Chapter One
Kate groaned as the alarm went off. She reached an arm out from under the covers groping for the button to turn it off. She pressed it once, then again, but the annoying beeps continued. Kate angrily flung the covers off and sat up on the edge of the bed, it was too early for such an irritating nuisance. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked at the clock, 6:00 am, then began to poke at the button again trying to shut the stupid thing off. Her attempts were all in vain and frustrated, she pounded a fist down hard on top the clock radio. "Ouch. Dammit!" she shook her throbbing hand. She picked up the clock and yanked it hard, pulling the plug out from the wall, but the alarm kept on bleeping. "Freaking battery back up!" Kate raised the clock over her head, about to throw it at the wall, when she suddenly realized how ridiculous she was acting. "Okay just calm down," she told herself as she took a deep breath. Then she patiently removed the battery and immediately the noise stopped. She sighed in relief flopping back onto the bed for a second before wearily standing up.
She stretched and yawned loudly as she shuffled slowly to the bathroom to have a shower. The hot water felt so good cascading down her body, soothing her aching muscles. She closed her eyes and leaned back letting the water drench her hair. After shampooing and applying a generous layer of conditioner she reached for the soap. Her eyes were still closed and she couldn't seem to find the bar. She opened her eyes and looked around but the soap was not in the shower. Pulling back the shower curtain she peeked out, sure enough there was the soap lying across the room beside the sink. "Grr, Dammit Roman. I thought we talked about this before!" It was absolutely freezing when she stepped out of the shower, soaking wet, to retrieve the soap. She muttered a few choice words for Roman as she dripped water from one side of the bathroom to the other.
Returning to the warmth of the steamy shower Kate finished up and then turned off the taps. Wrapping her hair in one towel and another around her body she stepped out into the cool air once again. She made her way to the bedroom to get dressed. As she went to slip her panty hose on her ring snagged on the flimsy fabric and a nasty run worked it's way up the front of her left leg. Yanking them off she flung them across the room and left them in a heap on the floor. She carefully put on another pair then slipped on her skirt and blouse. "This is going to be a horrible day," she thought as she pulled the towel off her hair. She run her fingers through the wet strands of hair, making her way back to the bathroom.
The steam had dissipated and the fog was almost gone from the mirror. Kate wiped the last bit off and stared at her reflection. "Good lord," she exclaimed, poking at the puffy skin under her eyes. "Thank God for makeup." As she reached for the brush to tackle her tangled mane her elbow bumped her perfume bottle. It teetered back and forth and Kate made a grab for it but it was too late. With a splash and loud clunk the bottle fell right into the toilet.
She wasn't sure whether to scream, laugh, or cry as she stared at the expensive little vial, lying at the bottom of the bowl. "Now how the hell am I going to get it out of there?" She looked around the room trying to find something to scoop it out with. There didn't seem to be anything that would work so she stomped to the kitchen to find some rubber gloves. She found a bright yellow pair under the sink and rolled up her sleeves, slipping them on. They were way too big and came almost to her elbow but they would have to do.
She trudged back to the bathroom once again and bent over the toilet. "This is disgusting," she said out loud as she reached in and quickly grabbed the perfume holding it above the toilet to drip off.
"What's disgusting?" Roman's voice startled her and she jumped letting go of the bottle dropping it right back into the toilet again.
"Oh, for crying out loud! Roman! You scared me and now look." She pointed at the toilet with a yellow gloved hand. "Here," she shook the gloves off and held them out to him, "You get it this time before I just flush the damn thing."
Roman bit his lip trying not to laugh but it was no use. Kate was furious and she almost punched him as he burst into a fit of laughter. Instead she smacked him across the rear end with the gloves. "It's not funny, I am having a terrible morning. Nothing has gone right and it's all your fault."
He wiped the tears from his cheeks, "Kate how can it be my fault? I wasn't even here?" he snickered.
"Well it's your stupid alarm clock that's broken, you took the soap out of the shower, and you made me drop the perfume back into the toilet after I just got it out. I'm sure if I think for a minute I can find a way to blame you for the run in my pantyhose too." She was breathless after that rant and she looked at him with the most adorable pout he'd ever seen.
He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Okay, it's my fault, I'm sorry you're having a bad day, maybe this will help." He kissed the tip of her nose then softly pressed his lips against hers.
"Mmm, yes things are looking up," she sighed. "Come here, studly." She pulled him in for another kiss, a much longer and steamier kiss. "Okay, I forgive you." She looked at him with her bright hazel eyes and smiled, "Now could you do me a teeny little favor ?" She picked the rubber gloves up off the floor and held them out to him.
He plucked them out of her hand, "Unfortunately for me, I'd do anything for you Kate, even dig around in the toilet to rescue your perfume. Oh by the way I checked your mail on my way home from work and there's a letter for you on the table."
"Thanks." She headed to the living room to open the letter. "I wonder what this is?" she thought as she looked at the brown envelope. Justice Department was stamped in the corner. She quickly tore it open and began to read. "No, no way. Not now!" Kate stomped a foot on the floor. "Damn, I thought there was no way this day could get any worse, until now!" She threw the letter down on the table, staring at it, then swatted it on to the floor as Roman walked in.
"Kate? What's wrong?" he asked.
"I refuse to do this, not now, you have to help me get out of it somehow Roman. I have so much to do at work and I ... I just can't do it!"
"Do what Kate? What did the letter say?"
"Something to the effect of 'Congratulations Ms Roberts, it's your lucky day! You have been selected for Jury duty! It is a right and a privilege and you should be honored'," she mimicked sarcastically. "Well they can just go to hell because I'm not going to do it!"
