Page 24 of Tied

Chris

“This is bullshit!”

“Oh, you poor soul.” Julia isn’t sympathetic at all. “Do you need your blankie? Do you want a shoulder to cry on? Not happening. I’ll be here to make sure your ass stays out of jail, though I doubt you’d be adverse to the hand holding and kumbaya moments with a man named Donna. Just know, I’ll work really hard to make this all go away, but Chris, you’re going to have to spend a few hours in a holding cell.”

That’s what she told me before I was hauled in for questioning.

Julia, of course, answered all the ‘questions’ as I just stood there wanting to defend my rights, my actions, and my soul to the arrogant police woman who had a past with domestic assault. I in no way demean her past, but this wasn’t a domestic assault case from a jilted lover. She was highly off-base. He set me up, plain and simple.

Walking out of the jail, it’s thankfully quiet. It seems I’ve had my ‘New York minute.’

Venturing down the stairs, poised and commanding, the epitome of how a lawyer should look in every way, Julia is beautiful and strong. “Chris, you can’t stay at the same hotel, mainly because they didn’t want you back. And until your arraignment in two days, I need to keep better track of you, so I set up a new place for you to stay. Comprende?”

I answer her quickly. “Okay.” Not only does she scare me a little, but clearly she was prompting me for an answer.

Motioning for a taxi, one approaches us. Opening the door, she directs me to take a seat. “Chris, stay at the hotel. Don’t be seen, and for heaven’s sake, no late night visits from gentlemen callers.”

“You mean hookers?”

She leans casually on the door. “Yes, I mean hookers, young men, old men, men wearing tutus, women dressed as men. I mean anything with sexual organs. Stay on the low. Okay?”

Quirking a brow, my expressions illuminate how I feel. They say, ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ and at the same time, I want to say ‘I’m not three and looking for a lolli, Mom.’

“I’m not fucking around on this. No one.” She pushes the door closed. “I’ll have the hotel staff bring you bottles of lube and a donkey sized kong toy if it helps you keep your hands to yourself. Got it?” It’s not a question, but I nod my head anyway. “Good.” She quickly hands me her business card. “This has my private number on it, and my address if an act of God causes you to run out of pay-per-view porn.”

Telling the driver where we’re going, Julia grins and hands him the cash. “Chris, I’ve taken down bad souls, and I don’t think you’re one of those. Let’s fight to save your asshole for better men.”

Shaking my head, she steps away to the curb as we pull off down the street.

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