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“Furthermore, despite being within their rights to proceed during the show in question, my clients stopped the punishment scene in question immediately when Ms. Tarkin called out the club safeword,red. That she chose to delay in utilizing the club safeword until ten minutes of the scene had passed is not the responsibility of my clients, who were acting in good faith.
“Finally, and most importantly, I am counting on each of you to recognize that my clients have done nothing but cooperate with the plaintiffs, offering to refund their final month’s membership fees. Mr. Parker and Mr. Mitchell each took the stand today to answer questions from the plaintiffs’ attorneys, and while you may or may not personally agree with the sexual activities that transpire at the club in question, I’m counting on your fairness to recognize that nothing that transpires at the property is illegal. In fact, my clients take great pride in providing a safe environment for those who share their BDSM lifestyle to congregate and play without fear of judgement. Something that I’m certain you have noticed the women refused to do themselves. By refusing to take the stand and answer my questions under oath here today, I am requesting that you find in my client’s favor, dismissing all charges in this civil lawsuit. Furthermore, I ask you to find the plaintiffs responsible for Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Parker’s legal fees. Thank you.”
Lukus finally exhaled as Markus took his seat next to him at the defense table. If the small curl at the corner of his friend’s mouth was any indicator, he’d say things had gone well today, but he didn’t know jack shit about lawsuits. That they were even sitting in the courtroom pissed him off. This bogus case should have never been filed.
Markus leaned closer just as Judge McKinney started giving final directions to the jury. “I never dreamed we’d be able to get all the way to closing arguments today, but that went well, regardless. By not taking the stand themselves, the ladies have really made this a slam dunk.”
Lukus would believe that when he heard their verdict himself.
He had to keep his voice down as he whispered, “Why the hell would they go to all this trouble and then not testify themselves?”
“Who the fuck knows. I could have called them myself since it is a civil lawsuit. It’s a bit of a gamble, but I think the fact that they didn’t testify is gonna put the nail in their case’s coffin,” Markus whispered back.
Lukus didn’t say it, but he was ecstatic that Markus hadn’t called the bitches to the stand, if only because it meant maybe putting this bullshit case behind them… finally. The scene in question had been just short of a year ago. They’d had the threat of the lawsuit hanging over their heads for long enough. Lukus just wanted it over.
It only took five more minutes before the bailiff led the jury out of the jury box, through the side door and into the bowels of the downtown courthouse. It was already early afternoon, so the chances of this being over today were slim and he knew it.
“Come on, I’ll buy you guys a coffee,” Markus offered.
“I need something stronger,” Derek deadpanned.
Lukus agreed. “I saw a pub across the street. The first round’s on me.”
Markus chuckled. “Fine, but we need to stay close. I have hopes they’ll come back fast.”
The men were headed toward the exit, avoiding the bitches who brought them there, when Lukus asked, “Is fast good or bad?”
Markus shrugged. “Honestly… it could go either way. Let’s face it. The general public doesn’t get the nuances of the BDSM lifestyle. I laid it out for them as best I could, but there could always be a hard-ass in the bunch that objects to the lifestyle enough that they’ll dig in.”
“Fucking great.”
* * *
The men had just ordered a second round of beers at the Maxwell Street Pub when the ding of an incoming text lit up Markus’s phone sitting on the table. Lukus watched as his friend and attorney started checking his text messages.
Markus let out a low whistle. “That was even faster than I could have hoped. The jury is back already.”
Lukus felt a pressure on his chest, and he knew it was stress related. He’d been waiting a year to have this shit behind him. Now that he was within minutes of finding out if he was going to have to close down his club or not, he suddenly worried he might have been pushing to go too fast.
“Come on, everything’s gonna be okay,” Markus said as he waved at their server to bring their check.
“Promise?” Lukus asked, not really joking. “Did we push too fast?”
“Don’t borrow trouble. We’ll find out in a few minutes.”
“Easy for you to say,” Lukus snapped back. “I’m the one who’ll lose my dream club if I end up having to pay out the million bucks. Not only will I need to sell to come up with the payout, but once we get successfully sued, it will prove the contract isn’t gonna protect us from jack shit going forward.”
“We’ve been through this. It’s way too late to change course. Chug your beer and let’s go,” Markus demanded.
Lukus chuckled. “Trying to Dom the Master’s Master?” he asked, taking the last lukewarm swig of beer.
“If that’s what it takes, sure. Wouldn’t be the first time,” Markus said with a grin.
“The hell you say.”
The good-natured banter of friends was exactly what Lukus needed to keep calm as they settled up and walked back to the courthouse. It took ten minutes to make it through the lobby security and x-ray machine. Lukus felt naked having left his shoulder-holster and Glock back at his loft above the club. Courtesy of his other business, Titan Security, he had a concealed carry permit for the state and city, but he hadn’t wanted to deal with trying to get a loaded pistol through security in a state courthouse.
The judge looked mildly annoyed when the men arrived back in the courtroom. The plaintiffs were already there along with the handful of spectators in the viewing area. Within a minute of taking their seats, the bailiff came in, holding the door for the jury to file into the box.
