and crushed it under his shoe, then buttoned up his black Bergdorf Goodman Brunello Cuccinelli coat, the smooth finish of the material exquisite under his touch. Just that morning, he’d had a whitening treatment at the dental office, too. He was ready for battle.
He stayed several steps behind the laughing hyenas, all of them bubbling with sophomoric joy, not a care in the fucking world. Minutes passed like ocean waves hitting one after the other, the seconds swallowed by invisible whales. Meanwhile, the skies threatened to summon the mailman’s promise: Arriving during rain, sleet, and snow.
He kept close enough to hear them, far enough to not cause alarm. At last, the men were inside the restaurant, ordering at the counter. Nixon had a plan, and a backup one should the first fail to fall into place as he wished. He’d had plenty of time to think this through, to work it out like his limbs during his pushups, weightlifting, or running on his elliptical like a horse on fire. When it was his turn, he placed an order, noting there weren’t too many places to sit. He decided upon a water and simple salad with hummus – nothing too time consuming or messy. Camden and his two pals headed towards a table, set their drinks down, and continued to yuck it up. Nixon tossed them a glance every now and again. After a short while, Camden stood and made his way to the bathroom.
Well, well, well. He’s on the move. I don’t have to coax him outside. Perfect. Plan B has commenced. Nixon took a gulp of his water, placed it and the salad down on a windowsill, and followed behind him. The bathroom was small, he was familiar with it, yet big enough for his purposes. Camden stood at a urinal, getting ready to drain to the main vein. Nixon positioned himself at the one next to it, pretending to get ready to urinate, too. Instead, he pulled his zipper down just an inch or so and glared at Camden. Camden threw him a brief glance, then turned away as if annoyed, and looked again once he realized Nixon was still staring.
“You shouldn’t stare at another guy when they’re tryin’ to take a piss. What’s wrong with you? Do you have a problem?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, are you deeply offended, motherfucker? That makes two of us, you gila-monster-looking son of a bitch. Put that little wiener away and let’s have a meeting.”
“Are you crazy?! From the way you’re dressed, you don’t want money. You just must be a nut. Get the hell out of my face, man.” Camden’s face flushed. Shaking his dick, he put it inside his briefs and zipped his pants back up.
“Yeah, I’ve got a problem, Camden.” The man’s eyes grew big. “That’s right… I’m not some nutjob. I know who the hell you are. Hey,” Nixon threw up his hands, “I’m gonna keep this short ’nd sweet because I don’t believe in dilly-dallying and wasting time. This isn’t a 1990’s music video. No long intro needed. Guess what your plans are today, buddy boy? You’re going to eat your fuckin’ lunch, then you’re gonna hightail it back to work and give Yasmine back the Spencer case.”
“Am I supposed to know you?! Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Nixon fuckin’ Rossellini the Great, and this is your unlucky day. I’m an attorney. A real one, something you’d know nothing about it. However, I know all about you. I know about the Braunston case that you fucked up, the one the firm you were at had to pay millions of dollars to make go away and not hit the press. I know all about the extortion claims and the shit you pulled at Latham and Meagher. I know about the indictments at Jenner and Towne. The things Yasmine brought up at the meeting regarding you? That was just a tiny bit of the arsenal, and you knew it. I have all the rest though, which I kept just in case we got to this point, and boy is it a mountain of bullshit. You’ve been a busy boy! A stupid boy but busy all the same. Now, we can do this your way, or the right way.”
“Are you… are you threatening me?! Do you realize I can walk right out this door, report you, and not only would you lose your job, you could serve jail time?!”
“A two-bit lawyer tellin’ a class-A lawyer how the law works. Now that’s