by James Ross
“You mean these?” Nora cupped her hands under her bra and pushed up. Laughter roared.
“No, senorita. A bombon is a beautiful woman. A real cutie pie.” The island accent added magnetism.
The women blushed. They loved the attention.
Raul bent over at the waist. Shari’s table was glued to his behind. “Besame.” He snuggled close to an older club member.
“What does that mean?”
“Kiss me.” Raul paused. He broke into a broad smile with perfect teeth against the tan background. “Bombon.” He leaned closer.
More giggles exploded. The older lady puckered up and pecked him on the cheek. No cards in the room were being shuffled.
“Only Raul can get away with that at Olde Blueblood,” Nora whispered while Shari ogled. Shari was careful not to tip her hand as her eyes followed his every move. She had set her sight on him a few months earlier.
“He’s getting kissed by the wife of every power icon in town.” The ladies cherished every minute of it.
After working the room, Raul thanked the women and informed them that he would be back in ten minutes for their orders.
“I suppose Nikki Schubert is free now to go after him.”
“Why, what happened?”
“Her divorce is final.”
“Really? When did that happen?”
“It was finalized last Friday.”
Shari was surprised. “I didn’t hear anything about it at the reception Saturday night.”
“Could you believe her settlement?”
“No, what was it?”
“In excess of a hundred million I heard.”
“That Clayton bitch got a hold of Frank’s balls and wouldn’t let go. He had the best lawyer in town too. She worked them both over the coals.”
“I can’t believe that Frank would let that happen.” They gossiped like they were best friends with the Schuberts. “I mean he is so used to getting his way in everything that he does.”
Shari feigned interest but she listened intently. “Yeah, I read an article on her recently. What is her name?”
“Leslie. Leslie Potter.”
Chapter Seven
It didn’t take long. Within a week Shari entered a high-rise office building in Clayton, a midtown suburb of St. Louis. Phencomm Bank occupied much of the first floor. She had been there many times in the past. Tyler Cy had financed several of his real estate projects through that institution.
She nodded to the security guard on duty in the main hallway of the high-rise, but kept moving. Even though she didn’t know him by name his face was recognizable. She had seen him on several occasions. Her focus was on the office directory posted on a wall near the elevators.
Under the letter P, Shari located Leslie Potter, Family Law in Suite 2214, just two stops from the top. The Phencomm Bank Building had 24 floors. Glass windows gave the high-rise a modern look. A helicopter pad was on the rooftop. Foot traffic was moderate on the ground level. Approximately 1,500 people worked in the building. The elevator shaft was centrally located.
Shari, dressed in a dark blue business suit, white hoop earrings, and navy mid-rise heels looked like any occupant going to work. She wore a gold chain with diamond pendant around her neck and a collection of rings occupied the fingers of both hands. A cigarette butt found its way into a round cylinder ashtray. She pressed the up button, waited until a car arrived and people stepped out, and then entered with six others.
A state-of-the-art lobby welcomed her as she stepped onto the 22nd floor. Glass panels were extended from floor to ceiling. A blonde hardwood floor magnified the open look. Canton, Mayfield, Buchanon, Potter and Payne in frosted lettering were stenciled on the glass. A receptionist was visible inside taking the guesswork out of where to turn. After pleasantries were exchanged, Shari was handed a form to fill out disclosing personal information.
It was less than five minutes before Leslie Potter appeared. She oozed class and affluence. Dressed in a red business suit with jacket open, the brunette lit up the room with her energetic smile. Immediately Shari felt at home. After taking a seat in a leather chair in Leslie’s office, she looked around the room.
On the wall was a framed diploma from the University of Missouri in Columbia. A neighboring frame showed that she had her law degree from the same institution. A plaque recognized Leslie as the “Best Woman Lawyer in St. Louis for Family Law.” A journal for lawyers recognized Leslie as one of the Ten Best Attorneys in the State of Missouri. The STL Modern Times awarded her “The Most Dynamic Woman in STL” designation. Politics and Such named her one of the “50 Most Dynamic Female Lawyers in the USA.” An outstanding young lawyer award came from the St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Association in her first year of practicing. Another plaque recognized her “Distinguished Service to the STL Bar Association.”
And it didn’t stop. Leslie was an active lady. She was a member of the St. Louis Bar Association as well as the bar association for the State of Missouri. She served on various committees around the St. Louis area and the state. Leslie Potter was also a published author. She had written many articles on the subject of divorce in local and national publications and a book titled Want A Divorce? What You Should Know Before Filing. She was on a Who’s Who list in STL society circles and named one of the most successful female businesswomen in the area.
Shari took a deep breath and shifted her view to the outside. The corner office with two sides of floor-to-ceiling glass offered a view of the Gateway Arch about twelve miles away. Forest Park, home of the 1904 World’s Fair and famed St. Louis Zoo, was much closer. Next to it was the campus of Washington University. She looked down on the mid-rise buildings of Clayton which created a bit of a rivalry with the downtown office district.
