Serving Time

by Bailey West

  “I’m Raymond Thurman, Mr. Valentine’s assistant.” He extended his hand. We shook. “I will show you up to the conference room.”

  I don’t know what cologne he was wearing, but it almost had me slipping my panties off and tucking them into his pocket. He smelled amazing. It had been too long since I’d been around a good smelling man. I needed some vitamin D in the worst way. I’d been so busy with my law practice and avoiding bum ass dudes that didn’t have anything going for themselves. I was experiencing a severe drought in the sex department.

  I followed behind him to the elevator bank behind the security desk. He pushed the up button then scanned a card before the doors opened. He motioned for me to step on before him. He followed behind me as the door closed. I watched him push the button for the fortieth floor and waved his card in front of the panel again.

  We rode in silence until the elevator stopped and the doors opened to a large 3-D Valentine Law Group sign. He motioned for me to step off first. I followed him down a hall lined with glass offices which were lavishly decorated with hardwood floors and massive ornately carved desks. We stopped at the end of the hall at the door with a sign that read, ‘Conference Room.’ He pushed the door open then stepped to the side to allow me to enter.

  “Thank you,” I smiled. I always appreciated when a man held doors for me. It didn’t happen very often.

  “No problem,” he responded before speaking to the room. “Mr. Xavier Belle,” another beautiful mocha skinned man stood from the table. He also wore a pristinely tailored blue suit, white shirt, and lavender tie.

  Are all the men at this firm this fine…geeze…?

  “Ms. Patterson, nice to meet you.”

  He smiled and showed off the deepest dimples I’d ever seen on a man. He extended his hand. We shook.

  “This is my associate, Morris Owens.”

  Morris was average height and at least three hundred pounds. He looked like he was a former football lineman. I could tell that his suit was not professionally tailored like Xavier’s, but he still looked good in it. The coca brown skin on his face was partially covered by a full beard that was expertly groomed. His smile was genuine and welcoming.

  “This is Mr. Samuel Valentine,” Raymond concluded the introductions.

  I’d heard about Samuel Valentine’s intimidating presence in the courtroom, but nothing prepared me for the way his dark brown eyes penetrated mine making me feel exposed. I was completely unprepared for him to stand up and make the whole room pause. It was like everyone in the room held their breath waiting for him to speak. His presence controlled the atmosphere. I’d been around some very powerful men but none with the presence of Mr. Samuel Valentine. I’d seen pictures of him and I’d even seen him on television at press conferences. Neither did him any justice. His jet-black hair laid down in a multitude of waves. His goatee and mustache framed his full lips and rested under his slender nose. His blue suit appeared to have been tailored to his body because it was a perfect fit. The sleeves of his jacket rested in the perfect position above the cuffs on his shirt that held black cufflinks. His light blue shirt and blue tie were an unexpected combination, but it was an excellent choice.

  He extended his hand to shake mine. I accepted expecting to feel the hands of a lawyer. Lawyer’s hands are smooth and manicured, solidifying the fact they’ve never done a day of hard labor in their lives. Not Mr. Valentine’s hand, it was rough and calloused. It was also huge and strong. He didn’t shake my hand like I was a woman, all dainty. He matched my grip which I appreciated.

  I thought I was past all of the surprises and then he spoke, “Good morning, Ms. Patterson.”

  I don’t know if the surprise registered on my face, but if it were possible, my panties would have melted entirely off my body. His baritone voice was deep and rich. He sounded like he was recording commercials for Allstate, the insurance company.

  “Good morning, Mr. Valentine.”

  “Please have a seat, Ms. Patterson,” Xavier directed.

  I took a seat across from the three men. Raymond left right after the introductions.

  “Ms. Patterson, we contacted you because we have a case we would like to partner with you on. In the email we sent, we outlined some of the details of this case. In the opinion of Morris and me, we feel we need a female representing the female of this couple.”

  “Yes, we ran the numbers and did the research. We found a female representing our female client would be in her best interest,” Morris explained.

  Xavier and Morris went into detail about the case and the charges against their clients. The male client was being charged with drug trafficking, weapon possession, and child endangerment because children were in the house when they both were arrested. The female was also being accused of the same crimes and a host of other charges stemming from her fighting with the police officers who arrested her.

  The men continued to give me the details of the case without revealing the names of the clients, which was standard protocol. They wanted to make sure I was on board before sharing client information. Mr. Valentine didn’t say anything. He didn’t add anything to the details of the case. Instead, he busied himself with doodling on a notepad or looking at me like he smelled something foul. His mood irritated me because I was here to potentially help him win a case.

  “Do you have any questions, Ms. Patterson?” Xavier asked after he and Morris completed their presentation of the case.

  “About the case, no. Your briefing was thorough and answered every question I had. However, Mr. Valentine, are you mute?” I looked at him waiting for a response.

  An award-winning scowl contorted his beautiful face.

  “Excuse me?” He locked eyes with me.

  “Oh, just hard of hearing?” I shook my head like I understood.

  “I’m neither, Ms. Patterson!”

  Damn voice…

  “You didn’t say a word during this entire briefing, and if I am not mistaken, you are number one on this case.”

