staring down the barrel of a hefty jail sentence, at which point he’d lectured me about due process and how I was a terrible lawyer if I really thought it was in his best interest to waive his right to a trial by jury. He’d threatened to fire me three times during that conversation, and when I’d eventually left the courthouse to return to my office, I’d been deeply disappointed that he hadn’t followed through.
I need to start setting my hourly rate on a sliding scale based on a client’s insufferability.
Is that a word?
I don’t think it’s a word.
But it should be. Because Jesus fuck.
I hadn’t had time to look up whether it actually was a word, because I was up to my ass in paperwork for all my other clients, not to mention He of the Trial By Jury. Now it was nine-thirty at night and I was still at my desk and I had visions of standing in front of the judge and jury and saying, “Look, my client is a dumbass. Let’s just skip to the part where we figure out what to do with him.”
Of course I wouldn’t do that. I’d defend him the way I defended all my clients because that was my job. But right now, when I was grumpy that my evening plans had gone out the window, I indulged in some mental unprofessionalism.
I pushed aside another client’s file, pressed my elbows into the desk, and rubbed my tired, burning eyes. I could’ve been home right now. I could’ve been naked, bent over something, with my skin on fire from whatever Kelly had decided to inflict on me. I could’ve been soaring, turned on beyond belief as Kelly drove me higher and Will watched with that look in his eyes that said my Dom was pleased, so pleased. By now, Will could’ve been driving me into the mattress while I blew Kelly.
But no.
No, I was here, and I wouldn’t be leaving any time soon, all because my idiot client had read a few blog posts by conspiracy theorists who couldn’t actually grasp how the legal system worked. Like yeah, I understood there were enormous problems, and that the system was in dire need of reform. No one understood that like someone who lived and breathed that system and all its injustices. Had I had clients get caught up in the wheels and dealt shitty hands because of it? Absolutely. Had I fought on their behalf? Of course! I was still fighting for some clients who were doing time because of bias and bullshit.
But sometimes the system did work in people’s favor…like when it offered someone like him a deal instead of the much harsher sentence he would likely face after a trial by jury.
I sighed and added another line to my to-do list—make sure to write up this client’s appeal so I could file it as soon as possible after his inevitable guilty verdict and sentencing. Because God knew he’d want to appeal every—
The door to the reception area opened, and my head snapped up. Was Tom leaving? I hadn’t heard him get up from his chair. In fact, the quiet squeak of a chair across the hall said he hadn’t gotten up and he was still here.
And did I smell garlic?
“Aaron?” Will’s voice made me smile even as guilt tightened in the pit of my stomach.
I cleared my throat. “In my office.” I really wasn’t surprised that he was here—it wasn’t unusual at all for Will to bring me food when I was working late.
When Kelly appeared in my doorway, though? That was unexpected.
“Hey,” he said. “I finally get to see your office!”
I laughed. “Yeah, you do.”
Behind him, Will poked his head into Tom’s office. “Hey, I figured you were still here too.” He held up a paper sack. “Hungry?”
I thought I heard Tom’s stomach growl from across the hall. Or maybe that was mine.
Of course Tom joined us. We’d both learned long ago that if someone brought in food on a late night, there was no “Oh, I couldn’t possibly” or “I’ll just eat something when I get home.” Plus Will knew Tom well enough to know what he liked, so he wasn’t in any danger of getting squid and Lima beans or something.
We both came out of our offices, and in the hallway, I put an arm around Kelly’s shoulders. “Tom, this is Kelly. Kelly, Tom—my law partner.”
As they shook hands, Tom grinned at me. “So is this the part