VENTURES: Ham Sandwich

Monday Morning...We were having breakfast in the cafeteria of our building.. A Typical day...

''We are meeting with an important client today...A well paying client.. We need those types ever so often after all of the pro bono work we've been doing and the pay at scale jobs we've done for the Innocence Project and Wrongful Conviction/Conviction Integrity Unit.

"Yeah, we only get payed scale"(The Lawyer's minimum) I said.

"So Who is this Client?" asked Bee Bee.

"He's an Attorney like us...Blake Wade is his name.He lives in New York, but he has a residence here in Philly and one in Atlanta...He's being charged with Mortage Fraud...We are going to be in litigation on his behalf...Perhaps we can work something out." said Yvette.

"Morgtage Fraud? Because he owns three houses?" asked Sofia.

"It means that in order to purchase them he claimed them all as his primary residence." said Kahlil.

"Very Good Kahlil. That's right.. The person on the other side of this litigation is his ex-wife.
Also an Attorney Named Elaine Wade..."said Yvette.

"I looked into her...You don't know her, but you tried a case against her late identical twin sister a few years back." said Jade.

"Her late identical twin sister?" asked Yvette...

"Yes, Erika Crawley....Daughter of Willy Crawford Jr. , the Womanizing Entreprenauer with a talent for sexual assault. She sued Olivia and Beverly's Law Firm and Beverly and Josie privately... We defended them with a little help from our friends and beat her resoundedly... She had money bet on the outcome and was into some Atlanta based gambler named Tony Salermo...He murdered her...Our friend, Greg Garland was accused of the murder, but Salerno confessed and he turned in States Evidence on several

underworld figures and is now safely stashed away in witness protection...This guy's ex- wife is her twin sister, Elaine Crawley-Wade...." said Jade.

"Oh Wowwww!" said Virginia.

"Two daughters, both lawyers and as different as day and night....Erica had a gambling problem. Elaine was more laid back...a smooth litigator....Probably daddy's little angel."said Jetty.

"This sounds like one for the books."said Bee Bee.

"I suppose we should hurry and get upstairs." I said.

"Relax, he won't be here for an hour or so." said Ms. Yvette.

"Yvette, I can't thank you enough for lending Beatrice and Sofia to me last week..."said Jazzy.

"Or lending Keith and Kahlil to me.. We really appreciated them pinch hitting for us."said her husband, Dabnis..

"Yes...we were able to finish up a large caseload of work."said Kayla..

"Same here." said her husband, Ray..

"And we dug the extra pay."I laughed..

"Yes and we thank you for lending us all four of your brilliant attorneys...They helped us win a couple of serious cases."said Jessica of the Innocence Project.

"Yeah...They really helped us reduce our workload..."said her husband and partner, Chip.

"Hey that's what friends are for...We all work in this building..Might as well help each other out from time to time."said Ms. Yvette, who never had this kind of camaraderie in our old building.

"You know how I feel about you guys and Olivia and Beverly as well...You kept me afloat until I got my staff and you're still keeping us afloat."laughed Karen Page.

"I'm waiting for that money and resources that Gil and Lester promised us."said Natalie.

"You don't think they will?" asked her husband, David.

"Yeah they will....Just when is what I'm worried about."laughed Natalie.

"I think they'll come through."said Brooke.

"I've got to go...I'm supposed to be on B.L.'s PODCAST This morning."said Sean..

"Oh that's right....Good Luck baby." said Brooke.

Giving him a slow, soft kiss..

"See you later." she whispered..

"We'll be listening." said Zoey.

"Now that work has eased up a little bit."said her husband, Lem.

"We are hardly ever in sync once the Fall begins Yvette...You guys finish a case and we get bogged down with a case." said Renee.

"We finish up all of our cases and you guys wind up with a new case." said her husband, Tyrell.

"That's what keeps the lights on in our houses and food in our refrigerators."laughed Bee Bee.

"I know that's right...but when's the last time we all ate at our homes? We eat every meal here just about."said Paris.

"Or Olivia and Beverly's house." said Tony, laughing.

"We've got to get a Cafeteria in our building."said Lee.

"Where would it go? Every floor is filled..Unlike this building...Which still has some empty floors."laughed Nina..

"I like that we can walk down here and eat here with our friends."said Carlos.

II-

Attorney Blake Wade was already here...He was standing outside our suite as we exited the elevator...

"Mrs. Yvette Jones-Lockwood and staff I presume.." he said with a pleasent smile.

"Yes that's correct!" said Yvette...."I hope you weren't standing here long...We were downstairs eating breakfast." said Yvette.

