guys. Guys like
him.” Sal nodded toward the approaching
Ted Coggan.
Gemma
couldn’t help but smile. “I may have a
thing for muscular black guys,” she admitted, “but nothing like the thing I
have for you.”
Sal
laughed. He had a smart wife. Smart enough to throw back at him the very
same explanation he had thrown at her. “So what are you trying to tell me? Two can play that game?”
Gemma
liked that reasoning. “Two can play that
game,” she said.
And
then Ted was upon them.
“Hello,
folks,” he said as he arrived. “Sorry
I’m late.” He extended his hand to
Sal. “You must be Gemma’s better half?”
Sal
stood to shake his hand. “She’s my
better half,” he said, “but I get your joke. Sal Gabrini,” he said as they shook.
“Ted
Coggan, Sal. Nice to meet you.” Both men sat down.
“Where’s
our client?” Gemma asked him.
“She
slipped away to the restroom.” Ted sat
down across from Gemma. Sal sat down
too, and took the measure of the man. Good looking. Accomplished. Muscular like Gemma liked her men. Sal kept his eyes on Ted Coggan.
“Is
she still unconvinced?” Gemma asked Ted.
“In a
word? Yes. She doesn’t believe anybody can represent her
better than I can.”
“But
did you explain to her your dilemma?”
“I
did,” Ted said.
“What
dilemma is that?” Sal asked.
“Jurors
tend to use my previous consultation work on the O.J. trial as some kind of
stain against my character,” Ted explained. “Sometimes they can overlook it, but other times they can’t. We included some questions regarding that
aspect of my resume during voir dire , which
is a fancy French word for to speak the
truth , but is the process we call jury questioning and jury selection. The answers that came back made it clear to
me that I cannot be first chair at the upcoming trial, or my client is
doomed. That’s why I asked your wife to
be lead counsel.”
“But
why her?” Sal asked. “If it’s all about
a victory for your client, there’s got to be a ton of lawyers in this town with
a better win-loss record than hers. So
why my wife? If it’s not because of her
skills, what exactly is it? Her looks,
her body, what?”
Gemma
didn’t like that Sal was going down this road, but it wouldn’t be him if he
didn’t. He was convinced that every man
this side of living wanted her and no matter how ludicrous that was to Gemma,
she could not dissuade his belief. Besides, she didn’t exactly stand mute herself when she saw the makeup
of his personal staff. Her hands weren’t
clean either.
Gemma
could also tell that Ted was more than a little perturbed by Sal’s
accusation. “I selected your wife,” Ted
said, “because I felt she was the best fit for this case.”
“Meaning?”
Sal asked him.
“She’s
smart, she’s sharp, and she’s ethical. She, in fact, is known around town for her high moral standards. That tipped the scale in her favor.”
Sal
nodded, and then smiled. “Good answer,”
he said, and Ted laughed.
After
the waitress arrived at their table and took drink orders from Ted, who also
ordered for his client, the client finally arrived. Sal was responding to a text message from his
office when Rabina Chen, a very small, but very
attractive Asian woman, arrived at their table. Gemma knew she was small, but she didn’t know how attractive she
was. “There she is,” Ted said, rising to
his feet to greet her, and Sal looked up from his phone.
When
Sal looked up, his heart fell through his shoe. He frowned. It couldn’t be , he said to himself. He kept his eyes on Rabina as Ted introduced
her to Gemma and then turned to introduce her to Sal. But Sal didn’t even hear the
introduction. He was too busy staring at
the Asian beauty. Gemma looked at him
when he didn’t respond, and was stunned by what she saw. Sal looked as if
him.” Sal nodded toward the approaching
Ted Coggan.
Gemma
couldn’t help but smile. “I may have a
thing for muscular black guys,” she admitted, “but nothing like the thing I
have for you.”
Sal
laughed. He had a smart wife. Smart enough to throw back at him the very
same explanation he had thrown at her. “So what are you trying to tell me? Two can play that game?”
Gemma
liked that reasoning. “Two can play that
game,” she said.
And
then Ted was upon them.
“Hello,
folks,” he said as he arrived. “Sorry
I’m late.” He extended his hand to
Sal. “You must be Gemma’s better half?”
Sal
stood to shake his hand. “She’s my
better half,” he said, “but I get your joke. Sal Gabrini,” he said as they shook.
“Ted
Coggan, Sal. Nice to meet you.” Both men sat down.
“Where’s
our client?” Gemma asked him.
“She
slipped away to the restroom.” Ted sat
down across from Gemma. Sal sat down
too, and took the measure of the man. Good looking. Accomplished. Muscular like Gemma liked her men. Sal kept his eyes on Ted Coggan.
“Is
she still unconvinced?” Gemma asked Ted.
“In a
word? Yes. She doesn’t believe anybody can represent her
better than I can.”
“But
did you explain to her your dilemma?”
“I
did,” Ted said.
“What
dilemma is that?” Sal asked.
“Jurors
tend to use my previous consultation work on the O.J. trial as some kind of
stain against my character,” Ted explained. “Sometimes they can overlook it, but other times they can’t. We included some questions regarding that
aspect of my resume during voir dire , which
is a fancy French word for to speak the
truth , but is the process we call jury questioning and jury selection. The answers that came back made it clear to
me that I cannot be first chair at the upcoming trial, or my client is
doomed. That’s why I asked your wife to
be lead counsel.”
“But
why her?” Sal asked. “If it’s all about
a victory for your client, there’s got to be a ton of lawyers in this town with
a better win-loss record than hers. So
why my wife? If it’s not because of her
skills, what exactly is it? Her looks,
her body, what?”
Gemma
didn’t like that Sal was going down this road, but it wouldn’t be him if he
didn’t. He was convinced that every man
this side of living wanted her and no matter how ludicrous that was to Gemma,
she could not dissuade his belief. Besides, she didn’t exactly stand mute herself when she saw the makeup
of his personal staff. Her hands weren’t
clean either.
Gemma
could also tell that Ted was more than a little perturbed by Sal’s
accusation. “I selected your wife,” Ted
said, “because I felt she was the best fit for this case.”
“Meaning?”
Sal asked him.
“She’s
smart, she’s sharp, and she’s ethical. She, in fact, is known around town for her high moral standards. That tipped the scale in her favor.”
Sal
nodded, and then smiled. “Good answer,”
he said, and Ted laughed.
After
the waitress arrived at their table and took drink orders from Ted, who also
ordered for his client, the client finally arrived. Sal was responding to a text message from his
office when Rabina Chen, a very small, but very
attractive Asian woman, arrived at their table. Gemma knew she was small, but she didn’t know how attractive she
was. “There she is,” Ted said, rising to
his feet to greet her, and Sal looked up from his phone.
When
Sal looked up, his heart fell through his shoe. He frowned. It couldn’t be , he said to himself. He kept his eyes on Rabina as Ted introduced
her to Gemma and then turned to introduce her to Sal. But Sal didn’t even hear the
introduction. He was too busy staring at
the Asian beauty. Gemma looked at him
when he didn’t respond, and was stunned by what she saw. Sal looked as if
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