The Law of Attraction (19 page)

“You’re welcome to call on my booty if you want,” I said, examining my spring rolls with intense interest and feeling like if I blushed any more I would start to glow.

“If you’re going to talk dirty, though, just make sure you do it quietly,” Jess teased Braden. “Let me remind you again that there’s a minor who lives next door.”

“Again?” Mark asked with an inquisitive smile.

“According to Drew, Gabrielle’s the one you should be warning,” Cameron added.
Et tu Cameron? Wait a minute!

“What do you mean?” I asked, suddenly feeling very worried. I saw Braden shaking his head at Cameron but it was obviously too late. “What does he mean?” I asked Braden. When confronted with the obvious, not even willful ignorance and denial are enough.

“Uh oh Braden,” Adam laughed.

“Braden?” I was getting really worried.

“Uh, Drew and Beth got home a little earlier than we thought.” He looked a little worried himself, but I had a feeling that he was worrying because he thought that I might have a heart attack. “Beth stayed downstairs to wait for my parents,” he continued. “Drew went up to bed though.”

“I didn’t hear…” Suddenly my spring roll didn’t look very appetizing. “He didn’t tease you about it,” I said weakly.

“Yes, he did. You just didn’t really notice because he was doing it subtly and I suspect that you didn’t want to know. He teased me about it quite openly when we talked alone later though,” he said gently.

“How do you know he wasn’t making it up?”

“He asked me where I got my desk and if I needed help repairing the wall.”

“I see.”

“Your desk huh?” Adam said, glancing at Mark.

“Don’t worry about it, Gabrielle.” Braden said, rubbing my back. “He’s got some pretty wild roommates. He probably hears that all the time.”

“And he was only teasing about everybody seeing you guys go into the pool house. He was one of the only people who noticed,” Cameron put in. I think he was trying to be helpful.

“In the pool house too, huh? Did you guys even make it to the fundraiser?” Adam asked.

“That was during the fundraiser,” Cameron explained.

“
During
the fundraiser?” Mark laughed. “Wow, you two are like bunny rabbits.”

“Okay, okay. You’re going to traumatize her,” Jess warned. “Honey, it’s no big deal. So you had a good time with your boyfriend in bed, and on a desk, and in a pool house, and maybe you screamed his name a few times and his little brother heard…” She stopped and looked at me. “This isn’t helping is it?” I shook my head. “So anyway, I’ll bet your parents are excited that you’re coming to visit,” she said, nibbling on a French fry. It took me a minute to switch gears mentally but I managed it.

“Uh, yes. Yes, they are. They’re excited about meeting Braden too,” I answered, thankful for the change in subject.

“They are?” He looked happy.

“Yes, they are. Don’t forget, though, that I warned you about Bubbe.”

* * *

That afternoon went quickly as I prepared my cases for the next day. They were pretty unexciting, just some drug dealers, check forgers, purse snatchers, and the usual. There were no burrito assault cases or geriatric booty callers. Cam worked with Jess again and they were laughing and talking like old friends.

“So what are you ladies doing for dinner?” Cam asked.

“I think I’m just going to grab something and take it home with me,” I answered.

“I don’t have any plans,” Jess said.

“Well, Maybe you and I could go out and get a bite,” Cam suggested.

“Sure,” she said. “Maybe we could go out for a drink afterward.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jess point to me surreptitiously and mouth “booty call” and giggle quietly. I was so glad that people were so up-to-date with the intimate details of my sex life.

“Sounds great,” Cam said with slightly unnatural-sounding enthusiasm.

They worked until six and then left together. I put in another half hour and then left, picked up some deli, and went home. I had eaten and washed up by eight and there was no sign of Jess. My cell started ringing and I saw it was Braden, calling earlier than usual. I felt a little nervous anticipation as I answered.

“Hey handsome.”

“Still want me to come calling?”

“I would love to be called on. Jess is out with Cameron.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

He was there in five. I opened the door to let him in and noticed that he was dressed casually in jeans and a tee-shirt but he had a suit bag with him.

“Planning to spend the night?”

“Planning to kick me out of bed?” He came over, leaned down and gave me a deliciously minty, yet wonderfully hot kiss.

