Mutually Exclusive

by Charlotte Winston

  “It’s not over. I mean, I’m pretty sure we’ll win.” She moved to reassure him after his face fell. “There’s no way in hell the jury doesn’t have reasonable doubt. But we stick with the plan. Today is a major loss for the prosecution and should prove to be their downfall, but I want you to stay vigilant. Our goal now is to make sure you stay out of prison so you can be a father to your baby. You did not break the law, and everyone now knows this. What you don’t need to do is get cocky and then not follow through with what we’re supposed to do. I want you guys to go home, have a nice, low-key evening, and get ready to kick their asses again tomorrow. We’ve got this, and we will win this by sticking with the plan.”

  “Okay.” He nodded. “Thank you.”

  She smiled, patting his arm, and watched the two of them walk off. What a crazy couple of weeks. She had a client set to take the fall for a crime he didn’t commit, a boss who warned her off the case, a pizzeria owner who received a bribe and lied, and a detective who ducked out when her questioning discussed an overflow of cash. What the hell is going on? Although, the confusion at the seemingly simple case did nothing to put a damper on her excitement. After that shit show, there was no way they would convict Corey.

  She pulled out her phone, wanting Roman and a margarita but unsure of his plans today. She needn’t have worried, because her lock screen showed a text from him.

  Roman: 202. The Braddock downtown. Pack a bag for tomorrow.

  ***

  Alexandra took a deep breath, standing when prompted as the judge entered the courtroom. Roman followed her lead, smoothing down the front of his suit, the outward picture of calm. She’d practiced their arguments until she was blue in the face, but it was subject to the judge’s opinion. Gerald Arrow stood on the other side, looking smug, while his wife was nowhere to be found. Gina may not be there but the media was, ready to discover if they would have access to the list Roman kept locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Not if she could help it, because this was his livelihood and people’s reputations were on the line. Gerald couldn’t use Valentine’s membership list for a fishing expedition.

  The judge sat down, going over the information and asking for their arguments. Gerald’s lawyer went first, laying on how he felt it was irresponsible for Roman to allow married people, such as Gina, to become members of his club and how it led to the destruction of their marriage. Gerald took the stand, playing the sympathetic husband who’d given everything for his community and was repaid by discovering his wife had an affair. He dodged Alexandra’s questions, pretending he was at the club to salvage his marriage and protect his wife, a martyr who sacrificed his own morals for his family.

  Alexandra went through their argument, how the lawsuit was a clear violation of the civil liberties of the people in Roman’s club. It also amounted to a witch hunt for a potential lawsuit down the line. The judge listened to both sides before telling them he was going to look over all the information before he made a decision.

  “What happens now?” Roman pressed his hand on the small of her back to escort her out, hoping to avoid the press that’d converged where Gerald’s lawyer was doing an impromptu press conference.

  “I’d be surprised if he came back right away. This is a big decision, but I’m sure we’ll get what we want. If he says you have to turn over the list to Gerald, we’ll appeal his ruling. But I can’t see any judge giving the list to Gerald without a legitimate reason. His divorce isn’t a legitimate reason, but he still needs to ensure he’s coming to the best decision.” Roman opened the door, the sunlight blinding and the shouts drowning out Roman’s response.

  “Alexandra!”

  “Roman!” The media converged, like vultures needing fresh prey, and Alexandra figured she would be doing the mini-press conference she was avoiding.

  “What did you think about what the judge said?” A microphone was shoved in her face along with a tape recorder, looking for their soundbite.

  “I have every faith the judge will rule in our favor. He’s taking time to examine all the information, and will provide his decision following that process. As I said in the courtroom, Gerald has no reason to access the membership list for his personal vendetta against his wife. I’m confident the judge will see this as a marital spat, which Club Valentine is not responsible for or contributing to.”

  “What’s wrong? Scared because you’re on the list?” someone yelled from the back, and Alexandra felt her heart stop beating. She felt Roman’s hand on the small of her back, but her attention was focused on the ginger haired female reporter she’d never seen before in her life with the wicked gleam in her eyes. She forced air in and out of her lungs, feeling her chest closing in. Her worst nightmare was staring straight at her, and she couldn’t do a thing to stop it. The reporters turned to the woman in the back, who continued to spew accusations at Alexandra.

  “I have pictures from the last couple months of you coming in and out of the club. Rumor has it you and Roman have been hitting it up in his sex club.” Faces flashed back to her, and thankfully Roman recovered enough to issue a statement in her defense.

  “It’s not illegal to have a relationship with someone who owns a sex club.” Roman rubbed circles up and down her back, and she was never more grateful for his presence.

  “True,” the woman acknowledged before her Cheshire smile came across her face. “But we both know you guys weren’t dating. Yet Alexandra’s been going to the club for months. Tell me, are the men at the club as good as they’re rumored to be? Is Roman?”

  19

  The question stunned Alexandra into silence. She was vaguely aware of Roman’s presence, but heard his voice break through over the shouting reporters.

