Dedication

For Lyn Lucas, Judy Peddle, Lyn, Jan, Tena, & Laurie

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 1

ALKING

into his large corner office, Sam took a seat at his

oversized desk. He had several active cases he was working
on, but instead of diving into them as he typically did each
morning, his curiosity won out. Sam pulled his laptop out of
its carrying case and set it front and center on the smooth
glass surface.

After logging on, he immediately searched out his

newest bookmarked site, The Male Room. He snorted, still
not believing he‟d actually done it—Sam Solomon had filled
in a profile at an online dating service. Five years ago, the
only way he would have ever done anything like this would
have been in response to a dare when he was too drunk to
think clearly. Now that he was living alone and wishing for
more than just a good fuck at the end of the day, Sam had
decided instead to try the newest trend in dating.

He remembered the day his friends, Craig and Jeff, had

sat in his office signing the documents necessary to start
their online business. His two friends had really done their
research, and the commitment they‟d made to take the risk
with a new business was certainly paying off. It had been
less than two months since The Male Room had opened its
virtual doors, and they already had one of the three most
lucrative gay online dating sites on the east coast of the
United States.

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Having received a free profile for all the legal work he‟d

helped them with during their start-up period, Sam had
given it a try. He wasn‟t sure what he was hoping for, but
knew that going to the Music Box three to five nights a week
to get his dick sucked or find a good ass to fuck was
becoming less and less appealing. He envied his friends,
remembering how, as they‟d started their new business, they
had also discovered the love that had been looming just
beneath the surface for years.

Now Sam wanted a shot at something longer-lasting,

but he was picky. He‟d already accepted several dates from
his online prospective pairings, but none actually had gone
beyond a couple of brief encounters. One or two first dates
had become second dates, but after a hot fuck and a good
dinner, he didn‟t have much desire to develop any of the
matches into relationships.

When he looked at the home page for The Male Room,

he noticed there were ten couples, captured in smiling
pictures, listed as success stories. That was what Sam
wanted. He wanted to be a success story, and not just in his
professional or sexual world, but in his personal life. Hell, he
wanted to have a personal life.

Exploring his profile‟s “Connection” location, he noticed

three new hits. All the men were good looking, but he‟d
learned through many years of gathering evidence for court
cases, digitally enhanced pictures could go a long way to
improving appearance. Now his search for the ideal date
supported the same theory. Many of the pictures posted on
the profiles were far less than honest representations.

Ignoring the photos, giving them no more than a passing

glance, Sam looked at each new prospective match‟s profile.

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Two intrigued him immediately; the third seemed too

much like him to be worth a second look. Sam didn‟t think
he could handle a coffee, let alone a dinner, with someone
who was as much a control freak as himself. The thought
crossed his mind that maybe he‟d be better to stick to the
old adage about opposites attracting each other.

Before he could think about it any further, the intercom

on his phone buzzed. “Mr. Solomon, Jeff is on line two for
you. Would you like to take his call or should I send it to
your voice mail?”

“I‟ll take the call, Donna. Please put it through.”
“Hello, Jeff. How are you and Craig enjoying your

success?”

“At the bank or in the bedroom?”
“Touché! You two really have got it all.”
“It only took him ten years to figure out something I

already knew when we were in high school.”

Sam chuckled. Although Jeff had started out as a trick

who could have won a contest for best cock-sucker in Boston
as far as Sam was concerned, he had since become a good
friend and confidant, something Sam didn‟t have many of.
Lots of hot men wanted to be his trick, but very few took it
further than that.

“Are you still there?”
“Oh, sorry. My mind wandered.”
“Well, honey, has it wandered over to your profile this

glorious morning? There are some new prospects I think you
should most definitely explore.”

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“Are you a mind reader? I was just looking at them. I

have to admit, I‟m beginning to lose hope. I may be your first
truly unsuccessful client.”

“Nonsense! You just don‟t know how to pick ‟em.” Jeff

paused and Sam could hear some beeping and chiming
noises in the background. “There. I just opened your profile.”

“Isn‟t it cheating to have one of the owners of The Male

Room act as my personal consultant?”

Jeff snickered. “It‟s not normally offered as part of the

service, but I‟m more than willing to make an exception for
you, especially since you clearly can‟t tell a good match from
a mediocre one.”

“So none of the matches are just bad, are they?” Sam

smirked, looking forward to hearing Jeff‟s comeback.

“There is a good match for everyone; sometimes at The

Male Room you just have to sift through the less-than-
perfect to find the diamonds in the rough.”

“I think you‟re twisting your metaphors.”
“Maybe so, but I see the perfect match for you.”
“Which one? There‟re three new additions who‟ve shown

interest on my profile page.”

“I tell you what, Sam. Let me act for you and set up a

meeting tonight at the Thai place near the Boston Aquarium.
Do you know the restaurant I‟m talking about?”

“Yes. I‟ve eaten there a number of times. They‟ll

probably recognize me when I arrive.”

“You‟ve eaten there or done take-out?”
“I‟m not answering your question on the grounds it

might incriminate me.”

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“You lawyers are all the same.” Sam heard Jeff clicking

away at his computer. “Okay, you‟re all set for tonight. I‟ll
contact the restaurant; you just be there at eight.”

“So, who am I meeting?”
“You‟ll know him when you see him. It‟s the man who

was meant for you.”

“I‟ll go along with this one time, but if you‟re wrong, I

think it may be time for me to take a break. Maybe I‟m just
not cut out to find someone. Not all of us can be as lucky as
you and Craig… and all the men on the home page.”

“There‟s a soul mate for you. I‟m sure of it. And I think

I‟ve found him.”

“We‟ll see.”
“How about a friendly wager?”
“What?”
“A bet. Let‟s bet on it.”
“You want to bet on whether you‟ve found the right man

for me?”

“Exactly. I have that much faith in myself.”
“I could just throw the date to win the bet.”
“You won‟t want to if you give it half a chance. I trust

my instincts, and I think it‟s finally your time.”

Hating to admit it, Sam hoped Jeff was right. He was

nearly thirty-five and alone. Friends were great, fucks were
temporarily satisfying, but Sam wanted to come home each
night and know someone cared whether he‟d be there or not.
“Okay. It‟s a bet. What do you want if you win?”

“That‟s easy. I want to put you and your partner‟s

picture on the home page and get a few quotes for the

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caption. A respected lawyer in Boston is fabulous free
advertising.”

“Sounds fair to me. And what if I win?”
“Don‟t you get it, sweetie? You and I will both win if I

win the bet. Focus on that… for me, better yet, for you.”

Biting his lip, Sam was glad no one could see him. Jeff

was right. He really wanted his friend to win the bet, even if
it meant an embarrassingly sweet picture of him would be
plastered on the site‟s home page. “Thanks, Jeff. I do hope
you win.”

“Talk to you later, honey. Remember, eight o‟clock at

the—”

“Thai restaurant. I‟ll be there, just make sure my date is

too. I‟m not in the mood for take-out this time.” Hanging up
the phone, Sam refocused on his profile.

Studying the three faces, Sam searched each of the

viewing profiles of the two likely candidates. He re-examined
them as if he was preparing for a case. Each man had good
qualities, and it seemed like he could spend a comfortable
evening with either one of them.

Scrutinizing the two profiles, Sam hoped Jeff had picked

the bartender. If anything, he should have some great stories
to tell of people he‟d witnessed while working. Besides,
bartenders were supposed to be great conversationalists.

Enough! He was wasting too much time on this. It was

in Jeff‟s hands now. While Sam wasn‟t counting on much, he
was hoping his friend had better luck selecting the perfect
match than he had. Clearly Sam only knew how to find the
hottest fucks. It was too bad he wanted more.

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Blinking himself back to reality, Sam pressed the

intercom button on his phone. “Donna, bring me the files I
requested you pull yesterday. I have to be prepared for court
on Monday morning.”

“I‟ll be right there, Mr. Solomon. Do you mean the files

about the school purchasing computers for disabled kids?”

“That‟s the one. And good news for both of us, the

district is actually paying for my services. This one isn‟t even
pro bono.”

Donna laughed. “We both know you‟d help them just as

diligently even if it was.”

“Just bring me the files. I have a job to do, and so do

you, if you want to get paid next week.”

“Be right there.”
Lifting his finger from the intercom, Sam prepared

himself to re-examine every detail of information regarding
the case of a local special education school fighting against a
large computer distributor that had sent them systems that
didn‟t meet their specified needs, or the needs of their
students.

He would be the first person to admit he enjoyed having

enough money to spend as he chose, but one thing Sam
couldn‟t stand was robbing from those in need. He also
couldn‟t stand losing a case. Sam had no intention of losing
this one; the case was too important and was beginning to
receive more attention than he would have desired in the
news.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 2

glanced at his watch. He was only ten minutes late.

Perfect. He didn‟t want to look too anxious and he hoped he
could get a glimpse of the selection Jeff had made on his
behalf.

Remembering the profile pictures of the two likely

choices, he opened the door to the Thai Palace. He stepped
in, the appealing aromas of the Far Eastern seasonings and
cooking preparations putting a smile on his face. Jeff knew
Sam loved the restaurant, which made it a good choice for a
friendly introductory meeting. If nothing else, the food would
be a sure hit.

Scanning the room, Sam‟s eyes opened wide. At the rear

table was his date. He was nearly in shock. Jeff had selected
the one person Sam was least interested in pursuing. This
guy was a cocky top. Although Sam didn‟t make a habit of
prejudging people, one look at his picture had told him the
whole story. The two wouldn‟t get along, in or out of bed.
They clearly would have too much in common in the fucking
department and too little in common everywhere else. Sam
hadn‟t even bothered to look at any of the details on the
guy‟s profile page.

What was wrong with Jeff? He was supposed to have a

sixth sense about couples, and instead, he ended up
selecting the only inappropriate choice in the bunch.

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Sighing, Sam nodded at the man at the rear table and

approached. At least he‟d have a quality dinner, maybe even
eke out some pleasant conversation.

Before he made it to the rear of the restaurant, Tani, the

hostess, greeted him. “Mr. Solomon, it‟s a pleasure to see
you again. You haven‟t been here in over two weeks.”

“I know. I‟ve missed the food, the atmosphere, and your

lovely smile.” He shook her hand gently. “And remember, I‟ve
asked you to call me Sam. Mr. Solomon is only for the office
and in court.”

“Of course.” Tani gestured for Sam to follow her the

remaining distance to his table. “Your dinner companion is
already here. I‟ve served him your favorite green tea. I hope
you don‟t mind.”

“Not at all.” Hesitating, Sam continued. “Did you

happen to speak with him?”

“Yes, for a moment. We‟re quite busy tonight. He was

charming and made me laugh with one of his jokes.”

Trying not to roll his eyes, Sam barely managed to hold

back a groan. Not only was the guy a player, but he tried to
make friends with bad jokes.

“Have a lovely meal, Mr. Sam.”
“Thank you, Tani.”
When his companion for the evening rose, for a moment,

he wished he‟d taken a closer look at the guy‟s profile. He
was at least six feet, three inches tall, if not taller, with
silken auburn hair and the build of a forward on the Boston
Celtics. If he‟d been a few inches taller, he would have
guessed he played professional basketball.

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“Hello. I‟m Chris.” When offered his hand, Sam took it.

The contact was warm and firm, but not over-the-top.

“Sam. It‟s a pleasure to meet you.”
The two sat down as their waitress filled the water

glasses and brought Sam a cup of green tea matching
Chris‟s.

“I have to admit, I‟ve never tried online dating before.

But a good friend from work suggested it. He knows I‟ve been
trying to back off from the club scene and grow up.”

“Grow up? You look pretty grown up to me.” If nothing

else, Sam would love to get this guy in bed. He had to be a
great fuck if his equipment matched his physique.

Chris had the courtesy to chuckle rather than take

offense. “I noticed on your profile that you‟re an attorney. I‟ve
actually never really interacted with any attorneys until
recently.”

Uh oh! Was this a date requesting free legal advice? Sam

stared at Chris, hoping he‟d clarify his last statement.

“You see, the business where I work is involved in a

case, and they‟ve asked me to represent us on the first day
we go to court. I‟ve gone from never having a parking ticket
to meeting with a team of law clerks who‟ve been busy
asking me all sorts of questions.”

Knowing he had two choices, Sam made a hasty

decision. “Well, let‟s not talk shop tonight. We‟re supposed to
get to know one another, and I‟d like to leave the office
behind for the evening.”

Smiling, Chris then took a sip of his tea. “I agree. I‟d

definitely prefer leaving work behind.” He took another small
gulp from the steaming cup. “This stuff is great.”

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“It‟s the Thai Palace‟s special blend. They‟ve added some

extra aromatics to enhance the typical green tea, giving it a
more relaxing effect on the system.”

“I‟m usually a coffee man myself, but I could get used to

this after a long day.”

“Whenever I come here, they always bring me a cup as

soon as I‟m seated.”

“You come here often?” Chris paused and then smiled.

“If we weren‟t already on a date, that could be the cheesiest
line I‟ve ever spoken.”

Despite himself, Sam laughed. “Yeah. That was pretty

cheesy. And, yes, I try to come here at least once a week.
Sometimes I don‟t get here, or it just ends up as a delivery if
it‟s a busy week. Lately, it‟s been take out.”

“Then I guess the food must be really good.”
“The best. I hope you like Thai.”
Nodding, Chris opened the menu. “I like it all, but I stay

away from the items that are considered the hottest.”

“Hot isn‟t always bad.” Sam grinned.
“Now who‟s being cheesy?”
If nothing else, Sam wanted to make sure his night

ended with some treat for all his effort. It would make him
less annoyed at Jeff for picking the least likely candidate for
a long-term relationship. “Let‟s just say I never eat dessert
here. There are far better enticements elsewhere.”

“Mike‟s Pastries isn‟t far from here.” Chris raised an

eyebrow.

“I think we both know I wasn‟t referring to that type of

cream-filled delicacy.” Sam also raised an eyebrow.

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“My younger sister used to call me a big lug, but I‟m not

a stupid big lug.”

“Glad to hear it, Chris.” Sam licked his lips, knowing

one thing about this night would turn out right. “Care to
order?”

“I tell you what, Sam. Since you seem to know what‟s on

the menu for the evening, why don‟t you order for both of us
and see if I like it?”

Chris certainly wasn‟t afraid to turn up the heat, and

Sam was finding him more intriguing than he expected.
Damn! Why hadn‟t he reviewed this man‟s profile? Now he
wanted to know more. Sam felt like he was flying blind, and
that was never something he liked doing. It was part of his
nature to research everything and everyone. Rather than
being prepared in advance, he‟d have to learn about this guy
the old-fashioned way: by asking outright.

After Sam ordered a series of small dishes for the two to

share, they enjoyed a few comfortable moments of silence
until the first two plates were placed before them.

Sam broke the silence as he removed his chopsticks

from their paper sleeve. “So, Chris, what do you like to do
when you‟re not at work?”

Choking on a small dumpling he‟d just popped into his

mouth, Chris stared at Sam. After taking a sip of his tea,
Chris finally swallowed. “You never read my profile, did
you?”

