Authors: Crystal Perkins
“Maybe you should be
in charge more often, Yas,” I get out between breaths.
“We can take turns
being in charge, Pretty Boy,” she says and then pulls herself up to
look me in the eyes. “But, I-I don’t think you can tie me up
again.”
She looks away and I
pull her face back to me. “I don’t need to do that to get off.
Obviously. Thank you again for making my fantasy come true, though. I
love you Yas.” I kiss her lightly and then move her off of me so
that I can go and take care of the condom.
“I love you too,
Scott. I am glad that I could do that for you.” I can hear the
honesty in her voice.
Although things are god
right now, I still want to lighten the mood. “So, Pretty Boy, huh?
Is that your new nickname for me?” I tease her as I walk back to
the bed.
“Maybe, it is,” she
replies saucily as she takes off her shoes.
“I think I like it.”
I pull back the covers and we climb into bed. I cuddle her close and
again thank God for bringing Yas into my life. I know that tomorrow
is going to be hard for me and depending on what Amber’s lawyer
comes at me with, it may be hard for Yas too. But, I know that I can
handle anything with her at my side. I will do whatever I can to
protect her. That is my last thought as I drift off to sleep.
Yasmin
I wake up and see the
sun starting to light up the sky. I carefully wiggle out of Scott’s
arms, trying not to wake him up. He stirs but then turns onto his
stomach and continues to sleep. I check the clock and see that he
doesn’t need to be up for a couple more hours. They want him at the
courthouse at 10. He’ll be the first prosecution witness but they
aren’t sure exactly what time they will need him. We’ll wait in a
room there until it’s time for him to testify. I’m glad that I
can be there for him but I’m a little nervous about what I may
hear. I know the defense attorney will try to discredit him. I also
know that he was with Amber for a year and I know that they were
together in every way, despite her having a “real” boyfriend. I
think I can handle whatever I hear, but it may be hard. I know Scott
loves me and that he hates her and would never want her again. I just
have to remind myself of that when I’m in the courtroom.
I use the time I have
to take a shower and go over some of the loan applications that Erika
slipped in the pocket of my suitcase. I’m hoping that I can get at
least one so I can buy the software she keeps telling me about. I
also order us breakfast. I’m waiting for room service when I
remember that I still haven’t looked at the article about the
software that I shoved in my purse weeks ago. I don’t know that I
really need to since Erika and Sean have told me everything they know
about it, but they said that I should know about the guy who designed
it, that he seems really cool.
They’re dating now
and really cute together. We’re still planning on a double date
since they keep missing Scott whenever he is in the store. I’m just
reaching for the article when the room service guy knocks at the
door. Oh, well. I’ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer
to find out about this mystery guy.
I am setting our
breakfast on the suite’s dining room table when Scott wraps his
arms around me from behind. “Morning, baby,” he says, moving my
hair out of the way and nuzzling my neck. I love it when he does
that. The barbell from his eyebrow always feels good rubbing against
me. “Thanks for taking care of breakfast.”
I turn around and kiss
him lightly. “You’re welcome. I wanted to let you sleep as late
as possible. You should probably jump in the shower so that you’ll
have time to eat.”
He nods and I notice
that he looks a little subdued. It is what I would expect. He is
about to walk into his own version of Hell today. I kiss him again,
trying to convey how much I love him and support him. He lets me go
and smiles down at me. “I’ll be back in a few. Don’t eat all of
the bacon,” he yells over his shoulder before closing the bathroom
door.
We eat and get dressed
without saying much. I think that we are both trying to mentally
prepare ourselves for the day. I put on a pink button down blouse
with a black trumpet skirt and low black heels. I reach into the
museum bags again for some pearl and leaf earrings and a pearl
necklace. Scott is in another suit, this time grey. He pairs it with
a bright blue shirt and a grey and black patterned tie. I’m
practically drooling again but keep it in check as I know that we
need to get to the courthouse. Scott holds my hand the entire drive
and I can feel the tension in him mounting as we get closer.