After looking at the surroundings Shari wondered about Leslie’s past, and present for that matter. Leslie was from a small town in central Missouri, just south of the Lake of the Ozarks. She married the love of her life who she had met in Columbia, graduated from law school in the top 10 percent of her class, landed a job immediately with Canton, Mayfield, et al., waited a few years to start a family, and then tragically lost her husband in a boating accident near Bagnell Dam.
Between sporting events for her two sons, family law responsibilities, community gatherings and speaking engagements, her plate was full. Standing five foot eight, she attracted men, but had no interest in re-marrying and preferred congregating with girlfriends, mainly wives of prominent businessmen.
“If first impressions mean anything, I feel like I’m in good hands with you.” Shari savored the words as Leslie suppressed satisfaction. “Even the smell is refreshing.” She enjoyed the predominant scent of holiday spice.
“What brings you in here today?” Leslie was astute enough to not ask a question unless she knew the answer.
“I think you know.” The quick look around the room confirmed that she was sitting in front of a female ball buster.
Leslie shuffled papers. She studied the form on the clipboard that had been filled out. “What happened?” She started the information gathering process. “My first appointment with a client lasts thirty minutes. I want you to tell me everything from the time you met.”
“Obviously I want a divorce.”
“Lots of people want that. Why?”
“That’s will take up the full thirty minutes.”
“Get started. You’re on the clock.”
“I’m from St. Charles and he’s from Kirkwood. We met at Mizzou a little over twenty-five years ago. From the beginning Tyler Cy liked me a lot more than I liked him. I don’t know why I accepted to have a date with him, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. Personable and persistent. Physically I wasn’t that attracted to him though.”
“Did alcohol persuade you? I went to school in Columbia. It can be a party town.”
“Not really. Tyler Cy doesn’t drink that much. He was simply a fair-haired Catholic boy. We went out. It was okay. I had a lot of guys I was seeing a
t the time and wasn’t overly committed to anyone.”
Leslie was busy scribbling on a notepad.
“After our first date he called me the next day. I hadn’t had a guy do that before. From there we talked on the phone for quite a while. He seemed to do all of the little stuff that I like.”
“Like what?”
“Flowers at the right time. He helped me with some of the courses I was struggling with. When we’d go out he was polite and always opened the door for me. We’d never go Dutch like some of the other guys wanted to do. He always bought whatever I wanted and paid for the date with his own money. Things like that.”
“Isn’t love grand?”
“It all seemed right. He was just a nice guy and we became friends. He could kiss okay. In fact we probably did that as much as anything. One thing led to another. We finally did it. It was nothing spectacular, but he kept pursuing me. I didn’t have anything better to do so I went with the flow.”
Leslie looked at her watch.
“So anyway we were about a semester a way from graduating and he asked me to get married. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings so I said yes. We got married that June and by the time Labor Day rolled around I was pregnant. Tyler Cy started his own real estate company and I worked hard and helped him get started.”
“Did you work when you were pregnant?”
“Yes all the way until two weeks before I delivered. After I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl I started working again. A couple of years later I got pregnant and had a boy the next time.”
“So what are they, 23 and 20 right now?”
“Yes. Kara is getting married within the year.”
“What else would you like to add?”
“We grew apart. I don’t like him anymore.”
“It doesn’t sound like you ever did.”
“Maybe some, but not now. I can’t stand him. I want a divorce.”
Leslie shuffled some papers. “Lots of people want that. Hating someone is not a very good reason. I hate spinach. I hate lacrosse. I may hate a judge or two. You might want to have a reason.”
Shari was forced to think and really didn’t have any plausible idea of what to say. “Can you give me an example?”
Leslie scooted her chair closer to her desk. She reached out, placed her arms in front of her on the desk, and clasped her hands. “Generally speaking a reason would be he was cheating on you.”
“Are you kidding? No, no, no. Nothing like that. Tyler Cy isn’t capable of that.”
“Has he hit you?”
Shari shook her head back and forth. “No, he’d never do that.”
“Has he abused you mentally?”
“What do you mean?”
“Does he refer to you in a demeaning way?”
“Not at all. He’s a polite gentleman.”
“Does he abuse alcohol and drugs?”
“No way. He’s never smoked a joint, not even in college. He doesn’t drink other than the obligatory one for a business lunch.” Shari paused. “If there is anything he could be guilty of then it would be that he is a workaholic.”
Leslie continued to take notes. “I know of his success. Several of the lawyers in our firm are attorneys specializing in real estate.” Leslie stopped and cleaned the creases of her mouth with her forefinger and thumb. “Being addicted to work is not the same as being addicted to drugs or alcohol in family law court.”
“Do I have to have a reason?”
“No. Missouri is a no-fault state. I was just curious.” Leslie tried to figure out why such a beautiful woman who was married to the largest real estate developer in St. Louis all of a sudden wanted out of her marriage. “If I’m going to represent you I need to know everything about your marriage. If I catch you not telling me the truth then I will recuse myself. Conversely, if you lie to me and that is proved in court then you can be guilty of perjury.”