  “That’s enough,” Roman cut in at the invasive question. “Miss Kane’s personal life is her own. As I told you, we’ve been dating. It’s no one’s business how long our relationship has gone on, but it’s not uncommon for people to visit their significant other at their place of business. No more questions.” He grabbed her hand, navigating through the mob of media who continued to shout questions at them. She held tight while he moved her through the crowd.

  Two months back, Alexandra would have freaked out, but she found herself calm as they made their way to his car. She drove separately, but there was no way she was going to her car by herself now. Someone else could pick it up. Nothing was said, there were too many cameras, but she squeezed his hand to let him know she was okay. It was none of their business how long they’d been dating—it only mattered that they were.

  “Fucking vultures.” Roman shook his head. “And why are you smiling?” he asked once they were buckled in the car and ready to leave.

  “I thought the same thing when they came after us when we left the courthouse. What a mess. Get me out of here, please.”

  “I’m going.” He pulled out, watching so he wouldn’t hit anyone, but they refused to give them the same peace, practically crawling on the car to get pictures of them.

  “How did they know I’m a member?” She lay back, closing her eyes for relief from the flashes continuing to go off.

  “I don’t know.” He rubbed her arm before he reached for his phone, calling his brother to get him looking for the leak. He pulled over at a corner diner once he was satisfied the news was gone so they could talk. Roman pulled her hands to his mouth, kissing them before looking her in the eye. “I’m going to find out. Whoever the hell it was, they’re gone. I promise.”

  She nodded. “I know. We’re going to get through this. It’s not their business anyway. As long as we play it off the relationship angle, they won’t have a leg to stand on. The rest is just details.”

  Roman cupped her face, the love shining through causing her eyes to become suspiciously wet. It was too much, and his sweetness threatened to overwhelm her. “I know you hate being exposed and I’m sorry it happened today. I’ll fix it.” Her phone rang before she could respond, and her stomach dropped again when she saw it was Henry. He would be frea
king out; he never wanted any type of bad publicity, and would consider this inexcusable.

  “Yes, Henry?” she answered, prepared for the verbal reprimand she was sure to get.

  “I need you in my office, five minutes ago!” She winced at the tone, but directed Roman to take her back to work. He agreed to pick her up later, kissing her before she ran inside to meet with her boss. He was pissed, sure, but this was fixable. Everything would be fine; they’d release a press release and handle the situation. The raised eyebrows and open stares as she walked through the office told her they’d heard the news, but she refused to defend herself against these people. It was none of their business what she did on her own personal time, and she was done hiding Roman. She cared about him, knew he cared about her, and anyone else could fuck off.

  She entered Henry’s office when he called for her to come in, watching the news coverage of their statements outside the courthouse. The headline was pretty damning—Promising Lawyer Member of Infamous Sex Club—and had all the information they’d been able to gather since they left. There in black and white were pictures of her leaving over the last couple months, pictures the bitchy reporter promised had been leaked. And wasn’t that the cap to a shitty day?

  “Alexandra.” Henry gestured to the seat in front of his desk, not moving when she sat in front of him. She always thought the ornate chair suited him, a cherry wood detailed with gold embellishments, as powerful as the man who sat in it. But at that moment, it freaked her out with the way his eyes seemed to bore into her.

  “You have information you want to disclose?” He pointed at the television, now muted but the story still running.

  “With all due respect, sir, I have nothing more I would like to disclose. Roman Valentine and I are involved in a relationship, which is why there are pictures of me leaving Club Valentine. Anything else is no one’s business.” Including yours wasn’t added, but the implication was there.

  Henry’s face grew red, the vein in his forehead popping out. “When the girl I was going to bring in as a partner of this firm is plastered all over the news like some common…” He stopped, standing up behind his desk, but all Alexandra heard was the girl I was going to bring in as partner.

  “What do you mean when you say ‘the girl I was going to bring in’?” She hadn’t gone public with their relationship to anyone but her family, hoping to keep it private until she made partner. She wasn’t afforded that opportunity, but it didn’t mean she should lose what she’d worked so hard for.

  “Are you serious?” His lip curled in disgust. “You think I want you to be one of the partners of this firm? To be part of what I helped build? You’re delusional if that’s what you believe. You’ll be lucky if you have a job after all this is over. I would fire you now, but I have to confer with the other partners. I loathe negative publicity, whether it’s because we lost a case or one of our associates did something stupid. This ranks at the top. I don’t want to see you for the rest of this week. You’re suspended.”

  “My cases,” she tried to reason with him.

  “Will be reassigned. All except for the Valentine case; you’re keeping that one. It got you into this mess.” She stood since there was nothing else to say. Her goals, her plans, were vanishing before her eyes. She wouldn’t be the lawyer her parents expected her to be, she wouldn’t be partner, and there was no way to fulfill her father’s dream. She was all but fired; Henry was just waiting on the approval of the other two, who’d never respected her as much anyway.

  “I’ll call you next week,” she informed him, but he flicked his wrist at her as though she were an irritating gnat he wanted gone. She turned around; it wasn’t the time to go head-to-head with him.

  “Alexandra.” He stopped her at the door. His eyes shot pure venom when he told her. “Your father would be ashamed of you, making a mockery of your family and this profession.”

