“It’s like an insult and a compliment in one package. Teddy is usually so smooth. A goofy smooth, but usually a ladies’ man nonetheless.”
“Yeah, well, I told him that he didn’t have to worry about hurting my feelings anymore because I was done. He tried to sweet talk me, but I wasn’t having it.”
“Sounds like you put your foot down,” Trish said and bit into her croissant.
“Phillip came back to the table. I asked him if he wanted to dance. He said yes, and so we slow danced. We were…enjoying each other. Phillip was rubbing my back. He gave me a kiss on my forehead. I guess he remembered himself because he asked if he was making me uncomfortable. I said no. It felt nice. Next thing I knew, Teddy was grabbing Phillip’s arm. I told him to keep his hands to himself, and Phillip told Ted to mind his own business.” Darlene finished the foul-tasting remedy. “I figured it was time to go home, so I asked Phillip to drive me home. We went back to the booth to get my purse, and Ted was hot on our heels. Teddy said I wasn’t leaving with Phillip, and he grabbed my wrist. Not hard, but I still didn’t like it. This was the part where I caused trouble.”
Trish was intrigued. “What did you do?”
“I grabbed a glass of water that was on the table and I threw it in his face. He let me go then. I think he got distracted by the ice that went down his shirt.”
After all these years, Trish was finally rubbing off on Darlene. Trish smirked because it sounded like something she would do. “I bet.” She took another bite of her croissant.
“Barry came over and asked what was going on. I apologized for the scene and told Barry that Phillip was taking me home. Barry said that was fine and told us to have a good night. Teddy tried to stop us from leaving, but Barry stopped him. Barry must have kept Teddy busy for a few minutes because we didn’t see him again until we were leaving the parking lot. He was standing outside the doors looking like a wild man with a wet shirt. Phillip laughed.” Darlene smiled. “Then, I laughed when Phillip blew his horn at him.”
Trish chuckled. “Oh boy, I bet Teddy was hot. I don’t think any man or woman has made a fool of him before.” Trish took a sip of orange juice.
“Phillip asked me if was up for a little fun. I said maybe. Long story short, we ended up at a drag race.”
“Come again?”
“We were only there for thirty minutes. These guys got Phillip to agree to a quick race. I was in the passenger seat. Phillip won the race and three hundred dollars. We hugged. Phillip picked me up and twirled me around. The race was the best part of the night.”
“Let me guess this part. You two didn’t know that Teddy caught up with you at the drag race.”
“Yes, but we didn’t know that until we got home. Phillip helped me out of the car and next thing I know a SUV pulled up- really fast. Teddy jumped out of the SUV cussing at Phillip for racing while I was in the car and driving like a madman on the way home. They traded a couple of insults, but the last one I remembered was Phillip calling Ted a sexually addled brain adolescent. That’s when Teddy grabbed him.”
“And that’s when David and I-”
“Yep. I guess the ride didn’t agree with my stomach. Oh no,” Darlene said with a horrified look. “I threw up next to the porch. Daddy will see it when he goes to church.”
“Relax. He thinks a dog did it. I got your back, girl.”
“How did you convince him of that?”
“Not sure. I think I got lucky that it was brown and something your dad had never seen before. Luckily, he doesn’t have any sense of smell because it sure didn’t smell like dog poop.”
Darlene’s facial features relaxed.
“Teddy could have handled it better, but I understand his concern. Riding shotgun in a drag race was dangerous. Phillip could have wrecked. You could have been hurt or killed.”
“I know, but I felt so free- so alive. Now, tell me what happened with David,” Darlene said softly.
“He took me to a twenty-four-hour diner. On the way there, he told me that his father used to take him there when he and Teddy were kids. David is a regular there. The owner and his wife were nice. While we were there David told me about the blonde bombshell. Her name is Heather Young. She and David were engaged while he was living in New York.”
Darlene’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding? I didn’t know he was engaged before.”
Trish continued to tell Darlene about Heather and the sordid details of what happened in New York.
*******
Darlene went upstairs to take a shower before her father came home. While Trish was upstairs with Darlene, David called. He called to check on Darlene. Trish assured him she was fine and told him about her conversation with Mr. Jacobs. David got a kick out of it. They didn’t talk long because David was expected at his parents’ house. He also said he wanted to keep his promise to her about giving her time and space to think.
Trish lay on the couch in her apartment daydreaming about David. Her face warmed as she thought about his mouth and hands on her body. The memory of his honey words played through her mind. She really had grown fond of him. Then, an ache gripped her. Trish realized she missed him. Throwing her hands up in frustration, she wondered why she asked David for space. Was she crazy? Darlene was right; he was smart, mature, responsible, loyal, and a damn good attorney. What Darlene didn’t know was that David was sexy, a great kisser, and he liked to take his time when- her eyes closed as she fantasized about him removing her clothes, caressing her body, and making her thighs wet with his kiss. A smile slowly spread across her lips.
“Hey, beautiful dreamer,” Darlene said, interrupting Trish’s thoughts.
Trish opened her eyes to Darlene staring at her. “Why are you standing over me like a serial killer?