Kate groaned as the alarm went off. She reached an arm out from under the covers groping for the button to turn it off. She pressed it once, then again, but the annoying beeps continued. Kate angrily flung the covers off and sat up on the edge of the bed, it was too early for such an irritating nuisance. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked at the clock, 6:00 am, then began to poke at the button again trying to shut the stupid thing off. Her attempts were all in vain and frustrated, she pounded a fist down hard on top the clock radio. "Ouch. Dammit!" she shook her throbbing hand. She picked up the clock and yanked it hard, pulling the plug out from the wall, but the alarm kept on bleeping. "Freaking battery back up!" Kate raised the clock over her head, about to throw it at the wall, when she suddenly realized how ridiculous she was acting. "Okay just calm down," she told herself as she took a deep breath. Then she patiently removed the battery and immediately the noise stopped. She sighed in relief flopping back onto the bed for a second before wearily standing up.
She stretched and yawned loudly as she shuffled slowly to the bathroom to have a shower. The hot water felt so good cascading down her body, soothing her aching muscles. She closed her eyes and leaned back letting the water drench her hair. After shampooing and applying a generous layer of conditioner she reached for the soap. Her eyes were still closed and she couldn't seem to find the bar. She opened her eyes and looked around but the soap was not in the shower. Pulling back the shower curtain she peeked out, sure enough there was the soap lying across the room beside the sink. "Grr, Dammit Roman. I thought we talked about this before!" It was absolutely freezing when she stepped out of the shower, soaking wet, to retrieve the soap. She muttered a few choice words for Roman as she dripped water from one side of the bathroom to the other.
Returning to the warmth of the steamy shower Kate finished up and then turned off the taps. Wrapping her hair in one towel and another around her body she stepped out into the cool air once again. She made her way to the bedroom to get dressed. As she went to slip her panty hose on her ring snagged on the flimsy fabric and a nasty run worked it's way up the front of her left leg. Yanking them off she flung them across the room and left them in a heap on the floor. She carefully put on another pair then slipped on her skirt and blouse. "This is going to be a horrible day," she thought as she pulled the towel off her hair. She run her fingers through the wet strands of hair, making her way back to the bathroom.
The steam had dissipated and the fog was almost gone from the mirror. Kate wiped the last bit off and stared at her reflection. "Good lord," she exclaimed, poking at the puffy skin under her eyes. "Thank God for makeup." As she reached for the brush to tackle her tangled mane her elbow bumped her perfume bottle. It teetered back and forth and Kate made a grab for it but it was too late. With a splash and loud clunk the bottle fell right into the toilet.
She wasn't sure whether to scream, laugh, or cry as she stared at the expensive little vial, lying at the bottom of the bowl. "Now how the hell am I going to get it out of there?" She looked around the room trying to find something to scoop it out with. There didn't seem to be anything that would work so she stomped to the kitchen to find some rubber gloves. She found a bright yellow pair under the sink and rolled up her sleeves, slipping them on. They were way too big and came almost to her elbow but they would have to do.
She trudged back to the bathroom once again and bent over the toilet. "This is disgusting," she said out loud as she reached in and quickly grabbed the perfume holding it above the toilet to drip off.
"What's disgusting?" Roman's voice startled her and she jumped letting go of the bottle dropping it right back into the toilet again.
"Oh, for crying out loud! Roman! You scared me and now look." She pointed at the toilet with a yellow gloved hand. "Here," she shook the gloves off and held them out to him, "You get it this time before I just flush the damn thing."
Roman bit his lip trying not to laugh but it was no use. Kate was furious and she almost punched him as he burst into a fit of laughter. Instead she smacked him across the rear end with the gloves. "It's not funny, I am having a terrible morning. Nothing has gone right and it's all your fault."
He wiped the tears from his cheeks, "Kate how can it be my fault? I wasn't even here?" he snickered.
"Well it's your stupid alarm clock that's broken, you took the soap out of the shower, and you made me drop the perfume back into the toilet after I just got it out. I'm sure if I think for a minute I can find a way to blame you for the run in my pantyhose too." She was breathless after that rant and she looked at him with the most adorable pout he'd ever seen.
He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Okay, it's my fault, I'm sorry you're having a bad day, maybe this will help." He kissed the tip of her nose then softly pressed his lips against hers.
"Mmm, yes things are looking up," she sighed. "Come here, studly." She pulled him in for another kiss, a much longer and steamier kiss. "Okay, I forgive you." She looked at him with her bright hazel eyes and smiled, "Now could you do me a teeny little favor ?" She picked the rubber gloves up off the floor and held them out to him.
He plucked them out of her hand, "Unfortunately for me, I'd do anything for you Kate, even dig around in the toilet to rescue your perfume. Oh by the way I checked your mail on my way home from work and there's a letter for you on the table."
"Thanks." She headed to the living room to open the letter. "I wonder what this is?" she thought as she looked at the brown envelope. Justice Department was stamped in the corner. She quickly tore it open and began to read. "No, no way. Not now!" Kate stomped a foot on the floor. "Damn, I thought there was no way this day could get any worse, until now!" She threw the letter down on the table, staring at it, then swatted it on to the floor as Roman walked in.
"Kate? What's wrong?" he asked.
"I refuse to do this, not now, you have to help me get out of it somehow Roman. I have so much to do at work and I ... I just can't do it!"
"Do what Kate? What did the letter say?"
"Something to the effect of 'Congratulations Ms Roberts, it's your lucky day! You have been selected for Jury duty! It is a right and a privilege and you should be honored'," she mimicked sarcastically. "Well they can just go to hell because I'm not going to do it!"