Consent Ch. 03

Chapter Three - Do You Love Me?

Both Adele and Celia were wearing hold-up stockings and panties, nothing else. They had undressed this far before falling onto Adele's bed.

Celia was on her back and Adele lay beside her, suckling one of Celia's nipples whilst stroking the other. Celia had her arms around Adele encouraging her. Then they kissed, lazily exploring each other's mouths with their tongues. Their lovemaking could be swift and torrid, or like tonight, long, soft and sensuous. They had begun kissing on the lounge, taken their foreplay to the bedroom while still clothed, and now lay on the bed almost ready to consummate their love.

Celia gasped as Adele's fingers slowly made their way down the snow-white flesh of her belly and cupped Celia's pubis. Adele rubbed Celia's diaphanous panties against her mound, making Celia hiss. Celia found Adele erect inside her satin panties and squeezed it. They liked to tease each other before removing their underwear, if indeed they even bothered to.

Adele snaked a finger inside Celia's panties and found her moist and warm, she smiled around their kiss.

"You want it don't you?" Adele whispered.

"I always want you," Celia gasped when Adele opened her like unfurling the petals of a flower.

Adele sighed as Celia freed her rampant penis from her panties. Her cock was long and thick; she sometimes had difficulty keeping it tucked when she was dressed, especially around Celia.

Celia stroked and squeezed her lover's cock whilst Adele circled Celia's clitoris, teasing her. Adele made to move down the bed, she liked to orally please Celia, lapping at her juicy cunt, building Celia almost to climax and then backing off until Celia pushed Adele's face into her sex and kept her there until she came.

"Not tonight. I want you inside me. Now," Celia snuggled against Adele.

Celia slid under Adele, opening her legs wide and then clamping then around Adele's waist.

"Fuck me," Celia whispered, looking up into Adele's deep blue eyes.

Celia's eyes were brown, alive and sparkling with excitement. She considered herself to be the luckiest woman in the world to have a lover like Adele.

"Make me," Adele murmured.

She lowered her face and kissed Celia passionately.

Celia made her.

She found Adele's hard, throbbing cock pressed against her lower belly and guided it inside her panties and nestled the glans in her labia.

"Huh!" Celia gasped as she pushed up and impaled herself on Adele's cock.

"Now," Celia bit Adele's earlobe.

Celia hung on as Adele began to fuck her hard and easy. Her cunt clung onto Adele's phallus when she withdrew, not wanting the appendage to leave her void, she rose to meet Adele's next thrust, and the next, They crushed their lips together, bruising them with the intensity of their passion as their excitement built. Adele ensured her pubis pushed on Celia's clitoris, grinding against it, bringing her close as she impaled her lover.

Adele was close too, she sensed Celia was about to climax. They gasped into each other's mouths and pressed their bodies together, Celia drummed her feet in the small of Adele's back encouraging her to ejaculate.

Adele's sperm erupted from her throbbing penis just as Celia orgasmed; she felt Celia's cunt contract and spasm, wringing Adele's precious seed from her. The women rubbed and fretted against one and other in their frenzy, clicking teeth, raking nails, crying out, gasping and groaning as they came to their apogee and then their fervour slowly started to ebb.

Celia lay in Adele's embrace, her black hair damp, glistening in the gloom, her lipstick was gone, her lips bruised, her mascara had run. Adele fared no better, her brunette shoulder-length hair was a tangled mess, her makeup ruined. The room stank of sex.

"Another pair of stockings ruined," Celia chuckled.

"Shut up," Adele kissed the tip of her nose.

Celia shucked out of her sodden panties and flicked them across the room with her foot.

"Hey! I hope you're going to pick them up," Adele sniggered, voice deep and husky.

"Are you going to make me?" Celia playfully slapped Adele's slowly deflating penis.

"You're asking for it bitch!" Adele growled playfully and climbed on Celia again.

Later, freshly showered, wearing clean underwear, still in bed propped up on pillows and sipping coffee, they both studied case files.

"Adele?" Celia asked softly.

"Huh?" Adele was deep into her file.

"Why do you want this case so bad? Why are you determined not to settle; determined to make that poor girl testify?" Celia turned to face her lover.

"It doesn't matter why; they need to face up to what they did," Adele wouldn't look at Celia; she went back to the file.

