Confessions of a Litigation God: A Legal Affairs Full Length Erotic Novel (34 page)

I know I just stared
at her for a moment… blank and confused, because honestly, for
a brief moment, I sort of expected her to throw a fit. Or at the
least make me feel guilty. Because, that’s sure as shit
something Marissa would do.

But not Mac.

Never Mac.

She gave me a hug,
then a sweet kiss, and told me that she’d see me at work next
Monday. Told me to have a great time with Gabe.

She didn’t
even ask me to call her. Just told me, and I quote, “You spend
every waking minute loving on that boy.”

God, my fucking
heart cramps in appreciation just now thinking of it, and I’m
convinced I’m turning into a pussy.

So, I went and
picked Gabe up, we made pizza at my apartment that night, played with
his Legos for a while, and then watched a movie. He was zonked out by
ten PM, and I put him to bed.

I thought about
going to bed myself, but before I knew it, I was calling Mac. We
talked for two hours and then had some amazing fucking phone sex that
caused me to come spectacularly all over my clean sheets and ensured
I’d have more laundry to do in the morning.

And when morning
rolled around, I woke up missing Mac like I’d miss a lung,
feeling all oxygen deprived and shit, so I called her.

I didn’t weigh
out the pros and cons… I didn’t spend too much time
thinking of any psychological repercussions—I just did it.

I invited her to go
to Coney Island with Gabe and me.

She had asked, “Are
you sure, Matt? You want me to meet Gabe?”

I never thought
twice about it. “Absolutely.”

“Well, if
you’re sure,” she said, still a bit hesitantly. “I’d
really love to meet him. And I really miss you, so bonus!”

I laughed, hung up,
and then I went to find Gabe to explain Mac to him.

The doorbell rings,
jarring me out of my reflection. My pulse starts hammering because
that would be Mac and I’m nervous about her meeting Gabe, but
I’m fucking excited as hell to see her. I hope to God I don’t
pop wood the minute I lay my eyes on her, which has been known to
randomly happen when she’s in the immediate vicinity.

“Hey buddy…
how about going to let Mac in so I can finish just one more thing?
I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay,”
he says, turning to run out of my office.

“Gabe?”
I call out, and he turns to look at me. “Be nice.”

He flashes me
another grin and then bolts down the hallway. I really don’t
have anything to finish up, but I wanted to give Mac some alone time
with Gabe. I imagine she’s got to be pretty nervous and doesn’t
need me overlooking their introduction. Besides, Gabe is so outgoing,
he’ll have no problem entertaining her all on his own.

I log off my
computer and sit back in my chair, listening to their conversation.

It’s fucking
awesome. Gabe immediately takes her into the living room and talks
her into playing Wii bowling with him.

“I’m
really good,” I hear him brag to Mac. “I beat Dad all the
time, and I’ll probably beat you.”

I listen as Gabe
chatters away at Mac, trying to explain the game to her. She talks to
him like a natural, bringing it down to a seven-year-old level, but
also understanding that he’s bright and mature for his age, so
she doesn’t treat him like a baby.

I hear Gabe yell
out, “In your face, Mac,” and I can’t help the
laugh that pops out of my mouth. I can hear Mac laugh too, and it’s
such a beautiful sound that my smile doesn’t melt away.

After about twenty
minutes, I get up and walk into the living room, where I’m
treated to a phenomenal view of Mac as she bends over slightly,
aiming up her bowling shot. Luckily, I do not pop wood but fuck, she
has an amazing ass that I cannot wait to tap one day.

“Poor form,
Mac,” I tease her, trying to keep the huskiness out of my voice
so Gabe doesn’t pick up on any vibes. “I think you need
to bend over a little more.”

She shoots me a
smirk over her shoulder, and then turns back to the TV. “Behave
yourself.”

I hop over the back
of the couch and sit down, one arm resting over the back, and cross
my legs. I then watch as Gabe totally smokes Mac and then mocks her
with a little victory dance. And yes, he actually learned that move
from me when I beat him at Candy Land once… I got up and
danced around the table, yelling, “In your face,” to him.
But damn… the kid always beats me and I was not about to let
that victory go to waste.

Mac hands the Wii
controller to my son with a laugh. “You are just too good,
Gabe. I’ll never be able to beat you.”

