Lawful Deception

by Pamela Samuels Young

  “If that’s the way you want to play it, fine. Just understand that if Fletcher McClain contacts my client again to discuss settlement without my authorization, I’m going to file a motion with the court and bring both of you before the judge.”

  I sit up. I knew nothing about Fletcher meeting with Bliss, but refrain from denying it until I’ve had a chance to speak with him.

  “I wasn’t aware that Fletcher had spoken to Bliss. And frankly, there’s no reason the two of them can’t discuss their case. Perhaps you need a little refresher on the law.”

  “He presented her with a settlement agreement and threatened her after she refused to sign it right there on the spot. Did you draft that agreement?”

  “As I just told you, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “That was a yes or no question, Ms. Henderson. But don’t bother responding, you’ve just told me the answer. Luckily, my client isn’t as stupid as either of you thinks she is. First, you insult her with an offer of seven thousand dollars a month, then Mr. McClain ups it to fifteen grand. It seems to me that your client is pretty worried about the results of his paternity test.”

  “Time will tell,” I say.

  “Indeed it will. You can tell Mr. McClain to forget about that discount Bliss mentioned at lunch. We want the full eighty-three grand a month, and we’re going to get it.”

  “You’ll never see that in a million years.”

  Girlie chuckles. “As you say, time will tell. Just remember that—”

  I know it’s childish of me, but I hang up in her face. If I hadn’t, I might’ve challenged her to meet me in the alley behind my office. I’ve never had another opposing counsel get to me the way Girlie Cortez does.

  I dial Special’s number. “You need to pray for me because I want to strangle Girlie Cortez.”

  “Dang, she’s acting up already.”

  “I just hung up in her face.”

  Special laughs. “That heffa sure knows how to push your buttons.”

  I give her a quick recap of my call with Girlie.

  “Girl, your boy Fletcher may be in for some big trouble. I think Bliss Fenton intentionally targets wealthy men. I talked to the father of her oldest son Aiden and he says watch out. The curious thing is, I can’t find a thing about the father of her middle child, Jonas. I think that baby daddy must’ve paid her off in order to protect his identity. That would explain how she’s living in an expensive townhouse in Playa Vista. There’s no way she can cover her expenses just with what she’s getting from Aiden’s father.”

  “That information could be pretty helpful in our fraud case if it turns out that Fletcher is the father. So keep digging.”

  “And you take it easy,” Special counsels me. “The next time you have a meeting with that wench, call me. I want to be there.”

  “Oh, that would go over well. I’d be the one pulling you off of her.”

  “Hey, whatever works.”

  “So how’s it going with Darius?” Special had called me in tears after their first date, but I urged her to give him a shot.

  She hesitates. “It’s going.”

  “That doesn’t sound too positive.”

  “We’re getting to know each other. We went to the movies the other night.”

  “I’m proud of you for hanging in there with him.”

  “I’ve been doing a lot of research online about the disabled.”

  “Well, first you need to stop referring to him as disabled. I litigated a disability discrimination case once and it turned out to be a real education. The preferred term now is people with access and functional needs.”

  “Girl, that’s too long. I ain’t saying all of that. That’s why I still say Black instead of African-American.”

  I laugh. “If you like hanging out with him, just enjoy the time you spend together. Don’t focus on the fact that he’s in a wheelchair.”

  “That’s the same thing Darius told me. He’s actually a lot of fun. Sometimes I almost forget he’s in the wheelchair.”

  “Just make sure you give enough attention to this case. With Girlie Cortez involved, we need to be prepared for all-out war. And I need as much ammunition as I can get.”

  CHAPTER 21

  Fletcher refuses to take my call, so I send him an email explaining why he should not have any further communications with Bliss. Five minutes later, I receive a two-word response.

  Got it.

  I leave work early and pick up some Thai food. Jefferson and I have a date to binge-watch Ray Donovan. I slip into my favorite sweats and cuddle up next to him on the couch.

  It’s great to put my day behind me and relax. For the time being, I decide not to tell Jefferson that Girlie Cortez is my new opposing counsel. Girlie brought nothing but stress into my life during our last case. He’d probably want me to drop Fletcher as a client.

  Just when I’m beginning to think I’m off the hook and Jefferson has forgotten about my little covert conversation with Fletcher at his party, he brings it up out of nowhere.

  “Your boy Fletcher has some issues.”

  Here it comes. “Is that right?”

  “Yep. He ain’t the baller he pretends to be.”

  A siren starts wailing in my head. Fletcher McClain is not a topic I want to discuss with my hubby tonight. It’s been a few days since the party. I had expected Jefferson to bring it up on the ride home. But he spent most of the drive teasing me about how much I favored Mia.

  “Can we talk about something else?” I say.

  Jefferson keeps going even though he knows I hate it when he talks while we’re watching TV.

  “Dudes who have real money don’t spend all their time bragging about it. And I hate it when white guys try to act like they’re black.”

  I don’t say a word, hoping he will move on to another topic.

  “So what’s going on with his case?”

  “Just waiting for the results of the paternity test. He should have them next week.”