Celia pushed Adele's file away from her.

"Do you love me?" Celia looked lovingly into Adele's eyes.

"Of course I do. I've loved you since the moment I saw you," she tousled Celia's hair, still damp from the shower.

Celia sat up straight and glared at her.

"Ok," Adele whispered.

Adele told her.

*****

Mitchell Brooks and his three co-defendants had hired one of the best litigators in the State, John Murray. John was ruthless and would use whatever tactics were needed to win a case.

John, Adele and Celia sat in the chambers of Judge Karl Brinkman. The judge looked disapprovingly at the two women.

"I hope you ladies are going to dress appropriately when you enter my court," he growled.

"We have appropriate court attire Judge," Adele replied.

Adele had never won a case with Judge Brinkman presiding. Adele knew that the judge had contempt for female lawyers and Adele had been passed on a comment he had made about her at his country club.

"That woman should be married and at home, barefoot and pregnant. Although that thing is hardly likely to get pregnant is she?" he'd joked.

Thankfully there weren't many who thought like that nowadays but the assembled audience all laughed; they might have the Judge presiding over their case one day after all.

"Since neither party is going to settle I suppose we will have to bring this matter to court," the Judge began.

"Are both sides content with the disclosure proceedings?" the judge asked.

Both sides had withheld elements of discovery but neither would admit it. This was going to be a jury trial and they both wanted to catch the other wrongfooted to impress the jury and likely persuade the them to their side.

All three lawyers nodded.

"Now we come to the photographs. These pictures are very explicit Mr Murray, I've never seen anything as sexually graphic as these being produced in open court," the judge flicked through the pictures before him.

"They are also prejudicial to your case; they prove that all four men had sex with the plaintiff," the judge continued to stare at the photographs, working through them one at a time.

"True your honour, but they also show that the woman was complicit; that the sex was consensual. They constitute exculpatory evidence," John Murray said authoritatively.

"The particulars of the plaintiff's facts and their whole suit is based on the presumption that she did not consent," John folded his arms.

"Another one of these 'me too' claims I suppose," the judge harrumphed.

"If you object to these pictures being produced in court Ms Edwards I'm likely to likely to rule these pictures inadmissible evidence, which would be in your favour," the judge could not put them down.

"The plaintiff's counsel believes that the pictures also constitute inculpatory evidence Judge," Celia countered.

The judge looked at Celia, his distaste with her appearance obvious.

"You make sure your co-counsel keeps her place in my courtroom Ms Edwards; I only want one lawyer at a time presenting to the court," the judge went back to studying the pictures.

"Well I guess we will let the jury decide what or what not the pictures prove," the judge finally put the stack of photographs down on his desk.

"The only stipend I ask your honour is that the plaintiff also be allowed to produce their own pictures in court as a rebuttal if necessary," Adele asked

The judge nodded and John Murray did not object.

"I take it both parties are ready to proceed? No chance of a late settlement?" the judge looked at John Murray then at Adele Edwards.

Neither party spoke.

"We begin voir dire on Monday. You ladies make sure you dress like lawyers for my court not like hookers; but no pantsuits and no bare legs, some decorum in my court please," the judge waved at them dismissively.

"Fucking misogynist dinosaur!" Celia hissed when she left the judge's chambers.

"Don't worry about him, worry about Melody Summers. How is prep going?" Adele asked.

Celia dragged Adele into a vacant office.

"She's ok; she's tougher than she looks. I'm pretty sure she will be up to telling her story and being crossexamined but I'm not sure how she will hold up when those pictures get shown to the court," Celia said.

"Why the fuck didn't you have them ruled inadmissible? What is your strategy here Adele? What you told me about what happened to you is heartbreaking but I hope you are not using that young girl as means for you to get revenge," Celia was furious.

Adele pushed Celia against the wall and pressed her body against her.

"I love it when you get angry. It gets me all horny," Adele smiled wickedly and put her hand under Celia's skirt.

Celia pushed Adele's hand away and extracted herself.

"That's all we need. Someone to see us and tell Judge Brinkman that we are lesbians!" Celia huffed.

"Are we though? I have a dick remember," Adele called after Celia as she strode purposely down the corridor leading to the court entrance.