"I wasn't here long...I had a little breakfast earlier, before you all arrived..." he said with a pleasent smile.

"Come in, make yourself comfortable." said Yvette, opening our suite doors.

"Ummmmmmmmmm Yes indeed! He's cute!" whispered Virginia to Yvette as she followed us inside.

"You're a married woman Virginia....but he is handsome though." whispered Yvette.

"Just because I have the Mona Lisa ,doesn't mean I can't observe the rest of the art pieces in the museum."said Virginia.

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu you are so bad girl.....I'll remember that, tee hee." laughed Yvette.

"I thought for sure our client was going to be white...This is a nice surprise.."I whispered to my wife, Beatrice.

"It's a new day Hot Stuff...Black people have money too!" she said and giggled.

"Well, it's the conference room for us."said Sofia.

"Yupper." said Kahlil.

Jade followed us.

"I'll get some refreshments." said Virginia.

We all sat around the conference room table..

Virginia got us a pitcher of Ice Tea and Guava Punch and glasses for everyone.

"Wow this is nice....Nice Comfortable office...Cool Drinks....I already like you guys."said Blake Wade.

"Let me introduce my staff....This is Attorney Keith Jones..."said Ms. Yvette.

"Pleased to meet you sir." I said.

"And his wife, Attorney Beatrice Evans.."

"Pleased to make your acquaintence sir...You can call me Bee Bee." said Bee Bee.

"And Attorney Sofia Garcia-Ahmed.."

"Please to make your acquaintence."said Sofia...

"Attorney Kahlil Ahmed, her husband..."

"Pleased to make your acquaintence..." he said.

"Mrs. Jade Lee-Ho, our investigator."

"Hello, pleased to meet you." said Jade.

"And last but not least , Mrs. Virginia Shaw-Dukes, our Office Manager and Legal Consultant." said Ms. Yvette

"Charmed " said Virginia.

"Well, this is quite a nice and diverse staff you have here...I like this..Let me tell you why I chose you...Four years ago....I sat in a courtroom and watched my then Sister in law try a case against famed attorneys Olivia Bennett Alexander, her niece Beverly West and her staff...

"I thought the case was bogus from the start and I told Erika that and I figured like a lot of her high profile cases, she had money bet on the outcome....I know of Olivia and Beverly and their reputation as the best money can buy....but when they needed attorneys...They came to you...and you put together a masterful team of lawyers that successfully defended them and won three straight cases...I was there and I thought you guys were brilliant.

You're the attorneys , the best attorneys turn to when they need a defense....That's why I came to you guys when my ex-wife began this ridiculous probe into my business affairs and is trying to accuse me of morgtage fraud...I am totally innocent...."said Blake Wade..

"Well thank you for your faith in us...We will certainly try to help you out as much as possible."said Ms. Yvette.

"She's aligned herself with a real snake, H.Stanley Stanlison...who will be helping her out with this case." said Blake Wade.

"We know of him.." I said.

"We've tangled with him before."said Kahlil.

"So you're not intimidated?" asked Blake Wade.

"Not in the least bit..."said Bee Bee.

"Bring him on."said Sofia.

"I love their enthusiasm and fearlessness." said Blake.

''So do I"laughed Ms. Yvette, who had trained the four of us.

And meanwhile, halfway across town...

A sexy and Attractive young Black Attorney walked into the office with Deputy District Attorney Lester Burke.

''Elaine, I hope you will enjoy your stay here in this office...If you need anything, just call me...It's wifi ready...and there is a charging station for your phone."said Lester.

"VA VA VA VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" said Bruce Greene upon seeing her....

"Well Hello...I am Assistant District Attorney and former candidate for the District Attorney's Office, Bruce Greene." he said introducing himself.

''And considering you're still working in the office next door to mine..I take it you lost.." said the woman...

Lester couldn't hide his snicker....

"Uh Er Bruce...This is Elaine Wade..She's here from New York...She's working on an important Litigation...She'll be with us for a few weeks."said Lester Diplomatically.

"Hi, I'm Elaine Wade...I'll be here for a few weeks working on a litigation....Your Boss, the uh present District Attorney was gracious enough to offer me some office space in which to conduct my work.. It will be a pleasure working with you." said Elaine Wade, diplomatically.

"GA GA GAZOOOOOOOOO!" muttered Bruce Greene...He was star struck...."Well if you need anything and I mean anything...I'm just right next door...."he said.. He was surprisingly aroused...

Very aroused...and star struck. He didn't even care about her remark, which he normally would have viewed as an insult.

Lester smiled... "If Bruce wants her he can have her...He'll get no push back from me...Unlike the situation with Natika Sommers."he reasoned. He chuckled as he walked away....

