Dirty Black Summer Ch 01

** Author Note-- Staci, thanks for sharing the idea & the inspiration...

*

Summer Franklin walked into my office for the first time one Tuesday afternoon last November. I was just getting ready to grab my coat and head out the door to get some lunch when my secretary buzzed me to say there was a walk-in client waiting in the lobby to see me.

I'd gotten to work about two hours early that morning to get a head start on an especially troublesome case and hadn't touched a morsel of food since the night before. Needless to say I was fidgety and not in the best of moods, and could almost taste the burger I was gonna order from Benny's Bar & Grill down the street when a nervous, but very well mannered black woman walked into my office. The bags beneath her eyes were the size of saucers and it was clear from her gait when she took a few steps that a good night's sleep hadn't been on her plate in quite awhile.

I laid my coat back down, smiled and extended my hand which she shook with a very tentative and slightly sweaty grip. She pulled her purse strap down over her shoulder and took the seat I'd offered her.

"I want to divorce my Husband," she managed to say, doing everything she could to avoid making eye contact.

Pushing the box of tissues I kept on my desk for just such occasions gently over to her, I leaned back in my seat and waited for her to continue.

The woman had a very intriguing air about her as she detailed the unraveling of her 12 year marriage. There was certainly a scab of hardness about her demeanor, but looking into the sparkling pool of tears just waiting to overflow from her eyes, it was clear that was also a vast gulf of vulnerability inside her as well. I listened patiently for over 10 minutes, nodding my head when she made an especially forceful point and jotting down an occasional note to come back to if need be, just as I'd done with the hundreds of other men and women I'd dealt with in similar situations since graduating from law school 20 years ago and going into business for myself.

I was sure there was an element of truth in what the sobbing woman was telling me, but from experience I was also sure the Husband probably had a few points on his side as well. More often than not, the truth lay somewhere in between. So as the woman continued laying out her case for me taking up her cause, I did what I often did when other disgruntled wives came into my office. I sat there and mentally undressed her.

Summer Franklin was a decent looking woman, but at 34 and forced to work three part time jobs to keep food in her two kids' mouths because of the philandering ways of her Husband, it was apparent she was aging quicker than she would have liked. No taller than 5'4" with an average build, the knee length dress Summer wore had seen many a Sunday at church I guessed, and sadly gave away very few secrets about the body hiding beneath.

Leaning forward slightly in my seat to feign more interest than I had, I looked deep into the welling swells of Summer's dark brown eyes and decided that I wanted her.

"So are you married?" she asked me out of the blue, breaking the temporary hypnosis I'd put myself under.

"Ah...use to be...divorced about 10 years ago. So yes...I've certainly been on your side of the desk before," I added, sensing my admission put Summer a little more at ease.

It took about 20 minutes but I felt I was earning Summer's trust. Her body language and tone had softened considerably being able to tell her side of the story, but I could see she was gearing herself to ask me a really tough question.

"...I'll be honest with you Mr. Jenson...ahh...Money's kind of tight right now," Summer hesitantly began.

"I'd be glad...you know...to maybe...kinda set up a payment plan...and...," she continued, the strength of her voice receding with each passing word as if she could gauge from my eyes what my eventual answer would be.

"I'll be honest with you Mrs. Franklin," I finally saved her the dignity and interrupted.

"I have a lot on my plate right now," I said, pointing towards the mountain of files piled on me desk. "Your case does sound very do-able though...I actually know a woman a few blocks over who's carved quite a niche for herself handling cases like yours. I've faced her several times in court...she knows what she's doing and from what I've heard she's much more reasonable on her fee...even does some pro-bono work for certain clients."

Summer's eyes visibly lit up hearing the pro-bono option and she gladly took the business card for the other lawyer when I'd fished one out of my desk drawer. Now it was my turn to ask her an awkward question.

"I have to ask Mrs. Franklin...you mentioned a few minutes ago you were worried if you filed for divorce that your Husband would seek full custody of the kids...That happens very rarely...even in extreme cases. Is there any reason that would be a genuine concern of yours?" I asked, more in a friendly tone than that of counsel.

