Alex - 10 Days of Torment Ch. 11

© 2021, All rights reserved -- mimaster

Alex guides Ashley; Christina has a hotwife house party.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thursday afternoon, March 21st

Alex glanced at his phone, shaking his head. He put it in his pocket before returning his attention to the kids in his charge, making sure they were all still accounted for.

He was at the Long Beach Aquarium, chaperoning a field trip for his children's school. Even though his kids were two years apart, they were in the same group so he could be with both of them, one of the perks for volunteering to help on the trip. He and another chaperone were watching over twelve kids in total. He was having an incredible time, but he was becoming increasingly distracted by the phone buzzing in his back pocket. At least he'd had the good sense to turn off the ringer.

When he pulled it out again, only to put it right back, he got called out on it.

"You know, if you're not going to bother answering it, you should just turn it off. You're not at work."

"I'm always at work, Sabrina."

"That's a problem, Alex. Your kids have to come first. Miguel won't even bring his cell in with him if he's doing one of these trips. He leaves it in his truck."

"No offense, but I would imagine it's a little easier to get away that if you're a contractor."

"Miguel is currently juggling a dozen different projects. He might be in a laborer profession, but his clients are no less demanding than yours. People are people. He still knows what his priorities are."

Sabrina Lopez was a friend, as was her husband Miguel. Their son Roberto, who went by Bobby, was Tommy's best friend. They lived in the same gated community. Indeed, Miguel's business was doing very well to live in such an affluent community.

Alex made sure he and Sabrina got to be in the same tour group. She was smart, funny, and stunning to look at. She was the epitome of his fantasy for that of a hot Latina babe, and that image was further fueled by some information Tommy had innocently shared that morning. Alex wasn't going to press her about it. He didn't want to ruin the great time they were having. All in all, he could think of worse ways to spend his afternoon than with an attractive, curvaceous woman who dressed in ways that tastefully showed off her ample assets.

"I'd turn it off, but I have a case that got dumped on me. Well, that's harsh. It wasn't dumped... I saw it coming. Cassie had a baby yesterday. I didn't want to cancel on the field trip, so I'm handling the final phase of the settlement for her from afar."

"Not very well. Just answer the phone and get it over with."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Maggie's just being paranoid."

"I'll say. She's called ten times." The phone went off again, and he looked at it out of habit. "Eleven. Answer it."

"I'm turning it off. It's nothing," he chuckled seconds before the text came through.

3:42 PM

911. Call me ASAP. Trouble with Davenport.

"Then again, maybe this is worse than I feared. Can you watch the brood, Sabrina. I think I do have to make a call."

"Okay. But when you come back, you're putting that thing away for good. We've only got forty-five minutes left."

"You have my word."

He steeled away, off in an alcove away from the noise. Dialing, he waited. Maggie seemingly answered before it rang.

"Why the fuck aren't you answering your phone!"

"Hello to you too."

"Seriously, Alex!"

"Ha!"

"What's so funny!? There's nothing funny about this!"

"The first time you've ever called me Alex, and you're yelling at me. That's funny. And I wasn't answering because I'm with my kids. If you would have texted or left a message, then..."

"We can discuss future contact rules later. We've got a problem."

"What's that?"

"It's Ashley Davenport. I'm a hundred percent certain she just fucked Judge Austin. Literally fucked him."

"C'mon Maggie," he chuckled, trying to not let on that he'd set up that interaction.

"I waited in the back of the courtroom until I knew I'd be obvious sitting there alone. So, I staked out the entrance to his court from the hallway. She came out from his side door... she was in his chambers."

"I already know that. You told me she asked to meet with him after we settled. Why would you think they fucked?"

"One, I could tell her clothes were on different. She'd looked disheveled... trust me, I've been there. I've done the walk of shame many times. This wasn't going home at the end of a weekend in same clothes you wore to start it, but the walk is the same. This was one of those frantic, rushed fucks. She was flushed."

"It's your imagination."

"I saw her, Alex."

"You saw her... fucking him."

