Consent Ch. 05

"There is precedence your honour. I can file a motion for you today," Adele countered.

"No way. I'm dismissing the case, your associate can re-file it with the court Ms Edwards, but you are no longer trying this case," The judge arose, ready to leave chambers.

"Hey wait on judge," John Murray had been thinking.

"You're going to make my clients go through all of this again? That will be the third time that they will be tried for something they claim they are innocent of. If Ms Edwards is willing to relinquish the trail to Ms Bettany and recuse herself from representing Miss Summers I'd like the trail to proceed. I think I've got this case won already," John Murray proposed.

"I'll do it!" Adele snapped back.

"Hold on you two; I'm the decision maker here," the Judge rubbed his chin.

"Ms Bettany; are you prepared to take over from Ms Edwards? Can you offer your client fair and reasonable counsel?" the judge asked Celia.

"I can your honour. Ms Edwards and I have worked on this case together day and night," Celia said a little too enthusiastically.

"I bet you have," John Murray gave them both a lecherous look.

The remark flew over the judge's head.

"Ms Edwards, you are recused from counsel. Ms Bettany, you are no longer second chair; welcome to the big leagues," the judge heaved himself out of his chair and ushered everyone out of his chambers.

The judge bought the court to order and explained that Adele Edwards had been recused from representing Melody Summers.

"Miss Summers; are you prepared to continue your suit whilst being represented by Miss Bettany?" the judge asked.

"I am your honour; I have faith in her," Melody replied.

Adele was sitting in the court behind the plaintiff's table and was on the receiving end of a reproachful glare from Millicent Ford.

"The court is adjourned until nine o'clock tomorrow to allow Miss Bettany to prepare and for all of us to regroup," the judge rapped his gavel.

*****

"The defence may continue," the judge rapped his gavel when court began the next day.

"The defence calls Adele Edwards to the stand," John Murray swivelled in his seat and glared at Adele.

"Objection your honour. Ms Edwards is no longer party to these proceedings," Celia glared back at John Edwards.

"On the contrary your honour. Adele Edwards is a material witness to what these men claim is just fun, what they call, I beg the court's pardon, a gangbang. Let's hear about her experience and she can either corroborate or rebut Miss Summers' experiences," John Murray challenged.

Adele was up and through the gate heading for the witness chair before the judge even ruled.

"Well it looks like Miss Edwards has no personal objection so let's see where this leads us," the Judge sat back in his chair.

"Please state your full name for the record," John Murray began.

"Adele Edwards," Adele replied.

"Has your name always been Adele?" John asked.

Celia Bettany was on her feet lightning-fast to object.

"Withdrawn. Ms Edwards what gender are you?" John gave Adele a steely glare.

"Objection your honour; relevance?" Celia was on her feet.

Judge Karl Brinkman knew that Adele was transgender as did some in the gallery but her notoriety had faded over the years so it was not that well known generally. There was almost certain to be members of the jury that did not know that she was transgender and who were likely to be prejudiced.

"I'll allow it but get to the point quickly counsellor," Judge Brinkman barked.

"I'm a woman. Female. It says so on my driver's licence and on my passport," Adele held her head up high.

"And on your birth certificate?" John Murray was getting to the point he wanted to make.

"Withdrawn. On the birth certificate issued when you were born?" he grinned at Adele.

"Perhaps it will help the court and the counsellor if I get directly to where Mr Murray would like to take us. I was born a male but was gender dysphoric during my childhood and teens. I began my legal transition to become a woman in 2003 and legally became a woman in 2005," Adele looked directly at the jury.

"But your case is somewhat unique is it not? You are one of very few transgendered women who have been legally accepted as a woman without have proof of irreversible sex change surgery?" John raised his brow.

Celia Bettany was immediately on her feet.

"I'll get to relevance in my next question your honour," John did not allow Celia to object.

"So you were still a boy, well a young man actually, when these pictures were taken of you in your first year at college?" John used his clicker.

