Read Online Playing Dirty by Kiki Swinson - Free Book Online

hell. I continued to run through my house looking for God knows whom. Ophelia kept asking me if I needed a doctor. After searching my place and not finding anyone, I had raced into the bathroom. I looked up at myself in the huge vanity mirror and what I saw staring back almost broke me down. My eyes were puffy, my hair disheveled, and worst of all, I had huge purple hickeys all over my neck and titties.
    “What the fuck!” I screamed. I couldn’t remember shit. I dropped to my knees and started crying. Ophelia knew me so well; she didn’t try to comfort me. She just walked me to the bed, helped me into my favorite Victoria’s Secret soft pajamas, and left me alone.
     
    My thoughts of that horrible night were interrupted when I heard my BlackBerry going off. I picked it up and it was Donna, my assistant. I pressed the ignore button. I couldn’t possibly go into the office looking and feeling the way I did. I scrolled through my messages and there were about fifteen messages from Donna. The last one said: TODAY AT 1PM IS MR. CHISHOLM’S PRELIMINARY HEARING.
    “Oh shit, I forgot all about the preliminary hearing!” I screamed, even though it was just a brief formality. The preliminary is only for the judge to get acquainted with the attorney and the DA on the case and to set an actual hearing date, but I wasn’t up for that shit. My head was thumping like mad and I had to be in court at one o’clock. If I wasn’t so fucked-up after Mr. Santana’s party, I would’ve remembered. It was not like me to forget my high-profile clients’ court dates or meetings with prosecutors. I hurriedly called Donna and told her to reach out to any of the court clerks I had on my payroll to ask them to push my time back. If Brad was going to live up to his word, I probably wouldn’t have to worry. However, I hadn’t heard back from him on the status of the case, so I knew I had to appear in court and go through the motions. Besides, I had agreed to a trial acquittal with Brad, not an all-out dismissal of the charges, so I had to do a little bit of work. I needed to pull myself together. I called for Ophelia and asked her to lay out some court clothes for me. I jumped in the shower and let the hot water stream over my body. My skin was sensitive and it felt like someone was pricking me with needles. I told myself that I needed one more quick snort of coke and I’d be fine for court. I hurried and got dressed. Although I had only forty-five minutes before I needed to be in court, and I had not even spoken to my client, the addict in me told me that I could go to the West Side, find some coke, and still be in court on time.
    Ophelia had called down to have my car out front, but when I got down there, the valet had pulled up in my Benz and not the Aston Martin that I had received from Mr. Santana. Where the fuck is the other car? I thought, willing myself to remember. My mind drew a blank. I didn’t have time to worry about it right now. I hopped behind the wheel of my Benz and peeled off. Shit! There was so much fucking traffic. Living in the heart of South Beach was sometimes annoying. I couldn’t believe that just moments ago I wanted to get my fix. I was better that that—I had a life and a demanding client, and coke could not fit in the picture.
     
    The courtroom was packed and I rushed in to find Sheldon sitting at the back waiting for me. He looked angry and so did his two goons. Just as I noticed him, I noticed Maria.
    “Shit!” I cursed under my breath. There was no way I was going to get out of this fucking courthouse without her giving me the third degree about where I’d been for the past couple of days.
    “Mr. Chisholm, sorry I’m running behind schedule,” I said, flashing a smile. Although, in my assessment I looked like shit, I knew I was still beautiful. Ophelia had picked out a navy blue Anne Klein suit for me, and I had thrown on a simple pair of black Michael Kors slingbacks. I looked sophisticated, yet