Page 5 of My Office Rival (Keep Your Enemy Closer #2)
JASON
J ust hours later, I tapped my index finger against my pen while Mitchell regarded me steadily.
His hands were steepled under his chin, and he looked resigned.
Rare for him. My boss, rising star, hard-ass corporate lawyer, youngest partner the firm had ever made.
And right now, he was looking at me like I’d crashed one of his sports cars.
“We had a complaint from a client about one of the counsel here,” he said, voice hard.
Surprise drew my shoulders back. Had someone said something about me? It’s my family. I know it is. Or they found out about Cynthia. No way. Not just half a day after she left my apartment.
“Not you,” he said quickly. I rolled my lips to stop the sigh of relief.
“Someone in this group slept with a client.” He shook his head.
“But I’m taking all the senior associates and counsel aside to remind them that fraternization with clients is strictly prohibited.
It’s against the rules of professional conduct.
And we are taking a firmer stance on fraternization within the firm too. ”
I nodded dutifully, relieved I wasn’t the one getting in trouble. All I needed to do was play along until Mitchell got his message across. Cool, calm, reserved, that was me .
“This situation could lead to a lawsuit.” He grimaced.
“So every single one of you needs to be on your best behavior. No getting drunk with clients and letting things get out of hand, no late nights holed up in a conference room with a junior associate.” His eyes were hard, and I shivered.
Damn, Mitchell was scary when he wanted to be.
“And no sleeping with opposing counsel.” His brows drew down.
“Someone, and I won’t say who, got caught doing that last year, and I was barely able to stop the PR nightmare.
I know you wouldn’t do that. I can count on you, Jason. ”
My breath caught in my chest. Except that was exactly what I had done. Fuck . Never again. I gave him a nod, so he knew I understood.
Mitchell was already moving on, unaware of the anxiety bubbling up in my chest. “The H Brands deal is back on.” He smiled, more a baring of teeth than a real smile. Probably picturing the massive amount of money this deal promised to bring in. “And the firm approved your origination credit.”
Fuck yes. I couldn’t help my grin. Twenty percent of what we billed the client from this deal would be mine.
Finally, finally, I could strike out on my own, start my own small firm.
Commercial leases were expensive, and I needed to have several years of expenses saved up.
Enough time to see if I could make it as a solo practitioner.
I had my eye on a property near Grand Central, and I needed another $200,000 before I could even think about renting it.
Mitchell had just handed me the keys to my freedom.
“But only if you win this deal.” He frowned.
“What do you mean?” I gritted out.
“Mr. and Mrs. Harris are…particular. They won’t settle for anything less than what, in my opinion, is a higher price than the company’s valuation supports.
And they are oddly secretive about diligence materials.
This deal may not go through.” He shook his head.
“And if it does, but the price is too low, they’ve already told me they’re going to demand a big discount.
If that happens, we can’t give you the origination credit.
We’ll barely be making enough to cover our expenses.
Sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry. And I didn’t buy the line about expenses.
I clenched my jaw. This was bullshit. I was su pposed to get a cut of the money, regardless.
The client had found my profile on the website and called me.
But because I wasn’t a partner, I couldn’t bring a client in on my own.
Mitchell would get most of the money from the bills the client paid, and I would get a portion.
And now, my freedom was tied to the client’s nebulous idea of “winning.” It just meant I needed to destroy the other side.
There could be no doubt about my effort at the end of this.
“Good job bringing them in,” Mitchell said, with a brief nod of approval.
“Now let’s kill this deal. I’m sending you to on-site due diligence meetings.
” He paused to check his email. “The town is called… here it is… Booth.” He chuckled.
“You’re in for some fun. Population 10,000. Oh, and you need to be there tonight.”
My stomach dipped. Not at the timing. I could be ready to go as soon as this afternoon. But 10,000 people? That was…small. As small as Copperton. You’ll be okay. Deep breaths. I itched to pace the office, but I just tightened my hand on my thigh, fingers digging in to remind me to stay calm.
“Should only be a few weeks. Opposing counsel will be there too. Not sure who it will be exactly.” He frowned. “Argan has engaged Taylor, Jones, and Roberts. They’re good. Competent counsel.”
And Cynthia’s firm. My stomach bottomed out. It couldn’t be her. I brushed the worry away.