Darlene smiled and sat down in the recliner. She wore a pink sweat suit. “It’s nice to see you in love. Makes your face glow.”
“I’m not in love.” Was she?
“Don’t deny it. I’ve been watching you and David. You two have fallen in love.”
“You read too many romance novels.”
“You can lie to me, but don’t lie to yourself.”
Trish’s curiosity got the best of her. She asked, “What makes you say I’m in love?”
“Well, like I said, your face is glowing, your mind wanders- like it did just now and at The Clover Club, and your eyes light up when David is around, no matter how much you try to keep a straight face.”
Trish contemplated what Darlene said. “I see. What makes you think he’s in love with me?”
“David can’t keep his hands off you, he undresses you with his eyes, and he goes nuts when he doesn’t know where you are. Oh, and he follows you. Somehow he always ends up where you are.”
Trish frowned. “Most people would call that stalking.”
Darlene let out a small laugh. “Well, there are a lot of ladies out there that would love to have a stalker like him.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m in love with him. I know that I have grown to like him a lot. Perhaps we’re on the rebound,” Trish said with worry. “We’ve hated each other for years, then out of the blue he’s kissing all over me and I…well…I don’t discourage him.”
“Are you sure you two hated each other? Sometimes people use aggression to cover up their true feelings.”
Trish sat up and looked at Darlene. “You took a psych class last semester, didn’t you?”
“No, I took it in undergrad, thank you very much, but it is true.”
“Well, David did admit to me that he always found me attractive. I guess I have to admit that he’s the tall, dark, and handsome type, but once again. It’s just physical.”
“And, once again, opposites attract. But, then again-”
“What?”
“David can be a bit of a hot head when it comes to something or someone he really cares about, like you. You’re both passionate, and neither one of you backs down from a challenge.”
“I d
on’t know.” Trish shook her head. “I need to think about this some more. Let’s talk about something else. I see that you’re feeling better.”
“Yes, your nasty drink helped a lot. I also took some aspirin. By the way, Phillip called while I was upstairs. He asked me out for New Year’s Eve.”
Trish’s eyebrows arched up. “Interesting. What did you say?”
“I accepted. He has tickets to the ECTV New Year’s Eve ball.”
“Do they televise the ball? I can’t remember.”
“No. Hey, you should come, too.”
“Are you nuts? Last time I heard, those tickets cost seventy-five dollars a piece.”
“One hundred, now. The price went up four years ago.”
Chapter 27
Monday afternoon, Ted burst into David’s office with the grace of a rhino. He dropped a large manila envelope on David’s desk and plopped down in the chair across from it.
“Good morning to you, too,” David said and twisted his mouth. He picked up the envelope. “What’s this?”
“A little something from my connections in L.A. Our hunch paid off about Robert Jameson,” Ted answered.
David opened the envelope and pulled the pictures out. The first picture was of Robert receiving oral sex from a man with blonde hair. It appeared they were in a luxury hotel room. David had seen pictures of defendants and plaintiffs in explicit situations before, but this was the first time they’d been of gay sex. “Whoa!”
“Yeah, that first one is a bit of a shocker,” Ted said plainly.
David flipped to the next picture. It was of Robert having sex with a redheaded female. “I see. He is bisexual.”
Ted shook his head.
David flipped to the last picture. It was Robert again with two blonde women. It appears that they were fondling his chest. “Is that a straw up Robert’s nose?”
“Yep,” Ted said flatly.
“Do we know who these people are? Where were these taken?”
“Prostitutes at a whore house in L.A. The place is clean, high class, and discreet. From what I understand, the madam has strict rules about patrons and her workers using protection. Either way, Trish got tested for STDs before she left L.A. She’s clean. My contact says that people can get anything or anyone there as long as they pay the price. The date and times of Robert’s ehm…appointments were stamped in the corner by the camera.”
David looked up at him. “Wait. How do you know Trish got tested for STDs?”
“She told me.”
David’s brown eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you showed her these.”
“Of course, I showed them to her.”
David looked up to the ceiling. “You idiot! How could you show her these? How did she take it? Is she all right?”
“Calm down, David. She had a right to know, and she’s fine. Hell, she’s better than fine. When I showed her those pictures I thought she was going to laugh herself to death. After she got her wind back, Trish said she was glad she got tested for STDs a week after her and Robert split. If she hadn’t, she would have freaked out over the pictures. She never suspected that Robert was into, let’s say, advanced sexual activities with multiple people.”
David exhaled with relief that Trish wasn’t upset by photographs. Robert Jameson was a fool to let Trish go. All the money and sex in the world were not worth giving her up. “Very nicely put, I must say. How did your contact get such clear pictures? They’re so good I would swear he was in the room with them.”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any physical evidence concerning Jameson’s cocaine use.”
“It’s fine. I think this is more than enough leverage to negotiate a better settlement. I don’t think Robert wants his future bride to find out about his extracurricular activities. Even if she did know, I don’t think they want this coming out in a courtroom.”
“Don’t suppose they do. Now, for the fun part, do you want me to go ahead and call my contact and ask him to send a copy of these pictures to Jameson’s attorney; courtesy of you, of course?”
