Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:39:17 +1100 (EST) From: george Subject: Pro Bono 13 Warning: the following story contains graphic descriptions of male/male/female sex between consenting adults. If that sort of thing bothers you, or you are a minor, or it is illegal for you to read this type of content under the laws of your area, don't read any further. This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Accolades, encouragement, suggestions, comments, and corrections are welcome and gladly accepted. Flames will be utterly ignored. dog_oocl@yahoo.com.au Chapter 13. I dial the No. Roslyn gave me, a female voice comes on line, "Keswick & Markey Chartered Accountant, how may I help you?" I asks for John Markey, "It is a personal matter, my name is James Menzie, solicitor from New South Wales Legal Aid". "John Markey here, what can I do for you, Mr. Menzie? I have been keeping up with my monthly child support, I hope my ex-wife is not trying to cause some trouble for me after all these years" "No, Mr. Markey, as a matter of fact, it is not about your wife, it is relating to a criminal matter that concerns your son Ross Markey" "Is he having some drug problem? Is he hurt?" He is alarmed. "No, but it is much more serious, he is involved in a case of manslaughter. I think it is better for me to provide you with the details of his case face to face. Besides, I have a feeling that Ross' current mental state is extremely brittle, and his mother is not in any better condition either, you physical presence could be vital to his well-being". There is a long silence, maybe he doesn't care. "Right, I'll get my secretary to book me on the next available flight to Sydney, how long do you need me for? Just that I need to arrange accommodation" "Initially a week, then probably another week during the actual trial, only if you wish to attend, after that, I really can't say, it all depends on the outcome of the trial" "I'll call you back as soon as I get the flight details" I give him my phone No. Ten minutes later, he calls back, "I'll be in Sydney by 6:30 pm, I booked myself into The Travelodge at the Hyde Park. Would you like to join me for dinner at the hotel, say around 7:30?" I remember I've arranged to share dinner with Benjamin at his place tonight. "No, but how about coming to my place and join me and my partner for a simple home cook meal instead?" I ring Ben at work, "Hi, Ben, I'm sorry to impose this on you, but I have asked a client of mine to join us for dinner at your place tonight, I hope you don't mind. He invited me to his hotel for dinner, but I'm dying for a home cook meal with you, and I told my client it would be a simple meal, so don't go into any trouble, there is a bit of work involved, but afterward, I'm all yours. I'll be you place around six-thirty to give you a hand, or two". He giggles. "Is he gay? or does he know about our all male household?" "No, he married twice. But if our relationship offends him, that is his problem. Besides, the case does have a gay overtone" Before I leave the office, I ask one of the trainees, the final year law students, to find me the news clipping on the murder of Father O'Connor. It was only a tiny column in the Syndey Morning Herald when it was first reported. I'm sure we'll get a more prominent coverage by tomorrow. Just to be safe, I better lay my little ground work beforehand. I call my mate at one of the tabloid in town, The Daily Telegraph, giving him enough information without going into any details, off the record as usual, and, "the best way to get more information is to call your mate Det. Rogerson at the Darlinghurst Station". It should be a front page for Father O'Connor. All the ingredients of a best seller are here, Catholic priest, homosexual relationship, child abuse, possible coverup, murder, body found inside the church, pictures of naked boys, bloody sensational. When I arrive at Ben's place, he is in the kitchen busy preparing our dinner. I have always been a lousy cook, I could make a few simple dishes, but nothing like what Ben could, he is a natural. I embrace him from behind, kiss him on his neck, "Hi, gorgeous", I start licking the lobes of his ears. "Stop now, Jamie, or we'll never get the dinner ready" I keep going, moving my hands downward until I find the hard lump, licking behind his ears always produce the same effect. I unzip his fly, find the opening of his boxer shorts, pass the wiry mat of hair, get hold of the solid tube. I turn him around and kiss him on the mouth, I can taste the red wine he has been drinking. I slide my hands under his polo shirt, find the two hard nipples, rubbing them with my finger tips, muffled moans escape between our lips. I let go of the nipples, unbuckle his belt, push his trousers and boxer shorts lower, his exposed cock now poking against my hard on. At the background I could hear the TV is playing the ABC News theme music, shit, it must be seven already, better hurry up before Mr. Markey arrives. I swallow Ben's cock until my nose bury into his pubes, the smell of a mixture of soap fragrance and light male musk, taking the solid flesh deep into my throat, replenishing my oxygen between each pull and push, within minutes, Ben utters a loud groan, signalling the arrival of my due reward, the taste of sweet come ejeculating from his pulsating cock. I vacuum the last drop from him, look down at my watch, quarter pass seven, enough time for a quick shower. I jump onto my feet, kiss him deep, share the taste of his come with him, "I love you Ben", "I love you too". My hard on has to wait. I play with Ben's soft fur on his arm, resting my head next to his on the sofa, "Ben, do you think I'm getting too involved with my clients? doing things beyond my job description?" "No, I don't think so, Jamie. You love your job, you love to help people, to get them off the hook from the unjust system, and on top, to practice your brand of value on social justice. Take what you did for