She had several boxes.....Bruce helped her bring the boxes in her office and arranged them for her.

She liked his meticulous organization....She could tell he liked her...She noticed the bulge in his trousers...She smiled...He was so obvious it wasn't funny.

''Say listen , how would you like to go out for dinner, some drinks, quiet conversation..

''Why I'd love it!"said Erika...

That night as we rode home on the train..

''We had a pretty productive first meeting today...We've got another meeting at our place with him tomorrow...Hopefully we can meet with his ex-wife and her attorney and work out a settlement before this goes to a grand jury, which would mean court time."said Ms. Yvette.

"This case looks pretty weak...Do you think a Grand Jury will even indict?" I asked.

"Look at how many of Lt. Tragg's weak ass cases got an indictment."said Bee Bee.

"You can get a Grand Jury to indict a Ham Sandwich...Haven't you heard that saying?" asked Ms. Yvette.

Sofia cracked up laughing....

So Did Kahlil..

"You all laugh, but it's true.."said Virginia.

Jade Smiled.

"Virginia, I want you in that meeting with us tomorrow."said Ms. Yvette.

''Righty Oh!"said Virginia, who loved Yvette for making her feel like a lawyer again and not just an

Office Manager.

''Wow..it's gonna feel like old times again huh?" asked Jetty.

"Yes.." said a smiling Virginia.

"End of another long day.."sighed Jazzy as she rested her head in her husband's arms...

"Yeah we can go home and see if anything interesting is on the television."said Dabnis.

"Same here...We've been partying so much it'll be nice to spend a nice night at home."said Kayla.

''You said it."said her husband, Ray..

"No Bar hopping this week...at least not until Thursday night." said Jessica.

"Wow...we were out nearly every night last week, Josie's, Aqua Bar, Stoleys, Curley's, NO I.D. BAR and then the party at People's Park....WOW!! What a week!" said Chip...

"Yeah, the work is starting to come in now, signaling the summer is over."sighed Karen....

"I just want to snuggle up with my hubby."said Natalie, who was sitting on David's lap.

"Yes, snuggling..."said David, smiling.

"Snuggling! I'll bet!"laughed Brooke.

"Yeah just like we'll be snuggling." said her husband, Sean.....

"This train ride is sooooo relaxing."said Zoey.....I might get off a stop early and drop in on Olivia and Beverly."said Zoey.

"Yeah ,we haven't talked to them in a few days."said Lem....

"I'm like Natalie ,I just want to snuggle up with my hubby."said Renee, who was sitting on Tyrell's lap.

"Ditto that." laughed Tyrell...

"I wonder what they had for dinner at Olivia's place tonight?" pondered Paris who had brought them some Pecan Pie for dessert..

"We'll know soon enough." said Tony...

There was no doubt about what newlyweds Nina and Carlos would be doing once they got home.

They were kissing passionately...

Lee smiled knowing that she and Matthew would be doing the same thing when she got home.

III-

BOTTOM OF THE C.-

"Bruce, it's been awhile since I've been in Philadelphia, but I always remember my father saying Bottom of The C. was one of the finest restaurants....Thank you for bringing me here.." said Elaine Wade...

"Your Father knows about and enjoys Fine Dining as I do." said Bruce Greene.

"You've probably heard of my father, Willie Crawley Jr. The Puddin Man..."said Elaine.

"Your Father is Willie Crawley Jr. ,The Millionaire Entrepreneur??" asked an astonished Bruce Greene.

"That's right! My name is Elaine Crawley-Wade...Wade was my married name when I was married, I just haven't dropped it yet..."she said.

"I thought you looked familliar....Your Sister, Your identical twin sister sued Olivia Bennett-Alexander ,Beverly West and Josie Boyd four years ago. They were defended by Yvette Jones -Lockwood and a team of lawyers...who won all three cases..Yes, now I remember."said Bruce.

"Yes...My sister was a very talented lawyer, but she had a weakness...Gambling..She put money on the outcome of her cases...She was into some Georgia gambler for close to four million and he killed her. He's been released from prison...He's here in Philly in witness protection....He thinks I don't know where he is..but I know. I have connections...Good Connections...but that's another story...Let's talk about something pleasent.." she said and smiled.

Bruce as was his habit talked on for hours about himself, his accomplishments, his ambitions and his knowledge of everybody and everything in the D.A.'s Office.

Unlike other women, Elaine appeared to be mildly entertained by him......

Their meal was excellent....

and the wine was superb.....

Unlike previous dates....Bruce paid for the entire meal...Perhaps he had learned something.....

