by Abby Angel
I'm rubbing his back, applying all the pressure I can because his muscles are so big I'm not sure my small hands are doing much good.
He sighs. "Thank you. Jacqueline. Thank you. You somehow put it all into perspective. I knew I should stop by here. I just didn't know you could ground me in this way. I didn't know I needed grounding, but you have done that and it feels so good."
I'm happy I've provided him with some relief.
We're so connected here in this moment. I'm beyond excited that he stopped by. I know he came with urgent law business, but to me, it means that I was on his mind. He wanted to come over and to trust me with his doubts and fears. I so much wanted to assuage him and I hope the back rub helped. I honestly have never seen Marcus like this, so perturbed and unsure of himself. He's normally one of the most confident people I know. And he's confident in a good way like he makes me feel reassured being around him. He makes me feel safe and comforted. So to have the tables turned is a big deal. To see him doubting his prowess at law made me feel like I should really step up and be the one to comfort him for a change. I hope my words were able to help him. He's sitting with me now, seeming more calmed down. I have candles still lit all over the place from my luxurious bath, and the scent of essential oils is still in the air. I have to admit, it's a very romantic setting. What started as a little self-pampering session has turned into a very romantic environment with Marcus.
He looks like a statuesque Roman god, with his huge muscles popping out of his worn, heather-gray t-shirt. Rubbing his back gave me a lovely feeling of how strong he is and having him between my legs as I rubbed down his muscles made the world seem right. I know he feels it too. His actions and the way he puts me at ease, his protectiveness, and his deep dark eyes, tell me all I need to know. Marcus is my fantasy-guy come to life. He's brilliant and beautiful, caring, compassionate, and most of all, he seems to want me back. He seems to see those special qualities in me also and that makes me feel awesome. I want to express this to Marcus.
He's just finished his scotch and I offer him another glass.
"I'm good for now, thanks Jacqueline. You have really helped to ease my mind about this whole case. I'm really glad I can confide in you. Otherwise it feels just lonely."
Oh my God! He said I'm the one person he can confide in. That means so much to me. Because I also feel that I can tell him anything.
"Marcus, thank you. I really am here for you, to bounce ideas off of, to talk. I am always going to be here for you. "
With that statement, he pulls me in for a deep kiss, and I can taste the scotch on his breath and I hope this means that tonight will lead to something special, between us. I'm eager to have something intimate with Marcus, where I can see all the shades of him, from the superficial to the deepest emotions. Here is a man with many layers.
"Marcus, I want to know how much you want me," I say, my lips trembling at little at the question
"Of course I do," he answers immediately.
"No, I want more. I need to see everything. I need to know that I am the only girl in the world that you would ever be with...and I know that is different for me to ask, considering..."
He sighs and interrupts, "Jacqueline, don't you know this already? About me? Have I ever given you a reason to doubt this?"
I look into his eyes. "No, you haven't. He's right. He's always been loyally by my side and I've had many conversations with him, mostly about work, but that connection between us felt so palpable, always.
"Yes, I am and I want you to know that you are all I ever think about Jacqueline. You're on my mind 24 hours a day. I am constantly wondering what you are doing, if you are okay. I mean, I want to know everything, like if you're in your socks watching a movie at home, or if you're out somewhere without me."
Wow, he really thinks about all that? I'm practically melting right now.
He continues, "You're an amazing catch...and it's no wonder three amazing guys are after you. I went after you, and I seldom really go after anyone. You're the only woman I want, and I know that sharing you doesn't change anything for me."
"If you want, Marcus I can help you to understand how much you mean to me. Please, let me help you understand. I want to take this thing deeper. I want to know every part of you. I also want to know what you're doing at every moment, and if you're lounging at home in your sweats, or if you're working m or if you're at the gym, or even if you're out somewhere without me. I want to know everything."
That makes him so happy. He kisses me and again I'm becoming more and more sure of my feelings. I want to make him happy at every level. I want to know him at every level.
He's so strong and secure. Now I feel like having him wrap me up in his arm, and I wrap my arms around him. "Thank you," I tell him.
"Of course," Marcus says. "You’re my girl, and it’s fine that I’m one of your men." He kisses my forehead and stands. "Thanks so much for everything. I know I’ll see you soon, babe, but there’s something I need to take care of."
The smile on Marcus’s face keeps me from being concerned about him running off. I’m glad he came to visit me. I’m glad we had this talk.
I kinda feel like, despite all the odds, everything is going to be okay.
44
Jason
I've scheduled a time for everyone to come into the conference room to go over new evidence. I'm just prepping myself, getting ready to see Jacqueline again. Every moment I have to work with her is a special one. This girl sets me on fire! And hopefully, tonight we can set fire to this case and it'll go down in history as one of the biggest ones our firm has ever tackled.
I put on my Ralph Lauren suit jacket and head out of my office, down the corridor, and to the conference room. It takes just a few minutes for Jacqueline and Marcus to join me.
"Hi," she kisses me on the cheek.
"Hey, Jason."
"Hi, thanks for coming."
