***
Beth smoothed the creamy lotion down one fresh shaven leg, and then the other. Reaching across the vanity, she picked up the body spray and misted her neck, shoulders and bare breasts with the blissful scent.
Staring hard at her reflection in the mirror, she whispered, “I can do this. It’s business, that’s all.”
She slipped the snug tee over her head, and then pulled on a pair of shorts. Taking the compact disc from her purse, she went next door to find Evan.
The light coming from beneath his door let her know he was there and still awake. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed down her t-shirt and knocked lightly on the mahogany door.
“Come in,” she heard the rich sound of his voice call out.
Opening the door, she hesitated to enter when she saw him sitting on the bed, wearing only a pair of boxers and reading a large volume of the California Jurisprudence. There was a stack of documents he had been studying resting atop his lap.
Glancing over to the nightstand beside him she saw two more volumes of law research books and knew he planned on doing a lot of reading tonight.
Locking eyes with his, she said, “I seem to have come at a bad time.”
“Not at all, please come in.”
She watched as his gaze ran the length of her body, pausing on the tight shirt spanning her bare breasts, before he tore his eyes away.
She stepped farther inside the room and closed the door behind her. “I brought the disc and thought if you had time we could watch it together. Maybe there’s something on it we can use.”
He didn’t respond. Instead he looked back at her in contemplation, and for a minute she thought he would reject her offer.
Feeling unsure, she said, “This was a bad idea. We can watch it at the office tomorrow. Besides it’s probably a waste of time anyway.”
She turned and reached for the door knob when she heard him say, “Why don’t you start the DVD?”
Glancing over her shoulder, she asked, “Are you sure?”
“We need to watch it here instead of the office in case it’s the real deal.”
“I agree,” she said, walking to the flat screen television nestled inside the cherrywood armoire.
Looking across at Evan, she saw his attention had returned to the book in his hand. He was staring so intently at the pages she had to ask, “What are you working on?”
With her back toward him, she heard him reply, “I’m giving myself a quick refresher. I was just going over some annotated notes over precedent cases similar to the one we’ve landed. After all, it has been over three years since I’ve seen the inside aCaliforniacourtroom.”
“That’s pretty cool you passed the bar exam both here andNew York.”
“I’m licensed to practice inNevadaas well, Board Certified in criminal defense in all three states, so you’d think I could find this one simple thing.” She could hear him flipping the pages back and forth, and then he said, “I’m looking for a specific case that I thought might be of some help, People V. Green, but I’m having some difficulty finding it.”
What was he talking about?
Green had nothing to do with their case whatsoever. Was he baiting her, or was he really that out of touch withCalifornialaw? Given the fact he held three active law degrees, she doubted it was the later.
