“Who are you in front of?” Armond asked, not yet willing to give up.
“The chief judge. As you recall, he’s known for taking a piece of your ass if you try to move anything on his schedule.”
The thought of Victoria returning to Chicago made Armond realize just how much he missed working with her day-to-day. Even though he’d been her boss at the firm, they’d become so close they would often finish each other’s thoughts. They’d developed a routine, meeting every Thursday after work to unload the week. He missed that.
“Let’s do this,” Armond suggested. “I’ll have the company plane take you back to Chicago after I get dropped off in LA. That will save you at least eight hours, and you can prep for your hearing in peace and quiet. You’ll get a good meal, be well taken care of, and be rested when you land.” Victoria opened her mouth to object. “Nope, not done.” Armond held up his hand to stop her before she could utter a word. “And, since we’ve finished with the investor meetings, we can discuss them over a very fancy dinner tonight and get a preliminary lineup.”
Victoria continued walking and said nothing. “Well?”
Armond asked.
“Oh, are you done now? May I speak?”
Armond smiled at her tone. “Yes, to both questions. Proceed.”
“I don’t see how I can justify costing Renoir Productions that kind of money just to make it easier for me to get back for a hearing. It’s unrealistic, a waste of money, and not my style. Also, I don’t want your father to think I’m taking advantage of you or your company. So, thank you for the offer, but I’ll just fly commercial, if you don’t mind.”
“I do mind, and you’re not flying commercial—end of discussion,” Armond responded a bit gruffly.
Victoria stopped mid-stride. Turing to face Armond, she tilted her chin up and put her hands on her hips. “First, I don’t really care if you mind. Second, don’t ever, ever, ever again tell me when a discussion is over. And third, you hired me to be part of your legal team. I’m not your lackey, so this bossing around thing isn’t going to fly. And, finally—”
Victoria felt herself being yanked forward into Armond’s chest. As she looked up into his eyes, she thought, This will change everything. Then, he kissed her. It was like an out-of-body experience. Armond was like a brother to her. He had been her mentor and boss. As coherent thoughts began to return, Victoria’s eyes flew wide open, her head snapped up, and her forehead smacked hard into Armond’s nose.
“Jesus Christ,” Armond groaned. “I think you broke my nose.”
“I’m so sorry,” Victoria said, “but—isn’t this a violation of some sort?”
Armond grabbed his handkerchief and held it to his nose. “What the hell are you talking about?” he said as he pulled it away to reveal blood.
“I’m your lawyer and—”
“You’re not my lawyer. You’re Renoir Productions’ lawyer.”
“Yes, but in any event, isn’t there some ethics rule about lawyers can’t be involved with clients?”
Armond stared at her open-mouthed. Despite the throbbing in his nose, he threw back his head and laughed. He put one of his arms around Victoria’s shoulder, held the other to his nose, and turned to walk into their hotel. “God, you’re an idiot. It was just a kiss, and no, there’s no rule that deals with our situation. And even if there was, who’s going to report us—the communist on the corner?”
“Listen, Armond. I don’t want to ruin what we have,” Victoria said honestly as they were enveloped in the relative calmness of their hotel lobby.
“I don’t want to ruin it, either, Victoria. It was a spur of the moment thing that will probably never happen again,” Armond replied, watching her over his now almost fully bloodied handkerchief.
Feeling disappointed at that thought, Victoria tried to change her mood and avoid any further conversation on the topic. Grabbing his arm, she led him toward the elevator. “Let’s get you upstairs to your room. I’ll get some ice for your nose while you put your feet up and your head back. It should stop bleeding in a few minutes. If not, I’ve always wanted to see some of that Eastern medicine in action. I’m sure the hotel can recommend someone nearby.”
“I’m not going to be the guinea pig for some random Eastern medicine man just to satisfy your curiosity. I’ll be fine. Who knew kissing you would result in a deadly blow to the head?”
