Page 33 of From the Courtroom to the Court
Emily has lost her concentration—and her sanity—when Leah touches her a little above the hip. She hears the soft whisper of a voice, nothing more, and understands that the time she's spent without sleeping with anyone is taking its toll.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes," the lawyer answers very unconvincingly.
Amazingly, the practice progresses without major setbacks. Emily does well with the serve, masters the first technique Leah teaches her, and when they finish, they decide to play a short match. The lawyer is ecstatic, returns several balls from one side and the other and even scores some points. She's sure that Leah has let her do it, but Emily is just as delighted.
"You played very well, Emily, if you keep this up, you'll soon notice more changes."
"I thought I would never manage to even return a ball."
When Emily is so happy, her power of distraction seems to grow. While Leah walks carefully, she does so as if the world were prepared for her clumsiness. She steps on a ball and her body falls backward after her leg rises several inches from the ground.
"Emily!" Leah gets scared and kneels by her side.
The lawyer laughs so hard that tears start to come out.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she says and continues laughing.
"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" asks the tennis player while helping her to her feet.
"No, I don't think so," she cleans the skirt she's wearing, picks up her bag and starts walking. "Do you have a few minutes to talk about Mia's case?"
Leah wanted to ask her, but she felt embarrassed to do so, she didn't want to seem pushy. She appreciates that it's Emily who brings up the topic.
"Yes, let's go to my office and you can tell me."
The two walk into the club and go through a door that apparently only certain staff have access to. Leah stops in front of an office, enters a password on the panel, and they enter the space. The office is a sanctuary: several rackets are framed, signed shirts, medals, and some trophies. There are photos of her playing, from when she was a child to what seems like the present. On one side there's a miniature model of the club, and Emily is fascinated. Leah notices.
"When I bought the land, the architects I hired made it. I liked it so much that I kept it for myself. Here," Leah explains, pointing to an area in the model, "I want to put two more indoor courts and then an Olympic pool in this part," she points to another area.
"Wow, I hope to try both," says Emily.
"I'm sure you will."
Emily stares at her for a second, she wants to kiss her again, but first things first.
"Emma already has all the case details. She talked to Mia and they've arranged to meet at the office so she can bring all the information. When we have that documentation, we'll start with the strategy. As I told you, Emma will handle everything and I'll assist in whatever is necessary."
Leah nods; she likes the way the woman in front of her works. She hasn't wasted time in managing everything.
"I appreciate it," says Leah, and immediately a mocking smile appears on her face. "Did you bring me here just to tell me that?"
Emily stretches one side of her mouth.
"Technically, you brought me," she corrects, "but no, I didn't bring you just for that."
The lawyer takes two confident steps and presses against Leah. She looks at her eyes, then her lips. She launches at her mouth with less subtlety than the previous time and sighs gratefully when Leah doesn't hesitate. The two begin a frantic dance of tongues. Emily bites her lower lip and Leah moans while grabbing her by the waist and sitting her on her desk. The lawyer opens her legs slightly and the tennis player moves forward to press as close as possible to her. Emily lowers her hands, caresses her buttocks skillfully, squeezes them; they're firm, muscular. Leah feels the moisture between her legs appearing, though what also appears is the memory that she has a girlfriend whom she owes respect.
She separates from Emily suddenly. She runs her hand across her forehead and takes several steps back.
"Are you okay?" asks the attorney, completely bewildered.
Leah shakes her head and breathes several times.
"I'm sorry, Emily," she raises her gaze and connects it with the lawyer's. "I don't want it to be this way, I can't allow myself to lie to you. I'm in a relationship. She lives in another state and, although it's complicated, neither she nor you deserve this," she says, almost breathless.
The ceiling falls on Emily. She doesn't know why, but she had become very excited about Leah. It hasn't been easy to find someone who made her feel different again and, although she wasn't looking for anything and at first her trainer just seemed nice, she thought they could start to get to know each other in another sense. Once more, she decides to keep that annoying pinch that rises in her chest to herself; she closes off and doesn't show what she feels.
