Page 14 of Lost Room Lawyer
Although I had spent the entire day immersing myself in the case, I felt completely exhausted by the evening. I had planned to go to the gym, but I decided to skip it for today and wentstraight to my mother’s place. We often had dinner together, and I enjoyed talking to her about all sorts of things.
Of course, Dominic had made a few snide comments about how close I am with my mother, but despite all the affairs and one-night stands, my mother remained the greatest constant in my life.
I had never had a large circle of friends, and although I enjoyed fooling around with other men, I had never been in a truly serious relationship. Sure, there were men I had called my partners, but those relationships never lasted more than three weeks. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the guys who just didn’t meet me on equal terms.
“So, how was it?” my mother asked expectantly.
I set the salad bowl down and took a seat at the round wooden table with her. “Okay,” I replied, giving her some of the gratin.
“Okay?” she repeated, puzzled. “I was expecting a bit more, considering it was your first day.”
“Yeah, but… there’s not much to tell. I need to get more familiar with the case.”
“Well, that should be a piece of cake for you. Does Hector know you have a photographic memory?”
Just hearing his name made me perk up, and I gave my mother a scrutinizing look. Did she suspect something? She had a sixth sense for these things. While I shared a lot with her, it was probably better to keep this matter to myself.
“No, I didn’t tell him. It’s probably wiser that way. When I walked into the office, he already called me a little genius. Maybe I’ll let him keep believing that for a while.”
“You’re acting like you’re some kind of trickster.”
“That’s what I am, though. Just because I can remember every little thing doesn’t mean I’m particularly intelligent.”
“Nicola,” she growled in her Italian way, giving me a stern look. “Stop talking about yourself like that. You’re intelligent because you know how to use your ability. That’s not something to take for granted.”
I sighed and started eating. But Hector was still on my mind. “Do you know Hector Lando?” I asked tentatively.
“I’ve never met him, but of course, I asked Leo about him. I wanted to know who my son is doing his internship with. I heard he’s a top lawyer, married with two kids.”
She paused briefly to set down her fork and secure her black curls with a clip before resuming her meal. I smiled, knowing she often only noticed later how her hair got in the way while eating.
It suddenly struck me that she was only two years older than Hector. In fact, she was just eighteen when I was born. That led me to think that Hector was quite old enough to be my father—theoretically speaking.
The thought made me groan silently, and yet my memories drifted back to last Friday when Hector had his way with me in that bathroom. My cock twitched, causing me to press my lips together.
It had been like this all day. When Hector opened the door between our offices in the afternoon, and I only had to lean slightly forward to see him at his desk, I quickly retreated to the archive. I had to exert all my self-control not to give in to my urges, and now I was worked up.
“Is everything okay?” my mother asked, concerned.
“Yes… everything’s fine,” I murmured.
She informed me about her upcoming exhibition, which she was planning with another renowned stone sculptor, and mentioned that she would be returning to Tessin, a southern canton in Switzerland, in the summer to teach a beginner’s course at the Scuola di Scultura.
“Let me know if I can help with the exhibition.”
“Oh, that’s not until September, but thanks, I’ll definitely take you up on that.”
I carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen while she loaded them into the dishwasher. With a glass of water, I sat back at the table and flipped through some of the art magazines lying around.
“And how was the poker tournament?” she suddenly asked. “That was last Friday, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. It… was good.”
“Did you win?”
“No.”
“Why not? With your memory, it should be a piece of cake.”
