by Aurora Rey
Attorney Elisa Gonzalez is happy working behind the scenes while still having time for a life. All that changes when her firm takes on a major case and Parker Jones, powerhouse litigator and her law school crush, is named lead counsel.
2019 Romance Writers of America® RITA® Finalist
Lead Counsel was previously published in The Boss of Her: Romance Novellas (Bold Strokes Books, 2018).
Lead Counsel
Brought to you by
eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.
Lead Counsel
© 2018 By Aurora Rey. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-528-8
This Electronic Book is published by
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Bold Strokes Books eBook Edition: July 2019
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Ashley Bartlett
Production Design: Stacia Seaman
Cover Design by Tammy Seidick
By the Author
Cape End Romances:
Winter’s Harbor
Summer’s Cove
Spring’s Wake
Autumn’s Light
Built to Last
Crescent City Confidential
The Boss of Her: Office Romance Novellas
(with Julie Cannon and M. Ullrich)
Recipe for Love: A Farm-to-Table Romance
Chapter One
Elisa Gonzalez closed her eyes and wondered what karmic force she’d managed to piss off. She could think of no heinous act or ill will that would warrant the news she’d just received. Parker Jones was about to become her boss.
Parker Jones, who’d run off to New York the second she graduated. Who’d passed both the Louisiana and New York bar exams within a year and become the biggest of the big shots Tulane had put out in ages. Who’d flirted and had her way and—
“Gonzalez.” Don Peterson, Elisa’s least favorite managing partner at Blanchard & Breaux, glared at her.
From the look on his face, Elisa was pretty sure she’d just missed something really important. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I said you’ve been selected to head up the local team. Although if you’re going to flake out, it might not be such a good idea.”
“No, no.” Pride kicked in and she squared her shoulders. “My mind wandered for a moment. Won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t. Teaming up with Kenner and Associates could open a whole new area for us. According to their managing partners, Jones is the best. Bringing her on board is a big play and we don’t want to fuck it up.”
A thought occurred to her like a punch to the gut. “Wait. Who did the selecting?”
Don’s eyes narrowed. “What selecting?”
“Me. Who selected me? Was it you?” Please let it be him.
“No, it was Jones. As lead, she got a say in the local team and she picked you as her second. You know her or something?”
Know her. Ha. That was one way of putting it. “We went to law school together.”
Don nodded slowly. Elisa said a silent prayer that he would let it go at that. “Oh. Well, that’s nice, I suppose. Make sure you’re hospitable.”
Elisa folded her arms. Don would deny his comment had anything to do with gender, but she could hardly imagine him saying it to a male associate. He probably didn’t know Parker was a lesbian. Hell, he probably didn’t know she was. Not because she was in the closet, but because he couldn’t be bothered to get to know the people in the firm who weren’t on his team. She sighed. Better than having him hit on her. “When is she coming?”
“Her flight gets in at nine tomorrow.”
It took every ounce of self-control she had not to groan. That gave her exactly no time to mentally prepare. Much less to do any background research on the case. “Let me guess. She’s coming right to the office.”
Don shrugged. “She’s not getting paid to go sightseeing.”
“Do you want me to finish what I’m working on now or dive right into this?” She knew the answer but had to ask anyway.
“Give everything on the Brookings case to Manchac. He’s got nothing better to do. It sounds like Jones wants to keep her team small and focused.”
Of course she did. “Yes, sir. Anything else?”
Don looked her up and down with a slightly disinterested leer. “I don’t know why, but Jones seems to think you’re hot shit. Let’s not disappoint her.”
Elisa nodded. Then she turned on her heel and walked to her office without looking back. She glanced at the clock on the wall. If she wasn’t teaching tonight, she’d be tempted to skip yoga in favor of trying to get up to speed, or as close to it as possible. The very fact of having that thought cross her mind made her mad. She indulged in a sigh that was part growl and clicked her laptop out of the docking station. She’d do some work at home, but she’d be damned if she let Parker get under her skin before she even showed her face.
She drove home, trying to find her Zen. She sort of wished she was simply going to yoga instead of teaching it. She could use the mindlessness that came with focusing solely on her breathing and the positions of her body. She shook her head. No, teaching would be even better. She’d have a dozen other people to focus on. That would be the best distraction of all.
She got home and changed, then walked to the yoga studio. She set up her mat and cued the low harp music she liked in the background. She greeted her regulars, introduced herself to the couple of newcomers, then started the vinyasa. Because it was a beginner class, and because she’d only been teaching for a few months, she kept things simple. In truth, she actually preferred to keep things uncomplicated—in yoga and life.
When the class ended, her friend Laura lingered. “Hey, girl. You want to grab a drink?”
