Hearsay (31 page)

"So am I," Roman mouthed back at her.
 

"They're here f-for m-me," Derrick said, pressing his face to Roman's neck. "They're going to handcuff me and read me my Miranda rights and… and…" he gulped. "All those cops are here j-just for me. As if I'm criminal or something," he sobbed into Roman's shoulder. "I haven't done anything!"

Roman tightened his arms around Derrick for as long as he could without drawing people's attention, then loosened his grip and leaned back so that he could look him in the eye. "You're not going anywhere with them," he repeated in a calming tone, even though he was shaking and all kinds of furious himself. "Remember I told you I went to Criminal Court to file ABC's notice of appearance on this case and to track down the ADA?" Roman gave him a quick peck on the lips and a reassuring smile. "I can tell Lovett has him under a lot of pressure right now, but ADA Harrison decided to be decent and work with us, like he would work with any other attorneys on a different case. He agreed to arrange a time for your surrender."

Derrick stared at him blankly.

"That means no handcuffs, no police cruisers, and no press," Roman explained, using his fingertips to rub circles on the back of Derrick's neck. "We're doing this quietly and privately, on our terms. Lovett and his quest for media time can go fuck themselves."

"Am I going to lose my job?" Derrick's eyes filled with tears, but his lips weren't trembling anymore.

"You haven't been found guilty of a damn thing, and you won't be," Roman assured him. "Abramoff expects you to be back to work by Thursday."

"Okay… good…" He wiped his eyes. "So, when am I going to jail?"

"We have to be at the precinct tonight at ten o'clock. Noah will meet us at Central Booking." Roman framed Derrick's face with his hands and pressed their foreheads together. "Criminal arraignments take place from nine a.m. to one a.m. Harrison agreed to expedite booking procedures and have you in front of the judge before they stop for the night. He's also agreed to recommend you're released on your own recognizance, so we won't have to wait until the morning to post bail," he said in a hushed tone against Derrick's lips. He didn't want any strangers overhearing this conversation. "We'll get this out of the way and have you back home by two o'clock tomorrow morning."

"That is a good plan." Derrick nodded, leaning back and wiping his eyes with his hand. "I like plans."

Roman took his handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to him. "I know you do."

"Thank you for making sure they didn't take me into custody in the office. I would've died of embarrassment." Derrick rubbed his chest, took several deep breaths, and flashed a tremulous, too-brief-for-Roman's-taste smile. "I hereby proclaim you my official knight in shining armor." He gave Roman three quick kisses and a tight hug. "I knew you'd come to my rescue."

"I'll always come to your rescue, sweetheart." Roman brushed Derrick's hair and smiled back into his eyes. "The same way you came to mine." He wasn't saying that just to make Derrick feel better. Roman had been lost and feeling sorry for himself the entire past year. Now he was happy and full of hope.

Derrick let out a long sigh. He used the handkerchief to blow his nose, stuck it inside his pants pocket, and wrapped himself around Roman's body. "So how're Tyler and the other people who were arrested? Are they okay? He called me this morning… neither of us thought this would happen today," he whispered, and, even though he wasn't as upset, he still sounded nervous. "Hug me tighter, babe." He slid his hands under Roman's suit jacket. "I need you to hold me like you don't want to let me go."

Roman thought that if he hugged Derrick any tighter he might suffocate him, but he promptly did as his man asked. "I'm
never
letting you go." He kissed Derrick's red nose and answered his question. "They're still in Central Booking. Unfortunately, I was too late to make any arrangements on their behalf, so they've had to endure the usual long and tedious process and wait their turn," Roman informed him. "The court will call me when they're ready to produce Coleman and his employees for arraignment. Sergio will appear on my behalf for that."

"We don't want to give Lovett the opportunity to ambush Roman publicly today," Dani added.

"Okay…" Derrick bit his lower lip, but his eyes were full of trust when he asked, "So what do we do now?"

"I thought we could go to my place to relax for a bit," Roman said, warmth radiating through his body after hearing Derrick's question. He really liked the sound of "we" when applied to them. "Are you hungry? I never got to bring you lunch earlier."

