Richards. Now she could search him to her heart’s content on the Internet. She jerked her hand back and away. If he thought he could seduce her here, he was sorely mistaken.
“Pleasure,” she murmured.
“You’re late, Ms. Sinclair.” His deep voice held a hint of amusement.
Katy looked up at the clock and frowned. “Perhaps you need glasses. According to that clock, we still have two minutes.”
“By the time you set up, it’ll be past ten and my client is not prepared to stay late to make up your lost time.”
She narrowed her eyes at his condescending tone. “I suggest you seat yourself quickly, Mr. Richards. You may require set-up time, but I don’t. I’m ready to begin.” She paused for effect. “Now.”
Mark raised an eyebrow then gave her a curt nod and returned to his seat.
Don’t look at him.
How could she not? Longing gripped her fiercely, crushing her lungs. She took a deep breath and forced her pulse to slow. If she couldn’t handle five minutes in a hearing with him, how would she manage for the next few years until the case ran its course?
Or was it even an issue? Maybe they had a professional conflict. She mentally sifted through the professional conduct rules she had studied in law school. A quick wine cellar seduction was unlikely to affect her ability to represent her client, much less amount to a conflict. Plus, Mark hadn’t said anything. He was a partner and the senior lawyer in the room. He would have had experience dealing with conflicts like this. With those looks, that voice and the alpha attitude, he probably seduced young female lawyers every week—maybe every day.
Katy took her seat and focused on his client, the famous Darkon Steele. How did it feel to head one of the most powerful pharmaceutical companies in North America? She had seen his picture splashed across newspapers and magazines, always with some Barbie-doll blonde in tow. In the press, he had appeared handsome, with his inky black hair, dark eyes and muscular body. But in person, the sharply hewn cheekbones and thin, red lips contrasted with the rough features, giving him a more sinister look.
Katy stiffened her spine. She’d faced down intimidating witnesses before. Hell, she’d even sued the partners in the firm where she had trained as a lawyer after they terminated her employment contract when they discovered she was pregnant. After the settlement, no one would hire her. Then Ted came knocking at her door. He could smell an opportunity for profit a mile away. An infamous associate drew attention. Attention meant publicity. Publicity meant clients. Clients meant profit. Her litigation skills had just been the icing on the cake.
The sinfully rich rumble of Mark’s voice broke the spell. “Ms. Sinclair, this is Darkon Steele. I believe our clients are already acquainted.”
She nodded at Steele instead of offering her hand. A deliberate power play. Amusement glimmered in Steele’s eyes.
Katy glanced up at the clock. Ten o’clock. She smiled at Tim to let him know they could start and he gave her a wink. Tension ebbed from her body. She liked Tim, not just as a reporter, but also as a friend. Recently he had hinted he wanted more than friendship, but she had neither the time nor the energy to pursue any kind of relationship and after Steven, she didn’t want another man messing up her life.
She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Mr. Steele, as you are aware, my client worked as a laboratory technician at Hi-Tech for approximately two years. She has filed a claim against your company in which she alleges Hi-Tech wrongfully dismissed her from her job. I understand she ultimately reported to you, is that correct?”
“It is.” Steele’s deep voice reverberated around the stark, windowless room.
“You were the one who made the decision to terminate her employment?”
“Yes.” Steele leaned back, crossed his arms behind his head and yawned.
Katy raised an eyebrow to let him know his disrespectful behavior had not gone unnoticed. “Is that the reason the company selected you as its representative for the case?”
“Objection.”
Katy tried not to smile as the corners of Mark’s mouth lifted slightly. He knew she was testing him. Hi-Tech’s Board of Directors had to select someone to represent the company for the duration of the legal hearing. Their reason for selecting Steele was not directly relevant to the case, but she did want to know why a CEO was involved in what should have been a simple human resource matter.