“Mm. You’re always welcome in my bed.”

“Good. Let’s go there now and make good use of our privacy while it lasts.”

“She could be back anytime. I’m not making any noise tonight.”

“Oh, I’ll bet I can get you to make some noise.” He smiled wickedly.

“Oh really?” I started backing up toward my bedroom.

“Oh really. Besides, I’m not going to be quiet tonight. I’m going to whisper all kinds of dirty things in your ear.” I swallowed hard and felt myself start to sweat. I
so
wanted him to whisper dirty things in my ear.

“Come and get me,” I said in my best saucy voice and then I turned and hurried into my room.

As soon as the door was closed behind us he was all over me and I was loving it. He practically threw me down on the bed and he had me naked in under a minute. Before I could even say, ‘You’re so good at this,’ he had himself naked too and he was crawling toward me, pausing to run his tongue around my belly button a few times and then lick his way up to my breasts.
Oh lord!
He was so good at that too. He began circling one nipple with his tongue and then dragged it into his mouth and started sucking vigorously. My hips came off the bed so hard and fast that I almost threw him off but he managed to stay with me. If he ever wanted to give up law he might have a career in rodeo.

“Oh God yes!” I moaned loudly and I felt him smile. So much for not making any noise. He worked on the other breast for a while as I contributed by writhing around, moaning, raking my nails on his back and grabbing his hair. Hey, I was happy to do my part. We were both being rather unruly tonight.

“Promise me,” I panted, “you’ll tell me if you hear Jess come home.”

“I promise,” he murmured, leaving my breast and nibbling a trail over my collarbone and up along my neck. Then bracing himself over me on his forearms, and using his hips to create all kinds of delightful friction between us, he started to whisper the most wonderfully dirty things in my ear. I won’t go into everything that he said, but by the time he got to “and then I’m going to fuck you hard until you scream my name”, I had pretty much lost all semblance of self-control.

He was a man of his word too. He did everything that he promised he would. First he was on top, and then I was on top, and then he was behind me holding onto my hair and playfully slapping my ass in the “naughty but not really painful” way — not in the “I’m going to put a ball-gag in your mouth and suspend you from the ceiling” way. This was the first time we had ever had sex this rowdy together. In fact, this was the first time I had ever had sex this rowdy at all. I’m telling you, this wasn’t your grandmother’s booty call. Unless, of course, your grandmother was a sex-crazed hussy like me. I don’t know what exactly had gotten into us, but for some reason we were just both in the mood to be wicked and wild.

We were also loud. The first time we had been together the sounds of my pleasure had probably echoed throughout the second floor of the Pierce home but tonight Braden was almost as noisy as I was. There were plenty of gasps, moans and groans and he was also still saying very dirty things to me, and no longer in a whisper. Luckily, I knew that the Evans family from next door, along with their fourteen-year-old daughter Kaylee, was off visiting relatives in Martha’s Vineyard. It really was best that Kaylee was in another state that evening.

Finally the big moment arrived and I felt my muscles contract and my body shake. I believe I said something like, “Oh yes! Braden, I’m coming!” If I got that wrong, though, you could perhaps ask Jess, who was apparently walking in the front door at just that moment. Braden also managed to contribute a quote or two a few seconds later. I believe his exact words were “Oh fuck! Gabrielle!” accompanied by a groan.

As we lay there panting in a sweaty mass of tangled limbs I listened as Jess flipped some music on and cleared her throat loudly. Luckily I was too physically drained to work up the energy to be mortified. Besides, I think that I was getting used to people knowing what Braden and I did in bed.

“Uh Gabrielle?” Braden said, breathing heavily.

“Yes?” I managed.

“I think Jessica is home.”

“Thanks.”

When we recovered we decided to cuddle up in bed and watch PBS. At about eleven we went into my bathroom and we got ready to go to bed with plans to actually sleep. It was a nicely domestic contrast to the earlier part of the evening and we snuggled in together contentedly.

“So, I guess that we can add Jess to the list of people who know how good our sex life is,” I said with resignation. It was possible that Kaylee knew how good our sex life was all the way out in Martha’s Vineyard.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Gabrielle. I loved it and what we say to each other in bed is about us, not about anybody else. Unless my parents are right outside. That thought kind of freaks me out a little for some reason.”

