Back Against The Wall {Chapter 21}

Time passed like lightning for Adrian after he got Logan out of the shower and some food in his system. Anxiety was running high, and the two kept quiet so that one didn’t snap at the other and bite their heads off. That was the last thing they needed: animosity between them right before the trial. Logan was being surprisingly level-headed about it, but maybe he was just starting to realize just how detrimental the entire thing was to his future, with Adrian and without him.1

At about two, Logan came up behind Adrian in the bedroom, unable to hold himself back. He wrapped his arms around the lawyer and began to graze his lips down his neck teasingly. Adrian gasped and gripped at Logan’s forearms, leaning back into the other man.2

Adrian breathed out a heady curse and his hips pushed back into a growing and prominent erection pressing into the curve of his backside. Logan slipped one hand into the pajama pants his lover had put on after stripping out of the wet slacks, pushing them down just far enough to cup his ass, fingers trailing delicate skin, the other arm still wrapped around him. Adrian’s gasp resurfaced again, his head kicking back against the other’s shoulder.3

Logan groaned and pushed his hips forward, bare skin greedy for contact. His fingers found Adrian’s entrance and pushed slowly in. Adrian gasped and arched against the other, the reaction doubling as Logan’s hand covered his erection that had been straining the front of the flannel pants.4

Logan began to work his finger in and out of his lover, listening to the breathy moans and gasps coming from him, and he smiled a little. The younger man maneuvered Adrian to the couch and murmured in his ear to kneel on it, and the older man did as he was instructed. 5

“Fuck me,” Adrian murmured huskily, and Logan grinned a bit wider, keeping his fingers inside of the older man as he pushed himself inside, stroking slowly over his erection at the same time. Adrian cursed and arched again, pulling a low growl of pure arousal out of Logan.6

It was slow and sensual, and Adrian could feel the heat rising with every stroke. He was writhing beneath Logan as he thrust slowly into him, teasing his prostate with his fingers at the same time, and jerking him off to top it all off. His hands were clenched fiercely to the throw pillow he’d found to rest his forehead on.7

His orgasm came up on him fast, momentarily blinding him as he cried out, arching his back and bucking forward. He wasn’t even aware of Logan still pushing inside of him until he felt that familiar warmth filling him, paired with a low groan of completion.8

Afterward, Adrian dragged Logan into the shower, and the tension was gone, if only momentarily. Once they emerged, though, anxiety caught them in its cage once more.9

Their hearing was set for five, and so at four Adrian was in his room, putting on his best suit. He bit his lip and glanced over to Logan, who was just watching him silently.10

“Hey, could you look in the back of my closet for me? I think I’m missing something,” Adrian said with a little smile. Logan smiled back and nodded, glad to be feeling productive. He walked over to his closet and began to look through it. Adrian watched.11

“What are you missing?” came Logan’s muffled question, and Adrian laughed softly, doing up his tie with ease, the silvery-purple fabric sliding through his fingers, settling on his black dress shirt and off-setting it.12

“Look above you. You see that big black bag? Open it,” the lawyer instructed, and he could almost see Logan’s frown as he unzipped the bag.13

“It’s another suit, Adrian,” the younger man deadpanned, and Adrian shook his head.14

“Get it out,” he instructed, and Logan did, shooting a quizzical look in the process. “It’s too big for me, and I figure you could wear it. You need to look your best after all.”15

Logan gave a shy smile as he fingered the deep brown lapels of the coat, sizing it up. The shirt was a creamy off-white that would set off Logan’s skin and tattoos perfectly, and the rest was black, with a golden tie.16

“Where’d you get it?” the man asked in reverence, and Adrian got a secret smile on his face.17

“Oh, that old thing? I’ve had it forever,” he said offhandedly as he slid on his black slack, securing them with a simple black belt. Logan’s look clearly stated he didn’t believe him. “Fine, fine, I bought it for you.”18

“How d’you know it’s gonna fit?” Logan asked, cocking his head to the side, and Adrian chuckled a bit, pulling on his shoes.19

