The judge looked at his watch. “Court is adjourned and will reconvene at one-thirty this afternoon,” he said and stood up.
“All rise.”
The moment Panthea walked into the room right outside of the courtroom, Marcus was hot on her heels. He pulled the door open, waited for her to walk in, followed, and slammed the door behind himself. She knew he was upset. As a matter of fact, the way he had tightly clutched her elbow and guided her out of the courtroom when the judge called the recess had made her wince. But she knew far too many eyes were watching for her to even frown or appear the least bit uncomfortable.
They had been standing in the room for a good two minutes before she even had the courage to speak to him. “I know you’re mad,” she said softly with her back still turned to Marcus, staring at nothing on the wall, willing herself not to break down and cry. Her knees felt like water and her cheeks were hot.
“I’m not mad at you, Panthea. I just want an explanation from you,” he demanded firmly.
She tried to gage the sound of his voice, but there were no signs that he’d soften anytime soon. Panthea slowly turned to see his nostrils flaring and his eyes narrowed. Marcus was pissed. Her heart sank to her toes, and she fought off the urge to cry.
“Um, I was alone, just driving around,” she shrugged, picking at her manicured French-tipped nails. She looked up at him, “Well, that is until I went to Wade’s house.” She rushed to his side and reached out for him, but Marcus jerked away.
The line was drawn.
Panthea looked at her hand suspended in mid-air and couldn’t believe his reaction to her touch. Never since they’d become intimate had he ever resisted her advance. Panthea straightened her shoulders where she stood, blinked back tears before she spoke.
“I don’t know how long I drove around before I went to Wade’s. I don’t know exactly what time I got there. You remember when Detective Silver asked me what time I got there I said I didn’t know. You remember that, don’t you?”
Marcus relaxed a little as he thought back to Panthea’s interviews with Detective Silver. He remembered the detective pressing her for a time, and Panthea continuing to repeat, I don’t know. “I remember.”
“The next day when he said that he talked to Wade, he asked me again.”
“You said that you didn’t know.”
“Right. Then he said Wade told him I got there at eight-thirty—”
“You said, if that’s what he told you,” Marcus said and pulled out his cell phone.
“I simply went along with it. I really just didn’t see it as a big deal at the time,” she insisted sincerely and waited for his reaction.
“Well, it was a big deal, a real big deal actually, and one that may have cost us this trial and your freedom.” Marcus walked away from Panthea. “Janise, I need you to pull the transcripts of Mrs. Daniels interviews with the police and get them down here as soon as possible,” he said and pressed end.
“I need to know you believe me,” Panthea pleaded and gently touched his shoulder.
Marcus rubbed his face with the palms of his hands and sighed loudly.
Panthea waited for him to say things would be okay, that he would find a way to fix it. But after more than enough of the awkward silence had hung in the air between them, she cast her gaze to the floor.
Marcus could see her eyes pooling and her chest beginning to heave, but this time, he didn’t care. He couldn’t understand how she could let something as important as her alibi not being the truth go without saying anything about it. It seemed at times that Panthea had resolved that she was going to jail and wanted nothing more than to enjoy life, enjoy life with him until she was found guilty.
“Everything is going to be alright, baby. I’ll find a way to fix this.”
Panthea took a quick step toward Marcus and threw her arms around his neck. She began planting kisses all over his face.
“I just love you so much,” she said between kisses.
“I love you, too,” Marcus said just as Panthea’s tongue slivered into his mouth. Her kiss was warm and passionate and for a second, Marcus forgot where he was, and apparently so did Panthea. Before he could say a word of protest, Panthea had his zipper down and her hand in his pants.
As they kissed, Marcus became more aroused. He gathered Panthea’s dress around her waist. Panthea, who had been hoping for just such an occasion, was wearing crotch-less panties and a garter belt. Panthea wrapped her legs around his waist and Marcus quickly backed her to the wall.
Panthea was so wet; Marcus slid his dick inside her and pounded her against the wall. “Yes, baby, yes! Bang your pussy, baby,” Panthea said much louder than the situation allowed. Marcus stuck the end of his tie in her mouth and continued to pound away.
The picture on the wall started shaking, so Marcus moved Panthea off the wall and finished her off on the table. Once they were done the two walked out of the room the same way they went in, defendant and her lawyer.
26
Garrett Mason had been on his way to meet Marcus at the courthouse, when his cell phone rang. He had nearly ran a red light as he reached for it. He suddenly remembered he was on his headset.