The Last 24 Hours Ch. 02

Beth and Josh stayed the night at my place. Beth took the spare bed and Josh took the couch. I know, I know, in typical stories like this I'd be pumping Beth like a madman with Josh in the next room or while Josh watched or joined in. Well the last thing I felt like doing was having sex.

Don't get me wrong. I've been half in love with Beth for fifteen years, but by the time I met her I was already dating Lisa. Lisa and Beth had never liked one another so we avoided situations that would put the two together.

Beth was my best friend and while she had an active social life, I had never seen her with a man or heard her mention a date, or event that wasn't with a female. I thought she was gay but had never asked her about it. It wasn't really my business and I was married after all.

Beth stands six feet tall in her stocking clad feet and weighs in at one hundred fifty five well placed and proportioned pounds. She is very athletic and has the best looking ass on the planet, bar none. Her red hair, the color of new blood, if you prick your finger, is all natural and hits her just above the cheeks of that lovely ass. In the sunlight it reminds me of rubies the way it shines.

Her eyes are however her best feature. They are a blue so deep that you feel like your drowning in them if you look into them to long. Her breasts are a healthy C cup if not a D. So sue me, I never had the right to ask her until now, and now I had other things on my mind.

I slept very little that night and was awakened by the sounds of someone in my apartment. I got up to find Josh and Beth already showered and changed for court. Beth had laid out a suit for me and asked that I wear the tie she had given me last Christmas. I blushed as that tie had a picture of her in a very small bikini air brushed on it.

I asked why that tie and she said "You need all of the psychological weapons against that Bitch as you can get."

As I had never shown Lisa the tie she would have no reason to think that it wasn't a recent addition. I thought what the hell and got dressed as requested.

We arrived at the court and my former attorney, the slimy little bastard, was waiting at the doors for me. Michael Fowler was a short, balding, greasy little man in his late forties with just a bit of a paunch. His suit looked as though he had slept in it and over all did not inspire confidence. He was about to get a rude awakening.

He came walking up to us "Alex, I'm so glad to see you weren't hurt. What happened? Give me their names and I'll start on the suits as soon as we finish here today."

You could almost smell the greed rolling off of him like a sickness. I felt Beth's hand on my shoulder and turned to look at her. She just pursed her lips and shook her head. That was all it took to calm me.

"I'm fine and the insurance company is already taking care of things. There's no need to sue anyone Michael."

Fowler's eyes seemed a little less bright when he heard that and at that point he took note of my companions.

"And who are these lovely people." He said holding out his hand.

Neither Beth nor Josh offered to take his hand and I responded

"This is my friend Beth Taylor and her brother Josh. Josh is going to be representing me from now on and in my suit against you."

At hearing Josh's name Fowler began to tremble. Josh reached out a hand with an envelope he had taken from his breast pocket and held it out to Fowler.

"This is a subpoena to appear in court regarding both this divorce action and your malpractice involved therewith. The Deputy behind you is here to ensure your compliance with the order. Shall we go?" Josh nodded at the Deputy Sheriff who took Fowlers elbow and directed him to the elevators.

The ride to the eleventh floor was quiet and all I could think of was that soon my marriage would be over and that in a few weeks I may not even be a father, although it had seemed that that was fine with the twins.

The sadness threatened to overwhelm me, and then I felt Beth gripping my elbow. I turned and saw the sadness at my pain in her eyes as I looked down into them.

Yes I said down into her eyes and yes she is six feet tall but I'm six feet five inches tall and weigh in at two hundred twenty pounds. I spend two hours a day, four days a week, in a gym to keep from looking like the good year blimp. If I didn't heredity says that I'd have a figure that reminds me of a certain purple dinosaur.

I pulled myself together and we walked into the courtroom. The judge, one W.B Smithers, looked us over and taking note of the Deputy asked "What's all this then and who are these people?"

I stood and looked at Josh and said "Your honor if it pleases the court I'll let my friend explain." and at Smithers nod I sat and Josh stood up.

