“How many of you have heard of the Zukerman Case?” he asked, and a little over half of the class raised their hands. I, unfortunately, was not included in that half.
“All of you who didn’t raise your hands, you can go now,” he stated.
One by one they grabbed their bags and laptops. Once more, I was not included in the group despite my qualification. With my phone in my lap, I began Googling as quickly as I could.
“Ms. Cunning, did you not hear me?” he called, causing me to jump.
“This a law class right? Don’t I get to plead my case?” I contested.
His eyebrow raised. “You wish to plead your case as to why you deserve to be here when you aren’t prepared?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, plead away. You have one minute.”
Standing up, every head in the room turned to face me. “You asked us to raise our hands about the Zukerman Case and yet you did not clarify or specify which one you were referring to.”
I heard a few snickers, but I knew he wasn’t amused. “Wouldn’t it be obvious? It was one of the most high profile cases of this year.”
“Yes it was, but so was the Zukerman Case of 1956,” I replied. “The syllabus we picked up said this is criminal law of not just recent history, but the past as well. I could have raised my hand because I knew of a Zukerman Case, however, that would have made me seem like a fool or a liar if your follow up question was in relation to the details of the case.” I licked my lips before continuing. “Between the Zukerman Case and a Zukerman Case, it’s impossible to know which specific case you were referring to since no further details or clarifications were provided. Hence the reason why I did not raise my hand, Professor Black.” I stood tall, trying not to look as nervous as I felt.
“It seems you have saved your seat, Ms. Cunning, by a matter of technicality.” The corner of his lips twitched. It was fast, but I saw it, and though it was wrong that I took a little pleasure in it, I was happy that I made him smile instead of being happy that I saved myself.
He turned to face the rest of the class. “Let this be a lesson to the rest of you. You are in the running to become lawyers. If someone tells you no, then you find a loophole and jump right through it. Even the smallest technicality can change the outcome of a case. Though, I do hope you don’t Google your arguments ten seconds before you are called upon.”
How did he know?
“You meant to refer to the Zukerman Case 1957. The Internet isn't always a reliable source,” he added.
Shit.
He didn’t bother going into any further details before moving on to the Zukerman Case that he was initially referring to. I hadn’t known, but he had been Zukerman’s lawyer. The man was charged with arson and robbery, but Levi had been able to totally shred each one of the prosecution’s witnesses, and had gotten a police officer kicked off the stand for perjury.
It was… awe-inspiring.
As he played us the video, he highlighted everything that the prosecution had done wrong, and I found myself baffled by him. The man on the screen, and the man I had been in bed with, were two different people. He was monster in the court room, not caring in the slightest about how the witnesses felt, as he hammered every part of their credibility to the point where one woman looked as though she was about to suffer a mental breakdown. The man who had kissed down my spine and made me breakfast in bed was nowhere to be seen at all. It seemed that there were two of faces to Levi Black, and I, despite it all, wanted to know them both.
All too soon, class was over, and as people left, I found myself unable to move. There was so much that I wanted to say to him.
I stood up, taking a deep breath and hoping to stir up the courage to speak to him, when all of sudden, he walked right past me as if I wasn’t there.
“Levi—”
“It’s Professor Black, and class is over. If you wish to speak to me any time after class you’ll have to call the office and make an appointment. Good day, Ms. Cunning,” he replied, already out the door.
“Asshole,” I murmured under my breath.
But what did I expect? Were we just supposed to laugh it off and pretend like nothing had happened and that everything was okay?
Grabbing my stuff, I headed out as well, and before I could stop myself, I was already searching though the crowded hallway for him.
“Who are looking for?”
Jumping, I turned to find my little sister staring intently at me.
Selene and I, in my opinion, looked nothing alike. Yes, we both had dark skin, brown eyes, and hair that went past our shoulders, but our facial features bore no likeness or similarities. Plus, she was in this phase where all she would wear was black makeup and dark clothing.
“No one,” I said, looking at her. “I thought you were going to call me when your flight came in?” I added in an effort to change the subject.
“Jeez, hello to you too! It’s not as if you haven’t seen me in months or anything,” she pouted.
She was a baby, and even at sixteen, she would stay that way. Not that I wanted her to grow up or anything.
“Selene, we talked almost every day—”
“Except for last week. So, who is he?”
“What? No one. There’s no one,” I repeated, searching for my keys as we walked outside.
It was only September, but there was still a chill in the air. At this time of year, back home in Maryland, most people were still wearing shorts. I tried not to think about my life back there too much, because the truth of the matter was that I missed it, badly. It was my home, more so than Boston had ever been.
“If you’re going to be a lawyer, you need to learn how to lie much better than that, and to hide the evidence.” She grinned and pulled out a pair of boxers from her purse.
“Selene!” I hissed, trying to shove them back in there. “What in the hell is the matter with you? When did you go to the house?”
“Since someone didn’t answer her phone, I had to take a taxi to the house and then another one here,” she said, rolling her eyes at me.
