The Cartel Lawyer by Dave Daren (popular books to read .TXT) 📗

that wrapped around her muscular calves, and long earrings that accentuated her swan-like neck. She practically glowed when she turned her honey-brown eyes toward me, and I took a deep breath while I wiped my suddenly sweaty hands on my pants.

“Rob,” Eloa grinned as she looked up at me and straightened the hem of her dress, an act which drew my attention to her golden thighs. “You look nice.”

“So do you,” I said with a smile as I took the chair opposite of her.

“What can I get for you to drink?” the waitress asked us once I’d taken my seat.

“I’ll take a water with lemon,” Eloa said with a bright smile.

“And for you, sir?” the young woman asked as she turned to me.

“Oh,” I looked down at the menu in front of me as my mind went blank. “I’ll take a water with lemon. Thank you.”

“Have you eaten here before?” she asked with a small smile as her attention swiveled back toward the beautiful reporter

“I have,” the Brazillian bombshell replied.

“Perfect,” our server responded. “What would you like?”

“The filet mignon,” the beautiful woman across from me said. “Medium. The mashed potatoes do look good. And the steamed broccoli.”

“And for you, sir?” the preppy waitress asked.

“What do you suggest?” I asked as I frowned at the menu and tried to pick which of the delicious options I wanted.

“I think the Delmonico is the best,” the waitress responded. “With the mashed potatoes.”

“Then I’ll take that,” I said, relieved that I didn’t have to make a choice since everything looked fantastic.. “Medium-rare. And I’ll take the… salad with Italian dressing.”

“Great,” our waitress said while she bobbed her head. “I’ll have that out for you as soon as possible.”

The young woman gathered our menus, spun on her heels, and rushed off to put in our order. Her ponytail swung behind her as she dodged around the other wait staff, and soon she had disappeared into the kitchen.

“So how are things going?” Eloa asked as I turned my attention back to her.

She had her hands clasped on the table in front of her, and there was a slight blush on her cheeks. She seemed nervous as she looked at me, and as I glanced around at the other couples, I suspected that she had meant our dinner to be more date than work.

I still hadn’t decided what I would do regarding the kiss, or my attraction to her, but it would have to wait until after I’d freed Camilo from the awful juvie center and taken down the corrupt Judge Travis Williams.

“My research has been good,” I said as I took a deep breath in and prepared to launch into what I’d found. “I went through some of your leads. The facility has been funding political parties for years through various Super PACs. We should include that when we take them to court. We’ll have to prove that they use the donations as bribes, and that they haven’t been using their funds to actually take care of the kids in their care.”

“Oh,” she said with a small sigh as she tucked her hair behind one ear and looked down. “I meant personally… but I guess we can get right to it.”

She turned in her chair so that she could easily reach into her messenger bag. She flipped open the flap of the bag and then tugged out a file. The movement pulled on her dress, and my mouth went dry as my eyes ran over the curve of her breasts.

“Your drinks,” the waitress said as she popped back by with two glasses of water.

“Thanks,” I said with a bright smile at the woman and her perfect timing.

“Not a problem,” the server replied. “Your dinner should be out in a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” Eloa grinned before she took a sip of her drink and set it down. “Here’s the new information I’ve gained on the Everson Juvenile Detention Center’s finances.”

The gorgeous reporter handed me the file, and I started to look through the new data. There were the usual expenditures for things like food, maintenance, and utility bills. The numbers seemed to be right on the surface, but I was sure that a little digging would reveal that some of the companies were not on the up and up.

Some of the information I already had, like the large donations the facility made to the Super PACs and the sale of products to the Evans family. I was happy that it all confirmed the research I’d done on my own. I would need to review the new data once I was back home, though I still wanted to talk to Eloa about it and get her opinion.

“Your dinner,” the waitress said as she came by with the large serving tray that I’d seen earlier.

“Thanks,” I said with a grin as she set my plate down in front of me. “Wow, that looks delicious.”

The steak had a beautiful sear, and a dollop of herbed butter dripped down onto the plate to mix with the swirl of creamy mashed potatoes. The romaine lettuce was crisp, and the rolls that the server set in the middle of the table were a perfect, fluffy golden brown.

“I hope you like it,” the young waitress grinned. “Here’s your filet. It looks amazing.”

“It does,” Eloa grinned as she watched her plate’s descent onto the table. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course,” the young woman said with a bob of her head that sent her ponytail swinging behind her. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes. Unless there’s something else you need?”

“I think I’m okay,” I replied while I looked over the delicious meal in front of me.

“I’m good, too,” the reporter across from me said with one of her thousand kilowatt smiles.

“Great,” the server said