“Right? I’ll have to issue a warning in the future. Do you still want to head out to dinner, or would you rather stay in?”
“It’s one of our last nights in Hong Kong. There’s a place I want to take you that’s one of my favorites.”
“Does it have food I can eat? You know, like items other than thousand-year eggs or chicken feet. God, what I wouldn’t give for a cheese plate and a glass of wine. And, what’s the attire?
“Trust me. You’ll love this place, and the attire is five-star, all-out fancy. Let’s meet in my room in an hour, shall we?”
“Works for me,” Victoria said as she opened the door to Armond’s suite so he could keep his head tilted. She prepared a wash cloth wrapped around ice, stuck it in his hand, and pointed at the sofa. “Now, go sit, put your head back, and don’t move for fifteen minutes. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, call me. We’ll stay in and order room service.” Victoria waved as she shut his door behind her.
As soon as she walked into her room, she dialed Kat. While the phone made clicking noises and finally began to ring, a fleeting thought crossed Victoria’s mind. Perhaps it’s the middle of the night in Texas. Looking at the time and day on her watch, she rubbed her forehead. “Okay,” she said out loud, “for Texas, I subtract eight hours and add a day so it’s—or is it add the hours and subtract the day? God, I have no idea.” Shrugging her shoulders, Victoria felt little guilt at the thought of possibly waking her best friend. There had been plenty of times during law school when Kat had stayed out until the wee hours and then banged on their apartment door because she had forgotten her key or called Victoria in the middle of the night for a ride home from a party. Now, it was Kat’s turn.
“Well, hello, my little world traveler. How are things in the East?” Kat’s voice came over the line.
“Kat! I’m glad I got you. You weren’t sleeping, were you? I have absolutely no idea how to do this time translation thing,” Victoria said, relieved her friend had answered the phone.
“There’s a little thing called the World Wide Web, not to mention your phone, both of which will convert the time for you with just the push of a button, but I have a feeling you would have called no matter the time. Am I right?”
“Need I remind you of the countless times you woke me out of a sound sleep—at least two of those before major exams—so I could retrieve your hammered ass from some party? What time is it there?” Victoria responded, ignoring her friend’s sarcasm.
Kat looked at her watch. “It’s a bit after six in the morning.”
“Then why do you sound so perky?”
“Because I just finished boot camp,” Kat said, anticipating the reaction she would get from her friend.
“You what?” Victoria exclaimed, as if on cue. “Boot camp? You’ve never exercised a day in your life.”
“Well, now I am. I’m running too.”
“When you say running, what do you mean?”
“Oh my God, Victoria. You can act so superior when it comes to running. You know, putting one foot in front of the other at a pace faster than a walk,” Kat responded sarcastically.
“Now I know for sure the end of the world is near,” Victoria said laughing. “Seriously, though, what happened that made you start exercising?”
“Nothing happened. I just spend so much time sitting at my desk or in meetings that I decided I had better change my behavior or my perky booty was going to cease to exist. You know what a narcissist I am. I can’t walk into a room and not get noticed. I know, I know. Not very forward-thinking of me, but it’s the truth and I’
ll deny I said it if you ever repeat it outside the confines of this phone call. But enough about me and my fab body, what about you? How’s the trip? How’s Hong Kong? That’s one place I haven’t been, and I’m dying to go.”
“First, let me thank you for that unexpected admission about your narcissism. I’d go into a rant about all the things that are wrong with what you said, except right now I have more important matters to discuss than your future sagging ass,” Victoria answered.
“Hmm. Well, I can’t imagine what could be more important than my ass, but okay, I’m game. Shoot,” Kat responded upbeat.
“Armond kissed me,” Victoria blurted, cringing, her heart racing. She was holding her breath, waiting for a reaction, but instead, there was silence. Thinking they were disconnected, Victoria said, “Hello?”
“I don’t think I heard you. Repeat, please,” Kat ordered, needing time to absorb what she thought she heard.
