by Tiana Cole
“Hey! Our potato skins are here. Get ‘em before they're gone!” Jason called when he spotted me crossing the room and gestured to my empty seat. The rest of the night went by with way too much tequila, a cab ride home, and falling face first into bed.
* * *
I woke up to loud knocking on my apartment door. The beginning of a headache was forming, and I groaned as I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders. I shuffled to my front door, peered through the peephole, and saw Jeannie standing impatiently on the other side. When I unlocked the door and opened it, she took one look at my grumpy expression and smirked before waltzing inside.
“Sorry to wake you up,” she shook her head apologetically, “but we left our crap in your car yesterday. I've been tasked with collecting and delivering it… unfortunately.”
She looked like she'd rather be doing anything else, and I managed a chuckle despite my growing hangover.
“Okay, let me put something on and we'll catch a cab back to my car,” I replied sleepily. “Why do you have to pick up everyone's things, anyway?” I asked as an afterthought.
“Because Jason and Kasey decided to crash at my place, and we all have a shit-ton of work to do since Mr. Holier-Than-Thou can't be bothered to do his own goddamn research,” Jeannie answered in annoyance.
“I'm still wondering why he chose me instead of tackling the case with Travellis,” I said as she followed me through the living room and down the short hall to my bedroom. “I mean, it’s not like I'm a partner or anything.”
“Maybe Travellis finally had enough of Kosta's shit,” Jeannie commented plainly, and I smiled as I disappeared into my walk-in closet to throw on some clothes. After settling on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I dragged myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail, then tugged on my pair of black and white Chuck Taylors. I was a slick corporate lawyer who dressed the part in the workplace, but preferred to keep things cool and casual during my off time.
“You look like a sexy model for Converse or something,” Jeannie smirked. “All you need is a plaid shirt tied around your waist.”
I rolled my eyes, and Jeannie continued to playfully insult my choice of attire as we left to retrieve my car. I dropped her off outside her apartment building after she’d gathered the group’s belongings, and returned home to begin drudging up everything I could on Ross Club. I was peeved that I had to spend my Saturday and Sunday working, but couldn't say that my weekend was entirely ruined since I’d managed to have a good time the night before. At least I could work from home, and didn't have to be in the office with Kosta milling around.
I managed to finish my work a little before midnight on Sunday night. Not quite tired enough to sleep, I decided to straighten up my apartment and do a load of laundry. My place was located in Midtown, and on a typical day I was looking at a twenty-minute commute to my workplace at Bates Tower on Madison Avenue. I had to admit that it was a rather nice apartment with two bedrooms, two baths, and an open-concept kitchen that bled into the living and dining rooms. I’d scored big time, but rent was rather pricey…though not quite as expensive as other apartments in the area that were almost identical. The price tag kept me locked into Kosta and Travellis, but the spectacular view of the city from the fourteenth floor I was located on almost made it worth it.
As I was carrying my load of laundry from the dryer in the small laundry room at the end of my floor, I felt my cell phone vibrate in my back pocket. I hurried into the living room and dumped the clothes basket on the couch before pulling my phone from my sweatpants. I stared at the screen in complete befuddlement, the caller ID reading 'Bastian Kosta.' He hardly ever called on weekends, but he had no problem barking orders after hours on weekdays. I took a deep breath and cautiously answered the phone.
“Finally,” Kraken's voice growled. “How many times were you going to let your phone ring, Vanessa? You know I don't like to be kept waiting. What have you come up with on Ross Club?”
This wasn’t the first time he’d addressed me as ‘Vanessa’ over the phone, and I assumed that’s the name he had me programmed under. I let it go, and rushed to my desk in the spare bedroom I’d been using as my makeshift home office.
“There's a lengthy list I was able to put together, Mr. Kosta,” I told him as I nervously scanned the paper I’d typed up. “I can e-mail it to you and fax over any additional information you might need if you'd like.”
