The Never Series Pt. 04

She continued to hold him around the neck, and stared him down with the most serious look he'd ever seen from her. "No, I don't think I can get into trouble! You see, I've got an ironclad defense." She grinned seductively, slyly.

Now, he put his arms around her tiny waist and held her. He could feel the elastic material of her dress in his hands, and the tactile sensation was exhilarating. He could smell her perfume, and the fragrance was intoxicating. The blood surged to his groin. He smiled. He was beginning to understand her, and he knew this explanation would be a good one. "What's that?"

"Well, the professional ethics provisions of both the American Bar Association and the California State Bar do prohibit attorneys from engaging in sexual relations with their clients. However," she said, clearly quoting some text, "both have 'an exception for ongoing consensual sexual relationships that predated the initiation of the lawyer-client relationship.'" She stared at him with a huge grin painted on her lovely face.

"You've lost me counselor, how could a sexual relationship between us have predated our lawyer-client relationship?"

"By definition, a sexual relationship is described by the bar as 'any interaction between consenting adults that results in or is intended to result in sexual orgasm or pleasure.' You made me cum twice before we signed the representation agreement! Therefore, I believe that we had an 'ongoing consensual sexual relationship that predated the initiation of the lawyer-client relationship.'"

He was more confused than he was embarrassed. "I made you cum? When? Other than shaking hands with you in your office, tonight is the first time that I've ever touched you."

"You told me your story about fucking Caroline in college, and then that night in her mansion in L.A. and I came! Then, you told me another story about the next day when you fucked her in her pool while her girlfriend watched, and I came a second time! Right there in my office while I sat behind my desk! And clearly, we signed the representation agreement after that!"

He smiled. "You are a sly one, Ms. Jordan! But even as little as I know about the law, I don't see how that constitutes an 'ongoing consensual sexual relationship.' How was my role in your... ah... 'pleasure' consensual?" He was now enjoying the back and forth of this little tête-à-tête, grinning broadly in anticipation of her explanation.

"Did I force you to tell me that story about your relationship with Ms. Cole, Mr. Conway? Did I in any way pressure you into telling me what happened between you?"

"No, you did not."

"Then, the conversation between us was a 'consensual' conversation was it not, Mr. Conway?"

"The conversation was consensual. However, I don't believe your, ah... orgasms were consensual I did nothing to cause your orgasms!"

"I beg to differ, Mr. Conway. You willingly engaged in conversation with me. That makes the conversation consensual, and the conversation resulted in my orgasms. I would not have orgasmed were it not for your stories. Ergo, you were consensually involved in causing my orgasms, and that means we had an 'ongoing consensual sexual relationship that predated our attorney-client relationship!'"

"And how was our sexual relationship 'ongoing?'"

"You made me cum twice! Ergo, the relationship did not involve a single sexual incident! Multiple incidents connote 'ongoing!'"

He laughed out loud. "You know, I'm not going to try to debate you, because if I try, I'll lose for sure! But I'm being serious now: don't you think this is potentially dangerous, really dangerous, at least at this time? Certainly for you, but probably for both of us. What if your firm finds out? You could get fired, and what about me? What if Solon & Blake's attorney finds out that we're involved? Wouldn't that make my claim appear weaker?"

"Look Chris, I might as well be honest. I was physically attracted to you when I first met you. You have that sexy, older man vibe going on that I find totally cool, and I've always been drawn to older men. More than that, Charley told me that you were a really good guy, and when I heard your story, I felt so badly for you. But I also grew to really respect how you handled yourself in the wake of all of the shit you've been through – which, I have to say, seems to have been absolutely fucking horrible. When you explained everything to me, you were so dignified and tactful in spite of everything, and so I found your disposition and temperament to be a real turn-on, too."

"But then, I read your writing, and, quite frankly, that was it! I'm convinced that it's impossible to write something as sensual as your story without being an intensely passionate man. And that's what did it! I was serious about what I said at dinner. I was so aroused after I started reading that I had to leave work early and go home! I think I came five or six times that night! After that, I just had to try to win you!"

