by Marie Astor
Duke University turned out to be very different from Connecticut. The anticipation of the great and wonderful things that were bound to take place during his college years was desecrated by the cool reception that Jon received upon his arrival on campus. His roommate, Connor Hale, made it clear that he did not socialize with anyone whose daddy had not gone to Duke. The white Ferrari that Connor drove made Jon’s red Mustang look plebeian, and when Jon tried to ingratiate himself with Connor by letting him copy his homework assignments, Connor cut off any possibility of social ties by putting a crisp fifty-dollar bill on Jon’s desk. Still, Jon did not despair. After rigorous tryouts, he made the lacrosse team, and his prowess with the sport gradually began to win him the respect of his classmates and even got him into a fraternity. Yet, despite these tokens of acceptance, Jon was keenly aware that he was never really one of the team. His social background doomed him to remain an outsider.
All of that changed when Jon kissed Candace Covington at his fraternity’s party. Unlike his classmates, most of whom were heavily drunk halfway into the night, Jon had kept his wits about him. Even back then he knew how to handle his liquor, and that night he stayed away from alcohol entirely. He had already been inebriated by Candace’s beauty. So, after chatting her up most of the night, he had decided to go all in and kiss her. Even after almost twenty years of marriage, Jon had not stopped wondering just why Candace did not slap him when he leaned into the velvety smoothness of her lips that night. Instead, she had answered him, openly and fervently, ushering a whole new era of his existence.
Finally, the bedroom door opened and Candace entered the bedroom.
“There you are.” Jon’s eyes lit up at the sight of his wife. He lifted himself up on his elbow to take in the view. And what a view it was: clad in a black lace corset from Agent Provocateur, with black stockings, garter belt, and black stiletto heels that Jon had gotten her last week, his wife looked hotter than a Playboy model.
“Sorry I took so long,” Candace whispered. “I was putting Ollie to bed.”
“Some things are worth waiting for.” Jon kicked the comforter to the floor. “Come here, you.”
Giggling, Candace jumped into the bed next to him. As Jon undid the laces on the back of his wife’s corset, he felt as hard as he did when he was a buck of twenty, ready to go on for hours. Candace never failed to illicit this reaction from him, and for that alone he loved her to no end.
Chapter 7
It was a quarter to five o’clock on a Friday, and Janet was staring at the clock on the wall of her office, which seemed to have fallen asleep. Well, the clock’s mechanical ticking confirmed that it was in working order, but the clock hands’ being glued in place rendered the ticking counterproductive. Finally, the long hand made a barely perceptible shift, lifting Janet’s mood just a bit.
She was beginning to have serious doubts about her qualifications as an attorney. She had been on the job for a week, and she had yet to claim one completed task to her name. Perhaps it was fine with Lisa to sit around and do nothing all day, but Janet was simply getting bored and a little bit alarmed. What kind of firm hired a legal counsel to sit around and do nothing all day? She wanted to think that next week things would be different. Perhaps Lisa was just giving her a break, and Janet was being ungratefully suspicious. She sincerely wanted to believe that. Yet so far, all of her experiences at Bostoff Securities spoke to the contrary. Take the recent meeting with the Bostoffs: Hank, Jon, and Paul. Again, Janet did not rule out that it could have been her investigator background that had caused their misgivings, but Jon Bostoff’s demeanor had seemed to stiffen when Janet mentioned her past experience at the DA’s office. And the whole set up with Tom Wyman just seemed strange to begin with. What kind of firm outsourced everything to an outside law firm while keeping lawyers on staff?
The way Janet saw it there were two options: either Bostoff Securities was a clean shop, and she simply had failed to understand its intricate operations, or her employer was a crook. Sooner or later all crooks got caught, and Janet would go down with the ship when the time came. Granted, she had only been on the job a week, and her experience while working for the DA did not exactly make her the most trusting of people, but she figured if it looked like a duck, swam like a duck, and quacked like a duck, then it probably was a duck. Janet had certainly witnessed enough quacking at Bostoff to set her sensors on edge.
What Janet needed now was a drink. Short of quitting, which, given the mounting pile of bills she had accumulated while unemployed was not an option, there was nothing she could do at the moment to change her situation. But her mind refused to let go, going into loops of panic, and a vodka martini was the only cure she could think of. Thankfully, she would not have to wait long. She was meeting Katie and Joe at Smith and Wollensky for drinks at six.
“You’re still here?” Lisa appeared on the threshold of Janet’s office.
“Yeah, I’m waiting to meet Katie and Joe for drinks.” Janet immediately regretted her lapse, lest Lisa invite herself to join them.
“Oh, that sounds like fun.” Lisa yawned. “But I’ve got a date with Paul. I think he is going to pop the question this weekend.” Lisa winked.
“You think so?” Janet tried to force excitement into her voice. She had no doubts that Lisa actually possessed an ability to physically bend men to her will. If she wanted Paul to propose marriage to her this weekend, the poor man would no doubt oblige.