Gabe looks pleased
as punch from the compliment, and then turns to me. “Want to
play?”

Reaching out, I
ruffle his hair. “Maybe later, buddy. Let’s get ready to
head out to Coney Island. Go get your shoes on.”

Gabe leaps up and
yells, “Hooray,” before he takes off running to his room.

I watch Gabe’s
retreating form before turning to Mac, crooking my finger at her.
“Get over here and give me a proper hello.”

She gives me a sexy
smile and then she’s in my lap, letting me kiss her. While I
have a brief moment of privacy, I make the kiss scorching hot before
I pull away.

“So, what do
you think of Gabe?”

“He’s
wonderful,” she says with genuine affection. Then she about
kills me when she says, “He’s you.”

Mac sees a lot of
things, and I respect her because of her perception. But that she
sees my son in the same vein she sees me… that she thinks my
son is like me… well, in this moment, I think I may truly love
Mac. Our eyes hold one another and something passes between us…
an understanding maybe.

Gabe comes flying
back into the room, and because kids have no concept of personal
space, the moment is broken as he launches himself right at Mac and
me

“I need you to
tie my shoes, Dad,” he says after smacking hard into my ribs
and landing an elbow against Mac’s shoulder.

“Nope. You
know how to do it,” I tell him firmly.

“I forget
how,” he pouts.

“Well…
I heard that in order to get into Coney Island, you have to prove you
can tie your shoes. If you can’t do it, we can’t go.”

Gabe doesn’t
pause long to see if maybe I’m bluffing before he pushes away
from us and puts on his shoes, tying perfect bows.

Mac chuckles, and I
shrug my shoulders. “All the negotiation skills I learned as a
lawyer have been invaluable raising a child.”

Gabe jumps up from
the couch and grabs my hand. “Come on, Dad. Let’s go.”

I stand up, easily
bringing Mac’s body up with me, letting her slither down my
front as I set her on the floor. Fuck, that felt good and I start to
pop a little wood, so I set her away from me. This weekend is going
to be torture not being able to fuck her.

Grabbing my wallet
and keys, and to take my mind off fucking Mac, I ask Gabe, “What
do you want to do at Coney Island today?”

Only my son can give
an off-the-cuff discourse on Coney Island. “I want to ride the
Cyclone, play skeeball, eat hot dogs and cotton candy, and then go to
the beach, and then we can ride the Cyclone again. I’ll ride it
once with you, and then Mac can ride it with me.”

As Gabe keeps
chattering, I open the door and glance one more time behind me. Mac
is staring at Gabe with the most delighted grin on her face as he
starts talking about the best way to build sand castles, and I swear,
I don’t think the kid has taken a breath yet.

Turning around, I
start to walk out the door and am brought to an abrupt halt because
someone is standing there, hand poised in the air to knock.

I used to think her
the most beautiful woman in the world at one time in my life and now
I can barely look at her pale blonde hair and light blue eyes without
bile surging up in my throat. “Marissa… what are you
doing here?”

She narrows her gaze
at me, as if calculating what is the best possible thing to say to
me, to not only announce why she is here, but to pick at my wounds
while she’s at it. For some reason, ever since I left her for
cheating on me, Marissa takes every opportunity to strike out in
retaliation. Even though I’m the one that was wronged, she
still feels the need to make me suffer.

“I’ve
had a change in plans, so I’m here to get Gabe.”

Of course, she
did,
I think to myself tiredly as she pushes past me into the
apartment. I’m sure she and Anthony broke up… again.

She doesn’t
say a word to her son, but pins Mac with a snotty glare. “And
you are?”

Giving a sigh and
running a frustrated hand through my hair, I open my mouth to make
introductions, but Gabe beats me to it. Grabbing Marissa’s
hand, so she will give him attention, he says, “This is Mac,
Mommy. She’s Daddy’s friend.”

Marissa’s eyes
glow hot for a moment, then she appraises Mac up and down. I watch as
the heat leaves and she turns away from Mac dismissively. She’s
being dismissive because Marissa knows that my past modus operandi
was to fuck women and leave them. I think she actually takes great
pride in having a hand in creating the new Matt Connover.