“What?” Sam hated having the disadvantage. Of course

he would have recorded his outside interests on his page at
The Male Room.

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“Why did you arrange this meeting if you never bothered

checking my profile?”

Looking into his cup, Sam took a deep breath, deciding

to let honesty prevail. “My good friend is one of the owners of
The Male Room. He doesn‟t think I‟m capable of selecting a
good match for myself, so he took it upon himself to arrange
an evening for me. Using my profile code, he‟s actually the
one who contacted you on my behalf.”

“Oh my God! That‟s priceless. The guy who runs the

online service really is a matchmaker. I would have never
guessed.”

“There‟re two of them. They‟re business and life

partners. Jeff is the matchmaker and a pretty good
bookkeeper, Craig is all about business and designing
programs.”

Chris held up his tea cup. “Well, here‟s to finding an

online match the old-fashioned way: with human
intervention.”

Sam smiled. He was taken aback by Chris‟s positive

attitude and spirit of good sportsmanship. “Here‟s to the best
of the modern world meeting the best of the old world.”

“Hear, hear.” Chris touched his cup to Sam‟s and the

two drank.

It was surprising how easy it was to talk to this guy.

They discussed sports; it was no surprise his tall date was a
basketball fan who had played in high school, although he
no longer played. He preferred running on his home
treadmill and lifting weights for daily exercise.

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Sam discovered Chris frequented a gay club in

Cambridge, which would explain why they hadn‟t bumped
into one another at the Music Box.

They talked about their families and shared anecdotes

about holiday gatherings. Sam even confessed that when
he‟d come out to his mother, she‟d shocked everyone by
announcing she didn‟t care who he married as long as he
was a good Jewish boy who wanted children.

Chris snorted. “Well, that lets me out. I‟m a not-so-good

former Catholic, turned Atheist.”

“I‟m almost thirty-five. Right now my mother would be

happy if I found someone who was still breathing.”

“You‟re mother sounds a lot more accepting than most.”
“She is. I just feel bad that I‟ve never found anyone to

ever bring home.”

“You never know where the world will lead you.”
It was hard to resist Chris‟s charming attitude. He was

engaging, and his jokes were actually funny. There was a
warmth about him that Sam couldn‟t deny was attractive.

Sam insisted on paying for their dinners, as,

theoretically, he was the one who had initiated the date.
When they were standing in front of the restaurant, Sam
knew it was time to make a move if he wanted the evening to
continue beyond their final cup of tea. He ran his hand
slowly down the front of Chris‟s jacket, stopping at his
waistband and waiting for a reaction.

Placing his hand over Sam‟s, Chris laced their fingers

together and said nothing. Sam was surprised by how
comforting the touch was; he wanted more. “I‟d like to bring
you to my home tonight, if you‟re still up for it.” Sam bit his

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lip, feeling the need to clarify, something he never did with
anyone else. “But I can‟t make any promises beyond
tonight.”

“I understand. If nothing else, the night can end on an

up note.” Chris grinned.

“I like the way you think, Chris… by the way, what is

your last name?”

“Chris Kelly.”
Why did that name sound familiar? It was probably just

that Kelly was such a common name amongst the Irish
Catholic community in Boston.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 3

closed the door as soon as they entered his apartment,

flipped the deadbolt, and pressed Chris against the door,
crashing their lips together. Chris tasted like the perfect
blend of green tea, Thai spices, and something more. It didn‟t
matter what it was. Sam wanted it; he was hungry for him.

Pressing back, Chris explored Sam‟s mouth, wrapping

his arms around Sam as he pushed his tongue inside. Sam
felt a sound escape from his throat, his reaction more
intense than he‟d expected.

It didn‟t matter that Chris was broader and taller; Sam

took back control, tugging his date‟s shirt out from where it
had been neatly tucked into his pants. He immediately
started to deftly unbutton the garment, exposing the
beautiful, fair skinned six-pack underneath.

Taking a step back, Sam gazed at Chris‟s heaving chest,

leaning in to lick and suck each nipple, moving from one to
the other, over and over, sometimes moving away from one
nipple, only to return to it immediately, keeping his date
guessing as to which nub he would attack next. Chris
moaned, threading his fingers through Sam‟s hair as the
onslaught continued.

“Look at them—erect, hot, wet, waiting for me.” Sam

continued to suck harder on each nub, then nipped at them
both.

“Ahhh!”

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“You like that, don‟t you? You‟re waiting for more?” Sam

loved Chris‟s responsive movements and wanted to
experience more.

“Want to touch you,” Chris breathed out.
Anxious to oblige, Sam quickly unfastened the buttons

of his own shirt, pulling it off and flinging it off to the side.
Chris‟s big, smooth hands instantly gripped Sam‟s back and
then moved to his chest, massaging in circles over every
muscle, purposely avoiding his own erect nubs.

“You‟re beautiful.” Eyes darkened, Chris stared at Sam

as he continued rubbing his hands over his entire upper
body. It wasn‟t long before he began to search lower. Chris
unbuckled Sam‟s belt and then his own.

“You want more and I want to give it to you.” This was

the moment Sam would find out if he had been right. Would
they clash for control and implode before they got any
further? Although he knew it bordered on cliché, Sam still
wasn‟t convinced two tops could handle the compromises
that would need to be made.

“Bedroom.” Sam froze, a grin on his face when he heard

Chris. “Can we move to your bedroom?” Chris didn‟t wait for
an answer, kissing Sam once again, wrapping his arms
around him. The touch of the now warm hands sent a shiver
up Sam‟s spine.

Taking Chris by the arm, Sam hastily moved them to his

bedroom. He tossed the comforter to the side, revealing the
dark, burgundy-colored sheets below.

As Chris began to remove his belt, Sam stilled his

hands. “Let me.” He whipped the belt out of the loops and
unfastened the pants. No need for those any more. Before

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lowering them to the floor, Sam pressed his hand against
Chris‟s hard member still trapped beneath the fabric.

“Oh God.” Chris‟s head fell back, his eyes slowly closing.
Inching the pants and briefs down together, Sam got his

first look at the prize underneath. “You‟re so damn big.”
Chris‟s cock was incredible; long, thick, and hard, waiting
for Sam, responding to Sam‟s every touch and word.

While Chris toed off his shoes and socks, then stepped

out of his pants, Sam quickly stripped off the rest of his own
clothing. “You‟re not so bad yourself.” Chris grinned.

Sam knew men loved to suck his cock and practically

lined up to get fucked by him, but for some reason he
wanted Chris more than any other he‟d ever made a play for
before.

Jeff had sucked him off in the backroom of the Music

Box once. He‟d been great, but it was a onetime event. Jeff
belonged to Craig, with Craig, and he was off the market
now.

“I want to take you.” Sam pressed his lips to Chris‟s,

slowly guiding him to the edge of the bed, hoping with each
step forward he wouldn‟t meet a wall.

“I know.” Chris pulled back briefly and then pressed

their lips together again. The hunger and urgency between
them grew until Sam wanted more and more of everything
about Chris. He needed to have him sprawled on his bed so
he could kiss every inch of that amazing body and then fuck
him until he begged for release.

Chris lay on his back rolling his lips inward, clearly out

of his comfort zone. Sam hovered over him. It was just how

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Sam wanted it. He was in charge. This was his show and he
would make it a performance neither of them would forget.

Starting at Chris‟s lobe, Sam nipped, licked, and kissed

his way down the long neck, sucking just enough not to
leave a mark. He then moved on to touch, and lavish
attention on, the hot, muscular chest, and finally the tight
abdomen. The man beneath him began to writhe, gripping
the sheets in his clenched fists.

“You are so damn hot.” Kissing, licking, teasing the

huge reddened cock, Sam listened to the moans urging him
on. Each sound from Chris went right to Sam‟s dick. He was
harder than he‟d been in ages without touching himself.
When Chris began to buck under Sam‟s ministrations, he
stopped, grabbing the lube and a condom from the night
table drawer.

“Sam.”
Blinking, as he squirted a large dollop of the gel onto his

fingers, Sam looked up. Chris‟s eyes were wide. He had that
deer in the headlights look. “Are you okay?”

Closing his eyes, Chris turned his head to one side,

obviously having second thoughts. Sam worried this would
be over before it started.

“Chris?”
“I just, I don‟t usually—” Biting his lip, Chris couldn‟t

seem to finish the sentence.

“I figured. I‟ll take it easy.” Sam pressed his lips gently

to the matted hair streaked across his forehead. “I‟ll take
care of you.” Sam wasn‟t sure why he offered so much, but it
felt right.

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Warming the lube in his fingers, Sam positioned himself

between Chris‟s legs, encouraging him to spread them even
more. When he responded, Sam‟s breath hitched at the sight
of this amazing, hulking man lying wanton and needy,
waiting for him. “I‟ll give you a night you‟ll always
remember.” He pressed one finger slowly into the waiting
hole.

Chris arched his back slightly in response, breathing

heavier as Sam pushed another finger in to join the first.

Opening up the tight channel wasn‟t easy. Chris had

obviously not been doing much bottoming, if any at all.

“More. Another. Please.”
Smiling as he witnessed the building desire, Sam gladly

added a third finger, spreading Chris from the inside,
opening him up so he‟d be ready for the hot, long cock he
was about to take. Moving his fingers within, he found the
spot he was looking for and nudged it.

“Oh shit!”
“You like that? You want more?”
Chris nodded, licking his lips. Sam captured the

seductive tongue between his lips and sucked on it as he
dove in for another heated kiss. Chris‟s legs fell further to
the side as their contact became more urgent, and he began
to buck against Sam‟s fingers.

Pulling out carefully, so as not to hurt Chris with too

sudden a move, Sam looked at the man below. “Are you
okay?”

Smiling, Chris laced his fingers in Sam‟s hair and pulled

him in for another kiss.

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That was all the encouragement Sam needed. He

couldn‟t hold back any longer. Adding to the thrill for Sam
was the experience of watching the tight muscles of Chris‟s
sculpted body heaving as he panted, waiting for Sam to
penetrate him. After putting the condom on with one smooth
stroke and coating it with the lube remaining on his fingers,
Sam slowly pushed his cock inside. “You‟re so damn tight.”

A nod was the only response as Chris once again

clutched the sheet in his fists.

Continuing to carefully move deeper, Sam pushed into

the tight tunnel until he was completely inside. Looking
down, he stilled, allowing Chris to signal when he could
move again. When he felt the strong legs wrap around his
back, Sam knew it was time.

Starting with a slow, steady pace, he thrust in and out,

enjoying the warmth. Sam couldn‟t tear his eyes away from
the man beneath him. He was so open, so trusting. As Chris
began to join the rhythmic movements, Sam felt something
foreign in his gut. Ignoring it, he continued, changing the
angle to make sure to graze Chris‟s prostate on every stroke.

“Oh God, Sam!”
Leaning down, Sam crashed their lips together,

swallowing Chris‟s words and moans, wanting to take all of
him at once.

“Ahhh. I‟m gonna come. Please.”
When Chris made a move to touch his dick, Sam

swatted his hand away. “You‟ll come without even touching
yourself.”

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“Fuck!” Chris bucked beneath him, his reddened

member bobbing freely, as Sam‟s movements became faster
and harder.

Resting his cock against Chris‟s prostate, he delivered

short thrusts over the delicate spot.

His head thrashing from side to side, Chris grabbed

Sam‟s shoulders, digging his nails in as he arched his back
one last time. “Sam!” Creamy white spurts of liquid shot
between them, hitting the full length of Chris‟s chest up to
his chin.

Feeling the intense pressure around his cock, Sam

followed him, filling the condom.

After catching his breath, Sam gently pulled out,

removed the condom, tied it off, and tossed it onto the floor.

Before he could say or do anything, Chris wrapped his

arms around him, holding him close. This wasn‟t what Sam
normally did after fucking a trick—it would typically be too
intimate—but Sam didn‟t mind. Although he might regret his
actions later, Sam followed suit, embracing Chris. The two
lay, their legs tangled, sticky come drying on their chests.

Although he thought about getting up to wash off, Sam

instead reached out with one hand to pull the comforter over
them. It was Friday night and there was no need to think
about alarm clocks or deadlines for the next day.

Holding one another beneath the blanket now cocooning

them, Chris kissed Sam‟s neck. “I‟m not sure why I let you.”

“Shhh, just go to sleep.”
“No, Sam,” he whispered. “I need to tell you. You‟re the

first.”

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Sam‟s eyes shot open for a moment, and then a smile

spread across his face. He nibbled at Chris‟s lobe and then
kissed his neck, cheek, and lips tenderly. “I‟m glad it was
me. And I‟m not sure how, but somehow I knew.”

“Good.”
The two remained entwined as they fell into a sated

sleep.

didn‟t feel or hear anything until he awoke to the light

streaming into the bedroom. He rolled over, frowning when
he discovered he was alone. His reaction set off an internal
alarm, which he chose to set aside for the moment.

Then he spotted a small note on the nightstand.
Thank you for last night. You’re right, I’ll always

remember it. It’s your move now, since your friend fixed us up.
Here’s my phone number. I hope you use it. Chris

Damn! Now Sam had to really think about how he felt.

He had been in his element the night before. In the light of
day, out of bed, could he make a relationship work?

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 4

ITTING

behind the desk in his home office, steaming cup of

coffee by his side, Sam tried to focus on the client file in
front of him. This case was one of the most difficult he had
ever taken on.

In the past, when he‟d presented an underdog case to

the partners‟ meeting, it was generally shot down. The few
they had accepted were clear winners. In those instances,
while the little guy seemed persecuted or victimized, there
was enough proof to strongly encourage an out-of-court
settlement with a big take-home award.

The case of the small special education school versus

the major computer distributor was a completely different
story. Rather than avoiding negative publicity and correcting
the error by reissuing an entirely new shipment of
computers, the distributor was pleading poverty, claiming
never to have received the appropriate items from the
manufacturer and to having sent what they had out of the
goodness of their hearts.

Sam had the evidence he needed in the documents he

was studying—documents his investigative team had
somehow acquired. The specific methods used to acquire
said documents were best not examined too closely. The
paperwork and photographs proved the manufacturer had
shipped two hundred computers with the software and

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hardware necessary for use by the school‟s special needs
students.

Fortunately, the law firm was getting some support in

the media from the Anti-Defamation League and the
American Civil Liberties Union, but going against a large
distributor was still no walk in the park.

Leaning back in his chair, Sam thought about the

students and their dedicated teachers. There are a variety of
reasons to go into the field of education, just as there are a
variety of reasons to go into law. Some of the objectives in
the field of law are more selfish than others, but no one
becomes a special education teacher for the money or the
fame. He looked forward to meeting the first teacher who had
been elected by his, or her, colleagues as their representative
during the initial stage of the trial. Many wanted to take
part, but their days were filled with students who needed
them, so only one teacher would sit at the plaintiff‟s table
each day.

Needing people was something Sam hadn‟t given much

thought to until recently. Why had he filled in that ridiculous
profile? If he was honest with himself, he knew why. He
envied Craig and Jeff. Watching the two of them, even before
Craig became completely aware of the connection he had
with Jeff, it had been obvious the two men belonged
together. Sam wanted to have that kind of bond with
someone as well.