"That girl has no sense of humour," Adele smiled to herself.

But inside she was worried. She was missing something she was sure of it and John Murray was not a litigator to be taken lightly.

*****

The voir dire went as well as could be expected given the jury pool. Five white men, two black men, two black women and three white women were selected. Despite interrogation it was hard tell what their prejudices might be; people lied. And some people wouldn't admit to themselves that they had prejudices.

The good news for Adele and Celia was that a fifty-five-year-old mother of three, Millicent Ford, was elected the forewoman of the jury. It could go two ways. Mrs Ford was a black woman who had put her children through college on the meagre wages that she and her husband bought home. She might see Melody Summers as a privileged young white woman.

But she might also have sympathy for Melody; all of Millicent Ford's children were girls.

The afternoon after voir dire was completed Adele was once again summoned to a Partner's meeting.

"You told us they would settle," Grahame Grantham was visibly angry.

"I think they are holding out, making us sweat, hoping we will withdraw the suit," Adele lied.

"So you intend to try the case if they don't settle Adele? Trial starts Monday and you don't have a sympathetic judge," Max Walker stated the bleeding obvious.

"I don't need a sympathetic judge; I need a sympathetic jury," Adele countered.

"What about costs if you lose?" Graham always thought about money.

"It's the cost of doing business Graham; you know that. I thought you of all people would be supportive," Adele replied.

"Being gay does not make me a philanthropist; I'm a capitalist," he grinned.

"Speaking of which... Alan has a task for you that might ease the pain for us if you are defeated," Grahame smiled at her mirthlessly.

Adele looked at each of the partners questioningly.

"Come down to my office Adele. We can talk about it," Alan Tate put out his hand like gentleman.

However he took station astern of her as they walked down the corridor so he could ogle her ass and her legs. Adele was wearing a short skirt and a long jacket as usual, navy blue pinstripe, white blouse, charcoal pantyhose and black high heels.

"Sit," he offered Adele a chair in his office and watched her take her seat.

Adele declined coffee, wanting Alan to get on with it so she could get back to her case.

"You know Peter Duffy I believe?" Alan began his pitch.

Adele scratched her head; she knew so many people, lawyers and clients rubbed against each other all the time. Then she remembered where she knew the name from.

"He's a lobbyist for some of the most powerful corporations in the State," Adele replied.

"Isn't he the one who convinced the California legislature to allow their ground water to be used by the bottled water companies. The state experiencing one of it's worst droughts on record allows bottled water companies to take their reserves of artesian water, treat it, and sell it in plastic bottles; what a scam," Adele had heard of him.

"Correct. And he's looking for a law firm to keep his ass covered and to conduct research for him. The Partners think this guy will bring in some substantial fees," Alan said.

"Ok... and I need to know this because?" Adele tried vainly to pull the hem of her skirt down her thighs where Alan's eyes remained riveted.

"Because he has asked for you specifically to pitch for us," Alan grinned.

"Me? Specifically me?" Adele smelled a rat.

"Look you know how these things work. You go out to dinner, keep him amused, show a bit of this a bit of that, listen to his stories, laugh at his jokes and then you land him for us," Alan beamed at her.

"You guys do know it is 2019 right?" Adele was exasperated.

It pissed her that men still insisted that woman use their good looks to influence other men. She didn't mind doing it of her own accord of course, but she didn't like to be peddled.

"Look Adele. You are smart, articulate, intuitive, and a brilliant lawyer with a rosy future in this firm. I'm sending you because you are the best person for the job and I'm sure that's why Peter Duffy asked for you," Alan patted her knee, his fingers lingering.

"So it has nothing to with the fact that I'm single, beautiful, have a great ass, tits, and legs," she countered.

"See... I told you that you were smart. Do this for me and I'll keep the other partners at bay while you fight your case against grumpy old Karl Brinkman and John Murray," Alan smiled at her again.

"Does he know?" Adele got ready to leave.

"Know what?" Alan shrugged his shoulders.

"You know what I mean," Adele groused.

"See. I told you that you were intuitive too," Alan tried to pat her ass on the way out but she gave him a reproachful look and he decided that discretion was the better part of valour.

*****

"Why do you have to do this? Why are you prostituting yourself?" Celia whined.