“Armond kissed me. You heard me the first time, Kat,” Victoria responded, this time closing her eyes as she relived the scene in her head.
“What kind of a kiss? On the cheeks as in hello? Or, on the lips as a friend? Or, perhaps it was celebratory? Describe, please,” Kat demanded.
“Kat, I have no idea how this happened. We were just walking back to our hotel, he pulled me in, and we kissed. Oh my God! Every time I say that out loud I get palpitations. I’m absolutely mortified. How do I continue working with him? I don’t want to lose him as my friend.” Victoria’s rising panic was stopped short. “What the hell is that noise you’re making? Are you laughing or crying, for God’s sake? This is serious, Kat.”
Kat had to rummage around in her designer gym bag to find a tissue. She’d been laughing so hard through Victoria’s insane dissertation over a kiss that she was crying. “Oh yes, so serious. You might be pregnant,” Kat announced as she burst into another round of hysterical laughter. “You must be the only person on earth who didn’t see this coming. We’ve all been waiting for something like this for months.”
Victoria was stunned into silence.
Knowing her best friend as well as she did, Kat knew she had just delivered a shocking and—for Victoria—likely mortifying truth. “V,” Kat continued in a calm voice, “I know what I just said is likely upsetting to you, but it shouldn’t be. There’s nothing to be upset about. Armond is—”
Victoria interrupted, “My mentor, my pal, my confidant. What do you mean you were all waiting? Who’s all?”
“Your close friends: Mary, me, Jen, and even Robert recently mentioned it. Your mom has made a few comments about the possibility too.”
“Oh my God. I feel like an absolute idiot. Was Armond in on the conversations too?” Victoria responded, speaking more to herself than to Kat.
“Absolutely not. I don’t think either of you saw it coming,” Kat responded, using her best soothing voice. “But it’s no big deal. Things like this happen. Just be glad it didn’t happen while he was your boss at the firm. He’s a great guy. I see nothing but good here.”
“That’s because you’re not working for him and his family’s business or with him on an overseas trip to Hong Kong…and because he’s not your mentor,” Victoria said, getting angry that her best friend seemed to be discounting her concerns.
“I’m not saying you don’t have a point. I’m just saying this isn’t all bad. So what if you two do decide to date? What’s the worst that can happen?”
“Kat, really?” Victoria responded with frustration. “The worst is that we come out of it hating each other and are no longer friends—that I lose one of the most important relationships of my adult life.”
“Okay, you have a point. Here’s what I suggest. Why don’t you calmly discuss your concerns with him? All your points are good ones and come from your interest in not losing your friendship with him. Where is he now, by the way?”
“He’s back in his room, trying to stop his nose from bleeding.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Kat said.
“I headbutt him after he kissed me. See? Look what happened after only one kiss,” Victoria said, now seeing a sliver of humor in the ridiculousness of it all. “Well, really two,” she quickly snuck in to get the full truth out there. “Imagine the death and destruction if we have sex.”
“Wait. Did you say two? This is a second kiss? When was the first, and why did I not hear about it?” Kat asked, now a bit irritated at not hearing about the first time.
“It happened a few days ago. It was nothing.” Victoria tried to dismiss it, becoming worried as she heard Kat’s tone change.
“Well, it doesn’t change anything,” Kat said, trying to back off her tone, as it wasn’t the right time for a deep dive into the possibilities. Right now, all her friend needed was some perspective. “Talk to him, V. You’ll find the right balance. In the meantime, I’m signing us up for the New Year’s 5K run in Houston. You should worry more about how I’m going to kick your ass at that race with my family as witness to your demise.”
“Keep dreaming, my friend! By the way, I’m assuming everything’s fine with my cases. I haven’t heard a peep from you, Jenny, or Mary.”
“Jenny’s doing an amazing job. She and Mary make a fabulous team. If you have enough work, you might want to consider bringing her on board full-time.”
