“You saw that?” he asked, having the grace to look embarrassed.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, gazing off toward Gab and Jess. I really shouldn’t have brought it up, but I thought he had sounded a bit sanctimonious for a guy who had done the same thing a couple of weeks ago.
“Yes, it does matter. I swear, Lily, I really wasn’t interested. I wasn’t even paying attention.” He sounded upset.
“Adam, it’s okay,” I said, feeling kind of bad about mentioning it, which was completely ridiculous. I had no reason to feel bad. He had known I was going to be there that night, and he had let some blonde feel him up.
I turned and looked idly over in the direction where he had indicated the feds were sitting. Sure enough, there was another buxom blonde who looked like she probably did have her hand at least on Jacob’s leg. What shocked me, though, wasn’t that, but rather the lusty look that I recognized in his eyes, and the fact that he wasn’t looking at her, but at me.
All of this happened, literally in about two or three seconds, and luckily, Adam was still distracted by guilt, which was likely yet another new emotional experience for him. I didn’t have time to contemplate the fact that Jacob was looking at me the same way he had in law school just before he nailed me to the mattress, because at that moment, Adam apparently decided that the middle of a crowded bar was the perfect place to suddenly discover his romantic side. He pulled me into his arms, gave me a soft, lingering kiss and then whispered in my ear.
“Soul meets soul on lovers’ lips.”
“Did you just quote Shelley?” I asked, bewildered. “In a bar? While Fat Bottom Girls is playing in the background?” One minute we’re talking about some club chick rubbing his crotch and the next he’s reciting poetry? Jesus, I felt like I was in the middle of a David Lynch movie. Had everyone gone f**king insane?
“Yes, and I’m sorry, Lily. I knew you would probably be there that night, and I should have never let that chick touch me.”
“Adam, is that you?” I asked, in shock. Maybe the real Adam had been kidnapped by aliens and they had sent this one in his place.
Jacob, who had left at the end of our fling without a backward glance, was now looking at me like he was having second thoughts, and Adam was quoting love poems and apologizing for having been a player. I must be emitting some powerful pheromones. Life was becoming so surreal these days, I noted to myself with a sigh, as he led me by the hand over to the prosecutors’ table.
“Gentlemen, I present your newest colleague, Lily Adler,” Braden, who had already joined his co-workers, announced with a smile. “Also known as the woman who finally made Adam behave.”
“Hi Lily!” six guys said at the same time, all of them giving me huge smiles. I smiled back and waved. This is what I was known for – being the woman who brought down Adam Roth. What a proud moment this was. It didn’t help much that they had probably all seen me drunk off my ass the week before.
Adam pulled a chair up next to another and urged me to sit down close beside him. When I did, he took my hand and, you guessed it, placed it lovingly in his lap. I gave him a ‘you have to be kidding me’ look. As if on cue, my phone rang. I answered and was immediately verbally assaulted by an irate g*y man.
“How could you leave me alone with the Jane Gang?”
“Hello, Bruce. How are you?”
“Where are you?” he demanded.
“I’m fine, thanks. I’m at O’Malley’s.”
“I’ll be right there.” He hung up and I sighed. When was the phenomenal sexing?
I redirected my attention to Adam, who was proudly relating the account of how Jacob snidely asked me who would try the case, and how I had asked him the same thing. The other prosecutors at our table were looking at Adam with something akin to worship. What exactly had he done? Then it occurred to me, he was doing me. Just then Bruce stalked in, looking like someone had just stolen his tricycle. Where had he called from, the men’s room?
“You left me in a high crime area with nothing but a Brownie troupe to defend me?”
“A high crime area? Bruce, it’s a law library.”
“You were chased by a maniac! And now I’m stuck in that unsafe work environment with a couple of Martha Stewart clones. I’m so depressed!”
“Judge Channing’s looking for a new law clerk,” Adam offered.
“Really?” Bruce said, suddenly sounding perky.
“Yeah, Braden and I could probably put in a good word for you.”
“That would be wonderful!” He turned to me, smiled and without moving his lips, mumbled, “Make sure you give him some really good oral tonight, Lil.” I almost decked him.
“Why don’t you sit down and join us, Bruce?” Adam invited enthusiastically. Bruce had just made a friend for life. I looked up and saw Gab and Jess waving me over.
“Why don’t you fill Bruce in a little more about the job? I’m going over to say ‘hi’ to the girls, okay?” I said to Adam.
“Okay.” He smiled. Why wouldn’t he smile? His friends idolized him, and Bruce was offering him my sexual favors. All was good in his universe. I got up and crossed enemy lines.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Well, well,” Gab said with a grin as I approached. “I heard you took on not only your mom, but Jacob too. I knew you could handle him in the bedroom, but I didn’t know you could take him in a courtroom.”
“Gabrielle,” I said through gritted teeth, glancing significantly at Mark and Cam.
“It’s okay, honey,” Jess chimed in. “Everyone who was in courtroom seven today knows that you and Mr. Sachs used to tear up the sheets together.”
“They also know that you and Adam are tearing them up now,” Mark added helpfully.
“Where’s that bowl full of spiked punch when I need it?” I asked, sitting down.
“Here, somebody in my office won a trial today, but I have to drive, so this is for you,” Mark said, pushing a shot glass toward me. I knew that after last week’s little display, I should behave, but I downed the shot anyway. It turned out to be a Kamikaze, incidentally. Why did that seem somehow appropriate?
“So what’s going on between you and Adam now anyway?” Jess asked. “Gab said that the two of you are working and living together? Didn’t you just start dating last week?”
“Yeah, that’s even faster than Gabrielle and Braden,” Cam said with a laugh.