Adele was sitting on the bed in her dormitory dressed in a leather miniskirt, white satin blouse, sheer taupe pantyhose, and black high heels. She was wearing heavy makeup, a platinum-blonde shoulder-length wig and cheap costume jewellery.

Adele shuddered as she remembered the four men entering her room. This would have been the first of many pictures that they took that night. She was prepared for this line of questioning as much as she could be.

"Yes. As I said I was gender dysphoric and at that time dressing as a woman was comforting, it made me feel like who I really wanted to be," Adele answered.

The bailiff was passing stills of the images being displayed on the screens to jury. The audience in the courthouse was leaning forward to gawk at the screens.

"And here. Did you find this comforting," John grinned.

Adele was in the arms of Mitchell brooks and he was kissing her. In the picture, it looked like she was reciprocating. In addition, this, and this, and this..." John Murray shuffled through a series of images depicting Adele having sex with the four men.

"That's a fine selection counsellor. All those pictures are carefully selected by you to make it look like I was a willing participant," Adele replied.

"So you claim you were unwilling?" John smiled at her.

"I was passive. I didn't want to get hurt so I did what they made me do," Adele countered.

"Made you do? What about these," John showed a selection of pictures that clearly showed Adele had an erection.

"Counsellor, the plaintiff's expert witness has stipulated..." Celia was cut off by John Murray.

"That it is possible for a woman or a man to experience sexual gratification even if the act is against their consent," he completed her answer for her.

"So you do know my clients Daniel Benstead, Brian Stetford, Peter Grady, and Mitchell Brooks and knew them in college, before you became a lawyer. Yes or no answers to my next few questions if you will Ms Edwards," John Murray was on a roll.

"Yes," Adele replied.

"You had sex with them in your dormitory at college, allegedly without your consent correct?" John continued.

"Yes," Adele replied.

"But you never made a complaint at the time?" John glared at Adele.

"Well I was scared that they would expose me. I wasn't out as a trans-woman," Adele stammered.

"So you chose to remain an anonymous crossdresser rather than seek justice for what, according to you, was four men using your body for sexual gratification against your will?" John's voice was getting louder.

Celia wanted to object but Adele glared at her from the witness stand. They knew that this line of questioning was coming.

"Yes. But it was not that simple," Adele replied.

"Oh and I forgot to add that during the so called attack you managed to achieve sexual gratification yourself, possibly here," John clicked his clicker.

Adele lay underneath John Murray, her arms embracing him and legs locked around his waist.

Adele did not answer; she bowed her head.

"Let's move onto some less distasteful testimony," John Murray blanked the screens with his clicker but the damage had been done.

"When did you hear that my clients had been found not guilty in the sexual assault case against Miss Melody Summers?" John Murray changed tack.

"I read about it in the newspapers the day after the trial; but Miss Summers was never named. Her name was suppressed by court order," Adele replied.

"Exactly Ms Edwards. So you must have made some effort to track Miss Summers down; or did she come to you and propose civil litigation?" John was on a roll.

"I found her and suggested that we might have a case. That although she had lost in the criminal justice system, perhaps I could get her compensation through litigation," Adele replied coolly.

"Exactly," John grinned.

"So my final question to you is this?"

"Did you bring this frivolous and vexatious law suit against my clients as a means of taking revenge for something that you claim happened fifteen years ago, but was never reported at the time or since," John finished triumphantly.

Celia shouted her objections over the ramblings of the audience in the courthouse while the judge repeatedly banged his gavel.

The court was finally quiet.

"Withdrawn," John smugly returned to his seat.

*****

After a short comfort break the trial continued.

"Please state your full name for the record," John Murray began.

Roy was sitting in the witness chair looking every bit the urban cowboy. Stylised western shirt, denim jeans and jacket, cowboy boots, he was even wearing a bolo necktie. He had that cocksure grin on his face.

"Arnold Duncan Phyton Chesworth," he replied and blushed.

Adele guffawed. If was incongruous that her cowboy lover had a name befitting a Wall Street banker.

