Rushed(40)

“When April called last night saying that she was dating one of the Fighters, and he’s in legal trouble, I didn't know what to expect either,” Connor states with a chuckle. “Especially when she said it was you. No offense, Mr. Paulson, but I spent a little bit of time after the phone call doing some research on you. Your reputation is . . . well, let's just say if reality matches the reports, you're going to need my law firm’s services more than once. In which case I'll need the same services, because I'll have to kill you.”

“Connor!” April chastises him, laughing. She looks at me and shakes her head. “Don't let his size intimidate you, he's just a big teddy bear. Actually, he owes me one for exactly that reason.”

“Oh? Well, I don’t think he has to worry. And please Connor, call me Tyler. I only get called Mr. Paulson when I'm in trouble.”

“In which case maybe Mr. Paulson might be better?” Connor jokes, then grows serious. “Sorry. It's one of my weaknesses, as the partners at the firm have pointed out numerous times while they review my articleship, what you might call my internship.”

“I thought you're a paralegal?” I ask, and Connor shrugs.

“The law's a little different up here, the way it's structured. April was being nice in translating it that way, but I'm really a law student. I've got a little more time in law school, then I take my Barrister's and Solicitor's exams. In the meantime, I'm working for my uncle at Montague, Nicholson and MacKay. He's a partner, but not one of the named ones. It's a decent position, and if I keep my studies up, I've got a chance at getting a slot with them as a first year associate soon enough. But, fill me in on the details. April said you've caught yourself a paternity suit?”

“Yeah, two at once,” I say, handing over the envelope. “Here, it'll save some time.”

While he reads the papers, the waitress comes over and I order coffees and biscotti for everyone.

Connor finishes reading and hands the papers back to me. “Until the firm officially signs papers with you, it's best if you hang onto that,” he says, then gives April and me an appreciative glance.

“I know what this says, but I'll be honest Tyler, I want to hear your side of things. You know, this is a pretty fantastical story.”

“I wish I had more to tell you,” I admit. “The hard part about all this is that I have almost no memory at all of meeting these women. I think April probably has a better memory of what happened than I do.”

Connor hums, and takes out a smartphone, where he starts tapping away, I guess taking notes. “April?”

“The two of us met up, we took a taxi to Ace High. I had a Cosmo while Tyler had a sangria. We danced once, Tyler said he was going to get some refills. I saw the two girls go up to him at the bar, and then he sort of got led away by them to the dance floor, where the three of them dry humped for a while, and then he left with them. I stuck around maybe ten minutes after that before I went home.”

April sees the painful look on my face, and I swallow the lump in my throat.

“It's over,” she tells me with a smile. “We found each other after that.”

Connor taps his teeth with the stylus he's been using. I can understand. He's got hands like a lineman too. Trying to type on a touchscreen with his fingers must be impossible. “Tyler, you say your memory fades out soon after you meet the girls. It doesn’t sound like you had that much to drink. Did you have anything before then?”

“No, in fact, I made sure to load up on water beforehand. It's part of the reason the next day's hangover was so strange. I know how to avoid hangovers, and I've never gone to blackout drunk before.”

Connor nods. “And did you drink anything the girls offered you?”

“Um . . . I don't know,” I say, but April interrupts.

“You drank something at the bar with them,” she says. “I remember seeing that. You never even got your second order from the bartender. Two minutes later, the three of you were on the floor.”

Connor sighs. “Shit. There's no way to prove it, but…”

“What?” I ask, confused. April looks at me incredulously, as Connor looks at me the same way. “No, really. What?”

“You never heard of Rolax?” April asks. “You know, Rohypnol?”

“You mean date-rape drugs?” I say with a scowl of disgust.

“Sangria's a strong flavored drink, and there are some of the newer drugs out there, what some are calling party drugs, as f*cked up as that sounds, that are pretty much flavorless, especially if they're dropped into a strongly flavored alcoholic drink like sangria. You said you had a headache, though?”

“Felt like an ax through my forehead. I remember that much. I thought it was just the dehydration.”

“Okay, well, it doesn't really matter at this point. Just . . . if there's any consolation, you may not have been in full control of yourself.”

I shake my head, not caring. “Doesn't really matter, does it? I know you're trying to be nice, but it can't be proven, and it won't change the fact that I'm being sued.”

“We'll see. Tyler, I'll be honest. If these girls are telling the truth and they are pregnant with your children, you're probably going to be on the hook for child support regardless of whether they drugged you.”