"No. I saw her in the window... she was at the Marriott across the street from the office this morning. In a hotel room. She was naked, masturbating. She was showing off to the world, like it was a show. She was right across from our office. You would have had a front row seat if you'd have been looking out your window. "

He swallowed hard, a sweat coming over him. But he covered well, saying, "Aw, jeez. Maggie. Would you listen to yourself?"

"I took pictures of her from the lounge window. I didn't know it was her in court. I just had a feeling like I'd seen her before. It wasn't until she asked to meet in chambers that I figured it out. I think she was with him at the hotel this morning too. I think she fucked him before... and then did it again afterwards to get him to change the deal."

"Maggie, stop. I've know Jack Austin for years. We went to law school together. He is anything but unethical. I'd stake my life on it. If he's fucking her, good for him. God knows he could use it. The man's been through hell and back because of that divorce. But there's no way he's changing the deal after it was entered on the record. It would be the end of his judicial career."

"And fucking an attorney that appears before him wouldn't?"

"No. Mind you, it probably wouldn't be viewed favorably, but it won't get him removed from the bench. Likely a reprimand. If what you say is true, I'm willing to bet we'll get a notice within the next week that she's off his docket going forward. But that's a pretty big if."

"I'm not crazy, Alex. And I'm not wrong. I'll show you the pictures I took of her tomorrow. It was definitely her in that hotel. It all makes sense. "

"Trust me, I can't wait to see them. She's damn attractive. And apparently kinky. But that doesn't mean it makes sense, and it certainly isn't proof that they fucked."

"If you say so. But they absolutely did."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. We still don't have anything to worry about. Emily won. Get back to the office and call her already. You should have done that hours ago."

"I stayed because I knew something was up."

"But your job was to take care of her, not concern yourself with silly suspicions."

Her anger was rising. He wasn't seeing the big picture. "My job is to protect you, Alex. And I always will."

"Maggie..."

"I'm serious. You're my responsibility. You entrusted me to handle this for you and the firm. But you first. You need to know I have your back... always."

"You know, you're right. Thanks. Look, I'm going to go finish this field trip. There's... forty minutes left," he said as he glanced at his watch. "Please, go back to the office. Call Emily. She needs to get the good news soon. The longer you wait, the more she'll worry."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks Maggie. And I do appreciate you."

"Thanks. That means the world to me."

He hung up, shaking his head. "I've got to get in touch with Jack tomorrow. The last thing I need is this blowing up in his face."

He started to go back to the group, when he had a flash of panic. "Actually, I think I need to have Ashley take care of it. Now!"

Moving back to the alcove he'd been standing in, he pulled up her number, his thumb trembling a bit as he pressed the screen to make the call.

"This is Ashley."

"Good afternoon, Miss Davenport. Alex Edwards here."

"Hello Mr. Edwards. How else may I help you today?" she chuckled.

"How... else?"

"Yes. I've already had to bend over in court before Judge Austin."

"I'm not sure what you're referring to," he replied, acting naive but loving her play on words.

"If you're calling to make sure I entered the agreement we negotiated between Ms. Swanson and the Patterson Corporation, rest assured I've taken care of it. I even increased the cash payment."

"Maggie told me."

"Maggie. Who's Maggie?"

"She's my very perceptive and somewhat nosy Executive Secretary. She was the cute redhead sitting with your opposing counsel today. Why did you increase it?"

"Because Emily deserves to be compensated for the pain my client caused. And because I felt guilty for my firm making me use Cassie's pregnancy as a tactic."

"That was very generous of you."

"It's easy to be generous when it's not your money. Patterson is loaded. I would have given her more if I thought I could. Anyway, I've handled it."

"Wonderful. However, I'm concerned about how you handled it."

"I'm not sure I understand. Is there something wrong? That's the only thing I changed, and it was in your client's favor."

"Yes, Maggie told me. The agreement is fine. It's what you did after the agreement that concerns me."

She had a moment of trepidation. She knew what he was vaguely talking about. At least she thought she did. But he wasn't talking to her as Dom to submissive. This was lawyer to lawyer, and the territory he was wading into had her nerves frazzled.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to."

"You asked to meet with Judge Austin in his chambers. I'm very concerned about what happened."

