Her copper skin glowed under the light of the candles, which were the source of the jasmine fragrance in the air. She was sitting with one leg dangling over the side of the recliner and the other propped to expose just enough of her shapely thigh to cause a slight bulge in Paul’s jeans. Though she rarely ate meat anymore, she had ass and hips that could’ve only been born of pork. Marlene was fine as wine and twice as sweet, generally.

She and Paul had met right after he was released from prison. He had been picked up for having weed on him and she was the public defender assigned to his case. The prosecutor wanted to send Paul back to jail on a parole violation, but Marlene convinced him otherwise. Since the police had illegally searched Paul and whipped his ass in the process, she threatened to go public with it. After what had happened with Louima and Diallo, the city didn’t need any more bad press. The charge was knocked down to a misdemeanor and a fine.

Paul was so grateful that he offered to take Marlene to dinner as a way of thanking her, since he didn’t have to pay for her services. Normally, Marlene wouldn’t have dreamed of dating a client, but there was something about Paul that moved her. He had a thug’s exterior but the poise of a true gentleman. As Marlene got to know the man behind the case file, she found herself falling for him. Nearly two years later, she found herself a star defense attorney for a high-profile firm, and madly in love with the man she’d saved.

Paul crept silently over to the recliner. Marlene had her head back and her eyes closed, but he knew she wasn’t asleep. She was probably just waiting for him to take the initiative, as usual. Marlene often subjected Paul to these subtle tests. He didn’t know if it was to piss him off, or because she was really that insecure. Whatever the case, Paul dealt with it.

Leaning over the back of the recliner, Paul placed a kiss on her heart-shaped lips. She cracked a smile and kissed him back. Her lips tasted like honey and her breath smelled of mints. Yes, Paul was truly a lucky man.

“I missed you,” she said, casting her soft brown eyes up at him.

He snaked over the arm of the chair and sat beside her. “I missed you, too, sweetheart.” Paul took the joint from the ashtray on the end table and relit it. After taking two long tokes, he handed it to Marlene. “So, how was your day, counselor?”