Argan was the buyer and was clearly taking this seriously.
A local company only used a big law firm from New York City if they meant business.
Our clients were clearly insane, which made their insistence on our firm logical, since we were the best of the best. A small, local firm couldn’t compare.
Argan must have seen who they hired and decided they needed a firm of equal caliber.
“They could make this hard for us.” Mitchell leveled a look at me, oblivious to my inner turmoil. “Don’t fuck this up, Jason. We need this. Wipe the floor with that TJR lawyer. Show me you mean business, okay?”
I almost rolled my eyes. Yeah, I’d win, but not for the reasons Mitchell wanted. I’d win and then I’d get the hell out of this place .
“You got it. I’ll come out on top. I always do.” My voice was calm, cold.
I strode back to my office, jaw set, heart thumping. Junior associates scurried out of my way.
In the information age, we didn’t usually do on-site diligence.
It was a relic of the ’90s when the lawyers and auditors would show up, armed with briefcases, red pens, and lots of coffee, and comb through client materials for weeks on end.
Opposing counsel would bear the brunt of the work, as the representative of the purchaser, but I had to be on site to answer questions, make sure they were getting the materials they needed, and review the purchaser’s documents to make sure they were solvent enough to buy the company.
For some reason, Mitchell thought it was needed. It was going to make my life hell for several weeks, but the increased billable hours and money would be worth it. I pushed open my office door and rolled my shoulders to release the tension.
No one knew my secrets, no one knew I’d slept with her. Everything was fine.
Now I just needed to kill this deal. Stupid H Brands. Fucking Mitchell and his threats. I texted Jonah and Miles, my closest friends and former college roommates.
Jason
Guess who’s going to the middle of fucking nowhere…due diligence sucks.
Jonah’s response came immediately.
Jonah
A small town? How are you going to handle that?
He was always assessing risk, calculating the best course of action.
Jason
Not well.
Irrational? Most definitely. But I hated small towns, and I’d never been accused of being rational before. My fears and anxieties about my past rode me hard, and I’d learned to live with it.
Miles
Why? No one does diligence on site anymore.
Jason
The H brands deal is back on. And the client is paranoid and crazy. Sounds like Mitchell forced the issue. Or maybe opposing counsel did.
Miles
Fuck yeah! A few weeks of torture for a chance to get the fuck out of there? Sounds worth it to me.
My friends knew all about my plans for the money from this client. They’d helped me with the pitch to finalize bringing H Brands in.
Jonah
How long until you’re done?
Jason
If this deal goes smoothly, I’ll be out by February.
I’d get the money at the end of the year, when the firm closed its books, and then I’d give notice.
Jason
But opposing counsel is Cynthia’s firm.
Miles
The hot lawyer you texted us about last night?
I’d texted them after she’d left since Miles had been asking me to go out to a bar with him.
Miles
There’s no way it’s her.
Jonah
Imagine.
Miles sent a laughing emoji with tears coming out of its eyes. The thought of my torment probably had them laughing in their glass tower.
Jason
Not funny. If it’s her, I’m screwed
Miles
Yeah, you’d like to be.
Miles
Could be worth it… if the sex was good
I rolled my eyes. Of course. Miles had been known in college for sleeping with a million women. Now that he had a cold and horrible fiancée, he had to live vicariously through us.
Jason
Thanks for nothing, guys.
Jonah
You want that money right?
I did. I could start my own firm, have my name over the door. I would never have to worry about a boss discovering that I was an impostor, just a dirty kid dressed up in fancy clothes. That dream was so close I could taste it.
Jonah
Either you stay focused, or you get distracted. So it doesn’t matter if it’s her. Because you’re going to do your job and get the fuck out .
I tipped my head back against my chair. I had clawed my way to the top.
Years of bartending, of scraping by, staying in shitty motels and then crappy apartments, student loan debt, hunger, fear.
And I’d made it. I’d saved like a fiend for a decade and invested wisely, and I was rich.
Not as rich as I wanted to be, though. Money equaled independence.
Money meant freedom. I could finally stop pretending to be a starched good ol’ boy with no personality.
Instead of going to work every day wondering if I’d get fired, I could set my own hours.
When this deal started, whoever the TJR lawyer was, they were going down.