Two meetings

Chapter 9

The New York County Courthouse was a massive concrete building, known for its hundred- foot wide extensive stairway and towering granite colonnade.

It was on these steps that Connie and Carly stood, opponents facing one another.

Carly gave Connie a long, measuring stare, "I wanted to talk to you about Mike."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to talk," responded Connie, "I've just finished court and I have a lot to do to prepare for this case."

Connie turned and started to make her way down the steps, looking straight ahead. She felt as if her stomach had turned into a block of wood, it felt heavy and awkward. Carly had no choice but to follow Connie down the steps, making sure she'd reached the bottom of the steps first, in order to face Connie head on.

Once both of them reached the leveled sidewalk, Connie heaved a sigh of frustration, knowing Carly wasn't going to go away any time soon.

"I told you, Carly, I don't have the time..."

Carly chose to ignore her comment.

"Tell me, Connie, how does it feel to have Mike wrapped around your little finger?" Carly accused, her face slightly twisted, "Even I could see that Mike obviously has a thing for you."

Mike obviously has a thing for you. A feeling of hope and longing surged through her heart at the thought that Mike might hold certain feelings for her outside a work environment. At times he seemed attracted to her, and yet, he always kept their relationship professional.

Whatever feelings Connie had, she was determined that they remain private.

"Why are we even discussing this?" asked Connie bluntly, "You and I haven't been exactly friends—we'll barely even acquaintances."

"You need to know that Mike and I are together," Carly bristled, bending the truth.

Although Connie had expected Carly to say something to that effect, Connie still took a quick breath as her lungs contracted.

"I don't see how this even concerns me," Connie stated coolly.

"Because…I want you to stop leading him on" Carly tone was almost threatening, "Mike and I were doing fine until you re-entered his life! That prissy, drippy, overly- sweet act of yours may fool him, but not me! Why did you even come back? You are ruining everything!"

Connie swayed a little, her knees locked and shaking. But she was determined not to let Carly see how the jabs were affecting her.

"Leading him on? I have never--" Connie stopped herself and instead stiffly replied, "...Look, Carly, I don't have the time nor the inclination to talk about this… now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do!"

As Connie tried to move around Carly, her shoulder accidentally brushed against Carly's.

"Hey! Watch that!" Carly scowled, making a big deal of rubbing her shoulder.

Connie was ready to walk away, but with that last statement, she lost her patience with this madwoman. With her eyes flashing, Connie turned quickly to face Carly again, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"No, you watch it, Carly! You were the one who accosted me in public, not the other way around!" Connie huffed before she turned back around and continued walking.

But Carly would get the last words in, as she shouted out with seething outrage at Connie as she walked away.

"He was happy with me, committed to ME until YOU came along! You're a HUSSY! "

Noting a few people's heads turning at Carly's spewed words, Connie never looked back as she hurriedly strode over to her car.

Connie's outward demeanor showed strength, but she inside, her body was trembling.

Once safely ensconced in her car, Connie leaned back on the headrest, shutting her eyes, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She tried to block out Carly's appalling words from her mind. Clenching her hand before opening her eyes, she had not realize how upset she was until she saw that her nails had left a deep crescent mark in her palm.

Perhaps Carly was right. Unintentionally, she was interfering with Mike's personal life, which in turn, was causing an upheaval in her own life.

Her life had always been neat and orderly. She certainly didn't need any complications in her life now.

The beating of her heart had finally slowed enough to allow her to breathe regularly. She concluded that in the future, she would just have to be very professional around Mike.

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It was very late when Mike stepped off the elevator and headed towards his office. In one hand he held his briefcase and in the other he carried a medium sized brown paper bag.

He had been out overseeing other cases all day. Now he was back in the office for documentation purposes. As he walked down the long corridor, he glanced at all the emptied desks.

The entire DA's office was darkened except for one desk lamp that shone a triangular-shaped light on a cornered desk. Mike smiled, knowing which prosecutor had stayed late.

Connie was sitting at her tiny desk in the corner, intensely fixated on her one file. She had been in such deep concentration, she had not heard Mike's arrival until he sat in the chair opposite her desk.

She had already decided that she was going to keep their interactions solely impersonal and professional.

But when she looked up and saw him seated across from her, her heart tugged at the memory of when he used to sit in the seat opposite hers to discuss a matter.

"Hi," Mike's blue eyes ensnared her with a steady gaze.

Connie tried to control her tremor.

"Hi," she shakily replied back, as she felt a blush rising within her. My god, she internalized, he had been gone less than a day, and she was already struggling to sound normal...what was wrong with her?

"I figured you'd still be here," grinned Mike, holding up the brown bag, "So I picked up some food from Wong's."

He placed the bag on the table. Instantly they got a whiff of the overly greasy, soy sauce flavored ingredients emitting from the brown bag. Connie watched Mike's every movement as he unfolded the top of the bag and took out two takeout boxes, two sets of chopsticks, and a bag of egg rolls.

It was like old times.

She gladly accepted one of the white boxes and a set of chopsticks. Connie couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. The confrontation with Carly earlier had vanished from her mind. Her nerves calmed down as she opened the white box.

"Thanks, Mike, I could do with some dinner. This chow mein looks delicious."

Mike looked amused as he pointed to the bag of egg rolls.

"Oh, then, you'll be euphoric over the egg rolls!"

Connie's smile became wider.

"Well, I would be, but..." she jested, "...if I recall correctly when we used to share the egg rolls, I'd get one for every three egg rolls you'd get."

Mike pretended to look offended.

"Noo-o! Did I hear right? Did you just accuse me of being... an egg roll thief?…" He then reached in the paper bag again, and like a magician, produced a second package of egg rolls, "Voila!...I just quashed your motion to insult...and... I will soon file a motion to compel you not to used up all the dipping sauce, like you had done in the past."

Connie's face showed playful indignation.

"I can't imagine what you mean, Mike. I have always been very conservative with sauce usage!"

She then made an obvious deep dunk in the small sauce container with her egg roll, twirling the roll all around while watching him with a mischievous grin.

"Hey!' feigned Mike, pretending to be shock, "You'll be sorry, once my hand starts hovering around the sauce!"

Connie couldn't help laughing at Mike's playful threat. She watched as he smiled back at her, his deep dimples showing.

But he was involved with someone else.

She needed to keep that in mind, despite taking such delight in his company.

When Connie looked his way again, heat seemed to dance beneath her skin.

Although she admired his legal acumen at work, there was this other side to Mike, a rather seductive boyish charm about him. Tonight it was on full display.

She shook her head, wondering how she was going to resist her growing attraction to Michael Cutter.

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(Note to SG: I had Connie touch Carly, just for you!)

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