Lanie's Lessons (31 page)

“They’re working now, aren’t they?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Are you more relaxed?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Good. Let’s hear your opening statement, please.”

“What? Now?”

“Yes, now.”

“But—”

“This is practice, Lanie. If you can make it through your opening remarks with nipple and clit clamps on, tomorrow will be a piece of cake.”

It took her three tries, before she got it out error free. By that time, her skin was glistening and she could feel the moisture trickling its way down her slit to her bottom. She was thankful that her chair was leather not fabric.

“Good job, baby. Do you feel better about that opening?”

“Yes, Ethan, thank you. My brain has only one thing in mind.”

“I bet it does, but you’re going to have to wait a bit.”

“That’s torture.”

“Ah, baby. You know me so well.” His chuckle was underappreciated. “You look gorgeous spread open for me, pretty pink blush on your cheeks. It matches the pink of your nipples. Your clit is a darker pink and well on its way to a nice rosy red. I’m going to watch as you come and see if that changes. Since you did so well with your statement, I suppose I should reward, not punish, hmm?” At her eager nod, he murmured, “Pick up the vibe and bring yourself off for me, Lanie.”

Her hand was on the vibrator before he finished speaking. The packaging was a challenge, but with the help of her letter opener, she ripped into the L’amore Desire vibrator. She pressed one of the two buttons on the bottom, but nothing happened. When she pressed the other, it began to hum and she gave a sigh of relief. If she had to take the time to install batteries, it would have been too much. She quickly figured out that one button set the mode and the second button set the speed. After experimenting with pulse and one that started out low and got gradually faster, she discovered it also had a low, medium and high speed.

“Is it working? I can’t tell.”

“It’s very quiet. But it’s strong.”

“Thank fuck.” Lanie wasn’t sure she was supposed to hear that and would have laughed if she wasn’t about to squirm out of her chair with need. “Slide it in deep and work it in and out slowly. I’m going to crank up the volume on my laptop so I can hear all your sweet sexy noises when you come.”

Lanie had the six inch purple vibe inside her before Ethan finished saying “slide it in deep.” She was so aroused that with only a few strokes the pressure in her pussy had built and she was racing toward a climax.

Lanie heard Ethan groan as well as the unmistakable sound of a zipper amidst the buzzing of the four battery powered objects either attached or inserted into her body. She didn’t have the control to watch, merely thinking of him touching himself had her moaning and pumping her hips as she moved the vibe faster.

“Switch it on high.”

When she did, the vibrations were so powerful that a cry broke free.

“That’s it, baby. You’re close. I can’t wait to see you fly apart.”

She whimpered as the vibe in her pussy and the buzzing clit propelled her higher. She was hanging on by a thread and knew Ethan was as close.

“Come now, Lanie,” His voice and command was the catalyst that sent her over the edge. As she shouted her release, she heard Ethan’s guttural cries as he came right along with her

As she eased down from her intense high, she opened languid eyes and smiled weakly at him. His hazy, half-lidded gaze, ruddy cheeks and the little beads of sweat on his forehead told her he was equally affected. The rasp of his husky after-sex voice and the dimple that flashed with his broad grin were good indicators as well.

“That was sexy as hell.”

“Yeah, honey, but I wish you’d have been here with me.”

“Next time. You can take off the clamps, sweetheart.”

She did and afterward adjusted her clothes. Gazing back at Ethan on screen, she relaxed for the first time in days—since he’d left. More confident too. She actually felt ready for tomorrow.

“I don’t know how you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Know exactly what I need and give it to me.”

“It’s not so mysterious. You get this way before big cases. Sometimes you’re so worked up you’re like an over stretched rubber band. If you give it one more pull it will break, but if you get it to relax, and release the pressure, it bounces back to its original state.”

“I hadn’t realized I was so tense.”

“I don’t ever want to see you stretched so thin that you break. It’s my job to see that you stay relaxed and loose.”

“And you do it so well, honey. You planned this.”

“I saw it building before I left, so I made preparations.”

“Thank you, Ethan.”

“You’re very welcome, baby.”

“I’m ready for that Reuben and the tub. I think I’ll go pop into the store and get a bottle of wine like you mentioned. Too bad there’s none at the house.”

