Page 5 of For the Love of the Lawyer

Marnie and Allison worked together as waitresses atMcGriff's Public House at 13th and Eye Streets in the District, and that was where they met two, first-year associates: Sherman Langley, a white guy originally from Quincy, Illinois. He was five-ten and slightly balding at twenty-five, but he had a self-deprecating sense of humor that was like catnip to women.

Hamilton Wells was an African American man from Jamaica Queens, New York. He was six-two with a fade haircut and a charming personality he too swore wooed the ladies, unfailingly.

Both men had attended Georgetown Law, and after they were accepted for theGeorgetown Law Journal, they got to know each other better and became best friends. After graduation, they went to work at the same Washington law firm, and they shared an apartment on Capitol Hill. They met the women they'd marry on the same night, and their lives had been unabashedly intertwined ever since.

As it turned out, Jon Wells and Audrey Langley, the fruits of those happy marriages, were biracial. Audrey had light-brown skin and straight, golden-brown hair with amber-colored eyes, while Jon had dark brown, curly hair and silvery green eyes, his skin a shade darker than Audrey’s. To say they were a mix of their parents was an understatement.

They'd confessed they were queer to each other in high school, and they'd vowed to keep each other's secret until they were ready to come out to the families, which both were yet to do. They were both thirty-three, and neither had given up the façadeof being straight, nor did they feel ready to settle down into a permanent relationship.

Jon nor Audrey could imagine disappointing their parents, so they continued to play the game, regardless of the personal cost to them, individually and intellectually. They loved their families and swore they'd never do anything to harm them in any way, including coming out of their very deep closets.

"You do realize, Jonathon, when I walk out this door, I'm gone for good. Don't come to Fordham’s looking for me. This is it.” Barron’s thinly veiled threat caught Jon's attention and pissed him off immediately.

Barron worked at a high-end men's clothier where they’d met a few months prior, and while Jon knew he'd miss the quality of the tailoring, it wouldn’t be enticing enough that he'd risk running into the ginger again.

Jon looked into Barron’s eyes and smiled gently. "I'm sorry it ended like this, but I can't… Eventually, I'll marry Audrey, because if I don't produce grandchildren, I'll break my mother's heart and probably her mother's as well. I just can't live a different life, Barron. I'm sorry if I led you to believe we had the possibility of something that will never be.”

His comment was mostly a lie. He and Audrey would never marry. Of course, that wasn’t anything Barron needed to know.

The redhead hissed at him, but Jon gave him a sad smile as he held out his hand for the key, making a mental note to get the locks changed on Monday. After a peck on the cheek, Jon slammed the door after Barron stormed out, thankful to have his condo to himself again.

"Rule number one, no more overnights." Jon made the statement out loud as he walked into the kitchen area of the open-concept condo and poured himself another drink.

After the day he'd had, he wanted one more drink and then he’d hit the sack. He would miss Barron's ass because the guyhad amazing skills when a hard cock was inside him, but other than that? He wouldn't miss anything else. It was about time he went on the prowl for greener pastures.

The next morning, Jon waved to his friend, Sam, at the security desk in the lobby after he stopped at the café for his double espresso. Sam was ex-Navy, and he'd helped Jon on cases in the past. The two had an easy friendship, neither expecting too much from the other, but prepared to come to the rescue if needed.

Jon took the elevator up to the eighth floor and stepped off, whistling as he walked down the hall. "Good morning, Karen. Anything I should know?"

Jon was filled with energy and optimism. He'd gone to the gym in his building before the sun had risen, running five miles on the treadmill before taking a steam and a cold shower to get prepared for his day.

Karen smiled at him. "Look at you all full of vim and vigor. Uh, Ronni Turnberry called a few minutes ago. She'd like you to return her call this afternoon because she's in court this morning," his assistant, Karen Stubbs, explained. She was about forty and a very kind woman. She'd never married and was endlessly devoted to her job, which was sad in Jon’s opinion, but he was the same.