Now Josh may only be five feet ten inches tall but he has what the military calls command presence. He stood and explained that he had been retained yesterday as my new lawyer, also providing the judge with copies of the police reports regarding the accident in front of my home.

He also submitted new names and evidence for the court to consider. Lisa's lawyer jumped to his feet and objected to everything especially when Josh asked the court to order a paternity test on the twins. Lisa looked like she had just swallowed a live fish. I think I knew at that moment that the twins weren't mine.

Lisa grabbed her lawyer and told him to request a recess as she needed to talk to me. He asked and the judge looking suspiciously at Lisa picked up his gavel and said thirty minutes and banged it down.

He stood and left and Lisa's lawyer came over and demanded "Ok, what the hell is this?" We had an agreement in place."

Josh looked at him and said in a low voice "Ask your client. After all this is her party, fifteen years in the making, right Lisa?"

I could read the expressions on Lisa's face like a book. First was disbelief, "He couldn't know."

Then "Maybe he suspects".

And Last "OH Shit! He knows it all!"

I stood and gave her what she calls my stone face. I showed no emotion at all, she got nothing from me. Her attorney turned to her and seeing the look on her face blanched and asked in a quiet voice "Lisa what's wrong?"

Josh took pity on him and gave him a run down on the tapes the accounts and the overall fraud and conspiracy of fraud that had gone on for the last fifteen years including the complicity of my own former attorney.

He had the grace to look outraged on behalf of his client but we could all see it was a futile attempt at deception. Lisa stood in silence as Josh pulled out papers from his briefcase and handed them to Lisa's attorney.

"The terms are non negotiable and a one time deal. Lisa will keep the house she was in" (it was paid for) "and the SAAB she so cherishes. As to the accounts in the Bahamas the money is already being transferred. As she failed to claim it in discovery I see no reason to place it in the marital assets. It is now where it rightfully belongs.

My amended asset sheet is included in the packet. There will be no alimony and child support is dependant on a DNA test to prove Alex is the father. If he is the father then he will pay support and set up trusts for them. " Josh said. IF I was not I had not decided what I was going to do.

The girls were outside the courtroom and knew nothing of this. I needed to know where they stood, so while Josh and his colleague talked I slipped out into the hall. Stephanie and Lauren stood when I came out. They looked like younger versions of their mother.

As I walked up Stephanie spoke "Well we're finally free of you eh? God, you were a pathetic excuse for a father." Lauren echoed her sister in berating me. At that moment I knew that if they weren't mine I had seen them for the last time. If they were mine we were in for a miserable four years.

I turned without a word and walked back into the courtroom as the bailiff came to the door to resume our case. The judge ordered the DNA test and accepted the divorce agreement as presented.

I told Josh to start college accounts for the girls and to put fifteen grand in each account. Even though they were their mothers' creatures I still remembered them as my little girls. He objected but I was adamant about it.

Josh took the tapes and delivered them to the prosecutors' office and arranged for every one of the husbands involved to get copies of the tapes.

I walked out to the curb to hail a taxi and Josh asked "Where are you going?"

"You don't think we are gonna to let you go back to your apartment alone do you?"

Beth piped up and said "Oh no! Uh UHN! NO WAY! I've waited fifteen years to have a date with you and now that you're free and clear you think I'm letting you go? Forget it pal! We have dinner reservations at Top of the Tower at eight and I'm not letting you out of my site till then!"

I looked at Josh and he held his hands out and said "Don't look at me Alex; I wasn't invited on this gig. You know Beth usually gets what she wants." He said with a sly smile.

With a conspiratorial wink and whisper he leaned in and said "Besides she's had the hots for you since we were in college together."

Blushing furiously and with a feral snarl Beth whirled on her brother "You Prick! How could you tell him that!?"

Josh danced just out of reach of his sister's clenched fist, Beth chasing him fury etched on her face. I turned and looked at her, astonishment written across my features. It was at that moment that I knew that what Josh had said was true.