“I won’t touch you. Unless you want me to,” he’d stated.
She’d wanted him to touch her all right, but she hadn’t admitted it. Not to him. In her mind, she’d yearned for him. But she’d concocted the idea that before they knew each other carnally again, they needed to define their relationship. Were they just having fun or in a relationship? Were they moving toward something meaningful or merely living in the moment? These were answers that she needed from Vince, but she wasn’t quite ready to ask them yet. And she wasn’t quite ready to spend the night at his place.
“What you do is admirable, Vince. I’m not sure that I could do it, but it’s admirable. Says a lot about your character,” said Sasha.
“I think you could do it. You have a heart for people. I can just tell.”
“I have a heart for people, but I’m also very high maintenance. I like my posh office and my nice salary.”
“But those things aren’t a necessity. Are you happy? I mean, do you really enjoy working at that law firm, or do you do it for the office and salary? Is it fulfilling? At the end of the day, are you changing lives?”
“Sure I am. I’m changing lots of lives.”
“I don’t mean getting people off the hook for immoral or illegal things that they’ve done. I mean, are you really, truly helping someone?”
Sasha pondered the question, and she couldn’t truthfully answer it. She couldn’t think of one single person whom she’d helped in a long time. In the beginning, when she was a law student and during her years as a junior associate, the cases were simpler and more fulfilling. Though they were cases that the firm had deemed insignificant, Sasha had been passionate about them. She even recalled a case where a woman had been discriminated against while trying to rent an apartment. She’d gone to bat for the woman and actually got her a settlement. The landlord ended up settling out of court.
Vince was right. She did have a heart for people. She was a lot like her father. Brian Winters had the warmest heart of anyone Sasha had ever known. When she was a little girl, she’d watched him take the coat off his back in the middle of winter and hand it to a homeless man in downtown Atlanta while Sasha and her sister looked on from the car. He’d arranged for her and Bridget to volunteer at food kitchens and shelters over the years—hoping to teach them a thing or two about selflessness. Toward the end of his career, he’d been accused by his firm of underbilling his attorney’s fees for clients he’d grown fond of.
It was her father who had ignited the fire that she had for the law. She remembered accompanying him to the office, and she’d gone to court with him a few times. It was in those courtrooms that she’d decided to become a lawyer.
“Have a seat. Let me give you a cleaning,” said Vince.
“Right now?”
“As good a time as any.”
Sasha took a seat in Vince’s chair, and he placed a small cape around her chest. He adjusted the seat so that it reclined and Sasha’s eyes were facing the ceiling. He stood close, his cologne dancing across her nose as he caressed her face with his fingertip.
He ordered her to open her mouth. “Let me take a look-see,” he said.
Opening wide and closing her eyes, Sasha hoped her teeth weren’t too bad off.
“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed. “I see.”
“What?”
“Okay. Yes.”
“Are they bad?” she asked in a panic.
“I see a cavity forming back there,” he said.
“Those darn Hershey’s Kisses. I can’t get enough of them,” she playfully admitted.
“So you have a sweet tooth for kisses, do you?”
“Yes, Hershey’s Ki...”
Before she could get the last word out, Vince’s lips were pressed against hers—kissing them gently. His tongue explored her mouth as she attempted to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and gently touched his face; caressed it.
“I’m sorry...didn’t mean to interrupt,” said a strong male voice.
Startled, Sasha sat up straight, looked toward the door and noticed a familiar face.
“Otis.” Vince regained his composure and strolled toward the door and offered the man a handshake. “What are you doing here?”
“I was walking by and saw your car out front.” Otis held on tightly to the hand of a young girl.
“You remember Sasha,” Vince stated.
“Hard to forget such a beautiful face.” Otis flashed a nice set of teeth. “Good to see you again.”
“And this is Taja.” Vince grinned and then reached behind the girl’s ear. He pulled a quarter from somewhere and handed it to her. She seemed bored with his magic trick.
“I already know how you did that,” she stated. “You pulled it from your sleeve.”
“You think I just keep quarters in my sleeve?” Vince asked.
“I looked it up on the internet. I found step-by-step instructions on how the trick is performed,” Taja explained.
“The internet is destroying the minds of our children, man,” Vince said to Otis.
“She’s too smart for her own good.” Otis laughed.
“And I’m too old for that magic trick anyway. You showed me that one when I was six and a half, Dr. Sullivan. I’m eight now.”
“Wow, she’s eight now.” He turned to Sasha as if Taja had just made a huge revelation.
“I tried getting by here on Friday,” Otis explained, “but taking three buses from downtown—anyway, I didn’t make it in time.”
“Three buses. Why are you riding the bus? Where’s your car?”
“Um...” Otis looked embarrassed. “It’s been rough for me, man. Lost my car, and now we’re sleeping on my buddy’s couch.”
“Man, I’m sorry.”
“Hard to make ends meet with no income. Unemployment won’t kick in for a few weeks. And even then, my former employer is fighting my unemployment.”
