by Angel Rose
“Thanks…I wore it just for you.” I blushed.
“You know exactly what to do to drive me crazy…and I love it” he whispered. “How are the pancakes?”
“De-lish…”
“Hmmm…like you.” He grinned a devilish grin that made me smile. He’s just so damn sexy. Dave interrupted us abruptly.
“So, Michael…how’s the law firm going?” Dave asked, in a surprisingly nice tone.
“It’s going good. We’re hiring a new lawyer,” Michael said as he sipped on his orange juice.
“Oh, really? Who?” Dave asked curiously.
“Mark Gleason from Gleason and Sons,” Michael said as he chewed on his turkey bacon.
“Mark Gleason? How can you offer him at job at your firm? He owns half of his father’s company and works for his father,” Dave said as he sat up in his chair placing his cup back on the table.
“He’s breaking free from his father. He wants to start his own business.”
“Really? Are you sure you didn’t convince him to betray his father?” Dave said harshly as he eyed Michael.
“What kind of a question is that? He wants to start a business of his own. I’m just showing him the ropes,” Michael said sarcastically.
“Showing him the ropes? His father can walk circles around you and your firm a hundred times. His law firm has been around way before yours.
What can you possibly teach him?” He snickered.
“Well for one, I can teach him to defend the criminals that you lock up so that they’re released in an hour. I can also help teach him to defend any scum of the earth… and, guess what? They’ll walk scot-free. You see, your department can’t find any evidence to put them away or keep them
behind bars. By the way, how’s the Tina Danielson case going? Pretty high profile case and you still haven’t found the killer, despite having your face splattered all over the news. How many cold
cases is that now, about two thousand?” Michael spit those words out at Dave and Dave went for the Jugular.
“Maybe more, but you must really have a hard time sleeping at night, defending the pieces of shit who kill innocent women, children, and babies.
How does it feel to know you’re defending the prick that killed Tina Danielson and fifteen plus other women? At least I’m not preying on little twenty one year olds like you. What’s the matter
Michael; you can’t find someone your own age to play with?” Dave glanced over at me. Then Michael glanced over at me and I interjected quickly. I waved at Dave.
“Dave, can you order me a mimosa?” Dave turned his head towards me and Michael threw down his fork.
“I’d like another, Dave, order two,” Margaret whispered as the tension at the table ignited. Dave waived for the waitress.
“Excuse me,” Michael said as he stood and walked away from the table. I got up to follow him as he walked quickly out of the diner.
“Michael, let’s go,” I said softly. I held his hand and his demeanor changed quickly.
“I can’t stand that fucker! Why do you put me in these situations?” he said letting go of my hand.
“I care about Dave…I love him, like a father. I just want us to be a family.” “Don’t ever say you love him to me again…ever…Do you understand me?” His eyes lit up indignantly, and you could
tell by his reaction that I hurt his feelings. He walked away from me and returned to the restaurant. I stood alone in the middle of the sidewalk not knowing what I did wrong. I did love them both
and I wanted us to be a family. I needed to get to the bottom of their hate for each other, but I didn’t know where to begin. I walked back into the diner and sat next to Margaret. She handed
me the mimosa and I gulped it down in three gulps. Margaret giggled as she watched me swallow my drink.
“This isn’t going very well, is it? Jenesis,” Margaret whispered as she looked over at Dave and Michael.
“I guess not,” I whispered.
“I have some paper work to sift through. I’m going to head out to my office.” Michael stood up, glanced over at me, and motioned with his head for me to follow. I swallowed the last drop of the mimosa and stood up.
Dave grabbed my hand.
“I hope you’re not leaving, Jen. You don’t always have to follow his lead.” Dave held my hand as I gently released myself from his grip.
“I have to go, Dave. Margaret, it was nice seeing you again. I hope you can join us again when everyone can learn to get along like adults. I’m the youngest one here and the only one behaving
like a grown-up. Dave, I’ll talk to you soon.” Margaret smiled at me, stood up, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I smiled at Dave and patted him on the shoulder. “See you at work.”