  “I assure you, I am neither mute nor hard of hearing. I didn’t need to say anything because my associates presented a thorough briefing, in your words. So, did you need something from me or just my attention?”

  “Attent…” I started, but he cut me off and continued.

  “I don’t need or want you on this case, but since I was advised by these gentlemen that a female counsellor representing our female client would play well with the jury, I reluctantly agreed.”

  “It took these two gentlemen to tell you something you should have already known? I guess the rumors of your intelligence are greatly exaggerated.”

  “Ms. Patt…”

  I cut him off and continued, “Your firm’s win percentage with male clients is approximately ninety-five percent. Your firm’s win percentage with female clients is approximately seventy-five percent. That tells me you are clueless when it comes to what a woman wants, needs or even requires. Therefore, you lose. My win percentage with female and male clients is ninety-eight percent. That means I don’t lose. There is nothing worse than an ignorant fool. First, you have to make the fool aware before you can stop them from being a fool. It never works because fools can’t handle too many steps. I don’t have enough time, patience or energy to help you. Mr. Belle, Mr. Owens, thank you for your time, but you will need to find someone else to help you with your clients. Have a great day.”

  I stood from my seat. Xavier and Morris both scurried to stand from theirs. I turned and walked out of the room. I followed the path I’d taken with Raymond, trying my best not to look as pissed off as I felt. I was so irritated I didn’t even call for my car. I needed the walk back to my office to cool off.

  Samuel

  “El! Come on man! Did you really have to act that like with her?” Xavier looked at me after the door closed behind Ms. Patterson.

  “We need her! We are not going to win this case without her!”

  “I told you before this meeting that I didn’t want to work with anyon
e outside of this firm!” I shot back. “This is family. Family takes care of family!”

  “El, with all due respect…”

  A person usually prefaces a statement using, with all due respect,’ when the statement is going to be disrespectful.

  “I don’t give a damn what you said! No one here will play well with the jury. We need a female, not just any female but one who can hold her own. The females that work here are good lawyers, but they don’t have the record Ms. Patterson has. Did you look her up like I told you to?”

  “No, I didn’t need to.”

  But, I should have. If I had listened and looked her up, I wouldn’t have been dumbfounded by her beauty, impressed by her intelligence and then thrown-off when she told me off. I would have been better prepared with a witty come back when she referred to me as an ignorant fool, which, in all honesty, cut a little. Or I could've countered her claim that I didn’t know what a female wanted or needed.

  “El, you're right a lot of the time, but this time, you are dead ass wrong. You were disrespectful and rude to a potential ally. You need to fix this, man. I’m serious.”

  “Did our roles reverse? Is it The Belle Law Group now?”

  Xavier cocked his head to the side and examined me for a minute before he said, “Morris, can you excuse us?”

  Without speaking, Morris got up and left the room.

  As soon as the door to the conference room closed, Xavier said, “I don’t give a fuck about whose name is on the door. Right is right, and you were wrong. Don’t you ever, come at me in front of my associate again. I don’t disrespect you so don’t you ever disrespect me. I don’t care about your long-standing rule about not working with other firms and lawyers, and I definitely don’t give a fuck about your trust issues. If you don’t fix this with Ms. Patterson, you are going to lose, and lose badly. Do you know who will suffer when you lose due to your stubbornness and inflexibility? FAMILY!”

  I knew I had gone too far when Xavier started using expletives. He never cursed. He never allowed me to get under his skin, but today, I did. I went too far. I wasn’t as unaware as Ms. Patterson accused me of being.

  “Fix this shit, El.”

  He walked out of the room.

  Xavier Belle was one of the only people on this earth that could correct me when I was wrong. I was wrong, I knew I was wrong. The last time I heard him curse was when he found out the guy his sister was dating was actually gay, and the lover confronted his sister and tried to fight her. He was livid! I had to physically restrain him when we saw the guy out in public. He made sure to make that guy’s life hell before the guy finally resigned from his position in Saint Louis and moved away. Last I heard he was managing a small pro bono firm in Montana.

  I left the conference room and went back to my office.

  “Gretchen, call Raymond for me and hold my calls for the rest of the morning.”

  “Raymond is already in your office. You were supposed to be in your morning meeting for at least another hour, so you don’t have any calls until this afternoon.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. She apparently knew the meeting didn’t go well.

  I walked into my office and found Raymond sitting on one of my brown leather sofas situated in the sitting area.

  “Ray, I need you to look up…”

  He passed me a tablet.

  Raymond was my personal assistant. I met him through my friend, mentor and Uncle of Xavier, JD. I met Julian DeLucas through my father. JD would come to Pineville and conduct gospel services once a month. He and my Dad became so close he would visit my dad even when he wasn’t holding services. When Roc’s mother went away, JD would bring Roc to Pineville to see my dad. He was the first man who spoke to me about God in a way I understood and could relate. I didn’t attend church services as much as I would have liked to due to my schedule, but I kept in constant contact with JD.