Damn. Jacqueline looks so good today. She's got some burgundy top under her jacket that shows just the top of her tits. That view will never get old. She's got perfect tits. I wish I could let my mind just focus on them, but we've got work to do.
"I've had a courier send over Emma's diary."
"Really Jason? That's great! That could be the solid evidence we need."
The courier arrives and my secretary comes in with the book.
Jacqueline, Marcus, and I just stare at it in disbelief. We may finally know the cause of Emma's death. At the very least we'll know more about her life, almost as though it's coming from beyond the grave.
Marcus opens the book to the first page and together we read it. It starts with some general thoughts. "Dear Diary, I can't believe I'm writing in a diary. Dear Diary, I'm dating this new guy named Damian, he's hot but cocky." Then as we read page after page the story starts to become clear. "Dear Diary, I'm dated this married guy named A. He won't leave his wife for me, even though he keeps saying he will. What am I going to do? I'm in love with him."
"Wow," Jacqueline says. "She had another boyfriend, a secret boyfriend."
"Yeah," I say. "If only she could've just written his name."
Why Emma? I'm so frustrated. We know part of what happened but without a name, we can't get anywhere.
"Well, let's finish it," Marcus suggests.
"Dear Diary, I am so in love with A. I know we should be together. I've started blackmailing him, saying I'll expose everything if he doesn't run away with me. This did not make him happy, but we're so in love. How can he not see that? I don't want to ruin his career, but I'll do what I have to do to win him over. He's just scared. And with me, if we were together, then he would have nothing to be afraid of ever again. I hope I don't have to take it to that length. But, he whispers sweet nothings in my ear at night and by the next day he pretends that it never happened. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing."
Oh my God! I think we've got him.
"Did you guys recognize that?" I ask.
"Sure did."
"It has
to be..." Jacqueline's face has shock written all over it.
"Wolff." I say. "A. Wolff. Our own enemy was Emma's as well. This diary points to Wolff as being the murderer."
"And now it all makes sense," Jacqueline says. "The whole crazy trial makes sense. I can see now why he was trying to cover his tracks. He wanted to make a media circus around Damian. He must've known she was dating him too."
"And," Marcus ascertains, "maybe he knew she was with him that night and that he didn't have an alibi."
"Of course!" I agree. "It all comes around in a perfect circle."
"Thank goodness Emma kept a diary, otherwise we may never have known. And Cain would've gone to jail, while Wolff kept putting criminals away in the DA's office," Marcus says.
"It's just creepy to think of a murderer putting away murderers. He almost got away with it too." Jacqueline seems sad about the whole thing.
"Marcus, Jacqueline, I can't express my gratitude enough for how hard you two have been working on this. Marcus, you really handled the evidence side of things, and Jacqueline, you're my power player in court. But the fact remains, that even with this diary, we do not have enough evidence to lock him away. She never mentions Wolff by name. If only she had... "
"But she didn't," Jacqueline agrees.
"Well, if we found this," Marcus says. "There has to more. We will find more. Wolff couldn't have covered his tracks that well."
"You're right," I say. "We just need a little more time."
"It's sad," Jacqueline says. "Why did Emma have to blackmail him? If only she knew that she was playing with fire."
"And she definitely got burned," I say, sad. That may have been a shitty pun, but like I'm so sad that this happened to poor Emma.
We put our heads together and reorganize the case and our position in court. There are papers and files and computers covering the conference table as we try to put together an entirely new strategy. Once we find a single scrap of evidence that will prove Wolff's guilt, I'm gonna make sure he goes away for the rest of his life. Being a DA has put him in a particularly perilous position. But we have this. I know that we will uncover all the facts and this thing will be done.
"I'm wondering about Xavier," Jacqueline says. "How is he gonna feel when he realizes he's been working for a dangerous man, a man who represents everything Xavier doesn't?"
"He'll be okay," I try to reassure her. "He's a brilliant attorney and none of this is his fault, and he too will come out on top. That I know for sure."
45
Xavier
I'm in my apartment mulling things over. I have the tape from the security guard and I'm antsy to see what it reveals. The entire fate of what happened to Emma could be on this thing and I'm just preparing myself for what I'm about to learn. One girl, robbed of her life . . . by who we don't know. I was so sure it was Damian Cain but now I'm not convinced. How can I be sure it was him? After all this time and the way this case went, I am just not sure that I know anything anymore. My entire theory is being flipped upside down and I can only speculate as to what will happen next. I want to know the truth, but a part of me is afraid that the truth will dismantle everything I have thought about the world so far. If there is evidence on the tape that recuses Cain, what am I supposed to think? I will have had it all wrong up to this point. There's only so much bad news one man can handle, and while finding Emma's true murderer would not be bad news, it would be for me because it would mean I've had so many things wrong for so much time. I wish I could just maintain my idealist attitude, that everything works out in the end, and that at least I'm working as a public servant, at the DA’s office. But lately, I'm beginning to question that. I'm wondering if my faculties wouldn't be of better use somewhere else?
