Anger and Muscles

by Peter Presley

  “Oh well, that’s okay. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. How was California?”

  “Oh, you know. It’s just business. Anyway, I got an attorney to sue that guy in the bar. One of the things we’ll need is a statement from you on what you saw.”

  “I won’t do it, Zach.”

  “What do you mean you won’t do it? I need your statement as part of the evidence.”

  “Who was that girl on your arm I saw on Wednesday?”

  There’s a long pause. “What girl?” Zach finally says.

  “I got on the L to go to that Mexican restaurant I like. It’s the girl you were walking down the street with. That girl. I thought you were out of the town?”

  “I was out-of-town, and I don’t know who you mean.”

  “You do know who I mean, Zach. I took a pic of you two. Okay? Do you want me to send it to you? Our relationship is brand new, but you’re already fooling around on me?”

  “How do you know it was me?”

  “I just told you, Zach. I took a picture. I’m fucking sending it to you. Hold on . . . there, it’s sent. There’re you and the blonde. At least she’s got the same hair color as you.”

  “All right, all right. You got me. She’s . . . she’s an old girlfriend. We were just seeing each other for the last time.”

  “Oh, really? Well, surely you remember the last time I was in your bed. That was the last time you’ll see me.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes, that’s so.”

  “Fine. But I still need a statement from you for my lawyer.”

  “Forget it, Zach. I’m not doing it.”

  “You’ll be sorry if you mess with me, Callie. I mean it.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Just write the damn statement.”

  I hang up the phone. I’m so mad I now wish that Korbin guy had really taken care of Zach, like put him in the hospital or something. I know it’s not right for me to think that, but I’m so pissed right now. Why should I help him with this case? I won’t.

  You won’t believe what I’m holding in my hand. Zach got his lawyer to force me to go to court. That means I have to see Zach again. Fine, I’ll testify for him, and then I never want to see him again. Never.

  4

  Korbin

  “Korbin, pass me that pane of glass, will ya?”

  “Yeah,” I say. I lift the heavy glass with both hands. “Don’t break it, man.”

  Brad is a fellow construction worker who is clumsy as hell. He’s always dropping something or breaking something. It’s gotten so bad some people don’t want to work around him. I’m not that superstitious, though.

  “I’ll be careful, Murphy. You just mind your own damn business.”

  Guy’s gotten real sensitive about it too.

  “Are you Korbin Murphy?” The voice behind me says. I turn around.

  “Yeah, I’m he. Who’s asking?” The guy shoves an envelope in my hand. “You’ve been served.” Then he walks away.

  “What trouble are you in this time, Murphy?” says Brad.

  “Fuck if I know.” I open the envelope. It’s a summons from that asshole at Kelly’s. “Bar fight I got into.”

  Brad laughs. “You’ll never learn, will you? Better get yourself a good attorney.”

  “My sister Alice is a pretty good lawyer. I’ll talk to her about it.”

  “Didn’t I hear her say she’d never get involved in any more of your bullshit?”

  “Yeah, I know what she said. That doesn’t mean anything to me, though. She’ll help me out.”

  “Hey, Alice, what’s the word?”

  “What do you want Kor? You never call me just to chat.”

  “Hey, that’s not true. I call you, sis.”

  “Yeah, sure you do. What do you want?”

  “Okay, I need you to be my lawyer again.”

  “Oh, my God. Really? What did you do this time?”

  “I had to down a douche. He owed me 300 bucks, and he wouldn’t pay.”

  “So, you’re in trouble again? You realize you’re walking on thin ice, right?”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m trying to learn to control it. But right now, I need you to defend me.”

  “No, what you need are anger management classes.”

  “Come on, sis. Stop nagging. I need your help.”

  I hear a heavy sigh on the phone.

  “Okay, fine. But this is the last time, Kor. You’re going to have to change your ways.”

  “I will, I will. I love you, sis.”

  “Yeah, I love you too.”

