Cyclist Down Chapter 3 part 3 of 4

Cyclist Down
Chapter 3 part 3 of 4

"I know, Jill. I feel the same way about you. I just hate the idea that I am screwing things up with some dumb mistake."

"It is only a few weeks. I know you and your kind, of dense, but I am trying to tell you that you have not screwed anything up long-term. We will be fine when this is over."

"Good. Do not make any plans for the weekend after the trial."

"I will not. Talk to you later."

It was unbelievable how much not seeing Jill sucked. It was not only the terrific sex I missed, although that was bad enough. I kept catching myself looking forward to seeing her at the end of the day or asking her what she thought about something, and then realizing with a fresh pain that I was not going to be able to. She had really gotten under my skin. I had built what I thought was a healthy, satisfying life as a single man, and now none of it meant anything without her. Kim, of course, knew what ailed me.

"Ben, you dope, your secretary called me asking if we were hiring at the law firm. She says there is no living with you these days. How long has she been with you?"

"Close to five years. Why didn't she talk to me?"

"She does not really want to quit. She wanted me to know that she is worried about you. She says you are like a bear with a toothache and your work is slipping."

"It is this thing with Jill. I thought we had a fun, casual, mutually satisfying relationship going, and now I am losing my mind because I cannot see her. I do not understand it."

"I do. You are in love with that girl."

"What the hell good does that do me?"

"You really are in a bad mood, aren't you? You know I play tennis with Jill, and I can tell you that her mind has not been on her game lately. She wants to be with you too."

"Why is she such a stickler for the rules, then?"

"Because she is a good lawyer. Believe me, you don't want anything to do with the kind that cut corners when they want something."

"So what am I supposed to do now?"

"Short term, get it together and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You know this will end as soon as Jill finishes her trial. Long term, I have already told you what to do. Meanwhile, go give your secretary an apology and a couple of days off with pay. She's better to you than you deserve."

"Like you?"

"Exactly."

So I did and tossed in a day at the local day spa at my expense. I knew I could not afford to lose her. Then I buckled down and channeled my frustration into hard work until the trial rolled around.

There really were at least five sides to the landslide trial, and a whole herd of lawyers in the courtroom to match. They called me on the last day of the trial, and I testified to my opinion and then defended it to all the other lawyers who cross-examined me. Jill did it with a perfectly straight face and her usual excellent grasp of the facts. The last in line was a weaselly-looking guy with a supercilious look on his face.

"Ms. Williams had a lot of questions for you, didn't she?"

"About the same as the rest of you, I'd say."

"Isn't it true that you're dating her?"

"Not at the moment."

He was smirking, and the other lawyers were looking slightly disgusted.

"But you were?"

"Yes."

"Why aren't you now?"

"She refuses to talk to someone else's expert outside of court before trial."

"So you're hoping to start again when this trial is over?"

What could I say?

"Absolutely."

That got me a faint smile from Jill, which was the first hint she'd given that she knew me outside of court. The weasel did not know when to stop.

"This was a sexual relationship?"

Jill turned beet red. The little weasel was lucky he was behind his table out of my reach. The senior lawyer in the bunch rose.

"Objection, relevance."

"Sustained."

"But Your Honor..."

The judge, a gray-haired veteran of a thousand courtroom battles, spoke coldly.

"There are some questions that no decent man will ask or answer. Sit down."

He turned to Jill.

"Ms. Williams, unlike some in this room, you have done a fine job of presenting your case thoroughly and professionally. You are an outstanding attorney. I am not blind to the fact that you are also an incredibly attractive young woman. If you did not have a romantic life, I would wonder what is wrong with young men these days. That is nothing for you to be embarrassed about. I don't see that it has anything to do with this case and I don't want to hear any more about it."

I heard a familiar voice as I reached the landing halfway down the courthouse steps at the end of the day.

"Ben, wait up!"

Jill came flying down the steps behind me, and I caught her as she started to stumble, spinning her around a couple of times. Her arms went around my neck.

"So you still want to pick up where we left off?"

I grinned back at her.

"Absolutely."


To be continued