Oh well, it's time to set the thing in motion. I'm ready to find out the truth. No. I'm not ready. I grab a shot glass and pour myself some Jack Daniels. I have a feeling I'm gonna need this. The shot goes down smooth and warm and it calms my nerves enough to know that whatever this security footage reveals, I can handle it. I'm above all a servant of the truth and that is what I'm about to see. So, I man up and put the footage into my computer. It's all gonna be okay.
The camera starts rolling and for a long time, there's nothing. I see a few people go in and out of the building, which is normal, considering it's late. But then, I see Damian Cain go in. He's there for a while and I fast forward the tape to the time of his departure. I see him leave. Hmmm, wonder what time that was? I'll have to check that against the time that they predict the murder happened. If this is all the tape reveals then that's not much. If anything it proves that Damian Cain is guilty. He definitely went in and out of the building that night of the murder. I keep watching though, just to see if there's anything more and to my utter shock and horrific surprise, guess who I see come into the building not long after Cain? My own boss. Adam fucking Wolff. There's his face plainly put on camera. He's in there for about 20 minutes, long enough to commit a murder, before he comes back out. Shit, it's him. This is evidence that he did it. My own boss, my mentor, the person I trusted most in the world to fight by my side to put away criminals is a criminal himself. He's like the evilest person in the world and this reality hits me like a ton of bricks. I think I'm going to be sick. I feel nothing but nausea as all the conversations flash in my head where Wolff and I discussed this case. All the times he purposely put me on the wrong scent, a scent that would lead directly away from him, so that I would help convict the wrong person. I had no idea Wolff even knew the victim. How? I mean the guy's married. How would he have come across her? I just can't even wrap my mind around this evidence. It's like too much for my soul to bear. I can think of one person to tell, one person that will be as interested in this tape as I am and it's also the only person who can help calm me down and away from this ledge of utter hopelessness as I realize I've been working for the enemy.
My hands are shaking as I call Jacqueline. "Hello? Hello?" she says from the other end. She's not going to believe this.
"Jacqueline? Hi, hi. It's me."
"Xavier? It's so late. Are you okay?"
"You know, I'm really not. I'm not okay Jacqueline. I've just found something out that flips my entire world off balance. It was him, Jacqueline. It was Wolff, my own fucking mentor. It was him that committed this crime. He killed Emma. I know it. I have the proof." I'm close to tears now as my entire life closes in.
"What? Wait . . . Xavier are you serious? I mean we suspected but never knew for sure. You have ultimate proof?"
"Yes! I have the tape. I have the video footage that shows him leaving the building after Cain. He paid the guard to hide it. But I have it now, and Jacqueline it proves everything against him. I can't believe I've been working on the wrong side. I had it all wrong Jacqueline, I had everything wrong."
"It's okay Xavier. It's okay. I mean he's the DA, who would've ever suspected? He used that position to his advantage. You have nothing to feel bad about. No one knew. That's the beauty of his plan. No one ever would've suspected him given his importance in the community."
"I know, but fuck Jacqueline, how could I have missed it? I feel so gullible. I've been working under him, a man capable of this, the entire time."
"Shhh, it's okay. No one knew. He was a giant manipulator and it's not your fault. He had everyone fooled. It's okay. And you've been working for what you thought was the right cause. That's all that matters. Okay? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I mean I'll be fine., But this has to come out tomorrow."
"Okay. Tomorrow it is. Tomorrow will be the worst day of his life and it'll be thanks to you. None of this could've happened without you Xavier. You're a hero! You're my hero."
Her words calm me down and I know how lucky I am to have Jacqueline in my life. Nobody else could've said it like she did. She's positively the only person whose opinion I care about. I'm so grateful to have her.
"Okay, thanks. I'm gonna go now."
"Alright, I'll see you soon Xavier."
> With that, we hang up and I do the only thing I can think to do. I make several copies of the footage and then I take one more shot of Jack. Fuck, this was a crazy night. I have to prepare myself for exactly how this is going to go down tomorrow.
46
Jacqueline
In the morning of the next trial day, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. I've got a cappuccino in my hand, and I'm grinning ear-to-ear, ready for this day to go down as a legendary day in court history. We have the smoking gun. We know who the real criminal is and I plan on bringing that to light today. Today is the reason I became a lawyer, and the fact that we'll help an innocent man go free just lightens my mood about everything. With our evidence nothing can go wrong. We, as a team, have come together and I’m sure the case will be closed today. If we had not worked together, none of this would be possible, and again I feel grateful that I work at not only a prestigious firm, but a firm with integrity. We care more about justice than anything and that makes me feel so honored.
I meet Marcus and Jason outside the courtroom. We look over our notes and make sure everything is in line. Nothing can go wrong today. It's too important. In fact, I'm confident that today will be one of the biggest highlights of my career. I'm pumped up to present the evidence we have in court. Finally we have this case in our grasp, and I'm imagining the look on people's faces when we reveal the truth.
I'm dressed in my finest court attire, a black, sharp pantsuit with lines that make me look incredible and like I could kick your ass in a courtroom, and I've pulled my hair back into a tight bun, making me look as professional as possible while I get ready to take this guy Wolff down. Marcus and Jason and I stride into the courtroom, assured that all will be okay.