"Remind me who she is.” Jon glanced through the mail she’d handed him. As usual, there was a lot of shit—solicitations to attend cocktail parties from stockbrokers who wanted to get their hands on his money, or charities who wanted him to volunteer his services or a pricey donation. He tossed all of theminto the trash unopened before he picked up his phone message slips from the pick on the ledge above Karen’s desk.

Karen laughed. "You have the retention span of a three-year old Chihuahua, I swear. Ronni is Tim Moran's lawyer. She's at Clauson & Associates in Philly."

After a moment’s concentration, he recalled who Tim Moran was—the boyfriend of one of his clients, Matthew Collins. The large man had been a professional bull rider and seemed to have a knack for getting himself into situations which ended up costing him money. Jon liked the man, though he found Matthew to be naïve for his age. Jon believed it was time to do something about his gullibility before the man did detrimental harm to his bank account.

"Ah! Maybe we're finally going to iron out a damn domestic partnership agreement I've been trying to get Matt to put in place to keep him from giving away the whole damn ranch to another gold digger, this time of the male persuasion.” Jon’s comment was off the cuff, but no less true.

“Boss! That’s harsh.” He glanced up to see Karen smile.

"I know Tim Moran has some money because I still believe he paid off Roberta Collins to get her to sign over her parental rights, though they both denied it, but Matt has a lot of assets that should be off-limits when the two of them break up. I've been trying to get him to think about an escape clause for months. Anything else?" Jon didn’t wait for an answer, strolling into his office across from her desk.

Karen followed him and closed the door, surprising him. When he saw the smirk on her face, he knew it was going to be embarrassing. "I didn’t write a slip for this one because I thought it better to deliver the message in person. Barron George called to say your new Hugo Boss suit is ready to be picked up from tailoring. You want me to have Billy Fremont swing by Fordham’s on his way to pick up dry cleaning?"

Jon knew he’d never get away with not confessing the recent chain of events to her. She wanted information he was nervous to give, but she was the gatekeeper for him, and if he didn’t want to deal with Barron himself, he needed to give her what she was seeking. "What else did Barron say?" He was certain the little twink had spilled the beans.

Karen flipped through her pad and cleared her throat. "Tell him‘I'm really sorry I behaved like a raging queen last night. I shouldn't have reacted to him having dinner with his friend, but I'd planned a special evening for the two of us. When he bailed, I got pissed.’He went on more about things I don't need to know, but did you call your super to change the locks?" Jon shook his head, having decided to put it off until Monday, but maybe she had a point.

Karen made a note on the pad in her hand and looked up at him. "I'll call a guy I trust and have him out there this afternoon. I’ll call your building manager and have them let him in and stay with him to collect the new keys for you. You need to leave a trick as a trick, Jon. You have a lot to lose if the truth comes out before you have the chance to talk to your parents, just like Audrey. The two of you are in line to take over for your fathers when they decide to retire, and if you’re not going to get married and continue to be indiscreet, the two of you need to explain things to your families. Her girlfriend is pitching a fit as well, according to Sara."

Jon knew she had to suspect he was at least bisexual, but he didn't realize she and Sara Alito had figured out about Audrey and Lyla. He felt the need to defend his best friend, and himself in the process. "Look, Karen, Audrey and I are both very free-spirited when it comes to our love lives. It's not like we're at the point where we're ready to take the walk, okay? I hope you and Sara don't gossip with the others about us." His tone was scolding. His defenses ratcheted to high alert.

Karen held up her hand to stop him before he said another word. "Hold it, boss. You owe me no explanations, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't treat me like I'm a run-of-the-mill dimwit. Your sexuality is no more my business than mine is yours, so let's just stop that train. Sara and I don't talk to anyone at the firm besides each other because I work for Sherman and you, and Sara works for Audrey and Ham. You can surely see where we'd keep each other apprised of scheduling issues or bad moods?"

Jon nodded, hearing the wisdom in her words. He knew he could trust her because she’d never given him any reason for concern regarding his privacy. "Forgive me, please. I should know better. Can you get me the Collins' file so I can refresh my memory before I talk to Miss Turnberry?" Karen nodded before heading out of his office, closing the door noisily as she returned to her desk.

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