I park my car outside "The Bar." It's a hole in the wall joint that every law student in town went to to blow off steam or drown their sorrows. For some people it was the only bar they ever passed.  I was finished law school and settled into my position at the prosecutor’s office, but sometimes it was nice to have a drink away from people whose only ambition was their next promotion.

I open the door and the smell of booze and nervous law students is like home. I grab a stool at the bar. John greets me and brings me my usual. I’ve been to every high end bar in this city and John is still the best guy to ever mix a drink. He always remembers your usual and he always knows when you need to talk and when you don't. Today I don't, I just want to relax. I'm going to trying my first major case and with Adam Wolff the DA with the best record in the city. I'm going to make my career with this case.

We're trying Damian Cain. This rich douche bag murdered his latest fling. Cain is exactly the kind of asshole I took this job to put away. My family still thinks I'm nuts for working in the district attorney’s office.  I turned down half the top firms in the city to work in the prosecutor's office. Yeah it's crazy, but I'm not doing this for money. I'm doing it for justice. Besides I have all the money I could ever need, the perks of being a billionaire’s only heir.

Tonight , though I just need to relax. I know Cain can afford the best team money can buy. Who ever they are they’re going to put up a hell of a fight. It doesn’t matter though, I'm going to nail Cain’s ass to the wall.  I intend to put him in a cage for the rest of his life.

I sip my whiskey and savor the burn. I'm wired tonight with the anticipation of the trial.  I’m going to show Damian Cain and the rest of the city that money can't buy innocence. Nobody is above the law, not matter what their net worth is. I take another sip of my whiskey. I definitely need a release. In the days before a trial I’m like a caged tiger. Tonight I’m going to let myself off the chain. All work and no play would make me a very dull boy.

I can the bar; it’s filled with eager law students who would be happy to let me take them home. Half of  them would be looking to fuck their way into an internship or my family’s connections. I don’t need the drama I automatically dismiss them as possibilities. The other half have eyes still shiny and eager still in love with the law. it's nice to be around people who aren't jaded by the system That's why I love this place. It reminds of why I do this. There’s a cute blonde in the corner, maybe.

I order another round and the last person I expected to see Jacqueline Dupont, walks in the door. She looks just as good as I remember her. A body that makes me want to be guilty of every crime in the book and man the mouth on that girl.

"Hi Xavier," she smiles as she walks over and sits on the stool next to mine.

"Jackie." Yeah I'm never going to call her Jacqueline. She's been Jackie since college and she’ll always be Jackie to me. "I heard you made partner."

"I did," she says with a smile. The same smile she used to give me right before she suggested something crazy back in our college days.

"Congrats you deserve it. So what’s a new partner  doing down here mingling with the students and unwashed public servants, like me."

"Says the heir to the throne." She jokes sliding closer to me, she still wears that same perfume, with the notes of black pepper. It still drives me crazy.

"Heir to throne? I'm a public servant Ms. Dupont."

"Are you fucking kidding me Xavier. Your trust fund could pay the tuition of every student in this place,"  she laughs

"Well I do like to earn my living ," I reply, watching the way she watches me.

"Indeed you do. work hard play hard right? That’s still your motto I presume." she says.

"Always." The bartender brings her drink and I raise my glass. "To playing hard. We toast, and I watch her throat work as she she swallows.  

"Really Jackie what are you doing down here?" I ask.

She shrugs. "I needed to hangout and not talk shop for five minutes."

"Tough case coming up?"

"Yeah, I’m defending Damian Cain." She says and finishes off her vodka.

"Are you serious? I'm seconding Wolff."  I say with a grin.

"Fuck me." She says. "Really?"

"That sounds like a good idea." I slide closer to her.

She rolls her eyes but I see the blush creep into her cheeks.

"You know I hate lose Xavier." She says.

"So do I."

"You don't have enough evidence to win. You could offer a plea."

"Cain is his own worst enemy. He'll do the work for me once you put him on the stand." I reply.

"He doesn't have to testify," she says.

"Oh baby you know how jurors love a defendant that won't testify. No  matter what you say it just screams guilty, but it might work if you can get Cain to keep his mouth shut."

"Please, I'm going to tear your case to up it's all circumstantial. This the age of CSI and you've got zero DNA, zero prints, nothing.  I'll blow your entire case down." She says and gives me that smile again.

I don't miss the way she emphasizes the word blow. "Wolff  is going to eat you alive Jackie, but how about I eat you now?  After all you said you didn't want to talk shop so let's not talk." I lean in and press my lips against hers pulling her off the bar stool and between my legs, and I slide my tongue along her lips and her mouth opens for me. I slide my tongue between her lips and kiss her deeply. Jackie kisses me back hard and I know she wants this just as much as I do.

"Let's get out of here." She says.

I pay our tab and follow Jackie out the door.