His head bends down, light blue eyes boring into mine as he stares at me. He watches me for a moment before humming, placing a quick kiss on my nose and straightening.
My eyes dart over to where Viv still stands in the doorway, her eyes wide as she watches the show.Say something hot,she mouths.
“Um…” The bouncer looks back down at me, one eyebrow raised. “Your breath smells good.”
He chuckles, opening his mouth and showing me a ball of gum sitting on his tongue. He leans back down, teasing me, testing me.
Fuck it.
I stand on my tip toes and suck his tongue into my mouth, taking the gum from him as I pull away. He watches me with wide eyes as I shoot him a wink, my blood pulsating through my veins as mint combined with the stranger’s smoky taste fills my mouth.
My tongue flicks out to swipe at my bottom lip, and I shiver as his eyes follow the movement. “Is it considered snatching me up if I go willingly?”
I tilt my head to Viv and she rushes from thebuilding, “Holy shit, I think I just turned lesbian. Do you want a girlfriend? I am so sorry, I take back everything I ever said.”
She continues to ramble as we find our Uber and slide into the back seat, the bouncer’s eyes on me the entire time.
The air flies out of my chest causing me to gasp and shoot up out of bed. “Fucking A, Terry! Give a woman some warning, will you?”
Terry, my black and white tuxedo cat, meows his way out of my bedroom door and into the hallway, loudly vocalizing his hunger all the way down to the kitchen.
“Okay! I’m up, I’m up!” I pat around my bed until I find my phone, grabbing it in one hand and sliding out of bed in a way that no doubt resembles a sloth coming out of hibernation.
Do sloths hibernate?
I pick my black and pink robe up from the ground and give it a good sniff to make sure I didn’t accidentally get sick on it at any point last night before I slip it on. Finding it good enough to last until after breakfast, I make my way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Terry is waiting at his matching metal bowls engraved with his name, still meowing loud enough to wake the dead, but he quiets down as soon as I fill his bowl.
I make quick work of my espresso maker, keeping the usual settings to make me a double shot of espresso. I grab my favorite cup down from thecabinet, the one that says ‘FUCK’ in all caps - with no other explanation - and pour some milk and vanilla syrup in it before adding ice and the espresso.
Grabbing my fuck cup and my phone, I walk into the living room and plop down on my papasan chair. It’s an every morning ritual. Wake up, feed Terry, make coffee, sit in my chair and check my messages. At least a few times a week, the office group chat blows up with details for a case that screws someone up, and it’s been me more times than I’d care to admit.
Putting in my passcode, I see plenty of messages from Viv already cursing the judge for being a jackass about her defendant today and a few other people from the office chiming in the group different ways they’ve handled that particular judge, and astringof text messages from my boss.
This isn’t good.
Sawyer:Turn on your TV.
Sawyer: I know you took a few days off, Eve, but we need you on this. Everyone else is on a case.
Sawyer: Evangeline.
Sawyer: *3 MISSED CALLS*
Sawyer: Answer!
Sawyer: *5 MISSED CALLS*
Sawyer: Evangeline!
Sawyer: You’re due at the courthouse in an hour.
Checking the time, I see the message was sent twenty minutes ago. Meaning I have forty minutes to be at the courthouse for a case I haven’t even been briefed on.
My phone beeps as another text comes through.
Viv: Have you seen the news? Sawyer said you’re on it.
