YOUR CHEATIN’ HEART—PART 2

By

SENORLONGO

+++++

Seymour Finkel strode into the office at 12:55. I rose, walked around my desk and shook his hand. “I didn’t know we had legal business to discuss, Rocky.”

“We don’t, Sy, but I have something important to talk with you about. Let’s go into the library.” Like most offices mine is on an exterior wall with plenty of windows. Sensitive microphones can actually pick up vibrations in those windows, especially if on the same level as mine. Your confidential conversation could become public knowledge in a heartbeat. The law library is an internal room with no windows. We were there only a few minutes when our lunch was delivered—brisket on rye for Sy, hot pastrami on rye for me. We ate and made small talk; I knew better than to talk business while eating. Sy spoke again, seriously this time, once we were done.

“Okay, Rocky—what gives?”

“Still think you owe me a favor for your nephew?”

“You know my word is good. What’s up?” I slowly explained about Alex Hammond and Jill. He shook his head, but smiled when I told him what I had in mind. “It’s a deal. Obviously, the less you know about the details the better, but I’ll take care of everything.” We shook hands and I saw him out, relieved that he would help me.

No—I wasn’t going to have him killed and, after talking with Julie, I wasn’t going to destroy his business. Julie could sell it or even operate it to provide money for herself and the two kids. I was, however, going to utterly destroy Alexander Hammond, Jr.

+++++

I decided to leave the office early so I could make a couple of stops on the way home. First, I stopped off at a candy store that made its own salt water taffy and bought a pound. My next stop was a florist just down the street where I ordered a dozen long stemmed red roses. “Make sure they’re tight. I’ll want to feel them before they go into the box.” She looked at me as if I was crazy. But she did bring them to me for inspection. I rejected two.

“Do you really know what you’re doing?”

“My dad is a florist in Brooklyn. I worked for him all through high school and college. Yes, I do know a tight bud when I see one.” I was in such a good mood I even laughed when the station played “Your Cheatin’ Heart” again. I even sang along, with Patsy Cline this time.

Of course, my family was shocked to see me so early. I picked up each of my daughters and twirled them around in a circle while hugging and kissing them. The commotion they made brought Jill into the room. I carefully dropped my daughter to the floor and took Jill into my arms. Like my daughters I swung her around then kissed her and did what’s known as a “dip” in ballroom dancing, bending her back until her body was parallel to the floor before releasing the kiss and giving her the roses.

“Wow! What did I do to deserve this—a big kiss and a dozen roses?”

“You married me, silly girl. What say we go out to dinner tonight? That way you won’t have to cook and I bought a bunch of salt water taffy for dessert.” That was greeted by a lot of that jumping that only girls seem to do.

“Can we get pizza again, Daddy?

“No pizza tonight, Alicia; I think we’ll go out for lobster.

“Lobster?”

“Yeah, I think you’ll like it. There’s a place out off 25A that has a big lobster deal. That reminds me of a joke—who was the bravest man in recorded history?”

“Who, Daddy?”

“The first man to eat a lobster.” Alicia and Sofia didn’t get it, but Jill laughed. The girls would get it once they saw their first. We ate out occasionally, but not often. It wasn’t the money—I could afford to go out every night if necessary, but dining out can be so impersonal. Jill and I treasured our times with our family—holding hands to say grace, the girls telling us about their day at school (who could know how long that would last?), playing soccer and softball in the back yard, using the pool in the summer. Basically, we were home bodies. I wondered if that wasn’t part of the reason why Jill had strayed. Then I wondered if I was over-thinking everything. Not only did I want to trust my wife, I also needed to trust myself.

Half an hour later we walked into Nick’s, essentially a bar with a restaurant in the rear. Sofia was fascinated with the lobsters in the tank. “They’re really ugly, Daddy.”

“Yeah, now you know why that guy was so brave.” My girls looked at me then each other and broke out in giggles. Once we were seated we ordered Cokes for our daughters and large draft beers for Jill and me. We each had a decent tossed salad; they had Italian dressing and I had bleu cheese. Each of us had the pound and a quarter lobster, with baked potato and an ear of corn.

I showed everyone how to get the lobster meat out of the tail. They could cut their own and dip into the butter sauce. The delight on their faces with the first bite reminded me why our restoring our marriage was so important. I had to crack the claws for everyone—Jill included—as we all had a wonderful time. Both Alicia and Sofia hugged and kissed me with their thanks, but they also told me how silly I looked in my lobster bib. They were having a great time at my expense until I pulled out my phone and showed their pictures and we all laughed again. Alicia and Sofia were safely in bed by nine when Jill and I retired to our room for a shower before some creative sex.

I had barely closed the door when Jill wrapped me in her embrace. “Thank you, Rocky—the flowers are beautiful and dinner was such fun…and thanks for your help this morning. Were those men here to check up on me?”

“I won’t lie to you, Jill. Last Friday morning I told Pete I wanted you followed, but after our discussion and what followed with Alex texting you over and over I became concerned about your safety. I phoned Pete Saturday morning when you took the girls shopping to make sure you’d be safe.”

“That one guy was huge.”

“Yeah, but Pete told me the smaller one was the more dangerous. Maybe he knows karate or something.”

“I think that’s enough talking for one evening, darling—don’t you?” Jill reached up and pulled my head down so our lips could meet. Her arms were around my neck a second later as mine found her tight ass. We stood there in the bedroom making out like kids on their first date except that we both knew this was merely the warm-up. When Jill moved her hands to my belt I moved mine to her blouse. The three buttons at the back of her neck opened easily and we broke the kiss momentarily to remove blouse and shirt. Jill’s bra followed as soon as humanly possible so we could continue our kiss. Less than a minute later my slacks and her Capri’s found the floor with boxers and panties joining them in a pile.

We never paused that kiss even as we sidestepped through the narrow doorway to the bathroom. It was the longest and hottest kiss of our lives. Our faces were covered in spit when we entered the shower. I washed Jill first, spending too much time on her perky tits and her vulva. When I gave Jill the soap she quickly washed under my arms and across my chest, but lingered on my cock and balls until I was so hot for my wife I could stand no more. I turned off the water and dragged her out to a waiting towel. We were still dripping when we climbed into the bed.

Jill kissed me quickly before situating herself on top of my body, her red puffy cunt just inches above my mouth as hers began its assault on my pulsing cock. She teased me at first, licking over and around the spongy reddish purple helmet. Her next move was to lick down the sensitive underside of my organ. So hard was I that I could feel the blood pulsing through the arteries that fed and maintained my erection. I knew that Jill would take good care of me so I began to engage her sweet pussy.

I began using the broad of my tongue, starting at her clit and licking the entire exterior of her all the way to her puckered star. I knew I was getting to her when she involuntarily humped my face, urging me on to her tunnel.

Jill was almost always wet, even when not stimulated. Perhaps it was related to her daily need or her perception that she was becoming a nymphomaniac. All I knew at this instant was that she was gushing juice at an incredible rate. Normally, while eating her pussy I would curl my tongue upward to rub its tip along Jill’s prominent G-spot. I couldn’t curl it down from my position so I just fucked her as fast as possible knowing that her ability for vaginal orgasms would take care of her. Several times I felt spasms run through her body and I knew I had her for sure when I sucked her swollen bud through the tiny space between my teeth. She came again for the final time just as I began to spray her tonsils with long thick ropes of semen. I could never understand why some women refused to swallow; Jill loved the taste of my cum. She rested for a while atop my body until licking the final drops from my cock then she joined me, head on my shoulder and still dripping cunt on my thigh as we fell almost immediately into a deep restful sleep.

