"The average person on the street knows about kink either through those books or via porn involving spanking or maybe hair pulling, rough sex. That, or they're curious and have seen some more intense porn, illegal porn. We don't want you to get mixed up into that at all. Really focus on how you were focused on the woman's pleasure."
"It's the truth," I said a bit defensively.
"I know it, and you know it, and your past partners know it, but the defense will try to frame it like you were controlling Lisa and she was only doing what you demanded of her."
"In her mind," I said. "There's no evidence. Whatever evidence they had at the start has been discounted."
"A lie gets half way around the world before the truth pulls on its shoes. All they'll remember is reading salacious extracts from the fake letters she and Jones concocted to make it look like you were the one controlling everything."
I sighed heavily and leaned back, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. The pain killer hadn't yet kicked in and I was feeling pretty brain-fogged from the headache.
I opened my eyes and saw Lara watching me.
"Are you up for this? We could file for a further delay."
I shook my head. "No, that's fine. I'll be better tomorrow after a good night's sleep." I forced a smile and she finally narrowed her eyes.
"Drake Morgan, don't try to be a hero," she said, her voice low. "It will do no one any good if you pass out on the stand."
"You mean, it wouldn't get me any sympathy votes on the jury?" I cracked, grinning at the expression on her face.
"If you were my sub, I'd spank your ass," she replied finally, grinning herself. "Go home. Get some sleep. This will all be over soon and you can move on."
"I hope so," I said and stood, buttoning my jacket. "I'm just about at my wit's end with this trial and the fallout. I was hoping to start back on my Fellowship in January, but with all the publicity, I may put it off until next fall."
Lara stood and took my arm, leading me to the door to her office. "That's too bad, Drake. There will still be a fellowship program next year. There will still be pediatric neurosurgeon patients the following year. Try to keep your mind on the future and soon enough, this will pass and be nothing but a bad memory."
I kissed her cheek lightly and left her office, throwing on my coat and messaging John to come and get me.
* * *
I arrived home just after noon, and trudged up the stairs to the apartment after telling John I wouldn't be going out until tomorrow. He'd likely set up a place to watch the building, coordinating with other members of the security team providing us 24/7 protection. It was probably overkill, but given what happened to both Kate and me, I didn't want to spare any expense.
I opened the door to the apartment to find Kate standing in front of the television in the living room, the remote in her hand, and Sophie at her feet playing with toys. Kate turned to me and raised her eyebrows.
"What?" I asked, hanging up my coat and shucking off my boots. "You look like you've seen a
ghost. Something bad on the news?"
"A video."
"Another one? Does this guy have a pot belly and hairy back?"
"No," she said, her voice soft. "This one is you. You and Sunita."
Adrenaline jolted through my body. "What?"
I went to where she was standing and watched the television screen. On it, a still shot from a grainy video, displaying me with a woman who was obviously Sunita. She was wearing a leather lace up bustier, thin black lace panties, was blindfolded and had her hands tied above her head. On the fronts of her thighs were long red stripes from the cane I had used with her. It was the biggest regret of my life and I knew I'd never live it down. Once the public saw that video, they'd think the worst of me. All the subsequent submissives who swore on a stack of bibles that I wasn't a sadist would be meaningless.
"Fucking great," I said, exasperated. I watched with Kate, seeing myself on the screen, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung leather pants with a thick black leather belt. My chest was bare and I was holding a cane, which was a common implement of discipline in the BDSM world. Lara had suspected I was a sadist and wanted to give me the opportunity to explore it, but it hadn't done anything sexual for me. In fact, it repulsed me. It turned off my desire rather than inflaming it.
None of that would matter now that this video had been released. Someone was trying their best to help Lisa and harm me. I wasn't sure who, but Sunita must have felt she was doing a good deed by turning that video over to the press. She probably made a pretty penny off it as well. If I had been that kind of person, I might have paid a whole lot more to stop the video from being played, but the station hadn't come to either me or my lawyer to make the offer.
I texted Lara, although I knew she was I a meeting.
DRAKE: The Sunita video is being played on the internet and talked about on a local TV station.
I waited, Kate and I standing there mute while the video of me caning Sunita played in a loop, the camera focusing on her blindfolded and gagged face while I struck her repeatedly.