I walked out with Michael, and we hailed a cab and got in.
“Michael, what’s eating you? What has Dave done to you that you’re so angry with him?”
“Jenesis, I just don’t like him. I know he feels the same way about me. Besides, I don’t like the way he speaks to me. Just because he’s a detective, he thinks he can grill everyone. I hate that about him. There isn’t an intelligent bone in his body. He’s an undercover thug, and I hate that
you’re so close to him…I fucking hate it.” He stared out of the window as he spoke, not giving me any eye contact. I held his hand and kissed his knuckles softly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how much he irritated you. But, he’s not going away. I can’t do that to him.”
“I understand, but let’s try to avoid him when I’m around. I don’t have to like him, and I sure as hell don’t have to hang out with him. He’s disrespectful, and I’m not taking his shit.”
“Michael, that’s silly,” I said, trying to soften the blow.
“I’m serious Jenesis, I don’t want to be around him. I’m going to knock him the fuck out! I really want to hurt him.” My laughter turned into silence as his eyes grew dark and cold. He wasn’t kidding, and I was stunned.
“Let’s change the conversation. I’m tired. Let’s go to my place, and we’ll rest, rent a movie or something. We can talk about this some other time.” I squeezed his hand tightly then shifted my body to kiss him gently on the cheek.
We arrived at my apartment, and Michael and I rented a movie on demand. We sat on the couch wrapped in my throw blanket. I placed my head on his shoulder, and he kissed my forehead
tenderly. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I was afraid he wouldn’t believe me, so I stayed quiet. Before I knew it, I was out like a light snuggled in his warmth.
The next morning we awoke in each other’s arms. Michael was staring at me, and his eyes were more blue than green in the early morning hours…they were shockingly beautiful, and I immediately blushed. He kept a steady gaze, studying my face, waiting for me to say something,
but I didn’t. I noticed we were lying on my bed, not the couch. We both were fully clothed, so I knew nothing happened.
“Jenesis?”
“Yeah?”
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he stared at me curiously.
“I’m fine. Is everything okay? Did something happen last night?”
“I don’t know if you remember, but you were screaming in your sleep last night.” My heart sank at full speed to my stomach. I knew what the next word that was going to come out of his mouth.
“What? No…really?” I said acting surprised and feeling as if I have been stabbed a thousand times in my gut. No…not in front of him. How could I?
“Yeah, you kept saying, no don’t hurt her! Please!” he said as he acted out my nightmare, flailing his hands in the air and shouting.
“Wow…I’ve never had a nightmare before.” I acted as if it were nothing. I didn’t want to have to explain right there and then what had happened to me as a child, the death of my parents, and the nightmares that have ruined me.
“It seemed as if you were running away from something…like a monster or something. I just want
ed to make sure you’re okay.” He cupped my face in his hands and kissed my forehead
tenderly. I cringed a little. I felt uncomfortable, especially since I knew he was poking fun at me. This situation was serious, and it was no laughing matter…especially in my eyes.
“I’m fine. Really, I am,” I said dryly, trying to convince myself that I was while dying inside of embarrassment. Michael headed to the bathroom, so I took that as my opportunity to get up and
get out. I headed for the kitchen and put on the Keurig that Dave bought me and made some French Vanilla coffee.
“I had a great night,” he whispered in my neck as he held me from behind wrapping his arms around my waist, giving me baby kisses on my neck and sending shockwaves up my spine.
“You had a great night? You didn’t get any…how great was that? And you want to see me again…are you sure? After you spent the night with that girl from that scary movie…she was possessed or something?”
“Yeah, saw that movie, not one of my favorites.” He chuckled and I turned around and looked up at him, staring at his ripped chest and wishing I could bury my face in it. I released myself from
his grip and made him a cup of coffee, handed it to him, and then sat near the window lowering my head in humiliation.