We park and walk
inside, still holding hands. After we’re through the metal
detectors, we take the elevator up to the correct floor. The doors
open and we step out. I can’t believe what I see and I can tell
Scott is surprised as well since he stops walking with a jerk on my
hand. Gary, Maggie, Ryan, Owen, Luke, John, Zane and Quinn are all
waiting in the hallway.
Maggie rushes over and
hugs us both. “Wh-what are you all doing here?” Scotts asks,
swallowing hard.
“We know you have
Yasmin, but we wanted to be here for you as well,” Gary says.
Scott looks from one
person to the next and smiles, tears forming behind his eyes. “Thank
you. I appreciate it. I love you all.”
“We love you too,
Bro,” Owen speaks first and everyone nods.
The prosecutor comes up
to us and tells us that Scott cannot enter the courtroom until he is
called to testify. He shows us to the room where he wants him to
wait. Everyone else says that they’re going to go inside and get
seats, but I choose to wait in the room with Scott.
“We’ll save you a
seat, Yasmin,” Luke tells me, squeezing my arm.
“Thanks, Luke. I’ll
see you guys in there.”
Scott pulls me to him
when they leave and we hold each other for several minutes. “Is it
okay if I don’t let you go until they call me?”
“Of course, Pretty
Boy. You can hold me as long as you need to.”
He pulls me over to a
chair and sits down, bringing me onto his lap. “I see the nickname
is staying.”
“You said that you
liked it.”
“I said that I
think
that I like it,” he says, in a teasing tone. I am glad that I am
helping to ease some of his tension.
“So, you want me to
stop using it?”
“I didn’t say
that
.”
“Because I can come
up with something else.”
“Oh yeah, like what?”
he asks, nuzzling my neck again.
“Hmm, maybe Game
Boy?”
He bursts out laughing.
“You know that Game Boys were handheld devices right?”
“Yes, I even had
one.” I stick out my tongue at him. “It does fit you, though. You
like to play games.”
“Not with you, Yas.
Never with you.”
“Pretty Boy it is
then.” I kiss him until a bailiff knocks at the door.
* * *
Scott
I am so glad that Yas
and my family and friends are going to be in the courtroom. She just
went to go take her seat while I wait with the bailiff until they
call me in. I tap my fingers on my thigh, nervous and wound tight.
I’m ready for the prosecution questions, but I have no idea what
the defense attorney is going to come up with.
The courtroom is quiet
as I walk in. I see everyone sitting in the row right behind the
prosecutor’s table. Yas meets my eye and smiles. I smile back and
then look to the other side. I see Amber, but she’s not looking at
me. She’s glaring at Yas. She seems to sense me staring at her and
looks me in the eye with a sneer. Then, she leans over to her lawyer,
whispering in his ear. His eyes go wide but he nods, bringing
something up on his computer. That makes me nervous but I don’t
have time to think about it as I reach the witness stand. I am sworn
in and take my seat.
The prosecution
questions go as expected. We have rehearsed these so there are no
surprises. Then, the defense attorney gets up and I notice Amber
smirking. Shit! What has that bitch got up her sleeve?
“Mr. Griffin, you
stated that you knew nothing about Miss Montgomery’s plans, is that
correct?”
“Yes.”
“Can you explain to
me how you could be in a relationship with someone for a year and yet
claim not to know anything about that person?”
“I believed what
Amber told me about herself. I had no reason to doubt her.”
“Your honor, I have a
new piece of evidence that I would like to enter into evidence.”
“Go ahead,” the
judge says as the defense lawyer hands a copy to the court clerk and
another to the prosecutor.
The prosecutor
immediately jumps to his feet. “I cannot see how this is relevant,
your honor.” What the fuck?
“I can assure you
that it
is
relevant,”
the defense attorney says.
“I will let this be
admitted,” the judge says looking over the document. “But, you
need to get to its relevancy quickly.”
“Yes, your honor.”
He turns to me, handing me a copy of the document. “Do you
recognize this as a text conversation between Miss Montgomery and
yourself Mr. Griffin?” I look at it and wonder why the hell he
would think that this is relevant. But, I nod, because I do recognize
the conversation.
