“How’s Rock?” he asks.
“Probably tired,” Mara mumbles around a bite of salad.
Damon pops her on the ass. “You’re awfully wound up today.”
She drops her gaze, and her lips curve into a playful smile.
“Hmm, this is a whole different side of the terrifying Judge Oak,” I say.
He laughs, deep and rich. “Haven’t seen you in my courtroom lately.”
“Mmm.” I much on a forkful of lettuce, trying to think of something that won’t make me sound totally brainless. “I’m scaling back my workload.” I pat my belly. “For when little bean gets here.”
He nods. “Good for you. How does Rock feel about impending fatherhood?”
“Everything I’m nervous about he’s excited for.”
“Well, I’m sure Mara can share all sorts of helpful stories.”
Mara wiggles her eyebrows. “Have you gotten to the wild sex dreams part yet?”
Damon gives her the side-eye. “That’s not what I meant.”
My cheeks heat up, and I steal a look at Damon. He’s too focused on Mara to notice my reaction.
“I had the craziest ones about one of Damon’s friends.” She giggles. “Worked out well for me, though.”
Please don’t let me have any sex dreams about Damon. Ever.
I clear my throat. “So, where’s Cora? I thought you said she was refusing to nap lately?
“She’s with my mother for the night,” Damon answers.
Mara wraps her arm around Damon’s arm and leans into him. “Damon’s teaching a workshop tonight.”
“Like a CLE?” I take a sip of my water and mentally try to calculate how many credits I have for this reporting period. Crap, even if I’m not practicing, I still have to keep up on my credit hours if I want to keep my license.
“Not exactly.” Mara’s sly tone implies something of the non-professional variety.
My curiosity piqued, I raise an eyebrow and wait for her to elaborate.
“He’s giving a lecture on nonconsensual consent and the law to, um, some friends of ours…”
One look at Damon tells me why Mara’s voice trailed off. “Not something I can get credit for, I’m guessing?” I ask to lighten the tension that settled over us.
“Hope won’t say anything,” Mara says to Damon.
“My lips are sealed.” I run the title of the class through my head again. Who would I tell? Besides Rock.
Damon’s stony-eyed stare is terrifying enough when I’m in court. Somehow in the relaxed environment of his home, it’s a hundred times more intimidating. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Hope.” He casts his penetrating stare at his wife again. “The club has everyone sign nondisclosure agreements. Which my lovely wife knows.”
“I didn’t say anything about the club,” Mara mutters. “You did.”
Damon’s stare turns into one full of affection, and he leans over to kiss her temple. “There are easier ways to earn a spanking, darling,” he whispers against her ear. Something about the way the corners of his mouth are curled says she’s not off the hook.
I’m insanely curious but unsure of how to prod for more information. I’m almost buzzing with the need to know. “I, uh, gather it’s not something you want to talk about in Empire legal circles, Damon?”
He blows out a breath. “It’s not exactly a career enhancer.”
“Hmm.” Neither is having everyone know your husband and a bunch of his friends are being sued for paternity by a stripper/porn star.
“I’ll let you ladies get back to your discussion,” Damon says. “I have a call in a couple minutes.”
Mara watches Damon until he disappears around the corner.
“Damn, you still look at each other like newlyweds.”
She grins. “Sorry about that.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve just been signing up for the wrong kind of classes, I guess.”
She bites her lip and hesitates for a second. “I can get you an invitation. I think you and Rock might enjoy—”
“Are you trying to recruit me into your kinky society?”
She shrugs. “It’s normal people with similar interests.”
While I’m curious, I don’t think I’m brave enough, and I’m pretty sure Rock’s much too private to entertain the idea. But at this point in our lives, haven’t I learned that nothing is outside the realm of possibility? “Maybe after the bean arrives. I can’t really focus on much else these days.”
“Sure, I understand.”
“So, what’s the class? It sounds like a kinky CLE.”
“Not exactly.” Her eyes lift. “Tonight’s is more advanced. Usually they’re more of a mix between educational and cautionary. There are a lot of people in the lifestyle with less than honorable intentions and some who just need some guidance.”
“I can imagine.” I think about what she’s actually saying. “Are the type of predators you’re concerned about likely to sign up for workshops, though?”
“Probably not. But it doesn’t hurt to describe what to look out for to others. Especially if they’re new.” The excited sparkle returns to her eyes and her words come faster. “Some women think just because they’re submissive, they have to take whatever abuse some psycho who calls himself a Dom wants to dish out. It should always be about consent and communication. And each participant deciding what works and doesn’t work for them.”
“You sound awfully passionate.”
Her mouth turns down, and she glances out the window. “I made the mistake of mentioning something to someone I thought was a friend, and she was rather harsh. Like how could I be an educated woman and condone violence against women? That attitude pisses me off, and it’s part of why women fall into shitty situations, you know?”
I nod, even though she’s lost me a little. But Mara’s one of the sweetest people I know, so I’m angry on her behalf and totally want to kick her friend’s ass for making her feel bad.
“I wanted to tell her to fuck off,” she continues. “Exactly how does shaming women for what they enjoy empower them?” By the fire in her eyes, I think this time her cheeks are red with anger instead of embarrassment.
“Fuck her.”
“Right. Thank you, Hope.”
“Uh, I might have had my own experience there recently.” She raises an eyebrow, and I quickly add, “Not a kinky thing. Adam kind of accused me of being a bad feminist for being excited about being pregnant.”
“Seriously? That’s surprising coming from him.”
“Well, there’s more to it than that.” I don’t know why I’m so embarrassed. Mara’s been my friend for a long time and just shared some pretty personal stuff. “Papers were served to me at his office, and he opened them.”
“For a case you’re working on?”
“Sort of.”
“You’re killing me, Hope. Spit it out.”
“Well,” I stop and twist the napkin in my lap around as I search for the right words to explain something so messed up. “This woman Rock used to… see is kind of suing him and a couple other members of the club to establish paternity of her son.”
“Holy shit. Seriously? Are you okay? Is Rock okay? He must be so upset.”
My eyes water. “Thank you. That’s more of the reaction I expected from someone I consider a friend.”
“Oh, honey.” She covers my hand with hers. “I’m sure Adam was just worried about you.”
“He was. I know that. The papers make it sound… well, I guess like Rock cheated on me.”
“Ugh. That’s awful.”
“Yeah, and she named me as the attorney, even though I haven’t represented Rock on anything in a while now.” As I tell her everything, I feel so much better. I’d been trying not to focus on that part of it because I didn’t want Rock to insist I hand the case over to Glassman. But I’m still livid Inga deliberately involved me in her lawsuit.
“Can I ask you something? Don’t be mad.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you think there’s a chance it is Rock’s kid?”
Even if she thinks I’m an idiot for blindly trusting my husband, I can’t lie. “I really don’t.”
But there’s no judgment in her response. She nods once as if the matter is closed. “Then everyone else can fuck off.”
“Thank you.”