Elisa sighed. “Yes, but I have to work.”
Laura raised a brow. “Now?”
Elisa had to chuckle at her suspicion. From the moment they met in torts during their first year of law school, they’d banded together against the hypercompetitive, ambitious energy that seemed to surround all lawyers. Although they’d gone into different areas—Laura into patent law and Elisa into civil litigation—both resolutely refused to be part of the rat race. “You’re not going to believe who I’m working for, starting tomorrow.”
Laura’s eyes got wide. “Who?”
“Parker Jones.” She resisted inserting “fucking” as a middle name, so that was something.
Laura blinked dramatically. “Uh, how did that happen?”
Maybe she could use that drink after all. “You know what? Let’s get a drink and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Fifteen minutes later, they sat on the patio at Cinco, margaritas in hand. Even at eight in the evening, the July air remained steamy. Elisa sipped her drink and willed her body to cool. Laura looked at her expectantly. “Tell me everything.”
It didn’t take all that long to relay the details of her day—the teacher pension case, partnering with a fancy New York firm, having their resident hotshot come in to handle discovery, Don telling her she’d been chosen for the team. And who’d be leading it.
&n
bsp; “And it was Parker that requested you on her team? How did she even know you worked there?”
Elisa shook her head. “I’m hoping it’s a coincidence. Like, they gave her a list and she decided to go with someone she knows.”
“Is she going to be your boss?”
God. She’d been so focused on the idea of having to see Parker again, work with her, she hadn’t given any real thought to the power dynamic that would come with it. “Fuck.”
Laura made a sympathetic face. “Not really your boss. Lead counsel. That’s different.”
Elisa let out an annoyed breath. “Not that different.”
Laura caught the eye of a passing waiter and, without bothering to consult Elisa, ordered a second round. “Do you think she took the job because of you?”
“No.” Elisa’s reply was instant and emphatic, before she gave it a second of thought. But even as she turned the possibility over in her mind, she grew more certain. “No.”
Laura angled her head as she thought it through. “Are you sure?”
Parker had barely given her the time of day for most of their time in school. They were a year apart, so it wasn’t like they had a lot of classes together. And the one time they’d talked at a party—talked and talked and kissed and almost a lot more—Parker blew it off the next day like it was no big deal. “Yes. The firms landed the case as co-counsel. That’s above even her pay grade. There’s also the chance that she doesn’t remember me at all and picked my name at random.” Even though Don had said otherwise.
“That seems unlikely. She may have been a jerk, but you’re impossible to forget.”
“Thanks.” She appreciated the compliment, but it implied Parker did remember her, and that the memory made her think working together was a good idea.
“So, what are you going to do?”
Elisa squared her shoulders. “I’m going to spend tonight getting up to speed so I don’t make an ass of myself. And then I’m going to work on this case just like any other.”
“Diligently, thoroughly, but only during regular business hours?”
Elisa lifted her glass. “Exactly.”
* * *
Parker sipped a martini and studied her closet. It would be hotter than balls in New Orleans. She’d almost turned down the case based on the fact it would force her to be in Louisiana for July and August. Almost.
The truth of the matter was that she’d been angling to go back. Between her mother becoming a widow and having two nieces and a nephew under the age of five, she’d found herself wanting to be home. And no matter how many years she might live in New York, no matter how much she loved her Park Slope apartment with views of the Manhattan skyline, New Orleans was home.
The opportunity hadn’t been the first to come along. Headhunters loved lawyers admitted to the bars of multiple states and it seemed Louisiana and New York was a rare combination. And while many of those offers had been extremely lucrative, they’d been on the wrong side. She had no interest in defending financial institutions who treated clients’ retirement accounts like their personal slush funds. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to fight for the rights of petrochemical companies to continue decimating the fragile wetlands along the coast.
No, this offer was different. The Louisiana State Teachers’ Association was suing a financial management firm over undisclosed and unlawful fees on their portfolio of pension funds. Her firm and one based in Louisiana had taken the case jointly, promising the client someone with Wall Street experience and a New Orleans pedigree. And Parker was that someone.
She might have taken the job based on that alone. Or the fact that it provided a chance to go home without having to give up her position or her life in New York. She still wasn’t a hundred percent certain she wanted the move to be permanent. But what sealed the deal was Parker’s research into the firm itself. Or, perhaps more precisely, one of its associates. Seeing Elisa’s face and bio on the firm’s website had sparked a trip down memory lane. One she’d love to take in person.
It wasn’t uncommon for someone in her position to negotiate choosing her own team into the arrangement. So she did. And put Elisa at the top of the list.