  “Does the kid look like him?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her. And anyway it would probably be hard to tell just by looking at her. She’s only three months old.”

  “Has he even seen her?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “If it were me, I’d want to at least take a look at the kid. But then again, I have strong genes. I’d know my blood right away.”

  “Yeah, sure you would.”

  We go back to watching TV and I’m hoping Jefferson withholds his next comment until the commercial break. But then I remember that we’re watching Netflix. So there are no commercial breaks.

  “I think the dude wants to get into your pants,” he says.

  “No, he doesn’t. He’s about to marry a very smart, attractive woman.”

  “A smart, attractive woman who favors you. I used to work with a white dude who had it bad for sistas. Your boy Fletcher has that same thing going on. He’s even got a fine-ass black housekeeper answering his door. Is his secretary black, too?”

  “Nope. She’s from El Salvador.”

  “Figures. Does he even like white women?”

  “His maybe-baby mama is white.”

  “That’s probably why he’s being so hard on her. Dude don’t like white chicks.”

  I place a finger to my lips, a signal for Jefferson to be quiet. “We’re missing the good part.”

  He picks up the remote and pauses the TV.

  “That night when I saw you in the hallway at his place, you guys were standing close enough to kiss. What were you talking about?”

  There it is.

  My man is so true to his nature. It’s rare for Jefferson to fly off the handle. He prefers to let things simmer. That question has obviously been simmering for a while. I’m offended that he thinks I migh
t be messing around with a client, right in front of his nose, no less. And I want to tell him that. But I know better than to stonewall him. I’ve learned over the years that the best course of action is to proceed with caution. To keep this conversation from turning into a full-fledged argument, I need to answer his question calmly and without attitude.

  Jefferson has turned to face me, but my eyes are glued to the frozen TV screen. If I look at him, I might just tell him to grow up.

  “We were discussing the case,” I say.

  “Why were you standing so close to him?”

  “Because I didn’t want Mia to hear what we were saying.”

  “So what were you saying?”

  I tell Jefferson about the turkey baster cases and my theory that Bliss may have gotten pregnant by inseminating herself. I explain that I was trying to convince Fletcher to prepare Mia for that possibility, just in case the paternity test tagged him as the father.

  “Why are you so convinced that the girl set him up?”

  “Because Fletcher swears he hasn’t slept with her in over a year. It just makes sense. I don’t think Bliss would go to the trouble of filing a paternity petition if the kid wasn’t his. If she knew the test would prove that Fletcher wasn’t the father, she’d be trying to get some quick cash to go away without waiting for the results. Since he hadn’t slept with her for almost a year before the kid was born, the only way she could be his is if she stole his sperm.”

  “Unless your boy is lying to you about the last time he boned her.”

  “He has no reason to lie to me. I’m his lawyer. Clients tell their lawyers everything.”

  “And how many times has that not happened?” His voice is drenched in sarcasm.

  He has a point. “More than it should have,” I say with a laugh. “Can we finish watching Ray Donovan now? Pretty please.”

  I reach for the remote, but Jefferson holds it out of my reach.

  “Dude’s lying to you. That kid is his. He’s going through this denial farce because he doesn’t want your twin sister to find out he screwed his ex after he got with her.”

  “And you know this how?”

  Jefferson hunches his shoulders. “It’s just a feeling.”

  “Okay, great. Time will tell. Now please un-pause the TV.”

  “You know dude was checking out your ass every time you walked by, right?”

  “A lot of guys check out my ass. I have a nice ass.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yep, that’s how I got you, isn’t it?”

  He cocks his head. “True dat.”

  He kisses me, then slides his hand underneath my thigh and squeezes my left butt cheek.

  “His girl looks a lot like you, but she ain’t got nothing on you when it comes to your ass.”

  I kiss him back. “So who’s cuter, me or her?”

  “Hmmm.” Jefferson rubs his chin with his free hand, then hits a button on the remote, returning sound to the room. “Let’s just finish watching TV.”

  This time I grab the remote and pause the TV.

  “Boy, you better answer my question.”

  I climb into his lap, straddling him, not at all surprised to feel his erection. He nuzzles his nose between my breasts.

  “And if you don’t answer it the right way,” I threaten him, “you may not get a treat tonight.”

  Jefferson grins up at me. “You, baby,” he mumbles, kissing my breasts. “Ain’t nobody finer than you.”

  CHAPTER 22

  “Will you please stop frowning? You look absolutely fabulous.”

  Bliss and Jessica were in a dressing room at Bloomingdale’s in the Century City Mall. Bliss had outfitted her in a short skirt and a low-cut T-strap blouse.

  Jessica turned sideways in the mirror. “I’m not really sure Paul will like this. He’s very conservative.”

  “Forget about Paul for now. What about you? Do you like it? Don’t you feel sexy?”

  A shy smile eased its way across Jessica’s thin lips. “Kinda.”

  Before hitting the mall, Bliss had taken Jessica to her colorist, who brought Jessica’s hair to life with some bright cinnamon highlights and large, spiral curls.