“You know everything, don’t you?” I said lowering my head.
“Hey…what’s wrong? Everyone has nightmares, Jenesis, it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.” He placed his free hand underneath my chin and lifted my face up to his. “I liked when
you were flailing your arms up and down…when you were screaming, it was…sexy,” he said jokingly as he rolled his eyes up in his head as if he were possessed.
“Great…thanks, and now you’re making fun of me,” I said playfully as I pretended to punch him softly in the arm.
“No, I’m not. Why are you having nightmares?” he asked as he sipped his coffee and stood in between my legs.
“I told you. This has never happened to me before,” I said pretending to not know what he was asking.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Jenesis?” he said as his eyes hovered over me. “I’m fine. Really.” I slid my hands up his perfect six-pack abs, and then slid them down to touch his tight bottom. If this isn’t love, then I don’t know what is.
I continued to work for Dave at night and maintained our once a week brunches on Sunday. I tried to maintain my friendship outside of work with Dave because I cared so deeply for him. Deep down inside, my affection for Dave grew and grew each day. He cared for me so much and if I
knew what it felt like to love your father, I’m sure it’s what I felt for Dave. He called me constantly to check in on me and sometimes he would leave money on the desk at work to make sure I had
just enough to take a cab home in case of an emergency. It was the little things I was grateful for, and I was definitely grateful to have him in my life.
“Hey, Jenesis, I got good news,” Dave said as we sat at the diner.
“Really? Tell me.”
“Veronica Castro called me from children’s services, she wanted to know if you want the job as a caseworker. It’s just a stepping stone to the job you want to have at the coroner’s office,” he said
smiling from cheek to cheek. “Dave…what did I tell you, you didn’t even give me a chance to try to get a job on my own!” I shouted as I got up and hugged him around his neck.
“By the way…how’s that guy?” he asked in a heavy, low voice, a bit sarcastic.
“Are you referring to Michael, Dave?”
“Yeah him. What’s he been up to? You’ve been seeing a lot of him lately.” He looked at me, waiting for me to respond.
“Everything’s great. Can I share something with you? I know you don’t really like him, but…I really think I’m in love. I think he’s the one.”
“Yeah, all you women think you’re in love. Can I share something with you? Margaret moved in.” His face was expressionless. He didn’t even crack a smile.
“Margaret? You mean, Margaret from the art gallery? Margaret from brunch?” I said, shocked. My mouth parted as my chin hung toward the floor.
“Yeah, can you believe it? She’s head over heels in love with me, she’s a good cook, and a great lay!” He laughed so hard he almost choked.
“T.M.I! Dave, that’s gross. I don’t want to hear that shit.” I rolled my eyes and placed my hand out to him as if to stop him from talking.
“Oh, sorry. Anyway…she wants to join our Sunday brunches. What do you think about that?” He nodded his head in approval, waiting for me to answer.
“Hey, if you love her, I love her.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave him a sincere smile. She seemed nice enough and a new friend to add to my very short list.
“Who said I loved her? I love her pu…”
“Dave! Don’t…don’t say it!” I covered my ears playfully. “La, la, la, la, la,” I sang.
“Anyway, next Sunday. When are you seeing pretty boy again?”
“Tonight…and, he is a pretty boy isn’t he…” I said as I closed my eyes in delight.
“Ugh…give me a break. I’ll see you tomorrow at work. Then we’ll fax
Veronica your new resume…not that shit you gave me that your college graduate friend helped you out with. Where did you guys graduate from?”
“Forget you, Dave!” I laughed.
“Jenesis, Happy Birthday. I know it’s not today. I figure pretty boy would be taking you out next week, so I wanted to give you your gift early.” Dave smiled at me as he handed me a red gift bag with hearts and lots of red tissue. My whole body froze. I didn’t move, I didn’t say a word.