"Yeah… you owe me, and, rest assured, I will collect. Not today, though." He shuddered. "I don't think I'll even be able to smell food until after I've heard exactly what they're charging me with."

"We can watch a movie if you want." He kissed Derrick's forehead and made a mental note to make sure he ate something. "Or we can talk…"

"Or we could make out," Derrick suggested against his lips. "That'd be nice."

Roman gulped and tried to stop himself from getting a hard-on.

Thinking about sex during such a critical time was probably insensitive and inappropriate, but he just couldn't help it. He felt burning-hot inside now that Derrick was looking at him with his amber-colored eyes shining with mischief. His flirty attitude got Roman incredibly horny, and he suddenly couldn't think of anything other than a good ass pounding.

He was
dying
to make love to Derrick, but right now Roman needed to fuck him. To hook Derrick's long legs over Roman's shoulders, slide in, and keep pushing until all he could hear were the noises made by his balls slapping against Derrick's firm ass. He'd give Derrick a few minutes to get used to his size, but once he'd gotten Derrick properly stretched and wet, Roman would start jack-hammering into his ass until they were both coming through their eyes. Then they'd take a break and start all over again.

If only I could.

"The car I ordered is here, boys." Dani said, snapping Roman out of his thoughts. "And I just got a text from Alan. Lovett and several cops are in Sergio's office." She looked outside the window with narrowed eyes. "It's time for you to go home and for me to work my magic." She grabbed her purse and briefcase and gave Derrick a hug. "Tomorrow we'll discuss when and how you'll handle the press. Until then, try to relax and get some rest. I know Roman will make sure you won't even see the inside of a holding cell."

Derrick nodded and kissed her on her cheek. "Thank you for everything, Dani."

"Don't mention it." She pulled at her suit's sleeves and rolled her shoulders. "Wait a few minutes after I start addressing the press to get out of here. This place will be empty by then." She kissed Roman's cheek. "I'll call you guys later."

Roman and Derrick held hands as they watched her leave Starbucks and cross the street. Two minutes later, she was in front of the Trenton Building, and several reporters moved swiftly towards her. News people always wanted a front-row spot when Danielle Contreras addressed a mob.

Roman closed his eyes and thanked the heavens for having Dani in his life. She was a pain in the ass when she had been trying to set him up, but she was a hell of a good friend and an asset when it came to work.

He rubbed the back of Derrick's hand with his thumb. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, please." Derrick flashed an excited smile. Granted it was brief, but it was real, and that was the most important thing right now. "I can't wait to see your place."

"You might be disappointed when you see it," Roman warned him.

"Doubt it." Derrick gave him a once over. "I'm sure your impeccable taste extends to your place of residence."

"It's not all that."

"Well, it doesn't matter to me one way or the other." He collected his briefcase and Roman's. "You can always come live with me in my
palace
if your place is a dump," he said in an
almost
amused tone, which Roman deemed as a very good sign.

Just as Dani predicted, the coffee shop was mostly deserted when Derrick and Roman exited through the front door. They walked hand in hand to the car waiting for them without paying attention to anyone, and no one gave them a second look.

Derrick leaned towards the car's window as they drove past the Trenton Building. "Do you think Lovett would blow a gasket if he knew how close I was this entire time?"

That was Derrick's second attempt at humor. Yes, Roman was keeping score.

He grinned for the first time since talking to Derrick that morning.

He knew Derrick's willingness to make light of the situation was a step in the right direction toward gaining control over his emotions. If he followed his usual pattern, a couple of lame jokes would be next, he'd find something to distract himself with, and he'd be ready to make out by the time they arrived at Roman's house. Derrick would still be worried, but he'd pretend that he wasn't, and he'd get through the rest of the day without losing his mind. Roman believed only really strong people were capable of that.

"He probably would." Roman kissed the back of Derrick's head. He couldn't stop himself. "Even if no one knew you were actually there, Lovett would think my main goal was to make fun of him and humiliate him publicly. Then he'd try to come up with ways to make me pay for it."

"Did you want to humiliate him?"