Summer sighed several times and I could see her ringing her hands in her lap as I sat there patiently, allowing her tentativeness to dissolve.

"There might be a few things from my past that Larry might want to dredge up...nothing illegal or even all that much of a big deal... but stuff I'd like to keep in the past all the same," Summer said softly, now rubbing her left temple to fend of the obvious headache taking root.

Now I really was intrigued, but my stomach continued to growl.

"I was just headed out the door to grab some lunch...to the grill just down the street...care to join me...lunch is on me," I leaned back and offered as I once again grabbed my coat.

"I might have a few ideas having dealt with situations like yours Mrs. Franklin...and since I'm not taking your case, we might be able to color outside the lines a little here," I added.

Looking beat but a little intrigued herself, she looked up at me and cautiously agreed to join me for a bite to eat.

"Please...call me Summer...considering Franklin's my Husband's name...hearing it just makes me ill right now," she gathered the energy to smile and say.

"Then Summer it is," I replied before escorting her out the door and down the street.

______________________________________

Turns out Summer had been a stripper back in college. Certainly not on the far end of the 'You're gonna burn in Hell" continuum, but given Summer's concern over this little bit of dirty laundry being aired in the middle of a potential divorcee proceeding, I understood her concern. She told me she made the gut-wrenching decision to try stripping her Junior year at school after her scholarship money dried up a the same time her parents were facing some financial hurdles. She'd gotten a job working at one of the joints in Greensboro, a few of miles from where she was going to school at Winston Salem State, knowing full well against her better judgment that many of the boys attending classes there would frequent the club. One of those men happened to be a dashing senior named Larry Franklin, the man she would soon marry.

Larry had been at the club one night and happened to come along when a much less desirable gentleman was hassling Summer to no end. Larry had moved in and wound up giving the appreciative 21 year old girl a ride home that night. Four months later she was pregnant with his baby and by the Fall of what would have been her Senior year, Summer found herself married and not enrolled in school. Larry had been adamant about her staying home with their first child as he started his career, but it wasn't long after their Son was born that Summer found herself yet pregnant again. Returning to college soon became an afterthought.

Thankfully, only Summer's Husband and a handful of her college friends knew about that four month stint taking her clothes off and dancing for tips. She told me she'd be devastated if her Mom and Dad were to ever find out, especially since she did it when they were going through some tough times. Summer also dreaded the psychological fallout that would result if her two young kids had to discover she'd done that for a living. The fact that their Father met her while he was patronizing the place just wouldn't carry the same albatross of shame.

"It does sound like you're between a rock and a hard place," I told her as the waitress approached with our food.

"He's got to have a few skeletons of his own, Summer...a few vulnerable spots...tell me about his job, about his family, tell me what makes him tick?" I prodded her further, taking the liberty to reach out with my right hand and pat her left softly, making sure to rub my fingertip over the diamond wedding band on her ring finger as if to subtly remind her of everything her Husband had put her through.

"Time we start turning over some stones," I told her.

____________________________

Summer mentioned her Husband had a pot habit and drank a little too much sometimes. He also had a penchant for gambling and sleeping with women who weren't his Wife. With a good lawyer on his side, none of that would have amounted to a hill of beans in a courtroom. We needed something a little stronger, something a little more personal to get Larry Franklin's attention. After delving deeper into Larry's background with Summer's help, steadily a couple of weak spots in his constitution came into view.

The first one happened to revolve around the fact that Larry had been forced into being a 'Father Figure' for his three younger brothers after their Dad abandoned the family. Larry had been 12 when his old man fled the scene and according to Summer, always cherished the role of being the wise, cool and all-knowing Big Brother.

Having just received a promotion and a corner office at work, Summer also said Larry had grown quite cocky about his career after spending the first eight years at his company, trying to get a foothold on the corporate ladder. She said he relished, and took almost sadistic delight in finally being the Boss of many of the same people he'd fought tooth and nail for that position.

Summer also made a point of mentioning that her Husband was extremely proud of his charm and virility around women, a trait that he'd possessed when she first met him but unfortunately had continued well into their marriage with a seemingly endless array of women on the side.