"Try to win me? You think you had to try? Jesus!" He shook his head in disbelief. "Look, Paige, let me be honest. You're way out of my league. You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever known, and, believe me, I'm incredibly honored that you'd even consider being with me. But I don't want to fuck up your life, at least not now! I've already fucked up mine, and I couldn't bear to be responsible for letting you destroy yours." A look of regret spread across her face.

"Look, can't we just wait to see what happens in the next few weeks? Once things are settled, if you haven't come to your senses and you still want me, then we'll go for it. God knows, I want you, too, want you more than I've wanted anyone, but let's not fuck up a good thing by charging into this too fast. We've got time."

She stared into his eyes with a look that was equal parts desire, disappointment, and acceptance. She shook her head timidly, but said nothing. He put his hand behind her neck and drew her face to his. The kiss was sensual and sincere, but it did not linger, and when he broke it, he turned and opening the door, said kindly. "Good night, Paige. Thank you for a wonderful evening. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

He drove back home, and after undressing, he grabbed his laptop and sat in bed for several hours writing. He had a lot of ideas to get down. Then, he powered down his computer, went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, returned to his bed, climbed in, and turned off the light. He lie in bed for some time imagining, touching himself – his cock, semi-engorged and extremely sensitive – but he did not masturbate. He fell asleep with his hand inside his boxer shorts.

When he awoke the next morning, it was still dark. He used the bathroom, then made his way to the kitchen and ate a bowl of cereal, while he read the news on his laptop. When he finished, he went for a walk. He watched the sunrise as he hiked the greenbelt he had accessed from the west side of his neighborhood.

When he returned home, he climbed into the shower, then shaved and brushed his teeth, before getting dressed. At about 7:30, he decided he'd better call. He just wanted to make sure that the plans had not been altered by his impulsive actions the night before. He located the recent calls in his phone, and return dialed Paige.

She sounded cheerful enough when she answered, but he knew he'd changed the dynamics between them irrevocably with his premature exit the night before. "Okay, I'll come pick you up. How long will it take me to get there?"

"No more than 10 minutes. Should I give you directions?"

"No, just your address – the rental car has GPS, so I'll follow it."

"Okay, it's *** *** Dr. It's on the east side of town."

"Got it! I'll be there in about 20 minutes."

He loaded his laptop and hard drive into his computer satchel. He wasn't sure that it was necessary to bring those items, but since the theft of his story had involved that hardware, he thought it couldn't hurt to have it with him. Then, he used the bathroom again, and grabbed a couple of bottles of filtered tap water he had chilling in the refrigerator. A few minutes later, Paige pulled into his driveway in a Toyota Camry.

He waited. He didn't know whether she would come to the door or not, but he was still a little nervous about seeing her again, so he stayed where he was.

She emerged from the blue sedan after several seconds wearing sunglasses and a subdued and professional business suit, stockings and low heels. Her hair was down, and there were no visible signs of any jewelry. In short, despite being undeniable pretty, she looked nothing like the woman he'd gone to dinner with. She looked around, gauging her surroundings, as she approached.

She rang the front bell, and he smiled broadly as he answered the door. "Good morning, Paige! Thanks for picking me up. Do you want to come inside, or are you ready to go? I just need to grab a couple of things, if you're ready."

She smiled, "Nice place, Chris!" She stepped across the threshold and kissed him on the cheek as she stepped past him, looking up and around the cathedral ceiling of the living room with surprise and wonder. "Here, I thought you were living under a bridge or in some low-income housing unit or something! You know, after your divorce and all. This is a beautiful home!"

He was a little embarrassed. He wondered where she had gotten the idea that he was somehow destitute. He had been a school administrator for almost 20 years, and it wasn't as if he didn't make money doing that job.

"I have less than a year and a half of mortgage payments left, and then I'll own the thing outright! It was about the only thing Susan didn't want in the divorce agreement. She never liked the place anyway, so it's appropriate that in about 500 days, I'll have the deed and the title to myself."