The thought of getting up in the morning and facing

good days together with a partner put a smile on his face,
but the thought of having someone watch his back on the
bad ones was something he wanted even more.

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Sex was important, but for the first time in his life, Sam

wanted more than sex. He wanted what he‟d always
dreaded—a relationship. Someone other than his mother
who would give a damn whether he was happy or sad, a
success or a failure.

Looking back at the file, Sam began to read each piece

of evidence, analyzing it for the umpteenth time, judging its
usefulness in a court of law.

Analyzing had been something Sam did well until last

night. For some unknown reason, Sam hadn‟t analyzed
anything the previous night. He‟d just gone along for the ride
during his evening with Chris, and it had led to more
rewards than he had expected.

Jeff had picked the right guy, and now it was up to Sam

to follow through.

The sex had been incredible. Better than Sam

remembered having with any trick. Hell, he barely
remembered any of his tricks. This was different. Chris had
confessed he was a top, yet he had felt enough trust in Sam
to give up control. Chris had given himself completely to
him. If he were to analyze the previous night, Sam would
have to admit that night had been the first time he‟d
experienced more than just sex. He‟d felt something, and it
was clear Chris had as well and was willing to give up
control to let it happen.

Taking a big gulp of his coffee, Sam set the cup to the

side and opened the top right-hand drawer of his desk. There
it was, facing him: the phone number.

He pulled the paper out and turned it over in his hand.

It wasn‟t a business card. Most guys carried business cards

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and added a private number if they wanted a repeat. He was
sure Chris was employed, but he still avoided checking his
profile.

Chastising himself for being a coward, Sam turned to

the laptop and set off to one side of his desk. He reduced the
screen with his notes on the case, opening a new window to
bring up The Male Room.

As had become his habit, he first checked his own

profile. If nothing else, it boosted his ego to see another two
names requesting further contact with him.

Shaking the thought of distracting himself with

someone else, Sam clicked the link for Chris‟s profile page.

There he was. His picture was accurate. Chris was hot,

muscular, and had dark red hair, really an auburn color,
and blue eyes, so dark they could be mistaken as black if
someone didn‟t look closely enough. Sam had looked closely;
he‟d noticed everything about Chris. He‟d been captured by
those eyes at dinner.

“Stop staring like a school kid. This isn‟t high school.”

Sam forced himself to look beyond the picture and actually
read the bio for the first time.

Chris had played basketball in high school but was too

short to get a scholarship to college. No surprise there. He
enjoyed going out to bars, but wanted to have a reason to go
home instead. Hmmm, sounded familiar, although, unlike
many on the site, he didn‟t focus on marriage and kids; just
meeting someone who would be more than a one night
stand.

The next line was interesting. It read, „I like to be in

charge, in control of my surroundings, but I’m willing to

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compromise if the right guy comes along.‟ Was that what last
night was all about? Was Sam the right guy for Chris, and
could it actually be vice versa?

Damn it, Sam just wanted to focus on preparing for this

case, but he couldn‟t keep his mind off Chris. He continued
to scroll down the screen.

There, at the bottom of the profile, was a statement

about employment. Sam chuckled. He‟d thought Chris might
be another lawyer trying to get into his firm.

Chris was a teacher, which just might explain his

determined, yet compassionate, nature.

Laughing, he wondered if Chris had heard about the

case Sam was taking to court. He was sure all the teachers
in the Greater Boston area must have read or seen the news
story featuring the small special education program, likened
to the biblical David taking on the big, bad distributors,
Goliath.

A grin crossed Sam‟s face. He pulled the phone number

out of the drawer, picked up his landline, and dialed.

“Hello.”
“Hi, Chris. It‟s Sam. I hope this is a welcome call.” He

thought it would be since Chris had left the number, but the
light of day could change anything and anyone.

“Very welcome. I wasn‟t sure I‟d hear from you after last

night. I mentioned to a friend that we went out last night. He
must have, let‟s say, interacted with you at a club in Boston
at one time. He told me you were only into tricking and I
shouldn‟t expect anything else.”

Biting his lip, Sam realized his reputation could actually

get in the way and wasn‟t something to necessarily take

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pride in any more—at least not if he wanted more than to go
from trick to trick. “Well, let‟s say it‟s never too late to
reinvent yourself.”

“I know what you mean.”
“Chris, last night you reinvented yourself, and this

morning I‟d like to do something out of my comfort zone.”

“Huh?”
Sam grimaced, realizing his invitation was beginning to

sound more like a proposition than it should. “No, no,
nothing like that, although you were amazing.”

“Amazing?”
“Yeah,” Sam whispered. “The best.”
Chris was silent for a moment. “Thank you.”
“Believe me, there‟s no thanks necessary.”
“I‟m glad you called.”
“Wait a minute. Don‟t hang up. I didn‟t just call to tell

you you‟re hot. Here‟s where I do something I‟ve never done
before.” Taking a deep breath, Sam continued. “I want to see
you again, and not just for sex.”

“I‟d like that too.” Chris‟s voice was quiet, and Sam

realized just how much he‟d given up to him the previous
evening.

“Do you know where The Big Egg is?”
Chris snorted.
“It‟s not a joke. It‟s the best mom and pop breakfast

place in town, hidden off the beaten path.”

“I can honestly say I‟ve never been there or even heard

of it.”

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“Good. I‟m glad I can introduce you to something new.”

Sam sighed. “Damn. I‟m doing this all wrong. Everything
sounds like a proposition rather than an invitation. I didn‟t
even ask if you were free today. Sorry.”

“It‟s okay to be awkward the first time you try something

new.” Chris paused. Sam understood the multi-layered
meaning. “I was going to do some prep work for a special
project I‟m working on, but I‟d be happy for an excuse to get
away for a while.”

“Great.” Sam was glad he was alone for the moment. He

was reacting like a giddy teen and felt foolish. “If you‟re
willing to give me your address, I‟ll pick you up in an hour.”

“Okay. It‟s a date.”
Smiling, Sam replied, “Yeah, it is.”
After he and Chris disconnected, Sam sat back gazing at

his desk. “I know this case backwards and forwards. Now, if
the teacher they‟ve assigned to represent them on day one is
composed, we‟ll nail these assholes to the wall, and not in a
way that any of them will leave with satisfied smiles on their
faces. Or in their pants.”

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 5

“I

CAN

‟

believe I‟m doing this.” Sam grinned as he shook his

head.

“What? Dating, asking someone out without the

requirement of sex as the punch line, or having breakfast
with a hot guy?” Chris offered a half smile as he took
another bite of his western omelet.

“All of the above, but I was thinking more about my job,

and the fact that I abandoned it for more hours than I
probably should have.”

“I see. So you‟re a workaholic. Do you usually work on

the weekends?”

Looking up from his plate, Sam took a sip of his coffee.

He was completely surprised that he was enjoying spending
so much time with Chris out of bed. Talking to him and
getting to know him was far easier than he‟d expected. It was
certainly much easier than with any of the other men he‟d
tried to hook up with from The Male Room since he‟d signed
onto the service and completed his profile a few months
earlier.

As if a light bulb had switched on above his head, Sam

realized this was the first person he‟d thoroughly enjoyed
spending time with, and Jeff had made the selection. Maybe
he really didn‟t see himself as clearly as he thought he did.

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It didn‟t matter now. Now he was with Chris, and it

wasn‟t bad at all. In fact, it was pretty damn good.

“Actually, when I‟m at work, I‟m completely focused. My

clients get my undivided attention, whether I‟m speaking
with them directly or working on their cases after they‟ve left
the office. I try to keep my weekends fairly free, but I‟m
preparing for court on Monday. It‟s an important case, and
as I don‟t want to screw anything up, I brought home some
follow-up work so I could stay on top of everything, be fully
prepared before I hit the courtroom on Monday morning.”

“Staying on top of everything seems to be your M.O.”

Chris smirked.

Chuckling, Sam reached over and touched Chris‟s hand.

Gazing into Sam‟s eyes, Chris blushed. “I‟ve always
wondered what it would be like for someone else to be on top
of their game with me. I admire you for taking a risk. I‟ve
never been able to trust anyone the way you trusted me.”

“Neither have I. I‟m not sure why I did last night. It just

seemed….” Chris looked down at his plate.

“It seemed safe, right. I felt it too.” This time, rather

than just touching Chris‟s hand, Sam held it. It wasn‟t
something he‟d thought of himself doing, but he needed to;
he was drawn to Chris in an odd, unfamiliar way. “I trust
you too. We barely know each other, but there‟s something
between us; I can‟t pinpoint what it is.”

“I know you‟re a lawyer, but do you have to defend

everything, including your feelings? Just accept this.”

“Blindly?”
“Why not?”

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Squeezing Chris‟s hand, Sam smiled broadly. “Why not?

I rarely play hooky. It‟s about time I let my life be a priority.”
Leaning in, Sam lowered his voice to a whisper. “But, I‟m
bound and determined to win this case. I can‟t tell you any
details because you‟ve probably already heard about it in the
news, but it could take down a big company trying to rip off
the little guy.”

“So you slay dragons when you‟re not seducing men and

making them fall for you?”

“Is that what you‟re doing—falling for me?” Sam sat up

straight and slowly released Chris‟s hand.

“Shit,” Chris whispered, barely audible. “I shouldn‟t

have said that. I‟m a huge proponent of up-front honesty and
sometimes it gets the better of me.” He glanced at Sam.
Taking his napkin off his lap, Chris began to push his chair
back, obviously preparing to leave. “I didn‟t mean to pressure
you. This is all new to me; last night was new to me. I must
have let my newly discovered emotions get away from me.
Sorry. I‟ll go.”

His mind racing, Sam didn‟t give himself time to ponder

whether this was better for both of them or not. He just
knew he couldn‟t let Chris walk away, walk out of his life.
“No. Stay.”

Chris‟s eyes widened. “Are you sure? I don‟t want to

make you uncomfortable.”

“For the first time in my adult life I can honestly say I‟m

completely comfortable. I‟ve been sort of a loner and enjoyed
it. No commitments, no repeats unless I was hungry for a
second round. The other person didn‟t matter. He was a
body, and we were there to serve each other‟s needs. This

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may be new, and it may be different, but it‟s also—” Sam
scrubbed his hand over his face. “Now I‟m going to sound
like a queen, but I don‟t give a damn.”

“Say it.” Chris pulled his chair in again and leaned in

toward Sam from across the table.

“Fine, I‟ll just let it out. This is also special. I don‟t know

how I know, since having a relationship was something that
seemed out of my reach, but I know. Just like I know when
I‟m going to win a case from the moment the trial begins and
the first witness is called. I know this is worth the effort.
You’re worth the effort.” Sam took a deep breath. “There, I
said it. I can‟t believe I admitted all that to you, but I did.”

“I understand attorneys tend to be longwinded. I tend

toward making things clear for my students. Does this mean
you‟re falling for me too?”

Sam snorted. “Yeah. I‟m falling for you. That‟s why I

gave up on the idea of working this morning and called you.
You came before my case. It‟s incredible.”

“I bet.” Chris grinned.
“If you want to run for the hills and escape a

relationship with a man who‟s probably considered
emotionally immature, I wouldn‟t blame you.”

“We have similar pasts, but I think we can leave them

behind together. I‟ll help you grow up, if you help me.” Chris
inched his hand across the table, his fingertips touching
Sam‟s. The simple touch had Sam shift in his seat. A mental
picture of Chris in his bed, giving himself completely, flashed
through his head. Sam was falling. It terrified and thrilled
him, both at the same time.

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“You must be a great teacher if you want to tackle me as

your student.”

“In my experience students and teachers balance one

another. Everything a teacher imparts comes back when he
sees his students succeed and thrive.”

“You think I‟ll be a success.”
“I think we could be.” Chris smiled. “You got an A- last

night.”

“That‟s all?” Sam raised an eyebrow and took a bite of

his waffle.

“There‟s always room for improvement. It makes trying

again and again a positive.”

“I see. So we‟ll be trying again and again, will we?”
“I hope so.” Chris licked his lips.
“Me too.” Sam took hold of Chris‟s hand again and

squeezed. This man was so beautiful and playful. He towered
over Sam. The heat just under the surface could
spontaneously combust, yet Chris seemed to also have a
tender heart. He was a complete contradiction wrapped up in
one hot package.

Chris stared into Sam‟s eyes and laced their fingers

together. “Is this okay?”

“It‟s perfect.”
After a moment the two men released each other‟s

hands and continued eating. Sam didn‟t want the meal to
end, but he knew he really did have to get back to work. This
time when he and Chris separated, he would give him his
private cell number and make sure they scheduled another
date. Maybe knowing he‟d be seeing Chris again after court

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on Monday would be just the thing to keep him focused.
That, and maybe an X-rated phone call at night, if Chris was
willing.

Taking another sip of his coffee to hide the grin forming

on his face, Sam realized he would normally be bound for
the Music Box to let off a little steam and rejuvenate his
energy. The club suddenly didn‟t seem nearly as attractive.

Sitting opposite him was the best illustration of

attractive Sam could ever imagine, inside and out.

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Chapter 6

N HIS

return to his apartment, Sam immediately went into

his kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee before getting
back to work.

Focusing on the task at hand was getting harder, and

he hoped the caffeine kick would help. He mentally scolded
himself for acting like a love-struck teen, but he couldn‟t
seem to help it.

Just thinking back to a few minutes earlier, his cock

responded. Chris had insisted Sam remain in the car when
he dropped him off.

“You told me you have an important case you‟re working

on. I‟m flattered to be considered a welcome distraction, but
we both know if you come inside you won‟t get back to work
for hours.”

“Hours?” Sam grinned. “You have high hopes for us.”
“Let‟s just say last night was far more satisfying than I

ever imagined, and I hope for much more of the same, but I‟d
also like to show you—” Chris suddenly stopped speaking
and turned away, looking toward the passenger side window.

“Chris, what is it? I thought I‟d seen everything last

night. What else could you show me?” Sam‟s stomach
started to churn, and he was pretty sure it wasn‟t his recent
breakfast. Did Chris have regrets already; regrets he was
afraid to express?

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Sighing, Chris turned back. He cupped Sam‟s chin, an

affectionate gesture, one that made the typically in-control
attorney shiver. Sex for him was usually fast, rough, hard,
but Chris added an intimacy to every touch that Sam was
beginning to desire. Leaning over the gear shift, Chris
pressed his lips to Sam‟s. He instinctively wrapped one arm
around Chris‟s back. The fingers on his other hand laced in
the thick sweep of wavy hair, keeping him close. Sam
deepened the kiss, hungry to taste, explore, and know every
part of Chris over and over.

He heard the bigger man moan into the kiss, opening

his mouth to allow entrance. The two shared their intimate
moment until Chris finally broke away, resting his head
against Sam‟s.

“Sam, please tell me we really are going to see each

other again on Monday and this isn‟t all some fantasy I‟ve
dreamed up to fill my weekend.”