“Absolutely. I want this divorce finalized as soon as possible,” David said and stood up. He grabbed a legal pad and a folder.
Ted’s eyebrow arched up. “Oh? How much progress did you make with Trish the other night?” Ted inquired.
“After the call. I’ll give you some privacy. I have to go over some things with Mrs. Hinkle anyway,” David said and started to leave the room.
Ted stood up and walked to David’s phone.
Five minutes later, David entered his office and closed the door.
“It’s done, little brother,” Ted said. “Jameson’s lawyer should get your-” Ted made quotations marks with his fingers. “Confidential information by the end of the day.”
David clicked the button for the intercom, “Mrs. Hinkle?”
“Yes, David,” she answered.
“Call Jason Clinton of Maxwell Law Firm. Tell his secretary to expect a confidential envelope from us by the end of the day concerning the Jameson case.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thanks.” David sat down in his office chair.
“So? What’s the temperature of the Trish Truman situation?” Ted asked flatly.
“Warm, I think,” David said with hope. “I got the chance to tell her about Heather. She was very understanding. Now, I’m trying to give her some space, but at the same time I’m trying to express my serious interest in her.”
Ted shook his head. “Yeah, I saw the roses. Very classy.”
“Thank you. I can’t help but notice your somber mood. Surely, you’re not still brooding over Saturday night.”
Ted started pacing back and forth. “Yes, I tried calling Darlene three times yesterday. First two times no one picked up, and the third time Trish answered and said Darlene was taking a shower.”
“Well, I’m sure she had a hangover.”
“When Trish reported to work this morning I asked if she told Darlene that I called.”
“What did Trish say?”
“Trish said that she told Darlene that I called, and Darlene called me the scum of the earth and that she hopes she never sees me or hears from me again. Trish made it clear that any type of contact with Darlene right now would be met with aggression.”
“Ouch,” David said. “Well, it’s probably for the best. You weren’t serious about her. She isn’t the good time type.”
“I know that. I just feel like well…..what Darlene said, scum. I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. I really didn’t. Usually if a woman is mad at me I can charm my way out of it. But, I don’t think it’s going to happen this time. I guess my ego can’t handle the fact that a woman – hell, any woman - hates my guts. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be over it by Christmas.”
David shook his head. “Another thing, you never told me why you were about to fight Phillip.”
Ted stopped pacing and perched himself on David’s desk. He proceeded to tell David the events that led up to the roughhousing.
*******
A couple of days later, Trish was typing up reports for Teddy when the phone rang.
“Shaw Investigations,” she answered.
“Hey, beautiful,” David greeted.
“Well, hello, sir. What can I help you with today?”
The last time Trish talked to David it was Sunday afternoon. He called to check on Darlene. On her first day, a dozen of red roses were delivered. The card said, I’m giving you time and space like you asked. This is my way of letting you know that I am thinking of you- a lot.
“Personally, I have the urge to speak with the sexiest woman in Clary.”
Trish giggled.
David chuckled. “Okay. We have to be serious now. This is a professional call.”
Trish cleared her throat. “Yes, Mr. Shaw. How can I help you?”
“I have news concerning your divorce case, Ms. Truman. I would like to discuss this with you in person. Can you meet me at my
office?”
Trish wanted to do a somersault. “Is today too soon? I can swing by around 11:30. I need to run some errands. I’ll just add you to my to-do list.”
“See you at 11:30, Ms. Truman.”
“All right, Mr. Shaw. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, beautiful,” he said and hung up.
Trish smiled when she hung up the phone.
******
David felt foolish because he was as giddy as a schoolboy. Trish was due to arrive any minute.
Trish walked through the front door. “Greetings, Mr. Shaw.” she said as she approached him.
“Ms. Truman.” He nodded. “Please step into my office.”
They walked into David’s office. He closed the door behind him and quickly stepped closer to her. “Can I you kiss now?”
Trish placed her hand on her chest like an offended Southern belle and dropped her mouth open. “Why Mr. Shaw, that wouldn’t be professional behavior. I strongly suggest that we greet each other with a handshake.”
David twisted his mouth. “Ha. No thanks. I’ll wait.”
They both smiled and walked to the desk. Trish sat down in a chair and David sat on the desk in front of her.
“Where’s Mrs. Hinkle?”
“She had a dental appointment. She also had some errands to run. I don’t expect her back until two.
“So, Mr. Shaw, what did you need to see me about?”
“As you know, the P.I. I hired came up with additional information concerning your soon-to-be ex-husband.”
“Yes.”
“I relayed the information to your husband’s attorney, and I took the liberty of renegotiating the original terms. Your husband agreed to them - rather quickly.”
Trish gave him a quizzical look. “Do you mean you got me a bigger settlement?”
“I do,” David reached behind him and grabbed a typed list. “As soon as you sign the divorce papers, and after they are filed, of course, you will receive the following settlement: eight million dollars in cash, five hundred thousand dollars in stocks, an apartment building that brings in one hundred and twenty thousand dollars a year located in Los Angles, and a three-bedroom beach house in the Bahamas,” he finished proudly.
The Lawyer Page 16