Lawfully Screwed (Lawful Affair)

by Victoria Bright

  “Children aren’t responsible enough to handle that much money on their own!” Mrs. Kent shrieked, glaring at us from her table.

  “My client requests that the court order him to pay money directly to his children because the evidence shows that Mrs. Kent spends the funds frivolously on things that do not benefit them. If you review Mr. Kent’s declaration, we have submitted photocopies of bank statements of a joint account that he originally kept opened, showing funds paid to health spas, plastic surgeons, and high-end clothing stores by her instead of the children as originally intended. The evidence also includes text message exchanges between him and his children,” I continued.

  Mrs. Kent scoffed as the bailiff retrieved my papers and passed them off to the judge. The judge pushed her wire-framed glasses further onto her nose and peered at the documents before her.

  “When you say Mr. Kent originally decided to keep it open, does that mean this account is now closed?” she asked, flipping through the pages. I glanced to Mr. Kent, who nodded in response.

  “Yes, Your Honor,” I answered.

  “Very well. Let the record reflect that the bank statements have entries showing funds deposited from another account into this account every two weeks and purchases ranging from…country club memberships, bars, cosmetic surgeon visits, and boutiques. If this money was supposed to be split amongst household things and your children, it doesn’t reflect here, Mrs. Kent,” she said and looked to my client. “Was this money for spousal support only or both spousal and child support?”

  “It was for both, Your Honor,” I answered. “Considering that my client had to leave the household, he was limited in what he could pay her at the time. He assumed that would be enough considering that the bills were still being drafted from his account.”

  “So, he’s still paying the mortgage, utility bills, and such?”

  “Yes, Your Honor.”

  “I see,” she said, squinting at one of the papers. Mrs. Kent leaned over and whispered something to her attorney, her eyes darting over to us before she straightened her posture.

  “Your Honor, it was never communicated to my client that the money was also for child support,” Hampton said. Judge Polland removed her glasses and gave Mrs. Kent a look of slight surprise.

  “Well, let’s clear that up. Mr. Kent, I’m ordering you pay your estranged wife $8,500 a month and $5,000 to each child,” she stated. Mrs. Kent opened her mouth to object, but Judge Pollard raised her hand and shook her head. “If he’s handling all of the bills in your household, it doesn’t make much sense for him to continue that as well giving you $25,000. I’m signing the order as presented by Mr. Kent.” The judge looked at the file once again and passed them to the clerk.

  “Your Honor, I don’t mean any disrespect, but $8,500 a month isn’t enough to cover my monthly expenses. My children have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle—”

  “Mrs. Kent, please explain to me how $8,500 isn’t enough for your monthly expenses? If your estranged husband is covering the bills in your household, there shouldn’t be a problem. If your monthly extracurricular activities are more than the amount you’re to be paid monthly, then maybe you need to cut back and prioritize what’s the most important,” the judge said.

  Mr. Kent breathed a sigh of relief and a wave of satisfaction washed over me at the outcome. We’d come out on top and he actually had to pay a little less than we’d originally worked out. Maybe this court day wasn’t so fucked up after all.

  Judge Polland struck the sound block with her gavel to dismiss us, sending Mrs. Kent and her attorney storming out of the courtroom. “That went better than I expected it to,” Mr. Kent said I gathered my papers and stuffed them in my briefcase.

  I nodded and gave him a confident grin. “Hey, I told you that you had nothing to worry about. I’ve dealt with women like her before and know what I need to do to make sure they don’t bleed my clients dry,” I joked, giving him a playful jab. He chuckled and followed me out of the courtroom and into the lobby, stopping suddenly.

  “So, what’s next for us? I’m pretty sure she’s going to make it difficult for me to see my children, which is quite stupid since they’re teenagers. Am I going to need to come back to court for that as well?”

  “We can meet with her and her attorney to see if you two can come to some kind of agreement regarding custody and visitation. If not, we can come back here and let the judge make the decision. The legal standard is the best interest of the child.”

  He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his slick hair. “Will they have to testify? I don’t want them to feel like they’re choosing sides, you know? This divorce is already hard enough on them.”

  “No, they don’t have to testify, although their preferences will be taken into account. And since they’re teenagers and are old enough to make a decision, you may have nothing to worry about. We’ll meet later on in the week to go over the next steps,” I said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He nodded and gave me a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Okay, that sounds like a plan. I trust you know what you’re doing so I’ll try not to think about it too much.”

  “Good. We’re off to a great start. I’ll have my assistant call you with your appointment date and time,” I said, extending my hand to him. He shook it firmly and nodded.

  “Thanks again, Mason. I’ll be touch,” he said and walked away, leaving Aaron and I alone. We watched Mr. Kent pass his wife, who yelled, “This isn’t over, David!” as he left the courtroom. I sighed. If that was the type of person I was going against, I had my hands full.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to see what a person saw in their significant other when they’re going through a divorce,” Aaron said as he stood next to me, watching Mrs. Kent speak in an exaggerated manner to her attorney. Her arms flailed around as her facial expressions ranged from pissed off to completely deranged. Her attorney attempted to calm her down, eventually ushering her out the door when he realized we were watching them.

