Chapter 5 A Case of Legalities
A CASE OF LEGALITIES
CASSIDY
The exhilaration that went down my spine at the acceptance of our deal was interlaced with fear and anxiety.
Part of me didn’t believe he would accept. I was fully prepared to go to plan B or even plan C to persuade him to go along with it, so his acceptance on my first attempt has me rather suspicious.
Which is kind of amusing given the fact that I broke into his apartment, propositioned him, and then allowed him to goad me into screwing him. Don’t get me wrong, I use the term allowed him loosely.
And of course, my response to his deal was an excruciatingly awkward thumbs up. Because nothing screams ‘thank God, I’m so excited’ like a thumbs up emoji.
And that left me with the quandary of being the last one to reply.
Wanting to get all the details sorted was killing me, but I also didn't want to immediately begin to nag for fear he’d change his mind.
Having him change his mind and then having to go to a contingency plan would be a little awkward.
Apparently, awkward is my baseline.
Fortunately, I got to breathe another sigh of relief when the very next day he called me to coordinate a meeting with lawyers to go over the terms of our deal.
His annoyance that I didn’t have a trustworthy counsel who didn’t work for my father was laughable.
Even more laughable is that when he asked me if I trusted him to find one for me, I readily agreed.
Because even if he is a scoundrel, Ren Rafferty isn’t a dirty, rotten liar.
I was only slightly annoyed when this agreement turned into me having to fly to LA. I don’t know what I thought about our overall timeline between making the deal and having the wedding, but apparently Ren wants it done and dusted in record time.
And now, here I am, barely a week later, sitting in the opulent waiting room of some big wig, high powered LA attorney.
A rather attractive middle-aged woman wearing what appeared to be very expensive workout gear told me to have a seat and someone would be with me shortly.
That was more than shortly ago, but since she had then quickly disappeared, there isn’t anyone for me to follow up with.
I’m just getting my phone out of my purse to send Ren a text when a large door on the other side of the room swings open.
I turn my attention toward it to find the lady from reception in the doorway.
She smiles warmly, her hand raising and beckoning me closer as she says, “Ms. Logan, please, right this way.”
Slightly confused, I rise from my chair and slowly make my way toward her.
As soon as I’m within a few feet of her she turns and enters the room, so I follow along, having little other choice.
We enter a large office made up predominantly of dark wood and deep red leather.
Frowning, I curse myself for not getting more information from Ren on who I’m meeting because if he got me a male lawyer I’m going to be annoyed.
The receptionist doesn’t stop by the chairs in front of the desk as I thought she would. Instead, she walks around behind the desk and turns to face me besides the executive chair. Then she motions toward the seating in front of her as she says, “Please, have a seat.”
I hesitate slightly and then shrug as I close the distance and seat myself on the chair closest to me. Then I ask, “Do I have the wrong day?”
The woman squints slightly and then shakes her head. “No. Why do you ask?”
I glance around the room to see if I’m missing another person. Then I turn my attention back to her and say, “Is there a lawyer type going to show up?”
Now the woman frowns and also looks around the room. Then she glances down at herself and laughs before looking back at me. “Pardon my less than professional appearance, but I can assure you that I am definitely a lawyer type.”
The confusion on my face must be evident because she waits a beat and then adds, “Did Rennick not tell you anything about me?”
I shake my head. “No, he gave me an address and a time to be there.”
She rolls her eyes, one of her hands moving to her hip. “Oh, I should have known. And I apologize for his idiocy and for my assumptions.”
I give her a closed mouthed smile and a nod of acceptance and then after a few moments of silence I ask, “And who are you?”
She frowns slightly and then her head tilts back as she laughs. Then she walks swiftly around the desk, hand extended. “Penny Wolf, Esquire. It’s nice to meet you.”
Standing, I grip her hand in mine, and she gives a solid shake before releasing me. “So, you’re not the receptionist?”
Again, she laughs, shakes her head as she walks back around the desk. Seating herself she explains, “Oh heavens no. My receptionists all had kid things going on this afternoon, so I told them to go.”
“Receptionists? As in plural?”
“Oh yes,” she replies easily. “I used to only have one or two, but after a few attempts at hiring a few full-time staff, I gave up, shifted my search and brought on a few from the most reliable demographic there is.”
A confused laugh falls from my lips. “And which demographic would that be?”
“Single mothers,” she says flatly. “Some of the most reliable and dedicated people you can hire.”
I can tell by her demeanor and her tone that she means every word that she says. The smile I give her is genuine as I relax back into my seat, my hands folded in my lap. “And how do you know Ren?”
She waves a hand at me as she replies, “Oh, I don’t know Ren.”
Again, I frown and sigh. “Then how did he recommend you to me?”
“Oh, that would be Declan.”
“Declan?”
She raises both her brows at me, surprise on her face. “Are you saying you don’t know Declan?”
I shake my head and then she adds, “Declan Hughes. You don’t know him?”
“The rock star?”
She nods. “The one and only.”
I make a face and then retort, “Well I don’t know him. And I probably don’t want to know how Ren knows a rock star.”
Now Penny laughs. “There’s a lot of things we don’t need to know. And really, all you need to be concerned about is the future.”
She's right. I can continue to perseverate over the past until I’m a legit crazy person, but it won’t change anything, and it certainly won’t help the next year of our lives.