"Really? You've lived here that long?"

"Twenty-nine years come the end of the summer! I remember when we bought the place. It had just been built. For some reason, I never thought I'd live to see the day when it was paid off, and I was only 23 years old and a newly-married man fresh out of college at the time."

"That's great, Chris. Most people never weather a 30-year mortgage anymore. Either they pay it off early or they sell long before that. I know it wasn't always that way, but it sure seems to be these days."

"Your right; my parents' generation was very different. Once they were married, most people lived in the same home for the rest of their lives. I'm just happy I was able to hang on to this place. My goal is to be able to leave it to my kids. Then maybe they can buy their own houses with the money."

She nodded. "Well, I have a good feeling about today, and I think your luck is just about to turn. Anyway, I'd love to have you show me around, but I should probably use your bathroom, and then we better hit the road. It's 7:55."

"Okay, it's right there, around the corner", he said nodding. "In the meantime, I'll grab my things."

Two minutes later, they were navigating the steep driveway on which the Camry was parked. He threw his bag in the back seat and climbed in the passenger side, just as Paige was opening the driver's door. Five minutes later, they merged onto the 101 headed south.

He knew the conversation would eventually work its way around to the elephant in the room, or in this case, the car. They made small talk for a couple of minutes, but before they'd even reached Nipomo, Paige was out with it, "By the way, I spent last night thinking about what you were saying, and I think you were right. It makes a lot of sense to be cautious." She paused.

"I think after today we're going to see the publisher and Caroline and her people move very quickly to rectify the situation. Big corporations like Solon & Blake don't like their names in the news, especially if they're connected to lawsuits. I really think they'll want to settle this thing as quickly as possible. Then..." She stopped. The rest of the conversation was still too fraught with uncertainty for her to continue her thought.

He ignored the unspoken, and responded instead to what she'd just said. "That would be nice. I just don't understand why it happened in the first place. Don't the corporate people do any vetting, any investigation at all before they publish something? I can't see why they would take a chance like that?"

"My guess is that they just trust the writers that they've worked with in the past, and once one of those writers who's been with them for a long time brings something to them, they don't investigate at all. Besides, the majority of people that are victims of intellectual property theft never do anything about it! So, they probably didn't anticipate being sued. What you're doing is actually pretty rare."

"You're probably right about the corporate suits, but the thing is... the story doesn't sound anything at all like anything else she's ever written! Didn't anybody notice that?" He was quiet for a just a moment, and when Paige didn't say anything else, his pent up rage exploded, "I just know that fucking Tanya had to be behind it! I just don't trust that woman! There is nothing that I wouldn't put past her."

"I understand your anger and frustration, but remember, if the judge approves our preliminary injunction today, I'll file the actual lawsuit this afternoon. I finished it last night after you left, so it's ready to go. And that's when I think we'll start to see some action." He didn't respond, just sat there in silence, the strength of his momentary outburst spent.

"Chris?" she continued quietly, carefully. "I want to talk about last night. I want to clarify something."

"Okay..." He was nervous, but he, too, thought it was a good idea for them to lay their cards on the table.

"You didn't say 'no' last night, am I right? You just said 'wait.' Did I understand that correctly?"

"You did. I've been doing some thinking, too, Paige. I'm still trying to figure out why someone as drop-dead gorgeous as you would be interested in an old fart like me! Still, I'd be out of my mind not to want to find out. Once this thing gets settled, I would love to start seeing you – dating you, that is. I'm hoping I'll be able to afford to take you someplace nice."

She giggled. "...start 'seeing' me! You old farts talk funny!"

He laughed. "'Seeing' means a lot of different things; how do you know I didn't mean it absolutely literally?"

"Well, when your eyes are ready, you just let me know!"

"My eyes are ready right now; I'm not sure my heart is! Do you know what to do in case of cardiac arrest?"

"Don't worry about me! I've dated plenty of older men, and I haven't killed one yet!"