“Yes, I think so. We’ve been dating for a year; this weekend is our anniversary, and Paul is taking me to a secret getaway.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Now, if you would just give Tom Wyman a chance, you too could be wearing a diamond on your finger in the near future.”
“I don’t think I’m his type,” Janet lied. From what she had seen of Tom Wyman, every woman was his type, at least for one night, but Janet was not looking to be somebody’s disposable fun.
“Well, maybe if you weren’t so prim all the time. Are you going out like that?” Lisa eyed Janet critically.
“Yes,” Janet mumbled, already anticipating what was about to follow. Since her fizzled flirtation with Tom Wyman, she had reverted to her conservative business attire.
“Nothing. You look perfectly swell to take someone’s statement, but I doubt any guy is going to ask you for a date with your hair tied up in that bun of yours and your blouse buttoned up all the way to your ears.”
“Good.” Janet pressed her lips together. If Lisa refused to observe boss-employee boundaries, she would do the same. “That’s precisely the effect I’m going for.”
“Well, have fun.” Lisa lingered, no doubt waiting for an apology, but Janet sat back in her chair with her eyes fixed on her desk.
And then the impossible happened. Lisa smiled wanly and shifted on her high-heeled shoes.
“Look, Janey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to tick you off. I know it’s the end of the week, and you’re probably tired and all. I just want you to be happy, that’s all.” Lisa halted. “And, truth be told, I’m a bit nervous about Paul. What if he doesn’t propose? I don’t think his brother likes me…”
Janet blinked. “I know you mean well. I’m sorry.” And just like that, Janet was back, apologizing to Lisa the way she had done countless times before during all the years of their friendship. “And don’t worry about Paul. The two of you are great together, and he doesn’t look like the kind of man who would let anyone sway his mind,” Janet counseled with the confidence of a relationship expert, trying not to think about the fact that her latest relationship had ended with heartbreak instead of an engagement.
At six o’clock on the dot, Janet was seated at the bar of Smith and Wollensky. A dirty vodka martini with three olives was in front of her. Janet bit into an olive and washed it down with a sizeable gulp of the martini, wishing that Katie and Joe would get there already. Ever since she had turned old enough to enter the establishment, she had hated sitting alone by the bar. Tonight was no excep
tion, as Janet worried about her outfit, courtesy of Lisa’s comments, and wondered whether any of the noisy suit types crowding the place were checking her out. Not that she was interested, but at the moment, male attention would be a welcome boost to her ego.
“Janet!”
Janet turned around at the sound of the familiar voices.
“Joe! Katie!”
“Congratulations on the new job! Come here, you!” Katie held out her arms for a hug. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. You look great.”
“Thanks, you look great too.” Katie was dressed in a gray sheath with a matching jacket and conservative two-inch pumps, instantly making Janet feel better about her own outfit.
“It’s good to see you, Janet.” Joe beamed at her, his hazel eyes twinkling.
“You too, Joe.” Janet felt warm from the compliment. She liked Joe; he was a good friend. There had been one late study night, just as Janet had started seeing Alex seriously, when Joe had hinted that he hoped they could be more than friends, but at the time Janet had been too enamored with Alex’s charms to consider Joe. She had always thought of him as a safe, cuddly teddy bear. After graduation, Janet and Katie saw each other regularly, but even though Joe and Katie worked for the same law firm, Joe always seemed to have an excuse not to come when they invited him to join them for drinks. Tonight, Joe looked very much the part of legal counsel in his dark navy pinstriped suit that was expertly cut to fit his muscular physique.
“I see a table opening up.” Katie headed in the direction of the emptying table close to the bar.
“After you.” Joe waited for Janet to pass.
“So, tell us everything about your new job,” said Katie after they had ordered drinks.
Janet decided to omit her misgivings about Bostoff Securities for the time being. “Oh, it’s only been a week – I’m still learning the ropes. How are things with you guys?”
“What can I tell you?” Katie shrugged. “If I have to proofread another contract, I’m going to hang myself.”
“I told you that you should have gone for litigation.” Joe chuckled. “The hours are crazy, but the work is so much more interesting.”
“Yes, it may be interesting, but it’s way too intense for my taste.” Katie shivered. “I can’t imagine myself being up before the judge and the jury.”
Joe shook his head. “That’s the best part. Not that I’ve gotten to do much of it yet. I’m mostly doing research for the senior lawyers and helping with witness prep, but lately the senior partners have been letting me come along to court with them. Already, I’ve learned so much. I can’t wait to actually be up there, defending my own case someday.”
“You will.” Janet smiled. Joe’s passion reminded her of the way she had felt when she started her job at the DA’s office. Only she had wanted to bring wrongdoers to justice instead of defending them, and now she was in a different boat entirely. Her employment with Bostoff Securities had not been a long one yet, but Janet doubted she would ever be as passionate about her current occupation as Joe was.
“It’s a good thing you switched jobs, Janet. Otherwise, we might have faced each other from the opposite sides of the defense.” Joe winked.
“Well, if you put it that way.” Janet managed a smile. “But to tell you the truth, I miss the DA’s office. I guess I was a better sleuth than I am an attorney.” She shrugged.