There was a pause on the other end before his voice, now calm and smooth, came through the line once again.
“Perfect. It's good to know that not all of my employees are incompetent. Send me everything you have so I don't have to call you again tonight,” he replied flatly.
With that, the call ended and I immediately e-mailed him all of my research. It would have taken much longer than one weekend to dig up all the dirt on Ross Club, but I hoped he’d be satisfied with what I was able to find given the time allotted. Mr. Kosta certainly had no reason to think I was incompetent, and when he received my e-mail I wondered if he’d realize that my name was Jessica and finally start addressing me correctly. I got to bed late, but was able to rest soundly knowing I’d at least accomplished everything he’d requested.
The following morning I woke feeling optimistic about the new work week. I was hoping that Mr. Kosta would recognize my hard work and at least start calling me by my actual name. If that happened, I could possibly let slide whatever grievances the week brought.
I got ready for work and grabbed a plain bagel on my way out the door, stuffing it down as the elevator descended to the ground floor. When I reached the parking garage and settled into my car, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my brother was calling me. I quickly started the vehicle and connected my phone to speak with him hands-free.
My brother, Jay, was the only family I had since our parents died in a freak car accident when I was thirteen and he was nineteen. He looked after me, even though he was just starting out in college and trying to begin a life of his own. It was hard sometimes, but Jay always made sure we were taken care of. Better yet, he always made sure I was taken care of. He’d just moved his wife and my nephew Jay Junior, or JJ as everyone affectionately referred to him as, to the south of France. My brother was an architect, and he specialized in restoring historic homes and buildings. He was extremely talented, and was often flown around the world to help rebuild old properties. He always seemed to have a project in or around France, though, which was why he finally decided to settle there a year earlier.
“Hey, sis!” he answered cheerily. “I miss your voice. How are you holding up over there?”
He definitely sounded like his usual enthusiastic self, and I smiled as I pulled out of the parking space, navigating through the garage and out into traffic.
“I miss you too, bro-bro. Everything's same old, same old here. When are you and Tasha coming to visit with JJ?” I asked with a slight pout to my voice. The last time I saw them was over Christmas, and it was already moving into August.
“I know, it's been too long. We were really bummed we couldn't be there for the Fourth. JJ misses his aunt Jessie,” he replied, and my face lit up. Only JJ called me Jessie. He was the cutest two-year-old on the planet, I was sure of it.
“Aw, tell him I miss him, too. I'll try to call you guys at a decent hour, granted I'm not bogged down with work,” I said.
“That Kosta-Kraken guy still an ass?”
I smiled again at Jay’s big brother voice. It came out whenever he was about to get defensive over anything that concerned me. I found it to be quite sweet.
“Yeah, but I'm learning how to deal, I guess. I just do what he says in a timely fashion and pretend his snide comments aren't really directed at me.”
Jay snorted without humor and I envisioned him rolling his eyes. I’d complained to him about Bastian Kosta more than a few times over the last two months.
“Yeah, but has he figured out your name yet?” he questioned, and
my hesitation revealed the answer. “Honestly, I don't know why you still work there, Jess,” he sighed. “There are plenty of other business law firms in the city. Ones where they’ll treat you better and get your damn name right. I’m sure they’d be willing to pay you just as much, if not more. You are talented, you know.”
“I know that, Jay, but I really want my resume to reflect it. Plus there’s no guarantee another firm will pay me as much as Kosta and Travellis. My apartment was a steal, but it isn't cheap,” I reminded him.
“You know you never have to worry when it comes to money,” Jay assured me. “I just want you to be happy.”
I pulled into the usual parking garage a couple of blocks down from Bates Tower and sat in my car while I caught up with my older brother.
“I know, and I appreciate that, but you know me. I love a challenge…”
“Alright, well, when you get fed up with that Kraken dude, you just let me know,” he replied. He changed the subject and revealed the reason for his call. He’d landed a major client, and wanted to share the good news since he knew how much I loved hearing about his successes. My heart filled with excitement and happiness for him, and I gushed my congratulations over the phone. Jay laughed at my exuberance, and jokingly told me to calm down before I popped a vein.