+++++

I was surprised to hear the doorbell at just after seven the following morning. I was battle-ready when I opened the door, thinking that Alex Hammond had lost his mind in his pursuit of my wife. Instead of our neighbor a muscular young man in the uniform of a security guard stood in front of me. “Morning, Mr. Fabbri; I’m Tony. I’m here to safeguard your family.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh, I thought Mr. Finkel had explained that I would be coming. He sent me to ensure their safety. I’ll drive your daughters to and from school every day and I’ll remain with Mrs. Fabbri throughout the day. Those are my instructions. I’m licensed to carry a pistol and I’m skilled in martial arts.”

“Uh…Sy sent you?”

“That’s right, Sir.”

“Well, I guess you’d better come in.” I had walked through the living room when I called out, “Jill, we have company. Care for some coffee, Tony?”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“First of all, drop the ‘Sir.’ Call me Rocky. This is my wife, Jill; that’s Sofia and this is Alicia. Ladies, meet Tony—your bodyguard.”

“What?”

“One of my clients owns a security agency and he sent Tony over to protect you when I’m not here.” Jill and the girls just sat silently, their mouths open until I spoke again. “Jill, could you get a cup of coffee for Tony…please?” Jill reacted, but slowly as we continued our breakfast.

“Mrs. Fabbri, what time do your daughters have to be at school and how long does it take to get there?”

“We start at 8:10,” Sofia chimed in.

“They usually take the school bus.”

“I think it might be best if I drove them there and back. You should come with me also so you’ll be safe.” I was sure he would have continued had the phone not rung at that very second. I rose to answer it, checking the Caller ID first.

“Morning, Sy…yeah, he’s here now. You don’t really think it will be necessary, do you? Yeah, I suppose so. Okay…thanks.” Hanging up the wall phone I turned to my family. “That was my client informing me that he was sending over a security guard for you. Now that I’ve had the chance to think about it I agree that it’s a good idea.”

“Why do we need a guard, Daddy?”

“We’ve had a problem with one of the neighbors. He was arrested yesterday morning trying to break into our house. Some men from the street stopped him and held him for the police. Anyway, he was charged with harassment, but that’s such a minor charge that he was released yesterday afternoon. I think that’s enough information for you two. What kind of car do you have, Tony?

“It’s a truck, Sir…er, Rocky—a Toyota Tundra with a crew cab…you know, with a back seat. I have booster seats there for my own two kids so I know yours will be safe. Mr. Finkel told me to stay as long as necessary.”

“Okay then, I guess you should sit down and get acquainted with the family while I get ready for work.” I didn’t really think that Alicia or Sofia would be in any danger, but why take any chances? We left at the same time with hugs and kisses for my girls and a special kiss for Jill.

“How long will we have to deal with this, Rocky” she asked.

“I don’t know, but probably not more than a few weeks.” Jill cringed in response so I hugged her again and watched as they climbed into the truck. Tony was obviously good at his job. He made sure everyone’s seat belt was secure before driving down the street, following Jill’s directions to the school.

I hesitated for a few minutes to phone Pete and tell him I wouldn’t need his men after today. “Can you trust him Rocky? After all he is a criminal.”

“He’s a client, Pete and I know his word is as good as gold. Tell your guys I owe them.” I ended the call for the tedious drive to work. I was very busy over the next two days—so busy that I couldn’t even break for lunch or coffee. I was concentrating so hard that I barely heard the intercom. It blared for almost fifteen seconds and when I answered there was nobody on the other end of the line. I shrugged and was almost back into the writ when Steve walked in with Julie Hammond.

“Sorry to bother you, Rocky, but Julie is concerned. It seems that her husband has vanished from the face of the earth. He hasn’t shown up at his business in two days and we were supposed to have a preliminary meeting with his attorney. The attorney was here and–boy–was she pissed.”

“Alex promised me that he’d phone every afternoon so he could speak with the kids. He hasn’t phoned for the last two days. I don’t know what to do.”
“I think you should call the police. Let Steve do it for you. He can get the ball rolling and ask for some detectives to see you at home later in the afternoon.”
Julie smiled at me before responding, “It’s already late in the afternoon, Rocky. It’s almost five.” She laughed when she saw the shock on my face.

“Wow…where has the day gone? Okay, Steve why don’t you call the cops? Ask if they can stop by after dinner so Julie will have a chance to feed the kids. Julie, you should probably send them down to see Jill and me once they’re done with you.”

“Why would they want to see you?”

“Because I’m sure this is somehow related to what’s happened between Jill and Alex. They’ll find out everything on their own, but it could take a week or longer. We’ll save them a lot of time and effort.” They left and I tried in vain to finish the writ. I left it on my desk, locked the door, and drove home.

We had just finished dinner when the doorbell rang. Tony had gone home when I had arrived and now I could see the anxiety in Jill’s face. “Relax, I think it’s the cops.” I was right; I recognized one of the detectives from a case I’d had last year. “Come in, gentlemen; please, have a seat.

“Alicia, Sofia—go out into the back yard and play. Do not come back in until either Mommy or I come for you. This discussion is for adults only.”

“I’m not quite sure why Mrs. Hammond asked us to see you, Mr. Fabbri.”

“I think you will once we get started and I believe we will save you a lot of time and work. Neither of us particularly cares for Mr. Hammond at the moment, but we do like his wife and family.” Over the next ten minutes I summarized everything that had transpired between Jill and Alex Hammond—their affair at the Marriott, my discovery, my confrontation with Jill, the ongoing texts and threats, his arrest, and the restraining order. I even told about sending the evidence of the affair to Julie.

You might be wondering just why I would tell the cops all about the sordid affair. It’s simple—the police are not as stupid as the general public thinks. They would have figured out everything and then they’d wonder why I had either lied or hidden the information. I’d learned very early on in my law career that there are times when one needs to be honest and forthcoming with the police. This was clearly one of those times.

They asked plenty of questions once I was done, but less than thirty minutes after arriving they were on their way out. “I can understand why you wanted your daughters out of earshot, Mr. Fabbri.” They were almost out the door when they finally asked the question I had anticipated all evening. “Can you account for your time over the past two days?”

“I spent yesterday in court with Judge Ferguson on a bunch of DUI’s. I think I signed into the courthouse at 8:30 and left around five other than lunch which I had with one of your DA’s—Tom Bradford. I spent all of today in my office.”

“Where’d you get the bodyguard from?”

“A client.”

“Who?”

“You know better than to ask that question, detective—a client who wanted to do me a favor.” They nodded their heads and left. Jill waited until their car was on the street before calling the girls in for their showers and their story before bed.

I still remember when I first began reading to them. Alicia was five and Sofia was two. As babies we had them in separate rooms, but as they grew older they wanted to be together. Now they had twin beds in the second largest bedroom with its own bath. The first story I’d ever read was “Babar.” They loved it so much that Jill had bought a number of others in the series. Those books were still in their bookcase and I had noticed several times that they had been moved—taken from the shelf and read. Now, however, I was into Chapter 7 of Nancy Drew—The Bungalow Mystery. I sat in their room’s loveseat with Alicia on my left knee and Sofia on my right. I knew that Alicia could read the book on her own, but I also knew that she wouldn’t deprive her sister of the pleasure of listening to my reading. As always, there were prayers, hugs, kisses, and “I love you’s” even as I tucked them in with one last kiss before turning out the light and closing their door. I always left a nightlight on in the bathroom, but it was rare that they didn’t sleep through the night.

