Page 21 of Lost Room Lawyer
“Should I have dressed up?” He sounded slightly uncertain. “You didn’t say anything, so I thought …”
“Of course not. It’s the weekend.”
We drove in silence for the first half of the trip. It was enjoyable. I appreciated the peaceful morning, and he apparently did too.
Shortly after eight, I pulled over at a rest stop. I desperately needed a coffee—maybe two. Nico got a double espresso, which made me smile.
“What?” he asked, chuckling as we stepped outside with our steaming cups.
“I’ve never seen you drink coffee before.”
“I usually have it at home. But I don’t need to be at the office by seven. How do you manage it?”
“I’m not …” I started to say, then realized I had indeed been arriving early every day for the past two weeks. “That’s more of an exception. I actually prefer working late into the night.”
“How does that work—with a family at home, I mean?”
“I have an apartment in Zurich. It’s rented out to two students, but I have a bedroom and an office there.”
“That still doesn’t answer my question,” he said with a laugh.
“No,” I admitted with a sigh. “It doesn’t. It just makes things more complicated. But what can I do? I like my work—even the part we’re facing today.”
“Is this Canonica really that disorganized?”
“Messy defines it better.”
As we drank our coffee and discussed Canonica and the case, I tried to pay attention to everything around us—the people passing by, the wailing child, the light drizzle starting to fall—but I struggled to keep my focus. Nico still had a magnetic pull on me, and it wasn’t surprising that I had been drawn to him on poker night. He exuded an incredible presence. By now, I’d noticed he was at least an inch or two taller than me, which only made him more appealing.
Why didn’t I notice that before?
Oh yes. I noticed it that night.
And it turned me on.
It was interesting. I’d booked quite a few callboys in my life, and although they were generally the same height as me, I often felt like I was looking down on many of them. Not because I was arrogant, but maybe simply because I was the guy paying for sex.
The world's oldest profession often clashed with my convictions and morals, leaving me feeling dirty.
At least I can say with a clear conscience that I always treated the guys with respect.
What made it even harder was that Nico suddenly locked eyes with me. Of all people, my intern. Damn, in no other situation was the division of roles so obvious.
What a cliché!
As we drove further toward Chur, the weather got worse. It poured rain, and visibility on the road was poor. In Thusis, it started to snow, and I hoped we wouldn’t need snow chains to reach the Engadine Valley. But we were lucky. On the Julier Pass, there was a steel-blue sky and bright sunshine. The landscape was powdered white and almost fairy-tale like.
“You’d almost think we should have packed our ski gear,” Nico said, lost in thought.
“Do you ski?”
“It’s been ages,” he murmured. “I prefer the warmth. And you?”
“Same here.” There was a moment of silence, and I glanced at Nico. He looked thoughtful. “What’s up?”
“I’m still wondering why we never met before.”
“Hm …” I hummed. I wasn’t much of a believer in fate, but in this case, it felt like the universe was trying to send me a message. “I could never attend Leo’s barbecues because they always occur during summer vacation.”