“Okay, well I have to run to work now, but you tell Tasha I said hello,” I smiled, somehow thinking he could feel it despite our distance. “And give JJ a kiss from his auntie Jess!” I beamed, overjoyed by his unexpected call.
We exchanged pleasant goodbyes and I walked the two blocks to work with a smile on my face. My mood fell a fraction when I stepped into the firm’s reception area and saw that Mr. Kosta was letting Jason have it. As I stepped through the glass doors and onto the work floor, I almost cringed at the tense silence in the room. All that could be heard was The Kraken’s thunderous voice.
“I gave you a simple task, and you couldn't even do that! You had two whole days to look into one small detail, and now you're telling me I have to pause an entire case because you can't get your act together?!”
I silently slinked over to my desk and sat down slowly, as to not draw The Kraken's attention over to me.
“Sir, it's like I told you. The District Attorney's office was closed all weekend. I had no way of reaching anyone…” Jason tried to defend himself, but Mr. Kosta surprised me by gesturing over to where I sat at my desk.
“You have co-workers in this office who were able to get in touch with people there. If you were a bit more resourceful and a bit less lazy, perhaps we wouldn't be having this discussion. You're walking on thin ice, Jason. Get me the information I need, or I'll demote you to paralegal status and have you answering phones out in reception,” Mr. Kosta snarled. He glanced at me once more before turning his back and storming into his office, the door slamming shut behind him.
I pushed my bags underneath my desk and wheeled my chair over to Jason's workstation to help him get the information Mr. Kosta was hounding him for.
“He's such a jackass,” I grumbled. “Just keep swimming, Jason,” I comforted him using a line he was quite familiar with in hopes of cheering him up. He had an odd yet cute love for the movie Finding Nemo, and we often poked fun at him for it. My effort worked, and he smiled at my reference.
“I just needed to get a stupid case number for him concerning a Ross Club lawsuit that involved criminal activity within their unloading bays and storage units,” he explained. “Apparently a few customers got sick from their meat as a result and it was a pretty big deal. Kraken called me at one in the goddamn morning asking me to find the case number for him.”
I shook my head, feeling his frustration. Mr. Kosta expected all of his employees to be miracle workers, even at unreasonable hours.
“He's ridiculously inconsiderate. If he couldn't get anyone on the phone, how could he expect you to do it?” I scoffed in agitation, then jotted down the numbers of a few lawyers I knew who worked in the DA's office. “Here are some of my contacts. They can help you out,” I offered.
I gave him a hug and he thanked me with a look of appreciation mixed with relief. I wheeled myself back to my desk just in time to avert disaster. Mr. Kosta poked his head out of his office door, and I’m sure I would have suffered his wrath had me caught me conferring with Jason.
“Vanessa, I need to see you in my office,” he ordered while pointing at me.
I couldn’t contain my irritated groan. Apparently the e-mail I’d sent him hadn’t done a thing as he still had my name completely wrong. I stood and plastered a polite smile on my face as he lingered at his door, waiting for me to follow him into his palatial office. The space was just as modern as the rest of the floor; he had a great view of the city, and nice, contemporary furniture positioned around the room. He gestured for me to sit across from his desk, and I nervously wondered why this was a 'sit down' situation.
“I just wanted to go over some things with your research is all,” he began, and I felt my chest lighten. “It looks like we're on to a completely larger case than simply libel. Ross Club seems to be dodging quite a bit of health codes when it comes to their meats, and that's reason for concern for the public.”
Mr. Kosta let that register, and my eyes widened a fraction with the severity of the implications.
“Yeah, I put those pieces together over the weekend, but I thought they'd taken measures to correct that after their previous lawsuits?” I asked.
