Year 2, week 33: TopFlirt

Well, I met up with TopFirst’s fiancée on Saturday and was immediately reminded as to why she had gained her name TopFlirt.
“I don’t know what you’ve done to him BabyB, but he really doesn’t like you, does he?”
“Not much, I guess,” I replied with the understatement of the year.  “Maybe it’s just jealousy over the whole tenancy thing.”
“Could be, although it does seem to be something more than just business.  Definitely a personal edge to it although he simply won’t tell me.”
“Ah, and you want to know what it is that you think he’s hiding from you?”

Now this, by the way, wasn’t the start of the evening but was instead after about three bottles of wine and at about one thirty in the morning.  It was also after she’d invited herself back to mine and so we were whispering so as not to wake my sleeping mother who was upstairs.  Not exactly the height of sophistication and cool but hey, I’m still for the moment an impoverished junior barrister.
Anyway, when I asked that question, she changed the subject and said simply, “Well aren’t you going to kiss me?”

So now I’m in all sorts of trouble.  I’ve got TopFirst threatening me with information he says he has on me and I’ve started something very complicated off with his fiancée.  Oh, and he’s my opponent in the biggest case I’ve been involve in so far.

Comments

[Jane Abbott]

You are treading a dangerous path Baby B. Be careful!

[Abigail]

Oh for the 19th century novel, or even the 1950s film noir. They always had happy endings where wickedness was punished, even if good was not very highly rewarded.

[BSQ]

What a scandal!! Fantastic- I'm glad you're back on top form! xxxx

[Di]

BabyB, your naivety is shocking - 2 can play the honeytrap game!

Be careful of careless whispers and pillow talk...

[JL]

What a Legend. Sometimes you have to go to the mattresses!

[mj]

Time for a stock-take BabyB, a bit like a CMC over the road.

I don't see Topfirst as a direct threat; more likely to come from other quarters. He has no proof of your machinations via Ginny in year1, and its consequences for him, believe in them though he does. So how to get proof, and then what to do with it?
1. Find Ginny and pay her to confess.
That would have happened by now, and you been confronted with it, but even if she could be located the humiliation of the last meeting would take a stronger man than Top First to risk again, aside from the risk that Ginny might take it upon herself to tell TopFlirt: TopFirst would have boasted to Ginny about his connections and she knew anyway from you. Very tricky, and not really an option.
2. TopFlirt as honey trap. On the face of it plausible, and odd that TopFlirt was so readily available to your calls. Even a busy barrister has time off, and strange that he couldn't see his fiancee on a Saturday night of all nights, or that she was free. OK, she might have arranged to see girl friends, but dropped out when you called, so the honey trap could be set. If so:

Has he confessed about Ginny? Implausible; no predicting what she might do. Break the engagement and damage his career hopes? Would she adore him so much that she would willingly seduce you as pay back? For what? To pleasure you? Give you a STD? Hardly.

He hasn't mentioned Ginny, but she's willing to find out if there are reasons why he didn't get his tenancy, which he blames on you. Risky again. What if her powers of persuasion get you to mention Ginny? Why put himself in danger by giving his sworn enemy the opportunity to torpedo his future with her and her contacts? What if you retain your air of innocence, so she finds nothing, but he's put her in the position of giving you, at least, a very pleasant time or two with her, his fiancee?

Is he going to ask her what happened? Would he countenance and condone what she's obviously enjoyed? How would that look if it came out - as it could from you?

After all, hasn't he given you a golden opportunity?

It seems a very unlikely strategy, and more likely that she liked and/or was curious about you, particularly after his expressed hatred, which she doesn't understand.

The probability is that this is her initiative, well, a response to your approach, willingly taken up, and he doesn't know about it.

It is possible that The Vamp let's it be known on the grapevine in her mischievous way that you were seen having lunch. What does he do, confront her? He doesn't know why, or her response. Confront you? Hardly. He's given you the perfect reply anyway, the golden opportunity. He made unwarranted allegations and threats, unbecoming of counsel, so if you were paying him back by lunching with his fiancee - who, after all, was hardly press-ganged into the meeting, who could blame you? How can he impugn his fiancee? Shame!

The fact is he doesn't know the full story, because he hasn't read your Blog. Now there's a thought...he's as real as you are, BabyB.,so how come I, and countless others on the web, can read your Blog. including avid readers at the Inns, yet your Set, and peripheral characters mentioned in your Blog, are ignorant of it? Hmmm...just as well, eh? Otherwise you'd go down like a ton of bricks, or given the machiavellian intrigues, be smothered by tons of them. No complaints or threats from ThirdSix, Worrier, or Busybody, so TopFirst doesn't know how they were removed from contention, or care. Why should he? Every man for himself, and it's himself he's absorbed with.

If we readers accept that Claire is, and will remain friend and confidante ( although I'm not sure how much I would confide in her on these matters ), and that unlike the Victorian novel ending hoped for by one of your bloggers, and her redemptive love is not going to appear so that you go off together to be the first couple, 30 years on, to be appointed justices of The Supreme Court, then what might be in it for you?

The Vamp is obviously a source of entertainment ( as noted in today's blog ),but what about TopFlirt? Does she see you as a bit of up-market rough to compensate for the neglect by TopFirst? Certainly, he does not come across - if that's the word - as testosterone-charged. Does she see and fancy something more? Do let us know. After all, you're a free man, and she can change her mind about TopFirst. Seems like she is. Why not? Her assets and attributes are impeccable, as are her family connections, and provided you're not dragged down by too many intrigues ( you may not need them if you get it together big time ) what an opportunity. What more would you want?
From her Siren call on Saturday night, it didn't sound like she was heading for a discussion on contraception. You may assume she's taken precautions because she has a fiancee, but, given his neglect she may consider contraception to be not worth the trouble.

So...what if she fell pregnant on Saturday night...? Before it got sorted out with you. Now there's a plot development to think about..

Where's trouble then? In year 2, you're in with the Big Boys. The dark shadows in the big pool. The Boss, Scapegoat, Clicheclanger-all ruthless. Uptights is off-side, now you're allied with Old Smoothie. They'll chop you into pieces as and when necessary, as they will TopFirst,who's the messenger Boy.

Only Old Ruin, and Claire...and TopFlirt? If you can extricate yourself from these dodgy deals with out penalty, or one worth paying, maybe TopFlirt is the way forward...maybe parenthood mightn't be the disaster it would appear...

Over to you...and I look forward to developments.