“Well, put it on and see how it does instead of speculating,” Adrian suggested, and Logan bit his lip. He was quick to shed his casual clothing, soon buttoning up the shirt. Adrian smiled, as his theory was proven right. The slacks and tie came next, and Logan was fighting with it.20

“Adrian, I don’t know how to fuckin’ do a tie,” Logan whined with a slight frown. Adrian laughed softly and walked over, grabbing the tie out of his lover’s fingers before he crushed it out of frustration.21

“Here, let me,” he murmured gently, looking up at the taller man through his eyelashes as his fingers looped the tie around itself into a perfect triangular knot. “There.”22

“Thanks.” Logan’s voice was barely a whisper as he leaned forward and caught Adrian’s lips in a passionate kiss. He gasped and grasped onto Logan’s biceps as he pressed hungrily into the kiss.23

The lawyer pulled away first, smiling a bit and pressing his lips to Logan’s nose softly before turning and pulling on his suit jacket. Logan hurried to get himself dressed the rest of the way.24

“Ready?” Adrian asked, turning to see Logan dressed completely in the suit, and he had to bite his lip to stop himself from pouncing the man right on the spot. The dark color set off his skin perfectly, and the gold tie lit up his eyes. “You look amazing…”25

Logan smiled shyly. “So do you,” he pointed out, and Adrian looked down, chuckling.26

“It’s nothing special,” he replied offhandedly, and Logan shook his head.27

“If ‘nothing special’ means ‘looking amazing in a suit’, I guess you’re right,” the younger man said with a dimpled grin, and Adrian grinned a bit wider.28

“Come on, Logan, we don’t want to be late,” the lawyer said, reaching his hand out for Logan’s. The younger man took it right as his cell phone rang in his pocket. Adrian fished it out and answered.29

“Hart,” he responded in a professional voice that made Logan grin a bit. Adrian rolled his eyes at the response.30

“Hart, I need to talk to you before the trial,” came Tony’s gravely serious voice, and Adrian frowned.31

“All right,” he replied carefully, knowing by now to tread softly when the DA was angry, because it was like an explosion: it didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was deadly.32

“Meet me in the conference room at the jailhouse in fifteen minutes.” Tony’s brisk tone made Adrian nervous, but the decisive click tripled it. He sighed.33

“What’s up?” Logan asked, and Adrian shrugged.34

“Tony just wants to talk to me before the trial,” he explained, and Logan nodded. “I have to meet him in fifteen minutes, so let’s go.”35

It took ten minutes to get to the tall brick building that, inside, would decide both their fates simultaneously. Adrian sighed and hugged Logan once before telling him he’d be in the courtroom in a few moments, instructing him where to go.36

The lawyer slid into the conference room, finding that Tony wasn’t there yet. He had his case file tucked neatly under his arm, and he sat down at the long table, beginning to rifle through what he had, hoping it’d be enough.37

“Hart!” came the distinct, barking voice of the District Attorney as he stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him with a huff. Adrian looked up from his papers, genuinely confused by the anger in his tone. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sleeping with him?” he demanded, standing right in front of the other man, across the table. Adrian instantly knew why his boss had come.38

Tony was enraged. He was beyond enraged. There wasn’t even a word for the fire that was licking at his eyes. His fists were clasped at his side; his muscles were clenched much like his nerves. This, this little… scandal could ruin everything; though in the back of his mind he told himself this could be the perfect time for him to come out. That wasn’t where his thoughts were at the moment, however.39

Adrian, on the other hand, looked taken aback, confused even, before he thought a second and it all clicked. He’d never given that particular rule a second thought. He figured he was too close to the defendant to actually be able to defend him in a court of law, thanks to a conflict of interest, but he figured no one would find out.40

Oh, boy, was he wrong.41

“I… fuck,” Adrian started, trailed off, and cursed running his hands through his hair, gripping at it before dropping his hands in defeat. Tony was seething by this point.42

“You know how the fuck this makes me look, Adrian?” he bellowed, his voice harsh and husky, running a hand through his own already-haphazard hair, cocking his hip out and fighting the urge to pace.43