"'Plenty of older men'? And here I thought I was special!"

"You are special; you write great dirty stories!"

"Wow! Well, I look forward to having those words inscribed on my tombstone!"

She giggled for the longest time. She had a difficult time composing herself. When she finally did, he stared at her until she turned to look at him. "You really are incredibly beautiful, do you know that? I'm a lucky guy – I've got the best looking attorney in the entire State of California!" She smiled beatifically.

"And by the way, thanks for understanding about last night. I know it was awkward and unpleasant, but I think we'll both be glad we waited." She didn't say anything, but she smiled again and shook her head with gratitude. It made him happy. He was afraid that maybe he'd ruined his chances, but instead he felt like he was on even solider ground than he had been the night before.

After that, they settled into the long ride, talking about the countryside they were driving through. He pointed out some of the towns and roads that dotted the oak-covered hillsides and vineyards. Their conversation was easy and free-flowing. They had a lot in common, and by the time they reached downtown Los Angeles, their relationship was based on more than just lust. They were quickly becoming friends.

They made excellent time, arriving at the Federal Courthouse just a little bit after 11:00. They still had almost two hours to kill before their court appearance. He suggested they walk over to the mall across the street from the courthouse to get a bite to eat. There had to be a fair number of choices of places to choose from there, he reasoned.

They found a little deli that served sandwiches, salads, and soups, and ate their lunches outside near a large fountain. They took their time eating, enjoying the warmth of Southern California's late winter weather. He tried to pay, but Paige insisted that her firm would expect her to submit per diem expenditures, and that it would eventually become part of court and litigation costs that would be decided as a part of any settlement.

About 12:30, they started walking back to the courthouse, and when they arrived, they sat on a bench in the lobby outside the courtroom waiting for the court to reopen its doors after the lunch break. While Paige was checking her phone, he briefly opened his laptop to re-read some of the text he'd written the night before.

He briefly peeked over the top of his computer screen, and suddenly, a deathlike chill swept through his entire body. Not more than 30 feet away, a tall, slender, older gentleman in a gray suit sat down next to a woman whose presence caused his skin to crawl. From her perch on the bench on the other side of the corridor, Tanya Calvert leered at him with an impertinent smirk!

Within seconds, a bailiff emerged from the courtroom, opening and then unlocking the massive oaken doors and propping the right one open. Paige nonchalantly turned to him, and said cheerily, "Well, should we go in?"

"No, let's wait just a moment", he answered quietly, tension and anxiety gripping his face.

She immediately recognized the change. "Chris, what's wrong?" She whispered it in a barely audible voice, and the moment the words left her pink, perfect lips, Tanya and the older man stood, and turning their backs to them, strode purposefully into the courtroom.

He put his hand over his mouth and, looking down and whispering in an even quieter voice, turned to her and said, "That's Tanya."

She put a soft, warm hand on his shoulder and spoke calmly and confidently, "Okay, just calm down. There's nothing to worry about. Let's just gather up our things, and in a couple minutes we'll go in. We'll sit on the left side of the room until the bailiff calls our case. Just don't look at her, okay."

He took a deep breath, as he watched Tanya's shapely ass disappear inside the big door. His heart was all but beating its way out of his chest, but he continued his deep breathing, until he could no longer hear its thumping roar. He powered down his laptop, and when it shut down, he put it back inside his computer satchel, and turning to Paige said, "Okay, I'm ready."

They stood, and he swung his satchel over his shoulder. Paige reached for her briefcase, and the two walked side-by-side into the courtroom. They sat near the bar in the second row near the swinging gate directly behind the plaintiff's table and chairs. Several other people shuffled into the courtroom and sat behind them. A court stenographer entered and took her place to the left of the judge's bench.

Within two or three minutes, the bailiff also entered and striding in front of the bench, announced in a commanding voice, "All rise. The Federal Court of the Central District of California is now in session, the Honorable Judge Stephen Bullock presiding. Everyone remain standing until the judge enters and is seated."