We headed to my old, beat up Honda, and she stood on the passenger side, patiently waiting for me to unlock the doors.
“I was in class.”
“I figured, but I was wondering why there were so many boxes left. The proof was on the bathroom floor. So, are you going to tell me who he is? Does he go here? Is he hot? If he used our shower, he’d better be hot.”
“Selene, don’t worry about it, it was nothing, and it’s over.”
“So, does that mean I can keep this?” she asked, dangling Levi’s watch from her index finger.
“No,” I said, as I snatched it back from her.
“How will you get it back to him?”
“I’ll mail it.”
“You know his address!”
“Selene, I swear if you don't stop, I’ll make you walk home,” I told her.
“Ooh, I’m so scared!”
Little sisters, no matter what anyone tells you, they are a pain in the ass.
“Whatever, I’m happy for you,” she muttered, leaning back into her seat and staring out the window. “I hate this place, and I know you hate it too. But you’re forcing yourself to be here, so if something good comes out of it, at least it wouldn’t have been a complete waste.”
“Selene, you didn’t have to come back here. You could have stayed with Grams and finished high school—”
“We’re a team, remember?” She smiled, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Where you go, I go. Sorry it took me so long to come, but I was waiting for—”
She was waiting for our mother to die.
“It’s fine,” I told her. “She was bedridden for most of it, and I didn’t want you to have to see her like that anyways.”
That was a lie. The truth of the matter was that I did want her here, but it wasn’t only for our mother’s sake, but for her own… so she could finally let go of everything and move on. So she could have some closure. B
ut no matter how many times I told her that the cancer had spread, or that mother’s condition was worsening, she didn't seem to care.
“Yeah, well, I’m still sorry.”
“Every time I start to think you’re a pain in the ass, you always act so sweet, even if you do look like Marilyn Manson.”
“Shut up!” she squealed, and punched me playfully.
We both laughed. It was our thing.
LEVI
“Can you repeat that again?” Tristan asked over the phone, as I headed into my office.
“You know the woman I picked up from the bar? Turns out she’s a law student… one of my law students.”
I fell back into my chair.
Why God, why?
“Are you laughing, you prick?” I snapped.
“Come on man, give me a break!” he chuckled, “The great, straight laced, Levi Black has finally slipped up, and has ventured over to the dark side. And you’ve always been so careful. How did that not come up once during the whole week you were together? Didn’t you guys talk at all?”
“We were preoccupied—”
“For 168 hours? And you’re still alive? How?”
“Why am I talking to you?” I grumbled.
“Because I’m the person that will judge you the least. Just wait until I tell Bethan how her big brother isn’t so righteous anymore,” he teased.
“I hate you. I truly hate you,” I muttered, pitching the bridge of my noise.
I am Levi Black and my record was spotless; I didn’t mess around with students, I didn’t lose cases, and I sure as hell didn’t air my dirty laundry in public. It was because of that reason that I was everyone’s go-to. Senators, governors, celebrities, I was the guy that powerful people called in to clean up their mess, no matter where they were in the world. The only way I could do that was to not have any messes of my own. Thea Cunning was… well, I don’t even know where to begin!
“It was just supposed to be sex.”
“For a week.”
“It kept getting better and better. She’s like a Venus flytrap, once you’re in, you’re in, and there’s no getting out.”
“Ahh, man,” he groaned.
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Look, if it’s bothering you that much, just kick her out of your class. Isn’t there some clause in your contract that allows you to take on as many students as you want?”
He was right. I had taken on teaching when I had just opened my own firm, in the hopes of stealing the best graduates for myself. Six years later, I was still here, even though my firm had as many capable associates as we needed.
“I know. But I only get rid of the weak, and weak she is not. She stood up to me today. It usually takes my students a few weeks, but she did it on the first day.”
“Are you sure this was just sex?”
As I was about to formulate my answer, a loud knock interrupted my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called to the door, and to Tristan, I said, “Tristan, I gotta go.”
“Is someone really there, or are you trying to avoid the question?”
“It was just sex, and it’s over,” I muttered into the phone as quickly as I could. “I don’t do relationships, you know that. And someone really is here. Enjoy your day off, we might have a big client by the end of the day.” I hung up just as my secretary came in, her lips were drawn into a hard line. Her eyebrow rose as she handed me a file.
“Good afternoon, Betty, how are you?”
“Umm hum.” She shook her head at me. “Mr. and Mrs. Archibald will be coming in at two, then a phone conference with the governor at five, followed by six messages to return… all from your ex-wife,” she added.
“Tell Mr. and Mrs. Archibald I will be meeting with them at their home shortly. The press must be going crazy by now and it would be best if they stayed inside. See if you can push the call with the governor to six, and if my ex-wife calls again, hang up.”
“Then she’ll come here.”
“Call security?”
“Really? And if the media finds out that Boston’s top defense attorney had his ex-wife thrown out of his office, what do you think will happen?”
