32 Leering Speering

Kyle's demeanor had changed when she mentioned the name of the judge. Not only did Andrea not know much about Judge Speering in particular, she had no idea why Kyle would act this way about any judge. He still looked like he was scrutinizing her for some kind of reaction.

But Kyle smiled tightly and gave a small nod of approval, as though confirming what he suspected, though Andrea still didn't understand what he had been looking for. He went back to his pacing, seeming to have trouble putting his thoughts into words. "That's good… I've just heard stories… I mean, I've seen it myself tell the truth… I'm glad that nothing…"

"What are you talking about?" Andrea asked, "You're not making sense."

Kyle rolled his shoulders as though suddenly uncomfortable. "You know you were talking about how sometimes this business can be a bit of a boys' club? Well, Ol' Leerin' Speering could be the club president. He's had a raft of complaints about various kinds of behavior. He's a menace, an embarrassment, and frankly a wonder why he hasn't been removed from office already!"

Andrea was surprised to see Kyle getting so heated. It was kind of touching that he would be concerned for her, but also a bit condescending if he thought she wasn't capable of handling a misogynist judge. It wouldn't have been the first time. As it was, she was glad he seemed convinced that she was capable of looking after herself.

"You call him 'Leerin' Speering'?" she said disdainfully.

Kyle scrunched up his face in distaste. "Yeah, he's notorious for his wandering eye, and he's not shy about commenting on it. There are a few female prosecutors I know who try to turn it to their advantage by dressing provocatively."

"So he doesn't respect women, but he enjoys looking at them?"

Kyle nodded.

"And that's so different to what you do… how?" Andrea asked sweetly.

Kyle visibly reeled. He stammered. His eyes were wide as though horrified at the comparison. "I'm nothing like him! I respect women! I certainly respect you! I don't go around leering at them."

Andrea just raised one eyebrow.

Kyle looked contrite. "Okay, so I… do appreciate the way you look… I won't deny that I like looking, but… put it this way, when I say things like that to you, I'll be making eye contact!"

"Uh huh," said Andrea, folding her arms and raising her chin to look at him down her nose. "And how about when my back is turned, Kyle? What did you say the other day about my skirt… you were 'disappointed when I had to sit back down'?"

Kyle was lost for words. His mouth hung open slightly, but no sound emerged. To Andrea's delight a red blush came to his cheeks.

'I wish I could take a photo to savor this moment forever,' she thought.

"So were you going to suggest I try it like those friends of yours? Put on stockings and a push-up bra, come to court with my blouse unbuttoned and make sure I find a lot of excuses to 'drop my pen'?" she asked, pushing her elbows together and making fluttering doe eyes.

Kyle went even redder. Andrea wasn't sure if it was the accusation or the provocation, but she was curious how far she could push him.

"No!" Kyle said hastily. "No of course not, no, I would never… I mean… In fact," he said, seemingly glad to find an excuse to redirect the conversation, "There's probably a few things I should warn you about wearing around him. Like yeah, that skirt would be a bad idea, and you don't want anything that's got too low a neckline. You probably want to avoid that blouse that's kind of sheer…"

Andrea bit her lip to keep from laughing. For a guy trying to claim he didn't make a big deal about looking, he sure seemed familiar with her wardrobe.

"...High heels are probably okay, but I would be careful about stockings… and don't wear that maroon jacket you have, it's a little bit too…" He mimed as though he was struggling to pull a jacket closed across his chest.

Did he keep notes?? Andrea hadn't worn that one in months! It was a cute jacket, but ever since the dry cleaners had accidentally shrunk it, it was very figure hugging when she had it buttoned, or really emphasized her chest if she didn't.

"...In fact, you know what?" Kyle said, winding down. "Maybe it would be a good idea if we reviewed your outfit first before you next go to court in front of him."

"Oh, so you're worried I might dress too sexily for the dirty old judge, so you want me to give you a private show first…" asked Andrea innocently. "Is that what you're saying, Freckles?"

'Jackpot!' she thought, as Kyle went so red she thought he might give himself a nosebleed.

Kyle pulled out his chair and almost collapsed into it. He buried his face in his hands, so his voice was a little muffled as he said, "No, that's not what I… Andrea, I'm so, so sorry… I didn't mean to…"

When she felt he had suffered enough, Andrea reached over and pulled his hands away, holding them across the table from her.

"Hey, Kyle… shut up, okay. I know what you're trying to say. I know you're not a bad guy. You can be immature at times, but you don't mean any harm by it. So… you're good, okay?" She let go of one of his hands and reached out to pat his cheek. "You've just got some room for improvement!"

It was supposed to just be a playful gesture, half admonishing, half comforting. A quick pat on his cheek to say 'that's ok.' But her hand lingered, feeling the heat of his flush against her fingertips, the stubble on his cheek now long enough that it wasn't scratchy, but soft.

She could have sworn that he almost nuzzled into her a little.

It was such an intimate feeling, a sense of trust, that Kyle was putting himself into this vulnerable, tender position with her. She knew that in his current situation, she was all the hope he had to hold onto, but like this… She didn't just know it—she could feel it.

She could feel a warmth spreading up her neck towards her own cheeks, and she didn't want the moment to end… but she knew that this wasn't proper lawyer-client behavior — but it felt so good! — And she didn't want to let go of this moment of winning a victory over him, but suddenly that didn't matter! She wanted to stay like this but knew she shouldn't…

So she pulled her hand away. This was a mistake. She shouldn't be doing this. It wasn't professional. She should be setting a better example. Following the rules. A good lawyer didn't caress her clients…

…as her hand moved away, for just a moment Kyle moved with it…

And then the moment was over, and Kyle was still looking contrite, but not as upset as he had been. Still regretful for his past behavior, but smiling…

Andrea took the opportunity to grab a water bottle from her briefcase and take a long drink. It was almost like the cool water was helping quench the heat rising up her neck and threatening to reveal itself on her cheeks.

As she so often did, she resorted to professionalism as her defense mechanism.

"Very well, I might not like the way we achieved it, but you're right. The sensible thing is to lodge a request for a new arraignment, use your absence to show cause, and hopefully get another shot at bail. It's likely we'll get scheduled on Monday, so we'll probably only have two days to dig up some new arguments."

Kyle gave a small apologetic smile. "I hope I've not ruined your plans for the weekend, Blondie."

Andrea didn't want to admit that she didn't have any plans, so she just shrugged as she gathered up her papers. "Nothing that can't be rescheduled. I'll let you know when we have more to discuss."

As the door opened, Andrea stood for a moment silhouetted in the doorway. His concern had been quite sweet, even if it was unwarranted…

"Oh, and Kyle… We can plan suitable court attire as well, if it would make you feel more comfortable. Discussion only, I'm not making any promises about giving you a preview."

"So long as you're wearing a smile, Sunshine, that'll be enough for me!"