“There’s a bottle in the pantry on the bottom shelf. It was a Christmas gift, I believe.”

“I totally forgot about that. It’s cold duck, but it’s red and on ice, I’ll choke it down.”

“Spoken like a true wine connoisseur.” They laughed because wine was
so
not her thing. She liked it red and sweet, and if it said ‘cooler’ on the label all the better.

“I’ll see you in court tomorrow, Lanie. Have sweet dreams about me, okay?”

“I will, honey. I feel ready for tomorrow, thanks to you.”

“You were ready before I called, Lanie, but you didn’t see it. I simply helped you open your eyes.”

“I love you so much, Ethan.”

“Me too, baby. Get some rest.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Objection.” Lanie called out as she stood. “Mrs. Anderson’s sexual history is neither admissible nor relevant, your honor.

“Sustained.” Judge Victoria Studor, who was presiding, turned her laser sharp glare on the other attorney before biting out, “Mr. Jackson, for the third time, you will abandon this line of questioning. If I have to warn you again, I will hold you in contempt.”

“Yes, your honor. I’ll rephrase.” Bertram Jackson scowled as he glanced back at his notes. After a moment, he asked, “Ms. Anderson, isn’t it true that you were actually pursuing a personal relationship with Mr. Simons? That in fact, you were the aggressor in the incident on the date in question?”

Beth’s musical laughter rose above the crowded courtroom. “Mr. Jackson, my husband is seated in the gallery.” She lifted a delicate hand toward Steven who sat in the front row behind the plaintiffs’ table. His full head of sandy blond hair with a sprinkling of gray at the temples glistened under the florescent lights, blue eyes gleaming with delight, tanned and gorgeous. Even while seated, his tall, muscular frame was impressive in his dark gray suit and he was as fit as if he was twenty-five not two decades older.

“After seeing him in the same room with Mr. Simons,” she paused dramatically, pointedly glanced at the balding defendant, and flicked her hand dismissively. His noticeable paunch and thinning gray hair spoke to his middle-age and he looked small behind the large table, his medium frame at best standing four inches below six feet. She looked back at Mr. Jackson, then glanced at the jury with a sad shake of her head, “do I really need to answer that question?”

The audience and several of the jury members chuckled. She grinned at her husband who answered with a flash of his perfect white teeth. Without having to be asked, Beth turned serious.

“The answer to your question is no. I was not the aggressor, nor was I interested in exploring anything remotely personal with the defendant, Mr. Simons.”

Ethan, who was seated next to Steven, leaned back enjoying the proceedings. Beth was an imp. She was playing to the judge, the jury and the audience, and they were all lapping it up like a kitten with a bowl of cream. He couldn’t believe the arrogance of Walt Simons and his partners for not settling. That they thought they had a snowball’s chance of winning, amazed him. The courtroom was packed and the media circus was in full furor both inside and out, which would make their humiliation, when it inevitably came, very public. Ethan would find that most entertaining. He settled back in his chair to watch the show as Jackson continued his ineffective cross examination.

“So, you did not proposition my client for sex in exchange for a partnership opportunity?”

“Objection. Asked and answered, your honor. How many ways does Ms. Anderson need to say she was not interested in Mr. Simons and did not initiate, scheme, propose, or suppose in order to exchange sexual favors to advance her career at Wolfe, Williams & Simons?”

Beth shuddered delicately as if she was repulsed by the mere thought of sex with the slimy defendant. Ethan bit back a grin as all eight women of the jury grimaced in obvious agreement.

“Sustained. Mr. Jackson,” the judge asked impatiently. “Do you have a new line of questioning, because I am getting tired of your redundancy.”

“No further questions.”

“Thank God for small favors,” the judge murmured in an undertone, but her voice carried to the jury and the front row where Ethan and Steven sat. They chuckled, Ethan’s smile broadening as Lanie turned around and gave them a covert wink.

He was so proud of her. Jackson hadn’t taken one legal stance that she hadn’t objected to or shot down. Except for the wink, her ice queen demeanor hadn’t cracked. She’d allowed Beth to play the sympathetic victim while she remained cool and collected, proving herself to be proficient and credible to the judge, spectators, and most importantly, the jury.

