Sex in a Coffee Shop

The Defense

Cami sat on the bench fidgeting with the piece of paper she held in her hand. She was waiting for Peter so they could go talk with the prosecution. Nerves fluttered through her belly as she her eyes scrolled over the words, not really reading them.

"How's Alex doing?" Peter's calm cool voice sliced through her thoughts and she looked up at him. As usual he was pristine in a black suit, his ever present briefcase held loosely in his hand. She stood slowly and without a word extended the paper she was holding to him. His brows furrowed as he took it from her and read it briefly.

"Well, this can certainly change things."

She nodded gently. "I hope so."

"Do I want to know how you got this?"

She shrugged her shoulders gently and turned to head into the office building behind her. "Alex gets out tomorrow. He's coming back to live with me until this is all over. That way he can save up some more money without fighting."

"Sounds like a good idea." Peter tucked his hand into his suit pocket as they entered the building. He gave their names at the desk and after receiving badges they entered the elevator. "You feeling ok?"

"As good as I can I guess." She leaned back against the wall as they ascended and took a deep breath, her eyes closed. "I'm just ready to be done."

"I'll do what I can Cami."

The rest of the ride passed by in silence. When the elevator dinged they walked off together and were ushered into a conference room. They sat down next to each other while Peter began pulling papers out of his briefcase. Two men entered and sat across from them. They both looked older and were in matching grey suits. She wondered briefly if they had done that on purpose. Presenting a united front. Cami bit her lip as she fiddled with the hem of her jacket.

"Have you decided to accept our deal," one of the men asked, taking his seat with a smile.

"About that," Peter folded his hands on the table in front of him. "We don't think we'll need a deal."

"You really want to take this to trial? We intend to prosecute fully."

Peter nodded, an easy smile still on his face. "There is no case to prosecute." The two men exchanged confused looks.

"We have an eye witness. This Clark Reynolds gave a first person account for the whole city!"

"Your case is circumstantial at best! One witness does not a case make. You have no proof that my client was running any sort of business other then her legitimate one. Or that money was exchanged for sexual acts."

One of the men leaned forward and slid a piece of paper across the table. "Here is a subpoena for her account records and bank statements. I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. The deal stands until we leave this room. You know once we go looking we'll find what we need to press these charges." Cami glanced over in fear at Peter. He glanced at the subpoena before sliding it onto the stack of papers he'd collected.

"I think this might change your mind." Peter pulled out the letter she had given him and slid it across the table. The man with the subpoena picked it up with a sneer.

"A character letter?"

"It's a bit more than that."

The man began reading the letter, his eyes moving rapidly. With each line his frown deepened further. With a huff he slid the letter over to his partner. The second man began reading the letter much the same as the first. Cami bit her lip so hard a metallic taste burst across her tongue. She'd basically memorized the letter. Since she'd procured it the other day she had read and reread it to make sure it was perfect.