She'd followed Adele around the apartment like a dependant kid tugging on her mother's apron strings. This is why Adele and Celia could not live together. When Celia was good she was very, very good but when she was bad she was horrid.

Celia had always tolerated Adele's promiscuity because she knew that Adele needed a man to scratch her itch now and then and was grateful that Adele mostly confined her infidelities to Lotharios provided by a reputable escort agency.

She was not happy that Adele was going on a date; a date-date, with dinner, and wine and god knows what.

"They're using you. You know that! He's probably some fat old man with a tranny fetish!" Celia shut up, knowing she had gone too far.

"Go home Celia; I'll see you tomorrow," Adele was glad that she now had the moral high-ground because Peter Duffy was far from being a fat old man.

He was a very handsome, fit man who filled out his dinner suit very nicely and his smile when he greeted Adele at the restaurant would have melted any girl's heart.

Adele was wearing a little black cocktail dress, sheer tan holdup stockings and her favourite black Jimmy Choo's. She carried a little silver clutch purse and wore silver jewellery.

"You look magnificent if I may say so," Peter pulled out her chair for her.

He didn't stare at her legs or down her dress like most men would have when she sat and he eased her chair under the table.

"Thank you; you don't look too shabby yourself Mister Duffy," Adele smiled up at him.

"'Not too shabby; what a hoot!'" his laugh was genuine

"But Mister Duffy is my father, I'm Peter," he smiled at her and offered his hand.

Adele shook it and angled away from him when he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"No European greeting?" he took the rebuke with good nature, dropped her napkin in her lap and sat down opposite her.

"This is a business meeting Mister Duffy," her eyes sparkled, she was actually quite stricken with this handsome man but there was no way she was going to let him know.

'Listen to his stories, laugh at his jokes, land him for the firm and then go home and rub one out,' Adele thought to herself.

"Very well Ms Edwards; may I at least call you Adele?" she could see that she had hurt him a little.

He had been nothing but polite and gentlemanly and she had belittled him. Well never mind, she just wanted to get the evening over.

But that's not how she felt as the evening drew to an end. Peter Duffy, as well as being extremely handsome, was also articulate, a good talker, and a good listener. He knew when to talk business, when to tell a joke, and intrigued her with some gossip from around the halls of power. He was an active listener and encouraged Adele to speak when she had something to say. He didn't 'man-splain' for her.

"Alan Tate told me that you asked for me personally; why?" Adele grilled him with her deep blue eyes.

"Because I've heard that you are a rising star around here in the legal profession," he stopped with his coffee halfway to his lips; the question had caught him unaware.

Adele canted her head slightly, indicating that she expected a better answer.

"Ok. And also because I'd seen pictures of you and heard others talk about how beautiful you are. That's probably chauvinist of me but I was intrigued by you," he sipped his coffee, confident that he had answered Adele's question.

"Not because I have a dick then?" Adele glared at him.

Peter spat coffee back into the cup. He looked perplexed.

"Oh come on Peter; I'm all those things you say I am, I won't pretend to be modest. But a powerful, handsome man like you can have any beautiful woman you want. Am I just a curio to you?" Adele knew that she was being unfair but she couldn't stop herself.

Unconsciously she knew what she was doing. She was extremely attracted to this man so she was using her defence mechanisms to push him away; confront and insult him and he'll leave her alone.

Peter recovered.

"I am all those things you say I am too. I know I'm handsome and yes I have power; I certainly have money. These are all traits and skills I use to be a successful lobbyist," Peter stared at her openly.

"If I wanted to bed a beautiful transsexual woman I could just pay for one. And to be honest I didn't know that you still had a dick, as you put it," his smile was open, honest and addictive.

Adele couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Have I been a real bitch?" she looked at him and her eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

"You are a very intelligent, beautiful lady who knows what she wants and how to get it. I've probably been a little boorish and overexcited in your presence that's all. Let's get our coats and I'll call a car for you," he put his napkin on the table and started to rise.

He pulled back Adele's chair for her and leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"But yes; you've been a bitch," she could feel his breath on the nape of her neck and it felt very sensuous.

He paid the bill and escorted Adele to the front of the restaurant.

"Would you be offended if I called a car for you? I need to call one for myself anyway," Peter pulled his cell from his pocket.