“While you’ve been looking into their past, I’ve been looking into how they’re currently running their operation,” he answered, shaking his head. “They've only gotten better at hiding things so they can save profits for the executives and such. We can not only get the libel case dismissed, but we can shut Ross Club down at the same time.”
In that moment, I realized that I'd been so focused on Mr. Kosta's rough demeanor that I'd overlooked what an excellent lawyer he was. It was why he was paid the big bucks, that was for sure…and it was also why he was so damn arrogant.
Chapter 2
Bastian
As I sat in my office with one of the only employee’s who didn’t seem to waste my time, I found myself distracted as she proposed her direction for the case we were working on. Yes, Vanessa seemed rather sharp, and she didn’t annoy me nearly as much as the others did. I was having a hard time focusing on work, however, as my mind was preoccupied with my impending green card expiration.
Over the last decade, I’d built a reputation for myself as a fierce business lawyer and my firm had grown exponentially. My partner, Nick Travellis, also played a large role in the company’s success, and we took great pride in our accomplishments. I was known the ruthless one, cutthroat and savvy, and my knowledge of business law was second to none. Five years earlier, I’d landed a high-profile case that had kept me so busy I hadn’t found the time to begin the act of becoming a United States citizen. Up until then, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to remain in America when my green card expired. My firm was doing moderately well, but I had fond memories of Greece and my mother still lived there as well, although we weren’t too close. Business suddenly exploded when we scored a few big clients, and that’s when I decided to stay in the States. As luck would have it, that’s also when fate threw me the largest case of my career.
With the naturalization process being such a lengthy one, there was no way I could balance a major client while working on my citizenship. I had to choose between scoring a potentially huge victory for my firm or becoming a legal resident of the United States. I knew my green card was a priority, but the multi-million dollar case I’d been personally asked to handle proved too lucrative to resist.
The court battle was long, lasting five years and finally wrapping up only two weeks ago, but I’d wound up winning the case. Foolishly, and perhaps a bit arrogantly, I thought I may have time to secure my citizenship, but I’d been wrong—something that didn’t happen often. Now I was facing deportation with my options limited, and I was still mentally
drained from the hard-fought case I’d led to victory.
Yes, I'd been so consumed with work that I simply didn’t have time work on my naturalization, let alone love life. Dating had been out of the question, though my mother reminded me on a regular basis that she was only getting older and wanted a grandchild before she died. With my ten-year green card expiring soon, I was facing a matter of weeks before I’d be sent back to the Aegean. In hindsight, I wasn’t sure if taking on such a large client and putting my citizenship on the backburner had been such a good idea. The last decade had flown by, and now I was in a real bind. There was one option I’d been kicking around, however, that might allow me to stay in the States. It was risky, but I didn’t have much of a choice.
“Mr. Kosta?”
I looked up from my folded hands resting on the mahogany desk and saw my employee eyeing me strangely. I hadn't completely zoned out, and I didn't appreciate her looking at me as if I had. I wasn't some incompetent fool who couldn't pay attention in a one-on-one meeting.
“I am listening to you, Vanessa,” I assured her, “But I don't believe passing our entire case to the city would be wise at this juncture. I think Landon Corporation would appreciate it if we successfully had the libel case dismissed, then blew up the investigation from there. Yes, it's a bit showy, but it will help our reputation in the long run if we stick with this case as long as possible.”
I sat forward in my desk chair and studied her undeniably attractive face. She was masking annoyance for some reason, but then again, so did all of the employees whenever I was around.
“I'm sorry, sir, this is completely unrelated to what we are discussing… but my name is Jessica, not Vanessa,” she said while sheepishly looking down at her notes.
I had to commend her—she'd finally came out and corrected me. She was indeed quite fetching, and I was sure I must have made an offhand note of it when we were first introduced two months earlier. I’d been so busy helming my case that I hadn’t really stopped to admire many women, but now that I had a moment to breathe I took in just how stunning she truly was.