  I shook my head. “It’s that kind of drama that reminds me why I never want to get married,” I noted with a chuckle as I made my way to the door. Aaron smirked at me.

  “So, you’re telling me that if you met the right girl, you wouldn’t get married?” he asked.

  There was once a time in my life when I wanted to be married and have kids. That was until I lost the only woman I wanted it with because of my addiction. Too bad losing her wasn’t my wake-up call; if anything, I got worse. “Get married for what? For it to not work out and have a woman getting half of everything I’ve worked for? I’d rather be a bachelor forever,” I said, walking through the revolving door and out onto the sidewalk. “But in the event that I was crazy enough to think I was so in love with a person to want to spend my life with them, I’m not walking down an aisle until she signs a prenup.”

  “Smart man,” he said giving my shoulder a playful shake. “I did the same thing before I got married.”

  “Well, I’m sure Mia wouldn’t try to take everything you own. She’s a doctor with her own money.”

  “Never hurts to have your bases covered. Anything can happen,” he said with a shrug. “Are you going to the office now?”

  “Yeah, but only for a few minutes. I only had this case to attend today. I can do my paperwork at home. What’s up?”

  “Wife dropped me off. Mind if I hitch a ride with you?” he asked. I nodded and waved for him on to follow me to my car. “Oh, are you watching the fight tonight?”

  I looked at him with a raised brow. “Is that even a question? Of course, I am. Where are we watching it?”

  “Dallas said something about Hooters, I think. That cool with you?” he asked. Being in a place surrounded by women in shorts tiny enough to pass as panties and low-cut tops would be a trigger for me, but perhaps the guys could keep me distracted from any temptations.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I answered, unlocking the doors to my black Mercedes S550 with a click of a
button on the car remote.

  “Cool. I’ll let the guys know and we can meet there later,” he said and got into the car. I nodded in agreement and started the car. Aaron kind of knew I had a problem, but he wasn’t aware of how bad it had gotten over the years. He and I were roommates in college and at first, he simply passed off my sexual appetite as a guy who loved sex. We’d have new girls in our beds every other day, calling ourselves the Panty Bandits. We’d make bets on who could collect the most panties from the girls we’d slept with, coming up with side objectives to achieve like who could get the most blow jobs or who could make a girl come the most. Everything was fun until I realized I couldn’t stop. Aaron and I were pretty much neck and neck in regard to horniness, but unlike Aaron, I couldn’t turn mine off. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. It took me being placed on academic probation and an STD scare for him to realize that it was a lot more complicated than I made it seem.

  “You were missing at the gym this morning. What’s up with that?” I asked once we were on the road. He leaned his head back against the seat and grinned.

  “Some long overdue makeup sex,” he joked. I shook my head.

  “Well, I’m glad one of us had a good morning.”

  “What? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” he joked, scrolling through his phone.

  “I wish it were that simple,” I said. I could feel his eyes on me for a few moments.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I had a little problem this morning,” I started, glancing over at him. He furrowed his thick eyebrows and squinted his brown eyes, his full lips pulling into a frown.

  “What is this, Jeopardy? What problem?”

  I swallowed the lump forming in my throat as I thought about the sauna scene with Bouncy Tits at the gym. It was still hard to believe that everything I thought had happened was a hallucination. Everything was so vivid; it was as if I could feel her sweaty skin beneath my fingertips and her tight walls wrapped around my cock.

  “There was this woman in the sauna,” I began, stopping when I saw him shake his head from the corner of my eye.

  “Oh hell,” he muttered.

  “Before she came in, I was checking my email and there happened to be an email from a porn company that sends daily pictures and videos and such—”

  “Don’t tell me she walked in while you were masturbating or something,” he said, stifling a laugh.

  I took a deep breath. “Well, not in the beginning. She came in and sat down. I think I asked her about her tattoo or something and after that, I’m jerking off in front of the woman before I even realize it. Next thing I know, she’s screaming and calling me a pervert and I’m sitting there with porn playing on my phone and…well, you know,” I confessed. Aaron’s mouth was practically to the floor.

  “Mason, what the hell, man?” he exclaimed, his eyes wide. “Are you trying to go to jail? Or even worse, get disbarred?”

  “I know, I fucked up,” I finally said.

  “So, you were really masturbating in front of this stranger,” he reiterated.

  I nodded and went into the story from start to finish, not even bothering to skim the details. When I finished, the car was silent before he burst into a hearty fit of laughter. I shot him a glare and shook my head. “It’s not funny, asshole. If that woman had her way, I could’ve been in jail for public indecency or something.”

  Aaron pulled himself together and wiped his eyes. “It’s not funny, but some of the details are. Here you are masturbating in front of this woman and then to make matters worse, you come in front of her. What did she say?” he asked, his face growing serious again.

  “She said what I told you earlier. She just screamed that she didn’t come there to watch some creep get his rocks off and then called me a pervert,” I mumbled.

  “I know you have a problem and everything, but seriously, man? What if she would’ve known where you worked? People these days are desperate for a buck and before you know it, she’ll try to sue the firm for everything we have. And don’t even get me started on what would happen if she were to go to the news. The bad publicity could ruin us.”