Mark raised a questioning eyebrow and Katy shook her head. No point wasting time arguing the objection. If she really wanted an answer, she could apply to the court. Instead, she launched into a series of questions about Martha’s performance. Nothing in Martha’s work history indicated anything but a dedicated, competent, hard-working employee. Surprisingly, Steele agreed.
She flipped through her file as she considered her next line of questioning. “In the Statement of Defense, the stated reason for my client’s dismissal is a violation of company policy, is that correct?”
“Yes.” The quick glance Steele gave Mark suggested the official reason for dismissal might be a legal fabrication.
Interesting.
“What policy was that?”
“A prohibition on entering the premises after hours without authorization.”
“I want to see that policy.”
Mark smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “And you shall.”
She tore her gaze away from his full, sensuous lips. “Do you, Mr. Steele, believe the policy violation was sufficient grounds for dismissing an employee with a stellar work record, and without any recourse to proper statutory or company disciplinary procedures?”
Mark sucked in a sharp breath. “Objection. Stick to the facts, Ms. Sinclair, and let the judge make the conclusions.”
She clenched her teeth and attacked again. “Mr. Steele, weren’t your actions unusually heavy-handed?”
“Ms. Sinclair.”
She flinched at the sharp warning in Mark’s voice, but she didn’t take her eyes off Steele and she didn’t back down. “Is dismissal the usual consequence for breach of that particular policy?”
Steele narrowed his eyes. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for corporate spies.”
Katy raised her eyebrows and shifted her gaze to Mark. “Mr. Richards, perhaps you might remind your client to refrain from making unfounded accusations on the record, unless he has evidence to substantiate his claims.”
Steele leaned across the table. “I don’t need evidence. I’ve been in this business a long time. I know a spy when I see one.”
Katy folded her arms. “I’ve warned you once already. I want this to stop.”
“I know what you want, kitty,” Steele growled, his eyes raking a path across her body.
“Leash your dog, Mr. Richards!” Katy’s shout echoed off the walls in the confined space.
Oh. My. God. Did I just say that?
Steele pushed back his chair and rose from his seat, his massive frame blocking her only escape route. Mark sighed, seemingly unconcerned his client had pulled himself up to his full height and was about to pounce on Katy and rip out her throat.
“Perhaps we should take a break.” Mark’s voice was calm and even.
Katy flipped through her file as she fought back the tidal wave of emotion still spilling through her veins. She had never lost control in a legal hearing and it wouldn’t—couldn’t—happen again. Especially here. Especially now. “I apologize for the outburst. It was…unprofessional. I’m happy to break if Mr. Steele needs a moment, although I’m quite prepared to continue.”
Steele dropped back into his seat. “I don’t need a break, kitty. Your little claws didn’t even scratch the surface.”
Before Katy could retort, Martha shoved a note along the table with a hastily scrawled drawing of a happy face. Katy gave her a reluctant smile. At least her client approved. She crumpled the note in her hand and met Steele’s cold, hard gaze with her own.
Bastard. She could hardly wait to get him on the stand at trial. She would rip him to shreds. He wo
uld be begging for mercy by the time she was done with him.
She took a deep, fortifying breath and picked up her questions where she had left off. “Did my client not explain to you she had simply forgotten her purse?”
Steele snorted. “I didn’t care why she was in the building. I fired her. You’re clearly too young to understand the pharmaceutical industry, but it is a highly secretive and competitive business. A new drug can be worth billions of dollars, and spying is endemic. When we have someone sneaking around the building after hours, we can’t take any risks.”
Katy raised an eyebrow. “You don’t strike me as a man averse to taking risks, Mr. Steele.”
Steele stared at her with frank, obvious interest. Uncomfortable with the assessment, Katy looked down and picked up her file. When she looked up again, his lips quirked into a smile.
“Do you really think you can take me on, kitty?” Steele’s low, seductive voice did not disguise the clear threat underlying his words.
“Steele.” Mark’s sharp rebuke went unnoticed by his client.