"Mister Chesworth is this you?" John used his favourite toy to bring onto the screens the online ad for Executive Encounters featuring the image of a shirtless handsome and tanned and muscular young man wearing a Stetson, jeans and cowboy boots.

"Are you Roy?" he continued.

"That's the name I work under yes and that is indeed me," he said proudly, smiling at the court.

"And do you indeed swing both ways as the caption reads?" John asked.

"Yes I do. But only for money," Roy said a little sheepishly.

"And swinging both ways means?" John leaned into his witness.

"It means I can top or bottom, pitch or catch, give or receive..." he answered before John cut him off.

"So you are a bisexual man who can play both roles in bed?" John said for clarification.

"Only for money," Roy clarified further.

"Do you know the woman who was previously counsellor for the plaintiff, Ms Adele Edwards?" John was getting to the point.

"Yes sir I do," Roy replied.

"In what capacity?" John asked.

"She's a client," Roy replied curtly.

"She uses your services... for sex?" John was grinning.

"We can stop this," Celia turned and hissed at Adele.

"No let him go on. He'll only introduce financial records to prove that I use Roy's services if you object," Adele explained.

"Yes sir she does," Roy replied.

"How often?" John smiled.

"About once a week. When the mood takes her," Roy replied casually.

"What specifically does she get you to do? Does she like to be humiliated? Does she like to be restrained or held down while you have sex?" John asked smugly.

There was a pause as both judge and defence counsel expected an objection but none was forthcoming.

"No sir, we just make love the usual way," Roy replied.

"And does she like to go both ways? Does she like to pitch it to you?" John was a little irritated with Roy's previous response.

Adele had to physically hold Celia in her seat because she was so hot to object.

"No sir she does not. She's a beautiful feminine woman who is a gentle and a considerate lover and I treat her that way. I only ever make love to her like she is a lady because that is what she is," Roy replied.

John was seething; this was not the answer he was expecting; not the answer that they had rehearsed during witness preparations yesterday.

"But you said... Strike that!" John Murray's line of questioning was derailed.

"Do you know Melody Summers?" John changed tack again.

"Only from the TV and the papers," Roy grinned at John Murray who was now infuriated.

"Because you work at the same agency, did Ms Edwards ever ask you about Melody Summers?" John took a deep breath.

"Which question do you want me to answer counsellor? That did not know that Ms Summers worked at the same agency as me or that Ms Edwards never asked me about Melody Summers," Roy said indignantly.

"Ms Edwards never asked you if Melody Summers was employed by Executive Encounters or asked you where she could find Miss Summers?" John's frustration with his witness was evident.

"Asked and answered!" the judge interjected before Celia could even object.

All that John had proved was that Adele had used a male prostitute on occasion. His attempts to prove that Adele already knew that Melody Summers was a callgirl before the case began or that she had tried to find Melody through the agency to solicit her to sue had been debunked. His half-hearted attempt to prove that Adele liked rough sex had also failed.

"I'm finished with this witness," John stormed over to the defence table.

"You know what to ask," Adele said to Celia as she rose to cross.

"Mr Chesworth; how much did the defendants counsel pay you to testify today?" Celia asked succinctly.

"Objection!" John Murray leapt from his chair, his face red.

"Well they paid me fifty thousand dollars ma'am," Roy gave Celia a beatific smile.

"The witness will remain silent until I have ruled on the objection!" Judge Brinkman was furious.

"Withdrawn your honour," Celia swept her skirt under her as she sat.

John Murray shook his head and took his seat.

"Sorry," Roy mouthed silently to Adele as he walked past her.

She just gave him a wan smile. Adele was pragmatic; Roy was a prostitute after all, he did what he had to for money.

*****

The case went viral in every form of media. A beautiful sophisticated trans-woman lawyer defending a pretty sex worker, both of whom claimed to have been sexually abused by four prominent businessmen was fodder for the news services and in the blogosphere. Everyone had an opinion.

To be continued