Jill was waiting for me in our bedroom. “This is kind of scary, Rocky. I don’t want to see him, but I don’t want to find out he’s dead, either.”

“I don’t want him dead, either. A dead person doesn’t suffer and I definitely want him to suffer.”

“Do you know where he is, Rocky?”

“No, I really don’t.” That was the truth. I’d asked Sy Finkel to make him disappear for a while, but I’d had no idea that he’d be able to set it up and act so quickly. Jill and I made love and slept naked as had become our custom. Life went on for more than a week and there was still no word from Alex.

+++++

I was in the office on a Thursday afternoon when I noticed Julie in my doorway. Her face was ashen and she looked as though she was about to faint. I ran to her, telling Rosa, my secretary, to find Steve. “What is it, Julie? Let me get you a drink of water.”

I sat with her until Steve walked in. “Close the door, Steve. Have you heard from Alex? Is he okay?”

“Did you send me this?” I noticed for the first time that she was holding a DVD in a plastic case.

“No…I’ve never seen that. Have you looked at it?” I could tell from the expression on her face that she had. Her expression was one of disgust and shock. I took it from her and loaded it into the player that was attached to flat screen TV in my office. I rarely used it except to view videos of crime scenes or copies of videos taken from a patrol car camera.

The picture first showed a dingy motel or hotel room or even a bedroom, meaning it could have been anywhere. When I first saw Alex I was shocked. He was naked and filthy. He hadn’t shaved and his body hadn’t been washed in what I guessed was weeks. He looked as though he had lost twenty pounds. Then we learned why. “I need it, man. Please! Please, I need my fix.” Steve and I looked at each other, sharing the shock that Julie obviously felt.

Then we heard another voice. It was distorted, but we could understand what was said. “Yeah? What will you do for it?”

“Anything…I got to have it.”

“Okay, get on your knees and pull his cock from his pants then suck him off like the good slut you are.” We watched in utter silence as Alex Hammond sucked some guys cock for more than five minutes before swallowing his load. He was given a glassine envelope which he used to prepare a hypodermic that he shot into his arm. The rest of the scene showed Alex stretched out on a bed unconscious.

There was static on the disc for a few seconds before the next scene unfolded. Hard to believe, but it was actually worse than the first. In this scene Alex sucked a cock while another man fucked his ass, cumming all over his back. There was weird distorted laughter. There was one more scene which repeated the perverse sexual acts, but added Alex telling Julie how much more fun it was being with these men than it was being with her. I telephoned the detective handling Alex’s disappearance knowing that there was no way that any of the others or even the place could be identified. The men’s faces were covered with stocking masks and they all wore plain blue sweatshirts and jeans. Only Alex could be identified.

The police checked for fingerprints, but the only ones detected were mine and Julie’s. I took the rest of the afternoon off, driving Julie in my car as she cried non-stop while Steve followed in her car. I phoned Jill en route and she met us at Julie’s home. She helped Julie from the car and into the house. Tony had gone to pick up our girls from school and, if possible, to bring Julie’s with him. We wanted them at our house where they’d be shielded from what had happened. There was something that had to be said so I pushed forward.

“Julie, I don’t know what your intentions will be if we ever get Alex back, but you have to be careful. He’s had unprotected sex with several men. Who knows what he might have picked up?”

“Oh God,” she wailed, “he could have HIV or some other STD.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, and then there are the problems associated with injecting heroin.”

“Is that what he was doing?”

“Yes…I’m afraid so. We have no idea if that was a new needle or if someone else used it before Alex, nor do we know about the conditions of where and how he kept it. Most junkies get to the point where they just don’t care. I’m sorry, Julie, but I want you to be prepared if he comes back from wherever he is. You need to put your kids first.”

“Don’t worry about that. If there was anything left of ‘us’ that video killed it. I almost wish he was dead. I dread having to tell the kids.”

“Would you want me to do it, Julie?”

“Thank you, Rocky. I know what a good father you are, but I think this has to come from me. Thanks for all your help today, but I think I need to get the kids fed.”

“Why don’t we send Rocky out for a couple of pizzas and eat them at our place? That will give you a chance to get yourself together a bit.” Julie agreed. She went to wash her face with Jill. Ten minutes later they drove in Julie’s car to our house while I drove to the pizza place for three pies and several salads we could share. Later that night while Jill and I were recovering from our nightly tryst I asked her what she and Julie had discussed.

“I told her how sorry I was for causing this mess.”

“Don’t be,” she responded. “Alex is a serial cheater. He woos women with his sugary phrases and empty promises. There were two others that I’m sure about, so that means there were probably even more. Like you and Rocky we’ve been married roughly ten years. How many affairs in that time? Five? Ten? I’ve had enough. You’re as much a victim as I am, Jill. I dream about being divorced so I can find a man who will love me and only me and be a decent father to my children. I know men like that aren’t common, but they do exist.” We hugged when we finished talking.

“Please believe me, Rocky—I’m sorry I ever got involved with that man.” Then, shifting gears, she continued, “Julie told me a little about the DVD. Was it really that bad?”

“Worse—it was the most depraved thing I’ve ever experienced. Apparently, Alex is addicted to heroin….”

“Oh, no!”

“It gets worse. He’s on video sucking cock and being fucked in his ass just to get another fix. It’s hard to believe that someone could sink so low. I don’t know how she’s going to tell the kids. They’re sure to ask where their father is.”

“Listening to Julie this afternoon I gathered that he wasn’t all that great a dad. He spent all of his time at his business. Julie told me that she’s going to run it—that she’ll demand it in the divorce. Did you know they met working for the same real estate broker? She has maintained her license even though she hasn’t had to work.”

“Enough! Let’s try to get some sleep. I have a ton of work tomorrow. I was just assigned a murder trial in Suffolk County. I have a long meeting with Pete and my paralegals first thing in the morning.” Jill snuggled up close, her leaking cunt pressed tightly against my thigh.

+++++

I was immersed in work for the next week. Prepping for a murder trial is a bitch. Every piece of evidence has to be closely examined and evaluated and once that’s done I have to plan what I think is the best approach for the defense. It didn’t help that my client was guilty and that three witnesses had heard the argument and seen him stab the victim. One second there was an argument and the next one of them was bleeding out on the sidewalk. It was just my client’s bad luck that his blind stab had severed his victim’s renal artery. The police and an ambulance were called, but the man was dead by the time they arrived.
I was hard at work at my conference table so I never heard the detective enter my office. “Mr. Fabbri?”

“Oh, sorry…Detective Nelson, isn’t it? How can I help you?”

“Mrs. Hammond asked me to see you. We found her husband.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“Actually, it isn’t. We received a 911 call at 4:10 this morning. The caller refused to give his name, but he said a car was blocking an intersection in Roosevelt. When the officers investigated they found Mr. Hammond behind the wheel. He was naked and obviously under the influence of some drug.”

“Probably heroin; have you seen the DVD that was sent to Julie?”

“Yes, unfortunately—how low can someone sink? I wanted to vomit and I’ve seen just about everything after eighteen years on the job. It gets worse. The patrol officers also found 112 dime bags of what appears to be heroin. We’ll know for sure once the lab tests it. If it is, he’ll be charged with possession with intent to sell in addition to the DWI and public nudity and the traffic violations. He’s in a lot of trouble. He phoned his wife and asked if you would see him in the jail. I guess he wants you to represent him. He ‘lawyered up’ so we haven’t asked him any questions.”

