DUBIOUS (16 page)

After the first ring, she said, “Yes, Felicia.”

“
Could you call Mr. Jennings and see if he is available to do lunch this afternoon, or possibly drinks after work?”

“
Will do. Do you have another date in case he is booked?” Talisa was thorough.

“
Give his first priority. Clear my calendar if necessary.”

“
Okay.”

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, Talisa came through the door. This time she didn’t bother to knock. “You ain’t going to believe this shit.”

“
What?” I stopped what I was doing to give her my full attention.

“
Jennings’ secretary told me that he was having lunch with someone else from our firm today.”

“
Please don’t tell me it’s—”

“
Okay, I won’t tell you.” She stood there patting her foot.

“
That stank-ass bitch. Did you find out where they are going?”

“
Yeah, they have reservations at Mick’s Midtown on Peachtree.”

“
Good. Am I free?”

“
You are now. What are you going to do?”

“
First I’m gonna find out why this heifer is trying to steal my client, then I’m going to show the bitch her position.”

“
Damn, wish I could be a fly on the wall for this shit.”

“
Trust me, I’ll make sure you’re kept in the loop.” I got up from my desk, not even bothering to lock my computer as I usually do when I’m going to be away from my desk for an extended period of time.

“
Where you going?” She watched me strut toward the door.

“
To see a man about a dog.”

“
Ha. You mean a mutt, don’t ya?”

“
Isn’t that the truth.”

CHAPTER 18

Felicia

I watched the elevator’s indicator light as it neared the top floor. It seemed like the higher the elevator climbed the angrier I became. Anita Williams—better known as Frack—has been my cross to bear, and that bitch was becoming too heavy. I was constantly watching my back just to make sure she didn’t stick a knife in it. Today, I was so fired up by her latest attempt to get up in my business that I had forgotten to be nervous about visiting the senior partner’s office without an official invite. I hadn’t been in his office since the day he had announced my partnership. Gary Yeager was the managing partner. He was the only founding partner left. Thus far, he’d been great to work with.

As I exited the 21
^st
floor to his office, I began to second guess myself. Although it had been his suggestion that I take on the Jennings’ case, we hadn’t sat down and talked about it in any great detail. For all I knew, he might have also asked Anita to work on it with me. If that were the case, why didn’t she come to me since I would be the lead counsel? I didn’t want to pull the race card, but something about Anita had rubbed me the wrong way ever since I was hired.

I approached the receptionist desk in the waiting room of Gary’s office. “Hey Shelley, is the boss in?”

Shelley was Gary’s administrative assistant. She had been with Gary from the beginning. More than likely she knew where all the bodies were buried within the firm.

“
Let me check, Felicia.” She got up from her desk and knocked on Gary’s door. Without waiting for permission, she opened the door and stepped in. Why she didn’t just call him over the phone was a mystery to me. She was an old fossil, though, and set in her ways. She came out and said, “Gary said for you to go right in.”

I walked past her and mumbled my thanks. Suddenly, I realized she hadn’t heard a word I said. I poked my head back out the door and said it louder, “Thank You.”

I was glad I had corrected that shit before she had gotten an attitude. She could be vicious when she felt like she was being disrespected.

“
Felicia, it’s good to see you. How have you been?” Gary asked.

Was this a trick question? I knew my shit had been put on blast in the firm’s gossip mill, so I refused to recap that shit. “I’m good, Gary, I’m good.” My stomach was jumping with butterflies.

“
Is everything okay? It’s not often that you come to visit.” His graying eyebrows pointed inward.

“
Things are good. I came to discuss the Jennings case with you.”

“
Oh, have you had a look at it yet? We do a lot of work for him with regards to his corporation. This is the first time we, however, will be handling something for him on a personal level.”

“
No, I’ve not seen the file. When my assistant went to pull it, it was already signed out.”

“
Really? That’s odd.” He stroked his chin in thought.

“
I said the same thing. I thought you assigned the case to me, so I am following up with you in case I misunderstood you.”

“
No, it’s your case. Who pulled the file?”

“
Desiree McCall.”

“
Who is she?” I tried to hide my smile. “She works for Anita Williams.” I kept the skeezer and tramp adjectives to myself.

“
Oh, Anita. Well, if she wants to work with you on this one, I don’t have a problem with it.”

“
Well I have a problem with it!” I snapped back before I could stop it from exiting my lips. I didn’t want to show any attitude just in case he was propelling her ass on some sort of fast track.

Gary’s eyebrows shot up. I immediately regretted my outburst. His fingers formed a temple in front of his face, and his ears started to turn pink.

“
Gary, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with using some of the junior associates on my cases; however, I want to pick my own associate.”

“
That’s understandable. Why don’t you have a talk with her?”

“
Talk with her? Why should I have to talk with her? Shouldn’t it be the other way around since I’m the senior partner?”

“
Now, Felicia, let’s not blow this thing out of proportion.” He settled his back against the leather chair. His body language was asking questions his mouth hadn’t asked.

“
Gary, no offense, but I don’t trust Anita. She’s having lunch with Jennings today and she didn’t say anything to me about it.”

“
How did you find out?” His brow raised. It was a good thing he didn’t play poker or he would give himself away every time.

“
I had my assistant call to schedule lunch and she mentions his and Anita’s meeting today.”

“
I see. I’ll admit it is unorthodox for an associate to approach a large client without informing the senior partner, but I’m sure she has a valid reason for not informing you.”

