one of the first questions when a client shows up unannounced in a panic at their lawyer's office. I'm tempted to ask what he thinks I'd be arrested for but I'm here for one reason and one reason only. "No, it's nothing like that."
"Tell me what it is, Lilly." He grins at me. "The first step is the hardest. You need to confess if I'm going to help you with anything."
I soak in his features. I've always thought he was very handsome. I felt a misplaced emotional connection to him after my grandmother died and he took time out of his life to help me pack up her things. It was a kind gesture that I absorbed as more than that. He set me straight by explaining how much he cared for the woman he was dating at the time. He let me down, effortlessly and easily, even though I never revealed that I was crazy about him.
"I can start guessing if you want?" He sits up straighter. "Do you have a bunch of unpaid traffic tickets?"
"I don't own a car, Garrett."
"Did you steal a chocolate bar from the bodega by your place?"
I can't contain a small smile. "I'm trying to eat less sugar."
"You didn't punch someone on the subway, did you?" His gaze slides over my face. "We won't have a case unless he was feeling you up."
"I want to punch someone," I mutter under my breath.
"Who?" He tilts his chin up. "Did someone do something to you?"
I have to tell him. I got in the taxi with every intention of being mature and professional about this. It's just a picture. I need to just spit the words out so he can tell me what my next step should be. "I…there's a picture of me…I'm naked and…"
I'm so startled by the sudden ringing of my smartphone that it falls from my palm onto the carpeted floor of his office. I reach down, fumbling for it, all the while aware that I just confessed to there being a nude photo of me in existence.
"Do you need to get that?" He's on his feet now, peering over his desk to where I'm on my hands and knees on the floor.
I hit the mute button after I see Clive's name flash across the screen. I look up into Garrett's face. "No. I need you to help me. I've ruined my life."
Chapter 4
"I'm going to need to see that picture, Lilly," Garrett says as he helps me back into the chair in front of his desk.
"Why?" I push my phone into my purse. "I told you that I was nude. Don't you believe me?"
"I believe you. I just need to know what we're dealing with." He sits down in the chair next to me. "Tell me about the picture. Did someone post it online?"
"I'm not sure," I answer honestly.
"You're not sure?" He clears his throat. "I'm your attorney. You don’t need to be embarrassed. I can help but only if I have a clear understanding of what's going on."
I'm telling myself that he's right. My mind knows it but the knot that has formed in the pit of my stomach isn't agreeing with that. "I'll start at the beginning."
"It's a good place." He pats his hand over my knee.
I lean back in the chair hopeful that the slight bit of physical distance I've created between us will help me feel less exposed. "I met a guy named Parker when I was testing out a dating app. That was months ago."
"Did you send him a picture over the app?"
I reach for my neck, my fingers searching in vain for the necklace my mother gave to me on my fourteenth birthday. "The app didn't work so we started emailing."
"You emailed the picture then?" His tone is patient and soft even though it's almost six o'clock and his day should be done by now.
"No, I snail mailed it. He asked me to send him a Polaroid picture." I drop my hands to my lap. "I did that. I sent some other things with the picture."
"What other things?" He leans back in the chair, crossing his legs. "Did you send more than one picture?"
"Just the one." My index finger darts into the air. "I sent a letter and the panties that I was wearing in the picture."
"So you weren't completely nude in the photograph?"
My hand leaps to my chest. "My breasts…they show in
"Tell me what it is, Lilly." He grins at me. "The first step is the hardest. You need to confess if I'm going to help you with anything."
I soak in his features. I've always thought he was very handsome. I felt a misplaced emotional connection to him after my grandmother died and he took time out of his life to help me pack up her things. It was a kind gesture that I absorbed as more than that. He set me straight by explaining how much he cared for the woman he was dating at the time. He let me down, effortlessly and easily, even though I never revealed that I was crazy about him.
"I can start guessing if you want?" He sits up straighter. "Do you have a bunch of unpaid traffic tickets?"
"I don't own a car, Garrett."
"Did you steal a chocolate bar from the bodega by your place?"
I can't contain a small smile. "I'm trying to eat less sugar."
"You didn't punch someone on the subway, did you?" His gaze slides over my face. "We won't have a case unless he was feeling you up."
"I want to punch someone," I mutter under my breath.
"Who?" He tilts his chin up. "Did someone do something to you?"
I have to tell him. I got in the taxi with every intention of being mature and professional about this. It's just a picture. I need to just spit the words out so he can tell me what my next step should be. "I…there's a picture of me…I'm naked and…"
I'm so startled by the sudden ringing of my smartphone that it falls from my palm onto the carpeted floor of his office. I reach down, fumbling for it, all the while aware that I just confessed to there being a nude photo of me in existence.
"Do you need to get that?" He's on his feet now, peering over his desk to where I'm on my hands and knees on the floor.
I hit the mute button after I see Clive's name flash across the screen. I look up into Garrett's face. "No. I need you to help me. I've ruined my life."
Chapter 4
"I'm going to need to see that picture, Lilly," Garrett says as he helps me back into the chair in front of his desk.
"Why?" I push my phone into my purse. "I told you that I was nude. Don't you believe me?"
"I believe you. I just need to know what we're dealing with." He sits down in the chair next to me. "Tell me about the picture. Did someone post it online?"
"I'm not sure," I answer honestly.
"You're not sure?" He clears his throat. "I'm your attorney. You don’t need to be embarrassed. I can help but only if I have a clear understanding of what's going on."
I'm telling myself that he's right. My mind knows it but the knot that has formed in the pit of my stomach isn't agreeing with that. "I'll start at the beginning."
"It's a good place." He pats his hand over my knee.
I lean back in the chair hopeful that the slight bit of physical distance I've created between us will help me feel less exposed. "I met a guy named Parker when I was testing out a dating app. That was months ago."
"Did you send him a picture over the app?"
I reach for my neck, my fingers searching in vain for the necklace my mother gave to me on my fourteenth birthday. "The app didn't work so we started emailing."
"You emailed the picture then?" His tone is patient and soft even though it's almost six o'clock and his day should be done by now.
"No, I snail mailed it. He asked me to send him a Polaroid picture." I drop my hands to my lap. "I did that. I sent some other things with the picture."
"What other things?" He leans back in the chair, crossing his legs. "Did you send more than one picture?"
"Just the one." My index finger darts into the air. "I sent a letter and the panties that I was wearing in the picture."
"So you weren't completely nude in the photograph?"
My hand leaps to my chest. "My breasts…they show in
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