“We’ll break for lunch,” Judge Studor announced, “and reconvene at one o’clock. Counsel, I’ll see you in my chambers.”

As the gavel fell, he was sure the judge had at long last had enough of this absurdity.

* * *

“Eight plaintiffs, all young, beautiful and very sympathetic, especially the widow with three kids, and the girl next door from Iowa who is a dead ringer for Marianne from Gilligan’s Island. All with believable and consistent stories against a disgusting serial predator and his cronies who protected him by covering it up, or at the very least, looking the other way. What are we doing here, Mr. Jackson? Why hasn’t this case been settled?”

Lanie tried not to show her amusement as she watched Bert Jackson squirm beneath Victoria’s scrutiny. She hoped she was never on the receiving end of that cutting tongue. She might be her friend, but she was intimidating in her judicial robes and showed no favoritism whatsoever.

“Uh, my clients—”

“Will lose, Mr. Jackson. Convince them to settle and get this ridiculous, although entertaining charade, out of my courtroom.”

Jackson stared at her in surprise, then glanced at Lanie.

“Bert, this can’t be easy for you, especially with Simons pulling the strings. But think of your future and get them to make this go away. Work on Williams and Wolfe, they have the most to lose now that Walt is incarcerated.”

“I’ll go talk to them again.” He headed for the door, but paused, glanced back at Lanie and asked, “You wouldn’t need another litigator at your firm, would you?”

“Sorry,” she said with a curt shake of her head, “we’re a women’s law firm. No boys allowed.”

He gaped at the judge. “Is that legal?”

Her eyes gleamed with amusement as she answered. “Since all the attorneys are partners, she can be as picky as she wants. Sorry, Counselor.”

After he’d left to go find his clients, the judge asked Lanie with a grin, “Did I date myself with the Gilligan’s Island reference?”

“No way. I watched TV Land for five days when I was home with the flu. I thought Marianne got the short end of the stick. She was so much cuter than Ginger.”

“I watched it in prime time as a kid,” Vicki lamented with the shake of her head. “I keep forgetting I’m old.” She looked at Lanie, all kidding aside. “Jackson’s got a point. You may want to take on a token male for appearance sake and to keep the EEOC off your back. It doesn’t have to be another attorney, however.”

“Good, because I can’t think about working with a man after all this crap with WW&S.”

“I can understand how this whole experience hasn’t endeared male attorneys to you. There are good ones out there. I promise.”

“You mean besides the sexy man who sat behind me in court today?”

“Yeah. You’ve got a good one in Ethan, Lanie. Not many husbands are so supportive. I was glad to see him there for you, and not just for the eye candy he provided. Although I think it was part of your jury strategy to dress both Ethan and Steven in Brooks Brothers and seat them in the first row. Juror number eleven was very distracted. I almost had to say something.”

“I won’t tell Ethan you think of him as eye candy, Vicki. His professorial dignity might be bruised.” Lanie quipped with a grin.

“I doubt it, and I see that you aren’t denying it either.”

As Lanie rose to leave, she leaned in and whispered, “Whose idea do you think it was in the first place, Vicki?”

She’d made it to the door, when Vicki stopped laughing long enough to call to her.

“Wait. Speaking of your sexy man, when are you and Ethan coming out to the beach house again? Ray and I would love to have you two join us for a weekend before the snows hit. He loves to pick Ethan’s brain and debate him on the rules of law, particularly since I won’t do it anymore. While the men deliberate, we can relax, drink wine, build a bonfire on the beach, go shopping.”

“I didn’t know that was your place.”

“Ethan didn’t tell you? He mentioned to Ray he was looking at rentals and naturally Ray offered ours. We don’t get out to The Cape as often as we’d like and would rather the house be enjoyed than sit empty.”

“We’d loved to go back. We had a wonderful time, the town was charming and the house and beach were absolutely beautiful. We didn’t want to leave. Let me talk to Ethan about his schedule and get back to you. Are we still on for the theater on Saturday?”

“Certainly.”

As Lanie turned again to leave, a thought occurred to her. Glancing back, she asked, “Is it a conflict of interest with you presiding over my cases? I mean, since we’re friends and all?”