“
Well, I’m glad you’re sure because I’m not. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not work with her on this or any case. If I can’t trust her now when he hasn’t even signed the representation agreement, how can I trust her later on down the line? I’ve asked my assistant to do the research for me. She’s getting her degree and has become a vital part of my operation. I was going to speak with you and the other partners about promoting her.”

He nodded. “I’ve heard some good things about her. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

“
That also means that we will need to hire a secretary because I intend to keep her so busy, she won’t have time for anything else.”

“
Let’s discuss this at our next meeting. But getting back to Jennings, what are you going to do?”

“
I’m going to that lunch meeting. I just wanted you to be aware of what I was doing.”

“
Okay. Let me know how it turns out.” He leaned forward and opened a Manila folder.

“
Gary, I don’t want any drama behind this. Can I count on you to have my back?”

“
Sure. The case is yours if he still wants this firm to represent him.”

* * *

I rushed back to my office to get Talisa. Since Anita was trying some tricky, underhanded shit, I felt like I would need a witness in case the shit got ugly. My plan was to intercept Anita before she could pitch herself.

“
Grab your stuff, Talisa. We’ve got a lunch date.”

“
You want me to go with you?” She seemed surprised.

“
Yeah, somebody has to tell the truth if I have to strangle a heifer.” I laughed as I entered my office to get my purse and briefcase.

Talisa was at the elevator when I came out of my office.

“
How did it go?” she asked.

“
Good. I thought he was going to trip on me because them white folks lookout for their own, but he was cool. He even bought off on my promoting you. He told me we would discuss it at the next partners meeting.”

“
Damn, you weren’t playing were you?”

“
That’s one thing about me, I don’t play about business.” I couldn’t wait for the elevator to reach the ground floor.

“
I heard that. So how do you plan on handling Ms. Thang?”

* * *

“
Oh, I got this. Just watch me work.” We arrived at the restaurant as Anita and the man I assumed to be Mr. Jennings were being shown to their table. We followed them in as if we were all one big, happy group. Anita was spitting bullshit to Mr. Jennings. I just wanted to snatch the fat heifer by her hair and cold cock her.

I had to hand it to her. To be so fat, she was light on her feet. I guess she must have practiced walking in heels because her ankles no longer wobbled when she walked. But her thighs still swished together, and her clothes looked like they came from the pages of JC Penny’s catalog. It was a wonder she hadn’t started a brushfire with all that polyester rubbing together.

I waited till she had pulled out her chair before I made my move. “Oh, Anita, thanks so much for setting up this meeting for me. You can head back to the office now. Talisa and I will handle this from here on.” I gave her my bitch-beat-it look.

If looks could kill, this heifer would have blasted my ass straight off the planet. I could see the tiny wheels of deception spinning as she tried to recover. I grabbed the chair out of her hand and sat down, totally dismissing her with the back wave of my hand. “Mr. Jennings, my name is Felicia Clark. I’m a senior partner with Anderson, Nelson & Yeager. This is my legal assistant Talisa Melvoy. We’ve been asked by Gary Yeager to speak with you about possibly representing you in your pending litigation.” I didn’t bother turning around to see if Anita was still there. I could feel her eyes burning into my neck.

“
Is there something else, Ms. Williams?” Talisa inquired before she took the seat adjacent to Mr. Jennings.

If I could have given her a high five at that moment and gotten away with it, I would have. Slowly I turned, giving Anita a second dismissal that was sure to get her ass moving. “Anita, I’m sure some of the cases you were assigned could use some of your attention.” I had stressed the word
assigned
just in case she wanted to buck up at me. I might not have been the one to sign her check, but I had a vote in weather or not she received a bonus at the end of the year.

“
Uh … I’m glad I could be of assistance. If you need anything else please don’t hesitate to call me.” She feigned a smile.

“
Sure, sweetie. If I ever need the help of a junior associate, I’ll be sure to give you a call. Oh … sweetie, please see that Mr. Jennings’s files are back in my office by the time we return from lunch. Thanks bunches.”

This was the defining moment. Anita’s face had turned red, and I thought her eyes were going to burst from their sockets. I looked over at Talisa. She was about to burst out laughing. My eyes warned her to keep a straight face until the enemy had left the building.

After Anita slithered away, I focused on the handsome man seated before me and said, “Mr. Jennings, it so nice to finally meet you. We’ve heard some pretty good things about you, and I congratulate you on your success.”

“
Thank you, please call me Sherman.” His eyes took in both of us.

I could see the confusion written over his face. I knew that I would have to act quickly if I didn’t want to lose him.

He showed us his palms. “Whoa, what just happened here?”

“
Call it a takeover attempt.” I smiled to cover the rage flowing through my veins. “Your case was assigned to me. Ms. Williams is a junior associate looking to rise above her position. Her ethics often come into question in her attempts to do it.”

“
I see. I’ll admit I was taken aback by her persistence. Her secretary has been calling every day for an appointment until she finally wore me down.”

“
I won’t apologize for her behavior, but if you allow us to represent you, I assure you that she will not be bothering you again. Our team does not operate that way. While we want your business, we will not move into your neighborhood to get it.”

“
I appreciate your honesty. I’m a very private man, and I don’t like divulging my personal information.”

The way he looked at me almost caused me to squirm in my seat.

I caught my breath and said, “We can understand and appreciate that. You’re in the trade-secret business, and we will handle your affairs with the utmost confidentiality. Should you hire us, you will only deal with me or Talisa. She is my right hand, and I value her professionalism.”