“Chris, I‟m here. I called you.” Sam lowered his eyes for

a moment, but then found the courage to look directly into
his companion‟s eyes. “And despite everything I‟ve ever
assumed about myself, I don‟t think I could stop seeing you
even if I wanted to—which I don‟t, by the way. You can tell
me whatever is concerning you.”

“Last night you showed me, maybe without intending to,

how much you care. You knew we were doing something I
wasn‟t used to, but it happened, and the tenderness, the way
you—”

“Yeah, it‟s true. More of it was for you than I even

admitted to myself at first. It just seemed important.”

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“Well, I‟d like the chance to show you I can care for you

too. Make you go places you‟ve never been before; let you feel
what I felt last night.”

Closing his eyes, Sam bit his lip. Having someone inside

him scared the shit out of him. When he was younger his
first had been a hottie with a reputation as the best fuck at
the gay bar nearest his home. He‟d let the guy have him,
thinking it was part of the journey to being an aware gay
man, but discovered it was more about pain and loss. The
guy fucked him, brought him to a fast, hot climax, and never
asked his name. It was a cold introduction and left him
unwilling to let anyone else inside, emotionally or physically.
Even though the sex was completely consensual, Sam had
always felt robbed.

“Hey, are you okay?” Chris gently squeezed his

shoulder. “Where did you go?”

“You don‟t want to know.”
“Maybe I do. I do want to know more about you.”
“I went to a place where gay men learn to build walls; to

a time when I learned to protect myself first, last, and
always.”

“You‟re not the person you think you are. Maybe

sexually you built a wall, but when we talk, when you tell me
about some long-resolved case where the underdog won, it‟s
clear you‟re very open to being cared for. Will you let me in?”

Sam didn‟t know how to react. He was feeling so many

things at once. Crashing his lips onto Chris‟s, Sam felt alive
inside. Although they were in a car outside Chris‟s
apartment building, there was an intimacy between them

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Sam had never experienced with anyone else, in or out of
bed.

When they broke apart, Sam smiled at Chris. His hair

was tangled and messy and his lips swollen, but he was the
most beautiful, perfect sight he could imagine. “Yes.”

Caressing Sam‟s cheek, Chris looked into his eyes. “Yes,

you‟ll let me show you how much I care?”

Nodding against Chris‟s hand, Sam experienced a warm

feeling inside, and something else, something more, but it
was too soon to name it. That would be getting ahead of
himself.

“Okay. I‟ll see you Monday evening. It‟s obvious you like

to take charge. Do you want to pick the restaurant?”

“You can. It‟s time I learned to be taken care of.”
“In that case, how about letting me cook dinner for you

at my place? It‟s a small kitchen, but I can work miracles
with a sauté pan and a stove top grill.”

“I‟ll bring the wine.” Sam leaned in to give Chris one last

tender kiss. He needed those lips against his one more time;
they were irresistible.

“I‟d better get out or we‟ll never leave this car. As it is, I

see a cold shower in my immediate future.”

Chuckling, Sam sat back in the driver‟s seat, putting his

hands on the wheel. He watched Chris enter his apartment
building and then drove away, his cock demanding attention
it wasn‟t going to get just yet.

Hearing the drip of his Keurig dispensing a freshly

brewed cup of coffee brought Sam back to the present.
During the ride home he‟d been a mixed bag of emotions,

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and now he was thinking about what was in store for
Monday night.

He was surprised to find just the thought of Chris on

top of him, holding him, entering him, was making him hard.
His jeans tightening, Sam reached down, imagining Chris‟s
strong hand hovering over the bulging fabric.

Shit! How the hell was he going to concentrate on his

work? This was ridiculous.

Before he was able to think any further, his home phone

rang. He picked it up without checking the caller ID and
walked over to the brewer to get his drink.

“Hello.”
“Hi, Mr. Solomon. You asked me to call you if I had

some free time to work today.”

“Oh, right, Donna.”
“I know you were anxious about making sure everything

was in order for Monday morning. I can‟t work tomorrow, but
I can give you a few hours this afternoon.”

“Perfect. Do you mind working at my apartment instead

of the office? I brought all the files home and I have my
desktop and my laptop for us to work with.”

“I‟ll be there in about twenty minutes if the T

cooperates. If not, it‟ll be closer to thirty or forty.”

“See you then.” Sam hung up the phone. Donna would

be the perfect distraction. He would get his work done
efficiently and there would be no thoughts of Chris, his body,
his hair, his eyes, his cock, sex.

Damn! She couldn‟t get to his place fast enough.

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Trying to sit comfortably at the small kitchen island,

Sam took a sip of his coffee. It was a good thing Donna was a
meticulous worker, happily married, and a woman. That
would ensure the afternoon would be much more productive.

Thinking about his assistant‟s imminent arrival, Sam‟s

body relaxed. He took his coffee into the home office and
began to review the case from where he‟d left off the day
before. Nothing had been accomplished since he‟d met Chris.
He hoped they‟d either get bored or comfortable with each
other soon, because this beginning stuff had him far more
unsettled than he ever cared to be.

ONNA

arrived less than thirty minutes after she‟d called,

carrying a bag of donuts from a Dunkin‟ Donuts she passed
on her walk from the T station.

“Here, boss. I thought you might need a sugar rush to

get the ball rolling.” She was all smiles and looked pretty
good for a Saturday afternoon: make-up free, in black jeans,
a sweater and sneakers, with her hair pulled back in a
messy bun. Her normal work clothing was a pristine pants
suit and high heels, with her make-up and hair just right to
match.

Sam was pleased to note he was now more than ready

to get to work. Donna was just the antidote he needed to
acting like a teen with a crush.

“I have chocolate glazed and honey dipped.” She set the

bag on his desk along with a tall stack of napkins she must
have grabbed from one of their dispensers. “I have two of

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each, so pick your poison while I go make myself a cup of
coffee.”

He liked knowing she felt comfortable and safe working

with him from home. Even though she would find a bonus in
her paycheck at the end of the week, Sam knew he couldn‟t
buy this kind of loyalty from just any employee.

“Make yourself at home.” He raised his voice so Donna

could hear him from the kitchen. “I‟m taking a chocolate
even though I‟ll have to exercise it off later.”

Laughing, Donna called from the kitchen. “We both

know you‟ll be working it off tonight at the Music Box. Or is
there a new place you‟ve been hitting?”

Sam thought about the idea of going to his favorite club.

He could let off steam and lose himself in someone, but the
notion suddenly seemed wrong. It didn‟t matter that he had
made no promises to Chris, nor had Chris made any to him.
The Music Box and all it had to offer didn‟t pique his interest
one bit. “No. No new place; I think I‟d like to stay in tonight.
I‟ll just have to work these donuts off the old fashioned way,
on the treadmill.”

Returning with her coffee in hand, Donna sat at the

laptop, while Sam looked at the desktop. “Suit yourself, Mr.
Solomon. It sounds like you‟re taking the tougher route.”

“I just may be doing that. I hope it‟ll work out for me.”

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Chapter 7

forced himself to focus on the case for the rest of the

weekend. That had to take precedence over his new
acquaintance. He snorted. Chris was clearly not just an
acquaintance. He wasn‟t quite a boyfriend; it was a subject
that hadn‟t been addressed as yet. Sam wondered if it was
because neither of them was willing to say anything for fear
that the other might not feel the same way.

What were they? The one thing Sam was certain of was

that they were not just tricks or mere fuck buddies to one
another. They were definitely something more. Another notch
on his belt was the last thing Sam needed or wanted, and he
was fairly sure Chris was looking for more as well. Dwelling
on semantics didn‟t matter; he and Chris would soon have a
chance to talk about what was going on between them.

By the time Monday morning arrived, Sam was fully

prepared for the beginning of his court battle and more than
ready for his date with Chris later that night. He wasn‟t
completely sure he was ready for what Chris had been
offering on Saturday. He also knew that, at the moment, he
couldn‟t make decisions about his sex life, or the idea he
might actually let someone else inside him. That would
clearly be a serious step for him, and one he both dreaded
and, if he was completely honest with himself, hoped for at
the same time. The court case was too important; he needed
to focus only on that.

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Sex could be taken as all fun and games to punctuate

the end of the evening, but it hadn‟t felt anything like that
with Chris. Should Sam agree to let Chris take charge? Then
it would be more than clear that this was a relationship—a
very special relationship.

Standing in the shower, Sam let the water rain over

him, the warmth hitting and splashing randomly. He pressed
his hand to his cock and thought about Chris holding him;
the feeling of being encouraged to recline on his back, lying
on a bed, Chris‟s bed, and even more surprisingly, someday,
his own.

Closing his eyes, Sam could see the big man hovering

over him, peppering his body with licks and kisses. Sucking
and nipping at his nipples alternately until his entire body
arched, craving more contact.

Wrapping his hand firmly around his cock, he could feel

Chris‟s thick, swollen lips taking him in. Chris‟s head
bobbing up and down, his auburn hair, slicked with sweat,
sticking to his forehead, as Sam‟s cock would be drawn in,
hitting the back of his hot throat. Tending to Sam, moving
faster and faster, until Chris would suddenly move away.
Sam would try to not utter a sound, but the cold air would
make him shudder and quietly moan his disappointment.

It wouldn‟t last long; he‟d suddenly feel a moistened

finger circle his entrance. The teasing and gentle poking
would be brief, as both men needed more. As soon as the
first finger breached Sam‟s entrance he heard himself moan,
even before he had Chris completely inside. He opened his
eyes as he released in the shower, watching his spend run
down his hand and wash away.

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Leaning against the tiled wall of the oversized shower to

catch his breath, Sam blinked. He smiled at the thought that
merely imagining Chris had brought him to a climax, yet it
wasn‟t enough. He did want Chris, and was disappointed
that the fantasy ended before he could feel him inside.

Sam faced the truth. So much for not making a decision

yet; the truth was staring Sam in the face. He was really
going to let Chris in. If he had anything to say about it, there
would be something serious and important between them.
The idea frightened Sam and yet energized him. Chris was
different. He wasn‟t the typical guy Sam would pick out for a
night. Maybe that was how Jeff knew he would be the right
man for Sam.

Shaking his head and blinking himself back to the

present, Sam finished washing himself off and stepped out of
the shower.

He had a case to win, and a school full of children to

protect from a different kind of bully. Sam had seen holier-
than-thou cowards take stands at three or four to one when
he was a kid. Fortunately he had been one of the big guys
and no one messed with him, but he‟d spent a good portion
of his junior and senior years in high school staring down
those who taunted other kids brave enough to come out or
demonstrate intelligence rather than brawn.

Chuckling, Sam realized even back as a teen he was

preparing to become a champion of underdogs. He‟d started
his career before he ever knew it.

Dressing in his finest suit, with a shirt and tie that

matched impeccably, Sam admired himself in his bedroom
mirror. Some might find it too gay to concentrate so much on

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his appearance, but other lawyers who hadn‟t made the
unspoken statement of respect to their assigned judges had
lost their edge by looking less than pristine. Everyone in his
legal circle knew that when Sam Solomon walked into a
courtroom, he meant business, and his appearance set the
tone.

The final strategy with the school was to have a different

teacher represent the school and his or her students each
day, concentrating on the need for students, particularly
these students, to have consistency by not taking their
teachers away for more than a day at a time. In addition,
Sam had to illustrate the need and importance for
consistently adequate equipment that could be counted on to
support the learning process.

The vice principal, a well-respected woman in the field of

education, would remain as an ongoing presence at the
plaintiff‟s table, but Sam would be meeting a different
teacher each day. He was fine with that strategy, as it
melded perfectly with his approach to the case.

He examined his notes for the first day in court and

looked forward to greeting Vice Principal Reason. Sam
thought the name added a great touch to the lawsuit as he
closed his briefcase and set off to welcome Margaret Reason
and her teacher du jour as they began the process of winning
the battle against the bullies.

of Sam‟s ongoing strategies with any case was his tactic

of arriving before his opponents. It tended to give him the
edge and a sense of ownership of the courtroom. Entering

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thirty minutes earlier than the designated trial start time,
Sam spotted Dr. Reason seated in the front of the room, as
he had instructed her to do in their preliminary meeting. A
man sat by her side. He froze when the man turned around.
There was Chris; his Chris.

Why hadn‟t he said anything? Probably because Sam

had never given any details of the case he was working on,
and the teachers had been sworn to remain silent and speak
to no one about the procedure outside of their closed staff
meetings.

Sam wasn‟t sure if he should say anything, disqualify

Chris from the proceedings, or simply move forward with the
hope their not-well-defined connection would never come up
in conversation. One thing was certain: with the school day
already underway, he couldn‟t substitute another teacher for
Chris at this late hour.

His strategy would be clear-cut. He‟d make his opening

statement and ask the questions each teacher had been told
by their principal to expect. Sam hadn‟t insisted on
rehearsing the educators, as he wanted their passion for
teaching and their students to come to the forefront
naturally. Past experience had revealed that rehearsed
testimony inhibited raw emotion and dedication. This was
the first time his witness strategy might come back to bite
him.

Approaching the plaintiff‟s table, Sam offered his hand

to the vice principal. “Dr. Reason, it‟s a pleasure to see you
again. I see you‟ve brought along one of your teachers, as we
discussed.” Sam took a moment while shaking the
administrator‟s hand to glance at Chris, who bit his lip, eyes

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wide, expressing his own surprise at the shocking turn of
events.

“Mr. Solomon, it‟s good to see you again as well. I

thought I‟d start us out with the big guns, so to speak.” Sam
blinked, imagining the big guns hidden under Chris‟s
perfectly fitted suit, and coughed. He did notice the well-
tailored garment accented Chris‟s broad shoulders and
narrow waist in the most striking manner. “Mr. Christopher
Kelly, I‟d like you to meet our attorney from the law firm
representing the school: Mr. Samuel Solomon.”

Chris took Sam‟s hand and squeezed it harder than was

necessary. “Mr. Solomon, I can‟t begin to tell you how good it
is to see you. I‟ve tried to imagine who our lawyer would be
all weekend. I only learned on Friday I was to be the first
teacher to sit at Dr. Reason‟s side.”

“I see.” Sam slowly slid his hand from Chris‟s, rubbing a

finger discreetly across his palm as they separated. Chris
licked his lips as the message was received. “I‟m surprised I
hadn‟t been sent an email as to the name of your selected
teaching team for the week.”

“I sent the email to the senior partner of your firm, Mr.

Solomon.” Margaret Reason had clearly not picked up on the
subtle familiarity between the two men. “That‟s what I was
instructed to do. Have I done something to sabotage our
opening day?”

“No, not at all. I‟m sure Mr. Winters didn‟t realize he

needed to forward it to me over the weekend.” Sam had been
working to get his name on the masthead ever since he had
been named one of the firm‟s senior partners two years
earlier.

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Unfortunately Mr. Winters, who was working towards

retirement, was spending more and more time on the golf
course, particularly on weekends. It was widely known by
the other partners that he hadn‟t been attending to certain
professional necessities during his days off. This was the
perfect case in point.

Chris coughed gently to get Sam‟s attention. “I had

intended to look up your firm over the weekend, but my
thoughts were preoccupied with something entirely
different.”