“Is that attorney still on your case?”
“He wanted more money than I could afford to pay him. I depleted my savings when I hired him. And then he tells me that I don’t have much of a case. Said he wasn’t sure we could go up against a company like that. Nobody wants to go up against these big companies, man.”
“Couldn’t he have told you that before he took your money?”
“It was highway robbery, but what can you do? You move forward.” Otis managed a smile. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to bring you down. I know you don’t work on Sundays, Doc, but I wanted you to know why Taja missed her cleaning. Hopefully we can reschedule.”
“Now’s as good a time as any,” Vince said. “Sasha, do you mind letting this young lady have your seat?”
“Not at all.” Sasha hopped out of the dental chair.
“Are you sure, man? We can come back another time. We don’t want to intrude on your Sunday afternoon...” said Otis.
“It’s fine. Besides, we wouldn’t want these teeth to go another day with all that gook and grime on them. I know she’s been chewing bubble gum and eating all sorts of things she shouldn’t be eating,” Vince teased.
Taja sat in Vince’s chair. “You know I haven’t been eating any candy or chewing bubble gum. You’re being silly, Dr. Sullivan.”
Taja’s teeth were beautiful and cavity free. Vince had been her dentist since she was four years old, and he’d taught her how to care for her teeth. She’d been very methodical about the process. While most youngsters were less concerned about their teeth and more concerned about the sweet things that destroyed them, Taja took great pride in hers.
“Let me take a look,” Vince said. “Open up.”
Taja opened her mouth wide. “Ahhh.”
“Looks good in there.”
While Vince cleaned the teeth of one his favorite young patients, Sasha looked on with
admiration. He was a natural with the kids, she thought. That was one of the many things that impressed her.
“So what are you going to do about your legal issues?” Vince directed his attention toward Otis again.
“I don’t know, man. It’s an uphill battle.”
“If I might ask...what are your legal issues?” Sasha asked. “I’m an attorney. Maybe I can offer some insight.”
“I’m broke.” Otis smiled and held his hands in the air as if to surrender. “I can’t pay for your legal advice.”
Sasha smiled. “This one’s on me.”
“I worked for a big pharmaceutical company. Eighteen years I worked for them. One of their best salesmen. I could sell a slab of barbecue ribs to a woman wearing white gloves.” Otis laughed at his own comment.
“Now, that’s a good salesman.” Vince laughed, too.
“They started doing unethical things. Wanted us to push drugs that hadn’t been approved by the feds. When they asked me to push a particular antiseizure drug, I couldn’t do it. My granddaughter here has epilepsy—since she was a toddler. How would I look pushing a drug that could potentially harm her—or other children suffering from the same disease? She’s all I have. Her mother, my daughter, died while giving birth to her. My wife and I raised Taja since she was a newborn. After my wife passed away last year, I was left to care for Taja by myself. I can’t risk losing her.”
“I understand,” said Sasha.
“I refused to sell anything that wasn’t approved by the FDA.”
“Do you have anything in writing where you were asked to market the drugs?”
“Yes,” Otis said. “Emails, text messages from my supervisor. I even have a doctor who is willing to testify that he was asked to push the same drug to his patients. The company offered financial rewards to him.”
“And what were the actions taken against you for refusing to market the drugs.”
“I was terminated.”
“And what was their reason for termination?”
“They claimed that my work wasn’t up to par. And that I took unauthorized time off when my granddaughter was sick.”
“Did you take unauthorized time off?”
“I was told not to worry about it. Taja had an episode about two months ago. A really bad one. She was hospitalized. When I called my superior, Ron Goodman, from the hospital, he told me not to worry...said he’d take care of it. Told me to focus on making sure Taja was well, and to take as much time as I needed. Then after the fact, they used it against me.”
Sasha glanced at Taja. When she first laid eyes on the girl, she appeared so healthy. She’d have never guessed that such a smart, vibrant young lady suffered from epilepsy. Her heart went out to her. But she knew she couldn’t let her emotions get involved. As an attorney, she practiced the art of remaining detached. It was better that way.
“Have you had any contact with anyone at the company since you were terminated?”
“I called a million times, asking to speak with the head guy over there. I called him because I wanted some answers, but he wouldn’t take my calls. He’s a spineless man,” Otis claimed. “That company was my life. My bread and butter for so long. I couldn’t believe that I’d been let go...just like that, and without warning. I still can’t believe it.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out a business card. “Why don’t you give me a call on Monday. I might have a colleague who can possibly take the case. She owes me a favor, so maybe I can talk her into a payment arrangement or even taking the case pro bono.”
Otis reached for the card and took a long look at it before placing it into his wallet. He pulled out one of his own business cards and handed it to her.
“It’s old,” he explained. “Of course I don’t work there anymore, but it’s got my cell number on there.”
