Read Online Closer by Morning by Thom Collins - Free Book Online

wasn’t there yet. Checking his phone, he found that Annabel, true to her word, had texted a photo of Dale’s naked butt.
    This is from a film about six years ago , she wrote, but, from what I saw this morning, he might have got better with age .
    The picture was a hazy screen grab of Dale stepping into the shower. Only the side of his head could be seen but it was recognizably him, minus his beard. But his ass—oh my God, his ass—was ripe and round. Manly and meaty. A real man’s butt. Perfect.
    Matt’s cock came up hard. A boner was the last thing he wanted to take into court. He pocketed the phone and spoke to one of the clerks.
    â€œI’m going to wait in the solicitor’s room. Could you let me know when my client arrives? I’m waiting for Jenna McNab.”
    The clerk nodded and made a note on his list.
    The waiting room was packed. If his client had been on time, they could have jumped to the front of the list. As it was, she would have to take her place when she arrived and might not get dealt with until late morning or even this afternoon. Matt was already prepared on this case. It was a straightforward assault. Jenna McNab was going to plead guilty. It was his job to put forward mitigation and get her the best sentence. The prosecution would ask for custody. He would argue the case for probation and a community sentence.
    He’d brought a couple of other files to work on while they waited. There was no such thing as a spare moment in this job. Annabel often tried to wing it, arriving at court unprepared. She’d fallen foul of the magistrates dozens of times, then had to face the wrath of the senior partners when she’d got back to the office. Getting bawled at for losing the case did little to improve her motivation.
    Matt hated to lose any case. That was the only incentive he needed to work hard.
    The room set aside for solicitors was basic. Just a few tables and chairs and one phone. No computers, laptops or facilities other than a watercooler. It was the perfect place to read through a case file. He’d often achieved more in an hour here than a full morning in the office where the phones were a constant distraction.
    There was another lawyer waiting when he arrived. Danny Frost sat at one of the tables with a case file six inches thick open in front of him.
    â€œHi, Danny, how are you doing?”
    The lawyer looked up and smiled warmly. “Hello, stranger.”
    Almost forty, Danny had the verve and energy of someone fifteen years younger. He bore the deep tan of a recent holiday. His dark hair was rapidly turning gray. At the rate he was going, he’d be a full-on silver fox in another year or two.
    Danny was the only other openly gay solicitor he knew in the area and they had always got along well. He was an outrageous flirt without overstepping the line, but Matt suspected that given just a hint of encouragement Danny would be all over him.
    â€œHave you seen the news this morning?” Danny asked.
    â€œThe murder? Sure. Shocking isn’t it? To think that it’s happening right here in our community. If this was a big city, it would almost be expected, but not in Durham.”
    â€œI knew him,” Danny said, putting down his pen and looking at Matt with wide green eyes. “Olly Raymond. The latest victim. He worked at the coffee shop on Sable Street. Just down from our office. I even asked him out last year.”
    â€œShit, Danny. That’s awful. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
    â€œSure. I’m fine. We didn’t know each other all that well. Went out a couple of times but it didn’t really come to anything. He never said as much, but I got the impression after our first date that Olly thought I was too old for him. I think he only saw me again out of sympathy.”
    Matt smiled softly. “Too old? You? Hardly. You’ve got more energy than I have.”
    â€œThere was about fifteen years between us.