Smiling, Sam opened his briefcase and started to pull

out the well-organized files he and Donna had worked on
Saturday afternoon. “I can most definitely understand how
something like that can happen, Mr. Kelly. I‟m sure you‟ll be
a fine example of the teaching staff at your school and will
represent them impeccably.”

“I hope so… sir.” Chris grinned.
Although it was still early, Sam needed to focus his

attention on the important legal matter he was about to
address. Chris‟s words went right to his cock. Damn, why
does he have to be so hot! And why am I acting like a kid? Get
a grip, Solomon. Sam hoped his attraction wouldn‟t betray
him once the proceedings began. The one thing he was
grateful for was knowing how passionate Chris was about
his students and his job. Having gotten to know him over the
weekend might actually turn into an unexpected advantage.
Questioning Chris on the stand might be an opening success
no one could replace.

“Are you both prepared for this?”

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The vice principal spoke for Chris and herself. “We‟re as

ready as we‟ll ever be.”

“Did your school principal inform you of the settlement

number we were willing to agree to?”

“Yes. He also told me our goal was to settle rather than

drag this case out longer than is necessary. The students
come first and we want our equipment without delay.”

“Good. I‟m glad we‟re on the same page.”
Chris spoke once again. “Mr. Solomon, if we settle, will

it include a gag order?”

“I see you‟ve been doing some research on settlements,

Mr. Kelly.”

“Not as much as I probably should have, but I did note

that many settlements are restricted from public knowledge.
Unlike your firm‟s name, which is clearly incomplete. I didn‟t
notice your name on the masthead of your firm‟s website.”

“To answer both of your questions, some settlements

may include a clause many refer to as a „gag order‟. If the
settlement is in the best interest of my client, I agree to
those. And as far as the second question goes, we‟re still in
the process of getting all the senior partners listed accurately
on our website.”

“I understand. Thank you.” Chris nodded his complete

awareness of where the case would lead and why he‟d had
no idea he would be seated at Sam‟s side, rather than one of
the people whose names he‟d spotted online.

As the defendant and his lawyer entered the room, Sam

put a finger over his lips, indicating all discussions
pertaining to the case were no longer appropriate.

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The opposing attorney approached Sam. “Good morning.

Have your clients decided to accept my client‟s generous
offer?”

Remaining completely serious and professional, Sam

stood tall. “It‟s always a pleasure. My client, as you‟re well
aware, is more than happy to settle when a generous offer is
actually placed on the table.”

“I think we‟ve actually done so.”
Sam turned his back on his opponent and continued to

speak. “Let‟s see how fair an offer you think it is by the end
of the day.”

The opposing attorney didn‟t offer a response and

returned to his client, already seated at the defendant‟s
table.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Sam hoped Chris would

be as passionate when speaking about his profession in the
courtroom as he was when sharing his other talents in the
bedroom. This could all be cleared up in a single day and
save everyone a lot of time and money if Chris was
everything Sam hoped he was. He just hoped he wasn‟t
wistfully judging Chris‟s potential inaccurately.

Before he could dwell on the bizarre turn of events the

morning had brought, the bailiff entered the courtroom to
announce the arrival of the judge.

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Chapter 8

AKING

a deep breath, Sam presented his opening argument

to the judge. As agreed upon by both parties, the case was to
be a non-jury decision. The judge would determine the
outcome should a settlement not be reached by the end of
the trial.

Standing before the judge, Sam spoke first of the

contract and the clauses within it, binding the computer
distributor to deliver exactly what was purchased. While
some contracts offer options for alternate products should
one not be available, Sam indicated several statements
clearly illustrating this was not an option under the signed
agreement.

He then delved into the needs of the individuals in the

school and their wide range of disabilities, indicating their
inability to function in a typical school setting. The students
required a special environment, special teachers trained to
work with them, and special equipment to facilitate their
education.

Glancing from time to time at all in the room, Sam knew

he was most definitely making his point. He made sure to
gesture somewhat dramatically, without overdoing it, toward
Dr. Reason and Chris when he spoke passionately about the
dedicated service of those who boldly hoped to give the
students every opportunity for as normal and productive a
life as possible.

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The judge listened intently, never seeming irritated or

impatient with his words. That was just the reaction Sam
had hoped he would elicit. If he could hold the judge, the
computer distributor‟s lawyer would already begin to think of
alternate offers to put on the table for an out-of-court
settlement.

When his worthy opponent took the floor, he

diagrammed the contract and its particulars. Without using
the term, he clearly tried to illustrate the loopholes
permitting the distributor to send the alternate selection of
computers at no risk of breaking the agreement. He also
indicated the extreme expense to the company, which might
lead to significant layoffs, should they be asked to replace
and reinstall all new equipment at no additional charge. The
other attorney was very good at bringing the human element
in for his own client, trying to counteract the emotional
impact of Sam‟s argument.

Both counselors having completed their opening

arguments, tasks taking most of the morning session, the
judge was expected to announce a break for lunch.
Surprisingly, that didn‟t happen.

“Mr. Solomon, I assume you are more than ready to

present your first witness?”

Standing at the plaintiff‟s table, Sam looked directly at

the judge. “Yes, Your Honor, we‟re ready.”

“Good. I have a suspicion this will not take nearly as

long as some might think. I have no intention of drawing this
out unless the two of you have plans up your sleeves I‟m not
aware of.” The judge stared pointedly at the lawyers.

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The attorneys glared at one another briefly before the

judge continued. “And may I remind you gentlemen, I can
decide, at my discretion, to open this case to public scrutiny.
If I begin to note that you two aren‟t trying to resolve this
issue in more than one way, I will open my court and allow
public viewing of the case.”

The judge looked at each of them in turn. The

counselors responded almost simultaneously, “Understood,
Your Honor.”

“We‟ll have a five-minute recess and then get to hear

some testimony. I don‟t want to drag this out any longer
than we have to.”

Everyone rose as the judge stepped away for the brief

respite.

The opposing attorney immediately started writing a

note to his client as Sam resumed his seat.

Leaning over, Chris whispered into his ear, “This is a

good sign, isn‟t it?”

Keeping himself from smiling, Sam spoke in a hushed

tone, “It means my opening statement served its purpose,
and the judge wants us to settle rather than waste the
court‟s time and money on this one.”

“I feel like an idiot, but I‟m nervous.”
“If a person testifying in a court of law isn‟t nervous,

he‟s too full of himself. Being nervous is normal and healthy.
I‟m nervous every time I go before a judge, it‟s how I deal
with the nerves that matters.”

“So you‟re an actor.”

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“In many respects, I am. And now it‟s time for us to give

an Oscar-winning performance. Are you ready?”

“I guess I‟d better be.” Chris gently gripped Sam‟s hand

under the table for a split second.

Before he could pull away, Sam squeezed back. “Let‟s do

this.”

The judge returned to his seat. “Mr. Solomon, let‟s get

this show on the road.”

“Of course, Your Honor. I‟d like to call Christopher Kelly

to the stand.”

As Chris stood, straightening his jacket and

approaching the bench to take the oath, Sam thought about
his strategy. If he could make it clear to his opponent that he
would go for the jugular when throwing around the needy
children card, it wouldn‟t matter what the contract said,
especially if the judge opened the court up to the public. His
client‟s company would be buried in negative publicity and
could count on cancelled orders and severed business
relationships with those who used it for product distribution.

Chris‟s eyes darted from the defendant, to his attorney,

to the judge, to Dr. Reason. He seemed tenser than he had
the night they were together. Sam began to see red flags
waving. He knew that if they were to make their case, Chris
had to be passionate, not panicked. Sam took a risk before
he started the formal questioning. Although it was no secret
he was gay, he certainly didn‟t want anyone knowing he had
an intimate connection with his first witness. “Chris, look at
me.”

Hands clasped tightly together, Chris turned his head to

face Sam.

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“Good. Just focus on me as if we‟re the only two in the

room. Talk only to me and no one else. Can you do that?”
Sam looked directly into Chris‟s eyes, hoping he had his
complete and undivided attention.

Nodding, the color soon returned to Chris‟s cheeks. “I‟m

okay now. I can do this.”

“Good to hear.” Sam increased the volume of his voice

so all could hear. “Mr. Kelly, what is your position at the
special needs school in question?”

“I‟m a special education teacher. My sub-specialty is

technology and vocational education.”

“It sounds like a complicated job. How do you teach this

type of student population such high level skills?”

“Mostly it‟s a matter of breaking down every task that

needs to be performed into very small and attainable steps,
depending on each student‟s individual disability. The
equipment used has to be significantly modified to meet their
physical and mental abilities. Otherwise, a computer can
simply become an object solely for viewing movies or
listening to music. Even the games can be overwhelming for
these youngsters.”

“I see. So a typical computer, no matter how

sophisticated, may not meet your students‟ needs.”

“That‟s exactly what I‟m saying, but it‟s really a lot more

than just that.”

Sam‟s eyes widened. He‟d forgotten to remind Chris of

the cardinal rule, only answer what he was asked.
Elaboration usually meant trouble and openings for the
opposing counsel.

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“I‟m sure it is more, but you‟ve made your point quite

clearly, Mr. Kelly.”

The judge immediately chimed in. “I‟d like to hear what

Mr. Kelly has to say.”

Looking from the judge to the opposing counsel, now

wearing a smug look on his face, Sam knew they might have
just taken ten steps backwards, losing their edge. He wanted
to win this case, and Chris was about to screw it up by
opening his mouth. Those lips might be completely kissable,
but at that moment Sam wished they were zipped shut.

“Of course, Your Honor. Mr. Kelly, what is it you were

trying to share with us?” Sam hoped Chris saw the look on
his face, but instead Chris turned to look directly at the
judge. Damn!

“Thank you, Your Honor. I appreciate the chance to

explain further.”

“Please continue, Mr. Kelly.”
Sam took two steps closer to the witness stand. He

hoped Chris would look at him and refocus, say virtually
nothing new, but unfortunately the teacher‟s attention was
totally focused on the man deciding the case.

“You see, Your Honor, teaching in a special needs school

affords me an opportunity to view the world from an angle
very few in the mainstream get to see.”

“Please continue.”
Taking a step back, Sam realized he had lost all control

of the witness. He hoped he could regain lost ground after
Chris finished speaking with the judge.

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“For most of us in the world, when someone blocks our

way, sets up a wall between us and our goals, well, if we
want our dreams badly enough, we tear down the walls or
find some other way to go around them. But for these kids,
they don‟t even know a wall has been placed in their way.
They just discover another dream has been shot down, never
to be attained. They live their lives, especially those who are
physically disabled, watching others do what they long to
experience.”

Chris took a deep breath and continued, never taking

his eyes off the judge. “Those specially designed computers
could have been the key to tearing down a huge wall for
many of our students who are, once again, relegated to being
defeated because of the way they were born. No one chooses
to be a part of the special needs population, just like no one
chooses to be in any other minority that has had limits set
because of their differences. It‟s terrible when others cause
those differences to retard the advancement of any person. I
hate seeing anyone stopped unnecessarily, and especially
unfairly, from reaching their potential.”

Sam forced his mouth to remain closed. Chris was

brilliant, and he‟d almost kept him from speaking. Looking
over at the defendant‟s table he spotted the opposing
attorney writing furiously, passing papers to his client. The
smug face was now red, and if he wasn‟t mistaken, Sam saw
a drop or two of sweat on the lawyer‟s forehead.

Refraining from smiling and patting Chris on the back,

Sam took his rightful place at his witness‟s side. “Do you
have anything further to add, Mr. Kelly?”

“No, Mr. Solomon. I fear I‟ve probably said too much.”

Chris started to scan the room, his brow furrowed.

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“Nonsense, Mr. Kelly. I believe you shared just enough.”
The judge cleared his throat. “Thank you, young man,

for speaking clearly and candidly.” He then turned toward
the defendant. “I imagine this would be a good time to take
our lunch break, as I think there might be a discussion
between the two opposing counselors that will clear the
afternoon for all of us.”

Everyone in the room rose as the judge left for his

chambers. Sam waited patiently to be approached. When the
opposing lawyer arrived, he handed him a slip of paper.
“Everything they want, but we get a gag on the publicity.”

“I‟ll bring this to my client‟s attention over lunch and

meet you back here ten minutes before the judge is due to
return.”

“Take it, Sam. It‟s all we can do.”
“I‟ll take your words of advice into account.” Sam

purposely left off any familiarity with the opposing counsel.
It was another way of keeping his edge.

Chris was certainly someone to be reckoned with. He

was determined, articulate, and deeply passionate. Sam‟s
stomach began to grumble, although he couldn‟t even think
about eating. If anything, he felt nauseous. His thoughts
were suddenly dominated by Chris. Could Sam really give
Chris what he wanted? He‟d always been the one in charge;
in the courtroom, in the conference room, and in his
personal life.

Tonight he was to have dinner at Chris‟s home, but was

Sam really prepared to be dessert, even for this amazing man
who had single-handedly won their case? Shit! He had
always been so sure of himself, and now Sam doubted

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everything he‟d always taken for granted. He was a top; he
was the top.

He couldn‟t think about any of that now. It was,

thankfully, time to meet with Dr. Reason. With her approval,
Sam would have completed another successful day in court
and could possibly reward himself with the afternoon off. He
needed time to think and sort things out before the evening.
He had no intention of walking into Chris‟s apartment
without a plan. This auburn-haired hunk was already
changing so many things Sam had assumed about his
private life. Could he let him change even more?

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 9

“

were perfect.” Sam raised his arms as if he‟d just made

a touchdown at the Super Bowl. “Better than I ever expected
from a witness who hadn‟t been coached. You single-
handedly won the settlement we were all hoping for.” Sam
approached the large pot of stew simmering on the stove. He
lifted the lid, taking in the rich aroma. “If this tastes half as
good as it smells, we‟ll have another thing to celebrate—your
culinary skills.”

Chris took the lid from Sam and gave the stew a single

stir before replacing it. “You‟re certainly in a good mood.”

“Who the hell needs illegal substances when you can get

high on your job? Whenever I win a case, I feel like I‟m
flying.”

“So you like being the Top Gun of the legal profession?”

A half-grin inched across Chris‟s face.

“You might say that. Or you can just say winning beats

the crap out of losing any day.” Sam felt invigorated. The
agreement between the special needs school and the
computer distributor was perfect. Not only would the school
get the proper equipment, it was to be hooked up within a
week. In addition, they were to get free technical support for
three years and a complete refund for all the hardship and
expense of having to take legal action. In exchange, there
would be no publicity. Anything discovered by a reporter
would not be corroborated by any school official. It was a

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small price to pay to win this important battle, a win that
had such wonderful benefit for the students.

“I‟m beginning to wonder if you‟re a lot more cutthroat

than I first thought. I don‟t think I‟ve ever seen anyone take
so much pleasure in defeating his opposition before.” Chris
began to move around the kitchen as he took out dishes,
glasses, and silverware to set the table.

“It‟s a matter of knowing I‟ve done what I set out to do. I

like beating the bad guys. I‟m lucky; I‟m usually the one
representing the underdog, and that‟s how I like it.” Sam was
beginning to notice a shift in the mood, and he felt less
festive than he had a few minutes earlier.

