-News says Macintosh arrested. Let me
know if this changes your schedule tonight.
Not expecting an immediate reply, she was surprised to receive one.
-On call with Jack now. Should be
home as planned.
Over the next hour or so she kept replaying their conversations in her head trying to make sense of the string of emotions that reared themselves at the least opportune times. No matter how often he explained or dismissed his choice as meaningless, it mattered enough to unsettle him that night. She tried to focus on the fact he’d been honest with her, knowing it would likely hurt her. Having seen the impact, she prayed it would keep him from doing anything like that again. But for reasons she couldn’t articulate, she wasn’t sure. When he pulled into the drive, she retreated to the den to wait for him.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” she said. “How is she?”
“She got served a subpoena to testify at the hearing Thursday.”
“So you’ve talked to her?”
“No, Jack’s handling it.”
With that simple statement she understood what he had done. He turned everything over to Jack-for her. But he looked reticent.
“I see. Do you want a drink before dinner?”
“No and I’m not that hungry. How did your interviews go?”
“McKenzie Clark offered me a job.”
“Congratulations. Why didn’t you call me?”
“By the time I got home and started dinner, I saw the news.” Her heart was pounding. She couldn’t believe the words about to come out of her mouth. Placing her hand on his, she said, “You should reach out to her. She’s your client…and your friend. She needs you.”
“She’ll be fine. Jack’s a great attorney.”
“But he’s not you.”
“Janine…”
“It’s okay. Call her.”
CHAPTER 22
“All rise!”
Janine slipped into the crowded courtroom finding a seat in the rear among the throngs there to witness the hearing. Spectra sat between Michael and Jack as the judge began the obligatory explanation of the proceedings. The jury’s sole purpose was to determine if there was enough evidence to go to trial. After opening statements, the prosecution began presenting its case. Point by point they laid out their argument claiming evidence and key witness testimony to support it.
Spectra was called as the first witness. Her demeanor immediately struck Janine. Admittedly the only time she saw her was during the one and only visit to the club. At that time Spectra was clad head to toe in black latex and thigh boots. Today, she wore a simple pair of slacks, silk print blouse and flat shoes. Nothing about her suggested she was a Dominatrix. Instead, she looked like someone you’d see in the local farmers’ market.
“Please state your full name,” the prosecutor began.
“Josephine Cora Rainey.”
“You’re known by another name aren’t you?”
“My grandchildren call me Mee Maw.”
There were chuckles from those in attendance.
“Fine. What do your clients call you?”
“Mistress Spectra.”
“And what is your line of work?”
“I own a private club outside the city. I also lecture and consult.”
“Could you be more specific? What kind of private club is it?”
“It’s for BDSM practitioners and those with fetishes.”
“And what exactly is BDSM?”
“Generally it’s an acronym for three spheres of sexual play. But let’s just say its Bondage Discipline Slave Master relationships.”
“In other words, you operate a sex club.”
“No.”
“People come to your establishment, tie up and beat each other then use all manner of devices to have orgasms right?”
“Under the right circumstances, people can come into this courtroom and have orgasms. That doesn’t mean they’re having sex.”
Members of the crowd giggled and snickered while the judge cut them all a stern look.
“Please answer the question.”
“Club Spectra is not a swingers club. It is a place where people explore and build skills in BDSM. It’s where they can meet people of like interests without all the judgment and derision you’re displaying.”
“Your Honor!”
The judge said, “Please refrain from editorializing and answer the questions directly.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take a look at this please.” He handed her a sheet of paper. “Please identify for the court what that is.”
“It’s a page from my member records.”
“There are no names on it-only numbers and letters. Correct?”
“That’s correct. It’s how I maintain anonymity for clients and members.”
“Please read the highlighted number in the middle of the page.”
“4-S-69SN2-(#@^*)-072853+”
“Can you identify this client?”
“This member’s a Male Submissive, who also practices with his female partner—she’s a submissive too. Their skills were low when they joined—virtually beginners. This member is also into pain, binding, suspension and anal play. They joined in July and were members a little over two years.”
”So based on all the information in those interesting set of numbers, could you identify the member?”
“It narrows it down significantly.”
“How can you make it precise.”
“I meet every person that joins. I run background checks. I make a point to interact with them whenever they come into my club.”
“Is the member you just described in the courtroom today.”
“Yes.”
“Would you point him out, please?”
She pointed towards the defense table.
He continued. “Please let the record show the witness pointed to Daniel J. Macintosh. What’s the likelihood of members having the same number?”
“There may be some similarity in the first sections, but never the last six numbers.”
“Mrs. Rainey, what does the plus sign at the end of the number sequence mean?”