“How’d you get to be the messenger?”

“I was there at her home to give her the news. She seems to be a decent woman who doesn’t deserve this kind of shit.”

“Your assessment is right on. She’s a beautiful person and–you’re right—the man she’s married to is a snake. No woman deserves that. I’ll stop by to see him
this afternoon. I’ll get to it on my way home. I can use a break.”

“You picked up that Carey case, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, that proves it doesn’t pay to hang around courtrooms. I was in a chat with a colleague when the judge saw me. The only good thing is that I’ll be able to bill the state my regular rate. I already have more than forty hours into the case and we’re months from going to trial. Thanks for the heads up, Detective.” He left and I sat back in my chair thinking that this could not have gone better.

I had a lot more information when I checked into the jail at 4:10, planning to spend less than fifteen minutes with this asshole. Alex was brought in a few minutes later, arms and legs shackled and wearing a bright orange Nassau County Jail jumpsuit.

“Thank God you’re here, Rocky. You’ve got to get me out of here. I’m the victim of this mess.”

“Why don’t you start from the beginning–from when you disappeared?” I already knew the story, but I wanted to hear him say it.

“I left work at six. I think it was Tuesday the fourteenth. I walked to my car, not paying any attention to a van parked next to it. Next thing I knew I was grabbed by these two huge guys and pulled into the back. One of them clamped a huge paw over my mouth. They used these plastic ties to bind me and stuffed some cloth into my mouth then they pulled a big bag over my head. We rode—God only knows where—for maybe an hour. I thought they were just trying to confuse me. Then they took me into a room and cut my clothes off. I was forced into a chair and tied in using a rope. When they took the bag off I saw four big bruisers with stocking masks so I couldn’t identify them.

“They left me there for hours then they brought in a syringe. They held my hand and injected whatever it was into a vein in my hand. It made me woozy and light-headed and gave me a feeling of euphoria. Each of the next two days they gave me more and by the third I needed it desperately.

“I begged for it, but they made me do some sick stuff to earn it. That’s the term they used—earn it. They kept me in the room for more than two weeks. I learned they had given me heroin. I’m addicted now. Why would someone do that?”

“I’m sure I have no idea. The whole thing sounds preposterous.”

“It happened, Rocky. I swear. The last thing I remember was giving myself another fix and then I woke up in my car with some cops arresting me. I need your help, Rocky.”

“You can’t afford me, Alex. I wouldn’t represent you for less than $10,000 an hour.”

“What? That’s ridiculous.”

“No, that’s the price of seducing and fucking my wife. I’ve forgiven her, but you’re going to suffer for hurting my family and yours. Not only are you an addict, but I’d bet you’ve contracted some kind of STD, too.”

“How would you know about that?”

“They sent Julie a DVD of some of your more perverted activities. Julie has seen you sucking a big cock and swallowing and she’s seen you taking a big dick up your ass. She’s done with you after seeing that. Think of it as practice for when you’re in prison. I’ll bet the other inmates will be waiting for you with open arms. I suggest you become some big black guy’s bitch. That’s the only way you’ll get any protection.” I rose from the chair and called for the guard. “I’d come up with a more reasonable story if I was you. The judge will throw the book at you if you tell that bullshit in court. By the way, a motel owner in Wyandanch came forward once your arrest hit the TV news. He said that you checked in on the fourteenth and stayed there until this morning. He’s showed the registration form with your signature and your charge slips to the cops; you’re visible on his security tapes throughout the two weeks, too. So far the police have checked twenty of the 112 bags of drugs. They all have your fingerprints on them and they’ve all tested positive for heroin. Let’s face it, Alex—you’re a lying scumbag and you always have been.”

“You fucking guinea bastard!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Tsk, tsk. Alex, if you’re going to use an epithet at least be accurate. The term ‘guinea’ refers to Italians. I’m Sicilian. You should know that Sicilians always get their revenge just as I’ve gotten mine with you. Good luck with the public defender. He’ll probably tell you to take a plea bargain and that’ll be good advice. You’ll be lucky to get off with ten years and have to serve at least five. By then you’ll be completely destroyed…if you live that long.” I walked out the door laughing as soon as the guard opened it.

+++++

I continued to work the Carey murder trial over the next two weeks and, as I checked the statements of the witnesses I thought I saw a pattern of information I could use to advantage. Then, on a Friday afternoon, Steve stopped in to ask for help. “I’d appreciate if you could accompany me to the County Jail, Rocky. I’m going to try to get Hammond to sign the divorce agreement. You know the family better than I do, so I was hoping….”

I checked the clock and agreed to leave with him in an hour. We checked in to the jail together at 4:07. Steve had his briefcase, but I was empty handed. We passed through the metal detectors and Steve’s briefcase passed through the x-ray machine before being led to the interview room. Alex did not look good when he was brought to us. “You got a fucking nerve coming here, Fabbri.”

“Nice to see you’re doing well; been tested for STD’s yet?”

“Yeah…positive for HIV and gonorrhea. They’re pumping me full of antibiotics for at least a month. So, why are you here? You certainly didn’t just stop by to say ‘hello’”

“Mr. Hammond, I’m Steve Donaldson, your wife’s lawyer in the divorce action. I’m hoping I can get you to sign off on the agreement. She’s gone through hell the past month. We can get the same settlement or better by going to court, but then all of your adultery will be public knowledge. Also, even though you won’t be present to defend yourself against these charges, anything said in family court can be used against you in criminal court. Her sworn testimony is sure to hurt you.”

“And I’m sure you’ll ask her all the right questions.”

“Of course, I am HER attorney—not yours. On the other hand, I have no interest in making you serve a longer prison term than necessary.”

“Sounds like blackmail to me. What does she want?”

“Basically, it comes down to three issues—first, sole custody of the children which she’s going to get because of your drug involvement. Second is the house which she will also get so she has a place to live and raise your children. Third is the business which she intends to run so she can support herself since you won’t be in a position to pay either alimony or child support. She has been generous in terms of your investments. You will retain ownership of half. If we go to court I’m going to push for all the investments as payment for putting up with your philandering and criminal activity. All you have to do is sign and we’re done. Otherwise we’ll let the judge do it. I’m a very good attorney, Mr. Hammond. I get what I go after.”

“I’d sign if I was you, Alex. Hasn’t Julie suffered enough and don’t forget about Mark and David. I’m sure they’re having trouble in school with all the publicity. The news has kept the kids out of it, but their classmates are getting information from their parents. Give them a break…yourself, too.”

“Okay, where do I sign?”

“Go over the entire document, Steve so there’s no question that he understands what he’s signing.” Steve spent twenty minutes reviewing the document and when he was done Alex did sign. I also signed as a witness and we asked one of the guards to do the same. “That’s just about the only thing you’ve done right over the past six months. Don’t forget my suggestion about following the public defender’s advice. They almost always go for a plea bargain. That’s your best bet. You’ll be murdered if this case goes to court.” He tried to shake my hand, but I simply looked at him as though he was crazy. Steve and I walked out as soon as the guard opened the door. We were both grinning wildly, but for very different reasons. I’d kept my promise to both Jill and myself—Alex Hammond was personally and professionally destroyed. His family was lost to him forever. I felt great!

+++++

I stopped at the florist as I had every Friday night and expected the usual yelling and jumping from my three females that met me every Friday. Instead they were calmly seated in the living room. I looked around as I first kissed and hugged Alicia then Sofia and finally Jill. “Okay, what gives?”