This time tomorrow, she would see Elisa face-to-face for the first time since her graduation from Tulane Law. Based on the photo, the last eight years had been good to Elisa, at least physically. Parker would have expected her to be named partner by now, not still trudging along as an associate. But she remained as beautiful as ever, if not more so.
She scowled again at her closet. There really wasn’t any way to make a suit suitable for a New Orleans summer. She’d just have to live with it. She selected half a dozen that weren’t wool, along with some pants and a bunch of lightweight oxfords. She filled the remaining space in her suitcase with casual clothes and other essentials, figuring she could buy anything she forgot.
It was just after seven by the time she finished. She contemplated dinner, but decided she could squeeze in a run first. She wouldn’t have time before her flight in the morning and she hated to miss a day. She changed and headed to the gym in her building. She picked her favorite interval program on the treadmill and cranked the music. She sped up and slowed down, sweating and appreciating the mindlessness of doing what the machine told her.
The machine stopped and, as always, she was surprised an hour had passed. She headed to the elevator and started planning her first day back in the great state of Louisiana. When she landed in the morning, she’d send her things to the apartment the firm had arranged on her behalf and head straight to the office. She’d meet her team, give them an overview of her strategy and her leadership style. Then they’d get to work. She should be able to get in close to a full day before heading to her mother’s for dinner.
Back in her apartment, Parker showered and downed a protein shake. She looked around. The modern design was a far cry from the house off St. Charles where she grew up. She’d miss this, for sure, but she realized just how much she was looking forward to going home.
Chapter Two
Parker accepted her suit jacket from the smiling flight attendant. She offered her thanks and stepped off the plane. Even on the jet bridge, the heat enveloped her. In the terminal, tourists and businesspeople of every age and race milled around. She slung her briefcase over her shoulder and tried to wind her way through the crowds of people who seemed in no hurry to get anywhere.
After getting her luggage, she found a guy who looked to be about seventy holding a small sign with her name on it. She followed him to the waiting car. Outside the heat was truly oppressive, the moist air filling her lungs and making it difficult to breathe. Was it worse than she remembered or had she simply forgotten?
Despite the man’s diminutive stature, he hefted her suitcase into the trunk of the town car and opened the back door. “Ms. Jones.”
“Thank you.”
On the ride to the office, she checked her messages, including her new Blanchard email account. She’d half expected Elisa to reach out before she arrived. Maybe she didn’t know Parker was already on the job. She tipped her driver generously and gave him the address to her apartment, then headed inside.
The cool air of the lobby welcomed her. She sighed. That was better. She took off her sunglasses and slid on her suit jacket. There was no security, so she headed to the bank of elevators.
A pair of women in pastel dresses and pearls got on with her. Even in professional settings, it seemed, some aspects of New Orleans never changed. They got off at six and she rode the rest of the way alone.
The offices of Blanchard & Breaux, LLP occupied the entire ninth floor and part of the tenth. A large oak desk dominated the reception area. The woman behind it, who reminded Parker of her Aunt Beulah, greeted her with a smile. “You’re Ms. Jones, aren’t you? We’ve been expecting you.”
“Please, call me Parker.” Parker extended a hand.
The woman blushed, but her smile didn’t falter. “Yes, ma’am.”
She coul
dn’t fault the woman for her manners, but Parker had to fight the urge to wince. In that single, ten-second interaction, she was reminded of why she moved to New York in the first place. “Do you know which way my office is?”
“Oh, of course.” The woman jumped up. “I’ll take you there. Then I’ll let Mr. Peterson know you’re here.”
“That would be great…” Parker trailed off, realizing she hadn’t gotten the woman’s name.
“I’m Bernice, but everyone calls me Niecy.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Niecy. Thank you for the warm welcome.”
Niecy opened a door that already had Parker’s name on it. The room was huge, with towering bookcases and wide windows. The large desk had a matching credenza behind it and a pair of matching chairs in front. Parker smiled. Although she had Manhattan experience, she’d never been on the side of big money. This office was officially the nicest one she’d ever had.
“Will it do, Ms. Jones?” Niecy sounded nervous.
“Parker.” The correction came before she could stop herself. She made a point of smiling. “And it’s perfect. Thank you.”
Parker walked into her office. She set down her bag and eyed the computer sitting on the desk. It would certainly do.
“Parker. So glad you made it in. Flight uneventful, I hope?”
Parker turned. Niecy was gone, and in her place stood Don Peterson. Although they hadn’t met, she recognized him from his online bio, as well as some of the additional research she’d done on him. “It was. Thank you.”
“Your team is on standby whenever you want them, but feel free to take some time to settle in. You’ve got all the standard-issue equipment here, but we’re happy to get you whatever else you need.”