“Yes.”
“Please read the
document to the court, Mr. Griffin.”
“What? I am not going
to read this out loud.”
“Son, you need to do
it.” The judge has a stern but somewhat sympathetic look on his
face.
I look to Yas and try to convey how
sorry I am. Then I start to read it out loud.
Amber: Can you come over tonight? I miss you and your dick.
Scott: I wish that I could but I have to finish this project for
my dad. My dick misses you, too.
Amber: You’re at your parent’s house? Are you alone?
Scott: Yeah, I’m alone.
Amber: What would you like to do with me if I was there with you?
Scott: Amber, I really have to work.
Amber: I’ve got my hands inside my panties…
Scott: Shit. OK, I guess I can take some time away from my work.
Amber: Good, because I am pretending that it is your fingers
inside of me. Are you unzipping you pants?
Scott: Yes, I am. I wish my fingers were inside of you and it was
your hand stroking me.
Amber: Do you want to take me on your bed?
Scott: No, I want to bend you over the garden wall and fuck you
senseless.
Amber: Ooh, outside. What if your parents saw us?
Scott: They are out at a party. There is no one here.
Amber: Then, why won’t you take me in your room?
Scott: I just wouldn’t.
Amber: I think you just like to keep me your dirty little secret.
You haven’t introduced me to your family or friends yet.
Scott: I will when the time is right.
“You can stop there,
Mr. Griffin. You said that you were waiting for the right time. Was
this because you were finalizing the plans you were making to rob
your sister’s house?
“What? No! Are you
fucking insane?” I jump out of the chair as the courtroom goes
wild.
“Order! Order! the
judge yells, banging his gavel. “Sit down, Mr. Griffin.” I sit
down but I am seething. I look to Amber who is smirking again and
then to Yas who is looking at the defense attorney like she wants to
kill him.
“Mr. Griffin, did you
buy an engagement ring for Miss Montgomery from Harry Winston
jewelers.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you give Miss
Montgomery that ring?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I was planning on
giving it to her the night that she murdered my sister and
brother-in-law. In fact, I was waiting at my apartment for her when
my parents called me with the news of what she had done.”
“Isn’t it true that
you were actually waiting at the apartment for her to return after
the robbery? The ring was part of your celebration plans, wasn’t
it?”
I start to rise up
again but catch Yasmin’s eye. She shakes her head and looks at me
wide eyed. I get what she is trying to convey and sit back down. I’m
not going to let this bastard rile me up so that I look bad to the
jury.
“No and no,” I say
calmly. “I loved my sister with everything that I have. I would
never steal from her. Besides, why would I need to? I have plenty of
money.”
He looks a little
shaken at how calm I am. I have to fight the urge to smirk. That
won’t look good to the jury either.
He recovers and hits me
with another hard question. “So, you say that you are waiting at
your apartment to propose to the woman that you love when you get the
call from your parents. If that happened to me, my first instinct
would be to return that engagement ring so that I would never have to
see it again. Did you return that ring, Mr. Griffin?”
“No. I didn’t,” I
sigh.
“You didn’t return
the ring. Is it because you still love Miss Montgomery and are hoping
that she is acquitted so that you can continue your relationship with
her?”
“I didn’t return
the ring because it is in my apartment, which I have not returned to
since that night. I do not want to have any kind of
relationship
with Amber. I do not love her and have recently realized that I never
really did. I thought I did, but it took me
really
falling in love to realize that what I shared with Amber wasn’t
it.” I look Yas in the eye as I say those words.
“You bastard! You
dumb, stupid bastard!” Amber is out of her seat yelling. “You
think you’re in love with her? The fat chick?” She points at Yas
and my blood begins to boil. I have never hit a woman, but I want to
now. The other lawyers at her table try to get her to sit down, but
she shoves them off. “Thank God I didn’t share my plans with you!
You are too stupid for words.” She realizes what she just said and
her eyes go wide. Her lawyer turns pale.