He almost forgot his lunch with Barbara

"You're on lunch break," Usha told him. "Why don't you get out and get some fresh air?"

Fresh air in Texas? That sounded unlikely. He was sure there were plenty of Texans who spent time outdoors but everyone he knew went from air conditioned homes to air conditioned cars to air conditioned offices without ever actually having to survive Texas's famous summer heat.

But the word 'lunch' reminded him of Barbara, the 80-something woman who'd threatened him the previous day. She'd said she would call him though and since she hadn't... Damn, his phone rang.

He was pretty sure he hadn't given Barbara his number but there she was. "I'm outside the gym," she said. "Where are you taking me."

He stepped outside to see Barbara looking incongruous in a convertible Mercedes sportscar, top down and her gray hair tucked into a leather cap.

"Get in." She pointed to the passenger seat.

He nodded, got in, and had his neck practically broken as she floored it, accelerating to freeway speeds while still on the surface streets.

"I'd think a lawyer would be careful to follow the law." He had to shout to be heard over the roar of the engine.

"I don't know why you'd think that since most lawyers are in the business of helping lawbreakers avoid suffering the consequences of their actions. Why would we be better than the people we enable?"

"But not you. You're doing good, right, going after all those sex abusing assholes."

"Yeah, a long time ago that was me. Now I just do it for the money."

She pulled into a fancy restaurant a few blocks from the gym. "Ever eaten here?"

"No and I'm not going to today," he said. "If I'm paying, we're going someplace I can afford."

She giggled. "I was kidding about you paying. Come on, it's on me."

Once they were inside, she ordered for both of them... Rick didn't mind, he wasn't planning on enjoying his meal anyway, then sent the waitress away.

"Okay, spill," she said.

"bio-DNA is run by a bunch of assholes," he said. "About the same as the other companies I've worked for. To make it to the top, you've got to be a back-stabbing hardnosed asshole who positively relishes running over anyone who gets in your way."

"But you're not looking to destroy any of the other companies you worked for."

"Yeah, well I don't know where you got the idea I'm trying to ruin bio-DNA, either. They fired me. I was pissed. I'm moving on."

She took his hand. "No, Rick. You're mad and it's personal. Is it because they fired you after you worked so hard or because they replaced you with some bimbo who's using the plans you spent so much time developing to make herself look good."

"How do you even know this?"

"I told you bio-DNA is full of sex abuse clients. They keep me posted."

She shushed him with the waitress delivered their food. Once she'd left, Barbara said, "So, about those rivalries. Who is gunning for top position and who is likely to take the next fall?"

Okay, the lunch was good, Barbara had made excellent suggestions and Rick was glad he wasn't paying. He also felt like he was being pumped, and not in a pleasurable way.

He wasn't at all disappointed when Usha sent him a text saying his next appointment was in five minutes.

"I can walk," he said when she gestured to her car. It was only a couple of blocks and Usha had suggested he needed to get some air... although how 100 degree (F) air is supposed to be a good thing escaped him.

"Fine. I'll be contacting you again, soon. And by the way, I've spread word about your magic hands. If you start seeing a lot of female attorneys soon, you'll know where to deliver my commission."

He started on his way back to the gym when he was hit from behind by an incredible force that threw him to the ground. A massive 'woff' followed by a ball of heat far more intense even than Texas's normal summer fare followed.

What the hell?