“We all agreed on what we want to do for dinner, Daddy.” I looked at Jill, asking a question with my facial expression.

After trimming the flowers’ stems and placing them into a vase Jill told me, “Okay, Darling—we’re all ready to go. We’ve all used the toilet so out to Daddy’s car, girls.”

“Is anyone going to tell me where we’re going or what we’re eating?” Silence. “Okay, I guess I get to choose. It’s been ages since I had calamari or scungilli.
Yum!”

I could see the looks in the back seat until Jill told them, “Squid and some kind of marine snail.”

“No, Daddy,” they exclaimed as one. “We want lobster.”

I looked at Jill. “You just have to speak their language.” She laughed, leaned over to kiss me and a second later we were on our way. Dinner was great and I finished the Nancy Drew book before tucking them into bed. Jill was waiting for me, naked. She stripped me, kicking the clothes into a pile before leading me into the bathroom for our shower.

Jill smothered me with kisses as she led me to our bed. She warmed my cock with her mouth, but denied me the chance to reciprocate. Instead she licked me until I was nearly delirious then she straddled my hips and drizzled lube onto my knob. “I’ve been spending some time on the internet.” She slid slowly down my cock, impaling her ass before my astonished eyes.

Jill rode me, bending my cock in directions I could barely imagine while her sphincter threatened to squeeze me to one-quarter my normal girth. This was an interesting position. I enjoyed the freedom Jill had and I especially enjoyed my ability to reach up and worry her sensitive nipples. We’d been at it only a few minutes when I felt my resolve crumble. “Jill,” I called out. I needn’t have bothered. Her eyes were rolled back as I moved my hands to her waist to steady and hold her. My orgasm was incredible, but it paled in comparison to hers. She was still trembling when I lowered her to the bed, her breathing rapid and shallow–her conscious mind completely out of it.

I held Jill for almost half an hour. I was glad this was a Friday so we could sleep in if needed. Once I was sure she’d be safe I rose to thoroughly clean my cock, washing it repeatedly in a strong soapy solution. I returned to Jill with a hot sudsy wash cloth that I applied vigorously to her butt. My vigor awakened my wonderful wife.

Have I mentioned how insatiable my wife can be? I find that to be an ingratiating trait, but only so long as her insatiability is directed toward me. It was now as I believed it had been our entire life with the singular exception of her experience with Inmate 68427 of the Nassau County Jail.
I held Jill’s lips to mine as I whispered, “Remember those breast implants you wanted?” I wouldn’t mind if you had them, but I don’t think I’d like you with D’s or bigger.”

“I don’t think I need them any longer, Rocky. I thought that I could get your attention more often if I had bigger boobs.” I gave her an incredulous stare and she shrugged her shoulders in response. “But there is something I’d like even more.” She kissed me again and whispered a few words into my ear.

Smiling at her request, I pulled her down for another long kiss and whispered back, “I think I can handle that.” Once I had pulled the blanket over our bodies we found sleep almost immediately.

+++++

I had a chance to question the witnesses as part of the discovery procedure, what’s known as Examination Before Trial (EBT), the following Wednesday. The first was Charles Courtenay. He described himself as an extremely close friend of the victim. After being sworn he stated that he had arrived with the victim—Jeremy Franklin—at approximately 8:30. They had only “several drinks” while trying unsuccessfully to pick up some women. They left at 1:30 and were accosted by John Carey just outside the bar.

“How many were in your party?”

“Five of us.”

“And how many with Mr. Carey?”

“I don’t know.” I love when so-called witnesses have “perfect recall” on the easy questions, but can’t remember a thing when the questions can possibly put them in a bad light. I gave Dan Davis, the Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case, a knowing look as I returned to my questioning. I kept at him for another half hour before thanking him for his cooperation, knowing that I’d eat this clown for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he actually testified under oath.
The next witness was Gary Ehrlich. He was in the victim’s group, but was not a close friend. In fact, he didn’t really like the victim. “He was an arrogant and aggressive son of a bitch who thought he was better than everyone else.” From this witness we learned that Mr. Franklin had more than a few drinks—twelve, in fact. Each member of their group had bought two rounds with Franklin and Courtenay each buying an additional. We confirmed that Mr. Carey was alone while Mr. Franklin had his full cadre of four friends with him. Mr. Ehrlich told us that Franklin was aggressive and that he approached Carey menacingly forcing Carey to step back until he was against the building wall. He did recall seeing Carey pull a small knife, but did not see him actually stab Franklin. He described Franklin lunging at Carey and thought he might have stumbled and fallen onto the knife.

The third witness corroborated his statements for the most part. I would have been suspicious had they agreed completely. I also asked him how they had met. “We were all on the football team in college,” was his reply.

“Dan,” I began once the witnesses were gone, “I’ll devour you if you move forward with a murder case. This looks more like self-defense or possibly manslaughter at worst. Carey was alone, returning from a late shift at work so we know he wasn’t drinking when he accidently bumps into Franklin. Actually, I’ll bet I can make a case that Franklin deliberately bumped into him, especially once I have a chance to cross Courtenay.”

“I don’t think I’d call him.”

“That’s probably a smart move, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t call him as a hostile witness. By the time I finish with that asshole the jury will love my client. Seriously, Dan—you need to speak to the DA about this case and soon. I don’t like the idea of an innocent man in jail.”

“I’ll speak with him once we finish up and give you a call.”

“Tell Paul he’ll look like someone who respects justice. He’ll make a lot of points with the blue-collar crowd.” I stood and shook his hand. I wanted to speak to him about something else, but this was not the time or place.

Dan phoned me just after two. We scheduled the press conference for five. Calling Rosa into my office I told her I’d be out for the rest of the day. I was headed to the jail to see my client.

Michael Carey was subdued when he walked into the interview room. His complexion was sallow and he looked as though he had lost weight. Carey was a small man to begin with—five feet eight inches tall and all of 140 pounds when arrested. I was sure that he had been terrified and intimidated when accosted by the six foot three inch, 240 pound Franklin and his big athletic buddies.

“How are you today, Michael?”

“How do I look, Mr. Fabbri? I narrowly escaped getting raped last night. Some night it’ll happen or I’ll be killed trying to defend myself. I know I’ll be here or in prison for the rest of my life.”

I reached across the table to clasp his hands in mine before giving him the news. “No, Michael—you won’t. In fact, you’ll be released this afternoon.” I explained how I had questioned the witnesses in the presence of an assistant DA this morning and that they described Franklin’s actions as aggressive and threatening. “His blood alcohol level was .32—four times the legal limit. You were also the only person present to try to help him once he went down. You called 911 and you tried to stop the bleeding. I’m sure that went a long way toward convincing the DA to drop the charges.”

We sat together in the room as we waited for the bureaucracy to process the necessary paperwork for his release. I was often amazed that, other than a receipt for one’s personal possessions, there was almost nothing required to actually jail a person, but to get out required a near mountain of paper and authorizations.
My watch read 4:20 when they finally came for him. I accompanied him to the processing room where he was able to exchange his orange jail jumpsuit for his sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. Once he was free I led him to the press conference where we listened to Paul Cohen, the pompous ass of a DA, tell everyone present how dedicated he was to justice.

I spoke briefly once he was done about the judicial process and how it had worked this time. I praised the District Attorney and his staff for the fairness in which this investigation was conducted and then Michael Carey told the media how happy he was to be vindicated. I drove him to his home even though it was in the opposite direction of mine. We talked amiably during the ride, but once at his home I suggested that he stop carrying a knife. He took a deep breath and nodded then he turned and walked into his apartment.