"I wanted to make sure he didn't get to turn you into the star of his three-ring circus." Roman shrugged, gaze fixed on the side of Derrick's face. It was so… perfect. It took Roman's breath away, as did his body, his charm, his personality, his smile... even his feet were pretty, as Roman had discovered when he'd spent a good five minutes sucking on his toes the other night.

Jesus
, he thought, taking his phone out of his pocket and checking his messages.
I've got it bad.
 

"You worked really hard for that knight in shining armor title," Derrick said teasingly without looking at him. "Methinks thou deserves a reward."

"I sure do." Roman's smile dwindled when he read his next message. "Sergio says the cops are still looking for you in the building," he told Derrick. "They're guarding the elevators and all exits."
 

"What the fuck is this, a witch hunt?" Derrick leaned back, rested his head on Roman's chest, and pulled his own cell phone out. "Someone ought to tell him I like
Wicked
. Just paint me green and call me Elphaba," he grumbled.

Roman's smile came back in full force.
That
was
definitely
a lame joke.

"Did they do this to Tyler?" Derrick asked.
 

"No, they didn't." Roman put his arm over Derrick's shoulder. "The child molestation charges are damaging enough, and the press would've found out about it as soon as the arrests started. This public display has nothing to do with Coleman. It's just Lovett's attempt to both damage ABC's reputation and make us lose clients."

"He's messing with the wrong people." Derrick tilted his head up and kissed Roman's chin. "I almost feel sorry for the guy, but not quite. He's an ugly person with lots of warts."

Roman chuckled. Derrick's constant references to fairy tales never ceased to amuse him.

"You're going to tell your family I didn't do anything, aren't you?" Derrick asked a few seconds later in a subdued tone. "I don't know what I'd do if they changed their opinion about me and decided I'm not good for you."

"I already called them when I was on my way to you." Roman put his other arm around Derrick and rested his chin on Derrick's head. "They all know what's going on, and they're outraged on your behalf. Mom wanted to know if they could go to court to show their support when you get arraigned."

"Malena and Jerome asked me the same," Derrick said. "I told them it wasn't necessary for this, so they said they'll come to see me tomorrow."
 

"Yes, I told Mom our strategy is to keep everything low-key today. She said she expects a phone call from you as soon as you're out of court. I was instructed to give you her number."

Derrick didn't say anything, but his sigh of relief was as deep as it was long, and Roman felt it in his own body.

"I had a terrible meeting with one of my clients earlier," Derrick said a couple of minutes later. "She really is horrible to me sometimes and blames me when things don't go her way when we appear in court. Want to hear what she did today?"

Roman nodded and settled into his seat, ready to listen to Derrick as he went through his "get distracted" stage.

The woman couldn't stop herself from harassing her soon-to-be ex-husband. She stalked him, hacked into his emails, and contacted the women he'd been with. Apparently, Mrs. Chianti was determined to discover how long he'd been cheating on her. The list of all the stunts she'd pulled went on and on.

Derrick was still listing them when they got out of the car and walked up to Roman's Upper East Side house. "…and now she thinks she can accuse me of legal malpractice. Can you believe that? I mean—oh, my
God
!"

Roman looked at Derrick over his shoulder, his index finger hovering over the security alarm panel next to the front door. "What is it?"

"I thought you said your place wasn't 'all that'," Derrick said, making air quotation marks. "That was an extremely misleading statement, counselor."

Roman finished entering the security code and followed Derrick inside. "Well, it isn't."

Derrick snorted. "Oh, my God," he said again, almost instantly. "Everything is built around an inside patio! And there's a fountain. This is amazing, Roman. How did you manage to find a house that belongs in the French Quarter here in Manhattan? Man, I want to marry this place!"

A satisfied smile split Roman's lips. He'd known Derrick would love his house.
 

Derrick was like a kid in a candy store, sliding his fingertips over sofas, tables, lamps, walls, and any other object that caught his attention. He looked at the patio from every floor, he smelled things, leaned down to get a closer look, and spun in place to take in his surroundings. He "oohed" and "aahed" the entire time as Roman gave him a thorough tour.