  “I know, I know,” I mentioned with a sigh. I’d promised my parents that I was getting help for my addiction, and having this incident blow up into something major wouldn’t be good for the company or within my family, especially to be under public scrutiny because of me.

  “Is that the real reason you ran off to the bathroom and took forever?” Aaron asked after a few moments of silence.

  My hand gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Something like that,” I mumbled in reply. I could see Aaron shaking his head in my peripheral, shame slowly washing over me. It was bad enough to admit what was happening, but it didn’t help when it felt like everyone was judging me for something I’d yet been able to control. As if reading my thoughts, Aaron sighed.

  “Sorry, man. I know you’re trying the best you can and this kind of shit doesn’t go away overnight. I’m just…I’m worried about you. People have been giving you a slap on the wrist, but you’re either going to end up with an STD you can’t get rid of, in jail, or dead if you mess with the wrong person. I just want you to be okay.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s cool.”

  “And I’m here to support you in any way I can. I don’t want you to feel as if I’m judging you or anything.”

  I glanced at him and gave him a small smile. “I appreciate it.”

  He let out a low whistle. “Well, I bet it’ll be awkward for the both of you the next time you go to the gym,” he said.

  “Eh, that won’t be an issue,” I stated with a slight shrug. “I decided to cancel my membership to appease her. I can always find another gym.”

  “Man, that’s some story. It’s like a scene straight out of a porno or something,” he mused as we pulled up to Carter Law Firm and parked. When he reached for the car door, I grabbed his elbow.

  “Don’t say a word about this to anyone,” I warned. He waved me off and opened the door, stepping out of the car without a word. I pushed back all thoughts of the gym and Bouncy Tits and made my way inside the law firm.

  Chapter 2

  Carter Law Firm bustled with activity as lawyers, assistants, and paralegals quickly moved around preparing for meetings and client appointments. I made my way down the hall to my office, winking at Anastasia, my father’s secretary as I passed her preparing a room for a meeting. She blushed and tucked a lock of jet black hair behind her ear, diverting her eyes away from me. I clenched my jaw and mentally scolded myself. You’ve gotten yourself into enough trouble for the day, get your mind out of the gutter.

  Clutching the handle of my briefcase tighter, I quickened my pace down the hall to get to the safe confines of my office. Unlocking the door, I pushed it open and stepped inside and released a long breath. My cherry oak wooden desk was covered with paperwork that needed to be filed and others that still needed to be handled. I groaned and ran my hand down my face. With my old assistant gone for the remainder of her pregnancy, I really needed a fucking assistant immediately.

  I plopped down in my office chair and spun around a few times. “I pay you to work, not lollygag in your office chair,” a deep voice stated. I spun toward the door and fought the urge to sigh when I saw my father, Maxwell Carter, standing in the doorway. His tailored navy-blue suit showcased his broad shoulders and chest and his pants fit comfortably on his long legs. His amber eyes were hard as he looked at me, his full lips pulled into a slight frown as he put his hands in his pockets.

  “I literally just sat down, Dad,” I said, organizing the mess of papers on my desk. “Any updates on the new assistant you were supposed to be hiring? I—”

  “Well, that’s why I’m here,” he said and waved to someone in the hallway. I stood and walked around my desk with a smile, but it quickly faded when I saw who appeared next to my father. He beamed and gestured toward the woman. “Mason, this is Olga Lebedev. Ms. Lebedev, this is my son, Mason Carter. You’ll be as
sisting him with anything he needs.”

  Olga gave me a tight nod, clutching the small purse she held in front of her a little tighter. I stared at my dad in disbelief. If keeping temptation away from me was his main goal, he’d definitely achieved it. Her thin gray hair was pulled into a neat bun, her wrinkled face covered in too much foundation powder. Her lipstick was bright on her thin lips and her blue eyes were ice cold, almost scolding me without her saying a word. She stood at probably 5’4” in her kitten heels, dressed in a wool gray dress.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Carter,” she said in a thick accent, giving me a tight nod.

  I extended my hand and gave her a tight smile. “Pleasure to be working with you, Ms. Lebev.”

  “Lebedev,” she corrected, shaking my hand as her eyes wandered over to the paperwork on my desk and shook her head with a scoff.

  “Young ones these days are so lazy. In my country, they are put to work as soon as they can walk,” she exclaimed, moving over to pick up a stack of folders. She left the room mumbling something in Russian, leaving my dad and I alone. If I didn’t think today could get any worse, it just did.

  “Seriously, Dad?” I asked as he closed the door behind Olga. “That was the best you could find?”

  “She was one of the best, yes.”

  “But why—”

  “There were plenty of young, single women dying to be Mason Carter’s assistant,” he moved across the room over to the window. “I’m sure you know that.”

  “So, why not pick one of them?” I asked, trying to keep my irritation at bay.

  “Because I’m trying to help you, Mason.” He turned to look at me, his eyes boring into mine. “You’re in recovery right now. Hiring one of those women would make me an enabler for your…condition.”