“I just don’t like him anymore.”
“Does he gamble or shop excessively or play too much golf?”
“He doesn’t have time for any of that, including me.”
“So you feel neglected and need more attention.”
“Well, sure, sometimes.”
“Does he overeat?”
“He could lose some weight.”
“Do the in-laws interfere in your relationship?”
“We’ve been married too long for that to be an issue.”
“You said you have three children. Do you have differences in how you raise them?”
“Nothing that we can’t discuss and resolve.”
“Does his business cause him to spend time in another location away from home?”
“No, Tyler Cy works here and lives here.”
“Meaning St. Louis?”
“Yes. I just want out of my marriage.”
Leslie shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, it happens. People change a lot from their college days to mid-life. Is he having a mid-life crisis?”
“Tyler Cy seems very content and happy.”
“Are you?” Leslie suspected denial.
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Are you having an affair?” Leslie asked the home run question.
Shari paused. “How dare you?”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want. I don’t want you to lie to me if you are.”
“Then why did you ask the question?”
“To see how you’d handle it.” It was Leslie’s turn to take a breather. “Are you thinking about it?”
“We all fantasize, don’t we?” Shari’s look could have burned the bark off a tree. “Mind if I have a smoke?”
Leslie shook her head negatively. “We’re in a building where smoking is not allowed. Clayton passed the ordinance a few years ago.”
“Isn’t that just peachy?”
“At some point in time I will need to know.”
“What?”
“If you’re having an affair,” Leslie answered. “I don’t want any surprises in court.”
“Scratch it off your list for right now.”
“Done.”
“Not yet anyway.”
Chapter Eight
“What do you mean, ‘not yet’?” Leslie looked suspiciously at her client-to-be. “Do you have anyone listed as a possibility?”
“If I file for divorce I’ll be legally separated, won’t I?”
“No, there is no such thing. Where will you be living?”
“I’m going to stay right in my house.”
“Where is your husband going to go?”
“I don’t care. He can stay in the basement.”
“You’re going to file for divorce, but still live together?”
“When I say the basement it’s really the lower level. It’s very nice. We can share the kitchen and the garage. It seems like we are roommates more than husband and wife anyway.”
“Have you discussed any of this with your spouse?”
Shari repeated a familiar motion of the head. “Yes, he knows that’s all he’s getting.”
Leslie leaned back in her chair. “How long have you been thinking about getting a divorce?”
“A while.”
“How long?”
“A few months.”
“Do you have a separate checking and savings account?”
“Why? We run a lot of our expenses through the business.”
“Getting a divorce costs a little money. You’ll need some for the preliminary filings, attorney fees, and court costs.”
“How much are we talking about?”
“That depends. I don’t pretend to know everything that there is to know about your situation, but I have a feeling that whatever we do on our end is going to be contested by your spouse.”
“I imagine so. He’s accumulated a lot.”
Leslie changed the direction of the conversation. “What’s your motivation at this stage of your life? Do you want to take the money and run?”
“I want to be happy!
” Shari feigned tears and buried her head into her hands. “How much is it going to cost? I want out! I can’t stand him!”
At this point Leslie thought Shari might be borderline bi-polar. She figured that this was shaping up to be a difficult and costly matter. “First off, I want a retainer of $5,000.”
“What?”
Leslie picked up the clipboard and looked at the statement of assets. “No, I take that back. I want an initial retainer of $10,000.”
“That’s highway robbery.”
“If you feel that way then the door’s behind you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be of more help.”
“No. No. No. It’s just that we haven’t split up our cash yet. I think that you can help me.”
“Thank you. I try to be as helpful as possible to all of my clients. One of the first items I will need to prepare is a settlement offer.”
Shari backed off a bit. “I’ll pay you. It’s just that I don’t have that much money in my account right now, but give me some time. I have some stocks that I can sell. Just tell me what to expect.”
“First off, and I’ll do this the minute that you leave, I have to run your name and your husband’s name through our firm to see if there is a conflict of interest. Do either of you have any dealings with Canton, Mayfield?”
“No, not that I’m aware of.”
“If that clears then I’ll expect a retainer of $10,000. You can pay me as much as you can right now and we can make arrangements for the rest as soon as the stocks sell.”
“How is it spent?”
“I charge $300 an hour. If we are able to settle then I can simply draft settlement documents and the cost is reasonable. If we can’t settle then I’ll have to prepare for a trial and consequently the cost of the divorce is more.”
“Can’t you use a blanket form?”
“I could but that wouldn’t be in my client’s best interest. There is work that needs to be done on this one.”
“Why is it going to be different?”
“Simply put, you have a lot of real estate. It is all going to have to be valued by an appraiser. A lot of it appears to be income-producing property. Those appraisals are more expensive. If you’ve made your living in real estate then you already know that.”