Tomas, and as a result of that, he is now living a full life, all thanks to you, and all thanks from me to him as well, for bringing you out of your closet, into my arms. If you are looking for a normal client relationship, you'll be working for a private practice, more money, less hassle. This Legal Aid job has the lowest pay rate in your profession, pro bono jobs are for the suckers, and I must say, you are a bloody outstanding one" I punch him hard. The door bell rings, time to meet the boring accountant. Standing in front of me is a guy in his mid 30s, my height, tanned, thick set body in a Billabong T-shirt and shorts, clean shaven, square jaw, brown piercing eyes, short coppery red hairs. Will never try to stereotype people in the future. "Hi, you must be John, I'm James Menzie, please come in" firm handshake. "Nice place you have" "Thanks, let me introduce to you, my partner Benjamin Miller" I watch for his reaction. No look of surprise, no hesitation, friendly handshake and greetings. I start to like him already. "A glass of red? or something stronger?" "Red is fine, thanks" I fill him in on Ross' predicament, and the desparate situation his ex-wife in, "I mentioned to your ex-wife, Roslyn, that she is entitled to emply another lawyer to handle the case, and if you wish, you are welcome to do so. Of course, it will be costly, my professional advice, any competent lawyer should have a better than fifty percent chance of getting an acquittal in this trial, private lawyer or Legal Aid" "I like the status quo, I think Ross is very fortunate to have you as his defence lawyer, I did a little research myself, and almost all the information I got from the internet labeled you a maverick lawyer, and I think Ross is in good hand" "Well John, you certainly know how to flatter a man, thank you. So, tell me a bit about yourself, I understand that you have entered into a second marriage, do you have any kids with your second wife? Does she know the purpose of your trip?" "Did Roslyn told you that?" "No, I got some information from Ross, that you left them for another woman, and a bit from Roslyn's neighbor Mrs. Wrendt" "There is no second marriage, as a matter of fact, my partner is a he" Talking of life is full of surprises, this is most unexpected. He continues. "Roslyn and I were childhood sweetheart, we were neighbors, we went to the same co-ed, we got married when we were only 18. We were a model couple. Looking back now, all I could say is that I was living a lie, I knew from the very young age that I was attracted to men, but I was truly in love with Rosly, and I thought by marrying Roslyn, I could stop my sexual attraction to men. I never did anything with my sexuality, I had no intimate contact with a man, Roslyn was my only sexual partner. Until I met Kurt at the final exam for the qualification of Chartered Accountant. It was more than sex, it was like I found a soul mate, discovered my true self, I fell in love with him right there and then. We were having regular meetings behind Roslyn's back for over a year, but the feeling of guilt had the better of me, I told Roslyn, at first she took it calmly, telling me she would forgive me if I agreed to end the relationship with Kurt. I said no, I wanted a divorce, I wanted to live with Kurt, and things turned ugly from there on. Her being a devout Catholic, I guess the double whammy, divorce and homosexuality, hit her hard. I figure after I left her, she felt too shameful to tell the truth, especially not to her son, so she simply told everyone I left for another woman" He takes a large gulp of the red, then continues. "I never stop loving her, and not a day goes by I don't think of Ross. I agreed to all her demand for the divorce settlement. She got the house, and seventy percent of my income, until Ross reaches the age of 25. She wouldn't even let me have any contact with Ross. I could have gone to court to demand my visiting right, but I felt I'd hurt her enough, and I didn't want to put her through anymore trauma, and hoped that she might just come around one day. My only source of news on them came from her grandparents. They are very sympathetic towards me, and I was sorry to hear that Roslyn started drinking heavily, but I was also relieved to hear that Ross was coping well, and took on the responsibility of an adult, looking after his mother and carrying on with his schooling. Now, this, it is all my fault" Tears streaming down his cheeks. Ben and I sit with him quietly, to allow him to let off some of his pent-up emotions. He wipes off his tears, "Thanks for the audience, it's been a while since I talk about my relationship with my ex" "Go for it, it'll do you good" He talks about his partner, Kurt Keswick, and his work. They are planning their seachange for next year. They are going to move from Queensland to Nimbim, a hippie town in Northern New South Wales, to breed Droughtmaster cattle. They'll still be doing some accounting work, because the cattle breeding business could take four to five years before it turns profitable. Then he asks me how to handle the meetings with Roslyn and Ross. "I think you should meet Ross first, the best approach is to tell him the truth up front. The last thing you want is for him to learn the truth during the trial, pre-emptive strike, and honesty, in my opinion, should work well. Once Ross is on side, Roslyn should pose no threat, and I could see that she is like someone coming out of a long coma, and I believe she now wants to do the right thing for Ross, a catalyst for her to move on from her failed marriage. Perhaps something good comes out of all this" After dinner, I go through with him the defence strageties, the pros and cons, and possible outcomes. I advise him he should stay out of the prosecutor's sight, his sexuality could harm his son's defence, and John himself might be painted as a demon in the whole affair. We arrange to meet up 9 a.m. tomorrow, big day for father and son. (To be continued.....)