  Raymond started attending The Encounter Worship Center, JD’s church. JD was concerned that if Raymond didn’t find consistent legal work, he would revert back to the street life he’d just vacated. I met Ray and connected with him immediately. He reminded me a lot of myself at his age. His drive and ambition were through the roof. I decided to keep him close and mentor him. He watched me long enough to know my habits and routines. I gave him the personal assistant title, and he had been my right hand ever since.

  “It’s already there. She graduated from Harvard. She clerked for two of the three sitting female justices; Sotomayor and Kagan. She was hired by Chapman, Olson, Norman, and Lamb after her clerkships. She received the same honor you did, the Forty Lawyers under Forty award. Several years after you, of course.”

  I looked over the information as he spoke. I saw her win percentage was as high as she said it was. She left the prestigious law firm and started her own firm with three other lawyers. Since her law firm began, she and her colleagues were winning large settlements for their clients, getting acquittals and had several cases dismissed based on bias.

  I spent the rest of the morning researching Ms. Patterson. I even went to her social media accounts, all of which were private, but I did see her profile on LinkedIn.

  “Chambers,” Countee said into the phone.

  “I need some information on someone.”

  “What do you have on them?”

  “I have her name and where she works.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Averie Patterson. She works at the Patterson Law Firm.”

  “Give me a few. I will hit you back.”

  We disconnected the call. Countee was the owner of the business I used for all my security needs to include private investigations. We’d known each other for several years. If there was something to find on someone, he will find it.

  About fifteen minutes later Countee called me back.

  “Her name is Averie Grace Patterson. She was born to Wendell and Estelle Patterson. Wendell is a city bus driver and Estelle volunteers in various places but doesn’t have a job. She has two sisters one older and one younger. She graduated…”

  I interrupted him, “Anything I need to know before doing business with her?”

  “She is smart as hell and very connected. She’s made a name for herself in the law community. She’s never been arrested. She has a few speeding tickets, but she goes to traffic school and gets the points removed. She’s single and has never been married. I don’t see anything that would make her a danger to your business in any way. I can have someone follow her for a few days…”

  “No, won’t be necessary. Thanks, Count.”

  “It’s all good.”

  We disconnected the call.

  I pressed the intercom button.

  “Gretchen, can you come in for a minute?”

  “On my way.”

  Gretchen walked in and sat in the chair facing my desk.

  “I need Ms. Patterson’s office address.”

  “It’s 201 Pine. Suite 1409. She goes to lunch from one to two, so you should try to catch her after lunch. She doesn’t have any appointments for the rest of the day.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I’m smart and secretaries talk.”

  This was her standard answer. She’d been with me since I’d taken over the firm after my mentor Louis Flowers suddenly passed of a heart attack. He left me the firm in his will, and I had been working hard to honor his memory ever since. I wanted to keep the name of the law firm Flowers and Associates, but in his will, he forbade me to use his name. He said he wanted me to have my own legacy and not live in the shadow of his. I changed the name of the firm from Flowers and Associates to Valentine Law Group. We have experienced continued growth since I took over.

  “Can you tell Raymond I need to go to her office at two o’clock, please.”

  “Two-thirty.”

  “Two-thirty?”

  “Yes, I made you an appointment to see her at two-thirty.”

  I shook my head.

  She stood from her seat
, “You’re welcome, Samuel. Try not to mess this up. You know you need her.”

  I’m always amazed at how well Gretchen could anticipate my requests. She would be the perfect companion if she weren’t old enough to be my mother.

  “I know. By the way, what’s going on with Xavier? He seems off.”

  “Daisy.”

  That one word explained his behavior. Daisy was the “one that got away,” and now Xavier was doing all he could to get her back. Things must not have be going very well.

  “Oh, okay. Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  I pulled out the files I had on my clients and prepared myself to visit Ms. Patterson.

  Averie

  I sat in my office after the meeting at Valentine Law still pissed off. After hearing the details of the case, I was really looking forward to working on it with Mr. Valentine. Why did he have to be such an ass! I called Keeva to vent.

  “I can’t believe that asshole acted so indifferent towards me. They asked for me. I didn’t ask for them. They contacted me! I didn’t contact them! He can go and jump off a bridge for all I care! It was such a waste of my time! I have all this work on my desk, but I took the meeting because it sounded promising. Then he gone say he didn’t want me on the case! Girl, I read him as professionally as I could, but I really just wanted to say, Fuck you!”

  “You should have!” Keeva laughed.

  “I know right! Ugh! I am so irritated!”

  “Did you eat lunch? You may be irritated and hungry, hungriated. You know that’s worse than being hangry.”

  “I know!” We laughed. Key could always make me laugh. “I need to eat something before this two thirty meeting that was just put on my schedule.”

  “Alright, Sweetie. It’s time for my little Uzi clips (her nickname for her daycare kids) to wake up from their naps. I will talk to you later.”

  I hung up and stood from my seat. I had to find some food because I hadn’t eaten since my after workout smoothie. Maybe food would help me settle down. I can’t think of one interaction with another person that upset me more than Mr. Valentine did. He reminds me so much of all the high-powered men in this industry who told me I would never make it on my own. They thought their penis is a magic wand that gives them command of all they survey.