and I have no doubt that it’ll almost be midnight before I head out.”
“I never gave you permission to cancel.” He glanced at his cologne display. The Bleu De Chanel would be good tonight…
“Nix, this isn’t the time for this.” He could almost see her rolling her eyes. “I really need—”
“You don’t tell me what the fuck time it is. You don’t try to put me in my place. We had an agreement. You are supposed to call and ask me if you can cancel our dates. You didn’t follow the rules.”
“You can punish me later.” She giggled, like it was some joke. “So, let’s see about tomorrow for lunch. I can—”
“No. This isn’t a game. This isn’t funny. I have a tight timeline to work with here. We’ve already dug into the two months and any adjustments that need to be made have to be discussed first and agreed upon. You will see me this evening. You will bring your ass over here like we planned. I will give you an additional hour, and then—”
“No, Nixon. This is my job!” He drew quiet and began to pace. “Stop it. I really have to get this done.”
“Okay then, Yasmine. I’m glad you came clean. Have it your way, but most of all, have a good evening.”
He disconnected the call, placed his phone gently down on the counter, and opened another drawer. After removing a pair of underwear, he went to some of his hanging garments and flipped through them, looking for something that would fit the occasion just right.
Ahhh, yes. Here we fuckin’ go. This’ll do just fine…
Yasmine set her phone down. She swallowed a taste of regret, then chased it down with a swig of warm water. Nixon was furious. The way he dismissed himself left her unsettled. He was a complete control freak, insistent upon being the master of all their plans.
Well, life doesn’t work that way, Mr. Rossellini. Get over yourself.
She went back to work looking through digital files and documents while her assistant and paralegal, Terri, sat in the adjacent office, undoubtedly doing much of the same. I definitely need to pull an all-nighter. We have to begin the appeal process…
She got up and grabbed an apple from a small basket she kept on a file cabinet. Returning to her seat, she bit into it, and the crisp sweetness of the fruit tasted better than she imagined. She pulled a folder out from a drawer and flipped through some paperwork.
Nixon’s final words before he hung up repeated in her mind, haunting her.
‘Okay then, Yasmine. I’m glad you came clean. Have it your way, but most of all, have a good evening.’
Come clean? What did I come clean about? That was a strange choice of words. She tossed the apple core in the trash, pushing the thoughts aside.
It’s hot in here… She removed her blazer, placing it over her chair, then undid the first couple of buttons on her sheer pink blouse. She closed her eyes for a spell and massaged her forehead. A headache was coming on, so she found her aspirin in her desk and downed three tablets. After taking a moment to regroup, she picked up her desk phone.
“Hey, can you bring me those three manila files on Mike’s desk? He left the office about ten minutes ago to go check on his wife who’s been sick. I want to see if he has a copy of the disposition and can’t wait until he comes back in about an hour. The one I am looking at does not seem to be updated with the judge’s notes and the last of the transcripts, and I need those.”
“Oh, yes, no problem. I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ll go to his office and retrieve them. Give me five minutes.”
“Okay. Thanks.” A few minutes later, Terri returned with the folders. The woman smiled, then yawned.
“Anything else I can get for you, Yasmine?”
She shook her head. “You’ve been here since what? Six-thirty, Terri?”
“Yes. It’s been a long day, but we’ve all been working hard. It’s okay.” Terri was always extra chipper and upbeat. She was reliable and rarely late or missed a day of work, but Yasmine knew a fake smile when she saw it. She’d sported one a time or two herself. Terri had worked for her for almost five years and they’d spent so much time together, she considered her more than just her paralegal. She was a friend. From the sallow bags under Terri’s