“He requested private instruction.”
“So you taught him?”
“I arranged an instructor.”
“An instructor?”
“Yes.”
“You mean a prostitute.”
“I said instructor. I don’t run a whorehouse. Not the business I choose to be in.”
“That’s interesting. And who was this so-called ‘instructor’?”
“Miss Treet.”
“Clever, but her real name please.”
“Dana Murphy.”
“Are you aware that Dana Murphy has been arrested numerous times for prostitution?”
“How could I know that?”
“You claim to be so careful screening members, you expect this court to believe you didn’t screen your employees—excuse me-your consultants?”
“She came highly recommended by someone I trust.”
“You didn’t do a background check?”
“I trusted the recommendation.”
“All right. So explain how is it that you were paid for these transactions?”
“I earn twenty-five percent of the fee after the initial consultation when I outsource. Then ten percent for each session after that, it’s a standard practice.”
“Outsource? You mean pimp?”
“Objection, your Honor!” The defense finally injected.
“Withdrawn. You received more than that didn’t you?”
“Yes, but I put a stop to payments because I had no record of them actually using the club for their sessions. Anything that happens outside of the club isn’t my concern.”
“How many of these extra or unknown sessions and payments were there?”
“Four that I’m aware of.”
“One last question for now. We all know memories fade, people can look
similar, especially if they’re wearing masks or costumes, correct?”
“For some people, yes.”
“How can you be absolutely certain this member number ties to Mr. Macintosh?”
“I keep a separate ledger with original application forms, identification and payment information with my attorney.”
“Your Honor, I present corroborating materials showing the member number discussed is tied directly to Daniel J. Macintosh. Your witness, counselor.”
Janine was impressed by her testimony. None of her answers seemed overly salacious or malicious. She was precise, witty and came off as completely reliable. She was steady, controlled and very calm throughout. Once the prosecution concluded, the defense only asked a few questions before the judge excused her. Given this was a preliminary hearing it was expected. Tactically, it often made sense to let the prosecution reveal its pertinent evidence to mount a stronger defense once the actual trial began.
Leaving the witness stand, Jack and Michael escorted Spectra out of the courtroom. Seeing Janine, Michael turned to them whispering. He then motioned for her to come outside as well. She hesitated, especially since she and Spectra exchanged knowing glances. Mustering as much composure as possible, she eventually stepped out into the hall keeping her distance while they talked. Jack seemed exuberant as she watched.
“You handled yourself real well in there. You should head on home. Michael, we’ll touch base later.”
“Sounds good,” he replied.
“Mr. Ramsey, your assistance through all of this is greatly appreciated,” she said.
“No problem.”
Once he was gone, Michael spoke quietly to Spectra and then walked towards Janine. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“This was important to you.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I want you to meet her.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“The woman you saw on the stand is the one I know. Please.”
She nodded as he took her hand leading her towards Spectra. “Josephine, this is my wife, Janine.”
“It’s pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
She could feel the woman studying her—sizing her up. She was doing the same. “Hello.”
“Thank you, for putting up with all this over the past several months. You have a spirit as strong as his.”
“He cares what happens to you.”
“I’m fortunate to have a friend like him.” In an almost maternalist fashion, she took his hand patting it saying, “Thank you, Michael.”
“You’re welcome. But it’s not over yet.”
“I suppose I should get some rest before going to work tonight. Again, it’s nice to meet you, Janine.”
“Likewise,” was all she could say.
“I’ll check on you later, Josephine.”
She smiled then walked down the hall towards the exit.
“Are you heading back to the office?” Janine asked.
“No. I want to go home…with you.”
“I have a doctor’s appointment.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s routine. I’ll be home by five.”
“Okay, I’ll start dinner.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I want to.”
Walking her to her car, he kissed her lightly on the lips. “It means a lot that you came.”
Faintly smiling, she just nodded before driving off.
It was her first visit to an OB/GYN since moving to D.C. Although she told him the visit was routine, there was more to it. She was growing anxious that the opportunity to have children was slipping away. Intellectually she understood the emotional stress of the past few months certainly could prevent it from happening. But remaining hopeful was becoming more difficult.
When she arrived, the wait wasn’t quite as long as expected. After calling her back to the exam room, the nurse took vitals, a urine sample and asked questions before handing her a gown. Undressed, she settled on the exam table when the doctor came in.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Powell.”
“Good afternoon.”
“I’d like to go over a few things, since you’re a new patient, okay?”
“Fine.”
After a round of questions about the family history, frequency of her period and so forth, he finally asked, “Is there anything going on that you want to discuss before I examine you?”