“Do you want to tell me a little bit about what’s going on?
” Penny’s question breaks through my thoughts, and I look at her to find her watching me thoughtfully; suddenly I feel self-conscious.
She must sense my unease because she adds, “You only have to divulge what you’re comfortable with.
But just know that everything you say to me is completely confidential.
It’s all privileged and barring some completely insane, murderous plot, I would never say anything to anyone. ”
“So, you draw the line at murderous plot?”
She leans back in her chair with a low chuckle, her hand raising up palm down she tilts it side-to-side. “It depends. Definitely a sliding scale.”
Another laugh falls from my lips, some of the tension leaving my body. “Well, I can assure you I have no current murderous plans. Though, I’m sure that could easily be a sliding scale with the likes of Ren Rafferty.”
“Oh honey,” she responds. “That’s all men.”
Smiling, I nod in agreement. “This is simple in theory. Quickie wedding. We live as husband and wife until we have one child together. Then we can quietly divorce, amicably, and in return for his efforts and time, he gets to be owner of the hockey team.”
The humor vanishes from her features and her lip curls almost as if in disgust. “That’s it?”
“Yeah, that’s what our agreement was.”
“What do you get from this?”
I cock my head at her in confusion. “A child?”
Again, her lip curls, distaste quite obvious as she sputters, “And that’s a reward for you?”
Since I completely understand how this all appears to her, I shrug and reply, “My reward is more that I set the terms. No one told me who to marry. No one’s telling me where to live, what to do.
Ren may be a jackass, but I believe he’ll be a great father, and will follow our deal to the letter.
And since I do want to be a mother, it’s like killing two birds with one stone. ”
“Are you being forced to do this?”
Sighing, I look away briefly and after a moment I turn back to Penny and say, “Not technically. But if Ren asks, it’s all a stipulation in the fine print of my trust fund.”
Excitement flares in her eyes and she leans forward, her forearms on top of her desk as she says excitedly, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I don’t know? What do you think I’m saying?”
“Are you pulling a fast one on Rafferty?”
I press my lips together, not really wanting to admit it but knowing she’s on to me. “Maybe.”
“Do you mean the man harm?”
“No.”
“Do you love him?”
My eyes narrow, my lips twist, a heavy sigh falling between us as I finally respond, “Not yet,” and then immediately regret it because what kind of conversation is this anyway.
She levels me with a thoughtful look, her hands steepled in front of her as she asks, “But this little deal was your idea?” I nod and she goes on, “But why? You’re young, attractive, rich. You have plenty of time to find love in a far less…devious way.”
Her gaze is piercing, knowing. Blinking, I glance over her shoulder, torn on how much I want to explain at this point.
She doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t fidget or put off any indication that she’s going to force a response from me, just sits quietly, waiting.
With another heavy sigh I turn my attention back to her and explain, “I won’t go into details on my own past, but let’s just say my upbringing was less than ideal, and I want to do everything in my power to create the most ideal start I possibly can for my future children. ”
“But why him?” she asks plainly, obviously not going to give in until I tell her what she wants to know. “And what’s your rush?”
“You know he’s not getting any younger, right?” I ask with a raised brow. She chuckles, nods, then I add, “You ever just see something and want it for your own?”
She inclines her head in acknowledgement of my question and I go on, “That’s kind of what this is.
He always caught my attention for obvious reasons, but then I started to pay attention, to listen.
To take a good look at him as a human being and not just as the dumb ass jock hockey player he’d been labeled as.
Turns out he’s a great guy with a great family and his bad boy reputation was overblown gossip from a few transgressions when he was young. ”
“And?”
“And once I realized this I really wanted him.”
Penny’s brows raise, her eyes widen. “Just like that?”
“Yes,” I answer, heart pounding in my chest. “Though it took more time from point A to point B than that, but the end result is the same.”
“And I should just go along with it?”
“I don’t see why not?” I state firmly. “This is far less sinister than the shit men pull, so no harm, no foul.”
For a moment I fear she’s going to tell me to get out. That my little confession will have ruined everything and word will get back to Ren and I’ll either have to do some fancy footwork damage control or call it a failed mission.
But she doesn’t.
Instead, she sits back in her chair, claps her hands in front of her as she says gleefully, “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
“I gotta say, Penny,” I respond hesitantly, relief flooding through me. “You are turning out to be a very pleasant surprise.”
“Let me tell you something, Cassidy. I’ve defended a lot of blatantly guilty men. At the time, it was hugely uncomfortable for me, but I always considered it to be a means to the end.”
“The end?”
Her smile is wicked. “That’s right. Because I knew at some point in my career, I’d be able to use all that money I made to turn the tables on those types of men.
And I’m not saying that Ren is a bad guy or anything, but that doesn’t mean I can't find some enjoyment in helping him get taken down a peg or two.”
“Well, if it helps, I will hold up my end of the bargain. I don’t plan on screwing him over in the end.”
“You don’t want to keep the team for yourself?”
I make a face, wave my hand dismissively. “It will just end up back with my own offspring, so the rest is semantics.”
“Good point. But let's make sure there are enough clauses and stipulations in that fine print where he could screw himself over if it came to it.”
She smiles broadly, and I can’t help but return the smile. “Let's do it.”