  “But I do love my hair.” She swung her head so that the curls danced around her face. “I’ve always wanted to color my hair, but Paul said he liked it the way it was.”

  “Trust me, if he liked it the way it was, you wouldn’t be suspecting him of cheating.”

  At that comment, Jessica’s eyes fell and her shoulders slumped, but Bliss didn’t seem to notice.

  “Just wait. He’ll like everything about the new you. I wish I could be there when you meet him for dinner tonight. If he does have a mistress, he’ll be dumping her and running back home to you.”

  “Thanks for the constant reminder.”

  Bliss gave her friend a hug. “I’m sorry. To be honest, I really don’t think Paul is messing around. He loves his work too much. If anything, his job is his mistress. He doesn’t seem like the cheating type.”

  “You’re confusing me. I thought you said all men cheat.”

  “No. I said all men want to cheat. A lot of them are just too scared to do it. God didn’t make men with a monogamy gene. Your hubby is just overworked. You two will be fine. Especially once he sees you in that outfit.”

  Bliss’ phone rang. She glanced at the screen, then hit decline. “Anamaria again. I’ll call her when we’re done.”

  “It’s probably something with the kids.” Jessica’s face was heavy with concern. “Call her back.”

  “I guarantee you it’s not important.” Bliss handed her phone to Jessica. “Anamaria’s always overreacting. You call her.”

  Bliss tried on a short leather skirt as Jessica called her back.

  As Jessica listened, her face clouded. “There’s some baby aspirin in the medicine cabinet. We’re leaving now.” She started peeling off her clothes before even hanging up.

  “It’s Jonas, right?” Bliss said. “He’s always faking.”

  “I don’t believe you. Kids can’t fake fevers. And anyway, it’s not Jonas, it’s Harmony. We’re going home to check on her.”

  Bliss pouted. “She’ll be fine. I had my mouth all set for the stuffed mushrooms at Seasons 52.”

  “Bliss! We need to go home.”

  “We will. Right after we finish eating. I’m beginning to think you’re obsessed with my daughter. You better not turn out to be one of those crazies who kidnaps her friend’s kid and starts pretending that she’s the mother.”

  A look of genuine hurt spread across Jessica’s face, which then blazed into anger. But instead of voicing what she felt, Jessica turned away and mumbled under her breath. “Your kids would be a lot better off living with me.”

  “What did you say?”

  Jessica was immediately apologetic. “I’m sorry. You know how much I want kids. It just bothers me that you’re not more concerned about Harmony. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Apology accepted.” Bliss blew her a kiss. “But we are having lunch. I’m driving, remember? So unless you’re going to take a cab back to my place to check on Harmony, you’re stuck.”

  Halfway through their meal, Bliss stuck her hand across the table. “Give me your earphones.”

  “My earphones? Why?”

  “Just give them to me.”

  Jessica pulled them from her purse and watched as Bliss plugged them into her phone.

  “I had lunch with Fletcher on Monday and something told me to tape it. So I turned on the recorder on my iPhone right before I sat down and left my purse open on the table. And I’m so glad I did.”

  Bliss handed the earphones back to Jessica and once she’d placed them in her ears, Bliss tapped the screen of her phone. “Listen to this.”

  In seconds, Jess
ica’s face went from blank to bewildered. When she finally removed the earphones, her eyes were wide with fear. “I can’t believe Fletcher threatened you like that. I’d be concerned if I were you.”

  Bliss swiped the worry from the air with a flicker of her fingers. “I’m not afraid of him. But just in case, I’m emailing you a copy of this recording for safekeeping.”

  “I can’t believe you turned down fifteen thousand dollars a month. Have you lost your mind?”

  “I’m entitled to a whole lot more than that and Fletcher knows it. That’s why he tried to get me to sign that agreement right there on the spot. He thinks I’m stupid. Joseph does too. We have a hearing date next week to hear my request for more child support for Aiden.”

  “Bliss, you need to be careful. People are murdered over a lot less money than we’re talking about here. And you have not one, but two men that you’re putting to the test.”

  “Relax, my friend. I have everything under control.”

  Thirty minutes later, when they had entered the parking structure, Jessica spotted Mia three parking stalls away. To Jessica’s dismay, the two enemies had already locked eyes.

  Mia was charging toward them like an attack dog with tunnel vision.

  Jessica snatched Bliss by the arm. “Let’s go.”

  “No way. I’m staying right here.” Bliss shoved her bags at Jessica and planted herself like a tree stump.

  “Bliss, Harmony needs us. We have to—”

  “Which baby daddy’s money are you spending today?” Mia asked, getting in Bliss’ face.

  “Whoever’s money I’m spending, it’s none of your damn business.”

  “I guess we’ll be seeing you in court soon. Make sure you save some of your child support money for the jury award we’ll be getting. And just so you know, that defamation lawsuit was my idea.”

  Bliss’ forehead creased. “What defamation lawsuit?”

  “Don’t play dumb. The one Fletcher served you with last week.”

  “No, sweetie, Fletcher hasn’t served me with a lawsuit. And he didn’t say a word about defamation when he treated me to lunch yesterday at Fig & Olive.”