“That’s understandable. Nobody wants to associate their parents with sex. Did you like it better because we were being so wild?”

“I liked it differently. I like it every way with you though. I wouldn’t change anything.” I leaned in and kissed him very tenderly.

“I’m really nuts about you, Braden.”

“You’re nuts all right.” He laughed. My mouth dropped open with indignation. “I’m just kidding, baby,” he said pulling me to him for another sweet kiss. “I feel the same way about you.” We held each other very tightly for a few minutes and then fell asleep like that.

* * *

The alarm went off at seven and Braden and I pulled ourselves out of bed. It was still very nice waking up with him but not nearly as much fun as being able to sleep in. Damn job. Why couldn’t we just be independently wealthy? Well, technically, I guess we were. So why were we getting up again? The image of a certain blonde socialite with no apparent skills popped into my head. Okay, that was why.

“Coffee,” I muttered.

“Coffee,” he agreed.

We threw on some clothes and wandered toward the kitchen. Jessica was there already looking all bright and cheerful. God, I hated morning people.

“Morning Gab. Hello Braden,” she said cheerfully.

“Good morning,” Braden mumbled. I said something like “gemnneg.”

“Help yourself to some coffee. You’re in the office all day, Gab?”

“Uh huh. I was thinking that if I get enough done I might try to do some research and figure out how we might get those samples we discussed.”

“Ah, good idea. The plan at the moment seems kind of abstract.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Is there more?” Braden asked, peering soulfully into his now empty coffee cup. What, had he inhaled it?

“God, we’re like addicts,” I replied.

“I wish they made a caffeine IV,” he said.

“I just drink it for the taste,” Jess said brightly. Two pairs of tired unamused eyes turned on her. “Just sayin’.”

* * *

We all got ready for work and walked in together, stopping to pick up bagels and muffins on the way. We said goodbye to Braden as he headed toward his office and we headed toward ours.

“Sorry if we were kind of loud last night,” I said sheepishly.

“I only caught the end. I was walking in during the big finish.”

“I’ve never been like this before. I’m like a shameless harlot with him.”

“In other words you have a good sex life.”

“How did dinner and drinks go?” I asked as we crossed Market Street avoiding random taxis and bicyclists who were obviously out for blood. I could navigate city traffic on autopilot.

“It was fun,” she replied as we made it to the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street and navigated around the line at a food cart that was blocking most of the sidewalk. Ah, the intricacies of urban pedestrian travel.

“Just fun? No spicy hot sexual chemistry?”

“I don’t think he’s interested in me.”

“It’s probably like when I didn’t think that Braden was interested in me.”

“Uh no.” She laughed. “No offense, but you’re one of those people who’s so smart that you’re oblivious, like professors who walk into walls. I, on the other hand, am very good at reading the signals that guys put out. Cam and I get along great, and I’m happy to have him as a friend, but that’s probably all that it will be, at the moment at least.”

“That’s so surprising.”

“Not really. I think he’s attracted to you. In fact, I think that he always has been. Maybe he just didn’t realize how much back when you were in college.” We steered around a group of pigeons surrounding a pretzel like they were having a meeting about it, and narrowly avoided a dog walker accompanied by the entire AKC Kennel Club.

“But he knows that Braden and I are together.”

“That doesn’t mean he can control how he feels. I’m sure he’ll work through it eventually, though, so I wouldn’t worry about it.” We finally arrived at our building and took the elevator to our floor. Cam was there waiting in our office.

“We brought you breakfast,” I said, dropping a blueberry muffin on his desk.

“Thanks!” he smiled at me brightly. “So, did Braden come visit you last night?” he asked nonchalantly. Now that Jess had been planting ideas in my head again I was watching his reactions. He and Braden had just made up after eight years on tension. I wanted to make sure that the truce lasted.

“Yep. We watched NOVA .We’re both PBS addicts.”

“Such a wild and crazy couple,” Jess teased. And she knew how wild and crazy we could be.

“Braden was always into that stuff. He’s a closet intellectual. He probably should have been an academic.” He had a little stack of files on his desk that he was going through – a baby public defender pile. I remembered those days.