“Jenesis, Happy Birthday,” he said again, fishing for a response.
“It’s not my birthday?” My eyes welled up with tears, and my lips quivered.
“You filled out an application for the job…remember, February fourteenth, right?” His smile disappeared as he looked at me seriously. I sat pensively for a minute, thinking how I fudged my
birthday on the application. I couldn’t even write my birthday knowing that my mother was killed on that day. I lied, and I wasn’t a good liar. I even forgot that I lied…how stupid am I?
“I don’t remember filling out any papers…you pay me off the books, remember? Besides, I don’t like to celebrate my birthday. Birthdays mean you’re a year older. I’m not very happy about that.” I wiped my face with a napkin from the table, lying through my teeth.
“You’re twenty-two years old, Jenesis. Are you really that upset about your age?” He smiled at me.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Thanks, Dave. What’s this?” I opened the bag and grabbed a big silver mirrored box and placed it on the table. I glanced up at him and smiled. I opened it cautiously knowing that he spent money on a gift I didn’t even deserve, especially since I lied to him.
“Just a little something to show how much I appreciate our friendship and how much I consider you to be like a daughter to me daughter.”
“It’s a collection of classical music…how did you know?” I looked up at him surprised. I didn’t remember telling him I liked classical music, at all. “I heard you playing it the day I invited you to
the art gallery. Keep looking, I think there’s something else in there.” He folded his hands on the table and leaned back in his chair.
“Oh…wow…you have a great memory, and you are very observant. You definitely are a great detective. Thank you so much. I love it. What’s this?” A small box was wrapped in red cellophane
paper. I removed the paper and opened the box. It was a gold necklace with my initials encrusted in diamonds. The lump in my throat was starting to choke me. I gave Dave a big hug and
whispered, “Thank you.” The memory of my parents’ death haunted me, and I was glad that I celebrated my birthday today, even though it was a lie. My mother’s death will never be forgotten, making it unbearable for me to celebrate my birthday in any kind of way…ever.
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br /> “You’re welcome little lady.” He hugged me tighter, and we both smiled.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I have to run.” He paid the waiter, patted me on the shoulder, and walked out. I sat soaking in my phony birthday brunch staring at the red gift big and the silver box on the table as I busted out into tears. My heart descended into my belly as I stood up, gathered my gifts,
and walked out of the diner. I missed my mother so much, and I truly hated my father with every fiber in my body now…more than ever.
I was offered a job working for the city as a caseworker in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Who would have thought? My advisor at John Jay College was right about my degree.
Michael’s law firm was doing well, but the addition of Mark Gleason caused scandals between his firm and the Gleason firm. Michael was defending the alleged murderer that killed Tina Danielson. It was a gruesome murder. She was raped, sodomized, tortured then killed execution style, shot
right in the back of the head while sitting in her car waiting for her boyfriend to leave a bar they had an altercation in a week before. Dave finally had a lead, and they caught the guy, Stephen
Marquis, three weeks later after Michael insisted during brunch that Dave didn’t have any clues to find the killer. But this guy was a millionaire, and Michael’s job just got harder. The alleged
murderer walked, and Michael’s new client was stepping in with millions of dollars and political pull. As a matter of fact, Mark Gleason was found taking personal donations from
Marquis to open his own law firm. This deception wasn’t taken lightly, and Dave and Marquis were now in a personal war. This case would tear Michael and Dave apart, for sure.
My life almost seemed like a soap opera. The two men I loved were always at each other’s throats and always trying to ‘out do’ each other. Michael was also killing it financially, Marquis paid cash
for his defense, and once in a while Michael mentioned how he wanted a huge wedding. Even though I loved Michael, I wasn’t too excited by the prospects of getting married. My father always
told me, “All men cheat, even your husband.” That was the great advice from a father to his only daughter about her knight and shining armor she would one day meet and marry. He thought I