He drove her home to a familliar apartment complex.....

"You live here?" he asked.

"I'm staying here. A friend of mine is sub leasing her apartment to me while she is away for the month...Why you know someone here? An old girlfriend?" she asked with a devilish grin on her face.

"No...Not an old girlfriend...but uh ruh, I do know someone who lives here...On the third floor."said Bruce.

"Well I'm on the second floor...Would you uh like to come in for some uh coffee?" she asked.

"Why Yes?" he said..... He hadn't been invited in a woman's place for "coffee" in a long while...

He looked around her apartment...

"Nice place you got here." he said..

"It is nice, but as I told you Bruce...It's not mine...I'm sub-letting this spot for the month. Now uh about that coffee...You didn't really come up here for coffee did you?" she asked.

"No I did not..Heh heh heh heh heheh." he laughed.

"I didn't think you did." she said with a sly smile..

They enjoyed a soft slow kiss...

She lead him into the apartment's bed room...

where the kissing got even hotter and heavier...

"Ummmmm Bruce...you're very hard....ouuuuuuuuuuuuu...".she said..Her legs shaking...She hadn't been held , kissed by a man in over two years, since her divorce......She found herself aroused beyond compare....She unzippered his trousers and softly caressed his engorged and erect penis...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...OHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYY...UMMMMMMM! OH MY GOD BRUCE!!! YOU ARE A BIG BOY...OUUUUUUUUU" she moaned...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW ,YOU GOT ME THIS WAY... IT'S ALL FOR YOU!" he moaned..sweating bullets...

"OH MYYYYYYY! I'VE NOTICED THE BULGE IN YOUR TROUSERS SINCE THIS AFTERNOON...OHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYY...UMMMMMMM!" she said.

He lifted her skirt and dug his hands deep into her panties...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" he moaned..

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM BRUCE....I HAVE A FEELING YOU'VE WANTED TO DO THIS SINCE YOU FIRST LAID EYES ON ME..." she said.

"YES I HAVE.....AWWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWD!" he said.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU BRUCE!!! YOU NASTY BOYYYYY...OUUUUUUUUUUU!!!" she cooed....

He unhooked her bra.

and slipped her thong down...

He laid her across the bed and slowly entered her....She was so warm, so wet and smelled so good he told himself this had to be a dream...This was the best feeling in the world...

OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...OHHHHHHHHH MY WORRRRRRD!" she moaned...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...PUT IT IN...PUT IT ALL IN...OUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SWEEET BABYYYYYY! UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!" he moaned...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU IT FEELS GOOD...IT FEELS GOOOD! IT FEEEELS GOOOOOD!" she cried out...This was the first sex she'd had in two years....both of her legs were shaking, her whole body was trembling something fierce.....her head turned from side to side and tears were streaming down her face....She was experiencing an intense orgasm.....

Bruce didn't know if he was coming or going at this point..

They began making sweet sweet love......"OHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!! OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU BRUCE!!UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" she moaned..as the bed rocked and squeaked louder than it had since they'd begun making sweet love... The headboard creaked and sounded like it might split in half...

"OH ELAINE, ELAINE baby....Oh my goddd this is sooooooooo damn good.." he moaned...

"I'm ELAINE baby now huh? OHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" she screamed out....

The bed squeaked even louder...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed. She had yet another intense orgasm , that had her crying like a school girl, had her head turning from side to side and had her legs trembling...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU WHYYYYYYY?? WHYYYYYY?? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO IT TO ME SO DAMN GOOD???OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! BRUCE, AWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWD WHYYYYY?" she cried out..

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW SWEEEEEET BABYYYYYY! OUUUUUUUUU!" he moaned..

They made love for the next TEN TO ELEVEN HOURS!! She couldn't believe how passionate he was, his stamina.. It was as if he didn't want to get up off of her!!

Elaine was very passionate,

"IS IT GOOD TO YOU? IS IT GOOD TO YOU BABY?" she yelled to the top of her lungs..

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW, AWWWWWWWWW LAWWWD YESSSSSSSSSS!" he cried out..

riding him like a surfer rides the waves.....He didn't know if he was coming or going!!

She had yet another intense orgasm.....She feared she was slowly losing her mind.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPH!" she moaned.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW..LAWWWWWWWWWDDDD!" he moaned

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU GIVE ME THAT MONSTER!!! OH MY GODDDD!! YOU ARE HUGE!!! AND SO DAMN HARRRRD!! OUUUUUUUU! GIVE IT TO ME!!" she cooed.Her whole body trembled something fierce..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYY DAMNNNNN!" he moaned..

