Page 30 of His Temptation
Emery
Jay Foley sat at the table to the left of me, one elbow resting on the tabletop as he touched a finger to his chin. Blond hair was brushed back, leaving only a little to fall forward. He glanced over at me and winked.
I shook my head and focused on the door that the judge would walk out of any moment, followed by the members of the jury.
My client waited with bated breath to hear if he’d go to prison for the rest of his life. His suit was nice, a rental from his new girlfriend, who sat in the row behind us. Her presence hadn’t helped his case any, especially since the prosecution proposed that Ritter killed his wife because he was having a secret affair.
My mind began to drift. Over the past few days, I’d been obsessively thinking about Cason. He’d messaged me a few times, and I had stopped replying even though I’d wanted to talk to him.
“I really liked kissing you the other night.”
It had taken a lot of willpower not to message him back and say I had enjoyed it too. I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place: guilty for ignoring Cason when I suspected he was struggling with his sexuality, but I also felt wrong for even humoring the thought of seeing him again.
“Please rise.”
The sounds of chairs squeaking and clothes rustling filled the courtroom as everyone stood. Judge Meyers entered the room and took a seat, allowing us to do the same. The jury entered and took their places to the right.
“Has the jury reached a verdict?” Judge Meyers asked.
“We have, Your Honor,” a woman answered, holding an envelope.
The bailiff retrieved the envelope and gave it to the judge. Judge Meyers opened it and looked it over before handing it back and asking the jury to state the verdict aloud.
My client went rigid in his seat, and the tension was thick around us.
“The jury finds the defendant…” The woman glanced up, her gaze finding my client. “Guilty on all charges.”
Applause broke through my stunned silence, followed by the judge demanding order in his courtroom.
My scalp prickled and I felt heavy. I hadn’t expected a guilty verdict… not with the severe lack of physical evidence. It had been hearsay and circumstantial at best. With the way the media portrayed my client as a manipulative narcissist who had cheated on his wife and then killed her, I suspected his guilt was determined long before the trial even began.
A hard loss.
Jeff was handcuffed and removed from the room, receiving shouts of “You deserve to rot for what you did!” from the victim’s family. His girlfriend started crying and tried to attack Evette’s sister. Both women had to be held back.
“Good work, Cross.” I looked up to see Jay standing beside me, offering me his hand. “Can’t win them all. I do say justice was served, though. No hard feelings?”
I rose to my feet and shook his hand. “Congratulations on the win.”
“Let me buy you a drink,” he said with a smile, gently squeezing my fingers before letting go. “We both deserve it after this hell of a case.”
Jay and I hadn’t seen each other outside of work in about two weeks, but we’d reached a new level of friendship the last time I went to his house. It wasn’t just sex with us anymore. Somewhere along the way, we’d become friends.
“Make it two drinks and you have a deal.”
He smirked. “Done.”
The press waited like vultures on the courthouse steps, holding their voice recorders and cameras, desperate to get the first question.
“Mr. Foley!” they yelled, swooping in for the kill.
Jay flashed a smile, always the charmer, and answered their questions.
Others came for me. “Mr. Cross! How do you feel about the ruling? Are you going to appeal the court’s decision?”
Yeah, I definitely needed those drinks. The entire trial had been one massive headache after another. I had received hate mail that called me a heartless bastard for defending a “monster” like Jeff Ritter. The media had torn me apart, as well, saying I was a money-hungry cheat who would defend anyone for the right price.
Even though I’d lost, my shoulders set easier without the stress of the trial weighing them down.