Katy’s knees trembled, but she had a client depending on her and a career at stake. She exhaled loudly and forced her gaze to meet his. “Mr. Steele, in this forum, I ask the questions.”
Chapter Four
Crap.
He should have known Steele, the quintessential misogynist, wouldn’t respond well to being challenged by a woman. The situation was about to go from bad to disastrous.
Mark gritted his teeth. Ethically his hands were tied. He had to act in his client’s best interests, even if they conflicted with his own, and his client clearly wanted to break opposing counsel.
“If everyone doesn’t mind, I need a quick break to rest my hands. Fifteen minutes should be enough.” Tim’s voice cut through the tension in the room. He turned off the recorder with a firm click. In a legal proceeding where one word could cost a company billions of dollars, the accuracy of a transcript overrode all other concerns. If the reporter needed a break, no one would protest.
Mark breathed in a sigh of relief. Time for some damage control. With his usual tact, Tim had just given him a chance to diffuse Steele’s explosive temper and Katy the opportunity to cool down.
Katy collected her files from the table and headed for the door with her client and Tim in tow. Mark stared after her. Damned fine lawyer. And what a show. No wonder they called her the Wildcat. He wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of those claws.
While Steele checked his phone messages, Mark sent a quick text to James, letting him know he had found his mystery woman. The slew of exclamation marks after James’s responding message told Mark he would be spending the evening being interrogated at the bar—Hunter style.
“That little kitty needs to be tamed.” Steele tucked his phone into his pocket. “What do you know about her?”
Mark shrugged, feigning disinterest. If Steele found out she had been at Carpe Noctem, he wouldn’t hesitate to use that information against her, even if her visit had been perfectly innocent. Or, at least, had started out that way.
“She’s new to the case.”
“Find out everything you can about her. Hire an investigator. I want to know all her secrets. Then run the case into the ground. I want it off my desk by the end of the month.”
Mark frowned. Although his firm needed the business, he wasn’t prepared to sacrifice his career to get it. “I can’t do it. Investigating opposing counsel would be considered professional misconduct.”
Steele snorted his disgust. “Sometimes you have to take a risk. Break the rules. That’s how you get what you really want.”
“That’s not why you hired me.” Mark tried and failed to hide his disdain. “If you want to break the rules, you have Gordon.”
Steele needed Mark’s by-the-book approach to legal practice to keep Hi-Tech clear of the regulators. For everything else, he had Gordon Stanton, Hi-Tech’s in-house counsel and resident bully who had no qualms about straying from the right side of the law.
“You’re too uptight,” Steele scoffed. “You need to relax. Let go. Get your head out of the law books and spice up your life. You haven’t been to one of my parties in years.”
Mark gritted his teeth and bit back his resentment in the name of client relations. “Thanks for the advice.”
As usual, Steele didn’t take the hint. “You need a woman, Mark. It’s been years since your girlfriend died. You need to move on. Find someone new.”
Mark bristled at the oblique reference to Claire. Steele had some nerve mentioning her. He knew Claire only from the few occasions Mark had let her accompany him to Steele’s extravagant parties. Not well enough to even begin to understand the depth of Mark’s guilt over her death.
Steele pulled out his cell phone and flipped to a picture of a doe-eyed blonde. “Melody. We’ve been together for over a year now.”
Mark nodded at the picture. “Pretty.”
“She reminds me of her…Claire.”
Mark couldn’t stifle his grunt of irritation. He tapped his pen on the table and willed the break to end.
“Melody’s my longest relationship,” Steele said. “Too long, actually. Men aren’t designed to be monogamous. That’s why kitty caught my eye. I couldn’t hold out the way you do.”
“I don’t have time to even look after myself, much less put in the time to build a relationship.” Nor did he have the inclination to open himself up again. His heart had been rubbed raw once before and he had no intention of repeating the experience.