It seemed Larry's pride and overinflated ego had been the constant thread binding those three things together and as I listening intently to Summer's description of him, a very workable plan coalesced in my head.

"I think we can do this," I smiled and told the attractive black woman sitting across from me as I made a toasting gesture with my glass of beer.

She gestured back with her glass of diet soda with a cautious but definite twinkle in her dark, tired eyes.

___________________________________

The first thing I did was give Summer my keys to the timeshare I had up at the resort about about 20 minutes away so she'd have a safe place to stay in case things got messy when the shit started to hit the fan. She dropped her two Sons off at their Grandmother's for a few days, using the excuse that she needed some time to clear her head and decide what decision to make about her future. After re-arranging her schedule with her jobs so she'd have a three day window free, we put the plan into action.

The cabin was already stocked with about a week's worth of supplies but Summer and I shopped for a few perishables before I drove her up there to see her new digs.

We did wind up having sex that first night at my mountain retreat. There wasn't a lot of tenderness or intimacy involved, more like two people who had a passing attraction for one another working out all the built up stress, and allowing a wave of endorphins to sweep in and clear our heads for the upcoming task. That's not to say Summer wasn't a very willing and giving lover, most women in her spot always proved to be. There has to be some sort of strand in the feminine DNA that causes a woman going through a divorce to go the extra mile in bed with the first man they're with after their Husband, just to prove they aren't the one with the 'problem' in the relationship. Breaking the physical ice between us probably also helped make what we were about to do go much smoother.

___________________________________

Summer had told me one of her Husband's younger brothers was a manager at a McDonalds in town. Remembering what she'd said about how much pride Larry Franklin took in being the bigshot, older Brother role model for his three siblings, I figured that was as good as any place to start. We pulled into the parking lot a little before 2 that afternoon with me driving Summer's beat-up Camry and she sitting beside me.

"You ready?" I asked as we wheeled around to the drive-thru menu board.

"...As I'll ever be," she replied. "That's Rob's car over there so he is here."

"Good," I added, feeling a definite tingle of excitement welling in my balls.

"Welcome to McDonald's...May I take your order?" an Hispanic sounding female voice came over the intercom.

I simply asked for two large sodas and the young girl told me my total and said drive around to the window. As we made the loop around, Summer reached across with her right hand and placed it over my slacks, squeezing my cock gently several times as we came to a stop behind the car in front of us.

"MMMMM...This is gonna be something," I laughed and looked in Summer's eyes.

Once the other car got their food and pulled off, I eased Summer's car up to the window and handed the chubby teenage girl working the drive-thru $3.

"Keep the change," I told her as she turned to put the money in the till.

With the window clear for a few seconds, Summer peaked in to see if she could see her Brother-in-Law.

"Do you see him?" I asked, inhaling her sweet smelling perfume as she leaned across me.

"No," Summer quickly replied as she sat back down.

Just as the drive-thru girl prepared to hand our drinks out to use, Summer planted a wet and well practiced kiss on the right side of my face, making sure the employee got a real good look as she was handing me the sodas. It was clear from the amount of beet red blush that spread across the chunky Latina's cheeks that she saw the over the top kiss the black woman beside me gave me.

"Is Rob Franklin working today?" I asked as I took the sodas from her shaking hand.

I just sat there with the car idling, watching the skittishness spread across the girl's face as Summer continued to massage my cock through my pants.

"Rob Franklin...one of the managers...is he working today?" I smiled once again and asked.

The girl nodded her head but didn't move a muscle otherwise.

"Then could you run and get him for me...it'll only take a second?" I nodded after taking a swig of my soda.

Finally the girl turned then disappeared out of sight.

"Ready Summer...you know we only get one shot at this," I turned and whispered.

"Yep," she said before kissing me on the lips.

Then we both sat there watching the window, waiting for her Brother-in-Law to appear.

Hearing a male voice say Summer's name from a distance, I instantly tensed knowing this was the moment of truth. Realizing my part in this portion of the plan was to simply be a prop, I just kept my mouth shut and allowed the dialogue to play out between Rob and his Sister-in-Law.