“So being in charge, holding all the cards, is that

important to you?” Chris was looking at the place settings on
the table rather than Sam.

“Hey, what‟s going on? I may not be a genius when it

comes to developing a relationship, but I‟m pretty sure we‟re
not talking about the case or work anymore.”

“You‟re very perceptive, Mr. Solomon.” Chris‟s voice

softened to a whisper as he lowered his head.

Moving next to Chris, Sam gently wrapped his hand

around the nape of the taller man‟s neck. He instinctively
began to twirl the wisps of hair there between his fingers and
softly stroke the skin beneath. “Look at me, Chris.”

Shaking his head, Chris tried to turn away, but Sam

lifted his other hand to nudge him so the two were facing one
another. Cupping Chris‟s chin, Sam drew him in for a kiss.
Their lips barely touched, but Sam felt the familiar warmth
spread through him. It was the same feeling he had two days
earlier in the car when they hadn‟t been able to resist each

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

other. Sam could tell by Chris‟s response that he wasn‟t the
only one enjoying their connection, until his Irish hunk
pulled back.

“You‟re beautiful, but you‟re worrying me. What‟s

wrong?” Sam rested their foreheads together.

Wrapping his arms loosely around Sam‟s waist, Chris

stood up tall, yet his voice wavered. “I‟m afraid this isn‟t
going to work out. To be honest, I‟m not sure you want it to.”

“That‟s ridiculous. How can you say that?” Sam placed

his hands squarely on Chris‟s broad shoulders, the
tenderness of the kiss long forgotten. “I‟m here, aren‟t I? We
even worked well together in the courtroom this morning.”

“Sam, you want to be the one in control of everything.

It‟s your reason for being, your motivation, whatever you
want to call it.” Chris stepped away, returning to the stove to
turn off the stew. “I‟m not sure you can handle an equal and
balanced relationship of any kind.”

“I don‟t understand. I‟m trying. What makes you think I

can‟t do it?” Sam was getting that uncomfortable gurgling in
his stomach again. He was wondering if having a boyfriend
meant taking out stock in antacids.

“Look at you. You won the settlement, and it‟s all you

can talk about. It makes you feel high, and great, and frames
who you are.”

“Is that a bad thing? Shouldn‟t I want to celebrate a

victory?”

“Of course you should. But it‟s also abundantly obvious

that a major part of the thrill was being in control, running
the show. You may not realize it, but I did notice your
reaction when the judge asked me to continue speaking after

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I volunteered more information than you had asked for while
questioning me.” Taking a deep breath, Chris continued.
“While you were at the mercy of the judge, and the mystery
of what I might say, I could tell you were extremely
disturbed.”

“I was disturbed because I was blindsided. Fortunately,

it worked to our advantage.” Sam still couldn‟t understand
what all the unnecessary concern was about.

“Don‟t you see, it‟s all part of who you are. You‟re never

going to allow me to be who I am completely if we try to move
forward. You‟d always need to be the boss. The one who
ultimately takes charge.” Chris rested the serving ladle on
the counter. “I need to be in charge too from time to time,
and I‟m not sure you can handle that.”

There it was. Chris wasn‟t tiptoeing around the issue

any more. Who was going to be the top if they were together?
Sam shook his head, silently scolding himself for thinking
only in terms of sex. He knew it was about more than that.

Could he allow someone in enough to have a truly equal

relationship, to learn to make the compromises necessary to
have a successful life together? Craig and Jeff had worked at
their partnership, had each learned to be a good partner to
the other. Partner was a term Sam was used to at work. It
had taken the senior partners a bit longer than usual to
invite him into the fold because they feared Sam was only
out for himself. He had finally realized he needed to learn to
be a team player at the office and save his go-for-the-jugular
attitude for the cases he would face.

Now the word partner was flying through his head again,

in an altogether different context. Sam needed to decide

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whether he was capable of sharing completely with another
person. He‟d been the one in the driver‟s seat all these years.
It would be hard to share the limelight.

“Chris, let‟s have some dinner.” He knew it was lame,

but at least Chris knew he wasn‟t running out the door.

His sculpted arm muscles flexed as Chris ladled the

stew into two large bowls; he then brought them over to the
table. Sam couldn‟t keep his eyes off the gentle giant,
blinking out of his trance when Chris spoke. “I bought a
bottle of cabernet, if you‟re up for it. I thought it might make
a nice touch as we celebrate our victory in court today.”

There it was again. Chris was speaking of the victory as

theirs, not just Sam‟s. It was how it should be, but Sam
knew he tended to take ownership of every case he won. The
witnesses and supporting staff at the office were just that—a
supporting cast. It was time for him to make a statement in
his answer. Sam‟s answer would shape the rest of the
evening, possibly destroying it instantly.

Taking a deep breath, Sam sat at the table, looking up

at Chris. “I‟d love to toast our victory. After all, it‟s as much
yours as it is mine.”

Setting the wine on the table, Chris began to open the

bottle. “Do you really mean that, or are you placating me? I
may work with children, but I’m not a child.”

“Chris, this is all new to me. I‟m moving through

territory so foreign it‟s like I don‟t speak the language.”

“Then let me use simple words. Are you prepared to see

me as an equal if we continue to explore this, whatever it is,
between us? Can you see yourself surrendering to someone
else in a way that could take you to places you‟ve never

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been? Can you be a partner?” Removing the cork, Chris
poured the wine into the glasses. “I know it‟s early, but I
don‟t want to invest my emotions in something that‟s
destined to fail. The sex might be amazing, but I need more.
That‟s why I signed up at The Male Room.”

Gesturing for Chris to sit down in the chair opposite

him, Sam raised his glass. He knew it was time to take
charge of his future in a way he never had before, even if it
meant sharing the position at the top of the pyramid. If there
was room to share his life, it was Chris he wanted in it. The
big question was, could he see himself committing to a
relationship where all facets of said relationship were on an
equal footing?”

“Chris, I‟d like to make a toast.”
Nodding, Chris remained silent.
“I‟d like to toast to taking a step off my personal

pedestal and sharing a wider podium with you. I want to get
off the proverbial treadmill. Going to The Music Box isn‟t
nearly as attractive as being here, with you.”

“And what about sex? Where do you stand on that?”
“I‟ve confessed my preference.” Sam paused, trying to

think of how to phrase his concerns and share them
honestly with Chris. “I‟m beginning to trust you enough to
try something new.” Sam furrowed his brow. He lowered his
voice, blurting out, “Damn. I‟m nervous, Chris. Help me find
the way to create a real partnership.”

Chris raised his glass tapping it against Sam‟s to make

a loud chime. “It would be a pleasure to guide you into a new
place in your life.”

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After sipping their wine to seal the toast, Sam tasted the

stew. He wasn‟t convinced he had made the right decision,
but he knew he couldn‟t walk away from Chris. He‟d have to
learn to trust him. Sam just hoped he wouldn‟t disappoint
either of them. This was one battle he didn‟t want to lose. He
was the underdog, and it was time to fight his own instincts
to find, for once, a personal victory.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 10

FTER

dinner Chris offered to turn on the TV. The Patriots

were one of the teams featured on this week‟s Monday Night
Football and both men were fans.

Sam agreed. He was feeling quite mellow, having

enjoyed two glasses of wine and a more generic,
inconsequential conversation over dinner. He was glad that
the niggling sense that the time for him to make an effort
was growing closer; a sense that had kept him on edge most
of the evening seemed to have abated somewhat.

“Do you want a beer while we watch?”
Lost in his own thoughts, it took Sam a moment to

realize what Chris had said. “Oh, uhm, no. I‟m fine, thanks.”

“I see.” Chris frowned and sat on the same sofa as Sam,

leaving enough space between the two for a third to join
them had someone else been there.

Eyes narrowed, Sam glared at Chris. “What do you see?”
“Look, Sam, I get it. You don‟t want anything else to

drink because you‟re planning on leaving and have to drive
home.”

Turning away, Sam thought about his reaction to

Chris‟s offer of a drink and realized his host was right.
Without even knowing it, Sam had set himself up to be able
to make a clean getaway without any concerns about being
unable to drive home safely.

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“Are you sure you want to watch the game? It‟s okay if

you want to go. I‟ve been expecting that all night.”

Facing Chris, without giving himself time to think, Sam

quickly slid across the sofa, clapped his hands on Chris‟s
cheeks, and crashed their lips together. He wanted Chris. He
wanted him more than he cared to admit. “I‟m not going
anywhere right now.”

Chris‟s breath hitched. “I guess not.” Before Sam was

able to comprehend what was happening, Chris had him on
his back on the sofa. The assault on his lips would leave
them swollen and Sam loved it. He returned every kiss,
desiring the taste and touch.

Large hands began to find their way under Sam‟s shirt,

pressing against his chest, his skin, and, “Oh fuck!” his
nipples. The teasing, the pressure, the pinching and then he
felt it. Chris sucking on his neck, just behind his lobe. He
arched at the contact. “Chris.” It was a hiss more than a
word.

“I want you, Sam. You‟re so beautiful, so hot. I want you

to be mine.”

Panting, Sam felt dizzy. It never happened this way. He

was always the one on top. Yet here he was, beneath the
hottest man he‟d ever met. Not only did he want him, but he
considered giving himself in a way that would mean so much
to Chris. As Chris slowly dragged his tongue along Sam‟s
jawline and down to his Adam‟s apple, all Sam was capable
of doing was moaning Chris‟s name. “Oh God, Chris. Please.”

“Please, what, Sam?” Chris whispered against his cheek.

“Can I make you mine? I‟ve already marked you where no

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one can see. Only you and I will know it‟s there. Our secret,
our pact. Are you ready to give yourself to me?”

Wrapping his arms around Chris‟s neck, Sam pulled

him in for another kiss, pressing his tongue in to mingle with
his lover‟s. Lover—is that what Chris was now? If they
continued on the path they‟d started, Sam would have a
lover, maybe even a partner.

Their lips still connected, tongues battling, Chris opened

the button and began to unzip Sam‟s pants, releasing his
hard cock. The pleasure of his touch as Chris slowly brushed
his fingertips over Sam‟s briefs drove him to cling tighter. He
dug his fingers into Chris‟s back.

“Sam, you‟re so damn hot.”
Chris kept touching him. Sam lifted enough for Chris to

pull his jeans down part way. Every sensation was
incredible. Without removing Sam‟s briefs, Chris alternately
stroked his needy cock and then barely touched it, leaving
Sam hungry for more.

“Look how you‟re moving. All for me.” Chris nipped at

Sam‟s lobe as his hand continued to work Sam‟s painfully
hard member. “That‟s what I want. I want you all for me.
Tonight I‟m going to own you, take you.”

The flash of memory of an older, stronger man from

years earlier ramming into him without caring overwhelmed
Sam. He turned his head away from the renewed attack on
his lips and closed his eyes tightly. The pain and humiliation
flooded back. He couldn‟t do this. He couldn‟t let someone
else hurt him and throw him aside.

“Sam?”

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Shoving Chris away, Sam quickly stood and pulled up

his pants. “I‟m sorry. I thought I could do this. I can‟t. I
probably never will.” He dared to turn back and look at
Chris. “God, I wanted this with you, for you.” Without
another word, Sam hastily left the apartment.

As soon as he got in his car he leaned his forehead

against the steering wheel. “Fuck!” Banging on the wheel
mercilessly, he continued to yell. He yelled at the man who
hurt him all those years ago, at the world, at himself. “You
asshole. You could have had it all with him and you let your
goddamn fear of a fucking ghost get in the way. It was ages
ago and you can‟t leave that asshole behind. He‟s gone. He
should be forgotten. Damn it! He still owns a part of you
until you stop letting him get to you.”

Sam continued to rest his forehead against the cold

wheel. He didn‟t move, didn‟t start the car. He didn‟t know
where to go. He wanted to numb the pain and dull the
memory. Sam remembered the days in college when he
risked his law career for a few snorts; not the answer now.

Unable to start the car, feeling too shaken to drive,

Sam‟s body start to shudder. “You will not do this. It‟s a
matter of pride. Get a grip.” Inhaling slowly, Sam thought
about heading for The Music Box. At least there he could be
the one in charge, but it wouldn‟t help. It wasn‟t sex he was
looking for, and he‟d ruined the best chance he‟d had for
more. “Alone. You‟ll have to get used to living alone forever. It
looks like that‟s all you‟re good for.”

He thought about heading to the office. He could catch

up on some of the work he‟d blown off after winning the
settlement earlier in the day. Sam shook his head, a sad

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smile crossing his face. Work would be his only partner. He
huffed. “I didn‟t think Scrooge was Jewish. Guess the
modern day version is.”

Leaning back in the driver‟s seat, Sam closed his eyes,

trying to shove the demons and the pain far enough away to
start the engine and get going. He was about ready to go
when there was a knock on the passenger side window.

“Open the door, it‟s getting cold out here.”
Startled and surprised by the intrusion, Sam unlocked

the door and shoved it open. “Chris, what are you doing
here?”

“I saw you from my window, sitting here, not moving,

and figured something was up.”

Lowering his head, Sam didn‟t know how to confess all

that was going through his mind.

“It was something I said; then you spiraled out of

control. I was pissed at first. It took me a minute to realize
this was more than a power play. Why don‟t you come back
upstairs?”

Sam‟s eyes narrowed as he looked at Chris.
“I won‟t touch you, but maybe we can talk, really talk. I

may be wrong, but I think you need to let something go.”

Sam wasn‟t sure why he was doing it, but without

uttering a word, he got out of his car and locked it. He slowly
walked alongside Chris. About halfway to the main entrance
to the building, Sam took Chris‟s hand in his, lacing their
fingers together.

Chris looked at Sam and nodded.

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Entering the apartment for the second time that

evening, Sam was embarrassed by his earlier actions. He
didn‟t know where to begin, or what to say, to make things
right.

Walking back to the sofa, Chris sat next to Sam this

time, continuing to hold his hand. Lifting his other hand,
Chris gently combed it through Sam‟s hair. “Can you tell
me?”

Finding his voice, Sam looked directly into Chris‟s eyes,

forcing himself to remain in control. “I don‟t know.”

Nodding, Chris kissed Sam on the forehead. It was one

of the most intimate things anyone had done for him in
years. “It must have been a long time ago or you wouldn‟t be
posting a profile online, opening yourself up to any gay man
at The Male Room.”

“I didn‟t think it still affected me.”
“History that isn‟t left in the past tends to come back

and haunt us.”

Sam shrugged. “Did you learn that in psychology class?”
“No, I read it in a fortune cookie once and it sounded

good.”

Chuckling, Sam leaned against Chris‟s shoulder. “Good

to know I‟m in capable hands.”

“You are.” Chris‟s voice was completely serious.
“It was a long time ago. One of my first forays into a gay

bar.”

“Was it consensual?”
“Yes, but it wasn‟t what I expected.”

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“What was it?”
“It was all about his pleasure. I was just there to get him

off. For me, it ended up being all about pain.”