“You don’t sound very excited about your new job. Is everything okay?” Katie cut in. “Or is it because of Lisa?”
“Partially,” Janet answered evasively. She knew that Katie had no special place in her heart for Lisa, but old loyalty prevented her from agreeing. Besides, Lisa did get her the job, and for that she deserved credit, even if the job did not turn out to be anything like Lisa had promised it would be. “I’m still learning about their business model, but some of their practices seem a little unorthodox…”
“Welcome to the real world, honey!” Katie smirked. “In addition to drafting contracts, I’ve had the pleasure of helping some of the financial firms with their regulatory battles. I’m talking major names, which, of course, I can’t name, but you’d be surprised to hear what goes on inside some of these so called reputable firms. Some of the stuff they do for their clients is bordering on tax evasion and insider trading.”
“And no one is doing anything about this?”
“I didn’t say that. The regulators slap them on the wrist now and then; they pay a fine and go on their merry way, doing the same thing all over again. Are you going to tell me that every investigation you were on at the DA’s office resulted in a successful finding?”
Janet shook her head. She knew only too well that it did not. At least not her most recent and most intricate case – the one that she had been sure was going to get her a promotion, but instead got her fired. Correction: downsized.
“You listen to me, Janet.” Katie leaned across the table. “If you want to succeed at your new job, you’ve got to change your mentality. You aren’t catching the bad guys anymore. You’re covering their butts. And if they happen to cut a few corners here and there, you’ve got to come up with a way to make them look like they’ve crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s.”
Joe nodded “Katie is right. Let’s face it. An innocent client rarely needs a lawyer, and when you’re an in-house counsel, the client expects you tell them what they can do, not what they can’t do.”
“I know.” Janet nodded. Suddenly she felt completely out of touch. She had thought she had gained substantial experience during her time with the DA, but now it seemed to her that she had only gleaned the surface of things.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Janet.” Katie smiled guiltily. “But I couldn’t be this frank with you when you were in prosecution. Take my advice. If you want to make it in the private sector, you’ve got to become more lenient.”
Janet nodded. “You may be right. Like I said, I’m not jumping to any conclusions. I just need more time to learn the ropes.” Perhaps it was time to reconsider her views in order to stay employed.
The conversation was interrupted by a petite blonde appearing by Joe’s chair.
“Hi, baby, I’m so sorry I’m late!”
“Daphne…I didn’t think you were coming.” Joe pushed back his chair. “Janet, this is my fiancée, Daphne,” he added awkwardly. “Daphne, this is Janet. We went to law school together, and you’ve already met Katie.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daphne.” Janet hoped that her smile looked genuine. She did not have anything against Daphne per se. She did not even know the girl, but something inside her had constricted when Joe had called the pretty blonde his fiancée.
“Likewise!” Daphne settled into the chair next to Joe, prominently displaying her left hand on the table. Her ring finger was adorned with a sizeable diamond. “Isn’t it lovely? We just got engaged last week. I’m still getting used to the feeling of it.”
“It’s beautiful. How long have the two of you been seeing each other?” Janet’s curiosity was getting the better of her.
“Oh, we’ve been dating on and off…” Joe started.
“For two years,” Daphne cut him off. “I finally had to put my foot down and say, ‘You either propose, mister, or else!’”
Janet sipped her drink. For a future litigator, Joe was certainly very easily bulldozed when it came to his personal life. But then maybe that was exactly what he needed – someone to take charge when he got home after a long day in the courtroom. In any case, Janet would never find out for sure. She had missed that boat. Not that she had wanted to be on it – not really. If she had, she would have given Joe a chance when he had asked her to.
Later in the evening Janet and Katie were waiting for a cab together. They had let Joe and Daphne take the first cab, not so much out of generosity, but rather to get rid of Daphne, who had grown overly chatty after her second Cosmopolitan. Joe seemed embarrassed as he climbed into the cab after Daphne, bidding them a hasty goodnight.
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Katie shook her head. “Joe didn’t tell me he got engaged to that nutcase. It just proves that he’s working too much. He’s got no time to date. That’s one of the hazards of being a lawyer in a private firm. You either end up single, like me, or hitched with a nutcase, like poor Joe.” Katie sighed. “You should have given Joe a chance while he was still available,” she added pointedly.
“I was too head over heels with Alex to notice anyone else.”
“That dirt bag.” Katie ground her heel on the pavement. “I never liked him, and I told you as much. Something about him just didn’t feel right. Too suave, too…”
“You can let it go now, Katie – it’s been long enough.” Janet shrugged. She was only too familiar with the direction in which the conversation was heading, but contrary to what she had just said, she found it hard to let go of Alex just yet.
“So how did Lisa land the general counsel job at Bostoff?” Katie took the cue and switched the conversation.
“Lisa went to Harvard Law. She’s smart.”
“Wahoo! And you and I went to Columbia. I don’t get anyone knocking on my door offering me general counsel jobs and neither do you. So, how did she swing it?”