I was emotionally beat when I finally got home around 7:30. Of course, I had phoned Jill and I knew she would watch the press conference either live or on the six o’clock news. She greeted me with a huge hug and several lengthy kisses much to the amusement of our daughters. Jill and I were always open in expressing our affection for each other. We kissed and touched each other often—more often over the past month—so our girls should have been used to it. For some reason they always giggled at the sight of their parents sharing an intimate moment. Of course, we never allowed them to see a real intimate moment. Those were behind the locked doors of our bedroom. Only once had we tried to get really frisky in our living room since Alicia had reached her fourth birthday. I had just removed Jill’s bra and she had my hard cock in her hand when we heard a squeal from the hallway. Jill had somehow found her blouse and run to our daughter while I had ducked behind a chair. We had a good chuckle once Jill had locked the bedroom door then we fucked each other until neither of us could stand.

+++++

There is a price to be paid for success. Sure, I had worked seventy-plus hours a week when I was getting started and, even now, sixty or more hours a week weren’t uncommon. My cases were often “high profile,” meaning that I often got great press reviews. That convinced the public to seek my services more and more often. I had learned over the years that I could juggle fifteen to twenty cases at a time, but after the Carey case I was deluged with work. I phoned Dan Davis to suggest we meet for lunch.

“Do we have anything going now, Rocky?”

“Not to my knowledge, Dan. I’d like to speak with you about something else. How about Ruth’s Chris…say Friday at one?”

“You are buying, aren’t you?”

“Of course…I wouldn’t expect a public servant to treat me to lunch.” We laughed and set the date. I asked Rosa to make the reservation. Dan and I had a lot in common. We were both Tufts University grads and had attended Penn Law in Philadelphia. Granted, we had attended those schools twelve years apart, but we had many of the same professors and many of the same experiences. I admired Dan both professionally and personally.

I arrived first and waited for Dan in the lobby. Once seated, I ordered a margarita on the rocks, but Dan, ever the public servant, ordered iced tea. We each had a filet and split an order of shoestring fries. We talked amiably until the coffee came at the end of the meal. “So, Rocky—what gives?”

“How long have you been in the DA’s office?”

“It’ll be five years come next month, why? You offering me a job?”

“Yeah, matter of fact, I am.” I reached into my jacket for an envelope, handing it across the table to Dan. It held all the specifics of my offer including more than a thirty percent increase in salary, and end-of-year bonus, medical, dental, and life insurance, paid vacation and 401(k) plan.

“I appreciate the offer, Rocky, but you know I’d never settle for being a firm’s token black.”

“Well, you should know that my secretary, Rosa, is an African-American as is Joel, one of the paralegals. Another is Hispanic and, let’s face it, I’m hardly a WASP. Seriously, Dan—give it some thought. I’ve had to turn down a lot of criminal work since Carey.”

“What will your clients say when they find out their lawyer is a spade?”

“They can either say, ‘Thanks’ or they can take a hike. I had to face some discrimination when I got started, Dan. Now they think I’m lily white. I don’t see the race issue to be anything to worry about. When I finish selling you they’ll be kissing your ass just like they kiss mine. I figure to charge $300 an hour for your services so they’ll be getting a break. I’m about to raise my rates to six hundred.”

“What would you expect me to bill?”

“Initially, I’ll be happy if you break even…about fifty hours a month. That should be a breeze for a go-getter like you. Oh…I don’t actually have an office for you, but I do have three empty storerooms, all with windows. You’ll have your choice and you can decorate as you like within reason—paint and/or paneling, carpeting, a real executive desk and matching table and chairs, bookcase, whatever you need.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it and share the offer with Patricia, my wife.”

“Why don’t you join us for the Fourth? We always have a big party starting around noon and ending around 10:30. We’ll have hot dogs and burgers for lunch with a bunch of deli salads and filets for dinner. There will be plenty of booze and beer and I do all the cooking myself.”

“Is that supposed to be a good thing?”

“Asshole! Bring your bathing suits and your kids. All my employees and their kids come. We’ll even have fireworks—big ones…really big ones.”

“As an officer of the court I’ll have to report you to the authorities.”

“You really are an asshole. You’ll fit in just fine.” We shared a good laugh, shook hands and returned to work. Okay, Dan returned to work; I went to visit another attorney.

I knew that Michael Stern had just passed the bar and was trying his hand at civil law in a small firm where the owner wanted to retire. He’d hired Michael thinking that he would expand his practice. Then his wife had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had passed not two months later. I had known them since childhood. They had been my godparents even though they were both Jewish. Saul had phoned me to tell me of his wishes. He would introduce me to Michael then explain that he was going to retire. I’d handle the rest. Saul’s recommendation was good enough for me.

I towered over Saul—he was only five feet four inches, after all, but he was one of the finest legal minds I had ever encountered. He called for his associate to join us. “Michael, I’d like you to meet my godson, the infamous Rocco Fabbri, but never call him ‘Rocco.’ He’ll skin you alive if you do. Only old geezers like me can get away with that. I’m sure you’re wondering how a Roman Catholic with two Sicilian parents can have two Orthodox Jews as godparents. Even I, after all these years, am trying to answer that question.

“Anyway, Michael, I have a reason for bringing the two of you together like this. I had hoped to expand my practice through you, but the loss of my Rachel has hit me like a ton of bricks. Instead of expanding I’m going to retire, but I must consider your future and that’s what I’ve done…with Rocky’s help. You see, he IS expanding his practice. I know that he has just tendered an offer to one of the DA’s brightest young stars and I believe he’s about to make the same offer to you.” Saul waved his gnarly old paw at me.

“Although we’ve never met, Michael, I feel that I know you well. You’ve probably learned that Saul loves to talk. My wife and I had Saul as our guest to dinner Sunday evening. He spoke of you in glowing terms. Knowing how imperious he can be his glowing recommendation was…well, unusual. I know that Saul has decided to retire while he still has the health to enjoy his life.” While Michael blanched at my words, my hand went into my pocket for yet another envelope. I carefully explained the package as I had with Dan. He asked many of the same questions and I gave him the same answers. I was quite satisfied when I left to drive home.

Dan phoned me Monday morning to confirm what I already knew—he couldn’t afford to ignore my offer. We met again over lunch in my office to hammer out the official agreement. It would be for five years, extendable for as long as necessary. Dan selected his office from the three empty rooms and took several office catalogs with him. I walked him to his car and left with the question, “Coming for the Fourth?”

“The chance to have you as my chef? Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” We shook hands again, and he returned to his office to tender his resignation, just as I had done eight years ago. Later that afternoon Michael Stern joined the firm, working from the library while his office was put together. Working closely with Steve he soon hit the ground running, billing fifteen hours his first week and twenty-six the second.

+++++

We had a long weekend with July Fourth—Independence Day—on a Saturday. The courts were closed on Friday so we were closed, too. I spent the day in the pool with my girls, marveling at how well their swimming lessons had progressed since beginning on Saturday mornings in March. Our high school’s pool had cost a fortune, but I had always thought it well worth the price. There were recreational activities every Friday night and Saturday afternoon and lessons for all levels on Saturday mornings in addition to classes for physical education and the swim team during the school day.

Jill and I made almost a hundred hamburgers after dinner while our daughters relaxed in their room. Our hands were coated with fat by the time we were done. I swear we must have spent fifteen minutes washing up afterwards. Jill phoned the deli to confirm the order for the salads while I pulled the fifty Nathan’s hot dogs from our freezer. Saturday morning I’d drive to the nearby supermarket for a dozen ten-pound bags of ice—enough to keep all our beer and soda cold all day. We were ready for our guests by eleven so Jill and I relaxed while Alicia and Sofia frolicked in the pool.

