“Recuse himself? On what grounds?”
“On the grounds that your father plays golf with him every Friday, and you yourself have told me he gives you whatever you want. Did you forget how much you liked to talk shop after I fucked you?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I had been standing at a distance—ten feet away in front of the locked door—but I walked slowly to where she was standing, getting nice and close.
“Try me.”
She held my stare for a long moment. “Fine. But let’s do this the way adversaries are supposed to. Not threatening below the belt. We’ll make a deal.”
I shook my head. “What do you want, Kierra?”
“You want your client home tonight. I want something in return.”
“Fine. What do you want?”
Her tongue glossed over her top lip like she was starving and looking at a juicy steak. “You. And not in a bathroom or the back seat of an Uber. I want you—a proper date where you take me out and wine me and dine me before you sixty-nine me.”
“Oh my God. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Let’s just pay the fine and get out of here.”
As I sped her out of the courtroom, Emerie seemed to interpret my rush to be about her taking up too much of my day. But it wasn’t that at all. I’d almost made it out when Kierra called after us.
“Drew, do you have a moment?”
“Not now. I need to be somewhere.” Anywhere but here.
I kept my hand on Emerie’s back and continued moving, but my client had other ideas. She stopped walking.
“We need to go,” I said.
“Let me at least thank the ADA.”
“That’s not necessary. The city of New York thanks her every other Friday when they hand her a paycheck.”
Emerie’s eyes scolded me. “I’m not being rude, just because you are.” With that, she turned and waited for Kierra to catch up.
She extended her hand. “Thank you so much for everything. I was a wreck this morning when I thought I might be taken into custody.”
Kierra looked at Emerie’s hand and snubbed her. She turned her body my direction and spoke to me while responding. “Don’t thank me. Thank your attorney.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
“But don’t thank him too much. I don’t want him worn out.” Kierra turned on her heel and waved goodbye over her shoulder. “I’ll call you for our appointment, Drew.”
Emerie looked at me. “That was odd.”
“She must be off her meds. Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
By the time we paid the fine and picked up copies of Emerie’s warrant clearance, it was nearly four o’clock.
Out on the court steps, she turned to me. “I hope you’re not anti public displays of affection, because I need to give you a hug.”
I actually wasn’t much of a public affection person at all, but hey—I wasn’t getting paid for this wasted day, so I might as well get something out of this. Those tits pushed up against me were definitely better than nothing—might even be better than a full day at six seventy-five an hour.
“If you insist.”