“I will get a round of applause.” And rightly so, I thought, because my ex-wife was, for want of a better word, borderline insane.
“Mr. Black, I am sixty-five years old, do you think I want to deal with your ex-wife?”
“Good point. Forward all her calls to one of the associates to handle. It’s not like they do much of anything anyway.”
She shook her head and turned around.
“Thank you Betty!” I called out cheerfully.
Betty had been with me since the very beginning. I had left my firm six years ago with nothing but a box of awards, which meant nothing to anyone anymore, and an album full of pictures, that I later burned.
They all said I was a fool for walking out, that I should have just stuck it out. Betty was the only person that came with me. Six years later, I still took immense pleasure in stealing their clients and beating their asses in court. It was the little things in life.
Reaching into my bag, I searched for my proposal, but I stopped when I felt the lace at the bottom. Opening it wider, I saw the pair of teal lace panties that she had worn the first night we spent at her place, with a note from her:
For the long trip home, it was fun.
Thea.
Just the mere sight of them caused something deep within me to awaken, and as I felt the texture of the material against my fingertips, I could feel myself growing hard.
What sort of a mess had I gone and gotten myself into?
CHAPTER FOUR
P A S T
D A Y 2
THEA
Brushing my teeth for what had to be the eighth time, I spun around, observing myself in the mirror, and dusting off the yellow button down shirt, and black skirt that I’d decided to wear.
I was so excited that I was shaking.
I was twenty-three, damn it. I should be past shaking like a schoolgirl at the thought of a guy coming over.
It seemed that no matter what I tried on, nothing looked good enough. My hair didn't look right, and I felt like if I ate or drank anything, I would need to brush teeth again. Plus, I was sure that I’d gained weight.
Get it together Thea. It’s not like you both haven’t done this already. Your clothes are fine. Your hair looks nice. And you’ve only gained a pound but that could just be stress…Right?
“I should change,” I said to my reflection, as I turned and moved over to the closet. Before I could give my appearance another thought, the doorbell rang.
Shit.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to not give in to my absurd urge to bolt down the stairs. Pausing, I looked myself over in the mirror that stood in the entryway, and I rubbed my finger over my teeth relishing the clean squeak they gave off. Eighth time’s the charm, I supposed. Then, taking a deep breath, I opened the door to what would prove to be the most pleasurable week of my life.
“Wow,” he whispered.
“Now that’s how you say hello.” I beamed, taking in the sight of him. He wore a pair of casual, dark jeans and a blazer. His hands were behind his back and he rocked back and forth on his toes, grinning mischievously. I suspected that he was hiding something behind his back, but before I could question him about it, his grin widened as he brought forward a chilled bottle of wine for my inspection.
“You didn’t have to bring anything,” I told him, as I took the bottle from his hands.
“What type of house guest would I be if I showed up with empty hands? Besides, you just moved in, right?” he asked, as I made room for him to enter.
“Yeah. I moved most of boxes into the other rooms. It was just too much for me to sort through alone.”
“If you need help, I’m great with a box cutter—shit, that sounded awful…”
I laughed, I couldn’t help it. One moment he was overtly sexual, and the next, he
was so cute and sweet, that it was hard to believe.
“It’s fine,” I told him. “Have you eaten? I ordered pizza because I felt that making dinner would be a little too—” I paused and made a face.
“Too relationship—y?” he finished with a grin. “Pizza’s good.”
Nodding, I headed for the kitchen, and he followed. I handed him a wine opener from one of the drawers, and turned around to reach up for the plates I had unpacked just this afternoon.
“Glasses?” he asked. “Or do you want to drink out of the bottle?”
“I’d say bottle, but I wouldn’t want you to judge me, or get any ideas about the kind of girl I am,” I teased.
“Honesty. I like that in a woman,” he said, taking a swig before handing the bottle to me.
“Then let’s get real honest,” I said with a grin as I swallowed a mouthful of wine. “Do you really want to eat pizza right now?”
“Not even a little bit,” he muttered.
Taking my hand and pulling me to him, he molded his lips onto mine, and as I tried to place the bottle on the counter, it slipped from my hand and shattered against the floor. Neither of us paid the bottle any heed, and as my hands moved up his neck, his hands slid down the length of my torso to the bottom of my thighs. Then, he lifted me up onto the kitchen table and ripped open my blouse.
“I liked that shirt,” I complained, as he kissed down my neck.
“I liked that wine.”
“Touché—Ah!” I hissed, as he gently bit the top of my breast whilst reaching inside my bra to tease my nipples. As I wrapped my legs around him, drawing him closer to me, I reached for his belt and began to unfasten it, but he stopped me.
“Not yet,” he whispered, trailing kisses from my mouth all the way down to my bellybutton. With ease he took my skirt off, and his fingers played around with the lace of my underwear.
I gasped as he rubbed his fingers over me. Pushing the lace to the side, he continued trailing his kisses downward until his head lingered between my thighs. Grabbing onto his hair, I shivered as he licked me.