Steele’s gaze drifted across the table to Katy’s jacket hanging on her seat. “She’s a pretty little kitty, probably a wildcat in bed, but she needs to be tamed by someone with the “steel” to handle her.” He laughed at his own joke.
Mine.
A wave of possessiveness surged through Mark’s body. Unexpected. Unwanted. Undeniable. He balled his hands into fists and concentrated on keeping them down by his sides.
Although Steele didn’t know it yet, for the first time ever, he wasn’t going to get what he wanted.
And unless Mark could resolve the potential conflict, neither would he.
“You were amazing.” Martha hugged herself as they walked down the hallway. “I’ve never heard anyone speak to him like that. He’s Darkon Steele. He has ministers and regulators eating out of his hand and women falling at his feet. Boy was Jimmy right when he recommended your firm.”
Katy cringed. She just wanted to erase the last stressful hour from her memory. How could Fate be so cruel? If she’d had any thoughts about seeing Mark again, she could just lay them to rest. No way would she risk her career on a legal conflict. Especially with a man who had so easily broken down her defenses.
“What did you want to tell me earlier?” She stopped beside a glass barrier overlooking the open atrium. Sunshine sparkled in the windows overhead and danced off the leaves on the trees scattered in the foyer below.
“I wanted to tell you about this note.” Martha reached into her purse and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
Katy smoothed the page and skimmed over a list of names and phone numbers, none of which were familiar.
“It’s from Martin Kowalski. He was a senior researcher at Hi-Tech. He was like a mentor to me, although we didn’t work in the same lab. He didn’t agree with some things they were doing so he quit. When I told him I had gone to the regulators, he gave me this list and said it would help prove my allegations. He asked me not to tell them where I got it.”
Katy turned the paper over. “Did you show this to your previous lawyer?”
Martha shook her head. “He was too busy to even meet with me and I didn’t really trust him. I got the feeling he saw this as another routine dismissal case. But you seem more interested and…aggressive.”
Katy gave her a wry smile. “Assertive maybe, but not usually aggressive.”
She knew when to pull back. Except today. What the hell had happened in there? She had faced down the best and brightest of th
e corporate world but something about Steele turned her knees to jelly. She sensed in him the same streak of cruelty Steven hid so well beneath his cloak of respectability.
Unlike Mark. She barely knew him, but he had already shown her he had limits…and compassion.
Martha sighed. “The regulators weren’t interested in the list. They had already decided my claim had no merit.”
Katy tucked the paper into her folder. “Who are the men on the list?”
Martha shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t recognize their names. I had a friend at Hi-Tech search through the employee database for me. None of the names turned up. Martin wouldn’t say anything else about it. I think he’s scared.”
A class of law students approached, talking in hushed whispers about a trial they’d just watched. Katy put a finger to her lips, silencing her client, until they were out of earshot.
“Scared of what?”
“Scared of the company, but mostly of Mr. Steele.” She squeezed Katy’s hand. “You did great in there. Mr. Steele is the most intimidating person I’ve ever met. Usually when I’m near him, my heart pounds.”
Mark stepped out into the hallway and caught Katy’s gaze. Her heart skipped a beat and she drew in a ragged breath.
“I know what you mean.”
“Objection.”
Katy gave an exasperated sigh. She had long passed the point of hiding her frustration. Mark seemed determined to stop her from getting any evidence from Steele, no matter how trivial. As a result, she had been unable to confirm Martha’s story and the day was almost over.
“What is it this time?” She let sarcasm drip from every word, enjoying the small pleasure of hearing his slight grunt of irritation.
“Your question isn’t relevant to the pleaded case. You know better.”
Katy raised her eyebrows. “I know better?”
Steele smirked. She hadn’t realized his lips could do anything but frown.
Knowing she was about to lose her cool, she turned to Tim. “Off the record please if Mr. Richards doesn’t object to that.”
Legal Heat Page 5