“Actually, I’m a little concerned that I haven’t been able to get pregnant.”
“How long have you been trying?”
“My IUD was removed about nine months ago.”
“So you’ve been without birth control since that time?”
“I have a diaphragm, but there are times when things are a bit more…spontaneous.”
“How long did you use the IUD?”
“About seven years.”
“Well, sometimes it takes a while for the body to normalize after the use of IUD’s. Frankly there’s a risk of infertility especially if you’ve never been pregnant prior its use.”
“I didn’t know that. My doctor recommended the switch to cut back on other risks.”
“I’m sure your prior physician weighed all your factors. Honestly, since you’re not actively trying to get pregnant, I’m a little hesitant to put you through more rigorous testing. Generally I tell my patients to wait until it’s been at least a year. Truth is even the most fertile couples only conceive about thirty percent of the time. I’ll be happy to prescribe prenatal vitamins to make sure conditions are optimal. If you’re really concerned, we can run a few tests to see what’s going on.”
“Such as?”
“We can start with a FSH test.”
“What’s that?”
“A blood test that checks your hormonal levels to make sure you’re not pre-menopausal.”
“Pre-menopausal? I’m only forty-one. I’m a little young for that don’t you think? The women in my family didn’t have that happen until they were in their late fifties.”
“Some women begin in their mid-thirties especially those who haven’t had children.” He must have seen the panic she was feeling. “Let’s just take the sample and go from there. I’m willing to refer you to one of our specialists after three months. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He called the nurse back into the room and began the examination. The more he probed and swabbed, it became far more uncomfortable than usual. She wasn’t sure if it was his technique or simply her rising anxiety. To say she was grateful when he finally finished was an understatement.
“Everything looks good so you can get dressed. The nurse will take it from here and get your blood work. Nice to meet you, Ms. Powell.”
As he left the room, the nurse began drawing her blood, telling her the results would be ready within seventy hours. A follow up appointment and consultation with a fertility specialist was scheduled for three months out—just in case. Walking back to the lobby, the nurse provided brochures on fertility issues and various treatment options. The whole thing seemed surreal.
In the midst of her fog, her mind was racing trying to process everything. Always choosing to be responsible about her reproductive health, she felt as if it had backfired on her. Things certainly hadn’t been perfect between them, but having children was something she and Michael both wanted. She was terrified her choices could make it impossible.
CHAPTER 23
Just like clockwork, her period came again. The cramping damn near doubled her over as she reached for the pain reliever. After throwing back three pills, she grabbed tampons and pads shoving them into her purse. The one thing she missed most about having the IUD was light periods. Now they were back in full swing and she hated every minute of them. Scouring her closet, she searched for the darkest clothes she could find as she prepared for work.
“Do you want some tea?” Michael asked.
&nb
sp; “No, thank you.”
“I don’t remember them being this bad. They seem to be getting worse.”
“Yeah, well you weren’t having them!”
“Whoa!”
“Sorry. Maybe this is the price I’m paying for using the damn thing for so long.”
“Can you stay home?”
“No.”
“Have you talked to your doctor about this?”
“No.”
She was understandably cranky as hell. He wanted to provide whatever comfort he could but he wasn’t sure what to do. Over the years, the women who came in and out of his life all reacted to their menses quite differently. Growing up, his father told him to just lay low until the storm passed. The way she was behaving, he definitely took those words to heart. Nonetheless he was concerned because while highly predictable, each time Janine’s period came she seemed far more irritable or inextricably sad. He knew the hormonal changes could be causing it, but he never recalled her mood swings being so severe.
She stood motionless staring at the clothes she’d laid across the bed. He walked to her and began stroking her arms and lightly kissing the back of her neck. She was less than receptive.
“I’m worried about you. Maybe you should see the doctor again and find out what’s going on.”
“It’s just my period.”
“Are you sure? You just seem inconsolable sometimes.”
Not wanting to turn it into a thing, she hadn’t told him about trying to get pregnant. She’d hoped things would work out and the experience could be natural without assistance from a fertility specialist. In truth she’d hoped to surprise him with this “anniversary gift.” But it wasn’t happening. Each month her period came, she felt her hopes slipping further away. She had to tell him.
“We need to see the doctor together.”
“Sure. I’ll go with you if you want me to.”
“I mean a fertility specialist.”
“Why do we need that?”
“Because it’s not happening.”
“I didn’t realize we were trying.”
“I stopped using the diaphragm months ago.”
“Don’t you think we should have talked about that?”
“You said you’d be happy whenever it happened.”
“That’s true but I still have a right to know.”
Their Now and Forever (Book III) (The Allen Trilogy 3) Page 16