I could feel the rather immense shadow of Rob Franklin on my left shoulder now but I continued to just sit there patiently behind the wheel listening for the tone of the dumbstruck young man's voice to change.

When he first recognized Summer and called out her name, Rob's voice had a very carefree quality to it. The second time he said it after he got a look inside the car, the "Hey Babe how are you doing" tone was quickly replaced with one of " Holy Shit who's this honky my Brother's Wife is with!"

There was a small part of me that knew what we were doing could go south very quickly, but when the sound of Summer's voice came washing across me, up to her Brother-in-Law standing in the window, a strange sense of re-assurance swept through me.

I could feel the daggers leaping from Rob's eyes as he stared down into the car but I simply just smiled and kept my best poker face as the heat intensified in his stare.

"So Rob...how ya been?" Summer asked with shocking matter of factness, in the process causing his glare to turn away from me and straight to her, but for obvious reasons he was too stunned and tongue tied to reply.

"We were on this side of town and saw your car...just thought we'd stop in and say 'hi'," Summer added nonchalantly, making sure Rob had a clear view however when she gave my balls a good squeeze before she laid another kiss just below my right ear.

All I did was smile and nod my head.

"We'll see ya," Summer huddled closer to me and grinned to Larry's gawking Brother.

I casually dropped the car into drive, took another sip of my soda then hit the gas and drove off, leaving a McDonald's manager and a couple members of his staff staring out the window watching us leave.

The adrenaline level inside us both was raging as I steered the car out of the parking lot and onto the busy main road. Almost in unison, Summer and I let out a loud sigh of relief as we put the Golden Arches in the rear view. Looking down at Summer's cell phone sitting between our seats, I wondered aloud how long it would take for her Husband to call.

"I bet Rob's on the phone with him right now...give Larry a minute or two to stew and get his hands from shaking long enough so he can dial my number...five minutes and we should hear something," she theorized.

Taking a deep breath as I turned my attention to navigating through the traffic, I shifted my weight in the seat several times until the erection protruding from my lap wasn't binding me.

"So you're cool with me answering?" I quizzed Summer.

"Sure...do you know what you're gonna say yet?" she half laughed and asked.

"No clue," I honestly told her. "Probably as little as possible...I'm just gonna be short and coy...its what I do best."

It didn't even take 5 minutes for Summer's cell to ring. Looking down at the display, she sighed and said, "It's him".

Allowing it to ring a few more times for effect, I finally took the phone from her, raised it to my ear and casually said 'Hello".

"WHO THE FUCK IS THIS!!" Larry Franklin yelled before I could even finish my greeting, causing me to lift the receiver away from my head as the shrill sound of his agitated voice filled the cab of the Camry.

"Ah...I'm nobody," I finally replied a few seconds later.

"I could be a butcher or a baker...Hell maybe even a candle stick maker...Your Wife loves candles doesn't she Larry?" I then mocked.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU...I'M GONNA FIND YOU AND FUCKING KILL YOU," Larry spat recklessly.

"Hell...I could even be a mob lawyer with connections Mr. Franklin...or better yet maybe someone who works right there in the same office building with you...or maybe I'm just simply a nameless guy tapping your Wife... and for the Hell of it just fucking jerking your chain while I'm doing it," I continued undeterred, this time my tone more cryptic and concise.

There was a moment of brooding silence between us before Larry demanded I put his Wife on the phone, his voice only slightly more subdued than when I'd first answered the phone.

"That's not really a good idea at the moment," I told him.

"PUT MY GODDAMM WIFE ON THE PHONE," Larry screamed.

"Like I said, Mr. Franklin, she's a little pre-occupied right now," I replied, keeping my tone steady and calm.

At that point Summer had leaned down, her face wedged between the steering wheel and my crotch and was unzipping my fly.

Allowing another couple of seconds of silence to hang between Larry and I as I watched Summer fish my cock out and wrap her full, beautiful lips around it, I finally told her Husband, "OK...if that's what you really want...here she is."