“And shame?”
Nodding, Sam couldn‟t say the words.
“It‟s okay now.”
“Is it? I‟m a fucking mess. Can‟t even try to have a real

relationship with someone I want, with someone I could—”
Sam stopped talking, suddenly realizing what was about to
fly out of his mouth.

“I feel the same way about you or I wouldn‟t have gone

down to get you.”

“So what do we do?”
“Together, we learn how to have an equal relationship.”
“But what about sex?”
“We take it one day at a time.” Chris cupped Sam‟s

cheek. “I want to be inside you; show you I can take care of
you and bring you to a good place. But until then, I‟ll wait
my turn. At some point you‟ll trust me enough.”

“I do trust you.”
Chris huffed. “Not enough… yet.”
“I hope you‟re patient.”
“I‟m a teacher with students who need everything taken

one step at a time. I‟m sure I can wait for you.”

“I hope it‟ll be worth it.”
“I‟m betting on it.”

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Sam rested his head against Chris‟s shirt until both

men dared to look into the other‟s eyes.

“Chris, can we move this to your bedroom?”
“Can you stay?”
“I had high hopes for tonight. There‟s a bag in my car.”
“Get it in the morning.” Chris wrapped his arm around

Sam‟s waist and walked him to the bedroom.

The two slowly undressed each other, taking each piece

of clothing off slowly. Their touches were tender, not rushed
like the first time.

Sam stroked Chris‟s cock and kissed him everywhere,

wanting to take in this incredibly generous man in every way
he could.

When he entered Chris, Sam felt a high no trial victory

had ever brought him. As the two rocked together, they
sealed their connection to one another. Sam no longer felt
pressured; he felt something so much better. The feeling of
what it was like to have someone truly care for him.

As Sam watched Chris arch his back, spilling between

them, clenching him from the inside, he knew what it was to
have someone give himself completely. The thought, coupled
with Chris‟s lips pressed to his, brought Sam blissfully over
the edge.

After discarding the condom, the two held each other

close. There was no one in charge. They were a team.

“Chris.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”

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“I‟m glad you‟re here.”
“Me too.” Sam sighed. “I‟ll try not to make you wait too

long.”

“As long as it takes.”
Nodding against Chris‟s shoulder, Sam fell into a

peaceful sleep.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 11

AKING

up in Chris‟s arms had become Sam‟s guilty

pleasure. He was beginning to feel like a walking paradox. He
still hadn‟t let Chris inside, yet he relished being held
throughout the night.

No matter whether they were, in Chris‟s bed or his own,

after both men reached their climax, Sam sought comfort in
Chris‟s strong, warm arms. There was a tenderness mingled
with their heat and desire that he‟d never experienced before.
For the first time, Sam felt protected and loved. Now, if he
could only fully demonstrate and verbalize his feelings, he
and Chris could progress to the next level of their
relationship.

“Will I see you tonight, or do you have to work late on

the case you‟re going to trial with next week?”

Watching as Chris made his bed, smoothing the

comforter over the sheets and pillows they‟d slept on
throughout the night, Sam was struck with the thought, not
for the first time, that he wished it was their bed.

“Yeah, you‟ll see me. How about I call when I‟m leaving

work? I‟ll pick up some Thai on the way?”

“You don‟t want to eat there?” Chris stood up and

looked at Sam.

Buttoning his shirt, Sam approached Chris, lacing his

fingers through his mop of auburn hair and pressing their

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lips together. “I‟d like to have a quiet night together, just the
two of us.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Chris placed a gentle peck on

Sam‟s cheek. “Here, or at your place?”

“Meet me at my place.” Sam bit his lip, shoving his hand

into his pants pocket. “Here.”

“What are these?” Chris took the offering from Sam and

looked at it.

Sam grinned. “You‟re a teacher; I bet you can figure it

out.”

“Is this the key to your apartment?”
Nodding, Sam‟s smile broadened. “And the one for the

main entrance so you can get in the building. There‟s no
need for you to come all the way back here after work. Let‟s
face it, during the past few weeks we‟ve both left plenty of
stuff at each other‟s apartments, more than enough to go a
few days without needing to stop in at home. Why don‟t you
go straight to my place when the school day‟s done, and I‟ll
call when I‟m on my way with dinner?”

“Sounds awfully domestic to me. Are you sure you can

handle it?” Chris smirked.

“Okay, so I admit it. I‟m more into playing house than

I‟ve been willing to admit.”

“Is that it, Sam? Are we playing house or is it more?”

Chris‟s piercing blue eyes held Sam‟s almost hypnotically.

“We both know it‟s more.”
Chris ghosted his hand over Sam‟s cheek. He leaned

into the gentle touch. “Yeah, we both know it‟s more. I look
forward to the day you can face it one hundred percent.”

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“I know you do, Chris. I‟m trying.”
“Try harder. I may be patient, but I‟m not a saint.”
Wrapping his arms around Chris, Sam was struck once

again by how vulnerable he felt, needing this man in his life.
He couldn‟t bear the thought of running out of time because
of his foolish pride or insecurity. “Chris.” Sam didn‟t know
what else to say. It was a plea he hoped Chris‟s heart would
hear and feel.

“I‟ll see you tonight at your place.” He held up the keys,

jingling them. “I‟ll let myself in and wait for you there.”

“Good.” Grabbing his briefcase and laptop from the

corner of the bedroom, Sam pressed his lips against Chris‟s
one more time. “I‟ve got to go.”

“Go, Mr. Solomon, and save the world from the evil

beings trying to take advantage of the innocent.”

“Oh my God! I just realized the date. You‟re getting the

last of the computers installed today.”

“You remembered. You really are a romantic at heart.”

Chris chuckled.

Winking, Sam looked back over his shoulder as he left

the room. “We‟ll make tonight a sort of celebration dinner.”

“Great! Bring extra Pad Thai.”
Leaving the apartment, Sam felt energized. This was the

way he wanted to leave for work every day. Then he thought
about Chris‟s patience. Why was he making him wait? He
trusted Chris completely, yet he was risking losing him if he
didn‟t act soon. Shaking all the negative thoughts from his
mind, Sam got into his car and sped off for another day at
the office.

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“

OOD

morning, Mr. Solomon. Your coffee‟s waiting, as is

the file you wanted on your desk first thing this morning.”
Donna was so efficient. Sometimes Sam wondered if she
would be capable of going in and trying cases should he be
unavailable.

“Good morning to you, too.”
“I may be wrong, but the spring in your step tells me

you‟ve already seen that nice Mr. Kelly today.” Sam had
invited Chris to meet him at the office more than once.
Donna had teased him mercilessly about depriving The
Music Box of their number one attraction now that he‟d
retired his place at the club. He would have fired her if she
hadn‟t been right.

“You may be wrong, but you‟re not.” Sam smiled. “How

is it I can wear a poker face throughout an entire case in
court, but thirty seconds with you and I‟m stripped of any
subterfuge?”

Donna laughed. “You can call it women‟s intuition or

experience from being a mother who has to figure out when
her kids are trying to put one over on her, but in this case,
let‟s just say I know the signs.”

“What signs?”
“You men can be so clueless. The signs of love, of

course.”

“What!”
“Oh, Mr. Solomon, you can deny it from Boston to San

Diego, but it‟s written all over your face whenever you‟ve

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been with him.” Donna started to refocus on a few
documents on her desk, ignoring Sam‟s glare. It took her just
a moment or two. Her hands stilled and she looked at him,
resting the palms of her hands squarely on the desk. “Oh
dear, you haven‟t told him, have you?”

Sam wanted to pretend he had no idea what Donna was

talking about, but it would have been futile. He just shook
his head slowly.

“Men. You‟re all alike, gay or straight. There are only a

rare few of you willing to give their partner the few words
they need to show how you truly feel.” Lowering her voice to
a whisper, Donna‟s face softened. “Can I tell you something,
Mr. Solomon?”

“Why not? You don‟t seem to have any problem with

giving your opinion on my private life this morning, why stop
now.” He tried to sound forceful but failed miserably.

“If you don‟t share your feelings with him, you could

lose him. Waiting is hard to do in a relationship, and if you
make him wait too long he‟ll get tired of it all. I practically
walked out on my husband before we were married, all
because he couldn‟t seem to say he loved me.”

“I see he rectified that situation.”
“Brilliantly, once I gave him an ultimatum. Don‟t make

your nice Mr. Kelly wait until he‟s about to crack.”

“Thank you, Donna. I‟ll keep your unsolicited advice in

mind.”

“It may be unsolicited, but that doesn‟t mean it isn‟t

good.” She huffed and returned to her paperwork as Sam
entered his office.

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Sam realized something had to change. Giving Chris his

keys was a big step, but not the one either man knew had to
happen for them to have their success story. Shit! He hadn‟t
thought about Jeff and their bet in over a month.

As if on cue, Donna interrupted Sam‟s thoughts as her

voice came through on the intercom. “Excuse, Mr. Solomon,
but your friend, Jeff, is on line two. Shall I connect him?”

After staring at the phone for a moment, Sam was ready

to deal with his friend—more than he was ready to deal with
his boyfriend. “Yes, Donna, put his call through.”

“Hi, honey. Long time, no hear. Although I may have

heard through the grapevine that one hunky hottie has been
very conspicuously absent from our favorite nightclub.
What‟s happening? Are you and the cutie I set you up with
still an item?”

“Good morning to you too, Jeff. How‟s Craig? Can he

still stand spending his days and nights with you, despite
never getting a word in edgewise?”

“Too cute, Mr. Attorney. You definitely have a way with

words. Craig and I are fine. In fact, we‟re better than fine. I
wouldn‟t be surprised if we‟re Mr. and Mr. soon.”

“I‟ll be looking for my invitation in the mail.”
“You do that. I just have to wait for Craig to catch up

with the program and ask me already.”

“Why don‟t you ask him?”
“While in your case it could go either way, let‟s face it; in

my case, a lady should be patient and wait for her man to
ask.”

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Sam shook his head. Jeff was the ultimate queen, but at

least he was comfortable in his own skin.

“You still haven‟t answered my question. Am I getting

my latest success story for the website?”

Hoping he‟d distracted Jeff enough to forget his reason

for calling hadn‟t worked as well as Sam had hoped.

“Sam, what‟s up? You‟re usually pretty quick with the

responses.” The concern in Jeff‟s voice added to Sam‟s
stress.

“Jeff, I think I‟m—” Sam couldn‟t continue. It didn‟t feel

right talking to Jeff before things were truly resolved with
Chris. “Jeff, can you ask me the same question in a couple of
days?”

“Sure, no problem. I‟m not about to push you into a

corner, but if you really need a friend to talk to, you know
I‟m here and so is Craig.”

“I know. You‟ve both become good friends. And yes, I

have been absent from The Music Box because all my free
time is spent with Chris.”

“That‟s him! That‟s the guy I picked for you.”
“How could you imagine I‟d go for another, well, top? I

would have never picked him.”

“Sweet, naive Sam. There‟s a reason The Male Room is

doing so well. I‟m a genius in the love department. It‟s all
about getting the rest of you clueless gentlemen to face your
true desires.”

“And you can see us more clearly than we can see

ourselves?”

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“Let‟s just say not all tops are the proverbial alpha

males they think they are, and not all bottoms are the
ultimate submissives.”

“I‟m not sure I want to know how you acquired this

tidbit of knowledge.” Sam snorted.

“Let‟s just say years of experience and observation pay

off in a multitude of ways.” Jeff chuckled.

“Jeff, call me in a couple of days. There are a few things

I need to work out before I can answer your question and
figure out who won our bet.”

“Don‟t do anything too hastily just because of our little

wager.”

“This has nothing to do with our deal anymore. I need to

clear some things up with Chris first.” Sam started shuffling
papers on his desk, prioritizing what had to be done and
making mental plans as he spoke.

“What do you need to let the big hulking hunk know?”
“That‟s between him and me, but if you play your cards

right, you‟ll be able to fill in the blanks on your own in a few
days.”

“Now you have me intrigued.” Jeff started to hum the

theme from Jaws. “Do I detect someone going in for the kill?”

“Yeah, you do. But it‟s probably not what you‟re

thinking, so don‟t even try to guess.”

“Suit yourself, honey, but I will be calling in a couple of

days and you‟d better be prepared to dish.”

“If everything goes as planned, we can talk in person.

We‟ll make it a double date and I‟ll formally introduce you to
Chris.”

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

“Sounds fabulous! Talk to you soon. T-T-F-N.”
“Good-bye, you crazy queen.”
Jeff laughed out loud as they both disconnected.
Sam picked up the phone one more time, knowing his

call would go directly to voice mail. When the recorded
message ended, Sam spoke. “Chris, meet me at home as
soon as possible. We need to talk. I‟m taking the afternoon
off.”

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 12

NOWING

the time Chris‟s school dismissed each day, Sam

set himself up to arrive home at least two hours before his
lover could possibly get there. He admired his work, having
set up the apartment just as he‟d seen in hundreds of
movies. Sam wanted to make it clear to Chris how he felt.
The biggest question was, could he demonstrate those
feelings completely?

He wanted what Craig and Jeff had found and been able

to nurture—a great partnership. Their love was equal in
every way that counted, and for all he knew, that nelly queen
could top with the best of them. He‟d seen how Jeff could
take charge and hold his own; it wouldn‟t surprise him if he
took the plunge in bed once in a while too.

Everyone who knew Sam held him up to a certain

reputation, but the rep was no longer important. Chris was
important. As much as Sam hated to admit it, Donna was
right. It was Sam‟s turn to give if he wanted to make his
personal life a success.

Just as he expected, at four o‟clock he heard the key

turn in the lock and Chris walked in. His eyes widened as he
gazed around the apartment‟s large, open-style main room.
“Holy crap! What the hell‟s all this?”

“These are candles.” Sam gestured all around him. “And

those are a dozen vases of roses from the nursery down the
street. A dozen bouquets of a dozen roses each, placed

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

around the room for atmosphere. The salesman suggested
tea roses so they wouldn‟t completely overwhelm the space,
although I still think I should have insisted on the long stem
type.”

“No, these are fantastic. The whole place looks

beautiful.” Chris gazed at Sam. He had changed from his
suit into a satin robe with nothing on underneath. Sam
knew the scene was corny, at best, but he wanted to make
sure he didn‟t screw up. He just hoped Chris appreciated the
effort. “Why did you do all this?”

Approaching Chris slowly, Sam ran his fingers over the

sculpted chest. Through the tailored shirt he could feel
Chris‟s nipples become erect, responding to his touch.
“Because it‟s time for me to show you how much you mean
to me; how much we mean to me.”

“Are you sure?”
“No.” Sam choked on the word but quickly regained his

composure. “But I‟m sure I want you in my life, and I‟m sure
I want to know what it‟s like to be loved by you.”

Without hesitating, Chris grabbed Sam‟s arms, pulled

him close, and crashed their lips together. Sam clung to
Chris, wrapping his arms around him.

“Do you trust me, Sam?”
“Yeah, I do.”
It seemed that was all Chris needed to hear. Putting on

a show for Sam, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it
down his arms as if peeling off a second skin. He then
dramatically whipped off his belt and removed his shoes,
socks, and pants, kicking them to the side, leaving only his
briefs covering his already stiff cock.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Panting, Sam stared at the moisture blossoming on his

lover‟s underwear. Chris was so long and thick. It had been
so long. The fear began to build and Sam wasn‟t sure he
could go through with it.