So she dismisses Mac
because in a million years, she just can’t envision me opening
myself up to someone again. “I don’t appreciate you
bringing your flavor of the week around our son.”

Fury lances at me,
not just because of the insult to Mac, but because of saying such a
comment in front of our son. I struggle to keep my voice calm in
front of Gabe, so he doesn’t really understand just how
offensive his mother is being. “Marissa… I’m not
doing this with you. Not in front of Gabe. We’re on our way out
to Coney Island. I can bring him by your place later this evening.”

“Sorry. That
just won’t work for me. I’m taking him now.”

Gabe tugs on
Marissa’s hand and whines. “I want to go to Coney Island
with Daddy.”

Marissa never takes
her eyes from mine when she responds to him. “Not today, baby.
We have other things to do.”

“Marissa,”
I beg, because although I’d never beg that bitch for anything
for myself, I have no pride when it comes to begging for my son.
“Don’t make Gabe suffer because you want to get back at
me.”

She doesn’t
say a word to me, but her eyes light up in victory that she has made
me beg her. Something happens inside of me… almost a sinking
sensation, as if I was in an elevator that had dropped suddenly,
causing my stomach to lose equilibrium with the rest of my body.
Overwhelming sadness hits me that this… right here…
this is destined to be my life from here on out. Marissa is never
going away, she’s never going to stop being hatefully vile, and
I’m always going to be battling with her for every scrap I can
get with Gabe.

How in the fuck can
a woman that purported to love me… married me… made
love to me and bore my child, who then later went on to cheat on me…
how in the world can that woman still continue to enjoy torturing me?

“Mac,” I
say quietly, while staring at my ex-wife. “Would you mind
taking Gabe back to his room for a moment so I can have a few words
with Marissa?”

“Sure,”
she says softly. “Come on, Gabe.”

Gabe looks at Mac
and then cuts his gaze back to me in question. “Go on, buddy.
I’ll work this out with Mom.”

“Okay,”
he says timidly, because no matter how calm I’m trying to make
myself, he’s picking up on the bad vibes. He takes Mac’s
hand and leads her away.

I watch my son, who
I love beyond all measure, lead the woman who I may love, but I’m
still not quite sure, away, and turn to face the woman who I
absolutely despise.

“Marissa,”
I try one time to appeal to any bit of humanity that may exist in her
blackened soul. “Please don’t do this. He’s so
excited about going to Coney Island.”

“Sorry, Matt.
It’s not your weekend for visitation, and it’s my right
to take him.”

“Why do you do
this?” I ask her bluntly, because we’ve never actually
talked about our relationship since our divorce.

Her eyebrows rise up
in surprise. “Do what?”

“Punish me,”
I tell her. “Why are you always trying to punish me, when I
didn’t do anything wrong?”

“Does it hurt,
Matt?” she asks me in mock sympathy, her eyes cold as ice.

“Yes,” I
tell her truthfully.

“Good,”
she hisses at me, and I take a step backward because the venom in her
voice is palpable. She keeps her voice low but lays out her feelings
to me viciously. “Never fuck with a woman scorned, Matt. You
may be a hot-shot lawyer and can bend people to your will, but as a
man… you simply don’t have the fortitude to ever go head
to head with a pissed off woman like me. I will shred you every time,
because you men like to think we’re the weaker sex, but that
would be a foolish mistake to think so. We’re the smarter and
more ruthless of the two, and if I’m strong enough to bear your
eight-pound son without any pain meds, don’t think I won’t
castrate you without a backward glance if I had the chance.”

“What the fuck
are you talking about?” I ask her, completely bewildered and
stunned by her rage.

She seems to get a
bit of control over herself, because her voice is more even toned.
“I’m talking about the fact that I came home one
afternoon to find all of my bags packed, waiting in the foyer. I
found you there, telling me I had thirty minutes to clear out of my
home. You had sent Gabe off to your parents, so I couldn’t even
see my son before you kicked me out. I’m talking about the fact
you told every one of our family and friends all the dirty details of
my indiscretions, rather than try to talk to me about it. You never
once laid my crimes on my doorstep to deal with, but made it public
knowledge with which to humiliate me. You never once let me try to
atone for my sin. You simply cut me off and cut me out.”