  5

  Callie

  I’ve never been in a courtroom before, and I wouldn’t be here at all if I hadn’t gotten involved with Zach. There he is now, wearing a solid black suit, and he’s combed his blond hair back. I guess he’s trying to look more professional. I don’t know. He stares at me and grins at me as if I’m supposed to like him again.

  Now he’s walking toward me. The dark blue dress I’m wearing falls right above the knees. I always press my knees together when I’m nervous.

  “Thank you for coming,” he says. “You look beautiful.”

  I ignore the compliment. “I’m only here because I have to be here, Zach.”

  “You’re a pretty girl, Callie. You shouldn’t get so mad.”

  Mad? He hasn’t seen how mad I can get. What did I ever see in this guy? “Would you please just leave me alone? I’ll testify, and then I want to get out of here.”

  “Okay, fine.” Zach gives me another one of his phony grins and then walks over to the other side of the room.

  When I look over to my right, there’s the guy who knocked Zach to the ground. He’s accompanied by what appears to be his female attorney. The hot guy I saw in the bar is in a suit today, looking just like one of Zach’s business associates and not some angry guy in a bar. Zach is hot; I can’t lie. But this guy Korbin, well, he’s hotter.

  6

  Korbin

  “Just be quiet and let me do all the talking, okay?” says Alice.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know the drill.”

  Alice rolls her eyes. “Good.”

  There’s that douche I knocked down and his lawyer. But the pretty lady I saw at the bar is also here. I look over at her. She looks at me, smiles a little bit and then looks away. Shit! Is she doing what I think she’s doing? Is she blushing?

  7

  Callie

  As it turned out, the mess between Korbin and Zach didn’t get caught on surveillance. Basically, it came down to Korbin’s word against Zach’s. The owner wasn’t even paying attention until Zach hit the floor. As for me, I saw everything, but the court didn’t find that out. I told them what I saw, but I left out some key details. In the end, all Korbin got was some community service.

  Needless to say, Zach’s attorney wasn’t too happy. And Zach? Well, Zach is thoroughly pissed at me. He knows I left some stuff out, stuff his attorney wouldn’t know. He left me a couple of mean voicemails, but I’ve blocked him. Hopefully, he won’t show up at my work or my home. I’ll just have to cross my fingers on that.

  I’m not a liar, let alone about something as important as this. I just left some stuff out is all. It was just my way of getting back at Zach for bringing me into court.

  There’s my phone. I hope it’s not Zach. I blocked his personal number, but he called me the other day from another number just to terrorize me more. I blocked that one too.

  It says, Korbin Murphy! The guy from the bar? How the hell did he get my number?

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Korbin. You remember me?”

  “Yes, of course, I remember you. How did you get my number?”

  “I snuck it from Blondie’s lawyer. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Blondie? You mean Zach? Yes! I do mind. What do you want?”

  “Calm down, Callie. I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me.”

  “For your information, I wasn’
t doing it for you. You’re a violent man, and you need help.”

  “All right. Well, I don’t sound violent now do I?”

  Actually, his voice sounds really nice on the phone. I wish it didn’t. But I’m not telling him that.

  “You broke up with Blondie,” he says. “Didn’t you?”

  I don’t answer him. How does he know that?

  “Didn’t you?” He asks me again.

  “His name is Zach, and it’s none of your business.”

  “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  The tension in me is rising. “I’m getting off the phone now.”

  “Let me take you out tomorrow night.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “I want to take you out tomorrow night?”

  “Out on a date? Ah, no. I have no interest in hanging out in a bar with you.”

  “Who says I’m taking you to a bar? I’ll take you to Oak Tree. It’s this nice restaurant . . .”

  “I know what Oak Tree is. How in the heck could you afford that place? I doubt you could afford it.”

  “Wait a minute. You don’t think I have any money?”

  That was rude. I admit. “Uh . . . I’m sorry I said that.”

