on the case was trying to build a case against Sarah and Mala.

A couple of things, I think, saved Sarah. First, a thorough review of all the records disclosed no evidence that Claire had taken any money from any of the non-profits after Mala's e-mail warning Claire that what she was doing "could" be considered criminal. Second, the dance troop and the other non-profits all used the same outside accounting firm. Considerable digging revealed that Claire had bought a Mercedes and given it to one of that firm's partners and had paid for a number of very expensive trips for him and his wife. That gave the USAs a professional target against whom they had a much better case than against Sarah.

Finally, word came down that the federal grand jury was being dismissed. While there may have been federal crimes, the USAs had decided that the primary crimes were local and that this should be prosecuted at the state level. They were turning their investigatory files over to our county prosecutor.

I groaned inwardly upon learning that. Prosecutors in our state are elected and the one in our county was always happy to grandstand to keep his name and "tough on crime" image in front of the voters. More specifically, he was very sensitive to the local media. Our daily newspaper, which is way to the right of conservative, had already said in almost these words that any lawyers who worked naked must be involved in these thefts and other heinous conduct besides. I feared that the Prosecutor would take a run at us to placate the paper.

I was happy to learn that I was being unfair to our Prosecutor. In a face-to-face with him and Ron, he told me in so many words that he could see no case against any of us. That, however, did not spare Sarah several more days before a state grand jury.

Sarah was also enduring an investigation by Disciplinary Counsel. We were finally able to convince him that Sarah acted appropriately as soon as she learned of Claire's thefts. That didn't get Mala off of the hook, but Mala had put her license on inactive status when she left for India (our state does give CLE courses in New Delhi) and Disciplinary Counsel did not have the resources to chase her over there. It would be an issue to address if Mala ever came back and sought to reactivate her license.

Finally, indictments were returned against Claire and the accountant. While Sarah was off of the criminal and ethical hooks, she was still an important witness in the Prosecutor's view. Claire had retained high-powered defense lawyers who were pushing her speedy trial rights.

Sarah was spending more time with the Assistant Prosecutors than with us, and it was taking a severe toll. Usually energetic and assertive, Sarah had become listless and indecisive. Carla, Erin, and I tried to engage her physically and psychologically. Sex had always been something about which Sarah had been invariably enthusiastic. No longer.

Finally, right around Thanksgiving, we heard that Claire had made a plea deal. Her sentencing was set for just after the first of the next year. We went.

The story which came out at the sentencing made you feel a bit sorry for Claire. While Rick had made a very good salary, their real wealth was money Claire had inherited. Claire realized that the various positions and prominence she had acquired had come through her wealth and force of personality. She had no real qualifications to do any of these jobs. Claire had concluded that, to ensure her position, she needed to increase her wealth and had invested very aggressively. That strategy had worked reasonably well until the Financial Crisis when Claire received a harsh and very expensive lesson in the real meaning of "risk." The only other money to which Claire had access was the money under her control as chair of these various arts non-profits. To her slight credit, I suppose, she did not try to steal enough to recoup her massive losses. She did steal enough to maintain her life style while she looked for a longer-term fix.

Claire had, genuinely, made a number of important contributions to our community. Her sexually-oriented recreational pursuits did not come out at her sentencing. Still, she had stolen over $ 5 million. That earned her a three year sentence, with 18 months suspended. So, Claire would spend a year and half in the state prison for women. It was sad. I felt somewhat guilty that some of my sadness came from the realization that there would be no more of Claire's parties. Those had been great fun.

Although it was January in the Midwest, we had erected a heated tent over the Jacuzzi so that we could use it year-round. A quick, brisk bare run from the patio door put you inside the heated tent. Sarah, Carla, Erin, and I were lounging in the Jacuzzi the evening of Claire's sentencing. After some general discussion of the events of the day, Carla pointed out that we were left with some upsides.

"Claire put some money in our pockets legitimately. We had a great time at her parties." Carla paused. "Most importantly, Claire introduced us to Erin." With that Carla gave Erin a bare hug.

After a couple of minutes of smiles, Sarah cleared her throat.

"I need to tell you guys a few things. This business with Claire has really messed me up. I loved and trusted Mala, but I feel like she betrayed us badly by not telling us what she knew about Claire and, instead, just leaving us. I liked and trusted Claire. I feel like there isn't anyone I can trust now."

This last comment brought protests from the three of us. Sarah went on.

"It isn't you guys, it's me. I know that I haven't been pleasant to be around. I don't have any work so I'm not contributing to the firm. I just need to go off for a while and get my head back together."

Again, we all protested that her leaving was the last thing we wanted, but some of Sarah's assertiveness was coming back.

"I don't think I told any of you, but I was in the sailing club in college. I used to sail a lot. With law school and the practice, I haven't had much time the last few years. Anyway, there's an around the world race coming up next year, like the Volvo, only this one has only all-women crews. One of the captains was a year ahead of me in college. I used to sail with her some. Anyway, I called her and she said she'd give me some training and a tryout for her crew if I came out to San Diego. Of course, I probably won't make it, but I'm going to San Diego for a few months."

I'd never known Sarah not to accomplish her goals, so I asked "When does the race start and how long is it supposed to take?"

"Well, the race starts from Providence in April and they estimate about ten months."

"So, you'll be gone over a year?"

"Only if I make the team."

"When are you leaving?"

"Day after tomorrow."

Shit. I could see from her face that Carla felt the same way. Erin didn't know Sarah as well as we did, so her sense of loss might not have been as great.

