Having fun with these two. I hope you'll like what I'm doing here …
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6. Opening moves
"So tell me, Trevor," Olivia says, emphasizing his name as if she is still getting used to calling him that instead of Langan or Counselor.
"What makes you tag along with Justin now that he is off the hook?"
He's glad that Olivia doesn't beat around the bush. He is aware that she is a skilled mental chess player as well, and her opening move is a bold one. He likes it and he smiles. Their appetizers have arrived and Olivia blows her soup quietly while looking at him, waiting for his answer.
"Well, like I said. Despite the age difference, I think he and Carrie really love each other. I usually handle cases involving money, but this one's about people. That's different."
Olivia nods, but doesn't acknowledge all of his words. She focuses on one part of it.
"Cases involving money also involve people. Especially when they're being scammed out of their life savings or pensions."
She's right of course. But he is seldom confronted with his clients' alleged victims. By the time a fraud case goes to court, the plaintiffs have usually arranged for representation in court for the whole group, choosing someone who is well-spoken and relatively detached. The others may be in the audience but he doesn't always know. Sometimes when one of the victims takes the stand, he realizes that it isn't just about money. Sometimes, hopes and dreams are shattered because of his clients' alleged dishonestly. And so he admits,
"That is true. So I guess some people affect me more than others."
"What does it take to affect you, Trevor?"
He catches the double meaning in her question instantly and the glint of amusement in her eyes makes his stomach flutter. He'd like to move from dry case stuff to some more playful banter and thinks fast.
"I guess you could call me a hopeless romantic, so relationships under pressure would do the trick for me."
Olivia straightens her back and he can tell he's surprised her again. She keeps her eyes on her soup and continues eating calmly but he knows she's thinking about a comeback. And so he waits. It's her turn to make a move.
"And you think a fifteen-year old bludgeoning her own mother to death to be with her twenty-one-year old boyfriend is romantic?"
Her words are sharp but he can't help noticing that her voice isn't. She has an opinion about the case but her question is meant to probe him further. She is really interested in him. Or maybe she's interested in people like him, but for the time being he'll pretend she is trying to get to know him better.
"Murder in itself is never romantic of course," he says, giving her that much. "But the emotion behind it, the despair? That's a part of human nature that love can trigger. Look at Romeo and Juliet. They weren't playing either."
...
Olivia lets his words sink in and takes another sip of wine, leaning back in her chair. They have finished their appetizers and she thinks it's interesting that Trevor has chosen a salad to start with. Elliot often teases her that she eats like a rodent. She's actually really hungry and has opted for salty soup this time, but she usually has a salad too. So he eats salad and he references classical literature?
She knows all about triggered emotions but she wonders how much Trevor knows about them. And so she asks him,
"Have you ever been triggered by love to do something outrageous?"
She remembers how he'd hinted that he might have personal experience with what he'd called puppy love. His smile lights up his face and his bright blue eyes, and she looks away briefly. Trevor also leans back and places his hands on the table, palms down. His open stance makes her want to shield herself, to fold her arms in front of her, but she doesn't. She doesn't want to show any signs of insecurity in her body language. And so she looks at him, fully expecting him to tell her about some high school crush who made him skip classes or something. But he doesn't. Instead, he tells her with that low, husky voice of his,
"Would you believe I am still looking for that one woman who will be worth all the outrageousness in the world?"
Olivia forces herself not to swallow and slowly folds her arms after all, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table.
"I'm sure you don't have any trouble attracting the ladies," she says neutrally.
"Maybe not, but I guess I have pretty high standards," he counters.
He is opening the door to an entire line of questioning and she has to wonder if he isn't goading her into dangerous territory. This isn't a date, she reminds herself. She just agreed to meet him to find out more about what makes a defense attorney tick. So she needs to move the conversation back to him, and away from what he is looking for in a potential mate.
"What are those standards with regards to your clients, exactly?" she asks him and the amusement in his eyes is unmistakable.
He is enjoying this game of words and wit. Two can play that game but he seems to thrive on the challenge.
"I don't have to live with my clients," he replies and she has to admit he is good at this game, because before she's realized it she has asked him,
"Have you ever lived with a woman?"
She wants to bite her tongue the instant the words leave her mouth and she registers him checking the scoreboard. One point for the lawyer.
"I have. Have you?"
She can't help but laugh then and his warm smile is actually … attractive. So he has lived with a woman?
"I have actually. With my mother and then with my roommate in college," she quips.
Trevor taps one finger on the table, feigning impatience.
"Those don't count, Olivia. You know what I mean."
"Alright. No. I haven't lived with a woman. And I think you knew that already."
His smile is infectious and she can't help smiling too.
...
When she doesn't say anything else, Trevor asks her,
"Don't you want to know why it ended?"
He is getting bolder now, because he has a feeling that Olivia will eventually go along with some innocent flirting.
She sighs, but he can see she's still amused and just pretending to be bored when she tells him,
"Okay, just tell me and get it over with."
"She didn't fight me on anything."
Olivia huffs and leans back in her seat again, one perfect eyebrow raised.
"You're serious."
"Absolutely."
He can see the wheels turning in her head and wonders if she is drawing the same conclusion he is. She would definitely fight him. On everything, probably. And that's the challenge he loves so much. It's the thrill of the fight, and of eventually finding a balance between two forces that needs constant attention to be maintained, and that makes sparks fly when it's tilting to one side or the other. That's what makes life exciting and he can imagine it making for an amazing sex life.
That thrill is what he loves about his job as well. He doesn't mind an easy case every once in awhile, but he loves the challenge of a case with many twists and turns, that he can try and mold into the outcome he wants for his client.
"So you had this sweet, adoring woman at home, catering to your every need and you kicked her out because she never told you off?"
Trevor wiggles his head and looks away briefly. How honest is he going to be with her this first time?
"Actually, she kicked me out," he admits, but he knows it's a weak move.
Olivia will want to know why. And so he adds,
"Because I was never home anymore."
Their waiter comes over to clear their table and tells them the main course will arrive shortly. The interruption gives Olivia some extra time to digest what he's just told her and he is curious if she is going to ask him more about his failed relationship or not. He feels slightly disappointed when she steers the conversation away from the relationship and back to him. On the other hand, the new topic is something he can work with.
"So where do you go when you're not home? What else do you do besides work?" Olivia asks him.
"Ah, what does a lawyer do for a hobby?" he smirks. "Well, I visit my family often and love watching my ten year old nephew's soccer games. I enjoy reading and going to classical concerts and going out to dinner. But only with good company, of course."
She almost seems shy when he says that and he thinks he may have struck a cord.
"How 'bout you?" he asks her. "What do you do outside work, except having dinner with me?"
He sees an almost triumphant gleam in her eyes before she responds.
"Well, basically I spend just about every waking hour with Elliot. When I don't work, I sleep. And even then I'm with Elliot sometimes, crashing in the cribs at the station or taking turns napping during a stakeout."
He gets it. He knows what game she's playing now.
She's trying to make him jealous.
She's actually using the ever-present tension between him and Elliot as well as her own closeness to the man against him. He supposes his wide grin is a dead giveaway that he loves playing this game with her.
The waiter returns with their main course and he can see a small smile still playing on Olivia's lips when she inspects what is on her plate. He can tell she's enjoying the game as well. When she looks up at him, there are still little lights dancing in her eyes and he is mesmerised for a moment. Which, of course, she notices.
"This looks delicious," she says sweetly, never breaking eye-contact with him. "Let's eat, shall we?"
…
To be continued ...
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