Sasha read the tattered card. Ralph Otis Falkins. Senior Sales Rep. ProTek Pharmaceuticals. Her mind went blank for a moment. She was sure that her face had turned white when she discovered that Otis was the employee who had been terminated by her client. Was she really representing the people who had turned this man’s life upside down? Was Scott Sanders responsible for Otis and his granddaughter living on the street? She felt trapped in an uncomfortable position and wished she hadn’t opened this awful can of worms. Wished she could shut it.
Her mind began racing a mile a minute. How could she possibly face this man in court and stare into his eyes from across the courtroom? It would appear as if she’d just used him to gather information about his case. And she’d be using it against him. She knew she had to end the conversation quickly.
“Call me first thing tomorrow morning,” she said.
“I will, Miss Winters. Thank you.” He gave her a warm, sincere smile. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“I think I do,” she said.
“Well,” Vince exclaimed and removed the cape from Taja’s neck. “I think we’re all done here, young lady.”
“Yes!” Taja said and then hopped down.
“Will I see you at practice on Tuesday?”
“Of course!” she stated. “If my grandpa can get me there. We don’t have a car anymore.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll pick you up,” said Vince.
Taja was Vince’s starting guard for his coed basketball team. She was faster than most of the boys on the team and could shoot better too.
“Doc, you don’t have to do that...” Otis said. “We don’t want to take you out of your way.”
“It’s not a problem. I pick up half the team anyway. We’ll just make room for one more.”
“Man, I really appreciate you, Dr. Sullivan.” Otis reached for Vince’s hand. “And you too, Miss Winters. God bless you both.”
“My pleasure,” Vince said. “Any way I can help, you let me know.”
Otis was near tears but quickly regained his composure. “Sasha, it was a pleasure seeing you again. And I’ll be calling you on Monday.”
“Good seeing you, too. And I wish you the best with your case.”
“Thank you. We’ll get out of your hair. Sorry to impose on your day...”
“Can we drop you somewhere?” Vince asked.
“No, no...we’re going for a bite to eat when we leave here. We’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. You’ve done enough already.” Otis grabbed Taja’s hand. “Let’s go, sweetheart.”
“Goodbye, Dr. Sullivan.” Taja grinned. “It was nice seeing you, Miss Sasha.”
“Nice seeing you too, Taja. Take care of those teeth.”
Taja smiled. “I will.”
As the pair walked out the door, sadness overtook Sasha. She took a seat while Vince straightened his office and put equipment away. She felt defeated. In the car, she buckled her seat belt and couldn’t seem to get Otis and Taja out of her mind, and the fact that she was about to help rob him of his life. The ProTek case was an important one, and she needed it. Yet, Otis’s case was an important one too. His livelihood depended on the outcome.
“What you did for Otis, that was a good thing,” Vince told her.
“I didn’t do anything really. Just promised to get ahold of an old friend.”
“It was more than he was expecting on a Sunday afternoon. It meant a lot that you even took the time to hear his plight.”
“It was nothing.”
“You listened to his legal troubles and offered to help him go after the scumbag that fired him,” Vince said, and added, “See, you do have a heart.”
“I know I have a heart.” Sasha smiled too.
“It would be a wonderful thing if your friend can take the case,” said Vince. “If she can’t, couldn’t you represent Otis?”
“It’s not that simple,” she sa
id.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot...you work for that big glitzy law firm downtown where they bill you for every little thing. He can’t afford you,” Vince mused. “How much would something like that cost, anyway?”
“You mean his legal fees?”
“Yes. Say he had a friend who wanted to help out with the costs?”
“Even if he could afford me, I can’t take on any new cases right now.”
She couldn’t bring herself to tell Vince the truth—that she wasn’t able to take Otis’s case because she was already representing the scumbag who fired him.
“Okay, I understand. At least I tried, right?” Vince said.
“Yes.” Sasha felt as if she’d betrayed a friend.
* * *
When she and Vince turned the corner on Decatur Street, they passed the huge Catholic church that stood strong and tall with its tan-colored brick and beautiful architecture. She watched as Otis and Taja stood in the long line at the food kitchen. Her heart sank.
Chapter 17
Sasha flipped open a law book and traced her index finger along the page until she found the exact reference that she needed for her case. She took a sip of her latte and leaned back into her chair. Thoughts of Vince filled her head. She seemed to think of him more often than not, and she wondered if he thought of her just as much. She suddenly had a visual of his beautiful chocolate-colored chest—the curve of his muscles like chocolate mountains. She smiled at the thought.
When Keira buzzed her, she was instantly thrown back into reality.
“Robin Hayes is on line one.”
“Thanks,” said Sasha and then picked up the call. “It’s Sasha Winters.”
“Sasha! It’s been too long, girl.”
“Robin, hey!”
“I got your message about that case with the guy who was wrongfully terminated from that pharmaceutical company.”
“Can you take it?”
“No can do, honey. I’m out of the country. Taking a much-needed sabbatical. I’ll be in Africa for another month or so.”
“It must be nice being you. You lead such a fabulous life!” Sasha said.
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