“I’ve thought about that. We’ll see how things shake out over the next few months. Speaking of cases, how are you and Robert doing on mine? I don’t want it to fall off everyone’s radar.”
“Far from it,” Kat responded. “We think we have a plan that might lead to critical evidence. I’d rather not go into detail now. By the time you’re back in the States, we’ll have our thoughts worked through, so we can present a cohesive package.”
“That’s great news, Kat. Thanks for jumping in to help Robert. It sounds as if you’ve carved out a working relationship.”
“We’ve worked a few things through. I think we’re moving in the right direction.” Kat smiled as she examined her freshly polished nails, thinking of her last encounter with Robert.
“I’m relieved to hear that. Okay, I gotta go. I have to get ready for dinner with Armond. He was really quite a baby over a run of the mill, bloody nose,” Victoria said, feeling her bearings begin to return.
“Give Armond a hug and a friendly kiss for me, will you?” Kat stressed the word friendly and laughed as she hung up the phone.
“Everyone’s a comedian,” Victoria said as she walked toward the shower to get ready for dinner.
CHAPTER
35
“COME IN,” DR. Natarajan said as she looked up from her desk when one of the firm’s newest associates knocked and peeked around her door.
“Do you have a moment?”
“Of course. How can I help, Sarah?”
“Can I speak to you in confidence?”
“Yes. Please sit down,” Dr. Natarajan said as she sat back in her chair and placed her pen neatly in front of her.
“I don’t want this to go anywhere else, but I don’t know how to handle it. I assume that, as head of HR, you would handle these situations,” Sarah said, fumbling over her words.
“I won’t know until you tell me. I assure you I will maintain our conversation in total confidence.”
Taking a long breath to steady herself, Sarah began. “Mr. Acker called me into his office to discuss an assignment for a tech company that hired the firm to handle their efforts to go public. He said it was a great opportunity and that he wanted me on his team. Then he asked if I was interested.
Of course, I said yes.” Sarah paused and looked down at her hands.
Dr. Natarajan sighed, anticipating where this was headed.
“Go on, Sarah.”
“As I was leaving his office, he came up behind me, shoved me against the door, and pushed up against me. He told me I was on his short list and that he always helped those on his short list get ahead, especially if they helped him
.”
Dr. Natarajan watched as Sarah began to cry. She went around her desk, handed her a tissue, and sat beside her, waiting for her to calm down. “Then what?”
“Nothing. I pushed him away and told him I was engaged. Now what happens?” Sarah asked.
Walking back around her desk, Dr. Natarajan was silent for a moment. “Sarah, do you like being a lawyer?”
“Of course. It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember. I took on significant student loans so I could go to one of the best law schools in the country, and I worked hard to graduate at the top of my class. Why?”
“Understand that I’m here to help, so please take this in the spirit in which it’s being offered. The reality is if you ever want to work as a lawyer again, you’ll do nothing. You’ll tell no one. You’ll continue with your career as if it never happened.”
“You can’t be serious! How can you tell me to do nothing? Aren’t you supposed to handle these situations? I came to this firm, in part, because of its reputation for promoting and bettering women. One of the named partners just assaulted me. You have to help me.”
Dr. Natarajan stood, signaling the discussion was over. She’d learned long ago that the more she allowed these young women to do a deep dive into their situation, the more complex it became for the firm. “My dear, I am helping you. You have only to listen. Never speak of it again if you want to remain a viable, practicing lawyer with a career ahead of you. Now, let me pull a few strings and see where else we might find for you to work.”
“What do you mean where else? You mean another firm?”
“Yes, exactly. We’ll give you exceptional references and get you a good position, along with a significant parting bonus. There are a few documents you’ll have to sign, of course, including nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements. Should you violate either of these, the firm will not only sue you for damages, but it will also seek return of all funds paid.”
Private Agendas: A Victoria Rodessa Legal Thriller Page 15