I expected my parents to arrive early—Papa was never late, especially given the chance to see his granddaughters. I wasn’t as all surprised to see Saul with them. Jill’s folks came about twenty minutes later. Almost everyone had arrived by 12:30, especially those with kids who couldn’t wait to jump into the pool. Ours was big by residential pool standards—free-form with rocks forming a waterfall next to the hot tub. It was fifty feet long by twenty feet wide, looking more like an irregular figure-eight than anything else I could describe.

We had seats and umbrellas around the pool for twenty and plenty of lawn chairs under the yard’s numerous trees. At one end of the pool was my grill, a built-in five-foot propane grill with refrigerator and sink close by. The entire stone and tile structure was ten feet long, forming an island on the stone deck facing away from the rear of the house.

I had just fired up the grill when Steve walked through the gate. Handing him a cold Corona, I asked, “No date?”

“Not yet, Rocky.” I was confused as he greeted Jill then went to a small grouping of chairs. Michael Stern and his wife, Sonia, were next with their two young children. Dan and Patricia were right on their heels with their son, D’Sean. Lastly were Julie and her two boys. I thought they would run to our girls; they were great friends, but instead they ran to Steve, hugging him even as he kissed Julie’s cheek.

I made sure that everyone had drinks before beginning my speech, ”Jill and I are so pleased that you’ve come to join us today. For those who don’t know our parents, Jill’s are over there—Jonathan and Martha and mine are somewhere behind me—Vito and Maria. This old coot who looks kind of like Sam Jaffe, the actor, is my mentor Saul Rosen.

“I want to make sure that everyone has a drink before I continue.” I held up my beer and all the adults followed suit. “Okay, everyone except Jill…good. I think it was about ten weeks ago that I was feeling in a wonderful generous mood. There’s something that Jill has wanted for years, but I’ve always said no. On this occasion I offered it to her, but she said she’d much rather have something else. So…I’m pleased to tell you that after many hours of hard odious labor on my part”—Jill gave me a light poke to the ribs at my words—“yes, after even more hours of terribly difficult and horribly painful work on my part Jill now has her gift. She is expecting!”

Of course, there was polite applause that grew longer and stronger when Jill rose from her seat to grip my head and pull me into a long kiss. It ended when I felt a tug on my shorts. Looking down I could see my daughter, Sofia. “Daddy, what does ‘expecting’ mean? Why is everyone clapping?”

I knelt to hug my precious little girl then I whispered just loud enough for all present to hear, “it means that in about seven months you’re going to have a brand new little brother or sister—a little baby.” She looked at me as only a child can then hugged me, holding on to my neck with surprising strength, releasing me only when I reminded her that I had to cook lunch.

It wasn’t long before I had thirty hot dogs and three dozen burgers sizzling on the grill. I always toasted the buns, placing them in a plastic bag to keep them moist. Ten minutes later all the kids were eating the dogs and I was taking orders for cheeseburgers with or without bacon vs. hamburgers. I had just finished the burgers when I started all over again. I knew Rosa’s three teenagers could eat all afternoon. I stayed at the grill, eating on the fly, until I felt my arm being lifted and wrapped around my wonderful wife.

“You are so evil, Rocky—telling everyone about all your hard work to knock me up.” She giggled then promised me another evening of odious effort with her body. I finally finished cooking lunch around two, cleaning up the grill and shutting it down until late afternoon when I’d take orders for dinner. I’d cook the prime filets to order just as long as everyone wanted them medium rare. I had two side burners that I’d use to boil four dozen ears of corn.

Leaving the grill at last I made my way to the tree where Steve and Julie were sitting and holding hands. “Well, I see you two are having a good time together.”
“Yes, we are, Rocky,” Julie responded, “and don’t give Steve a hard time about it. He was a perfect gentleman during my divorce proceedings and I noticed how he related to my boys. He was better to them than their own father so I asked him to dinner one night after the divorce was concluded. I won’t go into details, but it was one of the best nights of my life. Apparently, Steve agreed—we’ve been seeing each other ever since.” She leaned over to kiss Steve to prove her point. I smiled as I thought how I’d enjoy telling that asshole Alex how quickly Julie had moved on. That it was with my employee and her attorney just made it all that much better. We chatted for a few minutes before I excused myself to play host.

The temperature was in the high 80’s so everyone made good use of the pool, including me. Alicia and Sofia loved to climb up to my shoulders, stand, and jump. It wasn’t long before I was the jumping and diving platform for most of the kids until Dan rescued me. “Take a break, old man—you look like you can use one.”

“Sure…go ahead and insult me. Remember what I told you.” I laughed and he joined me. I was more than willing to pass those duties along to Dan so I could entertain my guests and refill the coolers with soda and beer. After thirty minutes I was tired so I sat with Rosa and her husband, Ferd. I was there only a minute when Jill handed me a cold can of Yuengling and sat in my lap.

I began the preparations for dinner around six, knowing from experience how long I would take to cook the corn and steaks. Dinner was served at 7:15 and I kept the grill going in anticipation of requests for seconds, especially from Rosa’s sons.

We were all back in the pool afterwards until around nine when just about everyone showered and dressed using the cabanas we’d rented for the weekend. Then it was time for dessert—ice cream, pastries and cookies from a local bakery and some of my mother’s tiramisu. Then those experienced from past parties drew up the chairs in a semicircle for the fireworks. I had set them off myself early on when I had few employees and was working on a limited budget. Now I used a local manufacturer. It was expensive, but safer and, more importantly, legal. All told the party had cost me almost $50,000, but it was money well spent. I believed in keeping my people happy.

Everyone helped with the clean-up; Jill and I slid into bed at 11:45, tired but well satisfied. She told me about her conversations with Patricia Davis and Sonia Stern. “I had a really great time with them, Rocky. They’re wonderful people.”

“I agree; they’re as good as their husbands. Speaking of husbands, how serious are Steve and Julie?”

“Serious,” she replied, “really, really serious. The boys love him and he feels the same about them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed the night.”

“You ARE kidding, aren’t you?”

“No, of course not, darling; Steve stays there all the time. The kids know about it. They call him ‘Daddy.’ Isn’t that great?”

“It is, but I hope Julie doesn’t get hurt.”

“Me, too; I’m pretty sure that she’s falling in love with him. You know how much women want the security of being married. Julie’s a woman.”

“I have noticed that she has all the standard equipment…a couple of the better options, too!”

“And, what’s wrong with my equipment?” Jill tried to act seriously, but couldn’t stifle a sly grin.

“Absolutely nothing; you have all the best options and you have my total love and devotion as you very well know.”

“I do know one thing. We need to shut up so we can make love. I felt so special when you told everyone that I was pregnant. That’s the best gift I could think of.”

“Me, too; now…what say we follow your excellent advice? Roll on top of me, will you? I’ve wanted you all day and all night.” Jill did as I asked, but first she insisted on blowing me—like I’d ever object. She’d brought me almost to the edge then let me rest before climbing up my body, impaling herself on my hard thick tool. Jill rode me like a woman possessed. We’d missed all the different positions having made love daily in missionary—a price we willingly paid to ensure that Jill would become pregnant.