“Why, because I’m gay or because I have relations with a defendant?” Adrian snapped back, standing and knocking over his chair in the process. Tony’s eyes positively burned with anger for a moment as he glared at Adrian before he became professional again, regaining control of his temper.44

There was a moment of tense silence before Tony sighed.45

“You think you can still win this, if I don’t give it to someone else?” he asked, and Adrian looked hard at his boss, sizing him up with a frown. He considered it for a moment, thinking over all the information he knew from his case files and witness reports.46

“I don’t know,” he finally admitted, and Tony frowned as well.47

“Dude, I realize that Martha’s the prosecuting attorney, but you’ve beaten her before, easy,” the DA pointed out, and Adrian sighed, running his fingers through his hair.48

“Yeah, but I wasn’t personally involved in those cases,” Adrian pointed out, and it was Tony’s turn to run his fingers through his hair, beginning to pace as he shook his head.49

“That’s it. Look, I’m gonna have to give this case to someone else, or else I’ve gotta find myself a new ‘best attorney in LA,’” the DA finally spoke evenly as he stood still. Adrian’s lips parted, he sighed and closed them, nodding in defeat. “If you can’t win this, I have to do it. It may not be illegal, but if someone else found out about this, it could be very bad for the firm, and I really don’t want to fuck that shit up just because of your little love affair. We both have reputations.”50

Adrian ran his fingers through his hair as he considered this. It was true that if someone found out about this, it’d spell bad news for either of them.51

“Okay,” Adrian said in a soft tone, submissive and defeated. He also couldn’t help but feel like he’d just signed over the ‘guilty’ plea for his lover. “Who are you transferring it to?”52

“I’m gonna have to give it to Trevor,” Tony explained, and Adrian cursed, running his fingers through his hair. That wouldn’t do well at all. Trevor wasn’t the most eloquent man unless he was talking poetry; he liked the guy well enough, but he was no lawyer.53

“No! He can’t talk his way out of a paper bag when it comes to the law! You’re signing his guilty plea by giving it to him!” the lawyer protested vehemently, and Tony sighed, shaking his head and slipping his hands into the pockets of his slacks, genuinely feeling bad for the other lawyer. It was obvious he cared for the defendant, and wasn’t just sleeping with him.54

“He’s the only lawyer who’s available to pick up a case, Adrian. I’m sorry,” the DA replied in a sympathetic voice, and this time it was Adrian’s turn to really start pacing.55

“Goddamnit!” Adrian cursed, stopping and sighing out harshly, looking to his boss, his hazel eyes hard. “No, fuck no, I’m keeping this if that’s the case. I’m not losing this because of some frilled-up Nancy boy who’d rather read Walt Whitman than law textbooks. I’m going to fuckin’ win this.”56

“Okay, man,” Tony said peacefully with a slight nod. “I have the utmost faith in you.” Before Adrian was able to speak again, his boss had turned on his heel and was on his way out the door. When the door slammed shut behind him, Adrian sighed and collapsed back into the chair.57

He had to win this, because no one else would.58

He stood up after a moment, sighing out heavily and making his way to the assigned courtroom. He saw that Logan was talking to someone, and he smiled a bit.59

“I’m glad you’re here, Kale,” came Logan’s brusque voice, and he chuckled a bit, touching his shoulder to let him know he was there before slipping into the chair at the table they were going to be residing through the trial. Logan nodded a bit to acknowledge, but didn’t do anything more.60

“I had to. You’re my friend,” Kale replied, and Adrian looked up to see him smiling at his lover, and he shook his head before opening up his file.61

“Thanks,” Logan replied, and then there was a commotion of rustling, which made Adrian look up again. He cocked his head to the side when he saw Logan holding his friend tightly, his eyes shut. He smiled softly again and looked away so as to give his lover a bit of privacy.62

“You’ll get out of this,” Kale’s voice wafted through the somewhat empty courtroom, and he heard Logan grunt and hold his friend tighter.63

“I know I will,” his lover murmured. “I’ll see you after the trial.” With that, Adrian heard Logan’s heavy footsteps approaching him, and he looked up again, the smile still on his face.64