Seeing that she had just dumped on us, Sarah soldiered on. "I'd like to leave my stuff here. I'll help you box it up tomorrow. Since I'm going to be gone a while, I think that Erin ought to move in here. Are you up for that Erin?"

Erin responded hesitantly. "Of course, I'd love to live, eat, and sleep with Carla and Harry; but not at the expense of losing you."

"Well, I'm gone either way. I need to get myself back together. I almost got indicted and I almost got disbarred."

That was an exaggeration, but now wasn't the time to argue about it.

Sarah stood up. I watched the water drip off of her nipples. She smiled.

"You're not going to have me much longer. You better come upstairs and enjoy me while you can."

With that, she turned her lovely bare ass towards us and got out of the Jacuzzi. Carla, Erin, and I followed close behind.

Upstairs, we tried to engage Sarah in the things we knew she enjoyed. She just wasn't into it. The "highlight" was her sitting on the bed as Carla showed Erin how to get me off by massaging my prostate. Carla, Erin, or Sarah can put their finger up my asshole any time.

The next day was spent boxing Sarah's things to go into the attic and helping her pack. Erin got dressed, went out, and found us some over-priced, but fresh, seafood so we made Sarah's favorite seafood stew. Sarah was a bit more enthusiastic on her last night with us. Each of us tried hard to give her pleasure. Erin had never had sex with another woman until she hooked up with us. That night, I enjoyed watching Erin's bare ass wiggle as her face was buried between Sarah's legs. Carla surprised us all by putting on a strap-on and fucking Sarah like a man. Carla had come a long ways from the timid big firm associate who had been stuck with doing a deposition at a nudist resort.

The next day was just sad. I gave Sarah a long kiss at the airport. As I watched her go through security, I had a terrible sense of passing. I expected that it would be a very long time before we saw Sarah again. Amy, my original nude partner, was dead. Sarah was leaving as I watched. Mala had vanished. I guess change really is the only constant in life. Still, I was very down.

Carla must have sensed my mood. As Sarah disappeared past the x-ray machines, Carla took my right hand in hers. She leaned over and whispered in my ear, "We'll make this work." Erin smiled and took my left hand in hers. Together, the three of us walked to the car.

The fallout from the Claire Robertson fiasco continued. Our long-time secretary, Terry, announced her retirement. Her stated reason was that her daughter had graduated from her Ivy League college and had taken a career-ladder job in Boston, and Terry wanted to be close to her daughter. I suspected that Terry feared that our reduced revenues meant her job would evaporate anyway. That was never our intent. Although it was a voluntary resignation, we gave Terry a six figure severance bonus. As I explained,

"Boston's cost of living is a lot higher than out here in flyover land. Since you won't be working naked any more, you'll probably also need to spend more on clothes."

Terry chuckled. "I don't know if I can take another job. Out of habit, I'd probably walk in the first day and strip naked."

Although she was dramatically over-qualified, Erin stepped in to take over Terry's duties along with her own. Erin became even more vital for us. Despite lacking formal business training, she was a very astute business person. She completely took over the business aspects of our firm so that Carla and I could focus on billing hours.

We also, after numerous requests from her, gave Erin permission to work nude. Since she was still our designated person for errands outside the office, she kept a dress in the office. Many times, I watched her pull the dress over her bare body as she left for a courthouse. Her dress was rather short. I had to believe that she had given more than a few people a very beautiful view on windy days.

Shortly after Claire reported for prison, we saw a news report that Rick, her husband, had been found dead in their mansion. The gossip mill immediately rendered a verdict of suicide. I had no idea of the cause of death, and it wasn't my business.

Donors apparently hate scandal. Donations to the contemporary dance troop dried up and it folded. That left Jessica and Keith unemployed. Word had gotten out about some of their social involvement with Claire. Jessica explained to me that she thought they had, in substance, been blacklisted because of it. Whatever the reason, they were having a terrible time finding paying work.

Jessica and Keith eventually had to give up the spacious apartment which Sarah had gotten for them. After bouncing through a couple of real rat holes in bad parts of town, all they could afford, Jessica hesitantly asked if they could move in with us temporarily. Of course we agreed. A relieved Jessica quipped, "I can also save money on clothes." They understood our rule that clothing was not to be worn in our house.

Fortunately, most of our clients stayed with us and, more importantly, our referral sources kept referring. Illustrating the somewhat parasitic nature of our business, we had a huge windfall when one of the kinky entrepreneurs whom we'd met through Claire was hit and killed by a delivery van in the parking lot outside his office. His young, but rather unattractive, widow hired us to pursue the wrongful death claim.

This was a great case for several reasons. The van belonged to one of the huge worldwide delivery companies. The driver had just made a delivery in the building and had more deliveries left on his route so there was no possible claim that he was outside the scope of his employment. The driver had also had a beer and a few shots with his lunch that day. His immediate supervisor knew that the driver often drank on the job but had not reported that up the company chain of command because he liked the driver and didn't want him to lose his job. The phrase "punitive damages" ran through my mind.

Most importantly for this case was the fact that, based on what the deceased had earned in his first 29 years, it was entirely plausible that his total earnings over a normal life span would be in the billions. Of course, a number that large would not be digestible for a jury in our part of the world. We were able to get a fairly quick settlement in the high eight figures. Our one-third contingent fee was in the low eight figures. A wonderful case if you overlooked the fact that our client had lost her husband.