"Mr. Edwards..."

"It's Alex. The case was settled. This is an informal call on my private cell. You're not being recorded, okay Ashley."

"Good. So what the fuck are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. Maggie is, and her belief based on what she observed... both in court, and after you left his chambers out his side entrance, was that you fucked Judge Austin. Did you?"

"One, how dare you! Two, whether I did or didn't, my personal life and who I fuck are none of your or anyone's else's business!"

"Calm down."

"I will not calm down! You're saying I tried to influence an agreement I entered in court after the fact by fucking Judge Austin! I can't believe you would even think that!"

"Ashley, I'm trying to have a rational conversation with you. Please understand what I'm saying. I don't know whether anything happened between you and Jack behind closed doors. I'm simply pointing out that if something did, then either you or him have an obligation to the court to make sure that relationship doesn't impact any future court proceedings. This isn't two lawyers on the same level having sex. No one cares about that. This would be a judge, fucking a lawyer that was just in his court. Do you understand that difference?"

"Well of course I do!" she snapped. But then she considered what it meant, the full weight of what Alex was explaining hitting her in the chest.

The silence lingered. He heard her breathing, almost wheezing into the phone. He knew she was freaking out.

"You okay?"

"No."

"Did you fuck him?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"I only know what Maggie suspects. But as I said, she's very perceptive. And tenacious. I usually love that about her, but it's unfortunate in this case. I need to know what happened so I can help you and Jack. Did you fuck him?"

"More like he fucked me. Twice, if you must know." Her mind was racing. In her head, it was like she'd never been challenged by her Dom to do what she did. In truth, she'd been given an easy out. She'd used her safe word, and he'd accepted it without question. The system they'd agreed upon had worked. Yet somehow she still felt compelled to offer herself sexually to Jack. Being a submissive to Alex no longer factored into the problem. She had only herself to blame in her eyes.

"Maggie's not going to let this go, Ashley. She believes you tried to change the agreement. I've assured her that isn't possible. It was entered in open court. Any modification would bring on a lawsuit. But she still insists you fucked Jack. I have to give her something to make her back off."

"Great. I guess I'm really going to get fucked. And that's saying something after what Jack did to me," she laughed half-heartedly. "I'm going to lose my career."

"No you're not."

"Well it's me or Jack. And I can't let him take the fall."

"There is no fall to take. I'm going to fix this. That's what I do. I fix things."

"By all means, tell me how you plan to extricate me out of this."

"First, Jack is a good friend of mine. He's been through hell, as I'm sure you know. We don't want to do anything that might tarnish what you did for him. To be honest, if anyone needed fucked, it was him. But I'm sure now that this happened, he's going to be second guessing the ramifications too. He only has one option. You have the better one."

"What are you talking about, Alex?"

"His option is to admit he's entered into a physical relationship with you. That in and of itself isn't a problem, although it would raise some eyebrows. But it would open up the possibility of the judiciary review board going through recent cases you had in his court, including ours, to see if there was any undue influence. For certain, he'll notify your firm, letting them know about a relationship and that he can no longer sit on the bench with you as council. You'll be banned from appearing in his court."

"He's going to tell my firm?"

"He has to. Unless he plans to roll the dice and hope this doesn't get out. But if Maggie figured it out, someone else might. That's why you're going to tell your firm."

"Wait... what!? I have to tell my bosses I fucked a judge? I'll be fired. How is that an option?"

"You're not going to tell them that. You're going to tell them the truth."

"Uh... that is the truth."

"That's a truth. You practice law, Ashley. You're damn good at it. You know as well as I do that more than one narrative can be true. The key is getting the truth you want as the one that's believed, and to do that you have to get it in front of the right people first. You need to go on the offensive."

"I'm listening."

"Get out your laptop and draft an email. Explain how you were manipulated by your firm to use Cassie's pregnancy as a stalling tactic in hopes of getting an inexperienced attorney in her place when she went on maternity leave. Spell out how you were forced to use her personal life for continuances. You should also mention that you were unaware of the existence of a damning piece of evidence against your client because he and your firm were not forthcoming. Talk about how you were denied all the information you needed to present the case to the best of you ability, and instead were strong-armed into using a strategy that defied logic and abused the court system against your better judgment.