"IS IT GOOD TO YOU? IS IT GOOD TO YOU BABY? LET ME RIDE THAT HORSE!!!WOUUUUUUU! " she yelled to the top of her lungs..

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!" he yelled out....

ANOTHER TWO AND A HALF HOURS PASSED BY

He came so hard, he felt as if he were dying....

She had her final intense orgasm.......

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! IT'S GOOD TO MEEEEEEEEEEE...OUUUUU BRUCE!!!!! " she moaned..

She ended the night sleeping on top of his chest with his arms wrapped around her butt....a big smile on his face....

''Bruce....Bruce baby....you gotta get up...You gotta go home...I gotta get ready for work and so do you..." she whispered.

She called in and said she'd be late....So did Bruce....She rode the train the next morning ironically enough with a number of attorneys her sister had gone up against and the ones she'd be facing...

She sat quietly in the back, not trying to draw attention to herself.

"Last night was very relaxing.."said Jazzy...

"It certainly was ,heh heh heh."laughed Dabnis.

"You Nasty Dog....It was great for you wasn't it?" laughed Jazzy,playfully nudging her husband...She had enjoyed herself as well.

"You enjoyed yourself as well,didn't you?" laughed Kayla.

"I always enjoy partaking of you."laughed her husband Ray....

"Ummmmmmmmm Charles I love you." cooed Jessica ,leaning into his shoulders..

"I love you too baby!" whispered Chip in her ear...

Karen was fast asleep...

"Ummmmmmmmm David I love you." cooed Natalie ,leaning into his shoulders..

"Not as much as I love you." whispered David into her ear...

"Chocolate Daddy, you out did yourself last night."whispered Brooke.

''We need more nights like last night Vanilla."Sean whispered in her ear...

Zoey was fast asleep in her husband's arms...

Lem was holding her gently.....

"Last night was very relaxing.."said Renee.

"Yeah , we should have more nights like last night."said Tyrell.

Tony and Paris were both fast asleep...

Nina and Carlos were kissing passionately...

While Lee Phillips sat quietly , staring out the window.

What Elaine did notice were the attorneys who had soundly defeated her sister....Us...She wished we were sitting closer so she could hear what we were saying.

"We've got another meeting with Blake Wade today....Then we go into litigation next week."said Yvette.

"Our goal is to keep this from going to court if we can." I said.

"Because A Grand Jury can indict a Ham Sandwich." said Bee Bee.

Sofia laughed....

"You laugh but that's true..."said Yvette.

"You think she'll be as tough as her twin sister?" asked Kahlil.

"I don't know...I know so very little about her..I know she's a few years older than I am, but that's it.."said Yvette.

"I'll do some digging...I'll get the what it is you say...The 411 on her?" said Jade.

Victoria laughed... "Yeah Jade, that's it..." she said.

"I want the 411 on what you put on me last night....Damnnn girl..."said her husband, Jetty.

"There's more from where that came from tonight baby.."said Virginia..

"Well Alright!" he said.

Elaine watched them closely...

as they all exited at the PENNS LANDING STATION....and she continued on to City Hall.

IV-

THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL PROSECUTOR, ELAINE CRAWLEY WADE-

When Elaine Wade arrived in her office She found a bouquet of multi-colored roses on her desk..

She broke out into a big smile...

A steaming hot cup of coffee...

and hot from the oven pastries ordered from Cakeman Raven's Bakery..

"Oh My GOD!" she laughed.... She knew who they were from....

"WOW!!! Who did you sleep with last night? It must have been good."laughed Investigator, Ingrid

Stevenson....

"A HA!" laughed Elaine Wade, who said nothing more!.....She didn't kiss and tell.

AND AT THE BRIDGE BUILDING-

At Our Conference Room...Blake Wade was a no show.

Yvette looked at her watch...

"He's Late....I like punctuality..." she said.

"Maybe he got caught up in traffic." I said gently.

"I'm sure he has a good excuse." said Bee Bee.

"Like he overslept..." said Sofia.

Kahlil laughed,..

"He's an hour late." said Jade.

"I'll call him." said Virginia.

She did and he arrived a little later...out of breath..

"Yvette, guys ,I am so sorry...I over slept....I appreciate punctuality as much as I'm sure you guys do...This will never happen again." he said.

Yvette smiled.. He was hard not to like.

THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL PROSECUTOR, ELAINE CRAWLEY WADE-

''Did you uh like the flowers?" asked Bruce..

"Everything was lovely....I loved the Coffee, The Pastries.....You are just a doll...I didn't have time to have breakfast this morning and that Coffee and Those Pastries was right on time...Come here you." she said.