  She left, focused on putting one foot in front of the other while she lay bleeding, shredded by the bullet he’d just leveled her with. Leaving, she started grabbing a couple of items from her office and regrouping before they talked again. No one was perfect, and she’d just found out how quickly everything could change. Calling Roman, she opted for a cab when his phone went to voicemail. She had a million voicemails and missed calls to sift through, but there was no way she was calling her grandmother, her mother, or Parker at the moment. She wasn’t going to stew; she was going to fix this. Her parents raised her to be hard as nails, and Blair would come over with bottles of wine and want to commiserate. She wasn’t commiserating, she was fixing.

  ***

  Alexandra was engulfed in a hug as soon as she let Roman in the door. She breathed him in as he kissed her head and held on to her. She wanted to stay wrapped in him for days and pretend like today never happened.

  He held her out from him, his hands on her arms while he studied her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She nodded, but then shook her head. “I don’t know. It was horrible today.”

  He led her to the couch, pulling her into his arms. “I know. This morning was one of the worst days I’ve had in a while.”

  She pushed back so she could look in his eyes. “I’m sorry all that went down.”

  “You think I’m mad at you?” he asked, incredulous. “I’m mad for you, not at you. You were brilliant this morning. There’s no way Gerald is getting that list, but then when we got lambasted by the press and the sneaky bitch in the back it all went to hell.”

  “Who was she?” Alexandra wondered aloud, something she’d mulled over all day. She couldn’t place her, and she’d developed a bit of a relationship with the local reporters who covered the courts.

  Roman rubbed his hand down her back while he explained his afternoon. “I tracked her down, which was part of the reason I didn’t get your call. It took quite a bit to hunt her down, but turns out she was hired to be there and deliver the message. White guy wearing a black ball cap, black t-shirt, and jeans who paid in cash, and she went through the script. She didn’t have the pictures, so someone else leaked them.”

  Alexandra sat up, missing the warmth of his arms, but needing to have this conversation sitting up. “What is going on? There’s been a lot of odd things happening with this and my cases for the last couple of months, and it’s pissing me off.” She considered Franklin, who matched the description, but quickly dismissed him. Their dealings were over, and she’d won his case, so he had no reason to discredit her. And there was no way Corey was upset with her after she won his case the week before.

  Anger flashed in his pale eyes. “What’s been going on with your cases?”

  “You know I can’t tell you, but I brought work home with me. I may as well use the rest of this week to follow some leads I’ve been meaning to catch up on.”

  “And why do you suddenly have free time during the week to pursue leads?” His voice was calm, which meant he was getting irritated. Roman tended to be most calm before he blew up.

  “Because Henry relieved me of all my duties today. Except for your case. And told me they don’t know what will happen with my employment.”

  The muscle in his jaw ticked. Roman stood, pacing in front of her several times before stopping in front of her. “You’re telling me you may lose your job because of this?”

  “Pretty much. He told me he has to meet with the other partners, but it’s done.” Roman walked to the window, saying silent. She sought to reassure him when it lasted long enough to become unnerving. “Roman, its fine. I knew this was a possibility if it got out, considering how hardcore my boss is, which is why I was going to wait until I made partner before I went public with our relationship. This happened a little sooner than I hoped, but I’m not running. This is me standing up for what I want.”

  He continued to stare out the window, his mouth turned down, so she went to him, the invisible string she always felt kept her tied to him pulling her closer. Her need to be near him outweighed any signals he was giving off. “Y
ou wouldn’t have to stand up for it if it wasn’t for me.” Hard eyes stared at her while his arms remained crossed over his chest. “I’m the reason you’re in this position.” He chuckled humorously. “You know, I thought you were overreacting.”

  She shook her head; Roman was always so engaging, but he was as unapproachable as the stone statute that adorned her yard. He continued, “I did. You tried to tell me, warn me what could happen to you, but I kept going, without any regard for you or your feelings.”

  “That’s not true.” She put her hands on his arms, hoping to move them so he’d hold her but he was still. “I’m where I wanted to be. I’ve told you that plenty of times. This is a setback, but it’s not the end. I can get a job somewhere else.”

  He stepped back, shaking his head. “Not as a partner at the firm you wanted.”’

  Alexandra threw her arms out in frustration. “You think I care? I don’t. If they can’t respect me and what I do on my personal time, I don’t want to work there. I’ll be fine. Besides, after the shit I’ve been hearing about my father, I’m wondering if I should even try and carry on with his legacy.”

  “Don’t you get it? I don’t want you to be fine. I want you to be amazing, fantastic, and happy. You can’t have that and me in your life at the same time.” He grabbed her, but the kiss on her head felt like goodbye. “You told me and I ignored you. No more. I’m sorry.”

  “Are you serious? Why does this sound like goodbye? What about all the promises you made me the other day? That you were going to love me forever, we were in this together, and we were going to build a future together?”

  He grabbed her head, his kiss brutal, before he held her to him. His breath was ragged when he finally spoke. “I love you. Don’t you get it? This is killing me, but I can’t stay here if my presence is hurting you.” His lips lay on her forehead once more before he released her. The whimper came out before she could stop it. He paused at the sound, and she hoped he would realize he did nothing wrong, but he shook his head and headed for the door.