Black Tie Event

Chapter Twenty One

I stood fully attentive as I watched her heels tap the linoleum in rhythm, the sounds getting further away each time. There was something about them, combined with the long, toned legs in them, offset by her tightly pressed suit, that really got to me. A well dressed woman had always been a weakness of mine. Maybe it was some deeply rooted Darwinian survival tactic - I knew that if she was well dressed, then maybe she was successful and could support my broke ass.

But regardless of the cause, I watched that attorney walk away, my stare shamelessly glued to her body until the glass door shut behind her and her entire form was out of sight, around the corner.

"Why didn't you guys warn me?" I immediately demanded, snapping back around and starting towards the dazzling team of Green Falls's finest.

"Warn you of what?" Oliver asked. "That Carrie Everett's a bitch?" 

"That she's fucking hot!"

He just laughed. "Oh. Yeah. Surprise."

"Why do you want a warning for that?" Clapp asked. "Wouldn't you want us to warn you if she was ugly?"

"Because maybe if you'd warned me, I could have brought an inhaler. Or, you know, a respirator."

"You're barking up the wrong tree," Griffin denounced, his eyes set on a file. "Many have tried, all have failed."

"Maybe that's because she's gay."

They all laughed at me in response. "Yeah. Okay," Oliver said.

"Well, I mean, if she didn't go for any of you, clearly she must be."

"Hey, watch it, Hayden," Clapp argued, sensing my sarcasm. "I'm a catch."

I smiled and patted him on the head. "I bet you are. So who's giving me her phone number?"

"You're going to ask her out?" Bagley asked incredulously.

"Oh, no," I said, acting as though I was appalled by the mere idea of it. "This is strictly business. You know, in case I need a warrant, or... something," I smiled.

"Or something," Clapp repeated, understanding just what something I wanted.

"Forget it, Hayden," Oliver dismissed. "No way there's two hot-yet-unattainables all living in Green Falls."

"Three," Griffin added, still not looking up. "Jennifer from homicide."

"Apparently, I need to stay in Green Falls a little longer than anticipated," I mulled.

"Jennifer has a boyfriend!" Oliver exclaimed in hysteria. "She brought him to the barbeque we had last summer."

"That was her brother, Ollie," Clapp said grimly. "Her girlfriend had to work. I remember that day."

"Fuck everyone," Oliver lamented, slumping lower into his chair. 

"Like Carrie or Jennifer would have gone for you," Clapp denounced. "This is no loss. Nothing has changed."

"Hey, can you imagine dating Carrie Everett anyway?" Griffin noted. "Now that's the kind of girl that would whip you around."

Bagley laughed, putting his feet up on whoever's desk he was sitting at. "Get me hard evidence, then get me my dry cleaning."

"Circumstantial evidence doesn't satisfy me, and neither do you." Clapp threw in.

"I think she's smart," I defended. "You know, really sharp."

"Well sure she's sharp," Oliver agreed. "That's why she's good in a courtroom. But it don't mean she's nice. In fact, it means she knows how to bitch you out as if you were a defendant, and isn't afraid to."