Chapter 18 – Natalie
Chapter Eighteen
NATALIE
“ T his is bullshit.” Morris slams his hand down on the table. “It’s blackmail.” I feel a headache starting to form at his petulant behavior. Of course he’s trying to play the victim.
“If you pay it, she will sign a nondisclosure agreement and won’t testify. If she won’t testify, then the charges will be dropped,” I tell this asshat for the third time now. He should be thanking his lucky stars. This is the best outcome for him. He has the money. I don’t know why he’s putting up such a fight about it.
I was a touch relieved when we got a pre-suit email from the woman's lawyer. This would greatly simplify the preparation for the upcoming PR nightmare that I’d been working on most of my weekend going back and forth with Morris’s PR company drafting different statements to be ready to go to the press.
A darker part of me wishes she'd sue and run his ass through the mud so everyone would know who this man is, but she should do what makes her more comfortable. Unfortunately, whatever she chooses, it won’t matter where Morris is concerned. I’m sure he’ll be in the same boat again. He’s not the type to learn his lesson.
“It’s the principle of the matter. I didn’t do anything. It was an accident.” He throws his hands up in the air. I narrow my eyes on him to assess him more thoroughly. Is he more chaotic than normal? His eyes are wild. In the past, he’s been so laid back about everything. So sure and cocky that he has everything in the bag.
“Even so, people still get sued over accidents,” I point out. But it's utter bullshit. Whether he was drunk or not, he knew exactly what he was doing when he followed the cocktail waitress into the bathroom. He likes to make women uncomfortable. I’m an eyewitness to the way he works.
“She assaulted me.” He jumps up from his chair, making it fly back and hit the wall. One of the paralegals comes rushing into the conference room.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Daniel has himself under control. Don’t you?” I keep my tone calm, not wanting him to know that he is in fact making me uneasy, but he always has. He has given me the creeps from day one. The experience I had with him in the elevator only heightened my uneasiness.
“Yeah,” he mutters, grabbing the chair to drop back down into it, pouting like a child. Cooper looks at me, and I nod, indicating that it's okay for him to leave.
Fuck, I'd rather be back in bed with Dylan than here right now. We spent the whole weekend together. He hung around while I worked, alternating between feeding me, giving me mind-blowing orgasms, and watching reality TV. What more could a girl ask for?
“Do you see my face, Natalie?” Morris points to the mark under his eyes.
"Yes." I force myself to suppress a smile. She nailed him good. I wish that had been captured on video. I would play it on repeat.
“Give her half.”
“I would advise against that. I assure you that this lawsuit will make headlines before the courthouse clerk has it in the system."
“Offer the cunt half and say I’m thinking of my own lawsuit against her.”
Oh my God. That headache is starting to throb now.
“Let’s conference in Shelly.” I pull out my phone, and Morris rolls his eyes. "You hired them and us to perform a job. You have to let us do that. We’re the professionals here. What is the point of hiring us if you don't take our advice?” I try to reason with him. This is going nowhere fast.
“Right,” he scoffs, and I grit my teeth because he’s never spoken to my boss or the other male lawyers that way. I think the only reason he doesn’t demand to have another lawyer in here and me off the case is because he keeps trying to get a peek down my blouse.
And this fucker is so damn cocky. I’m pretty sure he’s still trying to get me to go out with him on a date that is only for sex in the end. I get Shelly on the phone, and it takes us an hour to get him to agree.
“I just want you to know I’m not happy about this,” Morris mutters, pulling out his phone.
"Drake will make a few calls after I inform the woman’s lawyer of your agreement. He’s confident he will have the charges dropped by the end of the day tomorrow.” My boss is friendly with the DA.
Once they get word, the witness is out; everything will get dropped, but Drake can fast-line it. Hell, he might have it done by the end of the day, but I don’t want Morris blowing up my phone tonight if he doesn't.
“There never should have been any.” I ignore his comment.
“Shelly is going to send me over the new statement about this all being a misunderstanding.”
“An accident,” Morris adds.
“I'll go over it, and it should be good to go.”
“Still not happy about this.”
“Is there anything else we should cover today?” I ask while wondering if I’ll get to see Dylan tonight. That would turn this day around.
“You know what would make me happy.” That smirk he thinks is charming pulls at his lips. “If we got a bite to eat. I’m starving.” He licks his lips.
“No. I have to get this all wrapped. We want it done as quickly as possible.” I’m trying not to be rude to him, but I’m finding I may have to put him in his place sooner rather than later.
“You really have a stick up your ass,” Morris grumbles, standing. “If you replaced it with a dick, you might smile more.” It takes everything I have to remain professional, but I somehow manage it.
“I think we’re done for today, Mr. Morris,” I tell him as he makes his way to the door.
“Oh, we’re not done, Natalie.” Morris winks at me. “Far from it,” he adds before stepping out of the conference room. That unease creeps up my spine because we all know men like him never handle the word “no” well.