"Then state that you had a private conversation with Judge Austin in his chambers to inform him and to personally apologize. And finally stipulate that you are recusing yourself from any further proceedings involving his court because you feel what you were asked to do was unprofessional, and it warrants a self-sanctioning on your part. Send it to Jack, his secretary, to your bosses, including Elliott Walling, and to me and Maggie. Do that right away. Don't wait."

"I don't know, Alex. This still seems like career suicide. Elliott will be livid," she sighed, referring to her immediate boss, who put her up to the questionable strategy.

"I'm counting on it."

"What?"

"Send the email, Ashley. It will explain your being in Jack's chambers after the hearing, and it will explain why you can't be in his court going forward. Hell, it also would pave the way for you to keep fucking him if you want."

"Well I'll have plenty of time since I'll be out of a job."

"Ashley, I'll be honest, I don't know what your firm will do. But if they're the kind of people that would make you use the birth of as child as the key to winning a trial, I have to ask why you're there. You're better than that. Is that why you got into practicing law?"

"That... I'd rather not go into the whys right now. Or ever, to be honest. But I can't afford to lose my job."

"Can you afford to change it?"

"What?"

"I'm suggesting an alternate path. Let this play out. Send the email and let's see what happens. If they fire you, easy pickings. If they harass you, harder, but winnable."

"Are... you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Elliott Walling is going to pay for what he tried to do to my associate. Cassie is a damn good lawyer and he made her a pawn in his shenanigans. Yeah, this just became personal to me. But you have my word, Ashley, you're not going to be collateral damage. If they fire you, you hire me... we sue. If they harass you, we get the evidence we need, you quit and hire me... we sue. Same result. And once the lawsuit is over, I get to hire one of the most promising young attorneys to practice in Orange county in the last ten years."

"Are you offering me a job, Alex?"

"I'm offering you the safe word you need. When you need to use it, I'll make sure you're okay. Send the email and let's protect you and Jack. That's the only way this ends up with the good guys really winning."

"Okay. I'll do it. Thanks. I'll be in touch."

"Don't dawdle. I need to see that email before five. We don't want this going into tomorrow."

"Right. Fuck while the cock is hard. Got it."

He laughed, never having heard the analogy of striking while the iron is hot modified in such an unusual way. "Right. Let's touch base tomorrow. And you can call this number any time if things get out of hand with your employer."

"Thanks Alex."

"Take care, Ashley."

Checking the time, he had a half-hour left on the field trip. He scrambled back to find his group, easily spotting Sabrina from a distance. He sauntered up by her side, and she grinned.

"Is the phone off?"

"Yes. You have my undivided attention now."

"It's not about me, Alex. It's about them," she pointed toward the children.

"Did they miss me?"

"Ha! No. Tommy is too busy hanging out with Bobby, and Sarah is petting baby sharks. I missed you though. No adult to talk to. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. I guess something adult, since you missed me so much?"

"Mmm. Do tell. This could be fun?"

He was going to delve into the revelation that Tommy laid on him that morning, but thought better of it. After what he'd just had to do off the cuff to remedy the problem he'd created for Ashley and Jack, it seemed like a very bad idea.

"You know what, never mind."

"What?"

"I'm a lawyer. I should know not to pry into things that are none of my business."

"Well, that's quite the tease. I'm sorry I've made you uncomfortable."

"Oh, it's not like that. I just don't think I should get into it. We're friends."

She felt his trepidation, but also the way he was fighting not to stare at her chest. And that had her grinning. "Tommy finally told you, did he?"

"What?"

"You suddenly can't take your eyes off my tits. You must have questions, so fire away."

"Sabrina, I don't know what you think... or about what Tommy..."

"Okay, I'll start. Yes, they're real. And what did that Seinfeld character say... they're spectacular!"

"Well, no argument there."

"Good, so let's talk. What else do you want to know? I'm an open book, Alex. I'm not ashamed of who I am. Besides, like you said, we're friends."