Free 5 Alive After Friday by Rod Hoisington Page A

business?”
    “Come on, I’m dying for an inner glimpse of The
Club— the palais grand .”
    Indeed aggressive, he thought, yet he was the one
requesting the meeting. He did want her assistance and was free for the
evening. He agreed to drinks at six. “I’ll meet you in the rotunda.”
    When he walked in that evening, Vicki was standing
in the cool marble-tiled entrance hall with her back toward him looking at the
apiary. With lush foliage and palms, the interior was unmistakably Florida.
    He knew she was attractive from observing her in
the courtroom. This was his first close-up view of her outside of her
hard-nosed trial lawyer persona. Her long ash-blonde hair fell onto a red
lambskin-leather jacket worn loosely around her shoulders covering a sleeveless
taupe sheath. She looked exquisite. Like a million dollars, his father would say.
    After greetings she said, “Well, I’m finally
inside The Club.” They walked across the marble floors to the lounge, which was
half-full. The maître d' seated them in a quiet corner. “I hope I didn’t come
off as pushy, Martin,” She glanced around at the gleaming teak walls and
polished statuary. “I don’t have any friends who are members, but I heard that
all this existed in little old Park Beach. This is truly a treat.”
    “From the looks of you, I’m sure you’re already
successful. Yet if you’d like to be seen here and somehow it helps your law
practice, then that’s fine with me.”
    She was quiet for a moment listening with her eyes
looking upward. “I hear a piano somewhere. Live, of course.”
    “In the Blue Room. One of the three dining rooms.”
Eager to get their meeting started and over with, he motioned for the server. “You
began with the public defender’s office, back when you first got your license,
didn’t you?”
    “For too long of a time, until I got to know my
way around and felt brave enough to go out on my own. Next came a starving run
at handling litigation. Then, it was real estate transactions, which are a
bore. Finally, I hit upon the escrow service idea.”
    The server glided over. Martin looked expectantly
at Vicki.
    “Tangueray martini, up, olive. And may I bother
you for your wine list. I’m just curious.”
    “No bother at all, madam.” Then the server faintly
bowed to Martin.
    “I’ll have the same, Raimond. Thank you.” Martin
turned his attention back to her. “I remember you started that escrow service
for real estate transactions.”
    She nodded. “As you know, my company holds
deposits and contract money for buyers, sellers, or whoever until the contracts
are settled.”
    “Very clever. And you remain free to pursue your
law practice.”
    She smiled. “So we can be friends now that our Banks-Olin
courtroom battle is over, right? Sorry I had to drag it out for months and
months. After all, a lot of money was involved. I wasn’t surprised when you
guys got the large settlement.”
    The very thought of the forthcoming martini was
enough to make him relax. Vicki was quite pleasant and nice to look at. She seemed
easy to get along with. He’d just go with it. “I didn’t consider you an enemy
in the courtroom, when you were just doing your job. But yes, now there’s not
the slightest conflict between us. We can be friends.”
    The server presented the requested wine list. She
opened the padded leather folder and moved her finger down the pages. “A lot of
this is boring, If you’ll excuse my saying so,” she said, not quite under her
breath. “There are a few gems mixed in, not that I’m any expert. Now here’s a Chateau
Roux . Isn’t that the one with the Matisse artwork on the label? Beautiful.
Too bad the wine isn’t as good as the label...sorry, for a minute there I
sounded as though I actually knew what I was talking about. Oh, look! I didn’t
turn enough pages...I’d die for anything on this page. Absolutely
anything.” She closed the wine list. “Just curious to see what’s on the wine
list