“You okay?” he asked softly, and Logan nodded with a small smile, settling in his seat and folding his arms, shifting slightly. He was nervous, especially now that they were really there, waiting.65

Adrian looked up when he heard the courtroom door open, and the pointed ‘click click’ of heels on the hard floor. He looked straight up at Martha, who just smirked a bit insolently at him and claimed the other table. Adrian’s eyes quickly averted from his adversary to check out the guy who was charging Logan with assault.66

The plaintiff looked like he should have been the one under prosecution for assault, and he could understand why the battery part of the charge had been dropped. It’d take a tank to actually hurt the man. He was about six foot, at least 250 pounds, and a scowl that could piss anybody off. His hard eyes were dark, calculating, and he was dressed in a suit that was entirely too expensive for the trial that was about to get underway. 67

Not long after both attorneys had settled, the judge was introduced, and the trial went into full swing.68

Jacob stood near the witness stand, his arms crossed heavily over his chest and his dark eyes were closed-off. He scanned the preceding and couldn’t help but smile and let his eyes soften slightly as he saw Kale sitting there, looking anxious. His lover returned the smile tightly. Adrian did a quick glance between them, but he didn’t have much time to think about it.69

“Who will be speaking on behalf of the plaintiff, George Wilson?” the judge inquired in a serious voice. She had long, grey hair sweeping across her forehead, a no-nonsense disposition and a back as straight as a ruler.70

“Martha Peterson,” Adrian’s rival declared, standing to her decent height. Her dark hair fell over her eyes in a slight curl, hiding the cold and intelligent truth behind them.71

“And who will be speaking on behalf of the defendant, Logan Sanders?” This was protocol, all too easy to glide over.72

“Adrian Hart, your Honor,” Adrian said respectfully as he stood up, smiling a bit to the judge before glancing over at Martha. She had a lingering smirk at the corner of her lips, as if she were trying to mock him as she kept her eyes on her opponent. If this made Adrian nervous, he didn’t show it. He just nodded to the judge and took his seat beside Logan once more.73

Martha and her arrogance immediately irritated Logan, not to mention her insolent glances his way. If it had been a week before, the juvenile would have jumped up by now and ripped the lady’s fucking head off, but now he just tried to focus on what Adrian was doing beside him. It definitely calmed him.74

“Logan Sanders, you have been charged with the felony of assault. How do you plead?”75

Logan stood up, biting his lip for a second before straightening and confidently replying with, “Not guilty, your Honor.” With a nod from the judge, he took his seat once more.76

“Opening statements, attorneys.” Logan thought the judge sounded bored. Hell, he would have been too. He couldn’t imagine how many assault cases had gone through this court before, ranging from petty to attempted murder. He didn’t envy anyone, really, in the service of the law.77

“The defendant seemed to be a loose cannon the night of February seventh, looking for a fight, and when he found my client, he thought maybe he’d blow off a little steam. He attacked my client head-on, and only stopped after he brandished a knife at the defendant. He assaulted my client without any regard for the law.” 78

Martha’s statement was first, and Logan growled ‘bullshit’ under his breath, but Adrian grabbed his knee softly and began stroking the inside, calming him down momentarily with a soft murmur of ‘it’s okay’ in his ear before standing and presenting his opening statement.79

“The plaintiff unlawfully threatened my client with a deadly weapon without being provoked on the night of February seventh. My client may have said a few words that were out of line, but none garnered the response he got from the plaintiff. My client was in no way threatening the plaintiff’s life. Self-defense is defined as such: actions taken by a person to prevent another person from causing harm to one's self, one's property or one's home. When the assailant attempts to attack another and there is no mutual combat, the person attacked may defend himself. My client was merely attempting to defend himself from the unreasonable actions of the plaintiff.”80

“Thank you. You may now call your first witness to the stand, Mr. Hart,” the judge stated flatly, and Adrian nodded before going through a quick check of the list.81

“I’d like to call Brandon Davis to the stand, your Honor.”