  “That’s okay. You’re used to hanging out with the rich dude. But now you can have a good time with me.”

  “Zach and I had a great time together.” I spoke in the past tense. I guess I can’t hide it.

  “So, I’m right. You and Blondie are history.”

  This guy is a real ass. I bet he’s smiling on the other end of the phone. But I can’t respond. He’s made me speechless.

  “He cheated on you, didn’t he?”

  Now he’s really pushing it. “Goodbye, Korbin.”

  “I would never cheat on you.”

  He knows way too much about me, and I don’t see how that’s possible. I’m annoyed, and there’s no sense hiding it.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’d cheat. Isn’t that what men do, cheat?”

  “Where do you live? I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven.”

  I laugh. I can’t believe how arrogant this guy is. “I’m not telling you where I live. And how do you know I don’t have to work tomorrow or have other plans?”

  “Do you have other plans?”

  I don’t. I don’t work tomorrow and if I study during the day, my night is free. But I’m not going anywhere with this character. I don’t care how hot he is.

  “Please leave me alone. I’m hanging up now.”

  “Okay, okay, before you hang up. If you want to spend time with me tomorrow, meet me at Oak Tree at eight o’clock. I’ll be waiting for you at a table. Okay?”

  “Goodbye, Korbin.”

  8

  Callie

  It’s mid-afternoon. I’ve spent all morning and now into the afternoon studying. I’ve gotten a lot accomplished. But I’d get even more accomplished if I focused entirely on what I’m doing.

  You know who I’ve been thinking about ever since I got up this morning. I can’t stop stressing over Korbin asking me to meet him at Oak Tree tonight. My instincts tell me I should stop thinking about this guy, put him out of my brain, and move on, but it’s not working out that way.

  My relationship with Zach is over, and I have no business going out on a date with a new guy so fast after dumping the old one. Not to mention the fact that this Korbin character is a hot head and probably nothing but trouble, no matter how nice he sounded on the phone.

  God, I wish he wasn’t so damn cute. What is it about handsome guys and me? That’s all I seem to be attracted to. Zach is hot, and I probably allowed his good looks to hide the parts of him I should have paid attention to. Maybe there were signs that he would end up cheating on me? Maybe I just didn’t notice because I was too distracted by his good looks.

  And now this Korbin comes along, a man who is even more handsome than Zach, and it’s like I’m really throwing caution to the wind. I need to stop this. Give it a break. Meet a guy that not only has his shit together but who also will be faithful to me. I don’t know if Korbin’s the cheating type even though he says he’s not. But I definitely know he doesn’t have his life in order. How could he? I saw what a hot head he was. Nobody who has his or her life together would do something like what he did to Zach.

  I’m going to finish my studying, put Korbin out of my mind, and get on with my life.

  Well, the good news is my studying is complete, and I’m feeling pretty good about what I know. I have a test coming up, and I feel confident that I’m ready for it. The bad news is, Korbin is still on my mind. I can’t shake it. It’s gotten so bad that my mind even went to wondering what it would be like to sleep with the guy. Geez, why does sex always have to enter my brain? I know the answer to that question. It’s because there’s nothing better than great sex with a hot guy. I mean, it’s the ultimate.

  What am I going to do here? I think I’m going to have to meet Korbin at Oak Tree. If I don’t, I’ll always wonder if I missed an opportunity that could turn out to be a good one. Look, if the guy acts like a jerk during dinner, I’ll just go home. We’re meeting at a neutral place, and I can get up and leave anytime I want.

  It’s 3:00 p.m. now. I better decide what I want to wear and how I want to wear my hair. Oak Tree is a nice restaurant. Plus, I want to look good while I’m with this guy. He’s so gorgeous that he doesn’t have to do much to look good. Me? I need to put some effort into it.

