I walk into court and do my best not to look at Riley. My goal is to act distant and reserved no matter how I feel when I see her, which I know won’t exactly be easy. This is just a business relationship, as she’d said. I’m her client, not her boyfriend.

And because I’m her client, she has a duty to represent me well and the way I want. I’m hoping she can still do that despite her emotions. Just like I will be a good client despite mine.

She’s already seated at counsel table when I walk in.

“Hello Jensen,” she says. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t get here in time.”

“They’ve already called my case?”

“You’re first on the docket. This is just an expert witness approval hearing, so the judge will hear it first before other cases. And then we’ll be all set for trial.”

“I see.”

There’s an ice cold silence between us. She taps a thick binder with my name on it and says, “I’ve been working on your case. I think you have a solid defense.”

I search her face to determine if she’s being sarcastic, blowing smoke up my ass, or genuine. Her eyes appear sincere. I let my gaze briefly travel down to her lips, and try not to remember how full and delicious they felt on my own just the other night.

I force myself to look back down at the binder: it does appear that she’s put a lot of work into my case, and for that I’m grateful. I’ll try to give her the benefit of the doubt.

The judge enters and calls my case and the lawyers state their names for the record. I look at his stern face instead of at Riley’s ass.

“We’re here regarding the defendant’s proposed expert witness, Dr. Levi Roth,” the judge says. “Counsel, I’ve read both of your written submissions and for the sake of brevity I don’t need a huge rehashing of the arguments. This is some pretty standard stuff and I’m not sure why you’re objecting to the defense’s motion, ADA Stemple, except, of course, just for the sake of objecting?”

“Certainly not, Your Honor,” says ADA Stemple. He clears his throat and I switch my purposeful perspective to him. From where I sit I can see him shift from one foot to the next. Riley has him nervous. Good job, Riley. That’s my girl.

“Well then, my main question would be for an elucidation on the nature of your objection.” The judge glares at him as if to say this better be good.

“It’s just, that, well, defense counsel’s purpose for using this expert is unorthodox,” says ADA Stemple, stammering the entire time. “I don’t think her theory is normally one within the purview of this expert’s testimony.”

“Your Honor,” Riley interjects, and the judge looks back at her with more interest than he was showing the other attorney.

I’m not sure what they’re talking about but I take that to be a good sign.

“Dr. Roth is one of the prominent PTSD experts in the country,” Riley continues. “He has experience with all kinds of cases and is quite qualified to testify whether or not a defendant actually…”

Now I understand the phrase “seeing red,” because my mind literally flashes red with anger. I can’t believe Riley’s doing this to me, just like Dylan tried to do.

Was it before or after I got upset with her romantically that she decided to use an expert to say I have PTSD and screw me over professionally? It doesn’t even matter. I just have to put an end to this.

“Your Honor,” I say, jumping out of my chair and causing all three of them— the judge, Riley, and the ADA— to look at me in shock. “I need to say something.”

“Mr. Bradford, your attorney is quite competent to speak on your behalf,” says the judge. “And she’s doing an excellent job at that, if I might add.”

“But that’s the problem, Your Honor. I no longer want her to be my attorney.”

“I’m sorry?”

All three of them look aghast at me, but Riley looks hurt as well as surprised. She’s staring at me as if she can’t believe I don’t want her to be my attorney anymore, but I know she’s smart enough to figure out why. I guess she thought that she could just give me lip service but do things her way and sweet talk me so much I’d never notice that she was using the exact defense I had told her from the beginning I didn’t want her to use.

“I would like a new attorney, please,” I repeat. “I no longer wish to be represented by Ms. Morrell.”

“Your Honor, I would like a brief recess to speak to my client,” Riley says, and the judge nods at her, but I cut them off.

“I am no longer her client,” I tell the judge. “And I do not wish to speak to her.”

Riley’s mouth hangs open, and she looks as if she might cry. Her nearly always professional appearance has almost become a bit emotional. And the prosecutor has a smug smile on his face.

I almost change my mind— both because I feel bad for Riley and also because she must be doing something right on my case if the other attorney is glad I’m firing her— but I remain resolute. It doesn’t matter how good of an attorney she is if she doesn’t listen to how I want her to represent me.

And I know for a fact that she’s not as loyal to her clients as she pretends to be. Just look what happened at her old firm, and even if she wasn’t directly involved and technically refused to do anything wrong, she certainly didn’t jump in to let the poor client know what was going on.

“Counselor, my hands are tied here,” the judge says to Riley. “If he says he’s not your client any longer then I can’t really make him speak with you. “But Mr. Bradford—” he says, addressing me in a way that’s supposed to scare me.

But I’m used to authority figures trying to scare me, and it never works.

“Let me be clear. I don’t know what your plan is with all of this attorney- hopping. But it certainly does not bolster your defense, if that’s what you’re thinking. It doesn’t buy you any extra time without consequence and it doesn’t influence my decision or the future jury’s decision at all. And I will not continue to coddle your continuous requests for an attorney.”

“Your Honor,” Riley intervenes. “Mr. Bradford is permitted to switch attorneys as often as he likes.”

It’s touching that she’s advocating for me even after I’ve fired her. But that doesn’t change my mind.

“Ms. Morrell, you’re no longer on this case, so you can excuse yourself,” the judge tells her. “And for the record I’m not saying he can’t switch attorneys. I’m saying that I’m not going to undo the hard work of his previous attorneys, including yourself, and I’m not going to prejudice the prosecution’s case by allowing a new attorney to come in and switch everything up at the last moment. So this is my ruling on the standing motion to approve the expert witness. I approve it.”

“But Your Honor—” the prosecutor begins, but the judge waves his hand to silence him.

“It’s a perfectly acceptable motion with no enforceable objections,” the judge continues. “If Mr. Bradford and whoever his new counsel is wishes to use an expert witness, it will have to be this one. Because we are not going to go back and revisit this issue.”

“But Your Honor—” everyone tries to say this time: Riley, the prosecutor, and me.

“Ms. Morrell, I believe I instructed you to excuse yourself from these proceedings pursuant to your former client’s wishes,” says the judge.

“Yes, Your Honor,” says Riley, as she gathers her file and briefcase.

She’s looking at me— pleading with me— but I just give her a sympathetic shrug. It’s nothing personal. I just prefer my lawyers to listen to my requests. She leaves the courtroom and the judge finishes what he was saying.

“That’s my ruling, and it’s final.”

And it’s most likely the last time I’ll ever see Riley Morrell again. It was fun while it lasted. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get her sexy lips and curvy body out of my mind. I’m quite sure the memory of her— and the possibility of what might have been in the future— will torment me for a long time, much like many other things and people from my past.

But she is in my past now and it’s for the better. She was no good for my case and no good for me personally. To think I almost broke my rules for her— I almost let her get too close. I’m just going to have to keep her as a lovely memory: the girl who almost won my heart, before she stabbed it.