Personally, I never had a doubt. I hadn’t told Jill; it wasn’t something I could ever fit into any of our discussions. I had lived in a big rooming house while in law school in Philadelphia along with several other grad students, some in law school with me and some in the medical school. I was at dinner one night when one of the medical students asked if we’d like to make a hundred bucks. As one who had worked to supplement my scholarship as an undergrad and was now working almost forty hours a week to pay for law school I was eager to learn how. “We need some samples for a study we’re doing,” was the reply. “We’re willing to pay for them.”

“What do you want,” I asked, thinking they wanted blood or urine.

“A semen sample.”

“You want me…er, us to jerk off into a test tube?”

“Yes, but not a test tube—they’re too narrow. We have several sterile containers. There’s no reason to be embarrassed. We’re doing it and so are more than a hundred others. This is a study that’s being funded by the National Institutes of Health.” That’s how I learned what a stud I am. I was in the 99.9th percentile in quantity as well as number of sperm cells produced per milliliter and their motility. They called me “Superman” the rest of the year. Unfortunately, word got around and few, if any, female students wanted to take a chance with me; they were afraid of becoming pregnant should the condom break. I didn’t meet Jill until I was working for the district attorney in Queens four years later.

+++++

Michael Stern was doing exactly what he’d done with Saul so he had few difficulties adjusting to working with Steve. Dan, who started a few days later, had a more difficult transition. The Nassau County DA may be a pompous ass, but he’s no idiot. There’s no sense assigning cases to an attorney who will leave in four weeks. Few, if any, cases are resolved in such a brief time. Once Dan had resigned the DA wanted him out. Using accumulated vacation and sick time he was gone in a week.

Initially, I met with him every morning to review his progress. He had to learn to reverse his thinking. Instead of concentrating on the strengths of a case he had to examine each case’s weaknesses. I told him not to worry about the client’s innocence or guilt. That was the job of the jury. He was doing well enough a month later that I could afford to take some time off for a family vacation—our first since Sofia was born. Where were we going? Disney World, of course!
Jill and I had kept our destination a secret from our girls. The looks on their faces when I drove our rental car onto the Disney property was incredible. We stayed on site at the Animal Kingdom Lodge where Alicia and Sofia never tired of seeing the African herd animals at the pond every evening. All told we spent ten days there, taking in Sea World and Universal Studios in addition to everything Disney could throw at us. We returned just before Labor Day and the start of the new school year to learn that Steve had asked Julie to marry him.

I had thought long and hard about the perfect wedding present for them. We had an office party the Friday before the wedding roughly a month later although everyone present would attend the ceremony and reception the following afternoon.

As always, I served as the emcee, calling the embarrassed, but happy, Steve and Julie to my side. Jill was there with me already. “I think this is the appropriate time to give you the wedding present that Jill and I have selected for you, Steve.” I handed him the small box wrapped carefully in gold foil paper. “Go ahead…open it.”

Carefully, he tore the paper from the box, giving me a questioning look. “What is this, Rocky?”

“What does it look like, Steve?”

“It looks like a box of business cards.”

“Yup, you’re exactly right. Take one out and read it.” Jill squeezed my arm as Steve first read then looked at me in surprise and delight. His eyes became teary so I read the card aloud for him, “Fabbri Donaldson Law Firm…Steven Donaldson, Partner.” There was wild applause before I could continue so I whispered, “I’m giving you fifteen percent of the company. Congratulations, partner!” This was a gift that would keep on giving. I anticipated that he’d see well more than a hundred grand every year until he retired. He stood there overwhelmed until Julie stepped forward to kiss him and the members of the firm could shake his hand and pat him on the back. The caterers brought in the sandwiches and hot dishes along with coffee and soda for our lunch. We all went home once the party was done, but I made a stop at the County Jail first.

+++++

I was seated in the interview room, a privilege extended to attorneys even though I wasn’t the attorney of record, when a gaunt Alex Hammond was led in. “What the fuck do you want, Fabbri?”

“I’m glad to see you too, Alex. I thought you might like some information about your family. You’re not getting anything from Julie, so why not from me?”

“Oh…okay, how are my kids? That bitch can go fuck herself.”

“I doubt very much that will happen. She’s getting married tomorrow afternoon. You know her new husband. He’s my new partner, Steve Donaldson. He got rid of his apartment almost two months ago and moved in with Julie. Mark and David call him “Daddy.” They really love him and he loves them back. Julie told me she’s looking forward to having his baby. Isn’t that swell?” Alex was fuming—time to twist the knife one more time.

“I was over at your former home last weekend. There wasn’t a single photo of you in the entire house. That doormat that said, ‘The Hammonds,’ is gone, too. The new one says, “Donaldson.” You know, Alex—fucking my wife was the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. This has worked out even better than I had hoped.”

“What do you mean?”

“Surely you don’t think that you were abducted and addicted by accident, do you? That was just a small part of my plan—my vendetta—to destroy you…to destroy your family. Now my plans are almost complete. They will be soon.”

“I swear to God I’ll get you once I get out of here.”

“No, you’ll only get out in a pine box, Alex. You see, when you were first injected with heroin you were also injected with the deadliest, most virulent strain of HIV at the same time—a fourth generation mutant. It was stolen from a government-funded research lab where it was developed as a biological weapon. It’s not the kind that would kill immediately, but it could decimate a country’s population over the course of five years, at most. Just think what might be done to a country like China or Iran. You were given enough to infect an entire herd of elephants. There’s no cure for this strain. You’ll be lucky to live two years. Enjoy them. The HIV is probably the only thing that will protect you from being raped repeatedly, although it’s no guarantee. So long, Alex; there’s nobody left who cares even a bit about you. You’ll be buried in the prison’s cemetery since there’s nobody to claim your body. Although…maybe I’ll claim it so I can put it into the county dump where you belong.”

I was halfway out the door when I turned. “By the way, Jill’s pregnant. There’s no question that it’s mine and it’s a boy. Great news, huh? So long, asshole!” I went home to embrace and enjoy my family, knowing that nothing was likely to ever threaten them again. Jill would never comment or ask, but she knew that I was somehow responsible for everything that had happened to Alex Hammond. I also knew that she was terrified of what might happen to her if she ever strayed again. I wondered as I strolled to my car if life could possibly be better. I was so happy I actually began to sing, “Your cheatin’ heart….” Then I stopped and laughed. A second Hank Williams I’ll never be!

Epilog

Jill and I lived happily ever after. We had four children—three girls and one boy—before we decided we had enough. I was never worried about Jill or her love for me again. Father Dominic had given me good advice. I had never regretted following it.

I had stopped by our church on my way home that fateful Friday when I’d received the evidence of Jill’s adultery. Father Dominic had been my confessor for years. He had one quality that none of the other priests could match—he was Sicilian. He had listened to my problem for twenty minutes before speaking. He told me that he firmly believed in forgiveness…within reason. Forgiveness for the sake of my family was both reasonable and healing. Vendetta for Alex Hammond would be just as reasonable and probably even more healing. “Just be sure to see me every Sunday for confession. I’ll be sure to go, too…I’ll need a lot of penance for even suggesting that you exact revenge on the man who would so damage your family, but…we are what we are—no, Rocky?”

My firm grew to twenty lawyers over the next ten years. Dan and Michael were also made partners—Fabbri Donaldson Davis and Stern—a Sicilian, a WASP, an African-American, and a Jew. We had all the bases covered, with me as senior partner.

Alex Hammond never made it to the end of his prison term. He didn’t even live the two years I’d guessed in our last meeting. He died a withered and decimated man only six months later. My vendetta was finally complete.

---