His partner must have sensed a change in the mood.

Chris quickly approached Sam and untied the belt on his
robe, sliding the garment off his shoulders, letting it fall in a
puddle to the rug beneath. “I‟ll take care of you. Let me take
care of you.”

Chris‟s voice was hypnotic, and Sam‟s body reacted. He

knelt and speedily divested Chris of his briefs, allowing his
trapped dick to spring free. Standing again, he immediately
reached to touch his own painfully hard cock.

Chris knocked his hand away. “No, Sam. I told you, I‟ll

take care of you.”

Dropping his hand to his side, Sam wasn‟t sure what to

do next. But then he realized he didn‟t have to actually do
anything; he had set the stage, now it was time to let Chris
take charge, allow Chris to wipe away the bad memories.
Chris held him, kissing him, licking him, sucking him. Sam‟s
body was on fire. The big Irishman was all around him,
touching him everywhere and the sensations made him
shiver. When Chris nipped at his nipple, Sam wanted to
move away, to run, but instead he let a moan escape.

“You like that. You like me touching you, tending to

every part of you.”

“Yes,” Sam hissed, another guttural sound coming out

with the word. “Chris.”

After guiding him down to lie on the rug, Chris folded

the discarded robe and gently placed it beneath Sam‟s head.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

He never stopped touching Sam, kissing him, letting him
know he was loved. This was loving; this was making love.
Sam felt every moment of contact go deep and touch him
from within.

“You‟re so beautiful, so hot. I can feel the heat coming

off your body. I want to feel that heat surround my cock.”
Chris moistened each nipple with his tongue, then nipped.
Sam held on, trying to keep some semblance of control. “I
want you to be mine and I want to be yours. No one else,
ever again.”

“No one else.” Sam responded instantly. This is what he

wanted too. He wanted to belong to someone who cared.
“Chris, I—”

“Shhh.” Chris nudged Sam to turn onto his stomach. “I

want you to feel what it‟s like to be worshipped. You‟re an
amazing man with an incredible body.”

His cock receiving blissful friction from the fabric

beneath, Sam felt Chris‟s tongue work its way down his
back. He automatically arched at the cool, moist, unexpected
touch. “Ahhh!”

“Relax, this is only the beginning.”
“Oh God.” Sam‟s voice was barely more than a whisper.

He had a feeling he knew what was next. No one had ever
done that to him. He‟d never allowed a trick to perform such
an intimate act.

Kneading Sam‟s ass with his strong hands, Chris‟s

tongue circled the waiting hole. “It‟s time you learned how
this feels.” Without missing a beat, the moist tongue entered.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

“Fuck!” It took all the control Sam had not to come at

that moment. He tried to slow his breathing as he felt Chris
explore. “Chris, I‟m gonna—”

Then he was gone. “I don‟t want you to come like that.

We‟re going to come together.” Nudging Sam to turn over
once again, they looked into each other‟s eyes. “Your eyes,
your face, they‟re so expressive. I don‟t want to miss seeing
them.”

Everything Chris said added to Sam‟s desire for more.

“Please, Chris.”

“Please what, Sam. Just ask me.”
“I want you… inside. I want to feel you make me yours.”

Sam felt a dot of moisture escape his eye. When he tried to
wipe it away, Chris held his hand.

“Leave it. It shows me how much you want me to love

you.”

Sam slowly nodded, pinned beneath this passionate

man—his man.

Kneeling between Sam‟s now spread legs, Chris reached

into a small nearby candy dish Sam had filled with condoms
and a small tube of lube, and once again offered a show. He
rolled the condom on, bringing Sam‟s hand up so they could
secure it in place together. Chris then put a dollop of lube on
each of their hands. “While I prepare you, you prepare me.”

It was more than Sam thought he could stand. Feeling

Chris‟s fingers enter him one at a time while he massaged
the long reddened cock, Sam closed his eyes.

“No, Sam. Look at me. Know it‟s me you‟re feeling.”
Biting his lip, Sam forced his eyes to reopen.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

“Now wrap your legs around my back.” Chris positioned

himself at Sam‟s pulsing hole. “Let me know if you want me
to stop.”

“Don‟t stop, don‟t ever stop.” Sam couldn‟t believe the

words coming from his mouth, but the need and desire drove
them out. They were all true. He wanted Chris, and he
wanted him now.

Feeling Chris press inside, Sam closed his eyes. A flash

of memory nearly overtook him, but he opened his eyes
quickly and stared into Chris‟s. This was his man, his lover,
his partner. He needed to give himself to him.

“Sam, you‟re so tight, so damn hot.”
As Chris pushed further inside, Sam thought he‟d be

split in two until he felt a nudge against his prostate. “Oh
God!” The pleasure washed over him.

“Do you feel that? Isn‟t it amazing?” Chris began to

slowly thrust, hitting the tender spot over and over.

“Chris!” Sam could barely breathe. He could feel

something incredible building and he wanted to let go. He‟d
never felt anything this intense before.

“Hold on, Sam, I‟m jumping off the cliff with you.”
It didn‟t matter that it was ultimately going to end faster

than either expected; letting their passion take over was
perfect. Sam had never known anything could be so right.

Their hands laced together at Sam‟s sides, Chris

pressed in once more, resting the tip over the sensitive area
inside.

With all control lost, Sam arched his back, releasing

between them, the orgasm taking him higher than he had

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

ever gone before. As his climax began to calm, he felt Chris
pulsing from within. It was the most amazing thing he‟d ever
experienced.

Feeling his cock begin to soften, Chris held the condom

in place and gently pulled out of Sam‟s body. Quickly
disposing of the condom, he lay back down and took Sam in
his arms. The two tangled together in a warm embrace. Sam
had never felt closer to anyone. “Chris, I love you.”

“I know. I love you too.”
“You know?” Sam whispered as his breathing returned

to normal.

“I‟ve known you were the one for me from our first night

together. I just had to wait for you to realize it too.”

Sam clung to Chris, unwilling to let him go. “It‟s a good

thing you‟re such a skilled teacher. I have a feeling you have
a lot to teach me about being a good partner.”

“It might take a while.” Chris peppered small pecks

across Sam‟s neck and cheek.

“How long?”
“At least fifty or sixty years.” Chris sucked on Sam‟s

lobe.

“Ahhh. That‟s good. I think I have just about that much

time allotted for us to be together. Maybe a decade or two
more if you can stand me.”

The two remained on the floor kissing and holding one

another, not noticing as several of the candles burned out.
They were together. Nothing else mattered.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Chapter 13

LANCING

at his watch, Sam bolted out of his car. The

meeting at his office had taken far longer than he‟d expected,
making him thirty minutes late. He hoped Chris would be in
a forgiving mood.

“Good evening, Mr. Solomon. We wondered where you

were.” Tani smiled and showed Sam to his favorite corner
table. He and Chris had been coming to the Thai Palace
weekly, and the hostess would always hold their table in
anticipation of their arrival. “Mr. Kelly and your friends have
been enjoying tea and appetizers.”

Nodding, Sam followed Tani to the table. Chris stood

when he arrived, giving him a quick hug and a peck on the
lips. Although a simple gesture of affection, it had become a
greeting Sam looked forward to and didn‟t want to go a day
without.

“Well hello, Mr. Attorney. Aren‟t you all decked out in

the most chic attire. Armani, I believe.”

Laughing, Sam turned to their guests. “You know, Jeff,

if I didn‟t know any better I‟d think you were a shallow,
empty-headed queen. You‟ve got a lot more locked in that
brain of yours than you let on, both intellectually and
instinctively.”

Jeff‟s partner Craig wrapped his arm around his

shoulder. “Let‟s just keep that to ourselves. He‟s great for
business with his facade of the fun-loving, silly flamer.”

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

“Your secret‟s safe with me.” Sam and Chris sat as Tani

brought fresh refills of tea for all, along with a cup for Sam.

Chris leaned over to whisper in Sam‟s ear. “I hope you

don‟t mind, but we ordered while we were waiting. It‟ll just
be a variety of our favorites to share amongst the four of us.”

“I‟m glad you did. The meeting went late, and I couldn‟t

get out since they were speaking directly to me.”

“Well?”
Sam smiled broadly. No words were needed.
“That‟s terrific!” Chris grabbed Sam by the shoulders

and pulled him in for a toe-curling kiss.

“Ahem. Would you boys care to tell us what the

celebration is all about? We already know the two of you
moved in together and Chris gave up the lease on his
apartment. Does this mean there‟s more on the horizon?”

Turning to Jeff and Craig, Sam grinned from ear to ear.

“Probably more on the horizon, but we just moved in
together a couple of months ago. There‟s no rush.”

“Why put off the inevitable?”
“You two haven‟t tied the knot yet, have you?”
Craig chimed in, “Well, as a matter a fact, we finally

picked a date.”

“It‟s about time. Just send us the invitation and we‟ll be

there.”

“So what‟s the big news?” Craig asked.
Opening his laptop case, Sam pulled out a sheet of

paper bearing the letterhead of his law firm and handed it to
Chris first, who read it and then passed it to Jeff and Craig.

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

Placing his hand on Sam‟s knee, Chris gave it a squeeze.

Ever since Sam had completely let go of his past, he and
Chris had become true and equal partners in every aspect of
their personal lives. It was the biggest victory Sam had ever
experienced, and he was relishing every minute.

Their home life was an ongoing adventure. Neither of

them fit their past stereotypical, alpha male personas any
longer; they were exploring new ground, making up their
own rules as they went along. Both had taken on the day-to-
day tasks of running a home. Their particular moods on any
given day would determine which chores each would
undertake.

However, rather than making their household

obligations their top priority, it was far more important to
both men, whenever they happened to get the urge and
inspiration, that they take complete care of each other
sexually—be it in the bedroom, kitchen, or great room. Sam
had never experienced such an active and intimate sex life.
Every day brought new surprises; there were times Chris
brought him to new heights he didn‟t think possible. Just
thinking about it, his cock reacted.

Sam was shocked to find there were days he wanted

Chris to make slow, passionate love to him, and others
where the two would battle for control. Frequently, on those
nights, Sam would win, although he began to think Chris
was letting him take charge. It was all about the thrill of the
challenge to see who would come out on top.

“Oh my God, honey!” Jeff brought Sam out of his

thoughts and back to the table. Probably a good thing, as
Sam‟s pants were beginning to tighten and there was

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

nothing to be done about it at that moment. “Your name. It‟s
on the masthead.”

“Yes it is. And it‟s now on the door leading into the suite

of offices and every other piece of literature or document put
into the public eye by the firm.”

“My, my, Mr. Sam Solomon, you have arrived. Armani to

work, and Chris waiting at home to take it off at the end of
the day.”

The group all laughed at Jeff‟s campy but accurate

account of Sam‟s life.

One of the waiters brought over their meal. The spread

of food was perfect, truly making it a celebratory dinner.

After taking a little of each offering, the four occupied

themselves with eating until Craig broke the silence. “You
know, Sam, you owe us.”

He looked from Craig to Jeff and then to Chris, who

shrugged his shoulders. “Why do I owe you?”

“Apparently you made a bet with my partner—”
“That‟s fiancé, dear.”
“Sorry, Jeff.” Craig continued. “If his choice of a date for

you worked out, you promised to be one of our website
success stories.” Pointing his chopsticks at Chris and then
Sam, Craig smiled. “From the look of things, success story is
an understatement. So, are you ready to pay up, or is the
hottest partner in the most prestigious law firm in Boston
going to welsh on his bet?”

“Oh shit,” Sam whispered. “I‟d forgotten all about that

ridiculous bet.”

The Attorney | Carolyn LeVine Topol

100

Chris leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across

his chest. “You didn‟t think you could ever find the right guy,
and you couldn‟t. Jeff knew you better than you knew
yourself back then.”

“I‟m improving. Now I know exactly who, and what, I

want.”

“I know, and I‟m grateful. I guess it‟s time to pay the

price for our happiness to our wayward matchmaker.”

Practically bouncing in his seat, Jeff kissed Craig on the

cheek. “This will definitely boost sales. Seeing Sam Solomon
on the homepage will get every gay with a computer signing
up for The Male Room.”

“Hey, what about me?” Chris chuckled.
“Oh, sweetie, you‟re the hot, hard, cherry on top!”
Sam nearly spit out the noodles he‟d just stuffed into

his mouth.

After another good laugh, the four continued to enjoy

their meal.

Taking a moment to sit back and drink his tea, Sam

gazed at Chris. He really did owe Jeff so much more than he
could ever pay back.

Placing his cup on the table, Sam whispered in Chris‟s

ear, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”
“It‟s not some temporary thing, you know. I do see us far

into the future, like Jeff suggested.”

“That‟ll give us all the more to write about in our

success story.” Chris cupped Sam‟s cheek, brushing their
lips together. “I only see you in my future too, Mr. Attorney.”

Don’t miss

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

About the Author

Born in Brooklyn,

AROLYN

INE

OPOL

grew up just

outside New York City. Three passions dominated her life:
reading, writing, and theater. Having always dreamed of
writing her own version of The Great American Novel, it took
her many years to discover her most heartfelt stories took
their form in the creation of M/M romances. Sharing her
writing with a small circle of online friends, Carolyn received
advice, encouragement, and joy from their feedback.
Spending her days working as an executive assistant in a
synagogue, Carolyn relishes the quiet wee hours of the
morning to lose herself in writing of the loves, passions, and
adventures driving her characters.
With the backing of a supportive husband and two young
adult children, Carolyn continues to explore the fabulous
world of gay romance with the philosophy “Every person
deserves their happy ending.” Visit Carolyn‟s web site at

http://www.carolynlevinetopol.com

and

her

blog

http://carolyn-l-topol.livejournal.com

. You can contact her

at cstopol@gmail.com.

Coming in 2011 from

AROLYN

INE

OPOL

The Playwright

Book 3 in The Male Room series
Nick‟s writing partner and best friend is tired of watching his buddy
screw his life away to overcome the heartbreak of his first great love
affair, and he also thinks that a romantic comedy playwright should
actually write what he knows! Before Nick can wriggle out of it, he finds
himself begged, nagged, and cajoled into a coffee date with one of the
men who liked his profile at The Male Room, an online dating service for
gay men.
No one is more surprised than Nick that the date is a success, and he‟s
interested in getting to know full-time news reporter and part-time
theater critic Mark better. But better means closer, and the closer Nick
gets to Mark, the more he remembers why he doesn't go for long-term
relationships. Long term affairs just lead to heartbreak, right? Nick‟s
imagination runs overtime, and he‟ll have to trust in his heart if he wants
this love story to have a happy ending.

Also from

Carolyn LeVine Topol

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the
authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond

http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is
illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon
conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No
part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the Publisher. To
request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite
244-149, Frisco, TX 75034

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America
July 2011

eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-924-9

Document Outline

Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Don’t miss
About the Author
Coming in 2011 from Carolyn LeVine Topol
Also from Carolyn LeVine Topol
Copyright

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