  My Uber drops me off at Oak Tree at around 7:50 p.m. Korbin told me to meet him at 8:00 p.m. Hopefully, he’s already in the restaurant even though I’m early. If not, I’ll wait for him until around fifteen minutes after eight. If he doesn’t show up, I’ll leave. Easy, peasy.

  I enter the big wooden doors of Oak Tree. This place looks more like a private club than a restaurant for the public. The lighting is dimmed and soft music plays in the background. Almost all of the tables are full. Oak Tree is pretty popular in Chicago. I walk up to the hostess.

  “Hi,” I say. “I’m meeting someone. May I check to see if he’s here?”

  “Sure, I just sat a gentleman over at that corner table.” She points. “Is that him?”

  I look in that direction. It’s Korbin, sitting there looking at the menu.

  “Yes, it’s him. Thank you.”

  I walk over to the table. Korbin sees me and smiles. He’s wearing a burgundy dress shirt that looks really good on him. He stands, walks over to the other side of the table and pulls out the chair. The way he’s acting now, you’d never know he’s a violent man who can knock guys to the ground. And the way he’s looking at me now is not helping my guard either. It’s like he’s undressing me with his eyes. He’s so hot; I can’t say I don’t like it.

  “Hi, Callie, you look lovely tonight.”

  I wore my hair down, and I’m wearing a little black dress. I’m not a full-figured girl. My breasts and hips are small, but I have a nice body, and my dress hugs me in all the right places.

  “Thanks, Korbin. I love that shirt on you.” I take a seat in the chair.

  “Thank you; I picked it out myself.” He winks and returns to his chair. “I’m glad you showed up.”

  “Well, I’m not going to turn down a free dinner.” I grin at him and take a sip of the water that’s in front of me. “What you did to Zach was horrible, you know that, right?”

  “Hey, I’m sorry I hit him. But he shouldn’t have bet me money and then give me a hard time about paying it. Maybe he should stop betting on pool games. Excuse me for saying it, but the guy’s not that good.”

  I try not to smile. Korbin is right about Zach’s pool playing abilities. “I know. But you still shouldn’t have hit him. What is your community service?”

  “Sweeping the streets and sidewalks. I’m cool with that. I don’t mind the work.”

  “Well, thank you for asking me to dinner. But, I don’t go out with hot heads.”

  Korbin laughs. “Is that what you think I am?”

  “Aren’t you?”
<
br />   The waitress comes by, introduces herself and takes our drink and appetizer orders. While she’s doing it, I try to drink more of my water instead of staring at Zach’s face.

  “You need more than community service,” I say to Korbin after the waitress leaves. “You need help.”

  Korbin laughs again. “You think you know me that well, huh?”

  He’s laughing at me, but I don’t stop. “Anyone in that bar could see that you need help. Plus, don’t forget what I learned in court. You have a history.”

  The waitress returns with the wine and sets the glasses on the table. The entire time Korbin is facing me with the expression he had when I walked in - undressing me with his eyes. It’s tripping me up.

  “Would you like to order now?” The waitress says.

  “Not right now,” Korbin says before I can say anything. When the waitress leaves, Korbin grabs his wine glass. “Let’s have a toast.”

  “What exactly are we going to toast about? You getting off with just community service?”

  Korbin grins. “You know if you keep talking like that you’re not going to get me into bed.”

  My mouth falls open. “What?” I can’t believe he just said that. “Who says I would ever go to bed with you?”

  “Why not? You’re not with Zach anymore.”

  “So what if I’m not with Zach anymore! That doesn’t mean I’m going to go to bed with you!”

  “We’ll see how the night goes.” Korbin looks at his menu again, looking way too sure of himself.

  I pick up my menu. “Don’t count on it.”

  9

  Korbin

  Dinner at Oak Tree went exactly the way I wanted because now the beautiful Callie is sitting next to me in my car. She hassled me about what happened at Kelly’s. She tried to act like she wasn’t interested in me, but I knew as soon as she showed up at Oak Tree, looking finer than any woman should look, that I had her right where I wanted her.